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Chapter 280: Two people back then, two people now (thanks to Nuanyang Giant Silver Alliance)

The girl in the jacket with a cross-collar with a green cloud pattern had a bead hanging from her hand. It was a white tiger bead from the Xue family. It was said to have been obtained from their ancestor, General Xue. It could conceal her aura. Otherwise, she would have been discovered by the young man as soon as she came up.

How can you joke like this?

Li Guanyi asked: "Has anything major happened in the world in the past month?"

Behind the curtain, the young girl smiled and lowered her eyes and said, "The world is in turmoil, and there are many changes. The Western Desert, the Turkic Steppe, and the Northern Border, I wonder what you want to ask about, sir?"

Li Guanyi found that the way the other party addressed him changed naturally.

Changfeng Tower has gradually become more formalized this year. It is no longer the case that more than a year ago in Zhenbei City, when the owner of a building could know Li Guanyi's true identity. Li Guanyi raised his eyes slightly and said, "Then, please tell me in detail, owner."

The girl flipped open the files, then put her finger on one of the pages and flicked it slightly. The page passed through the curtain and landed in front of Li Guanyi. She said, "Speaking of which, there have been great changes on the Turkic steppe."

"The Turks began to reduce their trade with other countries. Even the Xue family was greatly affected. These people on the grasslands were both heroic and cunning. They began to buy up tea bricks, salt and iron in large quantities, and replaced horses with cattle and sheep in the goods they sold."

"What do you think, sir?"

Li Guanyi replied: "The grasslands do not produce vegetables. Tea bricks are a must-have item that can prevent many diseases. War horses, salt and iron are all weapons of war. The Great Khan of the grasslands is preparing for a war."

The girl's voice was clear: "The Xue family discovered that the Chen Kingdom also made corresponding restraints, but the Ying Kingdom seemed not to have noticed and supplied tea bricks and refined salt to the Turks."

She handed over another file, which described in detail the reactions of Chen and Ying to the changes in the Turks. Based on these two changes, Li Guan instantly realized that the person in charge of this part on the Chen side had been replaced by the famous general Lu Youxian.

Ying State, I am afraid that the strategy mentioned by Mr. Pojun has been successful.

Ying State and the Turks should have reached some kind of alliance.

Is it the alliance between Ying State, where the world's number one general is located, and the world's number two general, who is also the strongest commander of armored cavalry, the Turkic Khan? Li Guanyi felt a huge pressure.

At this time, with the intelligence gathered, one can feel that time and the general trend are moving forward little by little. Li Guanyi himself has gained something, and it can even be said that his gains are huge, with an academy, fame, and an alliance with Ji Zichang.

While fishing and drinking, the Emperor of Ying State had already formed an unspoken "alliance" with the Great Khan of the Turks. Even such an alliance was not necessarily friendly, but it forced the Great Khan to adopt such a situation.

The Turks changed the trade relations. Chen Dingye and Lu Youxian of the State of Chen also took the opportunity to shrink the business of the State of Chen. Almost at the same time as Jiang Wanxiang, they restricted the Xue family. The signs of the beginning of troubled times became more and more obvious.

This is the struggle to cross the river.

The meaning of competing to cross the river is not to cross the river, but to compete and to be the first.

If the world is in turmoil, all the rising heroes are heroes, with strong armies and brave generals, wise counselors and ministers under their command. Everyone can see the strategy of conquering the world from their own direction, and then they will compete for the first place.

Whoever can occupy the key position earlier will win.

Pojun's strategy, Lingjun's power, and Wenhe's people are all seeking to gain the upper hand and avoid defeat.

Li Guanyi felt a slight sense of urgency in his heart.

Old Xue was a hero and a wealthy businessman in troubled times, but Chen Dingye and Jiang Wanxiang were the kings who made the rules. Li Guan looked through the changes in the files and said, "The State of Chen restricted business, but is the Xue family okay?"

The girl spoke calmly and slowly:

"The Xue family has naturally been affected in many ways."

"This is a major event that happened recently in the State of Chen..."

She seemed to have been prepared, and arranged the corresponding files one by one. She had just given two, and before Li Guanyi asked, her finger had already pressed on the third file and gently pushed it forward:

"Emperor Chen appointed Empress Xue's son as the crown prince and announced it to the world. Although the Xue family is still under the guidance of the old patriarch and has maintained general order, people's hearts are unsettled. Once the State of Chen gains power, the Xue family will be the royal family."

"These four words have great appeal to the Xue family's children."

“People’s hearts have been moved.”

"Chen Dingye appointed Lu Youxian as the Grand Marshal and General to deal with the Western Regions."

"Chen Dingye appointed the father of Yan Daiqing, the governor of the 18 states in Jiangnan, as the Minister of Rites, and bestowed upon him the title of Jade Belt, Grand Secretary, and Silver and Green Guanglu Doctor. He was the most powerful person at that time."

Li Guanyi watched Chen Dingye's every move and let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly I felt even more sorry.

Yan Daiqing originally joined the Qilin Army later. In fact, within the Qilin Army, there were some voices that felt that he was an outsider who had not experienced the 20,000-mile journey and the fighting to pacify Jiangnan.

Under such circumstances, Chen Dingye also rewarded Yan Daiqing's father.

When this news reaches the Qilin Army, distrust and suspicion will naturally arise.

Under such circumstances, Yan Daiqing needed to restrain the aristocratic families, appease the people, and also face some pressure and suspicion from within the Qilin Army and firmly implement various policies.

Li Guanyi felt a huge sense of regret and could only hope that when the money on hand was shipped back to Jiangnan, he could make Yan Daiqing feel a little more comfortable.

Ji Zichang transformed from a puppet into his current appearance.

Chen Dingye, who got rid of Tan Tai Xianming, also underwent a transformation.

Li Guanyi suddenly thought of the prime minister of the State of Chen who committed suicide, and remained silent for a long time. He wondered whether Chen Dingye's change was also within the expectations of Tan Tai Xianming. What Tan Tai Xianming needed was a fight between Chen Dingye and the regent Chen Fubi and Li Guanyi?
But Tan Tai Xian Ming probably didn't expect that Jiang Wan Xiang didn't have much time left, and the world would move towards a more chaotic direction. The reawakened Emperor Chen, the increasingly domineering Emperor Ying who had not much time left, and the last blood and fire Qilin of the Chi Emperor's lineage.

Both the old and young generations are surging.

Li Guan remained silent for a long time.

The girl behind the curtain quietly waited for the other side to continue asking questions.

The sun is warm.

The thick curtain reminded her of their first meeting, when she had tested him with math problems and he had written with divine intervention, while her maidservant passed the paper back and forth between the two of them.

It seems to be three points similar to now.

The girl smiled slightly. With a rustling sound, Qin Wuhou on the other side finished reading. Then he was quiet for a while, exhaled, and said calmly: "Then, may I ask about the Western Regions?"

Li Guanyi said, "As I recall, the Xue family, the Duke's Mansion of Ying State, and Qibili of the Tiele tribe should have established a chamber of commerce with the seven Turkic kings. The Turkic Khan changed the types of goods that could be traded. What about the seven kings?"

The girl moved her fingers slightly, and the fourth file flew over. She said slowly:
"Seventh King, as usual."

The Great Khan, the common leader of the Turkic steppes, changed trade.

Everything is going on as usual with the seventh son of the Great Turkic Khan.

One can already taste the bloody storm from these two sentences, which represent the struggle and undercurrent between forces on the vast grassland. Li Guanyi felt relieved, because it also meant that the Pojun strategy was implemented and that the Tiele people were not affected.

And, the losses suffered by the Xue family were ultimately less.

The girl pressed down with her palm, smoothed the wrinkles on her skirt, and said:

"Through the changes in the trade routes, Qibili of the Tiele tribe has gathered eight tribes out of the nine Tiele clans. The last tribe has not returned yet, and he has reorganized the Golden Scimitar Cavalry."

"But at the beginning, they gathered the nine Tiele clans under the name of the Golden Scimitar Cavalry Reunion, but later they no longer used the name of the Golden Scimitar Cavalry."

"The situation in the Western Region is very chaotic."

"Some people say that the Tiele tribe only used the reputation of the first light cavalry in the legend to gather people together and avoid the tragedy of the extinction of the tribe."

"Some people also say that the Golden Scimitar Cavalry were the personal guards of the king of the Western Regions in the past. They were the king's attendants. Therefore, until the king they believe arrives in the Western Desert, the Golden Scimitar Cavalry will not truly revive."

“It’s a tradition.”

"But no matter what, the light cavalry led by Qibili is still a very strong force in the Western Regions at the moment. The only thing they are criticized for is the lack of logistics, soldiers with strategic vision, and a world-class commander."

"Qibi Li was considered by all the tribes and forces in the Western Regions to be a heroic and brave cavalry general, but he lacked the training of large-scale battles and had no sharp vision. He was just a general, not a commander."

The girl spoke calmly and concisely, telling the story slowly and steadily, and then said, "As for the original Western Region forces, after the demise of Tuyuhun, some of their elite troops preserved their strength and went deeper into the Western Regions."

"When the Tanguts founded their country, Chen Fubi, the former regent of the Chen State, led a group of Chen State's elite troops to form an armored cavalry. At this moment, 90% of the Tanguts' country has been plundered, leaving only the area where the Tanguts' sacred mountain is located, and the original capital is still there."

"The Tanguts asked for reinforcements from the State of Chen, but Lu Youxian chose to hold his ground. While holding his ground, he also slowly advanced forward and occupied the territory of the Tanguts. The Tanguts were furious, and according to the ancient Tangut tradition, they wanted to sacrifice the Princess of Chen alive at the foot of the sacred mountain."

"Chen Wenmian, the son of Chen Fubi and the former crown prince of Chen, rushed in in a white robe and rescued his cousin. The divine general Xiao Wuliang made a great contribution in the battle to destroy the Dangxiang Kingdom."

"During this battle, Chen Fubi personally beat the drum to cheer for Chen Wenmian."

"The people and soldiers were greatly impressed."

"After being comforted by Chen Fubi, the princess of the royal family of Chen State stayed there and never returned to Chen State. The Duke of Ying State also led his army to fight and gained a lot. However, the second son, Li Zhaowen, who was the most warlike, seemed to be restricted by his father and brother, and did not have many soldiers under his command."

"Even so, we were able to defeat the enemy with a smaller force and force the famous generals of the Tangut State to flee in disarray."

Li Guan nodded. He himself had never found such a naturalness in the conversation. There was the sound of picking up the teapot and pouring tea. Then the curtain was slightly lifted, and the skirt of the girl could be seen through the gap. The voice was clear and peaceful:

"Tea, please."

"Thank you."

Li Guanyi replied that when he drank the tea, he felt that the flavor was what he liked.

Li Guanyi looked at the files and saw that they were clearly about what happened in Ying State, Chen State, the Turkic steppes, and the Western Desert.

Moreover, the time periods were different, involving the deployment of military formations, the categories of goods circulating on trade routes, coping with the contraction and expansion of foreign trade, the hiring of cavalry, and the wars to destroy countries in the Western Regions. But at this moment, in Li Guanyi's eyes, these things were clearly one and the same.

The world situation is turbulent!
Conspiracy, open plot, decision, fighting, and competition, in the final analysis.

It was just that one sentence.

"When the Red Emperor lost his deer, the whole world chased him."

The Turkic steppes, the southern country called Chen, the Central Plains Daying, the nobles outside the Great Wall, the warlords in the north, the western desert, heroes emerged and fought against each other. They all saw the changes in the world and then did what they should do according to their own strategies.

And then at the same time, stride forward.

When the disciples of Mohism traveled to the south of the Yangtze River for their ideals, the regent in the desert was chopping off the heads of the nobles of the Tangut State with a double-edged sword, and the lame wolf king stepped into the world;

When Li Guanyi and many palace masters were facing the Green Robe Immortal Guest, the Great Khan of the Turks saw through Ying Guo's decision, tore up the original agreement with the scimitar of the grassland, and then summoned the king of heavy cavalry.

Li Zhaowen's golden-winged Roc circled in the sky and fell down. The State of Chen had replaced its crown prince, and the Xue family began to feel uneasy. Several famous generals who defended the city drew up their weapons and arrived at the front line.

At this time, the struggle between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince of Ying State gradually became apparent, and the Seven Turkic Kings were chatting and laughing with the Princess of Ying State for their own ambitions.

Ji Zichang and Li Guanyi discuss the world.

Xiao Wuliang and Chen Wenmian competed for the Dangxiang title.

The spears in their hands were thrust out with the force of breaking mountains and peaks, piercing through the fiery chest of the Dangxiang warrior, tearing apart the Dangxiang people's lofty sentiments and aspirations. Blood gushed out, and the generals in the Central Plains sang loudly. Ji Zichang picked up the sword and entrusted the last rays of light of the Red Emperor to it.

All of this is happening at the same time. How magnificent this world is.

How miserable the people in this world are.

The Great Khan of the Turkic Khanate, Tiele Qibili, the Duke of Yingguo, Jiang Wanxiang, Jiang Su, Chen Dingye, Ji Zichang, Yuwen Lie, He Ruo Qinhu, the Third Divine General, Yue Pengwu, Yue Qianfeng, Chen Wenmian, Chen Fubi, Xiao Wuliang, Chen Dingye, Pojun, Yuan Zhi, Wenhe, the Seventh King...

Li Guanyi.

The girl suddenly noticed that the person behind the curtain was mumbling something. Finally, he sat there quietly, and then said calmly with a hint of self-mockery:

"Hundreds of streams are competing to cross."

"Heroes are as numerous as the fish in the river."

"When did Li Guanyi become one of these people?"

He stood up, his sleeves rolled down, revealing a dark golden Kirin pattern on his scarlet robe. Whether he liked it or not, the palms beneath his robe had already been stained with more blood than that of the villains in the martial arts world.

The young man's voice was mellow and peaceful, with the calmness and composure of someone who had experienced a battle at the level of a hundred thousand troops:
"The ancestor said that perhaps luck is like the flow of water. Every time when it comes to the end, the luck of the world will burst into a peak that is not inferior to the founding era, just like flowers blooming and oil boiling in a raging fire, but in fact it is like a person's last rays of light."

"Things in the past ten years have been more turbulent than those in the past hundred years."

"The first hexagram of the sixty-four hexagrams is Qian. Great is Qian Yuan, the beginning of all things. However, Qian begins with [A hidden dragon does not use its power] and ends with [A high dragon has regrets]. Perhaps this is the reason."

Li Guanyi didn't seem to realize that he had unconsciously said too much.

He was actually a vigilant person, but he didn't know why, maybe it was because the tea was too familiar, or maybe it was because when that person talked to him, every move was natural and peaceful, or maybe it was just instinct in his heart.

The girl in the clothes with blue cloud patterns also truly felt the weight of separation over the past year from Li Guanyi's conversation. People will grow old in an instant and grow up in a short period of time. The person in front of her is no longer the pharmacist at the beginning.

At the beginning, the young man was just living a day-to-day life, thinking only of saving more money. He would not have the vision and judgment that he has now, and would not be able to piece together an entire magnificent era and see the heroes in it from the fragmented information.

The girl's eyes were peaceful and gentle.

Such a hero.

This is Li Guanyi.

He should have set foot into this world with the ambition to save the world.

Even if he and she drifted apart...

At this time, Qin Wuhou lowered his voice and asked:

"Where's the eldest lady?"

The girl paused slightly.

"Ok?"

Li Guanyi frowned and asked again: "The Xue family has been affected. Mr. Xue is facing the influence of Chen Dingye, the aristocratic family, the military officers led by Lu Youxian, and the civil officials headed by Dai Qing's father. I am worried that the eldest lady will be affected."

The girl shook her body uncomfortably and replied in a clear voice:
"Is that Princess Xue Shuangtao of Yunmeng?"

"She's doing OK."

"I practiced martial arts every day and managed some chambers of commerce. Someone proposed in the court to marry Princess Yunmeng to a young general. In the end, the prime minister, the old patriarch of the Xue family, pulled out the jade belt and beat her half to death in the court meeting, breaking half of her teeth."

"Then Emperor Chen personally knocked down the remaining half."

"Say, 'Since you want a good reputation, I will give you one.'"

"'Since ancient times, all honest officials have died to advise the emperor, leaving their names in the future generations. Today, I agree to your request.' Then he was beaten half to death with a fork, and was dismissed from his post and sent back home to retire."

Li Guanyi said: "Well done!"

The girl paused, pursed her lips, and almost laughed. She raised her hand to cover her lips and said in a clear voice: "Princess Yunmeng also said so."

"If Qin Wuhou were here, he would beat him so hard that he couldn't even get up."

Li Guanyi said: "Of course!"

He thought for a moment and said, "However, the eldest lady and I agreed to meet in Zhongzhou, but the world is in turmoil, maybe Mr. Xue didn't allow her to come..." After a pause, Li Guan said, "It's better not to come."

"Central China is in chaos right now. What are you doing here?"

"Please give me the pen, ink, paper and inkstone."

The girl knocked on the table, making a sound. Someone came and brought him a pen, ink, paper and inkstone. Li Guan picked up the pen and wrote naturally:
"Shuang Tao, I'm glad to see you in person. How are you these days?"

The handwriting was unhurried, but Li Guan hesitated for a moment and crumpled it. Qilin was not there, so he couldn't set fire to it, so he just threw it away. Unexpectedly, the girl on the other side of the curtain actually unfolded the letter and read it. The corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up a slight smile

With a clear voice and a smile:
"It's not a bad name, sir. Why do you want to change it?"

Li Guanyi said, "Well, the letter is too intimate, which I feel is inappropriate, and I am worried that Mr. Xue will peek at it. However, it is better for you not to peek at my letter to Shuang Tao."

The girl smiled, folded the letter and put it into her sleeve:
"Okay, then, I will burn it all for you, my dear guest."

"Take good care of this letter."

Li Guanyi said: "Please do not peek at the discarded letters."

The girl answered seriously, "For people like us from Changfeng Tower, letters and information will only be delivered to the person in question. According to our rules here, only the person who is supposed to receive the letter can see your letter. How can I read it?"

"Definitely not!"

"If you don't believe me, I can swear."

"That does make some sense."

Li Guan nodded. When he wrote the letter, he wrote down all his experiences during this period. He sometimes made some mistakes and occasionally casually mentioned some unimportant parts for the "Master of Changfeng Tower" to listen to.

The girl thought about it seriously and said, "Sir, why don't you tell her all these things? As far as I know, the situation in Zhongzhou is turbulent and dangerous everywhere. It is not as easy as you say."

Li Guanyi said: "Won't it make her worry if I tell her?"

The girl's expression became much warmer. She put her left and right hands together and said softly:
"But, sir, you don't understand your daughter's heart."

"Sir, if you don't explain clearly, the young lady over there is not stupid. She must know that things change and it will never be as simple as what is said in the letter. At that time, she might not be able to sleep well all day long, thinking about your experience and being scared."

"She wants to know what you've been through as a friend, to celebrate your success, and not be deceived by the stories you've woven, or the lies you told her about the teacher you met on your study tour, like when she was a girl in her teens."

"The punishment is unpredictable, and the power is unfathomable."

“If you don’t know something, your fear will be even greater. It’s the same principle.”

Li Guanyi thought for a moment and said, "...That makes sense."

The girl said:

"Besides, the daughter of the Xue family is not a weak woman. In troubled times, if she doesn't want to be a plaything, she can't stay naive forever. The master is on the battlefield and has many things to do. The eldest lady will definitely want to know the master's true experience."

"Rather than chatting about the changed stories in the storybooks of that time."

Li Guanyi said: "How do you know the script I told her?"

The girl tilted her eyes to one side, trying not to show any fear and said:

"The eldest lady told me and others, and also said..."

"The sir uses these stories to make money from her!"

Li Guanyi said: "Ha, did she tell you about this?"

The young man gave a bitter smile, wrote the letter, handed it to the girl over there, and told her not to peek. He said, "Unfortunately, after this time, I still have to go to the Western Regions, and I won't be able to come back for a year or two."

"I don't know when I can see her..."

The girl put the letter into her sleeve, pressed it lightly with her fingers, and said:

"You want to see her?"

Li Guanyi said: "I can't say this to you."

The girl couldn't help laughing, muttering to herself, "Isn't this already said out loud?" Then she said seriously:

"What if I say she's already here?"

Li Guanyi was shocked. A hand stretched out from under the curtain over there. The hand was raised and the curtain was opened. A girl wearing a cross-collared jacket with a blue cloud pattern, dozens of fine pleats at the waist, and a horse-faced skirt that moved like water ripples stood up.

Somehow, Li Guanyi's heart was lifted.

But it is inevitable to feel discouraged when seeing it again.

The girl wore a mask on her face. Her white and slender fingers tapped the mask slowly, but with a familiar sense of smugness, she said, "It's ugly down there, so I can't meet a gentleman."

"Princess Yunmeng is here, but she hasn't come to meet you yet. I heard that there will be a lantern festival before the academy disciples leave, so she plans to meet you then, so it's more formal."

Li Guanyi frowned and said, "Then I have to prepare."

The girl said blankly: "Ah? What are you preparing for?"

Li Guanyi thought for a moment and replied, "We haven't seen each other for more than a year. I definitely can't meet her like this. I have to change my clothes and find something interesting to do, such as temple fairs, lantern festivals, acrobatics, etc. She likes these."

Qin Wuhou suddenly changed from a hero who controlled the country and despised the princes to a small pharmacist at that time.

The girl's lips curled slightly under the mask and she said, "The young lady and I have a good relationship. Since you are going to prepare for the meeting with the young lady, why don't you let me give you some advice?"

"After all, how exactly does sir prepare?"

"I'm curious too!"

"If you don't mind."

"I will accompany you, sir, to finish these things?"

The girl seemed to smile, her eyes curved, and she stretched out her finger and put it on her lips: "Don't worry."

"I will keep it a secret from [myself]."

(End of this chapter)