Zhou Fan and the others left the commercial capital and ran all the way to the west. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 About two hours later, they came to the foot of Huashan Mountain, and Zhou Fan saw that this was the place where he had stopped when he came out of Youshi Valley, not far from Youshi Valley. Although the peony and the others are no longer in the valley, and the valley has been built by Xia Wangjie to build a long night palace, he still wants to go to Youshi Valley to have a look, after all, he spent a good time there. However, he thought that it was most important to go to the summer capital to save the Tang King, and he must not put it off. So he didn't stop and rushed all the way forward. As they were running, a group of robbers blocked the way and shouted to them: "If you want to cross this mountain road, you must leave all the things you are carrying, otherwise you can't!" We don't want to kill! "It was a bearded, bald man who looked fierce.

Zhou Fan wanted to go to the summer capital to save King Tang in a hurry, and he didn't want to have more branches, so he got off the horse and bowed to the bald bearded man: "Brothers, little brother has something urgent to do, please make it convenient, there will be a period later." ”

Unexpectedly, the two beauties in the carriage couldn't help screaming when they heard that there were robbers and robbers.

When the bald beard heard this, he laughed "haha" and said, "I'm so lucky today, and there are beautiful people in the car." Then he said to Zhou Fan fiercely: "Boy! I said a long time ago that if you don't want to die, you should leave things and beautiful people behind. ”

When Zhou Fan heard this, this group of robbers couldn't reason with them at all, so he said angrily: "You are such thieves, seeking money and killing people, losing your conscience, your lord has urgent things to do, I don't want to entangle with you more, if you don't want to die, leave quickly, don't delay your lord's errands." ”

The bald bearded man heard Zhou Fan's disrespectful words, so he said: "Hey, you kid, you are really not afraid of death, brothers give it to me!" Lesson, lesson! ”

Seven or eight people came up in a row, they were holding big knives and rushed towards Zhou Fan and Liu Lai, Zhou Fan quickly pulled out the Xuan Ape Sword and swung it at them, and only used two layers of force to put them all down. The bald beard saw that the situation was not good, and thought that when he met a martial arts master this time, he would run away regardless of thirty-seven twenty-one. Zhou Fan rushed in front of him with an arrow, pointed at him with a sword and said, "Where are you from?" Heist in this! ”

The bald beard hurriedly kowtowed: "The little one lives in the abandoned Long Night Palace in Youshi Valley, in the past few years, there have been floods at home, and the government has urged food and wages, we were forced to flee here, there is no way, I want to get something to eat, so I took this road." ”

As soon as Zhou Fan heard that the Long Night Palace and Shi Gu were there, he said: "The Long Night Palace, it wasn't just built by Xia Wangji, why was it abolished again?" ”

"Uncle, do you know that one night after the Long Night Palace was built, a sudden gust of wind blew, and the Long Night Palace was lifted, and it was abolished in the future. This abandoned Long Night Palace, how much can still shelter a little wind and rain, we have no place to live, so we take this abandoned palace as a place to live. ”

When Zhou Fan heard this, he thought that King Xia had abolished Youshi Valley and built the Long Night Palace, and then the Long Night Palace was abolished by the wind, which was a warning from God to King Xia. But the king of Naxia was obsessed and still doing evil and oppressing the people.

"There is a grain of charity, and the land is fertile enough to be cultivated, so why don't you cultivate it, and come and rob it?"

"We didn't even have anything to eat, so we had the seeds and tools to plant."

"You don't have furniture, why do you still have a big knife?"

"The dissatisfied uncle said that this big knife was exchanged for his life."

At this time, the several robbers who were defeated also came to Zhou Fan and knelt in front of Zhou Fan with the bald beard. Zhou Fan thought that they were all born poor and forced to be thieves, and his compassion rose spontaneously, so he said: "You all get up, I will give you some silver, go buy some seeds and farm tools, go and cultivate well, don't do any more robbery." ”

"Thank you for the grace of not killing, thank you for rewarding silver, we all listen to the grace of the father!" They said in unison.

Zhou Fan took some silver from his pocket and gave them and said: "Youshi Valley is a good place, I once had a good memory there, you go to Youshi Valley, build your own home, if you have the opportunity, I will come to Youshi Valley to see." ”

"Thank you!" Then they knelt down and watched Zhou Fan leave.

Zhou Fan returned to the road, mounted his horse, and together with Liu Lai, galloped towards the summer capital, and soon arrived at the summer capital.

They came to the Zhao Mansion and stopped in front of the Zhao Mansion. Zhou Fan got off the horse and saw that the Zhao Mansion was guarded, so he said to the guard: "I am a friend of Lord Zhao, so I will bother you to report it, and I will say that Zhou Fan of Shangguo wants to see me." ”

"This can't be done, these days, Lord Zhao is in a bad mood, so he greets him, and no one sees him." Guarding the Road.

Zhou Fan took a piece of broken silver from his pocket and gave it to the guard: "You just said that Zhou Fan of Shangguo has an urgent matter to see, he will definitely not punish you, and will agree to meet." ”

When the guard saw the silver, he hurriedly said, "It's easy to say, it's easy to say." The guards immediately went in to report.

After a while, the guard came out and said, "Lord Zhao told you to go in and wait in the living room." ”

"Okay."

The guards opened the gate, and Zhou Fan galloped all their horses and carts into the Zhao Mansion.

Zhou Fan came to the living room, which was even more magnificent than three years ago, and there were more treasures around. Zhou Fan asked Liu Lai to move four boxes of gifts into the living room, and then, Zhou Fan said to Liu Lai: "You and Narcissus and Osmanthus are waiting in the carriage, listen to my orders, I will give them a high-five, if you hear my three applause, you will take them to the living room." ”

Liu Lai nodded, and waited quietly in the carriage with the second beauty.

After a while, Zhao Liang came to the living room, and when he saw Zhou Fan, he said, "Let Commander Zhou wait for a long time." ”

"Lord Zhao is on official business, and he can take the time to meet Zhou, Zhou is really grateful." Zhou Fan arched his hand.

Zhao Liang looked at the four boxes of gifts, and said silently: "Time flies quickly, it's been three years since you left, don't come unharmed, right?" ”

"Thanks to Lord Zhao, Zhou is fine."

"Zhou Fan came to the summer capital this time, just for the Tang King?" Zhao Liang went straight to the point with a single knife.

After all, Zhao Liang is Zhou Fan's old acquaintance, Zhou Fan saw him talking so quickly, and he was not secretive, so he said: "Zhou is here for this matter, Lord Zhao is my old friend, Zhou has this matter to ask for, he will not ignore it, right?" ”

"Where, where! I was worried about this matter, at that time, I proposed that the emperor invite King Tang to come to the court, in order to meet the Shang country, but I didn't expect that as soon as King Tang arrived, the emperor detained King Tang and imprisoned him in Xiatai, I really shouldn't have come. ”

Zhou Fan thought to himself, this Zhao Liang could tell some lies, deliberately pretended, became a bitch, and wanted to build an archway. But Zhou Fan had something to ask him, so he had to follow Zhao Liang's words, and said: "It's hard for Lord Zhao to worry about King Tang's affairs, it really makes Zhou very unhappy." Zhou Moute brought two beauties from Shangguo, so it is better to ask them to come up and perform songs and dances for Lord Zhao to dispel Lord Zhao's sorrows. ”

As soon as Zhao Liang heard that there was a beauty, he wanted to take a look at it and enjoy it, so he said, "Then call to take a look!" ”

"Good!" Zhou Fan slapped three times in a row, and when Liu Lai heard it, he took the two beauties out of the car and came to the living room.

The second beauty came to the living room of Zhao's mansion, and the Tingting's jade body and beautiful appearance immediately made Zhao Liang seem to be electrocuted, dumbfounded, and said after coming back to his senses: "I have long heard that the beauties of the Shang Kingdom do not need to be picked, but I didn't expect this beauty of the Shang Kingdom to have such charm, it is really unprecedented." ”

"Narcissus, osmanthus, Lord Zhao is my old friend, I have been a little sad recently, please sing and dance for him to wash away the sorrow in his heart."

"Yes!" The two beauties said in unison.

The two beauties let out their delicate throats and sang and danced at the same time. After a song, I saw Zhao Liang stunned.

"Lord Zhao, Lord Zhao!" Zhou Fan said to Zhao Liang, Zhao Liang didn't seem to hear it, and still stared at the two beauties motionlessly.

"Lord Zhao! What do you think? Zhou Fan said again, which made Zhao Liang wake up and said busily: "Very good!" Very good! ”

Zhou Fan waved his hand, and Liu Lai took the two beauties down.

"Commander Zhou, are you dedicating these two beauties to the emperor?"

"Nope! No! It's dedicated to Lord Zhao! ”

"Zhao is blessed, there are blessings there who can afford these two peerless beauties."

"Isn't it disgusting?"

"Nope! No! This is where the words are. ”

"Since that's the case, then I'll ask them to wait for Lord Zhao tonight."

When Zhao Liang heard Zhou Fan's words, he couldn't say how happy he was for a while, and he whispered embarrassedly: "That's great." ”

Subsequently, Zhao Liang accepted four boxes of gifts and ordered them to keep Zhou Fan and Liu Lai in the east wing of Zhao's mansion.

This night, Zhao Liang was satisfied with the attentive service of the two beauties of narcissus and osmanthus.

Early the next morning, Zhao Liang went to the court with his spirits. Xia Wang Ji sat in the south, and Zhao Liang first played: "The minister has one thing that has always been in his heart, that is, Shang Tang has been imprisoned in Xiatai for many days, I don't know what the emperor plans?" ”

"Imprisoning Shang Tang is your attention, what do you say to do with Shang Tang?"

"The minister heard that Shang Tang had a good name among the princes, and if he was imprisoned for a long time, he was afraid that he would be discussed by the world."

"Then you mean to say that you let him go back to Shangguo?"

"The minister thought that he would be imprisoned for many days as a punishment, so it was better to let him make a death oath never to betray the Xia Dynasty, and let him return to the country first, so as to see the after-effects, which not only showed the magnanimity and open-mindedness of the emperor, but also made the world return to the emperor."

"Zhao Liang, it's you who imprisoned Shang Tang, and it's you who want to release Shang Tang, what kind of heart do you have? Is this court where you cover the sky with one hand? "Meng Liang said.

"Meng Liang, don't spew blood, the emperor is above, everything is decided by the emperor." Zhao Liang said angrily.

"Emperor, the minister thinks that this Shang Tang must not be put back to the Shang State, the first battle of the State of the State of the People's Republic of China, is actually a battle between the Xia army and the Shang army, not the battle between the Xia Army and the Army, after investigation, the merchant soldiers dressed as the army accounted for three-quarters of the total number of the army, the Shang State does have a rebellious heart, must not be guarded against. If the emperor returns to Shangtang and returns to the country, it is equivalent to letting the tiger return to the mountain, and when the Shang country has the ability to compete with the Xia Dynasty, the emperor will not be easy to deal with, it is better to kill him, kill a hundred examples, and the princes will not dare to betray the emperor in the future! "Meng Liang said.

Xia Wangwei listened to Zhao Liang and Meng Liang's words, each with its own reasoning, so he said: "Shang Tang will not release and return to the country for the time being, nor will he kill him, so as to quietly observe the movements of the Shang Kingdom." ”

Subsequently, Zhao Liang took advantage of Meng Liang's absence several times to bring the matter of King Tang into the Baixia Wangji, and asked to be released to the Shang Kingdom. It's strange to say, this time Xia Wangjie just didn't listen to Zhao Liang, either interrupted and avoided, or only didn't mention the release of Tang Wang.

Meixi was also at the back of the court a few times, and heard Zhao Liang's intentions.

For a few days, Zhao Liang had been worried about King Tang. One day, Zhao Liang went down to the backwards, and walked alone on the road with his head down.

"Lord Zhao, Xi Niangniang has invited Lord Zhao to the Jinluan Palace." Zhao Liang looked up and saw that the speaker was a palace maid under Meixi.

"Xi Niangniang called me?" Zhao Liang said suspiciously.

"Yes, Xi Niangniang is waiting for you in the Jinluan Palace." After Zhao Liang heard this, he followed behind the palace maid, thinking as he walked: He and Mei Xi have never had private dealings, and this time he recruited him, I don't know what Sister Xi is looking for him. After a while, they came to the Jinluan Palace. I saw a noble woman sitting in front of the main hall.

When Zhao Liang saw it, he bowed down and said, "Niangniang summoned her ministers, I don't know what is important?" ”

"Lord Zhao, you're welcome, please take a seat!" Meixi pointed to a stool next to her and said.

"Thank you!"

Mei Xiping went left and right and said: "Lord Zhao has recently been in the court, and Changbai Shangtang is about it, and he intends to release Shangtang?" ”

When Zhao Liang heard this, Meixi said this, was she tempting? Or is there something in mind? He said, "Don't dare!" Can't! This matter is all in charge of the emperor, and Shang Tang is in charge of the people sent by Meng Liang, and the security is very strict, and no one is allowed to enter without the king's token. ”

"Summoning Shang Tang to Xia, it was you who proposed it, and now you want to release Shang Tang again, could it be that Shang Guo is here?"

"The subordinate should be damned, everything is not full of mothers."

"Don't be afraid, I won't say it, I want to help you. Who's coming? It can't be the Yi Yin who just left, right? ”

"Dissatisfied with Niangniang, Zhou Fan, the commander of the Shang Kingdom, is in my mansion and wants to take Shang Tang back."

"I knew it. You have played the emperor many times and returned to the country with business soup, but in fact, it is for the sake of the emperor, I understand. Shang Tang is a famous virtuous monarch in the world, if he is imprisoned for a long time, it is not a long-term plan, it attracts the discussion of people all over the world, which is not conducive to the rule of the emperor, so the release of Shang Tang is for the long-term stability of the Xia Dynasty. For this reason, I have also persuaded the emperor many times, but to no avail. In the past, the emperor could listen to me for everything, but this time, the emperor somehow didn't listen to my advice, but also told me not to interfere in politics. This time, I think the emperor will no longer listen to me, and I am also worried about this matter. If we could work together, I would have taken a risk, but it would have worked. ”

"How to cooperate? What strategy? ”

"I took the opportunity to steal the emperor token and hand it over to you, and then you handed it over to Commander Zhou, and went to Xiatai to raise Shang Tang, and then, you answered outside Xiatai, and took back the token, and then handed it to me, and I put it back in its place. But the process must be fast, otherwise if the emperor finds out that Shang Tang has not yet been released, this matter will be difficult to do. If Shang Tang has been released and returned to China, the emperor will learn that he is to blame, and he can blame Meng Liang, telling him to take poor precautions and make Shang Tang escape, as long as you and I are consistent inside and outside, the emperor will definitely believe it. What do you think? ”

In recent years, Meng Liang has always opposed Zhao Liang in the court, and Zhao Liang always wants to find an opportunity to get rid of him, but he is suffering from a lack of help. At this time, Zhao Liang was overjoyed when he heard his sister Xi say "blame Meng Liang", which was exactly what he wanted, and he was overjoyed, but he still didn't show joy on his face, and said: "It's good to do this, it's good, it's too difficult to be a mother." ”

"Alas, for the sake of the emperor's long-term peace and stability, I had to make a decision. In the past few days, I have tried my best to pester the emperor, so that he does not ask about political affairs, so that you can take action. ”

"With the help of Niangniang, this thing will definitely succeed."

"Good! That's it. ”

When Zhao Liang returned to the mansion, he told Zhou Fan about the plan to cooperate with Meixi. After Zhou Fan heard this, he was silent for a while, he was very worried about his sister, so he said: "This plan is good, but it is too risky, I am afraid that if the matter is revealed, not only will King Tang not be saved, but both Niangniang and Lord Zhao will be in danger." ”

"According to the emperor's usual favor for Niangniang, in case the emperor knows that this matter was done by Niangniang, I don't think Niangniang will be in danger of her life, as for me, Commander Zhou doesn't have to worry about me, I will have a way to convince the emperor."

"That's good, that's it."

In the middle of the night, Zhao Liang received a token from Meixi's slave. He immediately called Zhou Fan up and said: "The token has just been received, Xiatai is a distance away from Xiadu, we will drive the carriage to Xiatai, it is estimated that it will arrive at dawn, without further ado, act quickly." ”

"Okay."

Zhao Liang took out the second deputy Xia Bing's armor and handed it to Zhou Fan and Liu Lai, asking Zhou Fan and Liu Lai to dress up as Xia Bing.

Then Zhou Fan and Zhao Liang each rode horses, and Liu Lai drove the carriage out of the summer capital.

They galloped all the way through the night, and after about an hour, it was dawn, and they came to Xiatai. Zhao Liang said: "I'll wait for you in this outskirts." You can take this token to go to the Xiatai Prison, and when you see the prison guards, you will say that the emperor has an order to personally interrogate Shang Tang, and ask us to come and raise Shang Tang. If there is any other change, you can't bring up the soup king, and I will come forward to deal with you. ”

"Good!" Zhou Fan and Liu Lai entered Xiatai and came to prison. When the prison guards saw someone coming to the prison, they said, "What is the important thing that you have come to the prison in the morning?" ”

"The token is here, and the emperor has an order to personally judge Shang Tang and ask us to come and propose Shang Tang." Zhou Fan showed the token as he spoke.

"General Meng didn't explain?"

"Does the emperor's matter still need to go through General Meng? If you miss a big thing, how many heads do you have? ”

The two jailers didn't dare to ask any more, so they took Zhou Fan and Liu Lai to the place where King Tang was imprisoned, and they opened the prison door. When King Tang saw that it was Zhou Fan, he was about to speak, but Zhou Fan interrupted King Tang first, and said while winking: "The emperor has an order, he wants to interrogate you personally, and quickly follow us." ”

King Tang immediately understood what Zhou Fan meant, and he was released from prison with Zhou Fan.

As soon as he got out of prison, Zhou Fan bowed and said: "Weichen Zhou Fan, meet King Tang, King Tang is frightened, we were sent by the young master and Yi Xiang to rescue the driver, please King Tang get in the car quickly." Everything will be discussed in the merchant country. ”

"Good, good!" King Tang got into Liu Lai's carriage.

They made it all the way to the outside of Xiatai. Seeing Zhao Liang waiting anxiously. As soon as Zhao Liang saw Zhou Fan and their arrival, he said, "Is things going well?" Did King Tang rescue him? ”

"It's going well, King Tang is already in the car." Subsequently, Zhou Fan handed over the token to Zhao Liang.

Zhao Liang lifted the curtain and said, "Zhao Liang visited King Tang, and King Tang was frightened. ”

"There is labor! There is labor! King Tang replied.

Zhao Liang rode on his horse and left Xiatai with Zhou Fan, Liu Lai, and Tang Wang, and after a while, they came to a fork in the road, and Zhao Liang said to Zhou Fan: "There will be a period later." ”

Zhou Fan replied: "Take care." "Parted ways with Zhao Liang and ran east.