Ruan Wenlong seemed to wake up from a dream after hearing Qiu Yizi's words. He raised his head suddenly and exclaimed in a low voice, "Young Master is actually the adopted son of Prince Youyan! He actually dared to go to a dangerous place. This courage is really unexpected!"
Qiu Yizi waved his hand and said, "You are too kind, General Qian. I know that you are a reasonable person who knows the pros and cons, so I dare to ask you for help."
Ruan Wenlong had seen many dignitaries before coming to Tongguan, and he could be considered a man who had seen the world. He calmed down after a few words and said, "Your Highness is a noble man. I wonder if there is anything I can help you with?"
"Let us pass through the pass. It's just a piece of cake for Captain Qian. I wonder if you can help me?" Qiu Yizi asked.
Ruan Wenlong thought about it for a moment and then readily agreed: "I can still make the decision on this small matter. Whenever Your Highness wants to pass the customs, just leave it to me."
After hearing this, Qiu Yizi smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Then I'll be grateful to General Ruan Qian for his care."
Ruan Wenlong was about to be humble when he heard Qiu Yizi say, "I will be in the customs for about ten days. I may need the help of Qianzong when I go there. I will trouble you again, Lord Ruan."
Ruan Wenlong thought that it was normal for a dandy like Qiu Yizhi to have a few confidants or lovers in the capital, and it was no big deal to come and go, so he agreed. But he didn't know at the time that his casual answer profoundly changed his fate.
So, under Ruan Wenlong's arrangement, Qiu Yizi passed Tongguan very smoothly and set foot on Guanzhong again.
Everyone in Guanzhong, from high-ranking officials in the imperial court to ordinary people, believed that with the protection of the two great passes of Tongguan and Dasanguan, war would certainly not strike here. Therefore, apart from the fact that there were more soldiers traveling back and forth and fewer merchants, the overall atmosphere seemed quite relaxed, as if there had not been much change from before.
Qiu Yizi knew that this was just an appearance. Beneath the calm surface of the water, there were naturally undercurrents.
Therefore, he did not dare to hesitate for a moment. Once he passed the checkpoint and found an abandoned dojo to stay, he gathered everyone around him together, took out another list from his arms, pointed and said: "On it are the names and locations of the Youyan brothers who were temporarily stranded in the pass when we broke through Tongguan. I will distribute them to you now, and you must follow what is written on them..."
Qiu Yizhi was halfway through her words when she heard Tie Tou Jiao say, "Your Highness, we are all rough people. We have nothing to say when you ask us to do something. But the eighteen of us can't recognize eighteen words in total. You ask us to find someone according to the note, but we just..."
After hearing this, Qiu Yizi was stunned and hated himself for not taking into account that his subordinates were illiterate and stupid when he made the plan at the beginning!
So Qiu Yizhi gritted his teeth, lowered his head and calculated silently for a while, and finally raised his head angrily and said: "There are only 104 people here. Among you 18 people, 14 of them are responsible for finding the six people nearby, and the other four are responsible for finding the five people far away. Their names and locations, you must memorize them now!"
Fortunately, the name and place consisted of only a few words, so the bandits racked their brains and finally memorized these few dozen words.
Qiu Yizi then let them go out to look for people with confidence, and repeatedly reminded them: "It doesn't matter if you can't find all the people you are responsible for. Just bring as many as you can find. You must rush back to the Taoist temple within five days to gather. I will reward you handsomely then."
These eighteen bandits were all impatient. They rode away in a hurry upon hearing the order, leaving only Qiu Yizi, Yuchi Lianghong and Zhao Chengxiao in the empty and dilapidated Taoist temple.
But I heard Qiu Yizi say to the other two: "The three of us have things to do, so please accompany me to the capital Luoyang."
Yuchi Lianghong said, "My dear brother, you are very resourceful. I have learned a lot from you. A few days ago, I accompanied you to attack the county government offices and spread the news that Marshal Dai was secretly communicating with Prince Youyan. I could more or less make out some clues. However, this time you are going to go deep into the tiger's den in the capital, and I really can't guess your intentions."
Qiu Yizi smiled and replied, "Brother, you are the leader of the martial arts world, and you know how difficult it is to subdue a person. If this person is not in a desperate situation and has not received your full support, I am afraid it will be difficult for him to be convinced. Marshal Dai is a famous general of the Han Dynasty, and can be said to be unparalleled in the country. It is even more difficult to subdue him."
Yuchi Lianghong sighed and said, "As the saying goes, everyone serves his master. You are doing this to accomplish the great cause of the prince, and others have nothing to say. But Marshal Dai is devoted to the country, and he uses such a strategy to deal with him. In my heart..." He considered the words for a while, and then said, "In my heart, I always feel a little bit reluctant."
Qiu Yizi also changed his expression and said, "Brother is indeed known for his benevolence and righteousness. However, this matter cannot be blamed on me. If anyone should be blamed, it should be the narrow-mindedness of the current emperor Zheng Yao. If he can really do 'trust people when employing them, and don't employ people if you don't trust them', then how can my little trick succeed? Moreover, even if Marshal Dai barely wins this battle, he will be more meritorious than his master, and it will inevitably arouse Zheng Yao's suspicion in vain. I am actually saving Marshal Dai!"
Yuchi Lianghong sighed again and said, "In fact, there are many such things in the martial arts world. When a disciple of a certain sect has mastered martial arts to a high level, he will arouse the jealousy of the master, and the master will use dirty tricks to destroy the disciple's martial arts. After hearing what you said, I have a clue in my mind. Let's set off now without further delay!"
The three of them did not hesitate any longer and rode their horses all the way to the capital city Luoyang.
Qiu Yizhi and his companions entered Beijing from the east through Tongguan, and they should have gone through Jianchun Gate. However, Qiu Yizhi had passed through this gate many times before, and the last time he broke through the gate. He knew that the noise was too loud.
So they had to ride their horses around half of the capital city and plan to enter the city from Ximing Gate on the west wall of Luoyang.
Since the court went to war with the King of Youyan in the east, fewer merchants came to Beijing from Tongguan, but more merchants came from the west through Dasanguan to Luoyang. Ximing Gate was open all year round for civilians to enter and exit, so there was a very long line in front of the gate, waiting to be checked in to enter the city.
Qiu Yizi couldn't wait that long, so he led Yuchi Lianghong and Zhao Chengxiao and headed straight to Ximing Gate.
The gatekeeper saw that the three men not only did not line up properly at the gate, but also did not get off their horses, looking as if they were alone. He shouted at them: "Where are you from? Do you know the rules? Go back and line up!"
Qiu Yizi was not in a hurry. He took out a token from his pocket, waved it in front of the soldier, and arrogantly scolded: "Does the Persuasion Bureau need to queue up when entering the city to do business?"
The Ministry of Persuasion to Be Kind was already powerful, and now it is a secret service agency personally managed by the emperor, making it even more powerful.
With the token in the hand of the soldier Qiu Yizi, he dared not say another word. He rolled to the side and let Qiu Yizi and the other three enter the capital.
The battle was going on in the front, but the people of the capital didn't seem to care. People who were shopping, drinking, and drinking tea were still running around in the streets, restaurants, and teahouses. There was no sign of tension on their faces. Only the number of soldiers patrolling the streets in armor and holding spears was indeed a little more.
However, Qiu Yizi had an important mission and could not relax at all. Seeing that it was getting late, he chose a deserted inn in a secluded neighborhood in the capital to stay in.
The owner of the inn is an old man in his sixties. His two daughters are married, and his son has passed the imperial examination and is working as an official in another place.
The old man could have spent his remaining years in peace, but he could not stand the loneliness. He felt sorry for leaving his yard empty, so he opened an inn privately. He did not seek to make money, but only to have people come and go to make it lively. This was not in accordance with the court regulations, but the old man's inn was not big, and his son was a man of honor, so the court soldiers and yamen runners who patrolled the city never made things difficult for him.
The old man was very talkative. When he heard Qiu Yizhi said that she came from Henan Province, he took the initiative to strike up a conversation and asked, "I heard that the court in Henan is fighting with Prince Youyan. I wonder what the situation is like?"
Qiu Yizi also wanted to find out about the people's sentiments in the capital, so he said, "I am only here to collect debts at the order of my uncle. How can I know about these national affairs? Marshal Dai is well-known for his ability to fight, and Prince Youyan is even more famous. If the two of them fight, I really don't know who will win or lose."
The old man nodded and said, "Sir, you are too modest. Nowadays, young people are all drunk and obsessed with money. How can they care about the world's affairs? It is very rare for someone like you to know these two famous generals in our court."
Qiu Yizhi even said "I don't deserve it" and said: "The names of these two people are well-known both at home and abroad, and even in foreign lands, they are well-known. I just didn't expect that these two pillars of our Han Dynasty would actually fight against each other."
The old man also sighed and said, "Young Master, what you said is correct. There is nothing wrong with Marshal Dai sending troops to quell the rebellion. But I never expected that Prince Youyan would rebel against the court. The prince has always been the most loyal minister of our Han Dynasty!" He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "It is said that the late emperor wanted to pass the throne to Prince Youyan. If it weren't for the prince's humility, how could the late emperor have the throne? How could the current emperor have the throne!"
Qiu Yizi pretended to be surprised and said, "So there is such a thing? No wonder I always heard gossip on the way. It is said that Marshal Dai has long intended to surrender the prince and support the prince to be the emperor!"
The old man looked around subconsciously after hearing this and whispered, "Sir, you can say this elsewhere. This is the capital, you can't say it carelessly. If the lackeys of the Persuasion Department find out, it will be troublesome!" He took a breath and said, "In fact, it doesn't matter who is the emperor. The current emperor's surname is Zheng, and the prince of Youyan is also surnamed Zheng. To be honest, I think it would be better for the prince to be the emperor! In fact, we ordinary people can't care so much. As long as the emperor can let us live a good life, isn't that enough?"
After listening to this, Qiu Yizhi pondered for a long time, then bowed solemnly and said: "Thank you for your advice. I have benefited a lot today. Although I have no chance to see the elegance of the King of Youyan, since I have come to the capital, I must go to see the former residence of Marshal Dai. I wonder if the old man can show me the way?"
The old man heard Qiu Yizhi's polite words, so he smiled and said, "Okay, okay. Marshal Dai's residence is right next to the imperial city. Just go out from here and turn a corner along the main road."
Qiu Yizhi secretly took note of it, and said a few more words to the old man. Seeing that it was getting dark, he gave him a few more taels of silver and asked him to prepare a table of good food and wine. After they ate together, they went to bed to recuperate. (To be continued)