Hello Chang’an

Chapter 315: Stop acting (6,000-word chapter update)

Chang Suining sent Zheng Chao away, and Yuan Xiang followed him at a short distance to make it easier for the two of them to talk.

This place is Cui Jing's temporary office. The staff is simple but the defense is tight. Except for the patrolling Xuance Army, no one else was seen along the way.

Zheng Chao thanked Chang Suining.

Everyone knows that he killed Zheng Ji "out of justice", but no one knows. It all started when General Ningyuan appeared in front of him with Ling An, and she asked "Can Mr. Zheng kill people?" rise.

From then on, the fate of the Zheng clan and the descendants of the Luoyang gentry could be changed.

"General, Zheng will remember this kindness for the rest of his life." Zheng Chao raised his hand and saluted Chang Sui Ning on a bluestone path: "If General Ning Yuan can be of use to Zheng in the future, Zheng will never refuse."

Chang Suining helped the man up with a smile on his face: "Mr. Zheng, you're welcome."

She was polite, but she really liked this kind of politeness between people.

Throughout her past life, she found that everyone who told her the words "if it can be used somewhere", with the intention of not letting them down, she used them more or less.

She devoted her life to building good relationships with others, and here is her fundamental motivation.

Facing the genuine smile in the girl's eyes, Zheng Chao felt a slight chill on the back of his neck for no apparent reason at the beginning of summer.

He subconsciously asked: "What happened here, I wonder where General Ning Yuan will go next?"

Chang Suining continued to walk forward while answering: "I will return to Jiangdu in the near future to meet my father and wipe out Xu Zhengye's remaining parties in Jiangnan."

This was a plan that was made before the flood, but it was delayed because of the flood.

Xu Zhengye's remnants were not only in Jiangdu Yangzhou, but also scattered in Jinling, Jiangning and other places. When Chang Suining and Xiao Min led troops to ambush Bianshui, Chang Kuo was not left with many troops, and the flood also affected the situation to some extent. Jiangnan area, so the recovery of Jiangnan land has not yet been completed.

"Xu Zhengye is dead, and the nobles who colluded with him in the Central Plains have also dispersed. It is only a matter of time to pacify Jiangnan..." Zheng Chao said: "It's just that after this disaster, the land of Jiangnan has been severely damaged. I don't know if it can return to its previous appearance. ”

I don’t know if this chaotic world will give Jiangnan a chance to breathe and recuperate.

At the beginning of Xu Zhengye's rebellion, the first attack fell on Yangzhou, the Jiangdu. Therefore, most of the officials in Yangzhou were massacred by Xu Zhengye. The positions of governor general, governor and governor of Yangzhou were all vacant -

At this moment, Yangzhou is like a seriously injured giant. When a giant is weak, it is always more vulnerable to being coveted by the beasts that want to take advantage of it.

Therefore, in Zheng Chao's view, after Yangzhou is conquered, who will take over these important positions, whether they have the heart to rebuild this land, and whether they have the ability to defend this land, are of vital importance to the bruised Jiangnan. It's important.

Zheng Chao spoke with emotion about the Jiangnan in his memory, where the four seasons were picturesque, prosperous and stable, and rich in culture.

He finally said: "When Zheng was a child, his favorite place was Jiangnan."

Chang Sui Ning turned his head slightly, looked in the direction of Jiangnan, and said with a smile: "I like it there too."

The girl's tone was very casual, but it gave Zheng Chao a feeling that the "like" in her mouth and the "like" in his mouth were completely different.

Zheng Chao subconsciously looked at Chang Sui Ning, and seeing her expression, this feeling became stronger.

His liking is "this thing is wonderful, I like it very much".

And her liking is more like... "This thing is wonderful, I want it very much".

This subtle perception sounded an alarm bell in Zheng Chao's heart.

At this moment, I heard the other party say: "If peace is restored in Jiangnan in the future, Mr. Zheng can go to give lectures as a guest. Then I will come to entertain you."

Being a guest?

entertain?

This is obviously the master's tone, right? right?

The alarm bell in Zheng Chao's heart went "dong dong dong dong" so fast that it started to spark.

If just now she just "wanted this thing", now her words are like carrying a sack and starting to fill it with things!

Seeing that he didn't speak, Chang Suining looked over and said, "Mr. Zheng?"

Zheng Chao was shaken in his heart, came back to his senses, and smiled: "...Zheng will never break the promise."

Chang Sui Ning also smiled with him.

Looking at each other, Zheng Chao's mind was racing, and he suddenly thought of the husband of the Chang family whom he had just seen in his nephew's room...could it be said that the Chang family also wanted to take a share of the troubled times?

But General Ningyuan seemed to act in a flamboyant way, but he was by no means a careless person. If he really had this intention, why did he reveal it to him?

Do you want to lay the groundwork in advance so that you can easily get him to join the team later?

When Zheng Chao was suspicious, he heard the person beside him ask in a tone of talking about the weather: "How do you think about the general trend of the world in the future?"

Her tone was so ordinary, as if she was asking, "Do you think it will be sunny or rainy tomorrow?"

Zheng Chao, who had just saved his life and was not yet very hot, glanced around subconsciously on his sleeves before he dared to sigh and said: "... Chaos has arisen, but today's saints only care about maintaining power and act radically... Naturally, it is never wrong for the emperor to exercise power. If a saint is a woman with a foreign surname and becomes emperor, it will not be enough to stabilize the throne without fierce and decisive means. "

"However, if the emperor only cares about exercising power, who will maintain peace in the world?"

Since the beginning of his ascension to the throne, the saint has been purging dissidents with the purpose of suppressing him, beheading vassal kings and generals who are difficult to control, massacring relatives on real and false charges, and mediating in the struggle between various forces. They all put the stabilization of imperial power first. She did everything she could to secure the throne. The pros and cons of this approach are obvious.

The advantage is that she has indeed been on the throne for thirteen years. In such a situation, even someone with the blood of the Li family may not be able to do it. In the face of political struggles, she is alert and decisive, which in Zheng Chao's opinion is admirable.

The disadvantage is that the hidden dangers hidden under its many measures are destined to explode one day.

His move to uproot the foundation of the gentry is exacerbating this outbreak.

Zheng Chao was worried: "The so-called gentry rebellion is just one of them... There is a peasant uprising in Daozhou. The vassal kings in various places have long had different intentions, and there are even foreign tribes who are eyeing it."

However, the gentry rebellion, which was just one of them, had already made the imperial court extremely anxious. It was difficult to take over the vacancies in various places, and it was difficult to quell the aftermath of counterattacks from various places, making it difficult to pass political orders.

If the government decree is not implemented, it is like a flood that is blocked. As it accumulates, there will eventually be a danger of breaking down the embankment.

Zheng Chao shook his head. The serious illness was difficult to heal. The general trend may not be reversed by the power of the emperor. He was not optimistic about the next situation.

"If the world is going to be in chaos, then we only hope to be able to stand up after it is over. But someone can gather this chaos as soon as possible, bring the world to its center, and save the people of this world from fire and water." Zheng Chao said sincerely.

For the people, it doesn't matter who owns the country. What matters is that the people can live a stable life.

Now, he is just one of these common people.

Hearing these heartfelt words, Chang Sui Ning's words became even bolder: "Does Mr. Zheng have anyone in mind who can make the world return to its heart?"

Yuanxiang and others were eight steps behind. Although the topic they were talking about was dangerous, their voices were very low. Under Chang Suining's relaxed tone, there was a vigilance to ensure that no one could overhear.

Zheng Chao smiled and shook his head: "Zheng has been trapped in Xingyang for a long time. He doesn't know how to understand people, so he doesn't dare to make rash judgments."

Chang Sui Ning also smiled and said, "Then Mr.'s lecture tour is a good opportunity."

Zheng Chao continued: "...General Ning Yuan is careful to say that Zheng is just traveling."

What's the point of letting people misunderstand him as someone who went out to choose a master for rebellion?

"Mr. Zheng, there is no need to panic. No third party will know about this." Chang Sui Ning said: "I just want to ask you for one thing. If you really meet someone who can bring the world back, please let me know." ”

Zheng Chao started beating the drum again in his heart.

Tell her what she wants to do?

To seek support?

Or... kill the person as soon as possible?

This question was too exciting, but Zheng Chao immediately felt that it was too early to consider this. Perhaps what is more worth thinking about is, what if such a person does not appear?

Chang Suining is also thinking about this issue.

Nowadays, none of the things that can be called names seem to be good enough.

Or like the prince Li Zhi, who is not capable enough to hold the power; or like those big hands who control the situation behind the scenes, fearing that the world will not be chaotic, but whose moral character is not good enough to be loyal to the subjects; or who have not yet had time to occupy a position in the future, The starting point is not good enough to turn the internal tide before the country is destroyed at the hands of foreigners.

Since everyone is not good enough, there is no one she likes for the time being, and it is not worth entrusting the great prosperity and the people, then she has to seriously consider other possibilities.

Zheng Chao wasn't sure what she meant by "let me know", but he still agreed.

This topic made him feel more and more dangerous, so he promptly changed the subject: "By the way, Zheng has a letter here that needs to be forwarded to General Ning Yuan."

As Zheng Chao spoke, he put his hand into the lapel of his clothes and took out a few banknotes first. He looked stunned for a moment. He had no choice but to give too much to his nephew. He would have to find a bag to carry it back.

After rummaging for a while, Zheng Chao took out a letter and handed it to Chang Suining.

The letter was obtained by Zheng Chao on his way here after he left the Zheng family. The person who sent the letter came from Luoyang.

It was a letter of thanks from Yuan Miao—the young fugitive girl from the noble family whom Chang Suining had rescued earlier.

Yuan Miao's grandfather and parents both died in prison. She expressed her gratitude in the letter that her brother survived despite having two broken fingers. She, her younger brother and the Yuan clan members were also about to be deported from Luoyang, so they could not thank Chang Sui Ning in person. They only hoped to have the opportunity to meet each other in the future to repay this kindness.

That night, when Chang Suining and Cui Jing were discussing plans with Zheng Chao, Yuan Miao was always nearby. No one else knew about it, but she knew very well what kind of debt she and the Yuan family owed to those three people that night.

Of these three people, one was reviled, one was exterminated, and no one knew what he had done.

But she will remember it, and she will tell her brother, and they will remember it forever.

After reading the words "See you later" at the end of the letter, Chang Sui Ning put the letter away.

"Speaking of which, I also have something to thank Mr. Zheng." Facing Zheng Chao's puzzled gaze, Chang Suining looked at the Wanmin Umbrella behind him: "On that day, if Mr. hadn't pulled me to pray together, I wouldn't have been able to I got a Ten Thousand People Umbrella for nothing.”

The umbrella was not tight enough, but she became a legend in the storyteller's mouth.

Zheng Chao: "As the saying goes, we share the blessings together."

In fact, it is false to share blessings, but it is true to share hardships. After all, he did not want to pray for success at the time, but only wanted to have someone who could fight to protect him.

This is a joke, but the last sentence is sincere: "The general has done much more than Zheng."

And Ling An, Ling An also did too much, and even got a reputation.

Thinking of his unlucky but still wealthy nephew, Zheng Chao lamented his nephew's experience with ulterior motives, describing the majestic governor as a rare pitiful person in the world. "...General Ning Yuan must also know that this child Ling An has lost his mother since he was a child."

"His father has always been someone who couldn't tolerate him..."

"Now that the clan has been exterminated again, a person is now alone..."

All in all, it would be great if this unfortunate child could be treated with a little more pity.

Chang Suining nodded sympathetically.

Seeing that the gate was right in front of him, Zheng Chao stopped doing the hard work for his nephew and said goodbye to Chang Sui Ning.

Chang Sui Ning also bowed to him and watched him leave.

Ah Che, who was waiting outside, came forward and said, "General, are we going back?"

Chang Suining, who didn't know what he was thinking, nodded subconsciously, and then came back to his senses: "No, I forgot about someone."

With that said, he turned around and went back.

Ah Che also suddenly realized, yes, there is also the husband. He has not seen him for a long time, and he is used to the girl coming and going alone.

As everyone knows, when Chang Sui Ning returned to his senses, he didn't even think about Chang Sui An.

Until she returned to Cui Jing's place, entered the outer hall, and heard her brother's voice - yes, she still had a brother here that she hadn't taken away.

Chang Suining walked in and said to Cui Jing, "I want to borrow someone from Governor Cui."

Cui Jing nodded, looked at Yuan Xiang behind Chang Sui Ning, and confessed: "Send the person secretly."

"?" Yuan Xiang was confused.

Who? Which one?

There was a tacit understanding between the Grand Governor and Mrs. Chang, as if they had communicated in their hearts, but he didn't have the ability to hear it.

Cui Jing came back to his senses and explained: "That one is alive."

Yuan Xiang suddenly understood and immediately went to make arrangements after agreeing.

"Then I will go back first." Chang Suining and Cui Jing said: "You take good care of your injuries. I will tell you when the results of the trial are available."

Cui Jing nodded: "Okay, I understand."

"Brother, let's go." Chang Suining turned and left.

Chang Sui'an said "Okay" before coming back to his senses, stood up and saluted Cui Jing to say goodbye.

The reason why he was distracted just now was that why did he feel that Governor Cui now had a particularly different and docile temperament in front of his sister?

It’s such an evil sect. How could Governor Cui be associated with the word meek?

Chang Sui An took another sneak peek at Cui Jing with an expression of "not sure, take another peek".

Just as Cui Jing was looking at him, Chang Sui'an quickly retracted his gaze obediently, bowed and left to chase his sister.

…

Two days ago, the people sent by Chang Suining returned to the Bianzhou camp.

Hearing that Xiao Min sent someone to **** a "traitor" to Xingyang, Vice General Dong recommended himself to go: "...Since he is the person General Ningyuan wants, there must be no mistakes. I am willing to go and **** him."

Previously, when he was in the Shouzhou camp, he often followed Xiao Min, but when Xiao Min and Chang Suining left for Bianshui, they did not take him with them.

He originally followed Chang Kuo to pursue Xu Zhengye in the rear, but he came to Bianzhou not long ago after being ordered by Chang Kuo to deliver a message to Xiao Min.

After hearing his recommendation, Xiao Min, who was busy with other important matters at hand, agreed without hesitation: "That's fine, go and come back quickly. Remember not to make any mistakes."

Vice General Dong agreed and quickly left the camp with a group of more than ten people.

The traitor had a cloth bag over his head and was stuffed into the carriage, making almost no movement to struggle.

"Who is escorting this trip?" Vice General Dong asked in a casual tone on the way.

"General Dong was not around during the Battle of Bianshui, so he didn't know anything about it. This is a lieutenant in the Chinese Army, and his surname seems to be Zhong..."

A soldier whispered: "When the deputy general Jin next to General Chang was surrounding Xu Zhengye, this man suddenly seriously injured deputy general Jin and let Xu Zhengye go... thus exposing the identity of the traitor."

Vice General Dong tightened his grip on the reins slightly.

It was indeed Zhong Si.

No wonder he hasn't seen each other since he came to Bianzhou.

It turns out that he was not accidentally killed in battle, but was exposed.

"It turned out to be Xu Zhengye's internal agent." Vice General Dong looked back at the carriage behind him and asked: "Since Xu Zhengye is dead and his associates have been liquidated, such internal agents are supposed to be killed, so why do they have to make a special trip to arrest them? Go to Xingyang and hand him over to General Ningyuan for interrogation?"

"This is General Ningyuan's explanation, and the brothers don't know it either."

"Yeah, let's just follow orders."

The soldiers on the left and right said.

Vice General Dong nodded and said no more, but was weighing in his mind.

Zhong Si has obviously been detained and tortured for many days, and he is probably in a daze. If General Ningyuan has "other arrangements"... Zhong Si may say something he shouldn't say during this trip.

Thinking of the information he secretly received before Li Yi died, Vice General Dong quickly made a decision in his heart.

…

"died?"

Talking back to today, in Xingyang City, Chang Sui Ning had just returned to her residence after leaving Cui Jing. She met Vice General Dong and his party, but she heard that the traitor she wanted accidentally died on the way.

"How did you die?" she asked, looking at the body with its head and face covered.

A soldier knelt down and whispered: "Back to General Ningyuan, this man has been imprisoned for many days and does not drink much water every day. He is really weak. He must have been unable to withstand the bumps on the way and was frightened..."

Others also knelt down.

"It's me who didn't do things well. Please punish me, General Ning Yuan!"

"Did he really die of weakness?" Chang Suining used his sword to pick open the cloth bag covering the body's head. His face was pale, his cheeks were sunken, and there were no new injuries on his body. Apart from being a dead man, he looked nothing strange. .

"How dare we deceive the general!" A soldier quickly suggested in order to prove his innocence: "If the general has any doubts, he can ask the soldier to come and check!"

They escorted the people all the way, and no one else came near them at all.

"Please do the autopsy..." Chang Suining nodded, no need for them to remind her. As long as she was not so careless, this was what she should do at this moment.

"But if you do this, you will be delayed for at least half a day." She turned the tip of her sword and pointed at the kneeling person: "Isn't that giving people a chance to escape in vain?"

After saying this, more than ten people were shocked.

Someone said in panic: "General Ning Yuan, we will never tell a lie!"

They thought the sword was pointed at all of them, but they heard the girl say softly: "Get back."

Everyone looked up and saw clearly that the tip of the sword in the opponent's hand was actually Vice General Dong.

Their eyes were startled, but they didn't dare to say more than a word and immediately withdrew.

"General Ning Yuan suspected that I killed this person?" Vice General Dong frowned: "If he was killed by me, why didn't I try to escape on the way, but instead came to General Ning Yuan and threw myself into a trap?"

Chang Suining looked at him funny: "Do you think I am brainless? The person escorting is dead. None of you want to bear the responsibility alone, so you will subconsciously keep an eye on your companions. Is it easy for you to escape? You No matter how good one person is, he can't defeat more than ten of them."

"According to common sense, all of you, more than ten people, are suspicious. If I had not suspected you beforehand, I would not have guessed you. Everyone is dead. Even if the widower is found to have been killed, Without evidence, who can independently conclude that he was killed by you?"

Chang Suining looked at the man in front of him whose expression changed slightly, and said: "He is only a ninth-grade officer, but you are a sixth-grade general. It is cost-effective to trade you for him. You must have done this well." The worst-case scenario is that you have a higher status than him and are worried that he will say something that he shouldn't say... but you are willing to change him, right? "

Hearing the word "change", Vice General Dong's eyes were shocked. Sure enough, she had planned all this from the beginning! She had long suspected his identity and was just waiting for him to come to her door!

Before he could think any more, murderous intent suddenly burst out in his eyes, and he slapped his right hand on the scabbard at his waist. The long knife was knocked out of the sheath. girl.

The girl's reaction was faster than he expected. She did not hide, and knowing that she was weak due to lack of strength, she held the sword in both hands and blocked it head-on.

As the swords struck each other, Vice General Dong felt the tiger's mouth was slightly numb and took half a step back.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the girl suddenly sheathed her sword. When he lost strength, he saw the opponent jump up and kick him in the heart.

Vice General Dong frowned and grunted, but did not fight. He turned around to escape, but saw people coming from both sides of the door. He was alone and hard to defeat. He was quickly unarmed and knelt down in front of the girl again. .

He was still struggling.

Chang Sui Ning had sheathed his sword and sat down in the chair. Seeing this, he said: "Okay, stop acting. You know that I have deliberately lured you here, so there is no way I can let you escape."

"If you want to kill, just kill him!" Vice General Dong sneered, seeming to accept the fact: "My lord is dead, and there is no point in our survival!"

"Lord? Are you talking about Xu Zhengye?" Chang Sui Ning also laughed: "Xu Zhengye has taken so many scapegoats for your real master. If he had known about it, do you think he would have been so angry that he would have survived?"

"The person you are really loyal to is not Xu Zhengye at all. If you are not trying your best to cover Xu Zhengye's escape, you must be Xu Zhengye's internal agent." Chang Sui Ning looked at him with a half-smile but not a smile: "If I am so easy to fool, why? Why go to such trouble to bring you here?"

This chapter has six thousand words. Good night! (And quietly asked for a monthly pass)

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(End of chapter)