Chapter 1014
: Four Rumors in the Capital
Chapter 1014: Rumors Spread in the Capital
Towards evening,
The red sun hanging high in the west, which was a bit dazzling before, hung high in the sky, dyeing the light blue sky into an orange sunset glow.
But right in front of my eyes, suddenly, a wisp of mist-like cloud came from nowhere. At first, it was diffused like fog, but in the blink of an eye, it was pulled by a ruthless big hand and quickly spread out, like a gray curtain, rolling towards the setting sun at an alarming speed. Almost instantly, the originally radiant red sun turned into a gray wall shadow in an instant. Although there was some residual glow in the distance between heaven and earth, the red sun right in front of my eyes seemed to have disappeared in an instant.
Not to mention that King Jin was dumbfounded, even Zhang Jinyu was confused and surprised. Even though he was knowledgeable, he did not see what had just happened. It should be that the clouds blocked the sun, and there was water vapor in the sky, which then condensed into clouds. Although he did not see what it looked like, he knew it came suddenly.
There was a bit of restlessness in the entire marching team, but fortunately, there was nothing unusual during the march.
"My Lord, what's going on?"
The Prince of Jin was uneasy and looked around. Many of the guards had already drawn their weapons and were on guard. He remembered the incident of the moon being eaten by the heavenly dog in the capital after the New Year. Could it be that the Taoist had lost his luck again? After all, everyone knew that Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion had stolen Yang Qi.
The sky was getting darker and darker. I looked back and saw that the originally grey clouds had turned black. Wasn't this the dark clouds covering the sun? But I saw that everyone around me felt uneasy. I couldn't explain it.
"Your Highness, do not panic. Order the entire army to set up camp here and prepare to send troops to Qinzhou to transport water. Rest here tonight."
Since the army is in turmoil, let's take this opportunity to camp and rest.
"Yes, Lord Marquis,"
Ning Bian nodded with a serious expression, a little hesitant, and wanted to say something. Zhang Jinyu looked at him strangely, but he held back for the moment, nodded, and then went back to the car to appease King Jin.
When Ningbyon saw this, he immediately sent out cavalry to pass on the message.
"The Marquis has ordered us to set up camp on the spot,"
"The Marquis has ordered us to set up camp right here."
Almost instantly, the commanders of each camp began to command their men to set up camp. Although there was no noise, a dull atmosphere continued to emerge.
Zhang Jinyu looked at the somewhat anxious expression of King Jin and felt a little strange. It was just blocking the sun, why was there such a big problem?
"Your Highness, please do not disturb us. This place is in the middle of nowhere. Even if something happens, a messenger may fly over. Please be patient. The plan to send troops remains unchanged. Runan City must be captured."
His firm tone made Jin Wang Zhou Ding feel at ease. Seeing this, Zhang Jinyu winked at Lan Yue, then lifted the curtain and walked down. Ning Bian saw this and quickly moved over. When no one was around, he whispered;
"My Lord, could it be that something happened in the capital? On that day, Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion was casting a spell in the mansion, which caused the strange phenomenon. Now the sky is covered with dark clouds, blocking the sun's energy. Could it be that something happened in the capital again?"
This time, it was Zhang Jinyu's turn to be silent. Although he didn't believe it, some things were hard to explain, especially the Ningguo Mansion. How could it be such a coincidence that the moon was eclipsed by the heavenly dog? The biggest puzzle was himself. He looked up at the dark cloud in the sky again. How could it suddenly disappear like a flash?
"Demarcate the camps and light the bonfires immediately. As for the main camp, have Duan Hong lead the troops to patrol and prevent howls in the camp."
"Yes, Lord Marquis,"
Ning Bian's face was somewhat solemn. He turned around and left without any hesitation, leaving Zhang Jinyu with a headache. The army had experienced four major battles since its march to this point, and their spirits had long been stretched to the limit. If they were not prepared at this time, it would easily cause a camp riot.
After watching the people walk away, the soldiers around had already started to set up camp, but there was nothing unusual, so he returned to the car.
"Your Highness, the army has already begun to set up camp. I have sent my trusted subordinates to inspect the camp. There will definitely be no mistakes."
"Well, the Marquis is still doing the right thing."
King Jin had calmed down at this moment, his eyes flickered, and suddenly he asked;
"My Lord, the incident after the New Year was caused by Jia Zhen's disrespect for heaven and stealing Yang Qi. What about this time? Could it be the palace?"
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words."
Beijing,
The originally bustling and noisy streets suddenly seemed to be silent. Everyone looked up to the west. Dark clouds covered the sun, but not completely. This strange sight attracted almost everyone.
Someone in the crowd shouted, "The sun is gone." They turned pale with fear and knelt on the ground, knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly. One person, then two, almost all the people knelt on the ground in fear. Only the scholars stood there at a loss. Someone in the crowd shouted, "The sun is gone." They turned pale with fear and knelt down on the ground, kneeling down and kowtowed repeatedly. Almost all the people knelt down in fear. Only the scholars stood there at a loss.
"Maybe someone has done something bad, and God is giving them a warning."
"Yeah, what could it be?"
Almost instantly, all the readers started discussing, and no one knew who spoke first.
"Will Marquis Luo Yun massacre the city, which would be against the harmony of nature?"
"This, no way,"
The two students from the academy were also a little uncertain. On the notice board in front of them, there was a notice of the great victory of the imperial court. How could it not arouse people's association? Just as more and more people began to discuss it, Shen Baoan, a captain of the Imperial City Sinan City, was also a little confused when he saw this situation when he returned for his day off.
But after hearing what the group of students said, there was some thought in their eyes. They were trying to throw dirty water on Luo Yunhou.
There were two confidants following behind him, the ones who helped the Marquis last time. This time, one of them came close and whispered;
"Brother, will there be any problems with those students?"
After all, they all prosper together and suffer together. They have taken so much money from the Marquis of Luo Yun's Mansion and have done something. What if someone else sets a trap for the Marquis of Luo Yun's Mansion and something happens to the Marquis, none of them can escape.
"Yes, brother, those students from the academy are not very careful with their words and dare to say anything,"
He took a breath as if he had a toothache. It was said that the students of the academy were bold and reckless. It was true. With so many people, he dared to speak out.
While the two were talking, Shen Baoan quickly glanced at the horizon, quickly took out a human skin mask from his sleeve, and put it on in the corner behind the two. Seeing this, the two knew what the adults were doing, and immediately hid in the alley at the street corner and put on the masks together. This human skin mask was obtained by Shen Baoan at a great price. He had used this mask when he escorted Jia Zhen last time.
After taking them, several people groped their way towards the notice booth. Suddenly, Shen Baoan said;
"Dark clouds are covering the sun. Could it be that someone is practicing Taoism again, intercepting the imperial court's luck and bringing about a natural disaster?"
The two people behind him immediately understood that the adults were trying to fish in troubled waters, and they also agreed.
"Yes, the warning from the heavens that day was because Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion practiced Taoism and intercepted the Yang Qi, which led to the loss of the court's luck. I don't know who has started practicing Taoism now and intercepted the Qi to make up for themselves. Sigh,"
After saying this, he sighed deliberately. These were all just nonsense. He was still chasing fugitives and killing people in the temple. He listened to what the monks said, but he killed his own people. Even if he knew it was true, the people were dead, right? From then on, he no longer believed in these gods and Buddhas.
"No way. I haven't heard of anyone practicing Taoism in the court now. It can't be another Duke's Mansion."
This speech aroused the discussion among the scholars and students, as if they were injected with chicken blood.
"Yes, do you know whose mansion has started practicing Taoism again?"
"Or who has the experience of opening an altar?"
After all, Jia Zhen was causing a lot of trouble at that time, and everyone in the capital knew about it. While everyone was talking about it, Shen Baoan quickly called the two to leave, hid in the yard, covered his face and took off the human skin mask, then looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention to this side, he immediately left.
"Brother, why are you back before you finish talking?"
Although the two were somewhat puzzled, they followed closely behind him without slowing down.
"It's enough to just start. If you say too much, you might end up getting into trouble. If you don't leave now, when will you leave?"
Shen Baoan never showed his intentions when doing things, so hiding one's head and showing one's tail was the way to survive. Only one person behind him was puzzled.
"Brother, I haven't figured out who else in the court is practicing Taoism."
With the Ningguo Mansion in front of them, who would dare to do these things easily? I don’t know if the three of them were thinking that no one from a noble family could do this. Suddenly, the three of them stopped at the same time, their faces extremely ugly. There really are people practicing Taoism!
At the intersection of Nancheng Street, common people and students from the academy were arguing endlessly. Many were bowing their heads, and many were just watching the fun. At this moment, someone suddenly said,
"By the way, isn't Changle Palace a place for practicing Taoism? Jiangnan even offered a birthday gift and the finest warm jade, saying that it was for the purpose of practicing Taoism."
"Yeah, this?"
Several people turned pale, thinking that they had said something wrong, and quickly lowered their heads. The timid ones also left, but the words remained, and the people rushed to spread the rumor.
The so-called rumors came out of this, and were used by those with ulterior motives, so they spread very quickly. In a tavern on the corner of the street, Luo, the head of the Taiping Sect, was standing by the railing of the tavern, drinking wine. As he watched the situation in front of him become more and more chaotic, the smile on his face grew bigger and bigger.
"Wan Sheng, quickly inform the brothers to spread the previous rumors, and add one more sentence: The emperor is doing evil things and intercepting the fortune of the Dawu Dynasty to prolong his immortality."
"Yes, boss, just wait and see," Wan Sheng said with a hint of ecstasy. After waiting for so long, he finally had a way to fight back. He immediately turned around and left, disappearing into the crowd.
Even Captain Pan, who was sitting at the table drinking, had come back to his senses.
"This is a God-given opportunity. Perhaps only this time can we disrupt the situation in the capital."
"Boss, these are just confusing words. The most important thing is the route that Marquis Luo Yun is taking his troops. If they lead their troops south, we will not be able to stop them."
Luo Fei had quietly left the Pinglan Pavilion and returned to the tavern. He sat down again with a gloomy look in his eyes. The situation of the Taiping Sect was very good, but it changed drastically overnight. Could it be that Luo Yunhou was really invincible?
"Yes, we can't stop it. Although we don't know the specific situation of the battle in the south of the capital, the speed of Luo Yunhou's army heading south is too fast. After marching south from Daliang City, they kept besieging the county city and successively conquered Chenzhou, Huaizhou and other places. For some reason, in just a few days, the county city was lost and the whereabouts of Zuo Hufa and others are unknown. In this situation, we have no soldiers to use."
Thinking of this, Pan Chaozuo was shocked. Master Chu was such a wise man, and his calculations were beyond doubt. But now he was faced with a difficult situation. Now it seemed that since he could not stop them, he had no choice but to retreat south. If there was any movement in the capital again, and it involved some things in the capital, it might disrupt the court.
Luo Fei's eyes lit up and he asked;
"Boss, why didn't you just follow the students' advice and throw the dirty water on Marquis Luo Yun's mansion? Why did you change the place and smear it on that old guy?"
As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator, and Luo Yunhou is fighting fiercely in the front, but it can only cause a fire in the backyard. Bringing these things to the palace may not have a good effect.
"You are still too young. I have always told you to do this."
Pan Chaozuo smiled, this time the idea was not a spur of the moment, but a decision after careful consideration. Luo Fei leaned forward and asked in a low voice;
"Shopkeeper, there is a story behind this,"
"You kid, think carefully. If this strange phenomenon is really caused by the Taoist in the palace, the world will be in an uproar. In order to avoid suspicion, we have to push this matter out. What do you think is the best way to push the person in Changle Palace, huh?"
Pan Chaozuo finished speaking and smiled without saying anything. He heard that the retired emperor was very capable and had left many hidden tricks in the court. If it caused a fight between the two suns, it would be a big deal.
Luo Fei was confused. What the captain meant was that it was not a secret that the emperor in Changle Palace practiced Taoism. Even the jade stones transported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to Jiangnan for worship were unloaded at the dock. Many people saw it, so this statement was more credible.
But how to get out? I looked up and saw those scholars, and a group of people gathered from nowhere, arguing. I suddenly came to my senses.
"Boss, do you mean that Marquis Luo Yun can't let go of the blame and is trying to divert the blame?"
"Haha, of course. If that person tries to divert the blame, where can he go? He can only find a scapegoat in the court. But how many people can have this ability? Apart from the nobles, there are only the civil officials. Now, with a little guidance, Marquis Luo Yun will massacre the city and trigger a warning from the heaven. In this way, we can always find some trouble for him. If the news spreads well, the one sitting on the dragon throne in the palace will not agree."
Marquis Luo Yun led the troops to the battle, but it was arranged by the Emperor Wu who sat on the dragon throne. If the one in Changle Palace put the blame on Marquis Luo Yun, it would be a disaster.
The two of them looked amused. They both had some insights into the inner meaning of the words. If they used them well, they could cause quite a stir in the capital.
"Boss, what if we add those rumors about the prince's palace into it?"
Everyone knows that the princes from all over the country are coming to Beijing. If they make some noise before they come, wouldn't the capital be even more angry?
"Well, they say the sun is gone, so it's just a change of weather. Come closer, let's say this,"
Pan Chaozuo immediately thought of many things and leaned forward to pass on some important words.
And outside,
It was a mess. No one knew when more and more rumors about Changle Palace spread out. The rumor that the emperor was practicing Taoism and intercepting the luck of the court to achieve immortality was immediately discussed by the people in private, and aroused the curiosity of many people in the martial arts world. After all, the incident in Ningguo Mansion that day was still vivid in their minds.
There were countless forces involved in this commotion. Even the princes and sons of the vassal states who had already hidden in the Honglu Temple had heard about it.
"Report, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have an urgent matter to report."
In the hall, several princes sat around a table with bitter faces. The previous assassination really frightened them. They were thinking about how to investigate when they heard the guards rushing in. Zhou Yewen, the prince of Song, was displeased and scolded;
"What's the emergency? Could it be that the assassin has been caught?"
"Reporting to the prince, this is not the case, but there was a strange sight in the sky just now, and the people in the capital are spreading rumors, saying it is, saying it is, "
The guards didn't know how to answer. As it was related to the palace, it was not easy to explain in detail. However, several princes stayed in the palace for a day and did not go out. When they heard that it was a strange phenomenon in the sky and earth, they immediately thought of the Ningguo Mansion incident. Zhou Lianghao was the most curious. He walked quickly to the window and opened it wide. A touch of afterglow from the setting sun shone into the room. The sun was still hanging in the sky, with no clouds in the sky and colorful clouds. There was nothing unusual.
"Tell me, what's the strange phenomenon? Everything outside is fine."
Even if it was a solar eclipse, they were sitting in the hall with the doors and windows open. If it was dark, they would definitely know that it was sunny outside. No, it was the setting sun. There was no strange sign.
"My Lord, this strange phenomenon came suddenly. It was a black cloud that appeared out of nowhere and covered the sun for a moment. Then the black cloud disappeared again."
The guard wiped his sweat and explained. Seeing this, the prince of Zheng, Zhou Zhengbai, became interested and took out a silver ingot and threw it over.
"Tell me, what rumors make you feel afraid to speak out?"
"Thank you for the reward, my lord. Your subordinate, your subordinate,"
The guard took the silver, suddenly knelt on the ground, and said;
"Rumors outside say that the emperor of Changle Palace practiced Taoism to intercept the imperial court's luck and achieve immortality. Of course, there are other rumors. Some say that it was Luo Yunhou who massacred the city, causing the heaven and earth to warn. There are also rumors that the princes from various places came to Beijing to change the world, etc."
Before he could finish his words, Zhou Xingshan immediately interrupted him and cursed;
"What nonsense! Where did this come from?"
With a loud shout, the guard who delivered the message was frightened and immediately kowtowed.
"My Lord, it was the people outside who spread the news. It has spread all over the capital."
The prince of Han, Zhou Xingshan, wanted to yell again, but was stopped by Zhou Zhengbai, who waved his hand.
"Stand back and send out spies to see how the news spread."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The guard was full of gratitude. After he kowtowed, he stood up and quickly left. In the front hall, there was only the sound of the curtains. After the people left, the people in the room felt suffocated. Zhou Xingshan slammed the table and cursed;
"Since I came to the capital, nothing has gone well for me. Now my father is going to the capital. How can I explain to him about all these rumors?"
"Yes!"
"Hey"
(End of this chapter)