The Qingzhou prefect did not dare to disobey Qin Zhou's order. As soon as she arrived, she made her identity clear and said that she was acting on the orders of the regent. Although he did not believe it, the other party's cavalry was powerful, and the officers and soldiers of Qingzhou Prefecture only had a few hundred people. How could he fight against them
Even if we go to the nearest military camp, we have to go to Zhaozhou, where everyone is under control. How can we get out and ask for help
In desperation, the Qingzhou prefect could only do as Qin Zhou instructed.
King Nan Huai was indeed still in Qingzhou, and he also knew that if he failed to capture Murong Jie and Xia Zian, he would not be able to return to the territory of the Southern Kingdom. Once he appeared in the Southern Kingdom, he would be discovered by Murong Jie's spies. Without someone in his hands, he would be like a piece of meat on the chopping board, at the mercy of others.
So, he sent all his people to look for Murong Jie and Xia Zian.
The heavy rain lasted for a long time, from the time Murong Jie rescued Xia Zian until the evening of the next day, the rain did not stop.
It was impossible to find anyone in the rainstorm due to poor visibility. It was not until the rain stopped in the evening that he started looking.
Qingzhou is so small, and he didn't believe that the injured Murong Jie could turn the tables.
However, there was still no news until the next evening.
"Your Highness, Qin Zhou has arrived with his men." A man in black stepped forward to report.
Prince Nan Huai's eyes turned cold, "How many people did you bring?"
"It is estimated that there are two to three thousand people, and they have already taken control of Qingzhou Prefecture."
King Nan Huai thought it was unlikely. "This heavy rain never stopped. How did the Qin boat come here?"
"They must have come by land."
"That's unlikely. Even if we go from Luocun Ferry under Zhaozhou and climb the mountain, it will take more than a day to reach Qingzhou. It's impossible to walk in such a heavy rain. How could they get here so quickly?"
It's not that you can't walk on the mountain road during heavy rain, but the rain is too heavy and the visibility is poor. Even the top masters under his command find it difficult to move forward in such heavy rain.
Especially in the past two days, it was almost equally dark during the day and at night. It was impossible to use a torch and we had to travel in the dark, which would take at least three days.
The man in black said, "I also find it strange. It's raining heavily and we can't go by water. If she wants to bring people here, she can only go by land."
"Where is the sir?" asked King Nan Huai.
"He said he would bury the green girl's body himself. He should have returned by now."
After Murong Jie rescued Xia Zian, they quickly moved to another place and found this mansion, which was the house of a wealthy family in Qingzhou. They seized the place and detained the entire family of the wealthy family, thus taking over the mansion.
King Nan Huai stood at the door of the room where Shangqiu lived, took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open and went in.
I had indeed just returned from Shangqiu, and there was still a thick layer of yellow mud on my shoes, and the footprints on the ground were also marked with yellow mud water.
Shangqiu sat on a stool, holding a celadon painted cup in his hand, his fingers trembling slightly. White mist rose from the hot water in the cup, and his face seemed a little dazed in the white mist.
Seeing Prince Nan Huai coming in, he put down the cup and stood up, "Prince!"
"Buried?" asked King Nan Huai.
Shangqiu nodded, "Yes, no coffin, just a mat to wrap the body."
The voice sounded a little sad.
Nan Huai Wang looked at him straight in the eyes and said, "When the king succeeds in his mission, I will bury her with honor."
Shangqiu was slightly shocked, raised his head and looked at Prince Nan Huai, and said helplessly: "Prince, let go."
Anger suddenly rose in the eyes of Prince Nan Huai. "Sir, if you had told me this a few years ago, I might have let it go. Why are you asking me to let it go now? Impossible."
Shangqiu said sadly, "If you had told me a few years earlier, the prince would not have let me go. One must know how to judge the situation. The prince had the help of the noble concubine before, the connections in the capital were complete, and the southern country was strong and powerful, but they still could not shake him in the slightest. What can you do today?"
Nan Huai Wang sneered, "This time, if you hadn't ruined my good deeds, I wouldn't have ended up like this. You killed Lu Yi, and her love for you wasted."
Shangqiu's face flushed, "I did not ruin the prince's good deeds."
Prince Nan Huai sat down slowly, staring at Shangqiu with his eyes as bright as swords. "Where did Xia Zian's needle come from? Why did Scar Rope appear in her hand? If there was no Scar Rope, Murong Jie would also fall into my hands."
"I did give her the needle, but the reason I gave her the needle was just to let her protect the fetus. As for Scarlett, I did not give him the needle. Scarlett had already been burned when he was on the road. Your Majesty witnessed it with his own eyes."
"You know Scarlett can't burn it. It's a sacred object from our ancestors. So, you're just pretending to do it for me, right?"
King Nan Huai was not sure about his guess, but when he saw Shangqiu's expression, he knew that he had guessed right. He felt angry and sad, "I never thought that the one who betrayed me in the end was actually you, sir."
Shangqiu said solemnly: "Your Highness, I really don't know whether Scar Rope can be burned. I have thought that it may not be possible, but I have never seen it with my own eyes, let alone know that it is so magical. I dare to swear on my life that I have never done anything to Scar Rope."
King Nan Huai stared at him, as if trying to see through his inner thoughts.
Shangqiu also let him watch openly.
After a long while, Prince Nan Huai retracted his gaze and said, "Sir, you are proficient in medicine, divination and astrology. Please tell me another divination. Where are Murong Jie and Xia Zian now?"
Shangqiu said helplessly: "Your Majesty, I have gone against the will of heaven many times, and I dare not reveal the secrets of heaven again."
Nan Huai Wang suppressed his anger and said sincerely: "This is the last time I beg you. After this time, you can leave freely. If I succeed in the future, I will welcome you back with state ceremony. If I fail, you will not be implicated in any way."
Shangqiu looked at his obsessed face and sighed softly, "Your Highness, Qin Zhou is here, and Murong Jie has Scar Suo in his hand. We are no match for them, so why should we throw our lives away in vain?"
"Just tell me, will you help or not?" King Nan Huai's tone gradually became cold and hard.
Shangqiu did not move or speak, as if he was thinking.
"It was you who said that I had the fate and appearance of an emperor, and that inspired me to fight for it. Every time I felt discouraged and wanted to give up, it was you who kept encouraging and supporting me. Without you, I would not have come to this point today. Perhaps, I really should not have saved you..."
Shangqiu stood up with a hint of anger on his face. He knew that this was not the case. King Nan Huai's ambition did not arise only after his arrival. As for the so-called discouragement, he had never felt discouraged. Over the years, he had never thought of giving up.
All his previous words could be ignored, except for the last sentence, that life-saving grace, which was as heavy as Mount Tai.
"I will help you for the last time!" Shangqiu said in a deep voice, "From now on, I will not owe you anything. I wish you a bright future."
A trace of murderous intent flashed in Nan Huai Wang's eyes, but he immediately hid it. "I still say that if I succeed, you will be rich and powerful in no time. If I fail, you will have nothing to blame."
(End of this chapter)