Into my palace.
Cheng Qianye frowned and looked at Cheng Feng: "Where did you say they ran away? Song country? Is that the Song country where Chu Yezhi is?"
Cheng Feng said solemnly: "It was a dereliction of duty. We found out too late. When we caught up with them, they had already escaped from Bianzhou. According to the clues from the general manager, they should have fled to the Song Dynasty."
Cheng Feng is now in charge of the defense of the palace, and when people escape from the palace, he feels he has neglected his duty.
"How can I blame you?" Cheng Qianye waved his hand, "The two of them live in the outer courtyard separated by a wall from the palace gate. I gave the order not to restrict his personal freedom. If he wants to leave, how can you prevent him?"
"Having said that, in my opinion, there is something fishy about this matter," Cheng Feng said, "The two of them were penniless. Judging from the records of leaving the city, they were riding in carriages. Not only did the direction be clear, but also The speed is very fast. I suspect that someone among them is very likely to arrange a response.”
Cheng Qianye fell into deep thought.
From this point of view, their escape was planned, but Zhou Zixi probably didn't have such a plan a few days ago.
Since he left this draft to himself, he felt guilty in his heart. If he had had this idea a few days ago, Cheng Qianye's strange eyes should be able to detect the color of guilt in his light.
That was the decision Cheng Qianye made in the past two days when he closed his special pupils.
So the problem most likely lies with the maid named Ayang.
When they first met, Cheng Qianye felt that this Ayang was hiding something from him.
Now it is very suspicious to think that a maid can break into the palace gate directly, show no fear to him, and can talk freely.
But because Ayang showed no malicious emotions toward Zhou Zixi or herself, Cheng Qianye didn't care that she had some secrets of her own.
I'm a little too reliant on my powers. I couldn't detect such an obvious flaw. Cheng Qianye thought.
Even in the past few days, I didn't pay attention to this inconspicuous maid at all.
Who would have thought that her secret would actually induce Zhou Zixi to escape.
Yao Tianxiang sat next to Cheng Qianye, flipping through the tax draft left by Zhou Zixi: "In just a few days, while he was still injured, he was able to draw up such a detailed draft, taking into account all aspects. , He is indeed quite talented.”
"This thing can be considered a great effort. He probably wants to use it to repay your kindness." Yao Tianxiang read the thick stack of letter paper carefully, straightened it, and handed it to Cheng Qianye.
"I understand you. Now, Zhang Fu has gone to Haojing, and Xiao Jin has been transferred back to Jiangcheng by you. There is a shortage of such talents around you. By chance, you found one. Just when you were happy, who knew he was there again? Run away. No wonder you are so angry."
Cheng Qianye rolled his eyes at her, raised his hand and smashed the table, picked up a sapphire handle on the table, and turned it over impatiently in his hands.
Mo Qiaosheng clasped his hands in his fists: "If my lord is not angry, I will lead someone to sneak into the Song Dynasty incognito and capture this person. Let my lord suffer."
Cheng Feng said: "Qiaosheng should not be impulsive. According to the information we have gathered so far, the person who picked up this person is most likely the Crown Prince Ang of the Song Dynasty. The details need to be confirmed by our intelligence personnel in the Song Dynasty."
"Prince Ang? Who is that?" Cheng Qianye asked.
"This person, I know him." Yao Tianxiang grabbed Cheng Qianye's sleeve and said,
"The leader of the Song Dynasty, Song Xianggong Ji Yuan, was a weak person, but his son Ji Ang was not like his father. This man was deeply scheming and had many strategies. He recruited many capable people and strangers, and raised many people around him. He has thousands of followers. I heard that he also adopted a group of young people, all of whom he regarded as adopted sons and daughters and trained as dead soldiers. My brother once said that he is very ambitious and you should be careful when you are a neighbor. "
"The Song Dynasty has rich waters and fertile land. It is a fertile country. The people like to talk and are not fond of martial arts. Even the army is not good at fighting, but their country has a tradition that they like to use women to marry neighboring countries. My The mother, Mrs. Ji Tai, is the daughter of the royal family of the Song Dynasty."
Everyone listened. No one here was more familiar with these royal family affairs than Yao Tianxiang.
"Before the fall of the Wei State where your Zhou Zixi was located, there were frequent marriages with the Song State. There were many Song women in the Wei State. After the fall of the country, I heard that Ji Ang sent people to take back some of the women who were married outside the Song Dynasty and their relatives to take refuge in the country. , He was once praised for this, and Zhou Zixi may have gone to Ji Ang for this reason."
Cheng Qianye played with the blue gem and fell into deep thought.
Mo Qiaosheng looked at the white and shiny fingers, repeatedly turning and rubbing the blue handle. Suddenly he remembered what those hands had done to him, and a suspicious blush suddenly appeared on his face.
Cheng Qianye glanced at him and almost laughed.
She put the stone into her sleeves and said sternly: "The Song Dynasty is hiding behind us, relying on our Bianzhou as a barrier to resist the Quan Rong. This time our country wants to send troops to Zhengzhou to fight against the Quan Rong, but there is insufficient food and grass. He Song Xianggong should also do something."
"Qiao Sheng, I will give you 20,000 horses. Chen Bing is at the border of Song State so that he can borrow some military rations from Song Xianggong. By the way, capture that man for me."
"Cheng Feng, you go on a mission to the Song Dynasty for me. In addition to borrowing military rations, you tell Song Xianggong that I have a runaway slave who has arrived in his territory and ask him to return him to me. You can also sell it to me. No matter what, if I want to use this person, you must get it back to me."
In Suiyang, the capital of Song Dynasty.
Zhou Zixi sat in front of the bed, holding a medicine bowl and feeding an old lady medicine.
The lady had gray hair, a dull appearance, and blurred eyes. She ate and drank whenever she was asked, and she could not recognize the person in front of her at all.
This person is Zhou Zixi's mother.
Her family is undergoing great changes. Her husband, eldest son, and youngest daughter all died tragically before her eyes. Unable to bear it for a moment, his mind collapsed and he became a stupid person.
Even now, her youngest son Zhou Zixi rushed to her side and took care of her closely, but there was no improvement.
Ayang came in from the outer room and stretched out his hand to take the medicine bowl: "Master, let me come."
Zhou Zixi shook his head and avoided her hand.
He patiently finished feeding his mother the medicine, carefully helped her lie down, and carefully covered her with quilt.
He just stood up, but ignored A Yang and walked out silently.
"Master." Ayang called him, "Do you know everything?"
Zhou Zixi paused and did not look back. A gentle word came from the gentle figure: "Are you from His Highness Ang?"
These words were spoken very softly, but they shattered Ayang's last fantasy and revealed her biggest secret.
"I have been His Highness's loyal soldier since I was a child. His Highness ordered me to stay by the Young Master's side."
Ayang lowered her head. She was an orphan and grew up in harsh and even cruel training. From an early age, she was instilled with the concept of being loyal only to His Highness the Crown Prince.
But now that she thinks about it, the years she spent with the young master were the happiest times in her life.
At that time, the young master always smiled politely and never hit or scolded her. He allowed or even indulged her to play with the maids in the courtyard, fly kites, catch sheep bones, and dress up. For a while, she even thought that she could live a normal life like an ordinary girl.
"Although he deceived the young master, His Royal Highness truly respects the young master." Ayang said softly, "It was he who ordered me to find the young master and bring him to Suiyang."
"If he really respected me, he would have brought me to Suiyang a long time ago." Zhou Zixi turned his face sideways, "But he had to see my spine broken before he was willing to help. So that I could fight He is grateful and devoted to his work.”
"Even if I have reached this point, he is still worried. He first wants to find my mother and hold her in his hands. If I hadn't happened to be bought by the Marquis of Jinyue, he might not have wanted to take action so soon."
Ayang lowered her head, and she tightened her hand hanging by her side.
She was ordered to follow the young master secretly and saw him suffer inhuman abuse and bullying countless times.
She couldn't help but want to take action.
But she didn't dare.
The lessons engraved in her bones since she was a child made her remember what the consequences would be if she disobeyed her master's orders.
"How did you know?"
"Ayang." Zhou Zixi turned around and looked at the girl in front of him with a hint of sadness, "Do you know that you were once my only light."
"When I was in the abyss of despair, it was you who appeared in front of me, persuading me to persevere, and encouraging me to wait. So, even though you have exposed many flaws, I have never been suspicious of you."
"It wasn't until I arrived at the residence of the Marquis of Jinyue that you suddenly appeared. Urgently urging me to leave that very gentle and generous man. You couldn't even raise a single gold, but you prepared the carriage in just a few days. , travel expenses. You took me to the Song Dynasty at a speed that exceeded your ability." Zhou Zixi stared at the girl in front of him, his eyes red for a moment, "Although I believe in you, I am not a fool."
Ayang turned his face sideways, not daring to meet his gaze: "Then why did you follow me here?"
"You have detained my mother. What can I do." Zhou Zixi smiled bitterly, "As you said, I am just a slave. If the Marquis of Jin Yue wants to detain me, I will have no room to resist. As a slave, he The more a king of a country values someone, the less likely he is to let someone go to another country.”
Zhou Zixi stretched out his hand and took Ayang, "Ayang, His Highness Ang has a deep mind, is mean and ungrateful, and is not a wise master who can serve for life. Shall we find a chance to leave here together?"
Ayang was in a daze for a moment. She suddenly thought of something and retracted her hand. She shook her head desperately.
"Impossible, I can't betray His Highness. Young Master, you can't leave either. This place is different from Bianzhou. It's heavily guarded. Even if you take the old lady with you, you will never be able to escape. You should give up this thought. Serve His Highness the Crown Prince wholeheartedly.”
Zhou Zixi sighed silently and retracted his hand.
The servants came to report that Ji Ang, the crown prince of Song Dynasty, came to visit.
Not long after, Ji held up a beautiful robe with dragon patterns, loose clothes and wide belt, and strode over with many attendants behind him.
He hugged Zhou Zixi's shoulders affectionately and laughed, "I haven't seen Zixi for a few days, and I miss her so much. But I wonder if the old lady's condition has improved recently?"
Zhou Zixi bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, thank you for asking. Jiaci's illness is the same as before. There has been no increase or decrease."
Ji Ang sat down on the chair and spared Zhou Zixi's courtesy.
He looked at Zhou Zixi for a long time, then flicked the hem of his clothes and said, "Zixi, what's wrong with you? You are always so polite to me, and there is a sense of alienation in your politeness."
Zhou Zixi bowed again and said, "How could Your Highness have such thoughts? Your Highness has been as kind as a mountain to my mother and son. Zi Xi only feels grateful in his heart."
Ji Ang had a smile on his face and narrowed his eyes: "I heard that you were staying with the Marquis of Jin Yue for only a few days, so he planned every possible way for him. Before leaving, he even wrote a draft for him all night long. But here you are. It's been more than a month, but I haven't seen the king take care of me. Haha, but why am I inferior to the Marquis of Jin Yue?"
Zhou Zixi fell silent.
Ji Ang always likes to behave like a polite and virtuous corporal. Since he came here, he has been trying his best to win over him.
Saying this suddenly today can almost be regarded as breaking the hypocritical skin of the past. I just don’t know why.
Seeing that he didn't reply, Ji Ang's face darkened: "Zixi, do you know that the Marquis of Jinyue has ordered his hussar general Mo Qiaosheng to lead an army of 20,000 Jin troops to march outside the borders of our country?"
Zhou Zixi was surprised and frowned.
Ji Ang looked at him: "Does Zixi have any good ideas to help me?"
"How can a scholar like me know so much about military affairs? It's just that when I was in Bianzhou, I saw the Jin army in action. It was indeed a tiger and wolf army that should not be underestimated. I hope Your Highness will treat it with caution."
Ji Ang looked at him silently.
After a long while, he slowly spoke: "Today, an envoy from the Jin Kingdom came, the Cheng Feng who was given the surname by the Marquis of Jin Yue. He asked my father to lend them 50,000 loads of grain to the Jin Kingdom for military pay."
"At the same time, he also said that the Marquis of Jin Yue wants to buy back one of his escaped slaves, which is you."
Zhou Zixi raised his head in surprise.
Ji Ang said: "Zixi, I made it easy for you to get to know me when I was studying in Wei State. Others may not know it, but I know very well that you are a rare talent. I am unwilling to abandon you in any case. But my father is not willing. I feel very embarrassed for offending the State of Jin."
Zhou Zixi smiled bitterly: "Your Highness must put the overall situation first, how can you bring disaster to the country just because of me?"
"Zixi, don't blame me. If I can't keep you by my side, I will never let the king of another country get you." His eyes were cold and he waved his hand, "Cut off his hamstrings and send him to the front. temple."
Zhou Zixi was shocked: "I defected from the Jin Kingdom. The Marquis of Jin Yue was so angry that he wanted me to be bought back as a slave just to humiliate me. How could he use me again? Your Highness need not worry. Why should he be so cruel? Absolutely!”
Ji Ang looked at him indifferently, "Despite what he said, I'm not at ease. Don't blame me, your mother, I will take good care of you. But this time I will wrong you."
The author has something to say: In addition, thank you everyone for throwing thunder at me. When throwing thunder, do so within your ability, especially the little cuties who are still students, don't throw it. I can always live a decent life, so I can't let you who haven't worked yet spend this much money.