Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 146

Li Ji pointed and said, "I learned these battlefield skills from a friend." He was naturally referring to Yuan Jing'an.

However, Yuan Jing'an was indeed strong, and after following Li Ji, he learned some proper martial arts. It's just a pity that he hadn't actually fought in battle many times. He still managed to get two heads by picking off the leftovers... But that guy looked even more ferocious than Li Ji, so he could impersonate a retired soldier.

The old man couldn't help but feel a little puzzled, looking at Yuan Jing'an and those Wei Bo soldiers: "Are they... your friends, sir?"

Li Ji nodded: "They are all old soldiers, serving as bodyguards for merchants, which is why I traveled with them—otherwise, with the chaos just beginning to subside and bandits roaming the countryside, I really wouldn't dare to travel to Hebei alone."

The old man thought to himself, "Don't talk nonsense. With the skills you just displayed, what kind of thief could possibly harm you?" Just as he was wondering how to respond, he heard a woman's voice from inside the carriage: "Grandpa, there's no need to hide anything. Just tell this gentleman the truth. Please trouble this gentleman to take me to Ande County. I will reward you handsomely."

The old man sighed softly and bowed to Li Ji again: "To be honest, there are indeed officials' wives in this carriage, but I am not an official, only an official's servant, and it is inconvenient to reveal the master's name. I hope you will save them completely and take me to Ande County. When we arrive, I will ask the master and he will surely know their surname."

Li Ji pointed again: "It's less than ten miles to the county town, why bother with an escort?"

The old man replied, "I fear that if you leave, those thieves will return... You might be able to see that they are not ordinary thieves, but soldiers in disguise, who have come to rob officials and their families. I'm afraid they won't give up so easily..."

Li Ji frowned slightly: "Does the old man have any idea about the backgrounds of those people?"

The old man shook his head with a wry smile: "It cannot be said, it cannot be said..." He paused, then added: "When I see the master of the house, I will surely thank you handsomely, and you may tell me the reason."

Judging from his words, he probably had some idea of ​​who sent those soldiers posing as thieves.

Li Ji couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined Dezhou would be in such chaos..." He was secretly pleased, because the more chaotic Dezhou was, the more opportunities he would have.

He grabbed the reins, mounted his horse, and was about to agree to the old man's request when he suddenly became alert—I had just said I was traveling with a caravan, how could I act on my own initiative without even informing him? If the other party was shrewd, he would immediately see through my intentions!

So he nodded to the old man and said, "Please rest a while, I'll go and discuss this with my companions."

When they arrived at Yuan Jing'an's place, Yuan Jing'an advised them in a low voice, "It's only a seven or eight li away, why bother to see me off? Young master, you should let go of my hand."

Li Ji also lowered his voice and said, "I suspect that the woman in the carriage is a relative of a judge in the prefecture or county..."

The old man had just introduced himself as "Du," but Li Ji knew that the Prefect and Chief Clerk of Dezhou, and the Magistrate and Assistant Magistrate of Ande County, were not surnamed Du. Although the old man's surname might be different from that of his master, it was fashionable for servants to follow their masters' surnames at that time, so the possibility of them sharing the same surname was more likely. This is why he suspected that the old man was a member of the Judge's family.

Each prefecture and county government office had a chief official, assistant officials, and subordinates. Because they were divided into departments to handle matters, they were collectively called "pansi". The prefectural pansi was headed by the registrar and military advisor, who was a seventh or eighth-rank official. The county pansi was headed by the chief clerk, who was a ninth-rank official. Both were low-ranking civil officials.

Therefore, Li Ji thought, even if I escort the people in the carriage to Ande County and meet a low-ranking civil official, I shouldn't expose my identity, right? The key is that if I can take advantage of this opportunity to extract some inside information about Dezhou from them, or at least collect some local data, then this trip will not have been in vain.

Since he had made up his mind, Yuan Jing'an and the others dared not disobey. They had no choice but to gather all the people and donkeys together, turn around, and escort the carriage eastward along the road.

The soldiers guarding the carriage had already thoroughly searched the bodies of the "thieves," not even sparing the slightly intact clothes or those not heavily stained with blood. They stripped them off, packed them up, and carried them on their shoulders. As for the bodies of their companions, they were carried to the side of the road and hastily covered with some pebbles for later burial.

The old woman returned to the carriage, and two maids immediately got off and helped the old man walk. Li Ji guessed that, given the status and position of these three people, they were not qualified to ride in the carriage in the first place, but because of the dangerous situation, they had obtained the master's permission to temporarily hide in the carriage; now that the "thieves" had retreated, they naturally had to get off the carriage and walk.

The old man had white hair and beard, and looked to be nearing eighty. His legs were not very nimble, and he was panting as he walked. Li Ji couldn't bear to see this and wanted to give his horse to the old man. Yuan Jing'an, who was quite perceptive, stepped forward to stop him and then ordered a donkey to be made available for the old man to ride, while the goods on the donkey's back were carried by four or five people.

Li Ji was on horseback, and the old man was on a donkey, chatting idly. Li Ji had intended to ask the old man about the situation in Dezhou, but it turned out that the old man was also a first-timer in Dezhou.

Li Ji was a skilled talker, adept at setting traps in his words to lure people in. He quickly deduced from the subtle clues that the old man—and his master—was likely from Hengzhou, but had long resided in Beizhou and had only recently moved to Dezhou on official business. So he changed the subject, inquiring about Beizhou, and mentioned that he was going there next, asking if the old gentleman could give him a brief introduction.

The old man asked, "Mr. Li, have you come to Hebei with the intention of seeking refuge with us?"

The saying "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles"—though this saying doesn't exist today—meant that leaving family and hometown to travel far and wide was the norm for scholars in the Tang Dynasty. But the problem is, whether traveling far to broaden one's horizons or to visit renowned elders, this Hebei region, especially the south, was just beginning to recover from chaos. It was flat and open, with no mountains or natural defenses—what was there to see? And there was no sign of any venerable scholars or great masters living in seclusion here. So what were you doing coming all the way from Luoyang? Were you planning to serve some military governor and secure a position?

Li Ji lied, saying, "I went to Chang'an this spring to take the imperial examination but failed, so I traveled far away. I have always loved the beauty of mountains and rivers and have seen many scenic spots. However, Hebei has been under the control of the enemy for a long time, so I have not been able to visit. That is why I have come here today. As for joining the staff, I have no such intention for the time being."

Just then, a cloud of dust rose ahead, and a swarm of men came galloping towards them. Li Ji, Yuan Jing'an, and the others were all taken aback and hurriedly stopped. The old man, however, shaded his eyes with his hand and looked into the distance. He then comforted them, saying, "It's the government troops—it must be the patriarch sending people to welcome us."

Li Ji frowned slightly and immediately replied, "In that case, you will not encounter any more danger. I will take my leave now." The old man hurriedly grabbed his reins and pleaded, "Please wait, sir. I have already said that since you saved us, you will be richly rewarded after I inform the head of the family. If you leave now, the head of the family will surely punish me—how can I be human if I do not repay kindness?"

Why did Li Ji want to leave? Because he saw the clatter of hooves and fluttering banners, and it seemed to be a regular army... not some government official! He thought to himself, "I'm mistaken. This family could be a county or prefectural judge, or they could be a military commander. If they are military officers, they might have seen me on the battlefield before, and recognize me!"

However, the old man held onto the reins, resolutely refusing to let him go, and Li Ji couldn't use force—the old man was so old he could be blown away by a gust of wind, and if he were to twist his arm, he might break a bone. He had just saved someone, but now he was going to harm them… He couldn't bring himself to do such a thing!

Before she could even hesitate, over a hundred government troops had arrived. The general at the head of the group, wearing a black turban and a bright red robe, with a pale gold face and a long beard reaching his abdomen, shouted, "Has my elder sister arrived yet?"

The old man, trembling on the donkey's back, bowed and said, "Greetings, sir. We were just attacked by thieves, but thanks to Mr. Li, we were rescued. Only four guards died, and everyone else was unharmed..."

The officer sized Li Ji up and down, then dismounted and bowed – Li Ji had no choice but to return the greeting. The officer then announced, "I am Du Liu, General of the Cavalry and a clerk in the Wushun Army. I thank you for saving my sister."

Seeing Du Liu's expression, Li Ji realized that Du Liu probably didn't recognize him, and he felt slightly relieved. Du Liu then invited him to return home together and prepared a banquet. Li Ji feigned reluctance for a while, but ultimately agreed—finding out the inside story of the Wushun Army (he had only just received news of Qin Rui's appointment as military governor and the establishment of the Wushun Army in Liaocheng) was far more useful to him than investigating the situation in other prefectures and counties.

But to his surprise, Du Liu did not lead him and his group into Ande City, but instead took them north of Ande City to the military camp...

Du Liu's force of over two thousand men was stationed north of the county town. At this point, even if Li Ji wanted to escape, he had no chance—he could simply eat a meal and not reveal his whereabouts, but if he turned and ran, he would be suspected of being a spy. If two thousand soldiers were to pursue him, how could he possibly escape?

Let alone that their own mounts weren't even good steeds, Yuan Jing'an and the others were all on foot, leading only donkeys...

Du Liu, unsuspecting, indeed prepared a banquet to entertain Li Ji and his party. Li Ji seized the opportunity to inquire about the origins of the "thieves," and Du Liu slammed his wine cup heavily on the table, saying angrily, "These must have been sent by that scoundrel Pei to blackmail me!"

Du Liu was from Zhen Ding in Hengzhou—the very place that produced Zhao Zilong—and was fond of martial arts from a young age. He joined the Fanyang army and rose through the ranks to become a general. He had once served under Zhou Zhi, but after Zhou Zhi was killed, he joined Qin Rui. Originally from Beizhou, he was transferred to Dezhou half a year ago. The woman who had spoken a few words while hiding in the carriage was Du Liu's sister. She had lost her husband at a young age and was raising a son who was not yet ten years old. She had also lived in Qinghe, the capital of Beizhou. Because Du Liu anticipated that he would be stationed in Dezhou, he sent troops to bring his widowed sister and nephew to Ande.

As for the old woman, she was the wet nurse of the Du siblings, and the old man was her wet nurse. Therefore, their status was relatively high, unlike ordinary servants. Because the old man had to avoid suspicion, he could only walk with the carriage at his advanced age.

Du Liu aspired to command the troops of Dezhou and rise to the position of Military Governor of a branch prefecture—similar to Nan Jiyun's current status. However, within Dezhou, there was another officer named Pei Zhiqing, whose seniority and reputation were no less than Du Liu's, and who also harbored ambitions to compete. Du Liu was furious. Even if Pei Zhiqing wasn't willing to openly seize the position of Military Governor, if he wanted to resort to underhanded tactics, he should have come at Du Liu directly! Sending men to impersonate thieves in an attempt to kidnap his elder sister—how utterly despicable and shameless!

Why was he so sure? Because the only enemy he could think of in the military was Pei Zhiqing, and that guy was absolutely capable of doing something like this.

The infighting among the generals of Wu Shun Army was something Li Ji was happy to see, but he still offered a few words of comfort—in reality, he was instigating it—"If the general has conclusive evidence, he should report it to your army's commander..."

Before he could finish speaking, a report came from outside the tent: "The General has come from Qinghe! General Du, come out to greet him at once!"

Chapter Twenty-Six: Each with Their Own Hidden agendas

Li Ji hadn't expected such a coincidence; he had just entered Du Liu's military camp when Qin Rui arrived from Qinghe in Beizhou...

He secretly wondered if Qin Rui, the military governor of Wushun Army, might recognize him since he had never seen him on the battlefield before. He had traveled incognito to explore De and Bei prefectures, only to be intercepted by Qin Rui before he was even halfway there. This was rather embarrassing, rather comical, and extremely dangerous!

Li Ji secretly plotted to seize Wu Shun's army, at least to capture Dezhou and open a route to the sea. Qin Rui, too, might be planning a counterattack, aiming to take Weibo. Now, he was trapped in a tiger's den. If Qin Rui recognized him… with thousands of Wu Shun's soldiers there and only a dozen or so men by his side, escape was impossible!

It is believed that Qin Rui has only recently returned to Tang and would not be so brazen as to attack a neighboring town. However, the problem is that he has come here incognito. As long as he does things cleanly and efficiently and cuts off his and Yuan Jing'an's heads, even if the court becomes suspicious, it will have no reason to punish Wu Shun's army. Qin Rui can easily weaken his powerful neighbor.

If Qin Rui had come to his own territory alone, Li Ji asked himself honestly, "I'm probably capable of doing that..."

However, things had already come to this point, and there was no way to escape... Especially since Du Liu insisted on recommending Li Ji to the military commander, and pulled him out of the tent to greet Qin Rui.

The reason is obvious—Li Ji's forces are lacking in talent, and Qin Rui must be in the same boat. Especially since Hebei has been under the control of bandits for a long time, its literary culture is not thriving, and scholars from other prefectures may not be willing to join the staffs of those rebel generals. This is a rare opportunity to have a scholar. Regardless of his learning, he can ride a horse and wield a sword to kill bandits. If such a talent is missed in person, Du Liu will have a hard time explaining himself when Qin Rui asks about it in the future.

Forced into a corner, they had no choice but to go out to greet them. Soon, a general led over a hundred cavalrymen galloping swiftly towards them. After entering the gate, the general dismounted. Du Liu rushed forward, clasped his hands, and said, "This humble general, Du Liu, pays his respects to the commander." He then bent his left leg and knelt down on one knee.

Qin Rui ignored him and instead glanced behind him, where he spotted Li Ji.

Li Ji naturally saw Qin Rui as well, and immediately felt a "buzz" in his head...

Could Qin Rui possibly not recognize me? We've met more than once or twice! But before this, who could have imagined…?

Qin Rui's original name was Zhen Sui. Although he was only a minor military officer, since he had infiltrated the rebel army as a spy, he would definitely have changed his name to ensure the success of his plan. He seemed to have mentioned this to Li Ji before, but for some reason, he didn't specify what name he had changed to. Zhen Sui had originally served under Zhou Zhi, and Qin Rui had risen from Zhou Zhi's former general to a garrison commander in the rebel army. Li Ji knew all these things, but it was impossible for him to connect the two events out of thin air!

I couldn't help but curse inwardly. If you're going to change your name, at least choose one that's easy to associate with something else, like changing your surname from Zhen to Jia... These two names are completely unrelated. I don't know how to calculate, so how could I possibly have predicted it beforehand?

If I had known that you were the military governor of Wushun Army, I would never have followed Du Liu into the military camp... Besides, why aren't you sitting comfortably in Qinghe? What are you doing running around like this, a dignified military governor of a town? Are you sick in the head?

They're definitely sick, just like me...

Seeing Qin Rui's gaze shift towards him, Li Ji had nowhere to hide. He believed that although he had changed his clothes and trimmed his beard, it was impossible for him to fool those who knew him—it wasn't some unscrupulous TV drama where people wouldn't recognize you just because you changed your hairstyle.

It was as if he heard Qin Rui shout, "Take him down!" Then, without asking his name or interrogating him, he simply beheaded him, chopped up the body, and buried it deep—the easiest way to deal with the situation... Li Ji thought to himself, "No, I must fight for my life and strike first!"

He then smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Qin Rui: "General Qin, how have you been?"

A fierce glint flashed in Qin Rui's eyes, and he asked in a deep voice, "Why are you here?"

"Since we are neighbors, how can we not pay a visit?"

"What are you doing in Ande...?"

"Originally, I was traveling through Bozhou County, and then heading north to Dezhou. I intended to travel west from Ande to Qinghe to visit Commander Qin, but I never expected to meet him here—we are truly destined to meet."

After listening to the conversation, Du Liu, who was still kneeling to the side, was completely confused—so this Mr. Li Zhang knew the military governor? What did he say, "Xingxian"? Could it be that he wasn't a commoner, but an official?

Taking the opportunity, Li Ji turned slightly to the side and nodded to Du Liu: "I had no choice but to conceal my identity earlier—I am not called Li Zhang, but Li Ji, the military governor of Weibo."

Upon hearing this, Du Liu shuddered on the spot and almost fell to the ground—he wasn't stupid, thinking to himself that if the military governor suspected him of having secret dealings with other military governors, he would be doomed!

Wait, Mr. Li… what Li Shuai just said was actually to exonerate me, wasn't it? It means I didn't know his true identity before…

Qin Rui stared at Li Ji, the fierceness in his eyes dimming slightly. Then, he turned his eyes around, cupped his hands in return, and laughed heartily, "It's truly fate—perfect timing to host a banquet to entertain Commander Li."

Qin Rui's visit, like Li Ji's, was also a "county tour," with a particular purpose of inspecting Dezhou, checking all the camps, and quickly determining the candidate for the military commander of the next prefecture. However, he did not intend to travel incognito, but instead led more than a hundred elite soldiers and cavalrymen in a swaggering manner, and had just arrived in Ande County.

Unexpectedly, upon entering Du Liu's camp, he immediately spotted Li Ji.

To be honest, Qin Rui really didn't recognize him. He thought to himself, "Li Erlang, how dare you come here to try and turn my general against me? Are you out of your mind?" Then he thought again, "Even if Li Ji is mentally ill, he dared to infiltrate Dezhou and Du Liu's military camp, but he wouldn't dare to come out and see me directly. Could it be... that there really is such a similar person in the world?"

But to be on the safe side, regardless of whether it's you or not, the most reliable course of action is to just chop you up. If it's not you, chopping you up is pointless; if it is Li Ji... the court will appoint him as the military governor of Weibo again, which will take time, giving me the opportunity to seize both Weibo and Bo prefectures and expand my territory—and I might even get a little widow I like!

If Li Ji had hesitated or wavered, Qin Rui would have ordered an attack. But Li Ji remained remarkably calm, greeting Qin Rui first as if nothing had happened. This made Qin Rui suspicious—how could someone surrounded like this have such confidence? Could it be… that Du Liu had been bribed, and Qin Rui was the one who had walked right into the trap?!

A chill ran down my spine and up to the top of my head.

Li Ji immediately turned to Du Liu and introduced himself, which made Qin Rui even more suspicious.

Li Ji claimed he had concealed his true identity, and Du Liu had been kept in the dark, a claim Qin Rui utterly disbelieved. However, since the other party had made this explicit statement, it meant he had no intention of turning against him. Even if Li Ji's words were true, and Qin Rui's life was safe, he could still retaliate; but there were several thousand people around, and at least two or three hundred could clearly hear Li Ji's announcement. If he were to murder Li Ji, could he quickly eliminate those two or three hundred people? If the news leaked out, it would surely lead to a major reprimand from the imperial court.

Moreover, Li Ji also said that he was visiting Bozhou County and then came north to visit me. Surely many people in Weibo Town knew that he was coming. If he were to die in my jurisdiction, would anyone believe me if I said that I did not do it?

Recalling Guo Mo's earlier warning against hastily plotting against Weibo, because Xue Song still wielded considerable influence in Weizhou, if Li Ji were to be killed and Weizhou were left vulnerable, it would be a waste of resources for the Zhaoyi Army, and Qin Rui's gains would be quite limited...

It seems we have no choice but to give up on that young widow for now... Cui Qi won't be a widow for the time being.

Women are important, but power is even more important; as for one's own life, it is above power.

Qin Rui's trip to Ande County wasn't exactly impulsive, but he hadn't given any prior warning either. He didn't believe Li Ji was so prescient as to have set a trap for him. However, now that he had uncovered Li Ji's collusion with Du Liu, regardless of whether Li Ji had already won Du Liu over, this pawn was useless. Li Ji had always harbored ambitions against him, and this would only fuel his hatred. If Qin Rui showed even the slightest murderous intent, he might not escape this camp today!

If I were to be murdered on my own turf, Li Ji could easily absolve himself of responsibility, and given his connections with the Emperor and the Prince of Yong, he could perhaps easily annex Wu Shun's army...

Back when Qin Rui was still Zhen Sui, he was originally a straightforward and honest man. However, after years of infiltrating the rebel army and serving under a treacherous and cunning man like Zhou Zhi, he gradually became quite shrewd and calculating. With this thought, the fierce glint in his eyes vanished, and he laughed heartily, ordering Du Liu to prepare a banquet to entertain the "General Li" who had come from afar.

So the old dishes were cleared away and new wine was laid out. Li Ji and Qin Rui entered the tent arm in arm and took their seats as host and guest. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Ji recounted how he had gone to Dezhou incognito and happened to witness thieves besieging Du Liu's widowed sister. He gave a brief account, and Du Liu added a few words from the side, hoping to dispel the official's suspicions.

Qin Rui feigned anger and asked Du Liu, "You said Pei Zhiqing sent someone to impersonate a thief, but do you have any concrete evidence?"

Du Liu smiled wryly and crossed his hands, saying, "This humble general has already ordered men to retrieve the bodies of those thieves, but... I'm afraid they won't leave any evidence..."

Qin Rui stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "I understand, I will definitely stand up for you."

Li Ji advised, "Brother Qin, I never expected such a wicked thing to happen in Dezhou. Even if it wasn't my doing, we should still wipe it out as soon as possible to stabilize the area."

Qin Rui nodded: "You flatter me, Commander Li... My attention has been focused on Beizhou, and I haven't had time to look west. I've come here to sort out the military and political affairs of Dezhou." He then changed the subject: "Since you've managed to leave your territory and enter my Beizhou, I suppose Weibo is being governed quite well?"

Li Ji waved his hand: "I was ordered to enter the town, and it has only been two or three months. I have only just learned a little about the situation below. How can I talk about governance? However, since I am in charge of Weibo, I cannot help but make friends with my neighbors. On my way here, I passed through Xiangzhou and visited Commander Xue of Zhaoyi Army. Now I am here in Dezhou and Beizhou to visit Brother Qin."

"I recently sent someone to Yuancheng to invite you to a meeting, but you have already gone to the county instead..."

Li Ji had not been informed of this matter, but he could guess how Du Huangshang, who was left behind, would likely give a perfunctory answer. Therefore, he smiled and said, "I also long to meet Brother Qin, but each town has its own jurisdiction, and it is not appropriate to openly cross the boundary. So I can only visit incognito."

I'm not here secretly to observe the situation in your De and Bei prefectures, or to curry favor with your generals. I've come here specifically to see you. I saw Xue Song before because I was passing through his territory on my way to my new post. Now that I'm in town, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to swagger off to Bei prefecture, or for you to swagger off to my Wei prefecture.

What will the imperial court think of the secret alliance between the military governors and their ministers?

Qin Rui nodded: "My brother is indeed very mature in his actions. I was being presumptuous."

The two men clinked glasses and chatted, appearing intimately close, but in reality, they were both on edge—Li Ji was terrified that a single word from him might anger Qin Rui, who would then decide to take his life without hesitation; Qin Rui, on the other hand, feared that Li Ji might kick over the table and order Du Liu to subdue him…

So much so that Qin Rui was so nervous that he forgot to ask Li Ji: Why didn't you take your wife to Weizhou, but instead stayed in Chang'an?

However, during their conversation, the situation in Hebei inevitably came up. Qin Rui, quick-witted, waved his hand, ordering Du Liu and the others to leave. He had something to say to Commander Li. Only when the two military governors remained in the tent did Qin Rui secretly breathe a sigh of relief—he was confident that he could fight Li Ji hand-to-hand and was evenly matched, so he wouldn't be in immediate danger.

Once he relaxed, he dragged the table closer to Li Ji, personally poured him a cup of wine, and said in a low voice, "You know my background better than anyone. I was ordered by Cui... to infiltrate the rebel army and find an opportunity to support the government troops. Unfortunately, I had not had the chance until now. After the Battle of Changle East, I was supposed to kill the traitor Shi, but Tian Chengsi saw through my plan and I fled in the dead of night..."

He then revealed the whole story of how he had sent Jingjing'er to Governor Chaoyi that very night.

Qin Rui knew that Jingjing'er had once kidnapped Li Ji's concubine, but he personally felt that it wasn't a deep-seated hatred. After all, she was just a concubine, not his wife, and in the end, she was rescued without any harm done. If he had known that Qingluan was pregnant at the time, Qin Rui probably would never have revealed that Jingjing'er was under his command. The reason he told Li Ji about this was to explain: I did indeed plan to assassinate Shi Chaoyi, and I even sent someone as capable as Jingjing'er. The final failure was not due to my lack of sincerity, but simply because Heaven did not forsake the wicked.

On the surface, Li Ji remained calm, but inwardly he couldn't help but feel a jolt of fear. To be honest, besides his annoyance with Jingjing, he was also wary of her. The guy's lightness skill was too superb, and her throwing darts were accurate. She was unpredictable and impossible to defend against. If this person didn't die, Li Erlang would not be able to sleep peacefully.

So he inquired, "Brother Qin just mentioned Guo Mo, who was originally under Zhou Zhi's command of the 'Divine Machine Guard,' but has he now joined Brother Qin's ranks?"

Qin Rui nodded: "Exactly."

He was also trying to intimidate Li Ji—look, now the leader and core members of the "Divine Machine Guard" are in my hands. Those martial arts masters are full of tricks and schemes. Even if they can't kill you, they'll be enough to annoy you. With this trump card in my hand, you can easily give up any thoughts of coveting it.

Li Ji reminded him: "Back when we were at the Ding'an Imperial Palace, Zhou Zhi sent Jingjing'er and others to assassinate the Marshal—who is now the Emperor. I captured one of them alive, and after interrogating him, I learned that the mastermind's surname was Guo, which must be Guo Mo. Therefore, Brother Qin, you must be very careful in using Guo Mo and Jingjing'er, and do not let it leak out, lest the Emperor still remembers the past grudge..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Rui was startled and horrified.

In truth, Li Yu might not remember something from so far ago. Jingjing'er had made an appearance, which was one thing, but Guo Mo had only revealed his surname at the time. There were so many people in the world with the surname Guo, how could he possibly make that connection? Li Ji was planting a thorn in Qin Rui's side, hoping that he would become suspicious, or at least distance himself from Guo Mo.

"Thanks to Changwei's advice, I will keep this a secret. Only heaven, earth, you, and I will know."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Alliance at the Banquet

After recounting the story of plotting against Governor Chaoyi, Qin Rui continued, "I told Changwei about this to show that I was born a Tang citizen and will die a Tang subject. I will never aid An and Shi in their tyranny... But my father-in-law has passed away, and there is no one to vouch for my identity. Now, Hebei and Youzhou are both under the control of surrendered generals, who are arrogant and unpredictable, and will inevitably cause chaos. Therefore, the court has ordered Changwei to garrison Weibo. Changwei and I are of one mind. We should join hands to pacify Yan and Zhao for the sake of the country."

Li Ji leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "I was just about to ask Brother Qin for his opinion."