Homing pigeons were flying around on the walls of Hangzhou City that night. The soldiers guarding Yangzhou City could only stare at these pigeons that appeared overnight, and they were a little confused.
King Luo Bin, following Li Jingye's order, has been patrolling the city for nearly an hour. He is closely followed by several generals guarding the city. He also has a strong impression of the newly-appointed Lu Shi who has joined the army.
The sound of horse carriages rang out in the silent streets late at night, and the clatter of horse hooves, accompanied by the sound of wheels rolling over the road, made the originally silent night seem particularly harsh and abrupt.
"Go down and see who is leaving the city in the middle of the night." King Luo Bin stood at the top of the city and looked at the carriage under the city tower. An unmarked lantern was placed beside the shaft of the carriage, emitting a dim light, illuminating the road ahead.
As more than a dozen soldiers, led by a guard, ran down the city, quickly raising their spears and crossbows in front of the carriage, a cold shout sounded from the mouth of the guard, and the carriage slowly stopped. steps.
"Who is it?" The guard asked, looking at the driver whose face was obscured by the shadow of the light. He immediately pulled out the scabbard of the horizontal knife in his hand, exerting pressure on the opposite side.
The driver did not answer immediately. Instead, he slowly lifted the lantern in his hand and shined it on his cheek. Then he took out a fish charm from his arms and threw it over. Then he said coldly: "On an errand." Open the city gate!"
The fish talisman was caught neatly by the guard, and he took a look at it through the firelight on his side. He was not sure whether such a fish talisman was still useful in today's Yangzhou City, so he couldn't help but look at the record on the top of the city. Join the army.
He pressed the fish charm in his hand with his fingers uncertainly, thought for a moment and said, "Wait a minute, Yangzhou City is different from usual now, I need to go up and ask for instructions."
"Please." Manzhong looked at the guard's serious face and said lightly.
Bai Chun in the car whispered: "If King Luo Bin has not come here, we might as well wait a little longer and remember not to turn around and go to other city gates."
"Yes, Miss Bai, but judging from the look of the guard, it is obvious that he cannot make the decision. He wants to go up and ask for instructions. I wonder if it is King Luo Bin." Mang Zhong turned around and glanced at the door curtain of the carriage and said.
Bai Chun in the carriage did not answer Mang Zhong's words, but fell into a kind of silence. At the head of Yangzhou City, the only sound was the footsteps of the guard when he went up and down the steps.
"You can leave the city." The guard's horizontal sword had been sheathed, and he returned the fish talisman to Mang Zhong. Seeing Mang Zhong put the fish talisman into his arms, he couldn't help but whisper: "Now Yangzhou It’s not peaceful outside the city. You’d better take the small road after you go out. And... after you leave the city, if you encounter other people asking for it, it’s best not to use it again. It may not work after you leave the city.”
"Oh? This is the fish talisman given by Mr. Li himself. Will it not work after leaving the city?" A clear voice came from the car, and the guard frowned when he heard it.
"I can't explain these things to you clearly. Anyway, please remember not to use this fish charm again after leaving the city. Besides, there are women in your carriage. If you want you to escape Yangzhou City safely, you'd better press my button. It's up to you." The guard looked at the black shadow on the top of the city and saw that no one was urging him, so he said a few more words.
Bai Chun in the car was not talking, but she had already understood. Come to think of it, they were not the only ones who sneaked out of the city that night. It seemed that some wealthy, well-connected, and well-connected families had begun to quietly flee Yangzhou. Came to escape the war.
"Thank you, General, for reminding us. We will remember what you said." Manzhong saluted.
The guard looked at Mang Zhong's graceful movements and thought to himself that this must be another noble family in Yangzhou.
He wanted to go back, but he still nodded silently and said, "Come on, it's not easy to leave your hometown, so there's no need." The guard handed the silver to Mang Zhong, pushed it back to Mang Zhong, and said with a gentle smile.
"Thank you very much. Then when we come back, I will thank you again for your great virtue, General." Mang Zhong was not polite, took back the silver in his hand and put it into his sleeve, and thanked him again.
"I don't know if I can see you again next time. Who knows what kind of chaos Yangzhou will be in the future." The guard smiled wryly and waved his hand, obviously unwilling to say more, and motioned for them to leave quickly.
Chen Qinghan in the carriage looked at Chen Jingzhi, who was leaning tiredly in the carriage. His face was filled with a smile of joy, and his face was filled with tears. She used the silk handkerchief prepared by Bai Chun to wipe it. Tears.
"I would like to thank Miss Bai for saving my life." Chen Jingzhi said with a haggard look after the carriage slowly set off again.
"You don't have to thank me. If you want to thank me, just thank His Highness the Crown Prince. If it weren't for His Highness, I'm afraid you would have been beheaded by Li Jingye a long time ago." Bai Chun said lightly, without any expression on his face.
Chen Qinghan was very puzzled by this. She clearly remembered that Miss Bai always smiled when she was around His Royal Highness. Although she occasionally became as indifferent as she is now, when facing her father's gratitude, she showed no polite expression at all. No, it's too rare.
Chen Jingzhi didn't know what Chen Qinghan was thinking, but he knew that Miss Bai Chun was telling the truth. If two more people hadn't suddenly helped him secretly, he would have died in prison before Li Jingye could be executed. .
Although the letter he placed on Chen Qinghan posed a certain threat to Li Jingye, according to the current situation of Yangzhou City, Li Jingye did not have to take so much into consideration. Therefore, to put it bluntly, his life, regardless of No matter what, it was all saved by His Highness the Crown Prince.
Bai Chun took out a letter and handed it to Chen Jingzhi, and continued expressionlessly: "This is what His Highness gave you. When you arrive in Chang'an or Luoyang, you can take this letter to Luoyang Governor Lou Shide." , or Prince Ji. As for these letters, you naturally need to hand them over to Dali Temple or the Ministry of Punishment, but I don’t think you need to go there personally, they may send someone to find you. "
"Thank you Miss Bai. I will definitely do it and never let these letters fall into the wrong hands." Chen Jingzhi's hair was scattered and he looked old and tired. In Chen Qinghan's eyes, she felt that her father seemed to have died during this period. He has aged into his seventies or eighties.
The carriage slowly stopped again, and the footsteps outside sounded noisily again. Bai Chun didn't wait for Mang Zhong outside to lift the curtain, so he took the initiative to lift the curtain and walked out. Then he turned to Chen Jingzhi and said: "This The road may not be peaceful. Whether Yang Zhirou, Young Master Yang Sijian, or others will make things difficult for you will depend on your fate. There are twenty elite soldiers here. They will escort you to Chang'an and listen to you along the way. Command, so you have to be careful in everything.”
With the support of Chen Qinghan, Chen Jingzhi stood up from the carriage with difficulty, saluted Bai Chun respectfully, and then said: "Miss Bai, don't worry, I will be extremely careful along the way. Thank you, Your Highness, and thank you, Miss Bai."
Bai Chun lowered the car curtain, and under the protection of Mang Zhong and Cheetah, he exchanged a few words with the twenty soldiers from the Buddha Battalion in front of him, and prepared to rush back to Yangzhou immediately.
At this moment, the curtain of the carriage was opened from the inside again. With the little moonlight, Chen Qinghan's beautiful eyes looked back and forth, then she jumped off the carriage and trotted to Bai Chun's side. After bowing her head and saluting, she whispered : "Sister Bai, please thank Your Highness on behalf of my little sister when you go back. Qinghan will remember His Highness's life-saving grace for the rest of her life."
Bai Chun smiled, looking at Chen Qinghan who had his head lowered, showing an alluring smile that he had not shown since they met, and whispered softly: "Don't worry, I will definitely bring my little sister's thanks, but... "
"But what?" Chen Qinghan didn't know why Bai Chun paused, so she had to raise her head and ask.
"But when His Highness returns to Chang'an, you have to thank him in person. I can't just let this matter go after I thank His Highness on your behalf."
Chen Qinghan didn't have time to think too much, and immediately cheered up and said: "That's natural. If His Highness returns to Chang'an and is willing to condescend, my little sister will definitely thank His Highness."
"This is what you said, then let's make it a deal!" Bai Chun stretched out his white jade-like little finger and looked at Chen Qinghan and said.
Chen Qinghan looked at Bai Chun's jade-like little fingers, which were shining under the faint moonlight. She nodded firmly, stretched out her slender and graceful little fingers, and hooked them with Bai Chun's fingers.
The two looked at each other and smiled, then watched Chen Qinghan get into the car again. Twenty soldiers from the Pagoda Battalion immediately surrounded the carriage, and began to ride their horses slowly towards the distance under the cover of the night.
"What should we do?" The cheetah looked at the desolate wilderness. The unknown birds and insects in the grass were shouting tirelessly, calling for the dawn.
Bai Chun walked forward casually. In the night, Mang Zhong and Cheetah were following closely behind them. The three of them were now left with nothing except the only lantern in Cheetah's hand.
Walking in the quiet and empty night, Bai Chun looked ahead at the Yangzhou City hidden in the dark night, and murmured: "What else can I do? Wait, if King Luo Bin is sensible, he will have to send a carriage out of the city no matter what. Will you welcome us?"
There was an indescribable lightness in her tone. In her opinion, as long as Chen Jingzhi is sent away, half of the task will be completed. What will happen next in Yangzhou City, to what extent will it develop, and what will happen in the end? After the outcome, these are no longer considerations for me. It is enough for me to just protect the safety of His Highness.
The three of them walked leisurely and easily in the dark night. In just two miles, they passed by three carriages. Two carriages even stopped to dissuade them from going forward. Yangzhou City was no longer what it was before. The city of Yangzhou is very unstable and dangerous now. It’s better to come back after a while.
Bai Chun and the others declined their kindness, and at the same time they had to lament in their hearts that the people south of the Yangtze River and the people north of the Yangtze River had completely different attitudes towards war.
(End of chapter)