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墨書 Inktalez
In the Yingzhou Sima residence, Han Fuqi smashed the fourth piece of colored pottery, causing Wan Yi to roll out amidst Han Fuqi's curses, trembling with fear.
"Damn Zhao Yuankai!" Wan Yi cursed angrily, rubbing his plump backside still marked with shoe prints, limping out of the Han residence.
Just as he stepped outside, he saw a man and a woman approaching. The man appeared to be in his early forties, dressed in a white shirt with black accents, exuding an air of elegance. The woman wore a fitted outfit; despite her veil, her voluptuous figure was hard to conceal, and her long legs were particularly striking.
The man presented a name card, and the steward did not dare to delay, hurrying into the residence. Moments later, Han Fuqi emerged with a beaming face, surprisingly opening the main door to welcome them.
Wan Yi was astonished and couldn't help but take another look at the man, memorizing his appearance before reluctantly returning to the county town.
Entering Han Fuqi's residence through the main door without pretense were none other than the newly wealthy from the Eastern Palace—Crown Prince's Horse Keeper and Chancellor Cui Hanzhu!
Han Fuqi was a confidant of Zhang Jian, who was an old student of Changsun Wuji. Having been influenced by Changsun Wuji's cunning strategies, he understood that with Li Zhi recently taking charge of the Eastern Palace, actions needed to be cautious. Thus, he refrained from meeting Murong Hanzhu at the Governor's Office and instead offered warm hospitality.
Murong Hanzhu was a prodigy from the previous dynasty, known for his talents at a young age. He later followed Princess Guanghua into the Tuguhun and then faded from public view. However, accustomed to royal nobility and possessing considerable cunning despite his plain appearance, he left Han Fuqi feeling both awed and respectful.
Shangguan Mu'er was a personal Death Warrior assigned to Murong Hanzhu by Youzhou Inspector Gao Lvxing. However, she had long been captivated by Murong Hanzhu and could be seen more as his female attendant than as Gao Lvxing's spy.
Having grown used to hardship, Murong Hanzhu believed that indulgence could lead to blindness and confusion. Traveling light, he immediately inquired about Xu Zhen's activities in Yingzhou.
Han Fuqi felt indignant and recounted everything that had happened, inevitably embellishing some details and fabricating others to denounce Xu Zhen's actions as disgraceful. Murong Hanzhu listened calmly without interruption. Once Han Fuqi finished speaking, he asked a few key questions before moving on.
After about half an hour, Zhang Jian entered through the back door of the Han residence in casual attire. Murong Hanzhu greeted him and entrusted him with a secret letter from Li Zhi and Changsun Wuji before they changed venues for a banquet and sat together.
Murong Hanzhu glanced at the serving maid nearby; Han Fuqi understood and dismissed all unnecessary personnel. Only then did Murong Hanzhu slowly begin to speak.
"Zhang Yingzhou, in my humble opinion, if Xu Zhen does not obtain the Fish Document for verification, she will likely take matters into her own hands and send troops across the river to rescue people. This situation concerns disputes between two nations. The Governor has authority over the Department of Diplomatic Negotiation and can timely report and supervise; this will surely give us leverage over Xu Zhenzhi!"
Han Fuqi felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this. The Xu Zhen, who had become the Loyal Martial General before turning thirty, was actually willing to take personal risks and secretly cross a river to save an old subordinate?
He couldn't help but recall the ferocity of Zhou Cang and others, and the fierce generals surrounding the Xu Zhen. With that thought, he felt much more at ease.
Zhang Jian, however, had complicated thoughts. From the Secret Letter, it appeared that Changsun Wuji intended to harm Xu Zhenzhi's life, while the Crown Prince merely sought to win over the Xu Zhen. As long as he held some leverage over her, he could make her submit and use her for his own purposes.
From Murong Hanzhu's strategy, it was clear that this wise advisor leaned more towards assisting the Crown Prince rather than forming an alliance with Changsun Wuji. If that were the case, Zhang Jian would have to take precautions on behalf of his benefactor Changsun Wuji against Murong Hanzhu.
However, Murong Hanzhu knew the Xu Zhen quite well. Zhang Jian was not a fool; based on the Xu Zhen's recent behavior, it was indeed possible that she would secretly cross the Liao River to undertake a dangerous rescue!
With this in mind, Zhang Jian instructed Han Fuqi to send trusted individuals to keep a close watch on the Xu Zhen's movements. If there were any changes, they must report back immediately.
Han Fuqi gladly accepted the order. Seeing that Zhang Jian and Murong Hanzhu still had private matters to discuss, he left the residence and sent someone on horseback to bring Wan Yi back, assigning him the important task of monitoring Xu Zhenzhi.
Wan Yi was overjoyed and hurried back to the county. After careful consideration, he quickly came up with an idea: he sent several beautiful maids from his household to the Xu Zhen's residence under the pretense of serving her and her companions, but in reality, they were hidden spies to monitor her movements.
This time Wan Yi invested heavily; he even sent out his own concubine Wen Qing. Wen Qing was like a refreshing spring in the mundane world, having been rescued from a life as a courtesan by Wan Yi. She understood how to please men and extract useful information.
One day, Wan Yi arrived at a tavern near the general's residence. Before long, he saw Wen Qing hurrying towards him. They hid away in a private room of the tavern and began discussing the situation regarding the Xu Zhen.
"My dear wife, have you managed to gather any news?"
As Wan Yi spoke, he began to touch Wen Qing. She frowned; compared to the tall and handsome General Xu, Wan Yi was short, stout, and unattractive—almost unbearable to look at. Nevertheless, she endured it.
"The general's residence is as usual... The soldiers come and go without any unusual activity..." Wen Qing hesitated slightly before responding.
Wan Yi was an astute man who cared about Wen Qing's reputation. He feared that the Xu Zhen might take action against her while also wanting to use Wen Qing's beauty to extract information. It was truly a risky endeavor. At that moment, seeing Wen Qing’s flushed face ignited jealousy within him; he tightly squeezed her thigh and stared intently at her. "Is there really not a single unusual thing?"
Wen Qing was just a girl from a county town, not comparable to the refined women in the brothel. Startled by Wan Yi, she stammered, "That general... seems to have a hidden ailment..."
Wan Yi's eyes lit up immediately as he pressed, "What kind of hidden ailment?"
Wen Qing lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, and whispered, "He... he cannot bed women..."
Wan Yi burst into laughter, disregarding their surroundings in the private room of the restaurant. He hurriedly pushed Wen Qing down and, without time to undress, rushed onto her. Wen Qing felt displeased; just as her interest was piqued, it was abruptly extinguished. Seeing Wan Yi's round belly filled her with disgust.
Throughout the journey, Wen Qing did not think of Wan Yi's ugly body but rather of the general she was tasked to monitor!
In her eyes, this general was as heroic as a divine warrior and as elegant as a scholar. His every gesture exuded an indescribable charm and demeanor. However, when she offered herself to him, she was met with rejection. Although she was just a country girl from a small town and could not compare to the beauties of Chang'an or Luoyang, she was still the top courtesan in the establishment and felt indignant.
After several attempts and even sending other maidens to flirt with him, General Xu remained unresponsive, like Liu Xia Hui who could not be swayed by temptation. Wen Qing had no choice but to conclude that this general truly could not bed women!
Soon enough, rumors about Xu Zhen's inability spread widely. Upon hearing this news, Murong Hanzhu felt a surge of doubt and unease. However, after much contemplation, he could not make sense of it and decided to continue monitoring the situation.
Xu Zhen was unaware that she had become the laughingstock of Yingzhou Prefecture because at that moment she was crossing the Liao River with Gou Renwu and Qingxiazi, heading towards a small city of the Goguryeo People to rescue Qin Guang and the ineffective former Yingzhou Commander Chen Taowen!
Xu Zhen had long suspected Gou Renwu's identity; the Goguryeo People were skilled archers, and Gou Renwu's archery was peerless—rare even among the Tang Army. The fact that Azure Mist Child Su Yuanlang had died for him indicated he was no ordinary person. The background of Gem, the little girl accompanying them, was also quite suspicious, but it could not be confirmed at that moment.
As they discussed how to rescue people that day, they struggled without a guide. If they were to recruit from the Imperial Guards again, they feared news would leak. In this predicament, Xu Zhen tentatively asked Gou Renwu about his background. After hesitating for a moment and exchanging glances with Qingxiazi, he ultimately admitted that he indeed had ties to the Goguryeo People.
Xu Zhen did not wish to pry too deeply into Gou Renwu's identity; after all, they had shared life-and-death experiences along their journey. She understood well that one should not suspect those who have proven themselves trustworthy.
Accompanying them were Jewel Girl and Qingxiazi. Zuo An felt uneasy and followed Gem closely. Caesar and Zhou Cang were unwilling to let Xu Zhen take risks and naturally volunteered to accompany her; however, Xu Zhen refused them all.
She needed to minimize noise to avoid raising suspicion and wanted Zhou Cang and others to stay behind to assist Zhang Suling in their charade!
Indeed, at this moment, it was not the Xu Zhen who was stationed in the general's mansion, but rather Zhang Suling disguised as the Xu Zhen!
It was not that the Xu Zhen was unwell; rather, Zhang Suling had no interest in women...
Gou Renwu and others seemed to be extremely familiar with the terrain of Liaodong, further validating Xu Zhenxin's conjecture. The group changed into Liao people's attire and successfully crossed the river, heading straight for Tuyang City.
Tuyang City is a small city located southwest of Gaimu City, a crucial area in Liaodong. Originally, there were no stationed troops there, but it was later occupied by numerous Goguryeo bandits. The Goguryeo Royal Court could only pacify this group of bandits, whose leader was known as the Western Martial General. He ordered the construction of wooden boats and drum-skin rafts, frequently smuggling across the Liao River and causing disturbances in Liaoxi. This further strengthened their power, raising concerns within the Goguryeo Royal Court about their growing influence. Fearing they could not suppress them, they dispatched troops to take control, only to find that they had lost the loyalty of the soldiers to the Western Martial General.
Zhang Jian was also a person who feared trouble. With constant conflicts and friction on both sides, the Tang army suffered due to a lack of boats and could only hold their ground without pursuing. After several losses and seeing the enemy's strength, he became timid and hastily sent Yingzhou Zhechongfu Duwei Chen Taowen and Right Guard Captain Qin Guang to negotiate peace, only to be captured instead.
The Xu Zhen followed Gou Renwu and Qingxiazi to learn the Goguryeo Language. He was already proficient in multiple languages such as French and English in this world. After arriving in Tang, he learned Tang Language and then Turkic Language, even mastering Ancient Sayings from Zoroastrianism. His linguistic talent was comparable to that of a celestial being. Gou Renwu and Gem, along with Qingxiazi, were eager to teach him, so he quickly grasped the basic phrases.
Zuo An surprisingly did not fall behind; his talent for language learning was on par with that of the Xu Zhen, which further won him Qingxiazi's favor. Qingxiazi imparted all his peculiar techniques without reservation!
Liaodong is rich in forests and rainfall. The Xu Zhen and her companions had to don raincoats and straw hats while searching for shelter from the rain when they heard shouts and horse neighs coming from ahead.
(Note: The Goguryeo Language declined after the fall of Goguryeo and no longer exists as a language. It differs significantly from the languages of ancient Three Han such as Mahan, Byeonhan, and Jinhan.)
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