At midnight, the Marquis Mansion in Zhongshan.

After the Taimiao Rebellion broke out during the day, the Hou Mansion closed its doors as quickly as possible. All the soldiers were guarding the front and rear gates and courtyard walls with armor and swords. The servants in the mansion were able to remain calm and did not face the sudden and severe situation.

Frightened by the situation.

This is due to the fact that Pei Yue's family members are calm enough. Putting aside the battle-hardened Ye Qi, Gu Zhen and Lin Shuyue are also soft on the outside and strong on the inside. Even Peach Blossom can be as usual, so

The atmosphere inside the mansion is very peaceful.

When everything was quiet, in the east courtyard of the front yard of the Hou Mansion, Qian Bing, the former head of the Taishitai Pavilion's Dui Department, was sitting alone in front of the window, with a long sword lying across the table.

His plain face did not always have the honest smile like in the past, but instead revealed a somewhat cold look.

Suddenly, there was a very slight noise outside the house, which was not clear in this quiet night, but Qian Bing's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he disappeared in the next moment, and the sword scabbard left on the table continued to tremble.

The clear light of the bright moon shone all over the world, and a thin figure stood in the court. He put his hands behind his back, staring at Qian Bing with the long sword in his hand as if he were facing a formidable enemy, and said approvingly: "Excellent skills, worthy of being the number one assassin in Taige

."

Qian Bing was startled for a moment, then stood up and saluted, "I've met Mr. Xi."

At the same time, Ye Qi, who was holding a spear, also emerged from the dark night. He was obviously a little surprised when he saw Mr. Xi, and immediately said to Qian Bing: "Mr. Qian, I have a job."

Qian Bing bowed his head in greeting and then left knowingly.

Ye Qi took a few steps forward and asked, "When will Sir arrive in Beijing?"

Mr. Xi said gently: "Today."

Ye Qi looked slightly surprised. She was not curious that this middle-aged man could still enter the city despite the martial law in Kyoto, but she was confused as to why he suddenly left the southern border.

Without waiting for her to ask, Mr. Xi continued: "Siren Yun's daughter went to Chengjing to find me and asked me to go north to help. In fact, even if she didn't show up, I would come to Kyoto for a visit. There are still a few people in the city.

Old friends, we are worried about Brother Yue and you. There are many strange things about the Taimiao Rebellion. I am worried that there will be problems in the house here, so I came over at night to have a look."

Ye Qidao: "Thank you sir for your concern. Everything is fine in the house."

"That's good." Mr. Xi smiled slightly and said, "Did Brother Yue send you a letter from home?"

Ye Qi shook his head and said, "My husband is on his way back to Beijing."

Mr. Xi's eyes narrowed and he said in a deep voice: "The matter in the north has not been settled yet, why did he return to Beijing in a hurry?"

Ye Qi lowered his voice and said: "Sir, it was me who wrote to my husband asking him to come back. I received a secret order more than half a month ago, and the emperor hoped that my husband could come back to attend the crown prince's ceremony. I don't understand why the emperor didn't

Call directly, instead

I wanted to use this secret method, so I wrote the whole story in the letter. My husband also knows Pei Yue’s temperament. If he doesn’t come back, he will definitely tell me, but there is no reply until today, so I guess he should come back soon.

Already."

Mr. Xi thought for a moment and said slowly: "You mean, before the date of the ceremony for establishing the crown prince is determined, the emperor asked you to notify Brother Yue to return to Beijing?"

Ye Qi responded: "Yes, sir, is there anything wrong?"

Mr. Xi calmly analyzed: "There are two possibilities. One is that the emperor expected that Wang Pingzhang would launch an early attack, so he secretly asked Yue Geer to come back. His presence or absence would have a great impact on Beiying's combat effectiveness. Second, the emperor

If you want to use this opportunity to hunt rabbits, you are plotting against both Wang Pingzhang and Brother Yue."

Ye Qi's bright eyes showed a trace of evil spirit, and his right hand unconsciously clenched the iron spear.

Mr. Xi said warmly: "Don't be nervous. This is just my speculation. Besides, Brother Yue has finally made it this far. He knows what choices he should make. Tell everyone in the house that you must not go out during this period. Things outside Brother Yue and I will handle it properly."

Ye Qi lowered his head slightly and said, "Thank you sir."

Mr. Xi smiled and shook his head, and said calmly: "No need to say thank you, the information you just told is very useful. I'm going to Shen's house now."

Although he knew that the middle-aged man in front of him had martial arts skills that were superior to his own, Ye Qi still said with concern: "Sir, take care."

Mr. Xi nodded in greeting, then turned around and quickly disappeared into the night.

…

The next day, the sky finally cleared up, and the haze that had shrouded the sky for several days dissipated without a trace.

When the sky was dim, the garrison soldiers on the four walls of Kyoto looked at the Kyoto Tigers who had begun to form formations in the city. Many people could not help but feel confused in their hearts.

Yesterday there was chaos in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and His Majesty and the Crown Prince were assassinated one after another. The envoys from the capital camp outside the city said that this was an act of regicide led by the second prince, with the participation of Xiao Jin, the Marquis of Xiangcheng, and Guliang, the Marquis of Guangping. There were many similar rumors in the city.

Although the commander-in-chief Xiao Jin has conveyed the prince's decree to all ministries, and the second prince is staying in his palace of Prince Qi, for ordinary soldiers, they don't quite understand the struggle among the core power levels of the empire. They only know that I want to fight to my death with my colleagues in the Beijing camp.

More than half an hour later, the Western and Southern Camps of the Beijing Army had completed the siege of Kyoto. Two cavalry guards were ready, and one of them was stationed in an open area to the north. The purpose of intimidating the soldiers of the Northern Camp was self-evident.

To the relief of the garrison officers, the Beijing army never launched a strong attack. Instead, they continued to send envoys to loudly announce Wang Pingzhang's order, which was to open the city and surrender within three days, otherwise all the defenders would be regarded as traitors. The thieves ransacked the house and exterminated the clan.

Although no fierce fighting broke out, such a big movement naturally could not be concealed by the ranger scouts of the North Camp. Therefore, Luo Kedi, the temporary commander of the Wuding Guard, and Yu Dazhi, the commander of the South Guard, sent people one after another to inquire, but were intercepted by the South Camp. The cavalry yelled at them and warned them not to leave the camp.

In the evening, the generals of the Northern Camp received military orders sent by the Sixth Prince Liu Zhi and Wei Guogong Wang Pingzhang.

After the content of the order spread, the camp exploded instantly. No matter Pingnan Guard or Wuding Guard, even though they usually dislike each other, their attitudes at this moment were completely the same, that is, they absolutely did not believe that Xiao Jin and Gu Liang would plot regicide. .

In view of the excessive reaction of the soldiers, at Luo Kedi's suggestion, an impromptu military meeting was held in the festival hall. In addition to himself, the experienced officer Yang Yingji, Yu Dazhi and the two deputy commanders of Nanwei, the participants were Qin Xian and Xue Meng, who were dismissed from their military posts, also participated.

Luo Kedi was the last one to arrive at the festival hall. He took a look at the guards around him and saw that they were all familiar faces to him. The soldiers patrolling nearby were also his close confidants.

At this moment, there was no sense of joy or excitement in his heart, but instead he felt a sense of desolation and guilt inexplicably.

However, when he walked into the festival hall, all the complicated emotions melted away like ice and snow in an instant.

I saw Yang Yingji sitting in the first place on the left as usual, and next to him were Qin Xian and Xue Meng.

Yu Dazhi and the two deputy commanders sat on the right.

According to Wang Jiuxuan's suggestion yesterday, as long as he kills these six people with thunderous force, Wang Pingzhang will lead his army to Beiying in person and capture more than 20,000 elite tiger soldiers.

However, Luo Kedi's complexion gradually turned pale.

Because there was a young man sitting in the handsome seat that had been vacant for more than two months. He was dressed like an inconspicuous soldier and had a weathered look on his face.

There was a bowl of rice and two plates of ordinary dishes placed on the table in front of the young man. He swallowed the food without caring about the image, and burped after a moment.

It was as if he just saw Luo Kedi standing blankly at this moment, raising his hand to point to the first chair on the right, and calmly said one word.
Chapter completed!