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墨書 Inktalez
Have you not heard that Gaozu Li Yuan once said: Xu Shijie is truly a loyal minister, deserving of recognition for his contributions. The current sovereign, Li Shimin, also commented: He has participated in governance and strategy, pacified the south at Weiyang, cleared the north at the Great Desert, and has established a reputation that resonates far and wide. Among today's famous generals, only Li Jue and Li Jing can compare; how could the ancient figures Han, Bai, Wei, and Huo match them!
The words of these two leaders encapsulate the loyalty and bravery of Li Jue, setting a standard for court officials.
Duke of England Li Ji emerged from obscurity, initially following Zhai Rang and later joining Pushan Gong Li Mi. He achieved a great victory over Wang Shichong, firmly held the Li Yang Warehouse, and devised clever strategies to repel Yuwen Huaji. However, due to Li Mi's inability to promote him further, he was eventually defeated by Wang Shichong and forced to surrender to Gaozu. He then followed Qin Wang Li Shimin on various campaigns, defeating Wang Shichong, extinguishing Dou Jiande, and vanquishing Liu Heita, making significant contributions to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.
His insight into people and deep sense of loyalty allowed him to maintain his integrity while navigating through challenges. Now entrusted with a mission by the sovereign, he would not disgrace it. Alongside Xu Zhen and Liu Dewei, he gathered troops and set off towards Qizhou.
Understanding the sovereign's intentions deeply, he did not miss the opportunity to incite enthusiasm along the way, promoting the sage's benevolence and might while disparaging Prince Qi Li You's disloyalty and lack of virtue. Even before reaching the battlefield, he had already won the hearts of the people in Tang Territory, who believed that the sage's cause was just and that Li You would surely die in defense of his country.
At that time, Li You had just killed Kwon Man-ki and realized that surrender was hopeless; instead, he chose to betray completely. He summoned all able-bodied men aged fifteen and above in the city as soldiers and falsely appointed himself Grand Minister and Chief of the Three Departments. He opened the treasury to distribute rewards and forced civilians into the city to repair armor and weapons.
Li You was oblivious to his impending doom. Every night he entertained himself with Yan Hongliang and others at feasts, laughing carelessly while discussing government troops. The shameless Yan Hongliang boasted: "My lord need not worry! I hold wine in my right hand while wielding a sword with my left!"
Li You foolishly trusted Hong Liang's words and found joy in them. Each day he indulged in merriment within the city, completely unaware that disaster was approaching.
Meanwhile, Xu Zhen held great respect for Li Jue. Each day she sought his guidance on military strategy. Li Jue was always selfless and favored her greatly; he shared his knowledge without reservation. Upon seeing Xu Zhen Divine Fire Camp mobilizing with great vigor—its artillery powerful enough to indicate what an impressive force they were—he praised Xu Zhen's intellect.
Having served as an official for many years, Li Jue was astute in understanding human relationships. He took time to mentor Xu Zhen on political strategies within court affairs. She did not forget his kindness but instead worked diligently to serve him and seek further knowledge. This journey fostered a bond akin to that of teacher and student.
Xu Zhen was charming and pleasing; initially disliked by Li Jing, she ultimately gained recognition from Duke of Wei. This time meeting Duke of England Li Ji felt like a long-awaited reunion without any initial awkwardness; naturally, her spirits were lifted to their peak.
On this day, they gathered the Nine Provinces Army to launch an assault on Qizhou. They set up camp in the evening to prepare for their strategy discussions within the Central Army Tent. The generals were excitedly anticipating their chance for glory.
Having learned from Li Jue about governance as an official, Xu Zhen did not dare compete with her peers for credit; she positioned Divine Fire Camp in reserve for siege purposes. After making all necessary arrangements, she couldn't help but be concerned about the situation in Chang'an.
Long before leaving, he had met with Prince Li Zhi, claiming to have observed celestial phenomena at night, hinting that the prince would rebel, which made Li Zhi more cautious. He also sent Caesar back to Shuyi Hall to protect Li Mingda closely and entrusted Zhang Suling with important instructions before he felt at ease to head to Qizhou.
Zhang Suling, having learned of the sudden death of the enemy Kwon Man-ki, realized that Princess Jinyang indeed had foresight, alleviating a significant concern. She then resolved her loyalty and insisted on following Princess Jinyang without any wavering.
Furthermore, having received instructions from Princess Jinyang, she privately conveyed messages in the princess's name to Qibi Helix, ensuring that the Imperial Guards at North Gate remained vigilant and did not let their guard down.
On this day, as light snow fell during the New Year, Zhang Suling disguised herself as Princess Jinyang and, together with Moya, infiltrated the residence of Qian Niu He Lan Chu Shi in the Eastern Palace to gather intelligence.
With no leads in sight, just as the two were about to retreat, fate intervened as they encountered He Gan Chengji sneaking into the residence, guided by a servant into a secret chamber in the backyard!
Moya reminded Zhang Suling to stay calm and follow He Gan Chengji silently through the snow. They arrived at the backyard and saw Hou Polu and several other schemers gathered there, seemingly plotting something significant!
The residence was quite secluded; given their identities as thieves, they dared not get too close. They listened intently but could not hear clearly. However, they noticed several individuals looking desperate, suggesting they were indeed conspiring to stage another coup.
Before leaving, Princess Jinyang had made a prophecy that the Eastern Palace would take advantage of Li Jue and Princess Jinyang being away to start plotting rebellious acts. Initially, Zhang Suling and Moya did not believe it. However, after daily investigations revealed clues that increasingly validated Princess Jinyang's warnings, their skepticism faded.
Who would have thought that just after Han Wang Li Yuanchang's assassination, Prince Qi Li You would seize the opportunity to kill court officials and raise an army for rebellion? At such a critical moment, the newly recognized Eastern Palace would actually scheme treachery?
This unexpected motive must have originated from Hou Junji. This cunning individual never appeared in public but orchestrated plans behind the scenes, making it impossible to catch him in any wrongdoing.
Zhang Suling and Moya were anxious yet had no solutions. Just as they hesitated, several prominent figures arrived, including familiar faces like Duke of the Right Guard Du He. Even Duke of Yan Zhang Liang came with his adopted son Zhang Shenzhi; it seemed they had all come out in full force!
Upon seeing Zhang Liang arrive, Zhang Suling's eyes lit up because Princess Jinyang had entrusted her before leaving with the task of alleviating the turmoil in the Eastern Palace. The key undoubtedly lay with Zhang Liang. Initially skeptical, she could no longer doubt it upon witnessing it firsthand.
The two could not find an opportunity to eavesdrop, so they could only stay outside. When they saw everyone leaving late at night, they quietly followed behind Zhang Liang and Zhang Shenzhi all the way to the Zhang Residence.
At this point, Zhang Liang had already been feeling uneasy after receiving a warning from Xu Zhen. As the agreed-upon date approached, his worries grew. He dismissed the servants who were there to welcome him and stayed alone in the study. Zhang Shenzhi, being bold and reckless, had not been able to be with Zhang's wife, Li Family, for a long time. Seizing this opportunity, he slipped into the inner chambers of the Li Family, and soon enough, sounds of shameful activities could be heard.
Zhang Liang sat in the dim light of the candle, lost in thought and still feeling restless. He felt as if there were unseen eyes watching him from the shadows. In an attempt to calm himself, he lit incense and muttered prayers to an unnamed Evil God. Just then, the candle flickered violently as a cold wind blew in through the window, causing the door of the study to swing open!
Thinking that it was a sign from the divine, Zhang Liang turned around only to feel a chill run down his spine and break out in a cold sweat!
Standing at the door was not a heavenly spirit but Xu Zhen, who should have been thousands of miles away!
Zhang Suling had received guidance from Xu Zhen and, after disguising herself to resemble her closely, she appeared almost indistinguishable. With the dim lighting, Zhang Liang and Xu Zhen had only met a few times; how could he recognize her clearly?
He had long regarded Xu Zhen as a divine figure. Now that she was supposed to be far away in Qizhou suppressing a rebellion yet had somehow entered his study with the cold wind, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief. After confirming that the figure at the door was indeed Xu Zhen, he forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Why does the divine master visit at such a late hour?"
Zhang Suling played her part well; Moya had also released some smoke outside, making Zhang Suling appear like an otherworldly Earth Immortal!
Seeing Zhang Liang's panic, she wanted to use his words to extract information about the Eastern Palace. Following Xu Zhen's instructions, she pointed at Zhang Liang and scolded him angrily: "You are deeply favored by the emperor; how dare you commit such an act that offends heaven? Do you not fear retribution?"
Upon hearing Zhang Suling's reprimand, Zhang Liang believed that heaven had eyes and that their secrets had been overheard. He thought that Xu Zhen had come due to divine will and lamented inwardly: "This is truly suffering!"
At this point, Zhang Liang could no longer hold on. Under Zhang Suling's relentless intimidation and questioning, he revealed all the details about the Eastern Palace Rebellion. Following Xu Zhen's orders, Zhang Suling pretended to offer guidance: "Zhang Liang, since Ahura has sent me here, it means there is still hope for you. Now that you have pulled back from the brink of disaster, it can turn the tide for you; whether this is fortune or misfortune depends on your choice!"
Zhang Liang was just a simple peasant who understood that he was caught in a double-edged sword situation. After hearing what he thought was advice from Xu Zhen, he realized what she meant and trembled as he asked: "Does the divine master want me to expose everything for self-preservation?"
Zhang Suling let out a cold snort, pretending to be mysterious, but said nothing. Taking advantage of the smoke created by Moya, she gracefully left, leaving the stunned Zhang Liang standing there in shock.
Moya caught up with Zhang Suling, and the two hurried back to their residence to discuss countermeasures. Meanwhile, Zhang Liang pondered for a long time. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew away the haze that had clouded his eyes!
He reflected on the past and recalled the words of Xu Zhen. Finally, he gritted his teeth and picked up his pen to write a report, detailing everything that had been plotted by various individuals. He planned to submit it to Sage soon!
He wrote late into the night. After carefully storing the report away, he returned to his room to rest. However, as he passed by the Li Family's bedroom, he heard whispers coming from inside. Listening closely, he realized it was the Li Family and Zhang Shenzhi exchanging sweet nothings while discussing how to poison themselves in an attempt to take over!
Zhang Liang's heart turned treacherous as he harbored many adopted sons. Now that this matter had come to the attention of Xu Zhen, he was determined to report it to Sage. Reflecting on years of scheming made him feel disheartened.
He recalled how he had allowed the Li Family to tarnish his reputation for so long for such purposes, enduring their shameless behavior towards him. Anger surged within him as he returned to his training room, retrieved his treasured sword, and stormed into the Li Family's quarters. He swiftly beheaded Zhang Shenzhi, who was still reveling in pleasure with the Li Family!
The Li Family was enjoying earthly delights when suddenly the door burst open. Before they could react, Zhang Shenzhi's head rolled into her embrace, splattering her with warm blood!
After all, she was a woman who had never witnessed such brutality; the Li Family immediately fainted from shock and ultimately faced dire consequences.
Meanwhile, after Moya and Zhang Suling returned home, they began to strategize nervously. Zhang Liang had revealed that others had already written down their action routes, timings, and arrangements in a Secret Letter and handed it over to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. The timing for this palace coup rebellion was indeed imminent!
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