Empress Mi Benji

Chapter 166 Heading West

The Ghost Festival is not the spooky and ghostly one that Zhuang Xun felt, but a grand and joyful festival.

After burning incense and burning paper, the people set off lanterns, performed, and the talented and beautiful went on an outing. Zhuang Xun thought of the video explanation he had watched.

This was the case in the Tang and Song dynasties, and I don’t know why they became taboo about it later. The last day of celebration became eerie and terrifying.

I chose to pray during the day, and the Chenghuang Temple was also very lively, but most of them were common people, because wealthy people have their own ancestral halls, and they can worship at home by enshrining the tablets at home.

Most people come here to ask for good fortune. As the largest Chenghuang Temple in Jinyang, they come to pray for wealth in the next life or good luck in the near future.

It seems that Zhuang Xun went to the temple because there was no ancestral hall, which seemed reasonable and no god would find anything wrong with Zhuang Xun's actions.

After all, on such a day of celebration, who would have thought that the fallen Zhuang Xun would hatch an escape plan at this time.

So Zhuang Xun took a group of followers to the City God's Temple today. The spies had nothing to report. Even after reporting to King Zhao, they didn't think it was anything, and they completely ignored Zhuang Xun.

Last time, I felt that Zhuang Xun had no ambition, so how could he pay attention to Zhuang Xun? Although he still remembered Empress Dowager Jiang's teachings, his mentality had become relaxed.

I had informed him in advance that I would come to pray for blessings, so the Chenghuang Temple specially set aside an apse for Zhuang Xun to pay homage. Zhuang Xun was both generous and sneaky.

First, he took a group of people to enjoy various dramas and sideshows, and to visit the excitement of Nancheng. The people here behaved generously, as if they were just here to have fun.

At the same time, he didn't know that his acting skills had made King Zhao and many ministers put down their guard against him, and they sneakily asked Bi Yuewu and He Jung repeatedly to make sure that no gods were paying attention.

Finally, he turned to the City God's Temple and entered the temple quietly. Then, for fear of disturbing the nobles, he asked Huang Xi and He Jung to guard the door while Zhuang Xun arranged his crown and walked into the back hall.

In the back hall were the Ten Palaces of Hell. Zhuang Xun was alone among them, observing these emperors of the underworld who didn't look very friendly, and slowly walked to the statue of the King of Reincarnation.

"Please meet me, Emperor?" Zhuang Xun prayed, recalling the scene of the last meeting, and closed his eyes.

"Which emperor are you talking about, young master?" The voice seemed gentler, but it was not the voice of the King of Wheels in the impression.

Zhuang Xun suddenly turned his head and saw a middle-aged man who was also wearing a crown, but with a cheerful smile. He was holding a jade Ruyi, but there was a vague majesty on his kind face. He looked at Zhuang Xun with a smile. , kept nodding.

"I'm Zhuang Xun, may I ask who the emperor is?" Zhuang Xun had already seen a lot of great things in the world, and he wasn't particularly surprised when he didn't see the King of Wheels. He first bowed his hands politely.

Moreover, when the other party called him Shaojun, he was probably not a hostile force. Zhuang Xun's mind was sparkling and his expression was calm.

"I am Ke'an, the king of Yama in the underworld, and I have met the young master." The middle-aged man in Mianfu revealed his family background and his attitude was quite good.

"Xun has also seen the emperor, dare to ask where the wheel king is." Being able to call out the word Shaojun means that he has also been in contact with the wheel king, otherwise he would not be able to call himself like this.

In addition, the king of rotation asked him to come here, so he should be an ally, so Zhuang Xun held his ground and asked him politely.

"Waiting in the Netherworld Underworld, Shaojun and my ministers can go to the underworld to meet each other." King Yama made a gesture of invitation, and a door opened on the side of Zhuang Xun. King Yama left first and Zhuang Xun followed.

"Excuse me, the emperor, to greet you. Is there anything that delayed His Majesty the King of Wheels?"

Zhuang Xun asked carefully. As he walked in the passage, he knew clearly that he had become a soul and now this road was the road to the underworld.

"Yuzhou is under the jurisdiction of the small minister. The appearance of the Rotating King will attract the attention of other gods, so the small minister will guide him on his behalf."

King Yama replied slowly and calmly, giving Zhuang Xun enough time to think.

Zhuang Xun just woke up from a dream. No wonder things like spiritual cards couldn't contact the King of Wheels. It turned out that there was no signal here and it was not under his jurisdiction.

Bi Yuewu didn't expect that Zhuang Xun didn't know, and Zhuang Xun didn't know that he didn't know. Otherwise, King Lun Luan wouldn't be worrying about gains and losses if he didn't respond.

"Does each hell king of the underworld have different jurisdictions?" Zhuang Xun was curious. It seems that the ten hell kings are in charge of nine states respectively.

"That's right, the nine Yin Lords are in charge of the souls of the Nine Provinces, and the King of Pingping is in charge of the souls of the water tribe on the islands outside the Nine Provinces. Since he has arrived in Yuzhou, the King of Rotation asked his minister to ask Shaojun to meet him in the underworld."

"Thank you, Emperor Yama, for your help." Zhuang Xun thanked him and said, at least the emperor's temper seemed to be pretty good.

"It's nothing, it's my job. His Highness's debate in the court was very to my liking. I already have the intention to support you, but I don't have this opportunity. Now that the King of Wheels invites me, we are naturally willing to do our best to help."

King Yama walked aside, stroking his black beard, nodded in approval, and recalled what Zhuang Xun said.

"Please tell me clearly when the words should be spoken." As soon as King Yama said, Zhuang Xun was confused. What words should be spoken when.

"Above the court, the young master argued for the people and satirized the Zhao Kingdom. The princes in the court were running the country, and the people were not clothed and had no food to eat. On the other hand, looking at the politics of Youdi, the people were happy, we all agree with the young master's words."

King Yama mentioned what Zhuang Xun said two months ago when he was drunk and could not bear the remarks of the Yin Yang Zhao people. Zhuang Xun thought about it for a while before he remembered it.

One is because he was drunk and has no memory. The second is that two months have passed. He was either drunk or having fun, so he really can't remember clearly.

"Thank you, Emperor Yama, for your love. Wait, is there anyone else besides the emperor?"

Zhuang Xun did not expect that his speech at the welcome banquet of Zhao State would affect this god. King Yama waited for his words as if there were others.

"Yes, there are many gods who have seen it and have pity for Shaojun, but it is difficult to express it for various reasons. For example, I, looking at what Shaojun has done, he does have the appearance of a wise king from ancient times."

King Yama must have said that he would not like it if he was just good at talking, but Zhuang Xunsheng really started to do it in the place where he ruled.

Fifty steps means you can laugh a hundred steps. Under Zhuang Xun's rule, Jiannan has achieved what he said. Farming and mulberry farming, cotton and linen are encouraged, clothing is available all year round, hardworking people are not hungry, and the houses built are standardized. , the people were singing and praising his virtue.

There will be two days in the sky to rejuvenate my family.

There are colorful clothes and abundant grain.

If you achieve this, you can naturally point your finger at Zhao Guo and these independent men, scolding them for reversing the course of history and engaging in feudal slavery.

"Does the emperor also think that what I did is right?" Zhuang Xun's eyes lit up, and he felt happy to be recognized in his soul state.

"Of course you are right. There are three ways of heaven, earth and people. The way of heaven is that heaven and earth remain unchanged, but people change. Heaven and earth are ruthless and people have feelings. Young Master has great love and his merits are immeasurable."

King Yama praised Zhuang Xun and said that Zhuang Xun was impeccable in both actions and words. Even his only shortcoming, lust, was insignificant because he had no heirs.

"I thought I was lonely and fatalistic, and thought that my idea of ​​letting them live a normal life was wrong. After all, they were all sins committed in the previous life."

Zhuang Xun felt excited. Although he was ready to go his own way, he was still cheered up by someone's encouragement. "Is it fatalistic? The attitude of our underworld is like this. We will punish the sins of the previous life. After the punishment, they will go where they should go. Once their birth is determined, what kind of development they will develop is beyond our control. We can only control birth, but not death."

King Yama talked about the attitude of their gods. Sinners will go to hell and have bad births in the next life, but they only decided this part. The rest is just human beings' self-contempt.

These are not the original intentions of the gods, nor are they the rules of heaven, but they are helpless and they have no way to change them.

It is a rule of heaven that the law should not be spread lightly, and they are destined to only influence a small number of people, and this small number cannot affect this deep-rooted general trend.

Not only was Zhuang Xun's idea not wrong, but it was supported by them. However, many gods had already placed their bets on the Zhao State, and Zhuang Xun visually had no chance of a comeback. After all, everyone had been captured by the Zhao State.

So the stone falling into the water caused a ripple, and then nothing happened. That's why it was said before that many gods paid attention to him.

Seeing his rapid fall, many gods, including King Yama, sighed, as if they saw a goshawk with its wings broken, a koi with its tail broken, a star dimming, and the colorful halo of the sun disappearing.

But luckily, he got inside information. These actions were all done to confuse people. In fact, Zhuang Xun was planning to escape and take a thorny road.

When the King of Wheels asked him if he wanted to bet with him, King Yama thought twice and agreed. After all, they were old friends. Unexpectedly, the money that the King of Wheels was betting on was actually Zhuang Xun.

It exactly corresponded to his regret. What else could he say? He had to follow and follow immediately. As for Zhuang Xun's current predicament, he naturally knew it.

If there weren't any difficulties, it seems that I wouldn't be able to make much money by lying down, but my decision to help Zhuang Xun was more out of kindness and public spirit.

"There are always rumors in the mortal world that there is a book of life and death in the underworld, which can determine the life and death of people in the underworld. That is false. The underworld is only responsible for the death of people. How can we know how to die? Everything is changing. Mortals can only But the divination is far-fetched and attached to the so-called book of life and death."

King Yama explained to Zhuang Xun that since there is no book of life and death, there is no fatalism, that is, someone will definitely gain something in this life. Naturally, saying that he must suffer when he is born is false and just a way to comfort himself. kind of statement.

"Xun understands, thank you Emperor for clarifying the confusion." Zhuang Xun understood, and his Taoist heart became more and more determined, until he walked out of the black passage and saw the woman.

"Madam!" Zhuang Xun was overjoyed. Regardless of his own state, he moved forward and hugged the woman he thought about day and night.

"Mr. Lang." Si Qinmi also hugged Zhuang Xun. Although she couldn't feel the warmth of Zhuang Xun's body at this moment, it still made her cry with joy, but the ghost could not shed tears.

He couldn't care about what was going on around him. When the couple met, they only had eyes for each other. It had been two months. Si Qinmi was so worried about Zhuang Xun, and Zhuang Xun missed his Dami so much.

However, Si Qinmi was more mature and controlled his emotions for a short time. He pulled away from Zhuang Xun and said, "I'm rude in front of some emperors. Sir, please show me your courtesy to these emperors."

"There, we have to pay homage to Shaojun. King Jixing of Biancheng, a minor minister, is in charge of Yongzhou and has met Shaojun." An old man with gray hair on his temples smiled and watched Zhuang Xun and Siqin Mi separate. He bent down and made a gesture with his hands. Long bow.

"Your Majesty, you're welcome. This boy has met your Majesty." Zhuang Xun reached out and helped King Bian Cheng up.

"You don't have to be so restrained. It's convenient for His Majesty King Yama to allow us to gather here. At this moment, Shaojun has fallen into Zhao territory. Time is tight. Let's discuss a plan in short."

Zhuang Xun helped King Bian Cheng up, and King Lun Zhuan on the side took the initiative to say that Zhuang Xun had been worshiping in the temple for too long, which would attract people's attention, so the problem should be solved as soon as possible.

"These two are the kings of Yama and Bian Cheng who were invited by me to join our team. They are willing to help Shaojun escape from the Zhao Kingdom. You can trust me. Now let's discuss how to leave the Zhao Kingdom." He introduced the two kings non-stop.

"I understand. Thank you for your help. The main situation we are facing now is that the Zhao Kingdom has many eyes and ears. Not only the sky is full of gods and Buddhas, but also a large number of mortal spies monitoring. Secondly, the route leaving the Zhao Kingdom, Jinyang Lixia The border between China and Xia is thousands of miles away. Even if we travel lightly and travel by horseback, it will take more than ten days to reach the border between Xia and Xia, and we will definitely be intercepted."

Zhuang Xun also understood that this was not the time to chat freely. Taking advantage of the unimpeded intelligence communication, the most important thing was to convey the information from both parties as soon as possible.

It was also these reasons that caused King Zhao to have the illusion that Zhuang Xun was unable to fly in the Zhao Kingdom's dragnet. Zhuang Xun had to escape back to Xia Kingdom unless the gods of Zhao Kingdom were blinded and all the spies lost their sight. In the end, the armies from all over the country failed to act and the border was open. Only then can Zhuang Xun be let go.

"We already know this through letters. Is there any new information?" King Lunzhuan nodded, with a calm expression on his face, already confident.

"Through indulgence, King Zhao has not come to me much recently. It seems that he is dealing with Jing Zheng's problem, and the number of spies has decreased. Also, the Yu State has started a coup, which seems to have affected Zhao State."

Zhuang Xun talked about the newly noticed problems. King Zhao had no time to deal with Zhuang Xun, but gave him a lot of time to investigate and find out the general situation of Zhao State.

"We will break down the problems and solve them one by one. The first is the issue of gods and Buddhas. There are many gods and Buddhas in Zhao State, but the top one is Xuannv Empress. Xuannv Empress is in seclusion, so King Yama can cover it up for you. , hiding it from the gods and Buddhas all over the sky.”

The bosses who want to be detached are all solitary eaters. Xuannu ate the biggest piece of cake, which was enough to support her detachment. People at the same level as her would not come to grab food. Now that Xuannu is in seclusion, most of the rest are with the three. The Yin Lord is at the same level or even one level lower than him.

According to the system of Heavenly Court, Jiutian Xuannv belongs to the upper echelons, and is relatively high among the upper echelons. The ten Yin Lords belong to the middle echelons. Last time Zhuang Xun saw that King Chai belonged to the bottom.

If Xuannv was normal, they would still have to consider this and that, but Xuannv has gone into seclusion, so that's easy to say. They are all strong men at the same level. What are they afraid of? It's not as difficult as climbing to the sky to hide it.

"Please rest assured, I still have confidence in protecting you in the land of Yuzhou." King Yama assured that he was blessed by the local gods, and he was also at the forefront of the middle-level immortal system. If Xuannv was not in the capital, If he couldn't hide it from others, then he would have no face.

"The second question is that the road is far away. Jinyang is thousands of miles away from Jizhou, but it is only a thousand miles away from Jingzheng. If you go quickly, you can cross Zhao State and reach Jingzheng in two or three days. Then we will take a detour. From Yongzhou, you can bypass Zhao State from north to south, and reach Xia Di through the wilderness or over the Taihang Mountains."

Instead of going home directly, he chose to make a large circle to avoid contact with Zhao Guo. Although the circle was a bit large, the safety factor was indeed improved by more than half.

"The situation in Yu State is such that there will be no victory or defeat within half a year. If there is no victory or defeat in November this year, the heavy snowfall will only delay the road closure until next year. We have full time to go back and clean up the mess, and as long as Lang Lang If you escape, we can attack. We have already ordered General He to arrange troops at the border and be ready to attack at any time."

Since it had been discussed in advance, Si Qinmi added that these could not be written in a letter and it would be safest to convey them in person.

"Hmm..." Go around in a circle?It’s not that you can’t accept it, just escape, it’s just that the circle is a bit too big.

"There are too many gods and spies in Zhao State in Yuzhou. Even those in Jingzhou and Zhengzhou are not [-]% safe. It is better to go around Yongzhou."

Seemingly seeing through Zhuang Xun's aversion to being far away, King Bian Cheng explained that it would be safe to escape Yuzhou, which was why King Lun Zhuan invited him to join his gang.

"Is that so?" Zhuang Xun nodded understandingly, thinking he understood.

"Cheng Guo has already explained clearly through sister Li's letter, and promised us to surrender in exchange for forgiveness. We are no longer afraid of you being captured by the gods. Now we just need to escape from the territory of Zhao and go to Yongzhou first."

Si Qinmi took the initiative to find a way for Zhuang Xun to cross, explaining the existing preparations. As long as he leaves the border of Zhao State, he will be able to fly to the sky and fish to dive into the sea, unfettered.

"But there is still another problem, which is how to hide it from the mortal spies of Zhao State. This is not a problem that gods can solve. It is up to you, Shaojun, to solve it."

The King of Wheels told Zhuang Xun that the impact of gods' interference in the mortal world can be seen from Xuannv's retreat. It is really serious. They don't have Xuannv's great magical powers, magic power and merits. They can kill themselves when the time comes. The gain outweighs the loss.

"Lang Jun said, King Zhao has relaxed your guard, Lang Jun, because of your depravity and neglect of people. You can make an article here, such as chasing prey for several days, letting spies follow you at sentry posts, and then return to the city. Repeat it several times, slowly explore the border, chase the prey to the west, and then kill the sentry and escape to the west out of the Zhao border."

When it was the mortal's turn, Si Qin Mi thought about suggestions and already had a perfect escape route.

"You can try."

(End of this chapter)