At night, the wind howled and beat frantically against the windows, and large snowflakes were swept in through the cracks in the doorway. The yellow lanterns were lit one after another, under the eaves, on every plum blossom tree. The whole plum garden was a little ghostly in an instant.

Zhang Ci always wrapped Chen Qiuniang's hand in the palm of his hand. After Jiang Fan walked out, he signaled the Eighteen Cavalry to be on guard, and then led Chen Qiuniang to sit down by the burning stove, and said softly: "Don't be afraid. This time it's even simpler than the last time on the Min River. Last time, I had to take care of your safety, but now that you are by my side, the enemy is no longer strong. ”

Chen Qiuniang nodded and said very gently: "I'm really not afraid." ”

Zhang Ci smiled, his eyes were dark, reflecting the blazing fire, looking so gentle. Chen Qiuniang liked it very much, so she couldn't stop laughing.

"What are you laughing at? It's so stupid. He asked in a low voice, which was very gentle.

"You're so good-looking." She didn't hide it, and said it directly.

"I've heard a lot of compliments like this, but it's just your sentence, and I think it's very heartwarming." He whispered, placing one of her hands in his arms and warming them.

As soon as Chen Qiuniang was pulled by him, she fell to him, fell on his knees, and her hair was messed up. He held her by the hand and gently brushed her messy hair with the other.

"In the past, I only said that you were too cold to be approached, but I didn't know that you were also as flamboyant as the prodigal in this world." She said coquettishly.

Zhang Ci pinched her arm, and said with great affection: "I'm just facing you." I'm in the mood for this, and--can't help it. That's it. As he spoke, he quickly leaned down, kissed her hard in the ear, and when he looked up, he didn't forget to wrap his earlobe.

Chen Qiuniang only felt that something in her brain and body collapsed, making her breathing chaotic. She didn't dare to move, so she just fell on his lap.

"Yun'er. Would you think? Zhang Ci's voice was still very low, but it was different from the previous softness. This time, his voice had a certain oppressive hoarseness.

Chen Qiuniang is not really only fourteen or fifteen years old, she naturally knows what he asks. But Rao is that she is in her thirties in her past and present lives combined. Hearing him ask like this, he still couldn't help but tremble, and the whole person was so ashamed that he pretended not to know and said, "I don't know what you said." ”

"You know." He said, and then added, "Unless you lie to me what you say above the Minjiang River." ”

"You know I didn't lie to you." Chen Qiuniang muttered.

"Then you must know what I just asked." Zhang Ci said immediately. Chen Qiuniang knew that he was surrounded by him, so she pretended to be angry and said. "Ignore you, wait for me here."

She was about to struggle to her feet, but he held her to his lap. Say, "Alright, alright, don't be angry." ”

Chen Qiuniang was also only pretending, and when she saw him lowing her eyebrows and softly whispering, she didn't twist it, but only turned sideways slightly. Leaning on his lap, he said, "You know how to bully me." ”

He smiled helplessly. He stroked her hair and said nothing. The two of them sat by the fire, quietly waiting for the outcome outside.

Outside the house, the wind was howling, with the sound of soldiers colliding and fighting, one after another. There was a strong smell of blood in the cold wind coming from the door, making Chen Qiuniang feel a little empty nausea in her stomach.

Plum Garden, on this cold spring and snowy night, is staging an unprecedented killing. This is the duel at the pinnacle of power of the nine major families, and in nearly a thousand years, the power of the nine major families has never been so turbulent. Because in the past nearly a thousand years, even if the patriarchs elected by the nine major families are excellent, they cannot compete with the wisdom and strength of the Elders. The fellows of the Council of Elders almost firmly controlled the patriarch of the Nine Great Families, and did not allow him to have the slightest trace of existence that was contrary to the ancestral teachings. None of the patriarchs of the Nine Great Families could fight back against the elders of the Council of Elders at the peak of power.

However, Zhang Ci did it.

This forbearant boy who received the harshest education and training from the family, and was used by the Council of Elders to train the patriarch of the troubled times, originally followed the ancestral teachings and was the patriarch for the purpose of maximizing the interests of the nine major families. The elders would be quite satisfied with him, because even though many of the new young generations of the major families secretly felt that the nine major families had been hiding behind the scenes and were aggrieved, he still had a clear mind and understood what was best for the nine major families, and for those radical teenagers who were about to move, Zhang Ci personally dealt with them.

However, because of a troublesome woman, a princess of Shu who died in the country, and a little girl. This man, who had always strictly enforced the ancestral teachings and put the interests of the family first, turned into a red face at the crown, and not only dealt with the enemy, but also dealt with the Council of Elders with his backhand.

It was also because of that time on the Min River that the Presbyterians knew how wrong they were. This boy was more terrifying and scheming than they knew. The Elders' abacus was all within his calculations, and the power that the Elders' Council relied on to restrain him had unknowingly disintegrated so much.

On that occasion, the strength of the Council of Elders was reduced by six or seven ten. However, the elders felt that they had forced the red face into the water, and the fragrance was gone. Since then, although the Council of Elders and Zhang Ci have maintained a superficial harmony with each other, they are actually looking for an opportunity to completely destroy each other.

If it was in the past, the Elders would have been able to take Zhang Ci down and replace it with a more qualified new patriarch, but they couldn't move Zhang Ci. At the same time, if they moved Zhang Ci, they themselves would not be able to control the Nine Great Families, nor would they be able to deal with the enemies of the Nine Great Families; What's more, the patriarch candidate has long been damaged, and the next heir has not yet found a suitable candidate.

Therefore, although the Elders were eager to tear Zhang Ci apart, they still didn't dare to touch him lightly. But this does not mean that they want to let him go, because the Council of Elders of the Nine Great Families is the most authoritative existence, and those who dare to provoke the Council of Elders and vainly attempt to implement the concentration of power must not stay.

It took three years for the Presbyterian Church. Deploy secretly, change forces in various places, and then look for every opportunity that can destroy Zhang Ci. But Zhang Ci is too cunning. Barely out of * town. And the power of the Zhang family in *Zhen is firmly controlled by him, and he makes *Zhen almost an iron bucket array, and any clues will be caught and quickly eliminated.

For three years, the Presbyterians waited for only one opportunity. Zhang Ci escorted his sister to the Lu family in Yuzhou to propose marriage, and by the way, he wanted to discuss things with the people of the Lu family in Yuzhou. The people of the Presbyterian Church used the power of the Northland to deal with Zhang Ci and also probe his truth. But this is a look. They were a little desperate, because Zhang Ci was still scheming. What's even more infuriating is that the things that the Presbyterian Council has relied on to comfort itself in the past three years actually don't exist at all. The woman who had already died in the Minjiang River was still alive, and she was still alive and well.

Only this time did the Council of Elders fully understand how thoroughly Zhang Ci had calculated them three years ago.

"This person must not be kept." The Great Elder, who had always been quiet in his words, also said this, and then paced back and forth, and finally threw the beaded curtain in his hand on the table. Say, "Keep an eye on the woman, and be sure to approach her." This is our only breakthrough. ”

"Yes." The other members of the Presbyterian Church replied in unison.

Then, a dense network of information spread, and the old fellows of the Presbyterian Church fell into unprecedented tension. Because in the process of tracking Chen Qiuniang, they found that this woman was also terrifying. For example, she knew there was something wrong with the caravan, but she still walked with it. Moreover, they found a stricter problem: the woman wanted them to know the whereabouts when they came. It will be revealed, and when it is not known to them, it will be hidden. Like what. That caravan, in fact, was the one she took the initiative to find. At first, their people didn't find out that Su Gongzi was pretending to be her, until she intentionally or unintentionally revealed some utensils.

The Presbyterians were a little frightened, but luckily they thought they were in control. Because this woman finally settled in the Jiang family's plum garden. The plum garden is the territory of the Jiang family, and the designer of the plum garden is a member of the Jiang Family Elders' Association. He knows the secret passage of the mechanism inside. Other than that. As they expected, Zhang Ci knew that after the woman rushed to Cangzhou, she finally walked out of * town, and went to Cangzhou with only a few followers.

"Maybe it's another trap." The elder of the Pan family, who made a mistake in the decision-making last time, raised this possibility.

"Even if it's a trap, you have to do it. The ancestral foundation can't be ruined by Zhang Ci's shaft. The Grand Elder summed up the meeting.

After that, the members of the Presbyterian Church mobilized all the forces they could in the Northlands. In addition, some family members who were in a neutral state were rebelled, and those who could not rebel took advantage of the weakness of the other party and coerced them. For a moment, the elders will feel that victory is in sight.

Therefore, they couldn't wait to do it so that they wouldn't have too many dreams at night.

On this night, this thousand-year-old family is undergoing the biggest change in a thousand years.

Chen Qiuniang and Zhang Ci in the house sat calmly by the fire, and outside the house was the fight of Jin Ge Iron Horse. After a long period of tranquility, Zhang Ci suddenly said: "Those old guys were counted by me last time on the Minjiang River, and their vitality was greatly damaged, so they were obedient." They thought I didn't know what they were doing behind the scenes, though. It is naïve for them to think that those forces that are in their hands can be relied upon. ”

"Still, they came prepared." Chen Qiuniang said that a heart is not in dialogue, but wants to know the outcome outside the house.

"They came prepared, but they didn't even know that you took the initiative to enter their sight, take the initiative to expose your whereabouts, and lead them by the nose." Zhang Ci laughed.

Chen Qiuniang looked at him in surprise and said, "You actually know? ”

yes, she was really surprised. She originally wanted to go to the north to deal with Han Derang. But as soon as she arrived in Yuzhou City, she was targeted. And even if they changed their faces, those people were trying their best to find her. Only then did Chen Qiuniang realize that she might be exposed. So, she decided to take the group around by the nose and see which faction they belonged to.

"As soon as you leave Yuzhou, I will let people lay all kinds of protection on the way to Cangzhou, otherwise I dare to let you go on an adventure?" Zhang Ci said.

Chen Qiuniang suddenly didn't know what to say, tears rolled down, she just looked at Zhang Ci like that, obviously she was happy to be protected, but she said for no reason: "You are like this, it makes me feel so useless." Feel that you are not needed for you. (To be continued) R655