noffsinger Chapter 117 Departure, Taking Down the Lair
Chapter 117 Departure, Taking Down the Lair
The remaining forces on Prince Gong's side have all been eliminated; now only the Wen family remains...
"Ah!" A scream pierced the night sky.
The madam looked at the dead courtesan, her heart aching so much she almost cried. This was her most prized courtesan, and now Zheng Luoqi had slit her throat with a single sword stroke.
Zheng Luoqi looked coldly at the madam and said, "Do you know that this is a serious criminal of the imperial court? You dare to buy back such a criminal?"
The madam turned pale with fright and hurriedly explained, "Sir, I truly didn't know this young master was a wanted criminal! If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have dared to buy him even if I had a hundred lives!"
Zheng Luoqi replied calmly, "Alright, alright, I'll let you off this time since you were unaware of the situation. But next time, you'd better keep a close eye on things and not just let anyone in."
The madam stammered, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! I won't do it again. I'll definitely check before accepting anything!"
Zheng Luoqi listened to the madam's words, stretched out one hand, and then looked straight at the madam.
At first, the madam was confused, but then she realized it was the silver note. She was heartbroken when she handed it over, and watched helplessly as Zheng Luoqi took the silver note back.
Zheng Luoqi put away the silver notes and led the people out.
The madam behind him, though heartbroken, still had to smile and greet him, "Take care, sir! Welcome to come again next time!"
The madam smiled, but in her heart she was thinking that she never wanted to see Zheng Luoqi again. Today, she had not only lost the man but also lost money.
Zheng Luoqi led Lin Zifeng and the others out of Nanfeng Pavilion.
Lin Zifeng and Wen Yixuan remained silent throughout the journey, their eyes fixed on Zheng Luoqi.
They knew Zheng Luoqi wouldn't go out without a reason.
.................
Zheng Luoqi spent the next few days waiting for news from Zisang.
Zisang did not disappoint Zheng Luoqi's expectations. The prefect of Liangzhou was killed by Zisang, who was lying in ambush, when he got up in the middle of the night. The current prefect of Liangzhou is actually Zisang in disguise.
Upon receiving Zisang's message, Zheng Luoqi immediately wrote to Zheng Yuxiang. Zheng Yuxiang secretly entered the palace and asked the emperor to mobilize troops to support Liangzhou and wipe out the remnants of the previous dynasty.
This time, the emperor readily agreed.
After receiving the reply and the order to mobilize troops, Zheng Luoqi made preparations and immediately set off to find He Jinyu.
Boyu was left in Xuzhou because Zheng Luoqi was worried about Lin Zifeng and Wen Yixuan.
This time, Zheng Luoqi made it clear that she wouldn't play along with their act anymore. She ordered Boyu to put the two of them under house arrest and wait for Zheng Luoqi to return before dealing with them.
With Boyu watching over her, Zheng Luoqi felt at ease.
Zheng Luoqi rode straight to Qizhou. To get to Liangzhou, he had to pass through Qizhou, where there was a garrison. Zheng Luoqi took the transfer order and went to Qizhou to gather reinforcements.
Lin Zifeng and Wen Yixuan only realized they had been completely tricked when they were placed under house arrest.
From the moment Xiao Tao disappeared and Pei Wenyu returned to Beijing, Lin Zifeng should have realized that something was wrong. Pei Wenyu's sudden return to Beijing was probably not so simple.
Wen Yixuan felt a great sense of unease. Many of the messages Yan Huan had been sending him recently were unimportant and trivial. He should have noticed this sooner. Now Zheng Luoqi had already turned her back on him.
Wen Yixuan could no longer pretend. He wanted to lead his men out to deliver a message to the Grand Commandant, but Xuzhou was Zheng Luoqi's territory, and the few men he brought from the capital were simply not enough.
Zheng Luoqi has arrived at the Qizhou garrison after several days of travel and met the general there, Shen Jin.
Shen Jin held a certain position among the military officers, but not as high as the Grand Commandant and General Pei, because he was a reckless man and disdained to associate with the civil officials of the court. He took his family to Qizhou to retire.
Shen Jinping hated dealing with civil officials more than anything else in his life. He felt that civil officials were too cunning and spoke in a roundabout way.
This time, when Zheng Luoqi came with the transfer order to ask for reinforcements, Shen Jin readily gave Zheng Luoqi a thousand soldiers to support him. The reason he gave them so readily was because he had suffered under the Prime Minister before and never wanted to deal with the Prime Minister and his son again.
When they saw Zheng Luoqi off, it was like sending away a plague god.
Zheng Luoqi didn't delay and led the army to Liangzhou to meet up with He Jinyu.
He Jinyu had been waiting for Zheng Luoqi outside Liangzhou City for a long time.
Upon seeing Zheng Luoqi, He Jinyu excitedly mounted his horse and rode over, exclaiming happily, "My lord! I have not disappointed you! I have investigated thoroughly!"
"I understand. Jingyu, you've worked hard this time, traveling for several days in a row. Take a rest and recuperate first. We can't rush to take down their stronghold. With so many of us here, some of them must have received the news and become suspicious. They probably don't know that we're targeting them yet, and the news hasn't reached their ears."
"We must wipe them out before they find out and try to escape!" Zheng Luoqi said slowly in a low voice.
The two horses rode side by side.
"My lord, what do you mean?" He Jinyu asked, puzzled.
“The prefect of Liangzhou is a man of the Grand Commandant, and he must have connections with that organization, but now the prefect of Liangzhou is Zisang. We may have been watched as soon as we stepped into this prefecture.”
"Before Zisang is exposed, we need to enter Liangzhou openly. If we sneak in, they will definitely be suspicious. We should just go in openly. But to go in openly, we need Zisang to let us through."
“At that time, that organization will definitely contact Zisang to find out exactly what we brought so many people to Liangzhou for. Once they lower their guard, we will take advantage of the situation!” Zheng Luoqi said.
"Understood, sir!" He Jingyu replied respectfully.
"Let's go find Zisang first!" Zheng Luoqi said as she rode her horse toward the Liangzhou government office.
At this moment, Zisang, disguised as the prefect of Liangzhou, was already waiting.
When Zheng Luoqi and He Jinyu arrived at the government office, the prefect played by Zi Sang was so immersed in the role that he fawned over Zheng Luoqi, looking like a seasoned and cunning official.
Zi Sang's acting skills are truly impeccable.
Zheng Luoqi exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries before getting straight to the point, saying that he had brought a group of reinforcements to the border. There was a possible disturbance at the border, so he was just passing through and would rest for a few days. He asked Zisang to find him a place where his troops could rest.
Zisang, who was pretending to be the prefect of Liangzhou, also cooperated well with the acting. He first pretended to hesitate for a while, and then said that he had some difficulties and was afraid that he could not find a good place, so he asked Zheng Luoqi to handle it himself.
The matter was quickly settled, and Zheng Luoqi's thousand soldiers entered Liangzhou City openly and legitimately.
Zheng Luoqi started planning overnight how to take down the old nest, while Zisang had not yet been discovered and others had not yet realized that the Liangzhou prefect had been replaced.
Today, Zisang suddenly let these soldiers into the city, which will easily arouse suspicion among those people. It is still unknown whether the reason given today can dispel their doubts.