Chapter 196: change, black tower, chopped off arm

When the messenger left, Tingyun Shi opened the letter with a happy face.

Ziling Chu bowed his head slightly.

The worries of a few days now sit true.

His own plotting, declared to fall short.

Even though his face did not show, his mouth was inevitably a little bitter, and he said against his will: "Congratulations, sir."

He reassured himself that it wasn't a sure thing, so he didn't have to bother with regrets.

If Jinghong Shi had cleaned his hands after reading the letter and then used the food, or had not licked his fingers to turn the pages as was his custom, the poison would not have entered his mouth.

He could accept it if it just fell through.

Fear only fear Jinghong Shi he sensed something ......

The more he thought about it, the more his fingers stiffened as he gripped the reins of the horse.

The letter was not long, why did Tingyun Shi read it back and forth so many times ......

As he wondered, Tingyun Shi suddenly spoke, "Ling A."

Ziling Chu leapt into shock: "...... male?"

Tingyun Shi folded the letter and put it in his arms: "Inform everyone that Pei Cheng is a great success, celebrate tonight!"

A cold breeze blew by, and Ziling Chu shuddered, realizing that his soft armor was drenched in cold sweat.

He squeezed the slippery reins of his horse, trying to make his voice sound pleased enough: "Yes."

Yuanheng Yan knew that he could not disgrace Tingyun Shi in front of others, so he waited until Ziling Chu left and asked, "You should be happy when you win, but shouldn't you be more restrained?"

He did not mean to question Tingyun Shi's military orders, but was just speaking from his own personal disposition.

Tingyun Shi, who was about to go ahead with his horse, stopped and turned back at the words.

The white horse was spitting hot air under his hips, and the horseshoes made a half-moon shaped gray mark on the ground.

Tingyun Shi smiled and said, "This is not a war zone and this is not a war time. The soldiers have been marching for a long time and are inevitably tired, so if there is good news, it will be good for morale to celebrate."

He added: "Heng Yuan, I am different from you. You are a humble gentleman, but I am a rude man. You can do the way of a saint, but I can't. I, Tingyun Shi, laugh when I win, and get angry when I lose. All things in this world are only as good as the word 'I am happy'."

Yuanheng Yan looked at him so wantonly, a heart beat more and more out of order: "Sorry, I do not know military affairs, so I was abrupt."

Heng Yuan, between you and me there is no need to talk about the word "abrupt". The white horse boy gripped the reins and said frankly, "I gallop heaven and earth, I only want to ensure that you sit high in the temple and be a saint for a lifetime."

After saying that, he shook the reins: "Ride!"

The white horse was ordered to raise its hooves and gallop, stirring up a cloud of hazy dust and smoke,

Yuanheng Yan has never heard a man say the word "driving" with such panache.

He watched Tingyun Shi gallop his horse all the way to the front army and raise his voice to say something that was not clear from a distance, but Yuanheng Yan thought that he must be there to announce the happy event.

As expected, a cheer rang out from the front army.

The horses also felt the same, several whinnying and cheering up.

In the midst of the joyful clamor, Yuanheng Yan's eyes always followed the white horse and silver helmet of Tingyun Shi, with a dazzling white tassel on it.

In the midst of all the joy, Ziling Chu could not help but be annoyed.

In the evening after the camp, he excused himself for Shu A for the gongzi division to boil the stomach and calm the spirit of medicine, squatting in front of a small stove frowning contemplation.

How important is the location of Pei Cheng, he knows clearly in his heart.

Because it is clear, he is irritated to this point, and even can not help but think of the past events.

At the age of twelve, Ziling Chu walked all the way to Wang City with the money he earned by pawning his family's belongings.

On the road, he wondered every day and night what he should do and what he could do.

To Nan Southern to look for relatives, a jade pendant and how can it be counted, who knows if the Nan Southern king still remember this jade pendant, who knows if he is from the dead body gold, trying to impersonate the honor of the royal son of the little thief.

If he wants to embark on the road that belongs to him, he must establish merit in favor of Nan Southern, and it must be a great merit.

At that time, although Ziling Chu was much more mature and sophisticated than the average child, she was no match for anyone in terms of naive malice.

He quickly came up with a great idea.

The Beifu Army had recruiting stations in all the counties along the road, so Ziling Chu asked around and picked a small, isolated station and told the recruiter. His family had been attacked by bandits, and he escaped with his life, but his parents were killed in a tragic accident. He had nowhere else to go and wanted to join the army to fight the bandits and avenge his father's death.

The recruiter sized him up for a moment, with some difficulty and some sympathy.

He said, "There is an order from the top that it is strictly forbidden to recruit child soldiers now that it is not a time of war."

Ziling Chu refused to die and begged, "Master, take me. I can do everything, play the hand, serve tea, wash the feet, and only wish to avenge my family ......"

A ten year old boy stepped on the recruiter's small table and said childish things about wanting revenge. The recruiter couldn't resist and softened up a bit and turned around and went to the camp, looking like he was going to the local chief officer to discuss.

Ziling Chu waited outside the camp, thinking he had made it.

Who would have thought that a reprimand would come from far and near?

The recruiter came back in the dust, followed by a big, thick man, look at the dress, is indeed the chief officer in charge of recruiting.

The man, dark and strong like a wall of towers, looked down at Ziling Chu and said in a gruff voice, "Is that you? Enlisting in the army?"

Ziling Chu held back his fear and nodded once.

He asked, "Which bandits killed your parents?"

Ziling Chu came prepared and asked the innkeeper about the nearby hills where there were bandits.

He tremblingly reported the name of Dalian Mountain, tilted his head to look at the black tower, tears in his eyes, trying to make him a little sympathy.

Who would have thought that the next moment, he was pushed away by a big hand like a bushel.

As he fell to the ground, a small, simple cloth bag was thrown over him.

The black tower-like officer looked at him coldly: "Kid, you can't even stand a push, and you're still going to kill people? Go away, don't be so insensitive, don't get involved in adults' affairs, don't get involved in children's affairs, go east, find a good house, go to work, that's what you should do."

There was good-natured laughter from the surrounding crowd.

Ziling Chu, with a red face, got up with humiliation and clutched his cloth bag.

He could feel it, which was a full three days of dry food, hard at the bottom, and a few pieces of broken silver.

When food and silver are mixed together, you can think about how dirty it is.

And he had to say thank you.

He got up in humiliation, dusty and dusty, carrying his cloth bag, and headed east.

Ziling Chu's repressed emotions were only able to burst out when he walked to a deserted place.

He swung the sack, viciously smashed into the side of the willow tree, until the dried food smashed into pieces, before throwing down the dirty little sack, and went away in anger.

Half a month later, he heard from a traveler at a small noodle store that the bandits in Dalian Mountain had been exterminated by the Beifu Army.

He only felt that the name of the place familiar, heard it, did not take it to heart.

It was about two years ago.

In the Beifu Army, he coincidentally met the black tower-like mangaka.

He was finally transferred from the poor countryside to the main camp, but is only a small adjutant in Dingyuan City, the usual daily tent deliberations are not his turn, and sometimes have to do the work of the halberd Lang.

And he was able to live with the Duke, quite valued by the Duke and the General, and even qualified to listen to the discussion of the war.

He had long since disowned himself, and he even had to salute himself as he passed him by.

This brings a sincere pleasure to Ziling Chu's heart.

Ziling Chu is glad he didn't join the army.

The military, need to climb up from the bottom. The way do not know how many hard battles to fight, if not in the general's house of accumulation, the sword and spear without eyes, he may also be possible to die in which the fight against bandits in the small battles, a lifetime of volunteer hard to level.

Looking back on his journey, Ziling Chu took a long breath.

He stroked the pendant on his waist, knowing that he was now in a somewhat different frame of mind.

He, Ziling Chu, has been lucky in this half of his life, although it has not been smooth, but it is still lucky.

This attack did not succeed, but let the Beifu Army take Pei City, I think the civil official must have heard the news must also be angry.

Ziling Chu has a slight headache when he thinks about it.

He has hibernated so far, still no real results, so easy to win the trust of Nan Southern people with information, vowed, full of confidence to strike a blow, but a punch in the cotton.

Ziling Chu could only imagine the caustic and critical face of the civil official named Sha Ai.

After making an alliance with him himself a few years back, he agreed with him to only go to the letter and not reply to it, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the Duke.

Just in case, today, when the son goes to bed, he'd better write to Sha Ai to contact him and explain the situation.

He didn't even notice that the tent behind him was lifted up a crack.

Half of Xiaochi Chi's face flashed in the gap.

Inside the tent.

Xiaochi Chi let down the curtain, walked gently to the soft couch, and sat down at the footrest.

Ying Lou was lying on a couch, still holding a book in her hand.

The two have always kept a somewhat delicate distance over the past few days.

He turned a page of the book, "Worried?"

As soon as Ying Lou opened his mouth, Xiaochi Chi quietly put down his newly crossed legs: "...... is worried."

When it comes to the task, Xiaochi Chi's demeanor is much more natural and relaxed: "A poisonous snake, in the ground for seven or eight years, starving, in order to wait for an opportunity to bite people to death. The result is easy to wait for the opportunity to exert all the strength to spit out a mouthful of poison, half a day without seeing people fall. A probe, damn, where are the people."

Ying Lou couldn't help but let out a laugh: "You still have the intention to scare him. It was obviously a letter without words, and you read it for so long."

Jinghong Shi's message to Tingyun Shi was conveyed by messenger.

Inside that letter, there was practically no word.

Ying Lou lowered her voice, as if she was afraid that Ziling Chu, who was boiling medicine outside, would hear her: "Is General Shi worried that Ziling Chu will open your letter?"

Xiaochi Chi sits closer to facilitate the conversation: "He's worried too much. Ziling Chu is too cautious to have the guts of such a dog."

Ying Lou : "In General Shi's opinion, it must be there."

Xiaochi Chi laughed: "More or less. After all, when the old man opened the letter, he saw that the seal, the wooden cylinder and the handwriting were all in perfect order, but the top of the letter was blatantly addressed to that Sha Ai, so I'm afraid he was also quite shocked."

Thanks to Tingyun Shi's memory, Xiaochi Chi remembered that Ziling Chu was secretly in contact with a second-ranking civil official named Sha Ai, and even remembered the location of his residence.

At the time of Tingyun Shi's imprisonment, he distinctly heard people talking about how the lord Sha Ai had bought a house in one of the west streets of Nan Southern's main city and doubled the size of the original mansion, and how magnificent and brilliant it was.

By interfering with geomagnetism, the pigeons that were to fly to Nan Southern went to Jinghong Shi's tent.

Another pigeon, following Tingyun Shi's memory, flew to the home of the still-depressed second-ranking civil servant in the west street of Nan Southern's main city.

Xiaochi Chi was prepared for anything when he was in the carriage.

He wrote on the paper, "Lord Sha Ai, this letter is about a huge matter, and Ziling used a special ink, which is difficult to distinguish with the eye, and needs to be combined with the fire paint on the small wooden cylinder sent with it, in order to be visible.

He also said, just soak the fire lacquer into the hot tea, to melt some of the fire lacquer, containing water sprayed on the paper, wait a few minutes, the handwriting is immediately apparent.

...... is simply a full instruction manual for suicide.

And Xiaochi Chi had no qualms at all about using Tingyun Shi's handwriting directly.

Ying Lou asked him, "Aren't you worried that Sha Ai will be suspicious when she reads the handwriting?"

"A man like Ziling Chu, who doesn't trust anyone, is so careful about everything that he has to dig three graves to prepare for his death," Xiaochi Chi said. Xiaochi Chi said, "He has been Tingyun Shi's boy for many years, so it is not unusual for him to imitate Tingyun Shi's handwriting. Even if the letter was discovered, he could claim that he was sending it on behalf of Tingyun Shi, that Tingyun Shi was secretly collaborating with Nan Southern, and that he wanted to seize power. --The Shi family's army is indeed powerful, and he left this hand in order to make the Shi family centrifugal from the royal family."

Ying Lou lowered his voice again: "If Sha Ai does not spray the water himself, but leaves it to his men or entourage ......"

"Who cares who he is, poisoning one is enough." Xiaochi Chi moved closer again, "The hemlock poison will be diluted by water, medicine death is considered a poor life, medicine injury is considered a great life. Sir, if the Nan Southerners found out that he had poisoned the fire paint, then Ziling Chu, the pawn, whether he intentionally betrayed Nan Southern, or was discovered by his master and his whereabouts revealed, would the Nan Southerners still dare to use him?"

"Does he know now?"

Xiaochi Chi shook his head: "I guess, his letters are sent one way. Moreover, in order to avoid people's eyes and ears, he chose to contact people who are not very important, just a second-ranking civil official died of poison in his study, and the matter will not even reach the battlefield, regardless of what Sha Ai, buy, Hammati, or Hammabai."

Ying Lou reminded him, "That last one is not a last name, it's a curse."

Xiaochi Chi : "...... Oh."

Xiaochi Chi added, "I know."

Ying Lou couldn't help but laugh.

"In short, the poison was laid by him, and the poke was knocked on by his own hand." Xiaochi Chi stretched his hands and said, "I only wrote a letter of guidance, I didn't ask him to harm anyone. It was him, Ziling Chu, who took advantage of the situation and broke his own arm, so it has nothing to do with me, Tingyun Shi."

Ying Lou laughed.

He had understood Xiaochi Chi's whole plan and managed to hook Xiaochi Chi unknowingly close by with the bass.

Ying Lou stretched out her hand and gently rested it on his index finger that was inadvertently placed on the edge of the couch.

This action is not very charming, but it makes Xiaochi Chi's face flush.

...... Ying Lou hooked on just where he was wearing the ring.

Ghostly, Xiaochi Chi did not withdraw his hand: "Mr. ......"

Ying Lou smiled: "Finally, I got you here."

Since the success of the last date, Xiaochi Chi's attitude towards Ying Lou has changed a bit.

...... seems to be, not so afraid of him.

He took a small breath and said, "Sir cheat."

Ying Lou liked his childish tone, "Just get you."

Xiaochi Chi, sitting on a pedal, tilted her chin: "What do you want to do when you catch me?"

Ying Lou said, "It's nothing, I want to watch you."

Between the two of them, they did not hear the soft knocking on the door outside.

The first few times, Yuanheng Yan always visited late at night in order not to be too conspicuous, looking for Tingyun Shi to have tea and chat, but was always informed that the gongzi had already gone to bed with the gongzi master.

He thought privately that he could always come earlier today.

Ziling Chu at the door said that the gongzi was talking to the gongzi master inside and should not have rested yet.

Yuanheng Yan took the military book he had filled with notes, made sure the chatting props he had prepared were okay, and tidied up his appearance slightly before raising his hand and knocking on the door.

However, after several low calls, no one answered.

Is ...... not available?

But he did hear a low human voice inside.

Yuanheng Yan lifted the curtain of the tent and went in, his eyes only turned, then froze in place.

Tingyun Shi is sitting on a soft couch, staring at a sickly literati in a green shirt in a very odd atmosphere.

What made him pale was Tingyun Shi's hand with the man and the flushed side of his face.