A Clash of Gods

Chapter 224: choice

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The great chivalrous person serves the country and the people!

Qi Ning would not think that he was a hero for the country and the people, but he could never do anything to watch a catastrophe that would take countless lives and remain indifferent.

The dignified Marquis Zhongyi, the most powerful official in the empire, was indifferent at this life-and-death moment, and Qining felt a chill in his heart.

He knew that if it had been Mr. Jinyi or Qi Jing who came tonight, Sima Lan's answer might not be what it is now.

He knew that he had just inherited the title. Although he had the golden name of Marquis of Jinyi, the Marquis was like an old friend and a new one. In the eyes of many people, the Marquis of Jinyi had long lost the power he once had.

In Sima Lan's eyes, Jin Yihou himself is just a little kid. Although they are both ranked among the four hereditary princes, the actual status of the two parties is completely unequal.

How could a young man with a title but little real power be compared to the most powerful official in the empire

It's not that he never thought about the occasion when he would meet Sima Lan for the first time, or even what it would be like at that time, but he didn't expect that the first meeting would end on bad terms.

It's just that he has no extra time to care about Sima Lan's indifference.

After leaving the Hou Mansion, the four Zhongyi Hou Mansion guards guarding the door did not dare to show any slightest disrespect this time. They all bowed slightly. Zhao Wushang had already greeted him without saying a word, but he came from Qining. His expression has already determined the outcome of the matter.

After walking down the steps, Zhao Wushang finally said: "Master Hou, there are still more than two hours until dawn. For now, we can only wait at the palace gate. When the palace gate opens, we will face the saint immediately."

"It will take at least three hours for the palace gate to open wide. Even if we can see the emperor immediately, it is impossible for the emperor to quickly mobilize his troops." Qi Ning was quite familiar with the current situation of the little emperor Longtai, and frowned: "Maybe we can still If Marquis Zhongyi is to be summoned to the palace for discussion, even if there is the emperor's order, it will be at least five or six hours before Marquis Zhongyi mobilizes his troops." After a pause, he said: "If the epidemic starts to break out tomorrow, it will be delayed for five hours today. Nothing major may happen in six hours, but if the epidemic breaks out today, these five or six hours will be a matter of life and death."

Zhao Wushang looked stern and said: "But if Marquis Zhongyi doesn't mobilize his troops, he can only ask for the emperor's imperial edict. Otherwise, no one can mobilize troops, and no one dares to mobilize troops."

"There is one last possibility!" Qi Ning pondered for a moment and finally said: "Do you know where Xue Lingfeng lives?"

"Xue Lingfeng?" Zhao Wushang said: "Master Hou, do you want Xue Lingfeng to mobilize his troops? This... This is impossible. Without the emperor's will, even Zhongyi Hou did not come forward, Xue Lingfeng would never dare move."

Qi Ning asked: "You said that Xue Lingfeng once served as a soldier under his father's command?"

"Xue Lingfeng came from a humble background. Although he has the talent to lead troops in war, without the informality of a general, he would not be where he is today." Zhao Wushang spoke concisely and to the point, "But now he is the commander of the Tiger God Camp. Never dare to mobilize troops without authorization."

Qi Ning smiled lightly and said: "I have no other option. I can't see the emperor now, and Marquis Zhongyi can't mobilize troops. Regardless of success or failure, I can only go to him and give it a try."

Seeing Qi Ning's resolute attitude, Zhao Wushang no longer hesitated and nodded: "Master Marquis, let's go now!"

As the commander of the Tiger God Camp, Xue Lingfeng did not have any title, but everyone knew the importance of his position.

He is the gatekeeper of Jianye Capital, but this gatekeeper is the most important gatekeeper in the world.

Xue Lingfeng's house is not big, and cannot be compared with the huge Hou Mansion. It looks like the size of the courtyard of an ordinary large family, and naturally there is no big stone lion standing in front of the door like the Jinyi Hou Mansion.

Qi Ning came to the door in the middle of the night and woke up the Xue Mansion. Compared with the time he spent sitting in the lobby of the Zhongyi Marquis Mansion waiting for Sima Lan, Xue Lingfeng hardly kept Qi Ning waiting. Just come in.

Xue Lingfeng was walking as fast as ever. Even though she had just gotten up from the warm bed, she was already full of energy and energy in just a short period of time. When she saw Qi Ning, she stepped forward and cupped her hands and said: "Xue Lingfeng, who is in a humble position, see Lord Marquis!" He was about to kneel down on one knee, but Qi Ning grabbed him and said with a smile: "Uncle Xue, don't take offense if you disturb me late at night!"

Xue Lingfeng was worthy of being a soldier. He was crisp and clear in everything he said and did. He said directly: "The Marquis came here late at night, so he must have urgent instructions. If the Marquis needs help, it doesn't matter. As long as I can do it, I will do it." Xue Lingfeng will never refuse."

Qi Ning knew that time was tight, so he didn't waste any time and told Xue Lingfeng the matter in the most concise and concise way.

Xue Lingfeng frowned and asked, "So, the Marquis just came here from the Zhongyi Marquis Mansion?"

Qi Ning knew that it was best not to hide anything from such a person, and simply said: "Yes, but Marquis Zhongyi doesn't know how to mobilize troops, so after much deliberation, I can only find you here."

"What does the Marquis mean by asking Xue to mobilize the Tiger God Camp?" Xue Lingfeng stared into Qining's eyes with lightning eyes: "Does the Marquis know that arbitrarily mobilizing troops without orders is tantamount to treason?"

Qi Ning said: "I know!"

"Does the Marquis know that if Xue goes to mobilize troops now, not only will Xue be punished by death, but the Marquis will also be implicated." Bing's thoughts, after being rejected, went directly to Xue. It was impossible to conceal the matter, so as long as Xue mobilized his troops, everyone would know that he was related to the Marquis, and Xue couldn't hide it even if he wanted to."

Qi Ning smiled faintly and said: "I know. In fact, I also thought about it on the way. If I come to you to mobilize troops, both of us will probably be guilty, and the entire Jinyihou Mansion may also be implicated."

"It is not very possible, but it is certain that he will be convicted!" Xue Lingfeng spoke crisply: "Even if it is found that the Marquis was not planning to rebel, the crime of arbitrarily deploying troops will not be forgiven." After a pause, he said: " Xue believes that there will be many people who want to see the Jinyi Hou Mansion reduced to ashes, and they will definitely take this opportunity to kill the Marquis!"

Qining frowned.

"So the Marquis should think twice before acting." Xue Lingfeng said slowly: "The Marquis should ask himself, is it worth doing this? Do you want to see Jin Yihou's bloodline cut off?"

He looked solemn and sat like a bell.

Xue Lingfeng spoke neither hastily nor slowly, and it was impossible to guess his attitude towards this matter from his tone. He spoke simply and neatly, without any mince-ups, and every sentence stated extremely realistic facts.

Qi Ning was silent for a moment, and finally said: "Uncle Xue, I can't actually be sure how many people are infected. Maybe there are only a few dozen people, maybe hundreds, or even thousands of people have been infected. And after the outbreak of the virus, , I don’t know what the scene will be like then." He sighed and said: "Maybe there are just a dozen or dozens of poisonous people running around on the street, and they can be subdued easily, but there are also some Hundreds or even thousands of people might come out and cause a huge disaster."

Xue Lingfeng nodded slightly, with bright eyes, and said: "And the Marquis also said just now that the epidemic may break out today, but it may also happen tomorrow."

"Yes!" Qining said, "Only today and tomorrow."

Qining trusted Tang Nuo. He and Tang Nuo actually didn't have much real contact. The two of them probably spoke less than a hundred sentences together, but Qining just believed that what Tang Nuo said was true.

And he trusted Tang Nuo's judgment.

Since Tang Nuo's outbreak was only going to happen today and tomorrow, Qining was convinced of it deep down in his heart.

Xue Lingfeng looked deeply and said slowly: "Master Hou, have you ever thought about what would happen if the epidemic did not break out today and we now deploy troops to block the roads in the capital?" With a serious expression, "I can tell you You, even if the epidemic breaks out tomorrow, we will be arrested for treason today, and if someone intends to kill us, maybe we will be killed on the spot."

Qining took a deep breath.

Xue Lingfeng continued: "Master Hou cannot determine the time when the epidemic breaks out, nor can he determine the number of people infected, nor can he determine whether the situation after the outbreak is controllable or uncontrollable. Under this situation, Master Hou must Putting the future of Marquis Jinyi on the line and preparing to mobilize troops, with all due respect, doesn’t the Marquis think this is too rash?"

Zhao Wushang had been standing aside, and finally said: "Commander Xue, what is certain at present is that the source of the epidemic is from the Beggar Gang, and the Beggar Gang is the largest group of floating people in Beijing. Among them, there are already There are many people infected, and infected people have also appeared on the Qinhuai River. Half of the people on a boat were infected. Is this situation serious?"

Xue Lingfeng nodded and said: "The Beggars Gang and Qin Huaihe are the two most mobile groups in the capital."

"Although Lord Marquis cannot determine the number of people infected, I dare to say that the number of people infected will never be in the minority." Zhao Wushang said: "Once the epidemic breaks out, without preparation in advance, it will definitely be a huge disaster. .”

Xue Lingfeng looked solemn and did not speak. She just looked at Qi Ning.

Qi Ning was silent for a while, then finally looked up at Xue Lingfeng and said slowly: "Actually, no one in the Jinyi Hou Mansion is infected at present. If I sleep in the Hou Mansion now and don't ask about what is happening outside the window, no one will blame me."

"Yes!" Xue Lingfeng nodded.

"Even if an epidemic does break out in Beijing, no matter how big or small it is, once the gate of my Jinyi Hou Mansion is closed, and with the guards in the Hou Mansion, I believe that no infected person will be able to break into the Hou Mansion." Qining's voice was slow and solemn. : "I sent someone to the Shenhou Mansion to notify him, and even found the Marquis of Zhongyi. Logically speaking, I have tried my best and tried my best. Whether the court can respond in time has nothing to do with me. relationship, I have a clear conscience."

Xue Lingfeng nodded again.

"If I insist on being meddlesome, it is very likely that the Jinyihou Mansion will face a catastrophe." Qin Ning sighed: "As you said, if someone wants to kill Jinyihou, they will not let go of this opportunity."

Xue Lingfeng said: "So the Marquis returns to the Hou Mansion now, takes a hot bath, eats something, and then goes to bed to sleep. No matter what happens from now on, the Marquis and Jinyi Hou Mansion will be safe and sound."

Qi Ning smiled slightly and said: "Actually, this is a very good choice. There is no need to even consider it. Maybe many people don't have to make a choice at all." He leaned forward slightly, stared at Xue Lingfeng, and said, "But if I If I do that, I won’t be me, and I won’t be wearing the crown and hat of the Marquis of Jinyi on my head!”