Chapter 1 White Horse Tsuguchi
The white horse on the south bank of the Yellow River, and the Liyang City on the other side, has been a military important place since ancient times, and now this place is the boundary between the secluded Ji and the royal power, although the world is unified on the surface, but the confrontation on both sides of the Yellow River has not been relaxed for a day, in the past ten years, Liyang City has been built every year, it has been one of the most important military towns on the north bank of the Yellow River, and the envoys of both sides come and go, scouts shuttle, this place is a very important place. On 27 September, Liyang City, which had already been heavily guarded, sent troops to cruise around Hebei day and night, and there were even sporadic scouts crossing the river to spy on them. This move made the guards of Henan very nervous, although he had vaguely learned that this was because the prince of Yan returned to Youji via Liyang, but he did not dare to be careless, on the one hand, he restrained the sergeants not to impulsively go out of the camp to fight, and secondly, he had to beware of the sudden attack of the Yan army. Over the years, although there has been no large-scale conflict between the royal family and the Yan King, in this kind of place where the two forces meet, if a small group of scouts and cavalry meet in a narrow way, it is basically the end of a battle to the death. Today, the prince of Yan Wang passed through here, and the north and south did not dare to relax a little, lest there be any difference, and they did not want to really provoke war, so the Henan garrison turned a blind eye to the provocative behavior of the Yan army crossing the river, and the Yan army only controlled Tongheng, and did not have the slightest intention of attacking the White Horse camp.
Luo Chengyu stood at the head of Liyang City, looking at the Yellow River not far away, although it was already a relatively gentle flow here, but at a glance, I saw the yellow water surging, galloping eastward, like the indomitable spirit of thousands of troops and horses, Luo Chengyu's eyes were cold, this Yellow River was dangerous, and the Youji Iron Cavalry was intercepted in Saibei for many years, but this is just an obstacle on the surface, and it really made the Youji empty male iron cavalry, but it was the general trend of the world that could only stop the Yellow River. The royal family is based on the Shangdang in the south of Zhongzhong, Heluo, and the south of the state, while the Tang family owns Xuzhou and the southeastern half of the world, and after the merger of the two families, after 20 years of business integration, its power has been enough to dominate the world. If it weren't for the fact that the Youji soldiers had enough food, both the danger of the Yellow River and Taihang, and the assistance of good ministers and famous generals, the Yang and Tang families were worried that once they started a war with Youji, it would make the King of Han and the King of Dian feel cold, and they would raise troops to echo Youji, resulting in instability in the rear.
It's just that such a balanced situation is difficult to maintain, because next year he is about to ascend to the throne of King Yan, no matter what he thinks, the two families will not believe that they have the good intention to turn the war into a jade silk, not to mention that the hidden worries within Youji are about to erupt, once they break with King Yan, no matter who wins or loses, it will greatly reduce the strength of Youji, and the Yang and Tang families are working Yizhou and Nanning, which is obviously to stabilize the southwest, once the Youji civil strife, they will take the opportunity to make trouble, can they really withstand the monstrous storm that will come soonThinking of the secret report just got, Sima Ming Shulian of Yueyang's Southwest County Division and another director, He Bingshuang, both disappeared, and the Military Intelligence Department was a spy force controlled by King Yan, and these two people were also deeply trusted by King Yan's henchmen, Mr. Wu and Qingyun both judged that their assassination was closely related to King Yan. Another piece of news is that the Suzaku secret spy hidden in Chang'an sent a reply, they did everything possible, and finally found that there was an unidentified young man on the side of Yang Yuan, the king of Yi, who was commensurate with Yang Yuan's uncle and nephew, this young man's appearance was six or seven points similar to the Lord of Huofeng County, and it was very likely that it was the missing Ninth Highness Yang Ning, if this was the case, it would make sense, if Yang Ning was really under the control of the royal family, if it was not for the protection of someone like Yang Yuan, how could he hide it from Youji's ears and eyes.
However, this news also showed that the young man Zijing who assassinated him was not Yang Ning, and even Meng Yu felt confused, and even sent a letter to the commander of the West Gate to ask if there were other descendants of the Martial Dao Sect, but no news has been sent back so far. Luo Chengyu concealed this news for the time being, except for the people related to the Vermilion Bird Division and the Ximen Commander and Meng Huan, he did not let anyone else around him know, if he learned that Zijing might not be Yang Ning, then he was afraid that he would not be able to suppress the calls of those subordinates who were determined to hunt down and kill Zijing, and he really couldn't have a trace of hatred for that indifferent and arrogant and naΓ―ve young man. These internal and external troubles alternately surfaced in his heart from time to time, making Luo Chengyu also confused, looking at the surging yellow water reflected in the sunset, he actually forgot to return, and the gradually thickened cold wind blew through the robe on his body, but he didn't feel cold at all.
All the guards stood in the distance, their eyes were gloomy, they were all Luo Chengyu's cronies, they had been following and serving him for nearly three years, and they also knew a lot about the temper and temperament of the lord, only to see Luo Chengyu's eyebrows were full of gloom, he knew that he was extremely troubled in his heart, but their identity was not enough, but they could not come forward to comfort, and among the three people who could persuade each other, Mo Qingyun was affected by the wind and cold on the road, and he had already taken medicine and slept at the moment.
Among the Xuan Group guards, the most clear mind is Shan Jun, Yang Ning and Lian Wuxian fought each other that day, most of the Xuan Group guards who watched the battle were subdued by the sword light, only he could wake up in time, and wake up the rest of the guards, at this moment he was also the fastest to come up with a way, his eyes rolled, he gave a few companions a look, and quietly retreated. As soon as he got off the city wall, he used his skills to run to the Liyang Governor's Mansion, which is now the line of the prince of Yan Wang, and it is naturally heavily guarded, and there are clear guards of the soldiers. These people all knew Shan Jun, and Shan Jun had a token hanging from his waist that allowed him to enter and exit, so he walked unhindered to the back garden, stopped outside a fine house, and raised his voice: "The Xuan Group guards Shan Jun and asks to see Miss Lu Qi. β
The door opened, and it was Uncle Zhong with gray hair who came out, his eyebrows were full of gloomy, he glanced at Shan Jun coldly, and said: "The two young ladies are tired from the journey and are about to rest, if the mountain guards have nothing important, let's come back tomorrow." β
Shan Jun said respectfully: "Uncle Zhong, His Royal Highness the Prince of the World has somehow stood in the wind of the city for nearly an hour, and still refused to come down, I dare not persuade each other, the Prince of the World has always respected the two young ladies, Miss Qingping is still seriously injured, Shan Jun wants to ask Miss Lu Qi to go to comfort the Lord, this move is really abrupt, please forgive me." β
As soon as his voice fell, Uncle Zhong's face was already full of iron, he used to be a murderous warrior, although he had endured for many years for the sake of the two young ladies, but it was still Jiang Gui's nature, old and spicy, a few days ago, the two young ladies were forced to go north with the prince of Yanwang, which had already made him indignant, and now this young guard was so contemptuous, didn't he really regard the two young ladies as a woman who came and went away, even if she was in the past in Dongting with singing and dancing, no one dared to be so rude. Thinking of this, he roared angrily and stretched out his hand to grab the mountain horse, this time he used all his strength, if he grabbed it, he would definitely break his bones and bones. Zhongbo's martial arts were originally learned with Qingping's father, Yin Tianwei, who was a bloody man, and he had been practicing hard for decades, and his foreign kung fu had reached its peak, and then he had to be instructed by Mr. Qingjue, and he was close to first-class skills, although he was not as good as Shan Jun and others who practiced both inside and outside, but whether it was skill or experience, he was slightly better, Shan Jun did not dare to resist, not to mention that he was already a little wrong, so he hurriedly floated back and said deeply:" Don't misunderstand, there is no blasphemy in the next place, but we are all subordinates of His Royal Highness, it is inconvenient to persuade each other, Miss Lu Qi is a distinguished guest of His Royal Highness, and secondly, she is deeply respected by His Royal Highness, so Shan will take the liberty to ask for it, the wind and frost on the city are heavy, we are really worried about His Royal Highness's body, so there is such an abrupt request, and please be gracious, please move Miss Lu Qi and her party, and the Xuan Group will be grateful. β
Uncle Zhong frowned slightly, and no longer attacked, although this person's words were a little presumptuous, but they were also sincere, not to mention that along the way, the prince of Yan Wang was a brother and sister to the two young ladies, and cared for him, although it was because of the two young ladies' mentor Mr. Qingjue, but such a bothering was also quite touching to him, if it weren't for Miss Qingping's frowning along the way, I was afraid that he would have already agreed with Luo Chengyu's coercive actions. He was a little hesitant in his heart, but thinking of Qingping's strong temperament, he was still angry, if it weren't for the heart disease that was difficult to heal, he wouldn't have been injured so far, and he had to wait for two or three points, much slower than Lu Qi, Lu Qi's temperament was very indifferent, and he didn't care much about these things, if Qing Ping refused, she would never agree to go. After thinking about it for a while, Uncle Zhong was finally ready to go back and persuade Lu Qi, no matter what, now that these people are in Luo Chengyu's hands, don't easily offend these people.
Unexpectedly, just when Uncle Zhong wanted to go in to persuade him, an indifferent voice came from inside the door and said: "Uncle Zhong, take my qin, when you arrive in Liyang, if you don't look at the water potential of the Yellow River, won't you enter Baoshan and return empty." β
Zhongbo was stunned when he heard this, and then walked into the room, and then there was an almost indistinguishable sound in the room, Shanjun did not deliberately listen, only heard the words "city wall" and "Fuqin", and couldn't help but feel a wide heart, after a while, Lu Qi slowly walked out, followed by Zhongbo who held the guqin.
She was dressed in a light cyan shirt, such as ink and green silk with only two jade hairpins, because her body was thin, and she was seriously injured, so she wore an autumn-colored coat, and under the reflection of the sunset, her complexion became more and more pale as snow. Nearly in the evening, the Yellow River has been crossed here, the cold wind is biting, when Lu Qi walked out of the room, there was a gust of cold wind blowing, she subconsciously wrapped the big gun, raised her head, clear as Qiu Jiang's eyes with a faint tiredness, looked at Shan Jun and said: "My sister is under the care of the prince, not to be treated as an accomplice to the assassination of the prince, and she is deeply grateful, so if she can not repay it, let Lu Qi go to stroke the qin to relieve the worries in His Highness's heart, presumably His Royal Highness's heart is light, and he will naturally know how to take care of his body." β
Shan Jun took a deep look and said: "Shan Jun on behalf of all the brothers, thank you for your help, I am grateful, please let Jun lead the way for Miss." β
Lu Qi nodded slightly, and followed Shan Jun out, Zhong Bo followed behind with the qin, but for some reason, his expression seemed to be more and more gloomy, his head was lowered and he was silent, his gray hair fluttered in the wind, and even his body was a little rickety.
Not long after, the three of them arrived at the city, and they saw the "left sword and right sword" Lian brothers in the Xuan Group guards waiting on the road, these two people saw Lu Qi who was following Shan Jun is eyes flashed with joy, they originally knew that Shan Jun must have come up with a way to comfort Luo Chengyu, and their eyes lit up when they saw Lu Qi. They are Luo Chengyu's guards, and naturally know that the prince respects the Shuangjue sisters very much, especially for the quiet Lu Qi, sometimes Lu Qi strokes the piano in his spare time, and the prince will continue to discuss the matter after listening, although it is easy not to disturb the two, but always send people to greet each other, thoughtful, this Liyang City is really only these two people can come to persuade each other, and among them, it is naturally more suitable for Lu Qi, who is more gentle and quiet.
Lu Qi glanced at the city wall and said lightly: "Uncle Zhong, go back first, when you go back, someone will naturally send you off." β
Hearing this, Zhongbo raised his head, his eyes shot a complicated light, and his hands holding the guqin seemed to tremble slightly, Shan Jun only said that he was not at ease, and he also respected this old servant who was loyal to the master, and practiced without a trace to lead the crowd to surround Qixingwu that day, this old man desperately protected the double absolute breakthrough, if it wasn't for the practice of traceless martial arts, he was subdued, I was afraid that everyone would not be able to keep his hands, and he was forced to kill him, although afterwards Lian Wuxian explained to the three people that there was no malice, but this old servant was to protect Shuangjue from beginning to end, such a loyal servant, Shan Jun was unwilling to embarrass him, so he also whispered: "Uncle Zhong, rest assured, His Royal Highness the Prince will definitely send Miss Luqi back. As he spoke, he was about to take the guqin.
A hint of coldness flashed in Zhongbo's eyes, and finally handed the guqin to Shanjun's hand, without saying a word, leaning over and bowing to Lu Qi, then turning around and leaving, and after a while, the figure disappeared around the corner, Lu Qi never looked back, just stood for a moment, and then walked towards the city.
As soon as he walked on the city wall, Lu Qi's eyes fell on Luo Chengyu's back, and his heart moved slightly, only to feel that the back of this young man who looked gentle and calm at the moment was extraordinarily arrogant, just like a lonely pine in winter, frost and snow, and even more boundless loneliness, remembering that when Tian Zijing left Qixingwu, he was also standing on the shore of the lake like this, watching the sunset alone, although the two had nothing in common, but the deep loneliness that seemed to melt in the bones was the same. At this moment, Lu Qi suddenly remembered that although this young man was in a high position, he was only the righteous son of the Lord of Huofeng County after all, and he became the prince of King Yan with such an embarrassing identity, so he must have something unspeakable.
Turning around and taking the guqin from Shan Jun's hand, she didn't alarm Luo Chengyu, she walked to the side, glanced at the surging river with thunder, stroked it with her slender hand, and the sound of wind and thunder suddenly rose, shocking everyone was shocked. Lu Qi ignored it, ten fingers flicked, simulated the state of the river rushing, everyone listened to the ears, only to feel that the sound of the piano was like a monstrous water wave, layer by layer, the wave was high-risk, unconsciously it was already a sweat on the forehead, but at this time, the river wind was blowing, so that the river under the city of Liyang was rolling, rushing eastward, listening to the sound of the piano, looking down at the river, in a trance, almost unable to distinguish which is true and which is illusory, and actually felt that he was in the heart of the river. At this time, the sound of the piano is getting higher and higher-pitched, the sound of gold and stone in the piano, the original play is the river rushing, but unconsciously it has become a golden iron horse, vertical and horizontal, she has been injured since the injury, when playing the piano never lightly moved the internal force, but this time it is the internal force slowly infiltrated into the song, gradually strengthened, at this time, her piano sound drifted with the wind, almost the entire Liyang City can be heard, this city because of the confrontation between the two armies for many years, most of the city are sergeants, even if there are some civilians, are also impassioned Yan Zhao men, for the matter of Bingge, has long been familiar with it, listening to this like the Yellow River rushing, and like the sound of thousands of troops and horses, all are addictedγ
Although Luo Chengyu concentrates on military strategy, but he is also proficient in music, at this time he has already shifted his mind to the sound of the piano sound, but he frowned when he listened, remembering that there is often boundless loneliness in the sound of the piano in Lu Qi on weekdays, which is also the reason why he likes to listen to Lu Qi play the piano, but it is not as faint as today's resolute determination to disregard life. He turned around slowly, his eyes fell on Lu Qi, only to see that her pale as snow face with a touch of red, which was a sign of mental exhaustion, a chill in his heart, he stepped forward quickly, stretched out his hand against her back and soul acupoint, a wisp of peaceful and righteous true qi poured into Lu Qi's depleted dantian, Lu Qi was seriously injured and did not heal, she was already fighting for her life to perform the Heavenly Demon Qin Song, at this moment Luo Chengyu's true qi crossed into her body, she was powerless to resist, her hands were lowered, and she left the strings, and the sound of the piano stopped abruptly. Only then did Shan Jun and the others realize Lu Qi's abnormal state, they were all shocked in their hearts, and instantly understood that this woman did not hesitate to use the sound of the piano to mess up everyone's minds, and the head of the Xuan Group's guards was blood arrows and no snow, he had always been decisive, and without Luo Chengyu's orders, he ordered the thousand-armed Tang Ping to rush to the Governor's Mansion to imprison Qingping and Zhongbo.
Luo Chengyu also ignored the actions of his guards, just crossed the true qi into Lu Qi's body, his martial arts skills are not ordinary, but the internal skills he practiced are the most authentic mental methods in the world, he is the body of Yuanyang, and he has practiced over time, although the entry is slow, but the foundation is stable, the internal force is pure, but it is unparalleled in the world, and it is the best to save people.
After a while, Tang Ping hurried over, at this time Meng Yu was also alarmed, Tang Ping did not dare to disturb Luo Chengyu, and whispered to Meng Yu that only Zhongbo was still in the Shuangjue residence, and Qingping was nowhere to be seen, Meng Yu frowned and was silent, it stands to reason that troops should be sent to pursue, but if there is no Luo Chengyu's order, it is inconvenient for the soldiers and horses in the city to move lightly, even if he is not good at ordering troops, he just ordered Liyang to guard the order to go down and be careful. At this time, the sky was already dark, and everyone surrounded Luo Chengyu and Lu Qi with a brocade curtain, and lit torches outside, illuminating the inside of the brocade curtain, dispelling most of the cold in late autumn.
It wasn't until the second watch that Luo Chengyu let go of his hand, at this time Lu Qi's face was already a little moisturized, his expression was peaceful, obviously his life was unhindered, but Luo Chengyu looked haggard, his vitality was greatly damaged, and after listening to Hua Wuxue's report, he waved his hand to make everyone stand farther away, looked at Lu Qi who came to his senses, and asked lightly: "How did Ling Mei escape, why did you desperately cover up for her?" There was indescribable disappointment in his tone, he had already regarded these two women as relatives, but they never believed him.
Lu Qi's eyes flashed, faintly a little foggy, even if it was because of her indifference, she was also full of emotion for Luo Chengyu's actions, the natal true yuan is extraordinary, if it is damaged, it is difficult to recover, Luo Chengyu's true yuan consumed today, I am afraid that it will take a year or two of penance to recover, at this moment the original rejection resentment in her heart has gradually faded, and said:" She sister didn't want to run away all the time along the way, but His Royal Highness was very strict, we didn't have a chance, in fact, the idea of victory and defeat in the heart of the sister was weak, although the injury downstairs in Yueyang was heavier than mine that day, but it was just an ordinary internal injury, and Lu Qi suffered a mental injury, so the speed of her sister's injury was far above me, and she had recovered sixty percent of her internal strength five days ago, just to confuse His Royal Highness the Prince of the World, pretending to be seriously injured and difficult to heal. At sunset, my sisters and I were discussing how to escape, because when we arrived at dawn, we were about to enter the hinterland of the dark world, and our chances of escaping were almost gone, so we decided to give up our lives. I didn't think that the mountain guards came to summon each other, I think this is an excellent opportunity, so that the sister can be disguised as a loyal uncle, and when she arrives here, the guards around the prince will naturally not let her go to the city, so she can break away from the strict guards of the county guard and find an opportunity to get out of the city. It's just that I'm worried that she will be recognized, so I used the sound of the Heavenly Demon Qin to make everyone's hearts trance, and the sister can take the opportunity to go out of the city. As long as His Royal Highness and everyone are not careful, with the wisdom of her sister, there is absolutely no problem in leaving Liyang City. β
Luo Chengyu's expression moved slightly, and said, "The two young ladies are really smart and decisive, but Miss Qingping doesn't think about the safety of the young lady and the noble servant?"
Lu Qi said lightly: " Naturally, it is thought of, but the sister is more concerned about Zijing's life and death in her heart, rather than staying here and waiting, she would rather go to find Zijing in person, Zijing stabbed His Royal Highness, has made a feud with Youji, and he is very repulsive to Youji, even if he escapes death, he will not come to the letter to find us, she often says that Zijing is stupid and stupid, if she is alone in the rivers and lakes, she really can't rest assured, not to mention that His Royal Highness will take my sister to Youji, if Zijing is confused for a while, wouldn't it be self-defeating to come to the rescue, so she would rather die than escape from His Highness's graspγ β
Luo Chengyu sighed and said: "The two young ladies are the disciples of Mr. Qingjue, and they have a deep relationship with Youji, I took the two of them to my side, but also because Zijing went to entrust each other, Zijing hated me very much, and still believed in the next, and even trusted the safety of the two, there was no malice in the next, and the two were not allowed to leave, but also because I was worried that someone had bad intentions and took advantage of the danger of others, could it be that Miss Zai didn't have the slightest trust in the next?"
Lu Qi shook her head and said: "If you don't trust Your Highness at all, your sister will never get off alone, but your sister and Zijing's temperament will not accept Your Highness's kindness casually. β
Luo Chengyu acquiesced for a long time and said, "Then what about your intentions? But you don't want to stay in Youji?"
Lu Qi's somewhat dim bright eyes stared at Luo Chengyu for a moment, then got up and bowed down: "My sister has lived up to His Royal Highness's friendship, and is suspected of assassinating His Highness, and the two crimes are punished together, and I know that it is difficult to forgive, no matter how His Royal Highness disposes of Lu Qi, Lu Qi is as willing as a glutton, but her sister is young, and her loyal uncle only knows how to obey orders, please Your Highness to add to Lu Qi's guilt, don't be innocent." β
Luo Chengyu stood with his hands in his hands, looked down, but saw that the color of the green Qi was like snow, and the flowers were bleak, but his character was as arrogant and noble as a white lotus, and his mind turned back and forth, and finally sighed: " Zi Jing's assassination, although it has some involvement with you, but you are not accomplices, what is the crime, I put you under house arrest first, and your sisters designed to escape later, I don't blame you for this matter, it's just that Lu Qi you use the sound of the piano to disturb my army's heart, this crime must not go unpunished, there is still one less piano master in my house, if the young lady is willing to give in, it will be regarded as a merit and crime, I don't know what the young lady wants?"
Lu Qi's heart is wide, a powerful person, unpredictable temperament, although she thinks that the prince of Yan Wang may not offend herself, but she is also worried that he will order to hunt down Qingping, and she is even more worried about affecting Zhongbo, so she finally let go of her heart at this moment and said calmly: "Your Highness is magnanimous, Lu Qi is grateful on behalf of her sister, and Lu Qi does not dare to disobey His Royal Highness's order, and is willing to be a piano master for three years to atone for his sins." Then bow your head respectfully.
Luo Chengyu sighed slightly, knowing the meaning of this woman's words, after all, she refused to stay for a long time, and was gloomyly thanked by Lu Qi, and said indifferently: "That's fine, your piano skills should not be confined to the prosperity and splendor, you are seriously injured, go back to rest first, I will order, if you find that Ling Mei will treat each other politely, in fact, she has left Liyang, and it is difficult to escape to the south bank of the Yellow River, which is the most elite scout in our army, unless it is a last resort, and she will not choose to cross the Yellow River at night." β
Lu Qi smiled faintly, did not argue, just reluctantly stood up, although after Luo Chengyu helped her heal, her life was no longer hindered, but she was weak, just such an action, it was already very difficult, after getting up, her delicate body shook a few times, and she almost fell, she stared for a moment, and finally stopped being dizzy, so she bowed, stretched out her hand to hug the guqin, and slowly walked down, seeing that she was struggling, even the originally very angry Shan Jun and others also felt unbearable, but they did not dare to step forward to help.
But it was Meng Yu who was also an old friend with Mr. Qingjue in the past, and he couldn't bear to see it, he didn't worry that Luo Chengyu would blame him, so he stepped forward to support Lu Qi, took the guqin, and said coldly: "At a young age, he looks like a willow, but he is as cold as ice and snow, and a fierce one is like wildfire, and it is really difficult for your master, how to raise such a pair of girls who don't know what to do." β
Lu Qi already knew that this old man and his mentor were old friends, although listening to Meng Huan's complaints and blame, but felt warm in his heart, but he smiled silently, walked down slowly, and before he walked down the city, he only heard a song from the city: "The general sends a white horse and crosses the Yellow River on a festival." The drums and drums are deaf to the mountains of the river, and the waves are surging. (Note 1) "The man just sang these four lines several times, impassioned, endless, Lu Qi was originally a person who was deeply versed in the rhythm of music, and he heard that there was a sea of ambition and pride in the song, and after savoring it, he didn't feel that he was stupid."
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Note 1: Excerpt from Li Bai's "White Horse".