Akibayama is outside.

Rain cats and dogs.

The alley was dark, except for the silver glow of the sword that flew up and down like a butterfly.

There was a low whistling sound of gold and iron in the air, slender as the sound of cracked silk. Several guards of the Akiba Mountain Residence chased them out with lanterns and shouted the name of the sunken boat in the rain. The faint shout was completely muffled by the sound of swords, and the two had already fought more than a dozen times in one breath.

But it's hard to tell the winner.

Their tricks are all similar.

In the noisy rain, the heartbeat of the other party and himself was amplified countless times, and it continued to echo in Shen Zhou's ears. The assassin's heartbeat was the same regular, quiet, and steady as a person in a fight.

Shen Zhou swung his sword to open the swarm-like poisonous needles that flew out from under the man's robe, and instantly approached him. The Assassin's sleeve slipped into his sleeve and slashed his dagger straight into the throat.

Shen Zhou didn't dodge or dodge, and the hook formed by the hilt and wrist of the sword blocked his wrist in turn. The Assassin was so startled that he didn't have time to abandon his blade and flee, so he stepped onto the narrow wall of the alley and twisted the Assassin's arm heavily!

The crackling sound was clearly audible, and the Assassin's shoulders were unloaded.

However, there was not a single exclamation, and the sound of the assassin's breathing did not even fade for a moment. He grabbed something with his other hand and swung it at Shen Zhou's face, and Shen Zhou bent his elbow to slash at his chest, and rolled out a few feet with his strength.

The rain of the torrent washed away the thin powder on Shen Zhou's neck, and it was only a moment's stay, and Shen Zhou's neck was hot and hot, as if it had been scraped a layer of skin.

Shen Zhou raised his hand to wipe the crumpled skin from his neck, and looked coldly at the assassin who was standing up in the rain.

The assassin's hood was knocked off by Shen Zhou at the moment when the two of them were close to each other, revealing a hideous silver face.

The Assassin pressed against his dislocated shoulder, putting it back in place without the slightest trembling, as if it were not his body.

"You're not here to kill Pei Zhang." Shen Zhou's voice was hoarse and cold, "Who are you?" ”

The Assassin did not answer him.

At this time, the cries of the guards came from the other side of the alley.

"Shen Zhou, Young Master Shen Zhou!"

"Shen Zhou," the Assassin said the name mechanically, with an elusive malice, "is this your name?" ”

"Do assassins have names, too?"

Shen Zhou's pupils dilated suddenly, but the assassin had already flown up the eaves, running and disappearing into the rain.

The rain hit the sword of the sinking boat, and the water splashed white.

——

The charcoal fire warmed the air in the room, and the boiling water gurgled and rattled.

Chu Zhixia's knuckles tapped on the table one by one, and he turned his head to look at the continuous rain outside the house. Pei Zhang didn't mind her rudeness, and said to himself.

"If it were me, I would also choose the fourth prince." Pei Zhang said.

Chu Zhixia snorted and did not comment.

"Compared with the second highness of the yin owl, the third highness who has no one in his eyes, and the fifth highness who is flying and domineering...... Needless to say, my little nephew has a supple personality and can keep it, but he can't be this devastating person. Pei Zhang nodded, as if appreciating Chu Zhixia's choice.

"The Fourth Highness has endured hardships and has the virtue of compassion and mercy; has been trampled on, so injustice cannot be tolerated; Pei Zhang said eloquently, "He knows how to judge the situation, and he will endure and wait." He had seen all the dirty and vile schemes, but there was still a glimmer of goodness in his heart. ”

"Why don't you say these words to the Fourth Highness?" Chu Shixia smiled, quite a little teasing, "Maybe His Highness is happy and willing to say a few more words to you." ”

"He lacks help, but if he can ascend to that supreme position, he will definitely be a master." Pei Zhang said firmly.

"You said so much, His Royal Highness the Prince, why didn't you say it?" Chu Zhixia raised his eyebrows and looked at him with ill will.

Pei Zhang unhurriedly put down the hot teacup and pushed the empty cup in front of Chu Zhixia.

"I believe that the reason why you didn't choose His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the same as me."

Chu Zhixia didn't deny or admit it, just raised his chin slightly and motioned for him to say.

"The Chen family in Taiyuan is a famous family, and the regency of Chen Bang is in power, which makes the Chen family's prestige unprecedented, and the family all bow down to it. There are only two results of these going on, either 'coercing the Son of Heaven to order the princes', or being uprooted once and forever in the future. ”

The regent mastered the young emperor's nephew through his sister in the deep palace, and married his daughter to the emperor. But if the regent loses power, the Chen family will fall to pieces.

Pei Zhang put the cup on the teapot, and the steaming water made the cup tremble.

"The Chen family is like the cup on this kettle, which will be shaken down and broken at any time."

"But the crown prince is the crown prince of the Bai family," Chu Shixia retorted, "Even if he has half of the Chen family's blood in his body, he will still be surnamed Bai in this world after all." ”

As long as it is not such a big crime as rebellion, it is logical for the prince to succeed to the throne.

"But now, the people in the court are either the regent or the people of Zhuang Shoufu, if Your Majesty wants to take power in person, the family can't count on it, only to get help from the outside."

Chu Zhixia understood.

Cold.

Opening a martial arts test, implementing a martial arts hall to recruit the children of the people, and changing the army to a core are only the first steps in Pei Zhang's strategy. The next step is to cut off the wings of the family that refused to submit to the court, and completely hold all the strength in the hands of the emperor.

If you want to implement this policy for a long time, the prince must be a person who is not deeply related to the family. Otherwise, even if the blood interests are touched, the family will make a comeback.

Of the six princes, except for Bai Ziche, there is no second person like this.

"You're really dead." Chu Zhixia sighed, "Cutting off people's wealth is like killing your parents, and you are not afraid that one day you will be stabbed to death by someone while walking on the road?" ”

Don't say that the family gate valve, even those officials in the court and the central government can't sit still. or impeachment and reprimand in court, or assassination and murder in private, or fabricated charges, as long as the goal can be achieved, there is no means they dare not use.

"At that time, I will ask Miss Chu for shelter." Pei Zhang said with a smile.

"Until the "Ten Concerts of Military System Reform" is completely implemented, I will protect you from death." Chu Zhixia took down the crackling cup on the teapot and buckled it on the table, "But Pei Zhang, you'd better really serve the country and the people as you said." ”

The edges of the snow-white teacup cracked, and it quickly walked to Chu Zhixia's fingertips.

The family lords, the imperial eunuchs, and the common people of Li are mutually restricted, and if one party is extremely strong and out of control, one party will inevitably be knocked out of the bones.

If a wise and close demon person like Pei Zhang is determined to accumulate wealth and power for the family and become the second regent, there will be no peace in this world.

"Otherwise, when it comes to killing people and selling goods, our Chu family can be said to have a family history."

Chu Zhixia raised his hand, and the teacup stood silent for a moment, and then it fell apart.

Pei Zhangchu nodded unsurprised.

Chu Zhixia stared at him twice, and shouted loudly for Yuzhu to come in with cold water.

"You also drink the tea brewed in boiling water, don't you burn your mouth?"

Pei Zhang's mouth was already covered with a string of blood bubbles, his mouth was full of rust, and he said with a wry smile: "The tea served by the eldest lady, don't dare not drink it, otherwise how can I express my sincerity?" ”

Chu Zhixia accompanied him to drink two glasses of cold water, and after a while, he heard the guards knock on the door.

The guard whispered, "Miss, Shen Zhou just chased an assassin out, and we can't find him. ”

——

Crucian Carp Lane.

Eight out of ten households in Crucian Carp Alley are butchers, and the whole alley is filled with a thick smell of blood, especially in the sultry summer days. The sudden heavy rain washed away half of the fishy smell, but there was the muffled sound of blades slashing against bones at night.

The shadow of the lamp flickered, and a splash of blood splattered on the white window paper, and blood seeped out.

Shen Zhou slammed his fingers against the assassin's throat, shattering his throat bone alive. The crossbow arrows behind him were fired, and Shen Zhou picked up the corpse without looking back to block it, but he saw that the people under his men who had lost their breath suddenly trembled.

Shen Zhou threw the body away and rolled out on the spot.

The door shattered, and the sunken boat was soaked in the rain.

The corpse of the assassin burst open, and the seven orifices spewed out strange green poison powder.

It wasn't until he died that the silver mask on the assassin's face fell off. Under the mask, it was difficult to make out the facial features, the face was full of burn marks, scars, and the skin was surprisingly smooth, as if it had been finely polished.

The Assassin with a bow and crossbow stared at him from a distance through the pouring rain.

More than a dozen people had died in the courtyard, and the thick blood had been diluted by the heavy rain and trickled into the ditch with the flowing water.

"It's a miracle that you can live for so many years without an antidote."

The last to survive was the Assassin who first fought Shen Zhou outside the Akiba Mountain Residence, and Shen Zhou recognized his voice.

The assassin tilted his head and looked at him curiously, "But you deserve to die." ”

"What nonsense are you talking about. Ghosts shouldn't be alive in the human world," Shen Zhou turned his sword sideways, and a ray of snowy light illuminated his eyes from the bottom up, "You're the most damned one, and I'm no longer the silver-faced ghost of the Nine Shadows." ”

"It's enough to deceive yourself." The Assassin laughed mockingly, "We are all seeds that survived by killing all our companions, and you think you can still be a clean man?" When the ghost sees the sun, he will be wiped out. ”

Shen Zhou didn't want to talk nonsense with him, and was just about to step forward, but was nailed to the spot by the other party's words.

"You chased me over, didn't you think what would happen to your eldest lady?" The Assassin said with a sense of pity, "This is not the kind of shrimp soldiers and crab generals under the Prince Regent. ”

——

Akiba Mountain House.

The sunken boat climbed over the courtyard wall, leaving a trail of blood on the rose bushes. He hurriedly ran into Chu Zhixia's courtyard holding the wound on his arm, and almost stumbled Yuzhu head-on.

"Ouch my ancestor," Yuzhu finally stood firm, and before he had time to blame him, he was frightened by the wound on his hand, "Why are you injured, is the assassin so piercing this time?" Poisoned? ”

"Where's Changle?" Shen Zhou didn't listen to a word, and his dark and bright eyes stared straight at Yuzhu.

"In your yard, you ......"

Before Yuzhu finished speaking, Shen Zhou flew away and ran away, leaving the person far behind.

——

Shen Zhou recklessly broke into the brightly lit room, and the people at the table lit the candles with silver hairpins, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

"What's hurt?" Chu Zhixia looked at his bleeding arm and looked pale, "Come here." ”

"There are a lot of them."

Shen Zhou obediently walked to the table and sat down, covered in the cold of rain. Chu Zhixia bandaged his wound with gold sore medicine and muslin, patted his hand and motioned him to change into dry clothes.

Shen Zhou walked to the screen and took off his wet clothes, and Chu Zhixia sat at the table and listened to the sound of rustling behind him.

"What kind of assassin?" Chu Shixia suddenly asked.

"That's it...... Ordinary assassins. Shen Zhou said perfunctorily.

Chu Zhixia lowered his eyes and said "um".

Chu Zhixia knew that he was lying.

If it were an ordinary assassin, Shen Zhou would not have chased it that far. If the Assassin had a backhand, leading him away would have been a matter of turning the tiger away from the mountain, and the Akiba Mountain Residence would no longer be safe. Shen Zhou is not the character who will put Chu Zhixia in a crisis.

Unless something overwhelms him.