Xie Ming

The two tea stalls, Xiao and Qiu, did not stay long.

Before long, he caught his breath and resumed the second leg of his journey.

Further ahead, you'll enter Jiuli Pine.

In that place, the pine forest was towering, its branches twisted like dragons, and the dense pine needles blocked out the sunlight, darkening the path.

The sound of horses' hooves clattering on the bluestone slabs echoed clearly through the deep forest.

Occasionally, an early-rising monk would walk towards you, his gray robes drooping, head bowed, chanting scriptures, as if he were no longer concerned with the troubles of the world.

After passing Lengquan Pavilion, one can see the roof ridge of Lingyin Temple in the distance.

A thin mist still lingered over the mountain in the morning, making the palace appear and disappear as if floating in the clouds.

With its upturned eaves and corners, and birds perched still on its roof ornaments, it resembles a magnificent black stone pagoda.

As we approached the mountain gate, the noise gradually grew louder. Vendors selling incense and candles shouted their wares, while several children chased and played among the stone lions.

Pilgrims lined up in long queues, waiting to enter the hall to pray for blessings, while some prayed silently with deep resentment.

Of course, Xiao and Qiu, having dismounted before the stone, had no time to pay much attention to these matters.

Meanwhile, at the temple, upon seeing that it was an honored guest arriving at the gate, Master Hongren had already instructed two or three young novices to be waiting to welcome him.

With their horses led by a monk, they passed the Sandalwood Hall, amidst swirling smoke, as Xiao and Qiu hurried past.

It took about half an hour.

It was early morning, and the two of them, who were in the meditation room in the back hall, were having a chat. They did not ask for vegetarian food. Xiao and the other two hurried back home.

After all, today is a temple fair, and there are other religious ceremonies in the temple. Not only are there many people and distractions, but I also don't want to delay any chanting or Buddhist rituals because of myself, otherwise I would be committing more sins.

Then, with a series of taps, taps, taps, the sound of a monk's wooden fish echoed from the corner of the hall. Xiao Lang and Zhi Zhong turned into a side hall and went down the mountain around the moon terrace.

"hiss--"

"Feiyu, I keep feeling like someone is following us."

As they approached the palace gates, Xiao Jingchuan suddenly glanced back, his expression showing a hint of nervousness, and muttered a sentence for no apparent reason.

Following his lead, Zhizhong dared not be negligent and quickly scanned the area as well.

"Uh, I didn't see it."

"Alright, there are too many people and too many eyes around here. It's best to go back to the city as soon as possible."

After Xiao reminded him, Zhizhong also became quite nervous.

Regardless of the circumstances, they were traveling alone this time, without any guards by their side.

If we really encounter an ambush, that would be troublesome.

The two felt a deep connection and decided to stop briefly.

The mountain road snaked like a snake, and the two riders whipped their horses and galloped away, soon disappearing into the depths of the forest.

As the year draws to a close, the fleeting days are hastened by the changing seasons, and frost and snow clear the cold night at the ends of the earth.

The sound of drums and horns at dawn is mournful and solemn, and the reflection of the Milky Way in the Three Gorges trembles.

Six days passed in a flash, and it was now the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.

This day is the Little New Year in the north, the day for offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God.

Furthermore, regarding this matter, there has been a long-standing tradition of officials holding three positions and commoners holding four.

Influenced by this, the north sets the date as the festival day, while the Jiangnan region, following ancient customs, has long established the 24th as the festival day, with a difference of one day between the two.

That day, a light snow fell in the morning, and then it remained overcast all day. By the early afternoon, the sky was already getting dark, gloomy and obscure.

At that time, in the back garden of Li Shichun's residence, there was a square white wall. Now, the walls, tiles, and bamboo leaves have all been covered with a light white color by the snow.

Fortunately, the snowfall wasn't heavy; it was intermittent and slow-moving.

So a lake was built in the courtyard, and the water surface was not completely sealed off.

Only a thin layer of ice had formed along the shore, and a few withered lotus stalks stood stubbornly, dark and motionless.

There is a waterside pavilion directly opposite the lake.

Surrounded by water on three sides, with a winding corridor connecting them.

The plaque under the eaves was covered with a layer of frost, and the characters were mostly blurred.

The heavy, leaden clouds overhead made the pavilion even dimmer, like a block of old ink that wouldn't dissolve and remained there.

Meanwhile, Li Shichun, dressed in a thick dark blue cotton robe, was hunched over, struggling against a low stool.

He is old and frail.
He had white hair on his head, tied in a bun at the back of his head, and held a rusty sword in both hands.

One hand gripped a slab of bluestone; the whetstone struck the iron blade, producing a fine, grating sound—an eerie noise in the silent courtyard. Clatter, clatter, clatter—

Suddenly, a pair of black boots appeared from afar, breaking the silence.

On the stone steps in front of the Kanmai Water Pavilion, there was ice on the surface, and the moss had even covered the bottom, with only a stubborn hint of green showing through.

"Your Excellency, everything is arranged." The visitor approached the pavilion, clasped his hands in a neat bow, and said.

"The Mei family is now under our control."

"At midnight tonight, once Mei Cheng'an changes his post, all the Imperial Guards in Hangzhou will be at your command."

"At that time, we will also conduct a thorough investigation of twenty men, with a hundred assassins leading the way."

"It's just the Xiao family; killing Xiao Jingchuan is a sure thing!"

The speaker was none other than Liao Gengshen, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

This person, during the Hongguang reign, was promoted to the Censorate by Ni Yuanlu, the then Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

In fact, Xiao Lang had many disagreements with Ma Weimin in Jiangning.

This guy is quite stubborn and has a very obstinate streak.

Furthermore, considering that Ni Yuanlu died young from illness with such bitterness, his hatred for Lai Jinggong only intensified.

He sought revenge for the favored Ni Yuanlu, and spoke with great conviction, desiring to rid the court of this great villain.

Privately, he quickly colluded with Li Shichun to plot the assassination.

For this reason, he was willing to take great risks and work tirelessly.

The current claim that Mei Cheng'an has been brought into the fold is attributed to this person.

boom--

bang bang-

At that moment, just as the words were spoken, in the midst of the tension, a few muffled firecrackers suddenly sounded outside the courtyard.

Not much, far away, as if separated by several layers of cotton blankets, neither painful nor itchy.

It seems that the increased number of people coming from the north to the south has led to the increased activity.

Upon hearing the report, Li Shichun did not rush to reply.

It was neither salty nor bland; Leng patiently sharpened the rusty sword a few more times.

Look, the sword is already showing some of its sharpness.

"Hmph, so you're determined to win?"

Is there any perfect solution in this world?

"Whether the Mei family is reliable or not will only become clear when things come to a head and a fight breaks out; they'll be true friends and foes."

Pour a bucket of cold water over his head.

Li Shichun's expression was sharp; it was rare for him to be so composed.

"No, that can't be."

"We have the truth about Mei Cheng'an's affair with the late Emperor's Consort An."

"The crime of exterminating nine generations of a family is something that even the Mei family would not dare to disobey or rebel before coming to power."

"As for Mei Cheng'an, I just spoke about him in person."

"Don't worry, there will be no mistakes."

As expected, Li and Liao were well-prepared for this rebellion.

It should be noted that at present, Xiao Jiang's forces in Hangzhou are militarily weak.

Yuan Ping, who was originally in charge of the city's defenses, was sent to a post outside Jiujiang.

Within the Xiao residence, due to the hasty dispatch of a letter the day before, General Gu Changting, the former general, was sent by Xiao and also took away more than thirty riders.

Given the current situation, the number of soldiers in the Xiao family's household is probably less than fifty.

Qin Jing, the commander of the Imperial Guard, was loyal to Duke Jing.

However, judging from the current situation, it seems that Liao Geng also has a way to break through.

The key lies in Mei Cheng'an.

If he's willing to intervene, and the Imperial Guards are under his control, then the Xiao family is in grave danger, truly in grave danger! (End of Chapter)