Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Qian Xu took the map and looked at the man in front of him carefully, trying to find flaws from his subtle movements. "Sir, you are so generous, what do you want?"

The mysterious man was silent for a moment, and said in a low and hoarse voice: "I only hope that the general can keep his promise and bring peace and prosperity to the world." After that, he put the map down, turned and left, and the black figure quickly disappeared into the night.

Qian Xu immediately ordered his men to carefully check the authenticity of the map. After repeated confirmation, the map information was accurate. Qian Xu was overjoyed and immediately decided to split his troops into two groups to attack Huang Chao's camp in one fell swoop according to the map. As expected, Huang Chao's army was caught off guard and was caught off guard, suffering heavy casualties and eventually being defeated.

The victory news was sent back to Chang'an, and the whole country celebrated. Qian Xu led his army back in triumph, and the people lined the streets to welcome him, cheering loudly. However, in the midst of the jubilation, Qian Xu and Dou Qing gradually noticed something strange.

"These aristocratic families don't seem as happy as we imagined." Dou Qing looked at the representatives of the aristocratic families who came to congratulate him. Although they had smiles on their faces, their eyes revealed a subtle indifference and calculation.

Qian Xu nodded slightly, he also noticed this. "After the Huang Chao Rebellion was quelled, their land and wealth could no longer be preserved, so naturally they would not sincerely celebrate for us."

At this time, General Li hurried over with a serious look on his face. "General, something terrible has happened! When I was patrolling outside the city, I discovered that the army of the aristocratic families was secretly colluding with the remnants of Huang Chao's army!"

General Li's report was like a thunderclap, exploding in the hearts of Qian Xu and Dou Qing. The three of them looked at each other, the joy on their faces instantly disappeared, replaced by solemnity and worry.

"It seems that we have underestimated their ambition." Qian Xu pondered for a moment, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, "They are going to make a comeback and fight us to the death!"

Dou Qing frowned and said firmly, "We must not let them succeed! General, I request to go to the inner circle of the noble families to find out their true intentions!"

Qian Xu knew that this trip was extremely dangerous, but it was a matter of national security and could not be delayed. He nodded solemnly and said, "Be careful and put your own safety first."

As night fell, Dou Qing changed into a nightgown and quietly sneaked into a luxurious manor on the outskirts of the city. This manor was the place where the aristocratic families held secret gatherings.

Dou Qing was agile, evading the patrolling guards and sneaking into a study. With the dim candlelight, she found several secret letters on the table, with the family emblem of a noble family printed on the envelopes.

Dou Qing was delighted, and she carefully opened the envelope and read it carefully. The content of the letter surprised her. It turned out that the aristocratic family had already colluded with Huang Chao, intending to overthrow the court and establish themselves as king!

Just as Dou Qing was about to leave, she heard hurried footsteps outside the door. She was startled and quickly put the letter back to its original place and hid behind the bookshelf.

The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man in fancy clothes walked in. He was the patriarch of a noble family. He was followed by several servants, who looked panicked.

"Has all the news been blocked?" the patriarch asked in a deep voice.

"Reporting to the clan leader, everything has been sealed and will never be leaked out!" a servant bowed and replied.

"That's good." The patriarch breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes swept across the study, and suddenly fell on the secret letter on the desk.

His face changed, he quickly walked to the table, picked up the letter and looked at it carefully.

"Who touched my letter?" The patriarch's tone was cold, with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.

Dou Qing held her breath, her heart beating violently, and she felt her heartbeat was particularly clear in the silent room. The clan leader's sharp eyes swept through every corner of the room, as if they could penetrate everything. Time seemed to stand still, and Dou Qing dared not move, for fear of exposing her whereabouts.

"Strange, am I too suspicious?" The patriarch whispered to himself, and finally put down the letter in his hand with doubt. He waved his hand, signaling the servants to leave, and paced back and forth in the room, frowning.

Dou Qing took the opportunity to quietly slip out from behind the bookshelf and quickly left the study. She knew she had to pass the news back to Qian Xu as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

However, the noble families acted faster than they imagined. The next day, all kinds of rumors about Qian Xu began to spread in the streets and alleys of Chang'an City. Some said he was corrupt and took bribes to enrich himself; some said he was cruel and brutal, killing innocent people indiscriminately; and some said he was plotting a rebellion and intended to usurp power and seize the throne.

These rumors became more and more outrageous and more and more true, and gradually, even some people who originally supported Qian Xu began to waver. They began to doubt Qian Xu and even began to fear him.

When Qian Xu learned about this, he was extremely angry. He knew that it was the aristocratic family behind the scenes who were trying to use the power of public opinion to bring him down. He could not sit idly by and let the rumors run rampant. He had to stand up and clarify the facts and win back the people's hearts.

So Qian Xu decided to hold a public speech at the city gate to explain everything to the people. After the news spread, the people flocked to the city gate, wanting to hear what Qian Xu had to say.

On the day of the speech, the city gate was packed with people. Qian Xu, dressed in military uniform, stood on a high platform, facing the huge crowd, and began his impassioned speech. He refuted the rumors against him one by one and listed the practical things he had done for the people.

The people listened very carefully, and many were moved by Qian Xu's sincerity and began to believe that he was wronged. However, at this moment, there was a commotion in the crowd, and a dark figure holding a sharp blade rushed towards Qian Xu like lightning.

"Protect the general!" General Li roared, swinging his sword to block the assassin's fatal attack on Qian Xu. Seeing that the assassin missed, he turned around and tried to escape, but General Li would not let him escape easily, and immediately led his soldiers to surround the assassin.

Qian Xu came back to his senses from the shock, and looking at the chaotic scene in front of him, a surge of anger surged from the bottom of his heart. He understood that this was not just a simple assassination, but also a warning from the aristocratic family to him. They wanted him to shut up and surrender, but he refused!

"Catch the assassin and interrogate him strictly!" Qian Xu ordered in a deep voice, his eyes were like torches, as if he could see through all the conspiracies and tricks. The soldiers took the order and quickly subdued the assassin who was resisting stubbornly. However, at this moment, something strange happened! The moment the assassin was captured, he suddenly took out a black porcelain bottle from his arms and swallowed it in one gulp.

"Oh no, he's going to commit suicide by taking poison!" General Li was horrified when he saw this, and wanted to stop him, but it was too late. The assassin smiled strangely, his body twitched a few times, and then he died.

"General, the assassin has taken poison and died." General Li knelt on one knee and reported in a deep voice. Qian Xu frowned, his heart full of doubts. Who sent the assassin to be so fearless? Why did they want to kill him?

Qian Xu looked at the assassin's body, and suddenly a bad feeling came over him. He felt that this was just the beginning, and a bigger storm was about to come. He had to be fully prepared to be invincible in this storm.