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Previously, we talked about the False Macaque and the true Monkey King. Now, the Xu Zhen was continuously toyed with by Zhang Suling in the brothel. First, she pretended to be a servant to tease her, then disguised herself as the Father-in-law to gain access. After that, she changed into the Xu Zhen's official attire and led the Xu Zhen to Zhang Yungu's haunted old mansion, posing as an orphan of the Zhang Family. She deceived the Xu Zhen's kind heart and suddenly attacked, knocking her unconscious.
The Xu Zhen considered herself cunning and unpredictable, but little did she know that she had encountered an eccentric person. This ambiguous Zhang Suling could be considered a remarkable individual, managing to manipulate the Xu Zhen so thoroughly.
As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. The Xu Zhen always left herself a way out and prepared for unforeseen circumstances. She carried many defensive illusionary artifacts with her, but all her clothes had been stripped away by Zhang Suling. Now, she found herself locked in an unknown dungeon, completely naked and in a dire situation.
At that time, it was freezing cold, and without any covering, the Xu Zhen could only practice the Enhanced I Ching Cleansing Inner Power Technique to ward off the chill. This technique, passed down from Li Jing, was not some ethereal cultivation method nor a rootless tree or source-less water that defied natural laws; it required consuming her own vital energy to operate, which greatly drained her physical energy.
The sacred scriptures recorded that holy monks from the western secret realms practiced Yoga Techniques for years, allowing them to bury themselves in ice and snow without freezing while radiating heat that melted the solid ice. Although the Xu Zhen practiced Yoga Techniques daily with Caesar, she could not grasp that miraculous essence; it merely assisted her in cultivating the Seven Sacred Blade Secret Techniques.
Speaking of the Seven Sacred Blade Secret Techniques, there is another saying: one must endure extraordinary hardships to become an extraordinary person. The Xu Zhen began her training in her twenties, already past the optimal age for such endeavors. Her bones were hardened from years of neglect during training; she endured countless pains along the way. Fortunately, her will was as resilient as steel or rock; otherwise, she would not have been able to persevere.
Now at last, the Seven Sacred Blade Secret Techniques had found their moment to shine.
Xu Zhenzhi was known as Houdini Xu due to his incredible escape skills. He once escaped from a water tank on live television after unfastening numerous layers of shackles in mere moments. The locks of the Tang Dynasty were not complex; it seemed Zhang Suling understood that the Xu Zhen possessed some unique qualities and secured her with heavy shackles tightly locked in place while binding her with ropes before feeling at ease.
Originally, the Xu Zhen had hidden a lock-picking iron hook and silver needle in her shoe soles, but Zhang Suling stripped her completely of all clothing including shoes and socks. At this moment, she could only use secret techniques from the Seven Sacred Blades to shrink her body and twist her joints. She had already slipped out of these layers of confinement unnoticed; however, outside the dungeon were three or four burly men with stern expressions and fierce gazes keeping watch over her. The Xu Zhen dared not act recklessly or take any chances.
Zhang Suling was also a clever and cunning individual who feared that the articulate Xu Zhen might use slander to mislead others. Therefore, instead of using locals from Central Plains for guarding, she chose four Turkic wild men who sat around a stove outside the prison, feasting on meat and drinking wine while laughing mockingly in their Turkic language.
Unexpectedly, fate played its tricks; during her time with the Salar Tribe alongside Yin Zong and others, and under Caesar's constant influence day and night, as well as receiving teachings from Rock Elder, the Xu Zhen had become proficient in Turkic language and understood everything these four Turkic men were discussing.
Upon hearing their drunken ramblings after they consumed strong liquor, she learned their secrets which confirmed her suspicions.
It turned out that Zhang Suling was indeed a remarkable figure under Han Wang Li Yuanchang’s command. No wonder she knew so much about the Xu Zhen; having imprisoned her now meant wearing her guise and official attire to report at Five Armies Yamen. It was likely that she had already gathered intelligence on Chang'an's defense layout!
What infuriated Xu Zhenxin even more was that Crown Prince Li Chengqian truly found himself in a desperate situation. On that day when the Xu Zhen set fire to Du Chuke's residence and obtained a Secret Letter to deliver to Prince Li Zhi, Li Zhi dared not openly reveal this Secret Letter due to its sensitive nature. However, Tubo had its own informants who learned about Li Gang's collusion with King Wei Li Tai and thus mobilized Turkic forces—indeed conspiring alongside Li Yuanchang!
If so, Tubo intended for Li Yuanchang to lead the charge!
Leaving aside the suffering of the Xu Zhen in prison for now, let’s focus on how Zhang Suling disguised herself as the Xu Zhen at Five Armies Yamen to steal military secrets regarding city defenses while rearranging deployments. She left several gaps in defense arrangements by replacing all personnel in He Gan Chengji's left Inner Court with Turkic people and disrupting order entirely. He Gan Chengji himself was a rebellious individual who understood large-scale strategies; during meetings he actively supported suggestions made by fake Xu Zhen Zhang Suling which facilitated this upheaval.
Although Zhang Suling possessed extraordinary skills and deceived many colleagues within Yamen using this disguise rooted deeply in deception, she knew well enough that she could not fool those close to the real Xu Zhen nor could she deceive Caesar—who was closest to her—so she dared only stay within Yamen without returning to the Xu Zhen's residence.
After knocking out Xu Zhenzhi that day, she changed into the Helper outfit of Xu Zhen, adding a touch of disheveled appearance to impersonate Xu Zhen. This trick fooled Li Wushuang, who was wary of the Haunted House and eager to leave, so she did not suspect anything, allowing Zhang Suling to take advantage.
Staying away from the mansion for a long time was not a good strategy, as Zhang Jiunian was also a cunning person. Since Zhang Suling was not familiar with Xu Zhen's handwriting, she had the secretary at the Yamen send an official document to Brave Duke's Mansion, stating that she was busy preparing for the New Year Banquet defense and could not return home to rest.
Zhang Suling, being a woman with feelings, thought that Xu Zhen and Caesar must be deeply in love after going through hardships together. Therefore, she took the liberty of folding a Fang Sheng'er and included it in the document sent back to the duke's mansion.
When Zhang Jiunian received the document, he had no doubts. However, Caesar became suspicious because Xu Zhen had never had such a habit. They had once joked that sending Fang Sheng'er back and forth was something ordinary couples did to express their feelings, but Xu Zhen had never engaged in such frivolous behavior.
If it weren't for this unnecessary Fang Sheng'er, Caesar would not have harbored any suspicions. With his doubts now raised, Caesar set out despite his lingering injuries. He secretly concealed a double-edged sword and met with several members of Zhang Jiunian before arriving at the Yamen to seek confirmation.
Upon hearing that Caesar had arrived, Zhang Suling feared revealing her true identity and instructed the officials to stall him while avoiding him altogether. This only deepened Caesar's confusion, but he could not barge into the Yamen. After thinking it over, he decided to visit Li Wushuang's residence to inquire.
Initially, Li Wushuang felt sympathy for Li Mingda and did not treat Caesar well. However, later on, she came to terms with it and hoped that Caesar would firmly attach himself to Xu Zhen so that Li Mingda could let go of her feelings for him. Consequently, she no longer harbored animosity towards Caesar.
When Caesar arrived at her door, Li Wushuang did not put on airs but welcomed him warmly into her home. Eager about Xu Zhen's safety, Caesar skipped pleasantries and immediately asked about Xu Zhen's visit to the Brothel.
Li Wushuang was also surprised and recounted all the strange occurrences from that day. As Caesar grew more convinced of his suspicions, he felt it inappropriate to seek help from someone like Li Wushuang. He returned to the duke's mansion and summoned several members of Zhang Jiunian.
Zhang Jiunian was a resourceful person and quickly noticed something unusual but did not alert anyone. The group hid around Five Armies Yamen, waiting for the fake Xu Zhen to leave.
By evening, when the drums at the Yamen sounded and all officials left the hall, Zhang Suling quietly exited the Yamen and blended into the streets without realizing that Caesar and his companions were stealthily following her.
In terms of disguise skills, Zhang Suling was indeed exceptional; however, when it came to lurking and tracking, who could dare challenge Caesar?
Han Wang Li Yuanchang was merely a local prince. Arriving in Chang'an under the emperor's watchful eye and harboring rebellious thoughts made him cautious about making grand arrangements. He relied solely on Crown Prince Li Chengqian's manpower; Xu Zhenzhi was imprisoned in an old pagoda underground at Dazhao Temple.
Fearing that Brave Duke's Mansion might grow suspicious, Zhang Suling urgently wanted to return and pressured Xu Zhen to write a personal note to alleviate doubts among the duke's people. Her pace quickened as she soon entered Dazhao Temple after circling around several times before reaching the back mountain pagoda forest.
By this point, Caesar had already confirmed in his heart that Xu Zhen had fallen into someone else's hands. He left behind secret signals along the way in hopes that Zhou Cang and others would follow him.
As Zhang Suling entered through a secret door of the old pagoda and descended into the dungeon, she saw four Turkic wild men drunkenly sprawled out and felt quite displeased. However, since these men were under the prince’s command, she refrained from openly rebuking them. She circumvented them and planned to coerce Xu Zhen into writing a personal note.
Where did the Turkic People come up with the idea to drink strong liquor and go wild? A few of them gathered around, intent on tearing off Zhang Suling's clothes and committing unspeakable acts.
Zhang Suling had not deceived Xu Zhen; she was indeed a descendant of Zhang Yungu and had been imprisoned in a brothel. Due to her remarkable skills in disguise, she was closely guarded by the brothel's head, anticipating her future usefulness.
However, Han Wang Li Yuanchang sought to gain control over the city's defenses. After some scheming with the Crown Prince and with Hou Junji's involvement, he passed the task of selecting individuals from the brothel to Li Daozong, while also assigning him other troublesome matters. This led to Li Wushuang arriving at the brothel, where he spent money to have his maid assist him in finding Xu Zhen.
Zhang Suling only wanted to kill Kwon Man-ki. As a woman used to solitude, how could she withstand the advances and promises of a powerful prince? She reluctantly agreed to Li Yuanchang's plans but never expected that these Turkic People would be so barbaric as to dare insult even Han Wang Li Yuanchang's people!
Despite being outnumbered, she had some fighting skills and held Xu Zhen's long knife. With this, she managed to keep the Turkic People at bay for a while. However, her resistance only ignited their savage instincts. The four of them glared at her with fierce eyes like wolves and drew their curved knives to force her submission.
Ultimately, she was overpowered; her long knife was knocked away, and her hands were seized by a tall Turkic man. He grabbed her by the back of her neck and slammed her onto the table, while his other hand tore open her clothing from behind, exposing large areas of her fair skin.
Seeing her delicate flesh, the Turkic men forgot all about their ancestors and rushed forward to take turns violating Zhang Suling, causing tears to stream down her face.
Although she preferred wearing men's clothing, she was still a woman. To survive in the brothel without losing her purity, she had bound her chest and concealed her beauty. The thought of her hard-won body being defiled by these beasts filled her with despair and regret for having boarded Li Yuanchang's treacherous ship; it was like seeking skin from a tiger—now she could hardly protect herself!
She gritted her teeth, searching for an opportunity to fight back. Turning slightly, she instinctively glanced toward Xu Zhen's direction but found only ropes and shackles scattered on the ground— Xu Zhen was nowhere to be seen!
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