turmoil

With a sound of "pa", the masked assassin in black staggered and fell to the ground. Huihe's personal guards rushed up, but saw that the man was bleeding from his chest and his eyes were wide open. It was obvious that he could not survive.

The curtain was lifted, and a man and a woman came out. The woman with blond hair and blue eyes and a veil was none other than Menia.The man was in his forties, with deep-set eyebrows and a high-bridged nose. It was obvious that he was of exotic origin.

"These assassins sent by the royal court really don't cry when they don't see the coffin," Menia squinted, with arrogance ready to come out from the corners of her eyes and brows, "General Pei Luo, do you believe it now?"

Pei Luo stepped forward without saying a word, and used the back of his knife to lift the black cloth covering the assassin's face. Underneath was also a barbarian face, and at first glance it was hard to tell which was which.

Pei Luo was a little unwilling, so he opened the neckline of the other party, and saw a small auspicious flame embroidered inside the collar.

He blurted out, "Manichaeism!"

Everyone in Huihe believed in Manichaeism, and Manichaeism in the Western Regions was no less than Buddhism in the Central Plains.However, the Manichaeists were far more involved in the world than the Buddhists. When their power was at its peak, even the secular kings were constrained by them.

And this is obviously not what the Huihe king is happy to see.

"When the old king was alive, he spared no effort to suppress the Manichaeism, and his relationship with Mingzun also plummeted," Menia said, "If the Manichaeists hadn't followed the way of Teller's mother and son, they would have been uprooted now. "

Pei Luowu couldn't believe it: "The lord of the country thinks highly of the second prince. Even if the throne is not passed on to him, it is always necessary to crack the earth and seal the king. Why would the second prince..."

"General, you are a sensible person, don't you see it?" Menia said lightly, "Tele and Chi Leshu have been fighting for so many years, no matter who is in power, they will never let the other party go. No matter how much the king loves you Teller, after all, is just a beloved son, not the heir of Dingdingjiangshan. Seeing that Chi Leshu is about to step on top of his head, how can Teller sit and wait for death!"

Pei Luo was about to speak when the dead assassin's throat sac suddenly squirmed.The next moment, something jumped out of the assassin's mouth and shot at Pei Luo like lightning!

Meniya exclaimed, "Be careful!"

She quickly pulled out the saber, and the blade slanted, cutting the "hidden weapon" in two.The soft and boneless "rope" fell to the ground, and the surface was covered with colorful patterns.

Pei Luo took a closer look and gasped, "It's the heart of the desert!"

"Desert Heart" is a poisonous snake that lives deep in the desert. It buries its body in the wet quicksand during the day and does not come out to look for food until night.This kind of snake is petite, but its poison is fierce. Once it is bitten, it will die within an hour or three. Some assassins with cunning methods will catch poisonous snakes and domesticate them as sharp weapons for killing people.

"It's an old trick of the Manichaeism," Meniya returned the saber to Pei Luo, and said nonchalantly, "The fangs of this kind of snake are so small that you can't see it even if you are bitten. It sounds similar to the symptoms of the death of the old lord."

When she mentioned King Huihe, her tone was contemptuous, without any respect.Pei Luo put the knife back into its sheath, and reminded in a deep voice: "Your Highness, the King is also your father."

Menia's eyes were dark, knowing that she should go downhill, expressing her admiration for the old lord who passed away, but she couldn't say it.She is different from Chi Leshu and Teller, she is just the illegitimate daughter of the old lord, and her biological mother is a humble female slave in the Huihe palace.In Huihe, the status of the mother determines the honor of the sons and daughters. A female slave is not worthy to give birth to the heir of the lord, so she was given safflower soup.

However, maybe the female slave was in good health, or maybe the amount of safflower was not enough, the female slave miraculously saved the child, and then escaped from the Huihe Palace.She tried every means to give birth to a child, tried to hide her name and live like an ordinary person, but she couldn't escape the tricks of fate.

In the end, this poor woman died at the hands of the assassins. If Zhang Jingche's caravan hadn't arrived just in time, the little girl beside the female slave would have been hard to escape.

"The Lord of the Kingdom is my father, but he never showed me his father's love," Menia said coldly, "My mother died because of him. I don't know until now. It was Teller who sent the assassin. It's still Chi Le Technique."

Pei Luo frowned deeper.

"...But I know who I am. I am Huihe's daughter, and the blood of the desert flows in my bones!" Menia raised her chin and looked at Pei Luo arrogantly, "I can't just see Huihe being destroyed by Teller. , and I can't bear my compatriots becoming slaves to Beile and the Central Plains!"

Pei Luo breathed a sigh of relief calmly.

He came from a humble background and didn't value bloodlines very much, but he couldn't put a person who was full of hatred for Huihe on the throne.The king of Huihe passed away suddenly, and Huihe was sandwiched between Beile and the Central Plains, and it was difficult and precarious.This means that the future successor must have enough talent and boldness to lead Huihe out of the predicament.

Pei Luo didn't think that the old king's two sons could do it—the eldest son and the second prince, one was a cowardly and weak ruler of success, and the other was an ambitious generation of tigers and wolves. No matter who was in power, it would be a disaster for Huihe blessing.

But Pei Luo also didn't dare to pin his hopes on the old king's illegitimate daughter. Even though he believed that Meniya was the old king's blood, it didn't mean that she was capable of supporting the country for three thousand miles.

"Your Highness is right, no matter what, we can't let Teller's plot succeed." After a long time, Pei Luo breathed out and made up his mind after a difficult balance, "I plan to bring five thousand elite soldiers and rush back to Gaochang overnight! "

Menia's goal was half achieved, a secretive smile curled up at the corner of her mouth.

The news of "Pei Luo will return soon" was sent back to Gaochang City first via Feige. At that time, Zhang Jingche had just received the tip from the Northwest Camp, and his face was gloomy and uncertain.When Ding Ru'an walked to the door, he was startled by his master's overly dignified expression, he hesitated and dared not go forward.

Zhang Jingche seemed to have eyes on his forehead, without raising his head, he said, "Come in."

Ding Ru'an then moved in, lowered his eyebrows and said pleasantly: "Master, Menia came back with news that she has persuaded Pei Luo that the Huihe army is coming soon."

Zhang Jingche nodded, still lost in thought on the note in his hand.

Ding Ru'an couldn't hold back his curiosity, and asked, "Master, is this news from the Northwest Camp?"

"Axuan sent a letter back saying that the epidemic situation in the Northwest Camp has been contained for the time being, and the He family also transported herbs and good medicine to the camp in time," Zhang Jingche paused, "But..."

Ding Ru'an was puzzled and said, "Since everything is going well, what else is there to worry about, master?"

"Ah Xuan has a message saying that Yuanzhou is patrolling the border of northern Xinjiang and is not in the Northwest camp," Zhang Jingche frowned and pondered, "There is an outbreak in the Northwest Camp, and Yuanzhou will not leave the camp to inspect at this time because of Yuanzhou's behavior. There are only two possibilities—or, Beile has changed, forcing Yuanzhou to move."

Ding Ru'an is a good hand in business, and he is not ambiguous when it involves changes in the court situation. After thinking for a while, he followed Zhang Jingche's thoughts: "What if it is not the case?"

"Or, he was caught up in something and it was inconvenient to show up in front of people, so he had to use such a clumsy excuse as 'patrolling border guards' to cover up his whereabouts!" Zhang Jingche raised his head and stared at him with burning eyes, "An epidemic broke out in the Northwest Camp, It's inconvenient for him to show up as the coach... What do you think this 'reason' will be?"

Ding Ru'an understood his hint and couldn't help gasping.

"I will send a letter to Axuan immediately, asking her to find out about Yanghou's situation as soon as possible!" Ding Ru'an said quickly, "Master, don't worry, Yang Houji has his own aura, and nothing will happen!"

He was about to retreat, but Zhang Jingche was silent for a while, and then suddenly called him back.

"Wait!" Zhang Jingche played with the folding fan in his sleeve, and said in a low voice, "Forget it...don't pry."

Ding Ru'an's raised leg fell back to its original position without a trace: "Why?"

"Yuanzhou blocked the news to prevent the neighbors in the north, and he didn't want me to worry," Zhang Jingche sighed, carefully folded the letter, and put it in his purse together with the previous note, "He is thinking of me, why should I Make him uneasy? Just pretend you don’t know.”

He raised his head and his eyes were sharp: "We have been delayed for too long, we have to wait for this matter, and set off to return to the south immediately!"

Ding Ru'an agreed, and was about to step back when Zhang Jingche said, "Also, when will the fleet sent to Nanyang come back?"

Ding Ru'an was a little surprised, thought for a while and said: "According to the voyage calculation, there are still two months."

"It's too late!" Zhang Jingche resolutely said, "Put Xinying, tell them to return to the voyage immediately, and must return to the Central Plains within half a month. I told them to bring the things they are looking for!"

Ding Ru'an knew that this request was difficult, but he could not raise any objections to Zhang Jingche.The former commander of Jinyiwei was not difficult to serve, and he rarely made requests beyond their ability, but when he ordered his subordinates to do something at any cost, it often meant that the situation had developed to the point of imminent danger.

They have no room to shirk, and if they fail to do so, they will die.

"Subordinates understand!" Ding Ru'an said in a deep voice, "I'll send a letter right away!"

Zhang Jingche looked out of the window, and saw a thick cloud flying from nowhere, covering the sky - Huihe is located deep in the desert, the climate is dry all year round, and rainfall is rare.The sudden dark clouds gave Zhang Jingche a premonition that a storm was coming. He was restless in the shadows of the hall, wishing he could set off for the northwest camp immediately.

"There is no longer any delay!" he thought, "the mess must be cut!"

Zhang Jingche wanted to smooth out the chaos in Huihe as soon as possible, and changed his unhurried pace, and took the initiative to intercept the letter sent by the messenger to the second prince—it was a letter from General Pei Luo to Teller to persuade him to surrender. After escaping from the assassination, he did not draw his sword against the second prince as expected, but hoped for peaceful negotiations.In the letter, he earnestly persuaded as an elder, hoping that Teller would look at the father-son relationship of the old king and the well-being of the Huihe people. As long as he is willing to hand over his son and other princes, Pei Luo is willing to guarantee the safety of Teller's mother and son with his life. Safety.

This is not what Zhang Jingche wants to see, he doesn't have time to accompany the Huihe people to boil frogs in warm water.Fortunately, Zhang Jingche's subordinates are full of talented people who are proficient in Huihe language. After their tampering, the letter of persuasion to surrender has been changed into a letter of success - Zhang Jingche told the second prince in the tone of a messenger that the plan is progressing smoothly. Obtain the military power of Huihe.

At the same time, Zhang Jingche also imitated the tone of the second prince, and wrote a reply letter to Pei Luo. The words in the letter were sharp, ordering Pei Luo to hand over his military power and return to the royal court to report on his duties.

Pei Luo was furious when he received the reply. In his opinion, this was an outright provocation.He finally couldn't bear it, and led five thousand cavalry to rush back to the royal court.On the way, Pei Luo received a letter saying that the enthronement ceremony of the new king will be held on the [-]th of this month. At that time, envoys from various countries will go to the palace to watch the ceremony.

"Hurry up, make sure to arrive at Gaochang on the [-]th day!" Pei Luo tore the letter into pieces, pressed the knife and said coldly, "I want to see, the old king's bones are not cold, who dares to covet the throne at this time!"

Mei Niya knelt aside, her red lips hidden under the veil slightly curled up.

At the same time, the second prince who was far away in the royal court was full of ambition and thought that he had the military power in his hands. No one could stop him from aspiring to the throne, and the martial law on Gaochang City was also relaxed a lot.Pei Luo listened to Menia's persuasion, and did not come to the city with great fanfare. Instead, he broke up five hundred soldiers, dressed up as caravan envoys who came to congratulate him, and sneaked into Gaochang City in batches.

At this point, the gunpowder barrels were set up, and the gunners were also prepared. It was only a matter of a spark, and the city of Gaochang could be blown upside down.

It was sixteen in a blink of an eye. Early in the morning, there was a faint sound of drum music in the distance.The children of the desert are warm and hospitable, and they are also good at singing and dancing. Whenever there is a big or happy event, they will use singing and dancing to express their joy.Zhang Jingche was sitting in front of the case, flipping through the ledger calmly. He held a business that was incomparably wealthy, but he didn't smell the slightest smell of copper. He was dressed in white, and he was clean and handsome, but he had the air of a gentleman of high mountains and flowing water.

After a while, Ding Ru'an came in with a medicine bowl, and was about to close the door when Zhang Jingche suddenly made a "shut up" gesture at him.

Ding Ru'an was a little confused: "Master, what's wrong?"

Zhang Jingche turned his head to the side and was silent for a moment: "Listen, there are sounds of swordsmen."

Ding Ru'an imitated his appearance, and sure enough, he found that the sound of drum music in the distance stopped at some point, and the surrounding was quiet, which made people feel a little flustered.He counted with his fingers: "At this time, the enthronement ceremony should begin. Could it be that Meniya and General Pei Luo have sneaked into the palace?"

Zhang Jingche flipped through the pages of the ledger and said in a low voice, "After today, the Western Regions may have to reshuffle the cards."

Ding Ru'an guessed right, Pei Luo and Menia did infiltrate the palace, and prevented the transfer of power at the last moment.I don't know what method Zhang Jingche used, but under the name of "Persian envoys", this group of people managed to sneak into the ceremony scene. The moment they suddenly appeared, they shocked the new Huihe king and the officials who were forced to bow their heads regardless of whether they were friends or not.

Seeing General Pei Luo who was supposed to die suddenly, Teller froze in place. For a moment, he almost thought he saw a ghost: "You...how are you still alive?"

King Huihe's reaction was very different from what Pei Luo expected, but it also proved from the side that those assassins who killed people were indeed sent by Teller.For a moment, Pei Luo had mixed feelings in his mind. He thought of the little prince carved in pink and jade in the arms of the old lord many years ago, but he couldn't say a word when he was prepared to question him.

"Your Highness is still alive... Are you disappointed?" The enthronement ceremony is already halfway through, and Pei Luo still addresses him as "Your Highness" in the past. Although his tone is respectful, his attitude cannot be changed—in his mind, Teller will always steal the country and kill his father. The rebellious ministers and thieves will never become the king of Huihe who promises everything. "Rein in the precipice, turn around and be right...Your Highness, you are defeated, admit defeat!"