Although Shen Qingfeng said so, he knew in his heart that his words, seemingly reasonable, actually had no basis at all.
Not to mention that Lan's whereabouts were a mystery and Lan deliberately kept a low profile. How could Lan come to Lige City, which was heavily guarded by Xia Yonglin?
But when these words reached Xia Yonglin's ears, it was another matter. Although it was hard to turn things around once one entered the Discipline Gate, Qi Shuhuan had a deep foundation in the court. If he really wanted to survive, there must be a way. Xia Yonglin pretended not to be afraid of death on the surface, but who was really not afraid of death?
Shen Qingfeng didn't believe it. So, he used Lan's fearsome reputation as a bet against Xia Yonglin's life to pry open Xia Yonglin's mouth.
"Don't even think about provoking me!" Xia Yonglin said with a ferocious look on his face. "I've never even heard of this Lan you're talking about!"
"Is it interesting to deceive yourself?" Shen Qingfeng sneered contemptuously. "Even if you don't know Lan, don't you know Wuhen?"
"..." Xia Yonglin was speechless. The name of Wuhen was well - known in the Central Plains. How could he not know this killer organization that was like a nightmare?
Shen Qingfeng's eyes were gloomy, and his words were tinged with a chilling coldness. "Now, even if I want to protect you, you have to die."
"You... you're talking nonsense!" Xia Yonglin's lips trembled slightly. It was obvious that he was scared. "You're still trying to deceive me. That Lan won't come!"
"Oh? It seems you want to bet your life with me?" Shen Qingfeng scoffed. "Did Qi Shuhuan arrange an escape route for you out of Lige? With that old fox's mind, he must be thinking of making you stage a comeback. You can think carefully. If you're being hunted down by Lan, how much military strength do you have now to ensure your safety?"
Shen Qingfeng narrowed his eyes and threatened, "Oh, right. I almost forgot to remind you. Don't think that just because your stupid younger brother has taken over Li Yanqing's military power, he can do whatever he wants. The tiger tally is still in Lu Yan's hands."
Fear flashed in Xia Yonglin's eyes, and he stammered, "You... you..."
"What about me?" Shen Qingfeng pressed on. "Xia Yonglin, I advise you to think clearly. Honestly exchange the information you know with me, and I'll arrange troops to protect you. Or, you can try to escape. What happens to you on the way or who kills you later has nothing to do with me."
Xia Yonglin paused for a moment and gritted his teeth. "If I tell you, can you guarantee my safety? How do I know you're not lying to me?!"
Shen Qingfeng was silent for a while. His eyes flashed, and he showed a charming smile. He slowly sized up Xia Yonglin, who was covered in blood, and his words were as cold as ice. "Xia Yonglin, don't you understand the current situation? You have no choice."
-
Yu Shuang was standing outside the death row of the Discipline Gate, playing with a small sachet in his hand.
If someone familiar was around, they would have noticed that the sachet in Yu Shuang's hand was obviously not his own. It was so colorful that it didn't match Yu Shuang, who always wore black clothes and had a poker - face. Obviously, the sachet was a gift from someone else. He rubbed the thin string of the sachet with his thumb, and a trace of nostalgia and tenderness flashed across his face.
"Yu Shuang." Suddenly, Shen Qingfeng's voice came from behind. Yu Shuang was so absorbed in looking at the sachet that he was startled. He quickly stuffed the sachet into his bosom, stood up straight, and said to Shen Qingfeng, "My... my lord."
Shen Qingfeng looked at him suspiciously and asked, "What are you doing?"
Yu Shuang stammered, "Uh, this subordinate..."
"Forget it." Shen Qingfeng was in a mess now and had no time to observe Yu Shuang's expression changes. He shook his head and said, "Yu Shuang, has there been any news from Lu Yan?"
Yu Shuang straightened his expression and said, "I just received a message by carrier pigeon. It said that he would arrive in Lige City tonight."
Hearing this, Shen Qingfeng looked up at the sun hanging high above his head. He led Yu Shuang to a quiet corner and continued to ask, "I sent a letter to Mo Yunchen before, asking him to come to Lige City to help me. Where is Young Master Mo now?"
Yu Shuang said, "Young Master Mo has settled down in the suburbs. He specifically sent someone to say that to repay your kindness, he will fulfill any request you have."
"Good." Shen Qingfeng nodded and lowered his voice. "Yu Shuang, now go and tell Yuan Yang, Wu Si, and Fan Zhe to wait at the Shen Mansion. No matter what happens, they must ensure the safety of the Shen Mansion. If..."
When Shen Qingfeng said this, for some reason, Xia Chuli's appearance from his previous life suddenly flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth and said, "The palace - coercion will take place tonight. If something unexpected happens, tell the three of them to immediately take the people from the Shen Mansion to find Young Master Mo in the suburbs. Young Master Mo has bodyguards with him and can help them escape to the south of the Yangtze River."
Yu Shuang paused for a moment. He couldn't quite understand the emotions in Shen Qingfeng's eyes, but he didn't ask any more questions. He just said, "This subordinate understands."
"Then, go to the Imperial Guard and ask Gong Tan for some guards. Take the rest of the people from the Listening Wind Pavilion and go with me to the Prince Cheng's Mansion." Shen Qingfeng's eyes darkened. "I'm going to search the Prince Cheng's Mansion thoroughly, inside and out!"
Yu Shuang guessed the look in Shen Qingfeng's eyes and tentatively asked, "Do we need to tell His Highness the Crown Prince about this?"
Shen Qingfeng paused for a moment and said, "Tell him to stay in the Eastern Palace and wait for Lu Yan's support. Keep the rest of the things a secret."
"Yes."
In Lige City where the spring flowers had withered, suddenly, a strong wind blew up unnoticed. It howled through Wutong Street, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Some street vendors who didn't have time to pack up their stalls were covered in dust by the strong wind and cursed while tidying up their scattered goods. A rouge retailer was the same. While scolding the evil wind, he bent down to pick up the rouge boxes that had been scattered all over the ground one by one.
When looking for the last rouge box, he suddenly found that the rose - scented rouge box was being held in the palm of a white - haired old man. The old man's dry fingers were gently stroking the exquisite packaging box.
"Hey! Old man, what are you doing with my rouge!"
Hearing this, the old man silently turned his head. Only then did the retailer notice that the old man's eyes were cloudy and white. He was actually blind.
The retailer immediately flew into a rage and cursed, "Blind old man! You can't even see but you still steal things. Bah!"
Unexpectedly, the old man ignored him and didn't return the rouge box. Instead, he asked, "Do you hear any sound?"
"I don't care what sound it is. Give me back my stuff!" The retailer snatched the rouge box and walked away, completely ignoring the old man's mumbling.
Suddenly, his hand was empty. The old man slowly lowered his head. His blind eyes blinked a few times, and he murmured, "I can hear... it's an ominous sound..."
"Giddyap!" The sound of horses' hooves penetrated the market and interrupted the old man's voice. Dozens of horses were galloping through Wutong Street, heading straight for the Prince Cheng's Mansion in the north of the city. The man in the lead was dressed in white clothes, covered his face with a white cloak, and rode a rare blood - sweating horse. It was Shen Qingfeng in disguise.
"Chenfeng." Shen Qingfeng clamped his legs on the horse's belly, bent down, and whispered in the horse's ear, "You seem to be in a particularly good mood today. Is it because you're going to see Lu Yan?"
Chenfeng seemed to understand his words. While galloping, it snorted.
"Haha..." Shen Qingfeng stroked its golden mane and said softly, "It won't be long... I'm also eager to see him."
After saying that, he slowly raised his head. The tenderness in his eyes faded, and a layer of sharpness and edge appeared. He shouted, "Giddyap!"