Qi country.

Qi Wangfu.

It was late at night, and the shadows of the trees outside the Qi Wang's Mansion were full of shadows, casting on the snow-white bluestone bricks in the moonlight, swaying with the wind, silent.

The candles in the house were still lit, and the dim light shone through the gauze in front of the window, attracting several mosquitoes to circle around the window.

Qi An nestled alone in the big Taishi chair, changed into a loose bathrobe, kept fiddling with the Buddha beads in his hands, the sadness on his face was undoubtedly revealed, his brows were wrinkled, and he sighed from time to time.

"Qi Yu, this guy...... What kind of bad idea did you give me......" Qi An muttered softly, "In this current situation, as long as it involves the remnants of the Chu State, it is a capital crime of the Nine Clans......"

Click. Qi An vigorously shook a Buddha bead, and with the other hand wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

"However, if I report to the court now, then it will not be good for Hong Liang and Fan Changlong, the two embarrassed guys, to stab me in turn, and I will be in big trouble at that time......" Qi An thought carefully, "But Qi Yu, a bastard, just stabbed me in the basket at this time......"

Thinking of this, his mind again came up with what Qi Yu had told him in his ear that night.

"In the hands of a caravan from the Western Regions, I found a token of the Dark Incense Hall. This token is a piece that has been discontinued more than ten years ago in the Korean Dark Xiangtang, and the one who owned this brand at that time was the person next to the King of Chu in the Chu State Palace, a woman named Han Luyao. ”

Qi Yu's deep voice seemed to still stop in his ears, and Qi An couldn't help but feel a stir.

Han Luyao: What kind of character is this? People from Chu State? Why haven't I heard of it?

Qi An's heart was filled with uneasy suspicions, and the speed of the Buddha beads in his hand unconsciously accelerated.

A person with a Korean surname must be a member of the Korean royal family, how can he have a connection with the state of Chu?

"My subordinates have already received a tip-off that Han Luyao will definitely take action when he brings people into the territory of Qi State this time, and it may have something to do with the remnants of Chu State. With an imperceptible smile that night, Qi Yu approached Qi An's ear and said, "Let's not startle the snakes first, keep an eye on them, and then secretly involve the military department Shangshu and accuse him of fornicating with the remnants of the Chu State." ”

Thinking of this, Qi An couldn't help but take a deep breath, his fat chest constantly rising and falling.

The remnants of the Chu State, as soon as these four words were spoken, it was enough to make the people in the imperial court tremble when they heard it, and as soon as that token was taken out, it would definitely shock the entire government and the opposition. It even caused a sensation in the entire Qi country. The word Chu State has left an indelible shadow on nearly 10 million people up and down the Qi State, penetrating the most fragile and sensitive places in the heart of Qi State. Until now, the Hanlin Academy has banned the use of the word Chu in the books commonly used throughout the country. In that year's battle against Chu, the Great Qi that had lasted for hundreds of years, such a huge country, seemed vulnerable in front of the galloping iron cavalry of the Chu State, and it broke at the touch of a button, and even the national capital Chang'an was almost captured.

The emperor left the palace, hundreds of cabinet ministers abandoned the city and fled, and more than half of the thousands of Praetorian Guards who stayed behind were disabled, and the entire Chang'an City fell into an atmosphere of despair like the end of the world. The army was leaderless and the people were displaced. In the end, because the territory of Qi occupied too much desert Gobi and the supply line was too long, the Chu army was afraid of losing too much in such unfavorable terrain, so after slaughtering all the resistance forces of Qi, it looted all the captured cities before swaggering and withdrawing its troops.

A few years later, after the formation of the Anti-Chu Alliance, the Chu army fell into a passive situation from offensive to defensive, and people slowly poked their heads out of the ruins and began to rebuild their homes.

It has been more than a year since the death of Chu, but the state of Chu is still the bottom line of the entire imperial court, and when it comes to places involving the state of Chu, it does not care, and everything is in accordance with the attitude of cutting the grass and eradicating the root to prevent future troubles. If it can really be achieved at this time, then it will be able to deal a head-on blow to those people of the new party, and according to the emperor's temperament, maybe the entire new party will be uprooted, and at that time, the military power will fall into my hands even if I don't want it.

When Qi An thought about this, his heart felt much more comfortable, and the speed of moving the Buddha beads slowed down a little.

However, what can be done to implicate Fan Changlong's group of people in the remnants of the Chu State?

Qi An's face crumpled again, and he didn't know what he was muttering in his throat.

The top priority is to first find the Chu countryman, the woman named Han Luyao, I don't know what Qi Yu is hiding. Now he has completely taken the initiative in this matter, and I, the prince, have to listen to him.

Thinking of this, Qi An made a disgusted expression, looking at the fairy flying diagram on the ceiling, Qi Yu's disgusting dead face always appeared in front of him.

Alas, now that I am a grasshopper on the same line as him, I don't know what he plans to do next, anyway, no matter what, I have to leave a way back, if he dares to have ideas about Lao Tzu......

Qi An pinched the Buddha beads fiercely, and the green tendons on his hands burst out.

Lao Tzu broke the net with him, first killed his people, and then killed the old man behind him!

Day 2.

Qi country.

Xijingzhou.

Tushan Town.

Xijingzhou is located in the border area of Chang'an, located in an oasis in the desert, the climate is hot all the year round, and it is disturbed by the wind and sand, so it has built dozens of zhang high city walls around it to resist the invasion of yellow sand. Outside the city walls is a thick sand-proof cedar forest, and there are many villages in the forest. Xijing Prefecture is more than ten miles away from Chang'an, is the only place for the Western Regions to enter Chang'an, is known as a pearl in the desert oasis, merchants from the Western Regions will use it as a transit station to Chang'an, so the Western Regions culture here is very rich, many Western Regions cultural treasures appear here, and the people of the Western Regions who settle in it also account for a considerable part, which is a place where the Central Plains culture and the Western Regions culture are intertwined.

After coming out of Chang'an City, you have to cross the long Gobi plank road, and then walk through more than ten miles of uninhabited yellow earth, in order to overlook the city wrapped in a bright green sea in the long yellow sand. Xijing has always been a holy place for tourists from all over the world, there are many places of interest for people to see, and there are many antique toys waiting for merchants from the Central Plains to take out their money bags.

The camel cart had already driven far away from Chang'an, and the dusty curtain was opened, and the Gobi Desert was unchanged outside the window, and the loess on the ground had been hardened by the scorching sun, and occasionally a few stubborn weeds poked their heads out of it, and were immediately devoured by lizards of similar color to the loess. The meandering river has long been full of cracks like cobwebs, lifeless. In the distance, a few thin cedar trees were crooked, hanging their branches weakly, bearing the blazing roast.

Han Luyao gently lowered the curtain, and the dazzling light outside still shone in through the door curtain. The cart jolted along the way, and the bell under the camel's neck clanked to the sound of the coachman's shouting.

At the head of the Gobi Desert, as far as the eye can see, only a camel cart she is riding in is driving alone, and the huge yellow earth is like an inconspicuous dot like an ant squirming slightly.

Beside Han Luyao, there was a woman dressed as a maid, covering her face with gauze, leaning on the chair and falling asleep.

At the maid's feet, there was a small inconspicuous box, which swayed gently with the bumps.

At noon, the sun rises three poles.

The small carriage was as hot as a steamer, and the maid's neck was covered with beads of sweat, as if steaming water. She woke up in a daze, fanning her face weakly with her hands.

"Shen Mengxi. Han Luyao said to the woman beside him, "Master Guoshi...... Do you have any names for the next step?"

Shen Mengxi opened his eyes dimly and said listlessly: "My lord said, go to Xijing first, and someone will come to pick us up next." ”

"Hmm. Han Luyao replied lightly, and kicked the small box on the ground inside with his foot.

Shen Mengxi shook his head and shook his long hair away from the back of his neck, and said, "Alas, princess, it has become more and more difficult to get hold of the things that the national teacher wants recently, and this herb alone has to travel thousands of miles to Chang'an to buy it, and it costs tens of thousands of taels of gold." ”

Han Luyao listened quietly and did not answer.

"We've got a long way to go. Shen Mengxi turned his head to look at her and said, "Princess, will you sleep first?"

Han Luyao said softly: "This road is not an official road, I didn't bring the flag of the dart bureau, and there are some rogue bandits on the road, you have to be careful." ”

"Hmm?" Shen Mengxi leaned back in his seat and said to Han Luyao, "Princess, you are now from the Western Regions, or the princess of the Western Regions, no matter what, there will be no horse bandits who are not long-eyed to target you." ”

"The horse bandit doesn't have long eyes. Han Luyao said lightly, "How would they know what this car does." What's more, we didn't bring our entourage from the Western Regions, and a lone camel cart was the best target for horse bandits. ”

Shen Mengxi frowned when he heard this, and said, "Wow, don't be a crow's mouth, no one will really come to rob us, right?"

Han Luyao said: "How could it not? If you don't encounter a horse bandit on such a long road, it is really rare." ”

It seemed to be the fulfillment of Han Luyao's words, not long after she finished speaking, the camel cart suddenly braked suddenly, and the driver in front shouted something loudly and panickedly in Western Regions.

"Look, isn't this coming?" Han Luyao turned his head and whispered to Shen Mengxi.

Shen Mengxi hurriedly said, "Wow, you speak so smartly?"

With that, she hurriedly went to lift the curtain in the carriage.

"When we enter into their borders, they will always have someone come and greet us, and they will do whatever they want. Han Lu said from afar, and his words were calm.

Outside the carriage, the coachman shouted in panic in the Western Regions, and the camels snorted uneasily.

"Why don't you go and see what's going on?" Han Luyao said lightly.

Shen Mengxi turned his head to Han Luyao and said, "You go, I don't dare to go out, I'm a ...... with a beautiful face."

Han Luyao smiled softly, and then lifted the curtains beside him.

Outside the small window, you can faintly see the dust on the withered yellow horizon, and the sound of horses' hooves can be heard from far and near.

Han Luyao took out a gauze towel from his arms, covered his face, and quietly looked at the place where the towering dust was raised.

She slowly spoke: "Master Guoshi, he ...... Have you come to Chang'an?"

Shen Mengxi was stunned, his voice was a little lower, and he said, "I...... I do not know. ”

"Then you still haven't been able to see him this time?" Han Luyao didn't look back and asked Shen Mengxi.

"It should be soon. Shen Mengxi said, "This batch of herbs should be very important to the National Teacher, maybe...... You should hand it over to him yourself. ”

Han Luyao said softly: "I hope so." ”

In the distance, on the horizon of the long Gobi Desert, a hill floated, and with the sound of the hooves of the shaking horses, bursts of dust several feet high were raised, like a roaring beast.