The house fell into silence for a long time.
Not to mention Zhou Huairang who was stunned and now dumbfounded, even Shen Buci who was always able to catch up with the Crown Prince's thoughts at the first moment was quite surprised.
Shen Buci knew that His Highness had always suspected that everything they had seen since entering Dongling was related to the forces of Beiyuan. He had fought with Li Er and others before, and just by looking at their skills, he could tell that they were not ordinary people or commoners.
But he didn't know how His Highness calculated from Beiyuan to Fuxue Tower and finally pointed to King Heng of Beiyuan.
The first person who couldn't help but break the silence was the naive Zhou Huairang: "You mean he he he Wei..."
Zhou Huairang suddenly realized that if the person who killed the fish was really the young prince of Beiyuan, he would have called him by his name when chatting with His Highness in private. It would have been fine if he had just called him Wei here and Wei there, but doing so in front of him was really a loss of etiquette for a great country.
However, they have become so chaotic and have long since torn their relationship apart, is there still a need to stick to the rituals of a country
Zhou Huairang was unsure for a moment and closed his mouth hesitantly.
Li Er answered Zhou Huairang's question on behalf of Zhao Mian.
"Of course not." Li Er opened his mouth and returned to his normal appearance, as if the excitement he had just shown was just an illusion of others. The more he thought about it, the funnier it became, and he finally laughed out loud: "What are you thinking. If I were the little prince of Beiyuan, and I was bullied like this in Dongling by Wan Huameng, I would have sent 50,000 Beiyuan cavalry to Dongling and forced Wan Huameng to hand over the antidote and call me dad again. Why would I be here pitifully begging you to form an alliance with me two against one?"
Zhao Mian thought to himself, Beiyuan doesn't have 50,000 cavalry now. After fighting for more than ten years, they finally destroyed the Western Xia Kingdom. Doesn't Beiyuan need to train its troops and recuperate
Even if they really want to invade Dongling, they will be the elite troops of Nanjing.
Zhao Mian didn't expect Li Er to tell him the truth, but Li Ercheng's denial was one thing, and whether he asked or not was another. As long as he asked, Li Er would know what was going on, and he should also pay attention to each other's identities.
However, there was one thing Li Er said that he still believed in. Facing Wanhua Meng, they, who were both in a foreign country, should stand on the same side.
"So, I guessed wrong." Zhao Mian looked around, "What are you all looking at? I was just talking casually, don't take it seriously."
Zhou Huairang couldn't help but mutter in his heart: You said so many words in one breath that you forgot to maintain the aloof and frugal demeanor of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It doesn't sound like you were talking casually at all.
"Since you are not a noble in Beiyuan, I don't have to worry about anything." Zhao Mian stood up and said, "Forget about the alliance, you can just acknowledge me as your master. In the future, I will be the big boss and you will be the small boss. You still have to kneel down and talk to me, and obey my orders. Do you understand?"
Li Er: “…”
Li Er's speechless look finally made Zhao Mian feel relieved. It was Li Er who said it was not true, so it was none of his business.
Zhao Mian: "Speak."
Li Er: “Oh.”
A simple "Oh" sounded just like his father's perfunctory response when he didn't want to pay attention to the prime minister. Zhao Mian generously didn't bother with Li Er.
Zhao Mian handed Li Er to Shen Buci to train him slowly, and instructed: "Watch him and find him a place to live. Remember, don't let him have the opportunity to contact Zhu Guangshen."
Qianjiyuan spent a lot of effort to allow these spies to take root in Dongling Kyoto. If they were discovered by Li Er, it would be a waste of effort.
"Yes." Shen Buci paused and asked, "Your Highness, have you met King Beiheng?"
Shen Buci has been pondering over this matter and has come to the conclusion that His Highness must know King Beiyuan Heng, which is why he made the current judgment.
Zhao Mian nodded: "I have met him twice. If I remember correctly, it was when he and I were six and twelve years old respectively."
Shen Buci asked again: "May I ask Your Highness, is the character of King Beiheng similar to that of Li Er?"
Zhao Mian seemed to be thinking about something, and gave an ambiguous answer: "It's hard to say, he..." Zhao Mian really didn't know how to describe it, "That's all."
Zhou Huairang on the side couldn't help but said: "Your Highness, the fish killer... No, is Mr. Li really the little prince of Beiyuan?"
Zhao Mian sneered: "'Mr. Li', that sounds really nice. If he is, do you want to be his study partner?"
Zhou Huairang was horrified and waved his hands repeatedly: "I don't want it. I will only be a companion to one person in my life, and that is you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Zhao Mian glanced at him and said in a softer tone: "What do you think of him?"
Zhou Huairang thought quickly and found a universal answer: "I feel the same way as you do."
Zhao Mian said with a hint of meaning: "Didn't you hear him say that he claimed to be from Xixia and hated Beiyuan to the core. Think about it yourself."
Zhou Huairang was completely confused. After Zhao Mian left, he flattered Shen Buci and asked for help: "Old Shen... No, Brother Shen, what do you think His Highness is thinking?"
Shen Buci said: "Understand it yourself."
Zhou Huairang held his head with both hands and wailed in pain: "My head is so itchy."
Zhao Mian returned to the Zhu Mansion and called Zhu Guangshen, asking him if he had found any clues about Beiyuan's spies lurking in Dongling during his many years in Kyoto.
Zhu Guangshen said ashamedly that he had not. He did feel the shadow of Beiyuan forces behind many big and small things in Kyoto, but these Beiyuan people were extremely cautious and prudent, and rarely left any clues when they took action.
It’s not that Zhu Guangshen didn’t investigate, but no matter how they investigated, they could only find some minor characters who were not the focus or the core.
"Enough." Zhao Mian said, "Pick the most important person among them and present it to me."
The next morning, Zhao Mian brought Zhou Huairang and others to Li Er's temporary residence.
This is a good place that Zhao Mian specially found for Li Er. It is located in an alley near the brothel, a famous red-light district in Kyoto.
The alley was nicknamed "Waishi Hutong" by the neighbors nearby. The people living in the alley were prostitutes who had been redeemed but could not be taken home for the time being. In other words, they were the concubines of merchants and officials who were not very clean.
Although Dongling is not a country of etiquette like Nanjing, a woman who fell into prostitution and became a mistress of a man who already had a wife and family was also despised. Ordinary people would cover their noses and frown and walk around it when passing by.
Due to Li Er's identity, Zhao Mian couldn't really beat him, but it was still necessary to give him a slight beating.
There is no doubt that Zhao Mian arranged Li Er here with the intention of humiliating him.
It is said that when Li Er checked in yesterday, many locals gathered to watch and whisper. In less than half a day, Li Er had become famous around the brothel.
"There are all kinds of birds in the forest. This is the first time in my life that I have seen such a tall and dark male prostitute. Which master or young master likes this?"
"This guy is tall and strong, with all his arms and legs. He can do anything to support himself, but he has to do this job. It's so shameful!"
"If I were his parents, I would be so angry that I would bury myself alive."
Zhao Mian thought that Li Er would hide in the house all day and be ashamed to see people after being sent to such a place and being criticized, and secretly scolded him for being too much. But as soon as he walked into the yard, he smelled the aroma of barbecue.
I saw Li Er setting up a stove in the yard to grill fish. He was applying oil with one hand and putting ingredients in with the other, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan from time to time. He was very busy.
"Oh, the young master is here." Li Er sat on a small stool, chin slightly raised, "Do you need me to kneel down and salute you?"
Zhao Mian looked arrogant: "Yes."
Li Er said, "You are really rude. I'll pay you back first, and I'll kneel after I finish grilling the fish."
"It's OK, I can just get by."
Zhao Mian glanced at the sizzling fish on the stove. It looked delicious. "Do you know what others say about you?"
"I know." Li Er said lightly, "They talked loudly yesterday. This morning, a drunkard called me shameless at the gate of the courtyard, saying that I must have some special skills to be kept here."
Zhao Mian was quite satisfied with the drunkard's behavior: "So you still have the leisure time to grill fish?"
"You don't know how to humiliate people, sir." Li Er laughed at him, "You want to humiliate me, but you let me live in such a nice courtyard, give me food and drink, and it doesn't matter if I get scolded by insignificant people. I won't lose a piece of meat - think about it carefully."
Zhao Mian retorted with a sullen face: "It's obviously because you are too shameless. It has nothing to do with me."
Li Er acted diligently and tirelessly, saying, "If you want to humiliate someone, you have to find his pain points and weaknesses. For example, make an actor who is proud of his voice unable to sing any more songs, or make a scholar who refuses to bend for a few grains of rice beg you to give him five grains of rice." Li Er looked up at him, "Or, make you, a nobleman who is so arrogant, kneel down."
Zhao Mian's eyes narrowed slightly, and he recalled the situation at that time. He wished he could slap Li Er twice more to break both corners of his mouth.
His father didn't like to kill people or torture people, so he was inevitably influenced by his father and never killed anyone since he was a child. But at that time, his anger overwhelmed his reason, and he really wanted to kill.
After he calmed down, he comforted himself that Li Er's crime was not so serious, and besides, he slapped the man and made him kneel back so many times, so it could be considered fair.
However, for some reason, he always felt that he was the one who suffered a loss. No matter how humble Li Er was in front of him, he would always be at a loss.
He now understood that Li Er and he were two different kinds of people. In his opinion, kneeling was humiliating, being slapped was humiliating, and being slandered was humiliating. But for Li Er, kneeling was not a big deal, and being slandered as a concubine who served others with sex was not a big deal. As long as it did not interfere with his work, he would not be angry.
If you want to make Li Er unhappy, the key is to "break his heart".
This is easy. It’s not hard to find Li Er’s pain points and weaknesses. That’s why he came here today.
"I have benefited a lot from listening to your words." Zhao Mian turned around and said, "Eat your fish quickly, and then go somewhere with me."
Li Er responded and continued to add ingredients to the grilled fish with a smile.
Hey, give him some time to eat the fish, this young master is totally incapable of being cruel and merciless.
The group rode out of the city in a carriage and arrived at the outskirts of the city, fifteen miles away from Kyoto. Zhao Mian took Li Er up a small hill, and standing on the top of the hill, they could overlook a small road leading from other places into the capital.
Although this path is a shortcut, it is too remote and few people pass by.
After standing there for a while, Li Er asked, "What are we waiting for?"
Zhao Mian said: "Wait for your 'enemy'."
Li Er glanced at Zhao Mian. The boy's seemingly calm profile seemed to be hiding his anticipation for the show that was about to begin.
The young master seemed to be in a good mood, which was not a good thing for him.
They waited for about an incense stick of time, and finally a pedestrian appeared at the end of the path.
This was a team of escorts, with two carts of goods and five or six escorts. Each of these escorts was strong and muscular, with swords on their waists, and it was obvious at a glance that they were old men who had been traveling around the country for many years.
Among them, one person was quite eye-catching. He was about 30 years old, with a tough face full of scars. Most importantly, he only had one arm, with nothing below the right shoulder.
The moment Li Er saw the man's face clearly, his expression suddenly changed and his whole body turned cold. He no longer had the leisurely and relaxed feeling he had when he was grilling fish in the yard not long ago.
Zhao Mian took in his reaction and was in a good mood. He raised the corners of his lips slightly and said, "Do you know him?"
Li Er, who is usually talkative, remained silent.
"I'll tell you who he is." Zhao Mian's voice was mixed with the sound of the wind, but it was unusually clear in Li Er's ears. "This man is called Sun Zuo, from Shengjing, Beiyuan. He was conscripted into the army three years ago and became an ordinary archer in Beiyuan's Western Expedition Army."
"Sun Zuo was good at riding and shooting. He could hit an arrow with a single shot from a hundred steps away. In the battle of Luyang, Sun Zuo drew his bow in the chaos and shot the Xixia general with one arrow off his horse, seriously injuring the enemy commander. Xixia was leaderless and lost Luyang after the disastrous defeat. They were forced to retreat to Lingzhou."
"A talent like Sun Zuo should have made many military achievements and been promoted to a higher position. Unfortunately, in the following siege of Lingzhou, Sun Zuo accidentally lost his right hand. From then on, he could no longer draw a bow, and his journey to the west also came to an end. No matter how unwilling he was, he could only return home with a reward of one thousand taels of gold."
"After returning to Shengjing, Sun Zuo bought an escort agency and became an escort master. He has been busy in recent years and has been traveling around the country. This is why he is here."
While Zhao Mian was talking, Sun Zuo and the others had already arrived right below them. If they wanted to ambush them, the place where they stood was undoubtedly the perfect position.
"You said you are from Xixia, so I'll give you a chance." Zhao Mian said with a half-chuckle, "I'll help you kill him and avenge your general, okay?"
Li Er remained silent, his expression gloomy and alert.
Between the two of them, there was only the sound of the wind.
Zhao Mian stopped talking here and did not urge Li Er to answer, showing a rare level of patience.
He could sense a very low aura coming from Li Er, perhaps even to the point of being angry but not expressing himself.
Zhao Mian wanted to laugh.
What is there for Li Er to be angry about? He was so talkative when he was being taught just now. How come he has become mute now
Li Er was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed. He looked down at Sun Zuo and the others, and said to Zhao Mian, "You are trying to play tricks on me again. Do you like to do bad things so blatantly?"
Zhao Mian did not deny it: "To deal with people like you, open strategies are more effective than secret strategies."
Li Er's voice was much colder than usual, as if he was a different person: "You know who I am, why are you still testing me? Interesting?"
Zhao Mian nodded happily: "Interesting, watching you hit yourself in the face is more interesting than watching you kneel down. You know," the young man smiled slightly, every word was as sharp as a knife, "Your face now is not much better than mine in the reeds."
Li Er nodded: "Okay."
He had to apply what he had learned and practice what he learned. He couldn't help but admire and applaud Zhao Mian's brilliant strategy.
What Zhao Mian wanted was not only for him to reveal his identity first, but also to tell him that as long as he was willing, he could do whatever he wanted to Sun Zuo and others.
It's beautiful to do threatening things in the name of helping others.
"But there is one thing," Li Er said, "I can use open tactics, but you have to be careful about how often you do it."
Zhao Mian was unmoved: "You can't lie to me, not even once."
The two stood side by side, their eyes not meeting, but their long hair was blown up by the cool autumn wind, swirling unwillingly behind them.
Zhao Mian looked straight ahead and said, "Do you know what you should do now?"
"I know." Li Er turned around and slowly raised his hand in front of Zhao Mian, bowing with his brows lowered. Although his movements were casual, his noble demeanor was not diminished at all. "Wei Zhenfeng of Beiyuan Fuxue Tower, I report to you."
(End of this chapter)