No. 1 Girl in the Imperial City

Chapter 222 Hypocrisy + Ceremony Luan (two chapters in one)
"Snapped!"

In the study of the Qi nationality embassy, ​​when everyone had retreated, Bai Jingrong turned around and slapped Yu Chen hard on the face.

She looked as elegant and beautiful as a lady in a painting, and her figure was quite slender, but her strength was not small.Yu Chen's face was turned to one side after being slapped in the face by her, and a smear of blood overflowed from the corner of his lips.

Bai Jingrong's beautiful face no longer had the previous smile, as if it had been covered with a layer of frost.

"Yu Chen, do you know what you are doing?!" Bai Jingrong said coldly.

Yu Chen lowered his eyes and remained silent, while Bai Jingrong looked at him coldly, "You still think you are right?"

Yu Chen lowered his eyes and said, "I just want to give him some incense."

Bai Jingrong sneered, "Everyone is dead, so why burn incense? Even if you kneel down in front of his grave and break your legs, Cui Liao won't be able to survive."

Yu Chen looked up at her and didn't speak. Bai Jingrong seemed to have read his mind, sneered, and said flatly, "Hypocrisy."

Yu Chen was startled, gritted his teeth and roared, "He saved my life! He..."

"I know." Bai Jingrong said softly, "He taught you martial arts, taught you the art of war, led you to make achievements, and even married his daughter to you. But... so what? Yu Chen..."

Yu Chen stared at her, only to hear Bai Jingrong say quietly: "He's still dead, at your hands, ruining his reputation. Ah Chen, I didn't force you, you did it yourself."

"..."

Bai Jingrong strolled to the main seat and sat down, said in a deep voice, "Since you have done it, don't regret it. Hesitate and stop, what does it look like?"

Yu Chen gave a wry smile, and fell weakly into a chair beside him.

He had already suffered a lot of injuries today, if it wasn't for his profound skills to support him, ordinary people might not be able to get up long ago.

Bai Jingrong looked at him calmly and said, "No one in Shangyong has known where Cui Liao's cemetery is for so many years, and you can find out just after you came back. Haven't you thought that someone deliberately lured you there?"

Yu Chen was taken aback for a moment, with a complicated look on his face.

Bai Jingrong chuckled lightly and said: "Ah Chen, I said that the little girl from Cui's family looked stupid, and I'm afraid she won't survive. I didn't expect that she not only survived, but also lived a pretty good life. gone."

Yu was silent.

"Don't you still have feelings for her?" Bai Jingrong slightly turned his head to look at him and asked.

"No." Yu Chen said coldly.

Bai Jingrong nodded and said: "It's fine if you don't have one. Be careful with her in the future, I don't want you to die in her hands. And that little princess Xie Yan is also amazing. A Yun said earlier that she is very skilled, and I haven't yet become one." It's the same thing. From today's point of view...Ah Yun died at her hands, it's not wrong."

"She did it on purpose." Yu Chen said.

His position at that time happened to be able to see that Luo Junyao's dagger paused a little before piercing Xiewoyun's heart, it was by no means "his hand was too fast, it was confiscated" as she said.

Bai Jingrong nodded, "Who doesn't know, what a pity..."

Just as everyone knew that Bai Jingrong lied about Xiewoyun's identity, everyone present also knew that Luo Junyao did it on purpose, but so what?

Before Xiewoyun decided to destroy the marriage of the eldest daughter of the Luo family, Dasheng was willing to let this matter go so far to give them face.

Bai Jingrong leaned back, frowned slightly, "Those people were originally intended to be exchanged with Xie Yan. But now...you did a good job!"

Yu Chen bowed his head, he knew that she brought those three secret agents and Cui Ziying here to make a deal with Dasheng, in exchange for the secret agents and generals who were captured by Dasheng before.

Now that people are gone, naturally they have to find another way.

Speaking of this, Bai Jingrong also felt a little tired.

She raised her hand and rubbed the center of her brows, and said in a deep voice: "Ah Chen, men are most afraid of being indecisive. You should be the talent of a general who can't lose to anyone. You know why you have been unknown all these years. Don't let me I'm disappointed, Ah Zhan's situation in the royal court is not good, if this trip to Shangyong is not satisfactory, I'm afraid in the future..."

Bai Jingrong didn't finish his sentence, but Yu Chen understood what he meant.

"I see."

"It's good to know." Bai Jingrong said, "Think about it yourself."

"Yes."

Seeing his dejected expression, Bai Jingrong didn't say any more, and said in a gentle voice: "Go and rest, let people take a good look at your injuries, don't leave any hidden dangers behind."

Yu Chen nodded, got up and walked out.

Bai Jingrong sat alone on the main seat, watching Yu Chen's back disappear outside the door.

After a long time, a mocking laugh sounded in the empty study.

"Ma'am, is Yu Chen really reliable?" A young man in black came out, it was Musa who was known as the poisonous scorpion.

Bai Jingrong smiled and said, "Don't worry, Ah Chen is as reliable as you in my heart."

Musa gritted his teeth, "But today...he obviously had the chance to kill that woman!"

Bai Jingrong shook his head and said: "After all, the Cui family is kind to him, so it's not difficult to understand why they are soft-hearted for a while."

Musa sneered, apparently disapproving of the words.

After a moment of silence, he said again: "Xie Yan's strength is indeed extraordinary, and Yu Chen may not be his opponent now, do you want to call Qu Tiange back?"

Bai Jingrong sighed, and said: "Forget it, he won't listen to his orders, and if he really came, it might be self-defeating. Musa, we didn't come here to seek revenge and fight."

Musa whispered: "We don't want to do anything, but Dasheng people may not."

Bai Jingrong said softly: "Don't worry, I know it well."

"Madam is working too hard." Musa whispered.

Bai Jingrong sighed: "Heaven doesn't obey people's wishes, so what can I do?"

The atmosphere in the Prince Regent's Mansion on the other side was also not relaxed.

Xie Yan pulled Luo Junyao to sit on the main seat, and looked coldly at the people standing below.

Luo Junyao glanced at him cautiously. His Royal Highness Prince Regent had stern eyebrows, thin lips slightly pursed, and the expression on his face was much colder than usual, and even the whole hall seemed a bit chilly.

Wei Changting sat lazily on one side, smiling at the two standing people, and flapping the folding fan in his hand from time to time.

Luo Junyao couldn't help complaining secretly in his heart: Prince Wei is really pretending to be like the wind!

In this season, even those literati who like to be arty have put away their folding fans early, but he still can't leave their fans.

Wei Changting noticed that she was sizing him up, and blinked at her leisurely.

Luo Junyao gave him a supercilious look.

Although the two interacted frequently, there was still silence in the lobby.

Gu Jue looked around and sighed in his heart, then knelt on one knee resolutely, "The general made his own claims, please punish me, my lord."

Xie Yan's gaze only stayed on Gu Jue for a moment, then fell on Cui Zheyu who was standing beside him.

Cui Zheyu bit her lower lip, but finally bowed her head and knelt down.

Although he was kneeling, his back was straight.

Her beautiful eyes drooped slightly, her expression was indifferent, obviously she didn't feel that she was at fault.

Xie Yan said calmly: "Cui Zheyu, has this king told you not to act rashly?"

Cui Zheyu didn't answer.

Xie Yan asked: "If this king doesn't come today, are you going to let Yu Chen kill you, or do you kill him?"

Cui Zheyu's face suddenly became a little fluctuant, and her hand hanging by her side tightly grasped the hem of her clothes.

Xie Yan said: "It seems that Yu Chen can only kill you. Do you think you and Gu Jue's three-legged cat skills can kill Yu Chen with a few hundred people? He is letting you go today. understand?"

Cui Zheyu looked up eagerly, and said coldly: "I don't need him to give in! If you think your real skills are inferior to others, I will admit it!"

The atmosphere in the lobby became cold again, and Wei Changting next to him hurriedly interrupted: "Oh, Boss Cui, Yu Chen didn't mean to let you. He saw you with Gu Jue and Zhen Guojun. The confession is there, and it must not really move you."

"..." Luo Junyao couldn't help but glared at Wei Changting, why don't you say it!
Xie Yan said in a deep voice: "This king told you before that Yu Chen will not leave Dasheng alive. But...he can't die now, do you remember?"

Cui Zheyu raised her head, her charming eyes in the past were full of hatred, "I know the prince has his own plans, but...I want to kill him myself!"

Xie Yan said: "You can't kill him."

"I can." Cui Zheyu insisted.

Xie Yan looked at her fixedly, and the others couldn't help but hold their breath, for fear that Xie Yan would sweep them out in a fit of anger.

But I didn't want Xie Yan to just chuckle and said: "Since you are so confident, go try again."

Cui Zheyu looked at Xie Yan in surprise, if she didn't dare to talk back to Xie Yan like this, she was prepared for him to be furious.

Although His Royal Highness the Regent would not lose his temper even if he was angry, the consequences made people feel that it would be easier for him to lose his temper.

I only heard Xie Yan calmly say: "You are dead, this king will bury you next to Old General Cui. As for your brother...it depends on his fate."

Cui Zheyu was startled, his body kneeling on the ground suddenly trembled, and his face was gradually filled with pain and excitement.

She actually... she, she indulged in hatred for Yu Chen, and she actually... forgot her own brother!

Cui Zheyu's hands were tightly clutching the hem of his clothes, and his expression was terrified.

"Wang, lord...Zi, Ziying, he..." Her voice trembled and she choked up.

Xie Yan said: "I thought you only had Yu Chen in your eyes."

After a while, Cui Zheyu gradually calmed down.

Soon she raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, bowed down and said, "Thank you, my lord, for your advice."

Xie Yan glanced at the three people sitting or kneeling in the hall, and said coldly: "Today's matter is not all fruitless. Bai Jingrong brought those people to Shangyong, presumably in exchange for Chu Lie and Xue Owl’s. Now that the exchange chips are gone, she must either take out another chip, or she can only figure out a way by herself.”

Gu Jue and Wei Changting looked solemn, and said respectfully: "The general will understand."

Xie Yan looked at Wei Changting, and Wei Changting touched his nose inexplicably.

Xie Yan said: "You are going to the household department soon, so you don't need to interfere with these chores."

Wei Changting sighed, and said helplessly, "I understand, my lord, don't worry." Thinking of himself as a dignified general in the army, he had a headache halfway through becoming a civil servant.

Gu Jue looked at Xie Yan and asked, "My lord, do you need to transfer someone back from the border?"

Xie Yan said: "No, General Luo and I are not at the border now, and there is no room for loss in the army. The affairs in the court still need to be resolved in the court. You... may not be comparable to those literati."

Gu Jue and Wei Changting looked at each other, but neither could refute.

When it comes to the intrigues in the court, they really may not be comparable to those scholars.

Xie Yan ordered a few more words before sending them away.

Of course, when Gu Jue left, he still hadn't forgotten to take away the punishment for his unauthorized actions without knowing the truth.

"My lord, I..."

Cui Zheyu still knelt on the ground and did not move, she knew that her actions might have destroyed Xie Yan's original plan.It's just... when she knew that Yu Chen was secretly inquiring about the place where the Cui family was buried, she couldn't bear such a temptation.

She didn't regret her decision, but she felt a little guilty for implicating Gu Jue. Fortunately, the punishment given to Gu Jue was not heavy.

Xie Yan said: "You go down first, and then go back after seeing Cui Ziying."

Cui Zheyu regained his composure, and said: "Thank you, my lord, Cui Zheyu knew that I was wrong, and I won't act on my own initiative in the future, please give me another chance, my lord."

Xie Yan didn't speak, and Cui Zheyu was not in a hurry, just knelt down calmly.

After a long time, I heard Xie Yan say calmly: "I heard that you bought a batch of gunpowder and took a lot of poison from Qin Yao'er."

Cui Zheyu's expression changed slightly, only to hear Xie Yan continue: "If Yu Chen died today, this king will not blame you. Cui Zheyu, you have tortured yourself so much these years, and you hate it to the bone, so you can only Support you to do this?"

Cui Zheyu gritted his teeth and said: "No, I still remember... the prince said that he can't die for the time being! I didn't want to kill him today, I just wanted to..."

"You just want to see him suffer." Xie Yan said: "The pain is quite painful, but do you think he is suffering? He was able to sell the Cui family and Zhen Guojun in one go. Do you think his heart is made of tofu? If you are not cruel enough, don't act rashly, otherwise the next time you meet him, you will die."

Cui Zheyu lowered his head and murmured: "My lord, you don't understand at all... People like you don't understand at all... How much do I hate in my heart? It’s hard to get rid of the hatred in my heart.”

There was a strange smile on Cui Zheyu's face. She looked at the two people on the main seat and said, "My lord... you never hate anyone, and you will never understand. King Mu and Princess Mu treat you badly, You stay away from them. They are your biological parents, you tolerate them. When you don't want to tolerate them, abandon them. When the first emperor died, several princes conspired against them. You don't hate them, you kill them They are. And the people of the Qi people... They killed the people of Dasheng, so you kill them. I know, even if I do nothing, I will always be that incompetent Cui Wanyu back then, one day you will kill Yu Chen, kill Bai Jingrong, kill Ji Sui. But...you won't hate them."

"Hatred is an emotion that weak people like us have. Isn't it?" Cui Zheyu asked.

Xie Yan frowned, "What exactly do you want to say?"

Cui Zheyu shook his head, smiled wryly and said: "I didn't want to say anything, my lord thinks I'm talking nonsense."

After finishing speaking, Cui Zheyu bowed respectfully and said: "What happened today is all my own decision, please punish me, my lord, I will never do it again in the future."

Xie Yan pondered for a moment, and said: "Go down, your people will continue to keep an eye on Ji Rong. Yu Chen, don't interfere for now."

Cui Zheyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "Yes, this subordinate will retire."

Seeing Cui Zheyu retreat, Luo Junyao also heaved a sigh of relief.

Xie Yan looked at her sideways, and said softly, "Scared?"

Luo Jun shook his head and said, "No." She was just trying not to interrupt.

Xie Yan taught his subordinates a lesson, and she was completely ignorant of the specific circumstances, so naturally she couldn't interrupt his decision casually.

Xie Yan took her into his arms, stroked her back and said in a warm voice, "What did you want to say just now?"

Luo Jun shook his head and only saw his handsome chin, "Why can't Yu Chen die now? If he leads the army, he should be a big problem for Dasheng, right?"

Xie Yan said: "The remnants of the Bai family have retreated out of the customs and can't make a big wave. The Qi people will not rest assured that Yu Chen will lead the army alone. In addition, Yu Chen's biological mother should be the daughter of Yu Ji, the last prime minister of Dongling."

"So, he has enmity with the Cui family and the Xie family?" Luo Junyao asked.

Xie Yan shook his head, "There is no enmity, Dongling was not killed by the Xie family, and Yu Ji had been dead for several years when Dongling was destroyed. Besides, Yu Ji was not a loyal minister."

Luo Junyao sat up and listened to him carefully.

She had a little impression that Yu Ji seemed to be a powerful minister in the last years of Dongling.

Xie Yandao: "Yu Ji was a powerful official in the last years of Dongling, and he was also the grandfather of Emperor Youdi of Dongling. At that time, his uncle was forced to leave Shangyong to live outside. Of course, there were more family reasons, but it was Yu's family. Secretly exerting pressure. He was in charge of the Luan Ceremony Division of the Dongling Royal Family. In name, it was the emperor's ceremonial guard, but in fact it was an organization that specialized in monitoring government and public officials. Yu Ji was in power for more than 20 years, and almost turned Luan Ceremony Division into his own. Private family. It is rumored that he has mastered countless secrets of the Tangling court officials and aristocratic families, so for more than 20 years, no one dared to oppose him. Later, Yu Ji died of illness. But the token of Yisi was nowhere to be found. Later, the officials who took over Luan Yisi discovered..."

"What did you find?" Luo Junyao was curious.

Xie Yan said: "All the files in the Luan Ceremony Division were destroyed, and the number of people registered in the Division was reduced by half, but... no one knew where or who the few people were. In the end, the officials at that time used the Luan Ceremony Division to falsely report the number of people. The case is settled with empty pay."

Mr. Luo understood that at that time Luan Yisi was in the hands of Yu Ji himself, no different from his own soldiers.

At that time, the Yu family was powerful and wealthy, so there was no need for Yu Ji to search for money in such a place.With his power, even if he went directly to the treasury to move money, few people would dare to take care of it.

"Those people...disappeared just like that?" Luo Junyao wondered.

Xie Yan shook his head and said, "The world was in turmoil afterwards, and these people vaguely appeared a few times, but they didn't cause any impact. It's just that my uncle had dealt with them in the early years, so he was more careful."

"So...Bai Jingrong insists on bringing Yu Chen back. Is it because of Luan Yisi, or...for the secrets of the court officials and family that Yu Ji left behind? Uh...It's been so many years, those secrets should be outdated Bar?"

Xie Yan looked at her and said, "Some secrets will never become obsolete, as long as those people or their descendants are still around. What's more... how do you know, they have been idle all these years and have not collected more secrets. secret?"

Luo Jun shook his head, "It makes sense. Uh... wait!"

Luo Jun shook his eyes and stared fixedly at Xie Yan and said, "Yu Chenneng has not been revealed by General Cui's side for so many years, so his identity must be a top secret. How did you know?"

Xie Yan smiled lightly and said nothing, Luo Jun shook his eyes and blinked, "You placed a secret agent next to Bai Jingrong or Yu Chen. This person...isn't discovered by them?"

Xie Yan flicked her forehead lightly with a smile, and said, "I'll tell you later."

Luo Junyao covered his forehead and stared at him, Xie Yan pulled her hand away to look carefully at the white and smooth forehead, "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt." Luo Junyao smiled.

Xie Yan lowered his head and kissed her brow lightly, and said, "It's really difficult for Bai Jingrong and Yu Chen to have a secret agent beside them, but...sometimes the real secrets may not be obtained by the secret agent."

Luo Jun shook his head to express his understanding.

It's not a spy, it's a traitor.

There are traitors in Dasheng, why can't Qi and Bai Jingrong have them around?
"It's so complicated." Thinking that Dasheng might even be in Shangyong and hide such a secret intelligence organization, Second Miss Luo felt a little excited.

Xie Yandao: "From the founding of Dongling to the present, Shangyong has been the imperial city for hundreds of years. For so many years, the rich and powerful families, civil servants, military generals, and relatives of the emperor have been replaced one by one. It is not surprising that there will be anything in the dark."

Luo Jun shook his head and said: "You are right, I am also a little curious about what else there is."

Xie Yan said: "Taking advantage of this opportunity, it's okay to clean up a little bit."

It is impossible to completely annihilate those undercurrents, but when they try to reach out to places where they shouldn't be involved, it will always take time for a new batch to grow back.

So many years have passed in a flash, whether Bai Jingrong will come sooner or later, but at this time, is he thinking of Yu Chen's life experience and Luan Ceremony?
Naturally, someone sent a signal to them!

It's not that no one found out about Yu Chen's background back then, but...even he himself and Bai Jingrong didn't know that he was related to that Yu family.

(End of this chapter)