son-in-law

Chapter 1283 Low Pressure Trough (Part )

Chapter 1283 Low Pressure Trough (Part )

It was still dark, and there wasn't even much wind in Fuzhou in the early morning.

Pu Xinggui sat in front of the window on the second floor, listening to the sounds of chickens and dogs coming from afar, eating cakes quietly in the dim light, thinking about what to do next.

The curfew in the city has been lifted. There was a rustling sound coming from the backyard. Soon after, "Wenhou Sword" Qian Dingzhong came and knocked on the door.

"I heard that Master Pu didn't sleep the whole night."

"We are facing an important matter, so we need to think more about it. Is there another person coming?"

"The Lu brothers were hunted for two days, but luckily they were rescued. I will arrange for them to rest first and come to see you at noon."

"Well, that's fine. My place is a mess and I can't see anyone."

In the dim room, only the tea stove was quietly burning with a faint light. The table was covered with paper scraps wrapping various snacks and food crumbs. There were tea stains on the ground. This was proof that Pu Xinggui had consumed a lot of food while thinking quietly all night. Qian Dingzhong seemed relieved to see this.

"Whenever something big happens, there is a calm attitude. When I heard that Master Pu had not slept all night and just had people deliver snacks again and again, I knew that everything was fine."

After Jun Wu and his sister arrived in Fujian, many powerful families were destroyed. Pu Xinggui was able to survive the encirclement and suppression and even became a leader for a time. Naturally, it was not just the family's influence that helped him survive. He was thoughtful and made decisions at critical moments twice, saving many people around him. This was the basis of his authority. However, when he came to Fuzhou this time, because he didn't know who Chen Shuangran was relying on, he was taken advantage of by the other party and seemed to be in a dilemma.

Now, relying on a surprise force to break the impasse and force the other side to negotiate, he once again showed his ability to control the situation.

"It's just that the dark-skinned Chen seems to be showing weakness, but in fact he's probably still unwilling to give in. Today's negotiations may not be that simple. Has Master Pu thought it through?"

"I have thought about it carefully all night." Pu Xinggui slowly walked to the window and smiled. "Life is nothing more than making choices and retreating. Take what you should take and give up what you should give up. That's all."

"It will be difficult to explain to that Young Master Sun," Qian Dingzhong reminded.

Pu Xinggui nodded.

"That's what I'm referring to."

……

Click, bang, bang, clatter, clatter...

At the back of the princess's mansion, in the courtyard with a big banyan tree, Ning Ji lit a fire, added an iron pot, and began to make elixirs. Not long after, Qu Longjun also came to help, followed by Yin Ping and Yue Yun. After a while, a little girl Zhou Fuyang, who had just woken up and was rubbing her eyes, also staggered over and participated in the inexplicable process of dealing with the coal ash. Qu Longjun was responsible for watching her and not letting her touch the lime powder on the side.

"The Chinese Army... actually made the lime powder bags like this..."

"It's really...too insidious..."

"——This is called "the army never tires of bombing!"

Five figures were working hard. Ning Ji occasionally imparted some classroom knowledge from the southwest.

"... Ning... Mr. Ning often taught us that people in this world will encounter tigers. If they encounter tigers, what should they do..."

"People will encounter tigers... there is a philosophy..."

"After careful consideration, we have come to a conclusion that is universally recognized..."

"……Um?"

"That is... kneel down and call me daddy."

"..."

"Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, so just kneel down and call me daddy."

"Grass……"

"Look, I taught you the philosophy of life, but you swore... You have no manners."

The five figures worked hard. After a while, they started to verbally abuse each other. Until a handful of coal ash was scattered in the sky, Qu Longjun shouted, "Wait a minute." He ran away with Zhou Fuyang, who was giggling. The three figures finally started to punch and kick around the fire.

In the small building between the courtyards not far away, Zhao Xiaosong saw that the fight between several people was about to affect the little princess, so she wanted to speak out, but when she thought of the eldest princess who was peeking beside her and didn't move, she suppressed her impulse. After a moment, she turned her head to look at Zhou Pei, only to see that the other party was also frowning when he saw the scene in the courtyard, and then sighed.

"Why... don't you look calm at all..."

"Steady?" Zhao Xiaosong frowned, "...Who?"

The sky gradually brightened.

In the temple near the halfway point of the mountain, Chen Shuangran was having breakfast and talking about something with the monk Tunyun, who was wearing a gray monk's robe. Tunyun frowned and looked away, then looked back with a half-smile.

"...Master, don't you believe it?"

"I have seen many women in my life. You have a nice appearance. Do you know why I have never made a move on you?"

"It means that the master...understands the overall situation."

"I have been in the world for decades and never care about the overall situation. Miss Chen, you are a woman who lies and hurts people. You look ordinary, but your heart is already bad. In this world, some people - such as the donor Cao - will be deceived by you, but in my opinion, there is less attractiveness in you than in a dog. Miss Chen, no one here can beat me. I am telling you the truth, please don't mind."

As expected, Chen Shuangran didn't mind, and the smile on her face twitched a few times.

"...Master, you are well versed in worldly affairs. Why don't you tell me what... caused me to become like this?"

"Women are like this. They can justify themselves by finding a small excuse to harm everyone. But I don't care. If you speak nonsense in front of me, you will die miserably."

"It seems that the master really likes that boy."

"You may not understand, but for martial artists, fists speak louder than words. That boy's martial arts are passionate and sincere, at least he is more trustworthy than you, Miss Chen. You are fighting with Pu Xingui, and with Cao Jinlong as your accomplice, you are sure to win. But you still want to win everything. It's really a fantasy."

"...Since Master knows about my relationship with Cao Jinlong, he also knows that I am capable of reconciling the accounts between the two sides. The bombardment of Huaiyunfang was not reported by me, nor was it arranged by Pu Xinggui. In this case, isn't it suspicious?"

"But how do I know if you are lying again?"

Chen Shuangran spread his hands, speechless. After a long time, he smiled and sighed.

"Then Master... go back and verify it?"

"I will check it myself."

"…If this proves that I did not lie, then does that mean I have some credibility in front of the master?"

"If that is the case, I will be furious and will come back to love you well."

"..."

Chen Shuangran smiled for a moment and finally spread his hands.

"Then I will have no choice but to... wait for the master's teachings..."

After a while, he added another sentence.

"But... if the master wants to find out something, in my opinion, you might as well... go to the Princess's Mansion to check, maybe there will be some clues..."

"I have my own plans."

Tunyun's figure left here. Chen Shuangran had eaten half of his breakfast and couldn't eat anymore. His face became a little gloomy.

After a while, they had no choice but to call Fan Zhong over.

"As expected... Master Tunyun refuses to believe me. Before there is solid evidence, I'm afraid he won't take action against that Sun. And... I'm afraid he won't let us kill him."

"I've expected this." Fan Zhong laughed. "Just catch him and don't kill him. And... even if there's any accident, I'll explain it to the master. He and I are both equally skilled in martial arts, so he'll always give me some face."

"Then, I'll have to rely on you, Master Fan." Then he laughed, "In addition... there is also today's action..."

……

In the morning, the sun was scorching and there was no wind.

The chaotic fishing grounds were filled with a foul smell, and the fishermen in shorts hid under the eaves to cool off. The fish king Gao Xingzong had already let his disciples go out, and when he received a signal, he walked out of the room and saw a group of outlaws led by Pu Xinggui coming from not far away.

The disciples guided them, and soon the two sides met here.

In addition to Qian Dingzhong, the "Wenhou Sword" beside Pu Xingui, there were also several notorious outlaws in Fujian who followed him at this moment. In the past few days, they were instructed by Chen Shuangran to cause destruction everywhere. After their failure, they were hunted down and finally rescued by the young hero Sun Wukong and Pu Xingui's men. Now these people have obviously joined Pu Xingui's camp.

After expressing their long-standing admiration for the Fish King, Gao Xingzong led everyone inside to meet the young hero Sun Wukong who had just arrived.

To mess with Chen Shuangran and ambush his men in the city, the martial arts master Sun Shaoxia was the main force. After the two sides met and flattered each other, Pu Xinggui once again provided Sun Shaoxia with some clues about what might happen today. Of course, he did not say anything to persuade the other party to stop temporarily, nor did he reveal the information that he would meet with Chen Shuangran in the afternoon.

……

Academy, Tonglixuan.

Outside, the sound of reading mixed with the sound of cicadas. Even though the window was open, the room inside was still dull. In the pervasive smell of medicine, Li Pin leaned against the bedside to read a book, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. On the other side of the bed was his wife, who was sleeping. Even with her eyes closed, her expression was still filled with pain.

During the years when the country was occupied, Li Pin fled from Taiyuan to Bianliang, from Bianliang to Lin'an, and then from Lin'an to Fuzhou. His wife followed him on the last two trips. Soon after arriving in Fuzhou, she was bedridden. If she were an ordinary person, she would have died long ago. It was the fine medicinal herbs prepared by the court that prolonged her life for these years. She could not be considered lucky.

Li Luoshi, the daughter who became lame during the escape to the south, was playing outside under the eaves. The daughter looked okay, but after becoming lame, she became withdrawn and afraid to see people. Li Pin took her to see some doctors, but there was nothing they could do. Gradually, they got used to it. The country was lost, everything was devastated, and most of the things around them were unfortunate. Over time, people could even find it normal.

Luo Shouwei also sat under the eaves watching Li Luoshi play.

After a while, the wife woke up from her sleep. She was confused for a while, and felt the wind from the palm-leaf fan. She was in a trance for a long time before she looked at Li Pin and said, "... today... not busy?"

"It'll happen in a minute."

"Recently... have things been going well?"

"Well, everything went well."

His wife was a young lady from an official family whom he married in Jiangning. When she was young, she was pretty and had read some books. She could sit down and talk with Li Pin. Now she has been ill for a long time, her face is swollen, and she often has a strange smell on her body. Most importantly, her brain can no longer think well. Occasionally when she wakes up, she can only ask if things are going well. Li Pin always tells her that things are going well.

I want to say something else, but none of them are quite appropriate.

After fanning for a while, Li Pin stood up and brought some water to his wife. After a while, Luo Shouwei brought Li Luoshi in to see her mother. Li Pin walked aside and Luo Shouwei handed him a note: "Zhang Yunya died an hour ago."

Zhang Yunya was a senior official of the Famous Ministers Faction, and his fame was no less than that of the great scholars Li Guang and Hu Shuan. When the news of the fall of Lin'an City came, the emperor asked Li Guang and others to come forward to express their stance, and at the same time screen out the lawless people in the city. They also became the target of Chen Shuangran and others. It was said that Tun Yun, Fan Zhong and others attacked together last night and seriously injured him in the mansion. At this time, he finally died.

Li Pin read the note, crumpled it up and threw it into the trash can: "What is the Ministry of Justice doing! What is Cheng Zhouhai doing! Don't they have any rules? They are just allowed to come and go as they please!"

"You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can never be on guard against thieves for a thousand days. Fan Zhong and Tun Yun are both famous masters of the outlaws. If they join forces, it will be difficult for the Ministry of Justice and the secret detectives to deal with them."

"Ning Yi had a way back then."

"..." Luo Shouwei remained silent and said, "The lookout sent a message that Hu Shuan is almost here."

"Ah."

Li Pin nodded, went out, and tidied his clothes.

The situation in Fuzhou has become increasingly intense in recent days, like boiling water. The emperor sent famous ministers to take the blame and screen out the rebellion in the city. Li Guang and others agreed for the sake of the overall situation, but Li Guang, Hu Shuan and others were of course very cautious about who to fight and who to arrest. He came here today to have further discussions with Li Pin, who belongs to the core power faction but has a relatively positive reputation.

……

Over the past few days, Zhang Yunya was not the only official who died in the city. However, as the death list was handed over to the desk in the imperial study, Jun Wu could no longer sit still. He called Cheng Zhouhai over and asked him about it.

"Tun Yun and Fan Zhong are both veterans who have been famous in the outlaws for a long time. They used to be proud of their status. Except for the time they joined forces to deal with the Iron Constable, most of the time they acted on their own. They worked together to assassinate Zhang Yunya last night. It should be that after Your Majesty persuaded Li Guang, Hu Shuan and even Tong Chaomei, the people behind them could no longer sit still."

"Does that mean they will join forces again in the future?"

"Probably."

"Is there no way? Is there no way to deal with it?"

"Some measures... are already underway."

“When will it work?”

"This...I can't explain it..."

"..." Jun Wu took a deep breath, "Ning Yi...how did they deal with these things in the past?"

"According to Ning Yi's plan, if Sikong Nan went to Beijing to assassinate him regardless of everything, he would hardly be able to have a safe hand, and Tun Yun's approach is exactly the same as Sikong Nan's."

"Besides Sikong Nan, what about the others?"

"Most of the time, Ning Yi uses himself as bait."

"I can also be the bait."

"Your Majesty cannot do it."

In the imperial study, Jun Wu stared at him with wide eyes, while Cheng Zhouhai folded his hands and lowered his head in silence.

After a while, Cheng Zhouhai turned around and left. Zhou Junwu put his hands behind his back and waited until Cheng Zhouhai was about to leave the palace before he raised his hand and shouted, "Maybe my junior brother can solve the problem!"

Cheng Zhouhai bowed his hands, accepted the scolding, and left without commenting.

……

In a bustling market, two figures met in a teahouse.

"We went around in a circle. Just like last time, we had two people stationed in each of the two lookout towers, one for the lookout and one holding a musket."

"Lord Fan arranged it."

"I'll take care of the sentry tower without making any noise. I'll start taking care of the second one while you charge in. How about that, Master?"

"If something happens to you..." Tunyun looked at Fan Zhong, "...I am not afraid either."

"The musket may seem violent, but it is actually not much different from an arrow. At a distance of ten steps, it will miss the target. Within ten steps, I am fast." Fan Zhong also laughed, "Master, please rest assured."

They looked towards the gate of Tonglixuan and saw Hu Shuan's carriage slowly driving in, followed by several strong guards.

The two of them stood up from the teahouse.

"If things don't go well, don't force it." Fan Zhong said as he went downstairs, and then said, "In addition, Chen Shuangran's opinion of Sun Wukong is not groundless. I also think it is quite suspicious."

"--snort."

Tunyun didn't think much of him either.