Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

As for why Zhao Yuan was so nervous...

All because the woman in red in front of him was actually an old acquaintance of his.

This woman's name was Hongxiu. Half a year ago, she was a maid at Yuxianglou.

Zhao Yuan was telling stories at Yuxianglou at the time, and he was quite familiar with her.

On the day of the assassination attempt on Zhao Ji, it was this woman who called Zhao Yuan down from the platform and sent him to tell stories to the emperor...

Chapter 274 Yan Qing Changes Hands

"Sir, you mustn't be talking nonsense,"

Hongxiu trembled slightly, glanced around, and quickly said...

“That man dared to assassinate the emperor; I am merely an acquaintance of his.”

"Do I really resemble that assassin?" Zhao Yuan asked deliberately.

He lectured at Yuxianglou for half a year.

There are definitely quite a few people in Bianliang who know him.

And there was such a large reward notice on the city gate.

Although the drawing didn't look quite right, Zhao Yuan wanted to be on the safe side.

Every time he entered the city, he would deliberately blacken his face and put on a beard to disguise himself.

Hongxiu looked him over carefully, then smiled.

"You two are only somewhat similar in terms of your eyebrows and eyes. In other aspects, such as skin color, age, and demeanor, you are worlds apart."

Zhao Yuan carefully observed Hongxiu's expression.

Seeing that she wasn't nervous at all, and that what she said was probably the truth, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With three young ladies accompanying him, Yan Qing showed off his talents during the meal.

Music, singing, dancing, and all sorts of arts and crafts were on display.

It quickly attracted the attention of the three young ladies.

Not to mention the one who was already with Yan Qing,

Even the two young ladies who were accompanying Shi Qian and Zhao Yuan wished they could stick to Yan Qing.

Then Zhao Yuan and Shi Qian deliberately cheered loudly.

The commotion in private room number B quickly alerted the neighbors next door!

"You son of a bitch, where did you come from, daring to make a scene at Fanlou! You have disturbed the Grand Commandant, do you know that!"

The door to the private room was suddenly kicked open.

Sun Gao and Xue Bao walked in together.

Behind them followed Gao Kan, whose face was full of displeasure!

"Give me a word..."

Sun Gao stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, and Xue Bao, standing to the side, was also somewhat apprehensive.

"What are you all standing there for? Flip their table before I, the Grand Commandant, see!" Gao Kan stood behind the two men, not yet having seen the situation inside the room.

Seeing that Sun Gao and Xue Bao hesitated, he immediately urged them on.

"Young master, it's that person from the teahouse yesterday..."

Sun Gao quickly said.

"what?"

Gao Kan pushed Sun Gao aside and, upon seeing Zhao Yuan, felt a chill run down his spine.

Yesterday, Zhao Yuan punched one of his thugs, fracturing his nose and leaving his face covered in blood.

Gao Kan wasn't afraid at the time because he had the numbers.

But now, he has three here, and there are two more patients.

There were also three on the other side; if a fight really broke out...

Thinking of this, Gao Kan felt a chill run down his spine.

After subconsciously touching the bridge of his nose, he quickly prepared to turn and leave.

Once we leave this Fanlou, we'll go and mobilize the Imperial Guards.

We'll settle the score with this dark-faced man later!

Gao Kan secretly hardened his heart.

But unexpectedly, at this moment,

Zhao Yuan suddenly stood up, cupped his hands in a salute, and said...

"Grand Commandant Gao, please wait. Please forgive me if I offended you yesterday!"

"you......"

Gao Kan looked visibly surprised; this person hadn't treated him this way yesterday.

"Grand Commandant, I was naturally furious at how you treated my sister yesterday,"

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "As for today, my sworn sister has become the Grand Commandant's fiancée. Please forgive our misunderstanding yesterday."

"Sister-in-law? Yes..."

Gao Kan clapped his hands, his mind once again recalling Liu Huiniang's exquisite appearance, which he had seen yesterday.

Upon hearing Zhao Yuan's words, this fellow was no longer afraid.

He went straight to the table, slammed his hand on it, and glared angrily, saying...

"I was just about to go and find you! Since the young ladies of the Liu and Chen families have already been betrothed to me, why was I turned away at the door when I went to see them today?"

Chen Xizhen's marriage of his daughter and niece to Gao Kan was merely a delaying tactic, waiting for Gao Kan to complete his Five Thunder Technique.

Chen Liqing and Liu Huiniang disliked Gao Kan even more, and naturally they would not want to see him.

"Grand Commandant, I am merely your sworn brother. My sister's marriage is a matter for her uncle to decide; I have no right to interfere."

Zhao Yuan gave a perfunctory reply, and seeing that Gao Kan was about to get angry again,

He quickly gave Yan Qing a wink.

"Grand Commandant, now that we've arrived at Fanlou, why dwell on these troublesome matters? Let's..."

Yan Qing was clever, quick-witted, and eloquent, and was also naturally skilled in social interactions.

With just a few simple words, Gao Kan was made happy again.

Seeing that Sun Gao and Xue Bao were still at loggerheads yesterday,

Today, however, we've gathered together for drinks. At first, I was a little hesitant.

However, he quickly relaxed after hearing Yan Qing's words.

The private room was immediately filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

......

Two hours later, Zhao Yuan and his two companions bid farewell to Gao Kan at the entrance of Fanlou.

Gao Kan praised, "Brother Zhao, your attendant is truly clever. Not only is he handsome, but he's also eloquent and capable, and proficient in playing musical instruments. Such talent is hard to find even in the entire city of Bianliang..."

Zhao Yuan, understanding the implied meaning from the music, and knowing that this was precisely their purpose for the day, quickly said...

"Since Your Excellency likes this attendant, why not let him follow you from now on?"

"Really? Thank you so much, Brother Zhao!"

Gao Kan immediately burst into laughter.

Yan Qing immediately left with Gao Kan.

As Zhao Yuan watched their retreating figures, the smile on his face gradually faded.

"I hope Brother Yanqing will have a smooth journey," Shi Qian prayed softly.

......

In the next few days,

Zhao Yuan and his men did not enter the city again.

Yan Qing, on the other hand, relied on his cleverness and knowledge of various entertainment professions.

He has become Gao Kan's confidant.

After court each day, Grand Commandant Gao would take Yan Qing to various places for eating, drinking, and merrymaking.

For a moment, he even put the matter of Chen Liqing and Liu Huiniang out of his mind.

This day was June 23rd.

There were only three days left until Xu Guanzhong was executed.

There was still no news from Shi Xiu and Zhang Shun.

Meanwhile, Yan Qing's preparations were almost complete.

However, Zhao Yuan was still hesitant.

Liu Huiniang's idea was good, but what if things were exposed?

When Zhao Yuan and his men arrived, they had already left.

However, Liu Huiniang and Chen Liqing, who remained in Bianliang City, would certainly be implicated.

Zhao Yuan naturally did not want this to happen.

He just wanted to leave with the two girls, but Chen Xizhen was in his way...

Chapter 275 A Beauty Presents a Handkerchief

When Shi Qian returned from gathering information in Bianliang City,

Zhao Yuan immediately asked, "Has Chen Xizhen not yet mastered that great technique?"

"They say it will take another two or three days,"

After saying this with a helpless expression, Shi Qian suddenly remembered something and quickly added,

"By the way, brother, the Jurchens in Bianliang City have caused trouble again."

"What are they making a fuss about now?"

Zhao Yuan frowned. The matter of allying with the Jurchens had now been entirely entrusted to Cai Jing and Tong Guan by Emperor Huizong.

Given the urgency with which these two treacherous officials attacked Liao, they would surely have taken whatever they wanted from the Jin people. What reason would the Jin people have to cause trouble?

"Brother, it's still about Tie Niu..."

Shi Qian replied, "I heard that the Jin man that Tie Niu killed on the arena last time was a warrior from one of their tribes. Now the Jin people are making a fuss and demanding that Kaifeng Prefecture hand over the murderer!"

Ever since the day Li Kui stepped onto the arena and killed the Jin man,

They were worried he would be arrested by the authorities.

Zhao Yuan then waited until Sun An and the others arrived in Chenqiao Town.

They sent Li Kui there to take refuge temporarily.

"For the past few days, the Kaifeng Prefecture has been searching all over Bianliang, but without any results,"

Shi Qian continued,

"When the Jurchens saw that Kaifeng Prefecture could not hand over the murderer, they started fighting again on the arena in front of Fanlou."

“After what happened last time, no one should dare to go on stage so casually, right?” Ruan Xiaoqi said.

"Little Seventh Brother, you may not know this,"

A hint of resentment flashed across Shi Qian's face.

"In order to provoke the Song people to come up on stage, the Jurchens humiliated the Song people on the arena. Some men who could not contain their anger rushed up, but were beaten to death by the Jurchens!"