After that night, Guo Shao really never saw Zhou Xian again.
At this time, an extremely important event happened in Hebei: Wang Rao, the governor of Zhangde Army, died of illness.
Northwest of Tokyo, across the Yellow River, is Huaizhou: the seat of the Heyang Jiedushi. Jiedushi Li Jixun not only governs Huaizhou, but also governs the three major cities of Menghuaize from south to north. He has been operating here for more than two years.
Li Jixun was 41 years old, in the prime of his life. He was no longer young, but he had accumulated enough military and political experience to overturn his life. He had seen dynasties change, served the Khitan rulers and the Han dynasty, had great victories and defeats, and had seen many storms.
But now, he is facing the biggest hurdle in his life, the biggest wave that concerns life and death.
Li Jixun had a square face with three vertical lines between his eyebrows. He stood tall on the high city wall, holding the hilt of his sword with his left hand, looking at the thousands of soldiers on the parade ground. His hair and beard fluttered in the wind, and his armor shone brightly in the sun.
The soldiers below the city shouted in unison, and countless soldiers rushed forward in unison.
The coach on the earthen platform in front retracted his horse stance, raised his spear, stood up straight, took another step forward and thrust it, shouting: Kill all the soldiers. Following the drumbeat, he repeated the boring movements again.
Farther away, yellow dust was rolling and a large group of cavalry were galloping. The knights were shouting in surprise and drawing their bows and arrows, shooting at targets on the roadside. As the cavalry passed by, the targets looked like they were covered with reeds and were shot like hedgehogs.
At this moment, an aide walked up the wall quickly and whispered something in Li Jixun's ear. Li Jixun said nothing, put down his sword and turned to leave. He got off the wall and swiftly mounted his horse, and a small group of cavalry rushed away.
On both sides of the street, a group of sturdy men were blatantly clanging armor and weapons, and many houses were requisitioned as arsenals.
There is nothing to hide. No matter how he tries to cover it up, he cannot conceal his intention to prepare for war.
When he reached the door, Yang Ji, a trusted general who had followed him for a long time, stepped forward and bowed, saying: My lord, if all the prisoners in the three city prisons are released together with the recruited able-bodied men, we will have an army of 10,000 people.
Li Jixun nodded and walked straight into the lobby. Several men in armor and two men in robes stood up and bowed together.
No need to be polite. Li Jixun waved to a few people and turned to say, Shouen, have you confirmed that Wang Shizhong Wang Rao has passed away
His eldest son Li Shouen said: "I followed my father's order and sent a fast horse to Hebei to contact Wang Shizhong, but found that Wang Shizhong had died of illness and the city had already announced the funeral.
Li Yun's eldest daughter is waiting to be married. She is of similar age to your second brother and is a good match for him. You should go to Luzhou in person and propose to Li Yun immediately, Li Jixun said in a deep voice.
The staff advised: No, the lord can send an envoy, it is too dangerous for the eldest son to go.
Li Jixun ignored him and invited his eldest son Shouen to the signing room and gave him instructions. Li Jixun said solemnly: "I am not worried about Shouen's trip, but this matter concerns the survival of the entire Li family. I must do my utmost to bring Li Yun into the group."
Shou'en bowed solemnly and said: Father, I understand your painstaking efforts.
Li Jixun said: "My father and Zhao Kuangyin and other brothers were called the Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society. Now the ten brothers are either dead or have escaped. My father was spared because he was not in Tokyo. The villains in Tokyo will never let us go."
Now we can no longer obey the orders of the Eastern Capital. As a father, I have thought about going north and joining Brother Zhao, Zhao Kuangyin. But now Zhao Kuangyin is weak in the Northern Han Dynasty and cannot protect himself. It is hard to predict the good and bad luck on the way to the Northern Han Dynasty. It is better to raise an army and wait and see. As long as Li Yun joins the group, together with Li Chongjin in the north, Heyang and Hedong will be connected. We can wait for the turmoil in the Eastern Capital to make plans, and retreat to the north with our own army to enter the Northern Han Dynasty and be invincible. Li Yun is very important.
Shou En Dao: I will definitely fulfill my mission
In the Wansui Palace in Tokyo, Fu Jinzhan had just heard the news of Wang Rao's death.
The spacious and empty palace was old and simple in architecture. With the purple curtains, the dark tone here was mysterious and solemn. But it could also make people feel heavy. The maids around stood quietly, not daring to make a sound.
Fu Jinzhan thought about it for a long time and made up her mind. There was no need to ask Chai Gui to divorce his wife. The reason why she wanted Wang Rao and Chai Gui to get married was to stabilize Wang Rao. The key to winning over Wang Rao would be concentrated on Li Yun alone.
She was in such a good mood, not only because of politics. The words of the eunuch Wang Zhong were still ringing in her ears: Five days ago, Li Yu and his wife were at Chen's house in the west of the city, and General Guo went there once; General Guo also went to Chen's house yesterday evening and returned late at night.
Wang Zhong used to be in charge of the Imperial City Division, a spy agency with only a small number of people. After Wang Zhong was released, he was reinstated and was still in charge of the areas he was originally in charge of.
Fu Jinzhan sat alone for a while, then stopped caring, waved her hand to dismiss the palace maid, and said to Mu Shanggong: I'm a little tired, I want to take a nap, wake me up in an hour.
Yes. Mu Shanggong knelt down and bowed.
Soon, Fu Jinzhan fell into a daze and fell asleep. Suddenly, the palace was filled with gloomy winds. She had a thought in her mind.
Suddenly a voice came from my head.
Fu Jinzhan was so frightened that she couldn't breathe. She saw a headless general in armor groping around the bed, blood still oozing from his neck. The blanket on the bed was splattered with blood. Fu Jinzhan wanted to call for help, but she couldn't make a sound. She opened her mouth as if she couldn't breathe.
Then he saw white smoke at the palace gate, and a group of blood-stained generals with hateful eyes floated in. They were bleeding from all seven orifices, like soldiers from the underworld. Behind them came a man in a dragon robe. He couldn't see his face clearly, but Fu Jinzhan knew for some reason that he was Chai Rong.
I killed him back again and the man in dragon robe laughed with his head raised.
Then Zhao Kuangyin and others came, and Zhao Kuangyin said: Your Majesty, take her back and make her live a life worse than death.
Guo Shaofu Jinzhan finally shouted out.
She suddenly opened her eyes. The sun was shining in from the west through the carved window. The surroundings were quiet. Where did the miserable wind and rain come from? Where did the people come from? Fu Jinzhan sat on the bed, only feeling that her forehead was covered with sweat and her chest was heaving.
At this time, Mu Shanggong walked in quickly: Queen Mother
What did I shout just now? Fu Jinzhan asked.
Mu Shanggong was stunned for a moment, then bent down with her hands hanging down and said: I didn’t hear anything.
I told you to tell the truth, Fu Jinzhan said angrily.
Mu Shang Gong said seriously: The Queen Mother did not say anything, I just came in to check when I heard some noise on the bed.
Fu Jinzhan frowned and looked at her, saying: I want to see General Guo immediately and ask someone to summon him to the palace.
Meet Mu Shanggong in Wansui Hall.
Fu Jinzhan pondered and said: Go to the back hall of Jinxiang Palace.
After giving the order, she called in the palace maid to help her change her clothes. She casually put on a yellow dress and set off. She took the sedan chair through Xuanyou Gate to the Jinxiang Palace in the south. She was waiting in a study in the back hall.
Soon, Guo Shao was heard outside the curtain saying: "Your subject pays his respects to the Queen Mother."
Fu Jinzhan felt relieved when she heard this calm and masculine voice, and said in a trembling voice: You come in, everyone else go out. Guo Shao opened the curtain and walked in. He looked up at Fu Jinzhan, and his expression changed slightly: Queen Mother, what happened? Wang Rao's matter
Have you seen Zhou Xianfu before? Jinzhan asked directly.
Guo Shaodao: Yes, I have. Including the arrangement made by the Empress Dowager the day before yesterday, I have met her three times in total.
Fu Jinzhan felt relieved after hearing this: Why didn't you tell me
The Queen Mother did not ask. Guo Shao said. Fu Jinzhan asked again: What did you do when you saw her? Did you have sex with her three times
Guo Shaodao: The first time she wanted me to help Li Yu, the second time the Queen Mother forced her to do so, and the third time it was Li Yu who forced her to do so.
Are you attracted to Zhou Xian? Fu Jinzhan asked with a frown.
Guo Shao said: The Queen Mother could have strictly ordered me not to have any contact with other women. If she had made this request instead of building a building for me to hide my lover, the first incident might not have happened. In this way, I would have had an idea in my mind and could stick to it.
But how could Fu Jinzhan look at his face.
If I give the order now, there will be one exception. I have to marry Li Chuyun's eldest daughter first, otherwise it will cause more trouble; Li Chuyun dotes on her very much, and if I am too ruthless to her, she might do something or say something.
Fu Jinzhan said: "You just said you would stick to your idea, but now you are talking about conditions. It is obvious that I cannot stop you even if I want to."
Guo Shao stood there with a guilty look on his face.
Fu Jinzhan exhaled lightly, and said quietly: I am not Fu Ermei, so it is not my turn to be jealous. I had a dream at noon, and all those who were killed turned into ghosts to find me.
Guo Shao hurriedly said: Queen Mother
Fu Jinzhan sighed tactfully. Zhou Xian's consideration was actually correct. Although the Central Plains was strong, the Tang Dynasty had to change dynasties every ten years, and the people in the palace had to be replaced every few years. What would be our fate
Queen Mother, the world has been at war for half a century and fifty years, and the people have suffered greatly. People are anxious for peace. The world is divided for a long time and must unite, and it is time to unify the world and achieve long-term peace. Guo Shaodao, since we have come to this point, we should follow the general trend and complete the mission of the superiors.
Fu Jinzhan said in a trembling voice: But I am still very scared, I have nothing but you.
Guo Shao was stunned and said: How can I make the Queen Mother feel at ease? Fu Jinzhan stood up, paced a few steps, thought for a long time, and then said: Maybe it's because I'm restless today.
She thought of Chai Gui again, and just asked Cao Tai to hint at him, and Chai Gui said on the spot that he would divorce his wife. Now the situation has changed, and Fu Jinzhan has to send someone to stop him again. Many people know that Chai Gui has a deep love for his first wife, but when faced with something, he is as fragile as a piece of paper.
Of course, Guo Shao is not Chai Gui. His previous actions have proved his sincerity.
Come here. Fu Jinzhan smiled.
Guo Shao then stepped forward. Fu Jinzhan suddenly hugged him, and suddenly an indescribable warmth enveloped her whole body. She still made up her mind and suddenly bit Guo Shao's shoulder.
Guo Shao groaned. Fu Jinzhan showed no mercy and bit down with all her might. She felt that all the muscles in Guo Shao's clothes were tensed, but he did not move or make a sound.
"Does it hurt?" Fu Jinzhan finally put her hand on his shoulder and asked gently.
Guo Shao said in a trembling voice: "It hurts a little, so you will remember it. This punishment is too light."
Fu Jinzhan hugged him tightly and whispered: But I can't bear to punish him too severely, I would rather be damned forever