C77

Ever since he left the capital, he had never been out of the capital. Now that he was able to leave the capital, he suddenly felt enlightened.

The villages that approached from afar were all dried up with weeds, snow that could still be seen from time to time behind the shade. It was a boundless open area that was filled with an exhausted sense of yellow, but no sense of desolation could be felt.

We spent the night and the night in the warm sunshine, and the night in the window of the inn, listening to the north wind. Although it was a little difficult, I was still filled with interest as I had not seen such a beautiful scenery in many years.

Occasionally, when he looked back at the joyous event in the distance, he would feel a sense of desolation in his heart. Perhaps it was because he would never return, maybe it was because he was worried about his children, or maybe it was because he was nostalgic about the capital, which he had lived in for eight years …

In short, this feeling of departure was even more intense than when he had first left the Southern Beams. It was indescribable and unfathomable, with traces and strands of it roaming about within his heart.

I was following a group of salt merchants who sold sea salt. Since the season was not yet over, I was in no hurry to return to the seaside, so I took it as a sightseeing trip. Although the season was in the middle of winter, it was very lively, so I didn't feel cold at all.

They are the most ordinary of the bunch, but every day they bring me the most simple and honest happiness. I think back to the time when I was still in the palace, even though there were many servants and women behind me, but I still felt like I was alone.

After several days of travelling, I had become very familiar with the few people in the caravan. I often asked them about the situation in the Eastern Lights.

"Little brother, you don't know about this, but in the summer, our Eastern Le Country is even more lively than the capital!" Fishy, a local shop assistant from Eastland Commandery, said in an exaggerated voice.

"Oh? Didn't they say that the Eastern Kingdom was a desolate place with very few people? " I had always thought that the place where the imperial government assigned prisoners would be a deserted area.

Say that you don't know, my house is built by the sea, and the houses are built by mountains. When summer comes, those big boats will all be leaning on the harbor, and those small fishing boats, whether they are fishing or not, will all come back singing. And that white salt field, those girls by the sea, all of them went to soak in the sea in the darkness, and their laughter could be heard from afar, and … "

Little Fishy boasts proudly about her hometown, and my thoughts float with his words to the boundless sea. Fishermen gather as they all return home, and there are groups of women and children on the coast waiting to greet the men who return from the sea.

Yang Liang, on the other hand, although he was a beauty, facing the sunset and the sky full of red clouds by the seaside every day, he must be as carefree as a crane in the wild. He shouldn't have to suffer too much, right?

The backwater of a village was not necessarily the worst. The luxurious and luxurious palace was a cage made of gold and silver, the most extravagant yet the most dangerous.

Just as he was chatting with Little Fishy, he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoof steps behind him. He could not help but be shocked, turning his head to look, only to see that there were several tall and handsome horses, their bodies much larger than the horses in the Central Plains. Although the horses looked dusty, they were still extremely mighty, and he could tell that they were people who were good at riding.

The country road was narrow, and there were many merchant carriages, so it was too late to avoid them. The Turkic horse-riders drove for a while, and then passed through the caravan and rushed forward, startling the caravan's horses.

The horse that Little Fishy and I were riding, let out a long cry and charged straight towards the edge of the road. It raised its front hooves, causing the carriage to sway unsteadily. With a "Pa" sound, it fell to the ground.

Little Fishy and I were so scared that our faces turned pale. We tightly held onto the shaft, but we were still sent flying. Fortunately, the snow we just melted into was softer, so we didn't fall in pain. Our bodies were covered in mud.

The leader, Master Guo, was so angry that he pounded his chest and stomped his feet.

"These people of the Berserker State actually dare to do whatever they want within the borders of our Big Sui Empire in broad daylight. Where is the justice of the world?!"

I looked at the billowing yellow smoke left by the Turkic horse and said,

"Master Guo, please do not be angry. They have already left. If you continue to be angry, won't that just make things worse for yourself?"

Master Guo let out a long sigh. He picked up the thing that fell to the ground with the others and said angrily,

"This old man has been traveling on this path for many years, and I don't know where these bandits have come from in recent months." This old man has been traveling on this path for many years, and in recent months, these bandits have come from unknown places.

I wondered why the Turkic people were here in the Central Plains. I had just thought that they were just passing by occasionally, but I hadn't thought that there would be Turks who would always be stationed here, and those people didn't look like businessmen at all. I couldn't help but ask,

"The officials here don't care?"

"Ai, little brother, you have never seen the world and do not know of the dangers of this world. How could the people in the government dare to interfere with the Turks? Even if they could manage it, "Master Guo whispered in my ear," they have already been bribed by the Turkic people, so it's better for them to collude with each other.

"Humph, with Old Master Guo saying this, they are truly going against the rules. Don't tell me that no one in our imperial government dares to interfere?" Little Fishy stroked her arm, which was painfully pressed by the shaft of the chariot, feeling extremely angry.

"The imperial government?" Master Guo smiled wryly and shook his head, not saying another word.

Even though I was suspicious, I realised that I was just an ordinary civilian. Even if I asked around, it wouldn't help. Fortunately, it was a good thing that there was no danger. We were delayed for an hour.

However, the sky was getting dark and everyone was covered in mud. Thus, they decided to head to the small town ahead to fight.

The town was very small, so we went to the biggest inn, asked for a few rooms, and had dinner and tea. I also asked for a single room, because I was afraid that others would be suspicious, so I didn't dare ask for a room.

Just because I was living alone in a room, Little Fishy and the others did not understand at first. Several times they wanted to stay with me, saying that they wanted to save themselves a bit of trouble, but I rejected them all. As time passed, they would only laugh at me saying that I, a scholar, am rotten, so I did not try to defend myself and let them say whatever they wanted.

After the food was finished, Fishy sneaked into my room, mysteriously pointing to the ceiling, and said:

"Brother Xiao, what a coincidence. Those barbarians also live in this shop. It's on the third floor, in the best room."

"Oh? "How did you know?" I asked.

"I just went to the toilet and saw those big horses in the backyard. I carefully asked the waiter and found out that they live upstairs." Little Fishy cunningly blinked her eyes as she spoke.

"They live in their shop, we'll beat them up until they're weak. Tomorrow they still have to wake up early, so you should hurry back to sleep." I know Little Fishy has a lot of wacky ideas, but I don't want to travel too much to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Brother Xiao, we can't take such a huge loss today. Look at my arm, we still can't bend it even now. How about we go and fix it?" Little Fishy said softly as she looked outside the door.

Seeing the evil grin on his face, he knew that he was up to no good, so he grumpily said:

"We don't even dare to provoke the government, how can we afford to offend them?" "It's better not to cause too much trouble. Hurry up and put away those crooked thoughts of yours."

Little Fishy's face was filled with displeasure as she pretended to be righteous and said:

"Are all scholars so cowardly?" "According to Master Guo's words, these barbarians have a deep relationship with each other. They are already big enough to be part of the imperial palace, but I, Little Fishy, am not afraid of them!"

Big enough to go to the palace? An inexplicable chill went through my heart. Suddenly, the scene of Yun'er's tragic death flashed in front of my eyes, along with that strange poison, Gan Fei Zi. Perhaps it was because she was from the Turk, but she still felt uneasy. She had a feeling that this group of Turkic people had a connection with the death of Yun'er.

Of course, this is just my intuition.

Seeing Little Fishy slapping her chest loudly, it didn't seem like she was lying. Furthermore, he had always told me everything he knew, so he should only know this little bit. I originally didn't want to ask, but I was interested in this group of Turkic people.

Therefore, he purposely said:

"Just bluff me, what kind of place is the palace? The palace was tightly guarded. Ordinary people couldn't even get half a step closer. How could these barbarians have the right to interfere? "I still don't know where Master Guo got the news from to bluff you."

Although Master Guo was adept at worldly affairs, he was, after all, an ordinary merchant, so how could he know about these things?

Little Fishy saw that I didn't believe her and became anxious:

"Do you believe me? Master Guo has some friends in the capital. Otherwise, his business would not have gone so smoothly!"

Seeing Little Fishy's furious appearance, she did not seem like she was boasting at all. Perhaps it was because the officials did not know what had been revealed. They slightly shifted their gazes and bitterly said:

"As expected, they are extremely despicable. However, the two of us don't even know half of martial arts. I'm afraid that if they hook their fingers, they can take our lives. How can we punish them?"

Seeing that I agree with his view, Little Fishy was immediately excited. She mysteriously took out a small red medicine bottle and said in a low voice:

"This is my Little Fishy's secret medicine, as long as you sprinkle a little in their stables, hehe …"

I wouldn't believe it even if you said it was made by Little Fishy. I don't even know where she got it from, so I used it to brag to me. I felt funny inside, but I didn't expose him. I just said:

"In that case, wouldn't it implicate the owner?" "Those barbarians are extremely rude. If we find out that their horses have been drugged, I'm afraid the inn will be in for a disaster."

Little Fishy's face revealed an expression of satisfaction as she smiled and said:

"Brother Xiao, there is no need to worry. My medicine is a slow process, it will take a few hours before it breaks out, and if we use it in the morning, they will definitely wake up early and travel a hundred miles away. Even if they want to find trouble with the shop, I'm afraid their horses will not have the strength to do so."

"Really?" I asked.

Little Fishy was even more proud as she boasted,

"It is also not something that I, Little Fishy, can brag about. This medicine of mine has never failed in its trials and tribulations. Last time …"

Fishy started talking again, and I ignored him, wondering how I was going to get to the bottom of this group of Turkic people.

Even though I had left the palace, my children were still in the palace, and every time I thought of her, I felt a lingering fear. If the person who had framed me had done the same despicable thing to my Zhao`er and Sha`er, then — A chill rose in my heart and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

If he could find out some clues, he could find a way to inform Ah He and tell him to pay attention to this matter. Perhaps, this problem could be resolved.

I believe that A'he will protect my children with all his might. I also believe that Yang Guang will treat my two children well, but the person behind the scenes has to be on his guard.

After Little Fishy finished boasting, she turned her head to look. Seeing me in a daze, she hurriedly said:

"Brother Xiao, there is no need to be afraid. How can a dignified man sweat because of such a small matter? You scholars are really timid. "

Ignoring his good-will cynicism, I asked:

"Little Fishy, is there any way for you to find out the origins of these Turkic people?"

Little Fishy disdainfully said:

"Of course I have ways - but is it important what they are? "No matter what kind of origins it has, I've already decided on this medicine."

"Is there really a way?" I asked doubtfully.

"I mean, do you really want me to ask around? Then I'll go ask the waiter. " Little Fishy scratched her head and said in embarrassment.

"That won't be necessary, how could they reveal their identity to a waiter?" I was a little disappointed.

Little Fishy rolled her eyes, patted her head, and said with a smile:

"Got it!" One of them was a Chinese man. When I came back from the latrine, I saw one of the Turkic men talking to the Chinese man downstairs. He was speaking in Chinese, so we could listen in. "

After he finished, he pointed to the roof.

But they are on the third floor, and the two of us don't know any qinggong. How could we have overheard them?

Seeing me shake my head, Little Fishy pointed out the window and said:

"There's a big tree in the backyard with the windows of the third floor close to the treetops. If I hide there, wouldn't I be able to hear everything?"

I opened the back window and saw a big tree. It was winter, and the leaves had long since withered, leaving only the dense branches. He was still worried.

"Isn't this too dangerous? If they open their windows, won't it be easy to be seen? "

"You don't have to worry about that. As long as you keep your feet down and don't make any noise, who would open their windows to the cold wind in such a cold weather?" Little Fishy replied.

What he said made sense. I slightly focused my mind and said,

"Alright, I hope I can hear some background from their conversation. Without further ado, help me climb that tree. If I'm late, won't they be sleeping?"

"What is it? Don't you need me to go with you? " Little Fishy asked in surprise.

I faintly smiled and said:

"Wouldn't one more person be more likely to be discovered? "I'll keep watch for you from the tree. You can use the laxatives yourself."

He thought to himself, If I were to be discovered, I would probably be unable to protect myself, so why would I have to implicate Little Fishy again?

"Alright, let's move out separately." Little Fishy agreed.

The window of my room was close to the tree, and without much difficulty, with the help of Fishy, I jumped up from the window and climbed up. There were no leaves, but the branches were thick, and the night was misty.

From Fishy's words, I learned that there were three top rooms on the third floor with Turkic occupants. The middle room was the most spacious, and it was probably the guest room of their leader, which was located just above my room.

Cautiously, I moved to the nearest stem from the third-floor window. I saw the light of the candle inside, and the faint movement of a figure, so I tied the rope tightly around the shaft, just in case I should be caught, so I could get away quickly.

Then, he grabbed the tree trunk with one hand and lightly broke the window paper with the other finger while listening attentively.

There seemed to be three people in the room talking, and the Chinese man was one of them, but they were talking for half a day, sometimes in Turkic, sometimes in Chinese, and they were all unimportant subjects, and I was too far away to hear more than a few staccato words, and I was anxious.

"Sir, when do you think it's the best time to start a war?" It was obvious that a Turkic was asking the only Chinese citizen in stiff Chinese, but his tone was rather respectful. It seemed that this Chinese man had quite the background, and was able to receive the courtesy of a Turkic who had always been arrogant.

"Your Royal Highness …" "I must report this to Great Sweat and wait …" The Chinese man's voice was so soft that I couldn't hear him clearly, but I could vaguely understand that they were talking about the war between the Turks and the Great Sui.

Right now, the war between Big Sui and Turkic was already imminent. Their words were not surprising at all. Could it be that they were the spies sent by the Turkic? The leader was also a prince, his background was indeed not small, but his clothes were not expensive, as if he was an ordinary Turkic.