Hang up from apprentice Li Mochou

"The rebel thief Lu Nianchou in Xiangyang killed the prefect Zhao Fan and stole the city to defend himself. He is actually a great thief in the country. The Holy One has decreed that this thief be captured, interrogated and executed, and that the nine tribes be executed."

The battle at Dashengguan had just stopped, and a piece of news quickly spread throughout the world.

The contemporary hero Lu Nianchou, who had defeated the Mongolian army twice and killed the Mongolian emperor Okuotai, was actually designated as a rebel by the court, and even his family members were killed together.

This result made countless people feel indignant, and the people of Xiangyang City were even more aggrieved.

Even before the envoy sent by the imperial court to arrest them arrived, countless people were already secretly trying to protect Cheng Ying and the others from leaving. The entire Lu Mansion was in panic.

Lujiazhuang, far away in Jiaxing, was also implicated. Lu Liding and his wife were captured by officers and soldiers on the spot and imprisoned.

The Lu family residence.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong came to visit. After Cheng Ying entertained them for a long time, they were about to say goodbye and leave.

Guo Jing stood up and said in a solemn tone: "Master Lu sacrificed his life for the safety of the people of the Central Plains, and his whereabouts are unknown now."

"In the court, treacherous ministers are in power, and the officials are deceived by treacherous sycophants. It is a big joke that this great hero has suffered unjust injustice and been accused of being a traitor."

"Although I, Mr. Guo, cannot influence the court, I will never let Daxia Lu's wife and children be bullied."

"Mrs. Lu, the envoy from the imperial court is on the way now. Whenever there is any use for me, Guo Jing, feel free to speak and I will never refuse."

Guo Jing's words were sincere and without any trace of hypocrisy. He really felt aggrieved by the court's decision.

Huang Rong didn't say much. She just said casually before leaving: "Mrs. Lu, I heard from the brothers of the Beggar Clan that the imperial court seemed to have intentionally issued an order to have General Guo Sheng guard Xiangyang City. I don't know if it's true or not. .”

After she finished speaking, she changed the subject and soon left with Guo Jing.

Cheng Ying felt even heavier after hearing this. Now the entire Xiangyang City army was controlled by Guo Sheng. Once this person surrendered to the court, it would be extremely difficult to leave Xiangyang City with the power he had.

"I'm afraid, even the servants in the mansion are unreliable..."

She knew very well that these people were arranged by Guo Sheng in the first place. When Lu Nianchou was around, everything was fine. But when Lu Nianchou was gone, these people were the biggest hidden danger.

Cheng Ying calmed down and did not act rashly. On the one hand, she dealt with the visitors who came to the house every day, and on the other hand, she secretly observed and looked for opportunities.

After being detained for three days in this situation, Hong Lingbo couldn't sit still for a while seeing Cheng Ying in the house every day, seemingly with no intention of leaving.

She took the initiative to come to the door and saw Cheng Ying half-lying on the rocking chair, basking in the sun leisurely.

"How long has it been since you still have such a leisurely mood?" Seeing her like this, Hong Lingbo said angrily: "We will be dead soon, are you really not afraid of death?"

"Even if you want to die yourself, don't you care about the child in your belly?"

Although she was speaking sarcastically, there was unspeakable concern and anxiety in her words.

Cheng Ying slowly opened her eyes and did not stand up. She just had a faint smile on her face and said leisurely: "Life, death, wealth, everything is destined. If this is the case, why should I worry?"

"You're still saying such stupid things now?" Hong Lingbo said in support of her, almost bursting with anger.

"Right now, Junior Brother, we don't know whether he is alive or dead. There is no news yet. The envoy sent by the imperial court to arrest us is already on the way. What are your plans?"

"Do you really want to sit here and wait to die?"

Cheng Ying saw that Hong Lingbo's face turned pale with anger, but the expression on his face was still calm, and he smiled and said: "Even if I want to run away, where can I run with a big belly?"

"And you have to take care of Nianci. Our whole family is just women and children. If someone really wants to kill her, what can we do?"

Hong Lingbo was so angry at her words that he gritted his teeth and scolded, "Then you just wait here to die!"

Her chest heaved violently with anger. After speaking, she shook her sleeves fiercely and turned to leave.

But just before leaving, a murmuring sound suddenly came from her ears.

"Come to my room at midnight tonight, take Nianci with you, and don't disturb anyone."

There was a subtle change in Hong Lingbo's expression, but his body did not stop at all. He still looked angry and strode away from here.

Watching Hong Lingbo's leaving figure, Cheng Ying shook her head slightly, seemingly helpless, and then slowly closed her eyes.

But her heart was not as calm and calm as she showed.

After the news of Lu Nianchou's disappearance came, she immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly sent someone to find out the news.

But before there was any news about Lu Nianchou, the imperial edict from the imperial court had already spread throughout the world.

Next, the threshold of the entire Lu Mansion was crossed. The heroes in the world, the common people and gentry of Xiangyang City, and Guo Sheng, who commanded the army of Xiangyang City, all came to pay their respects.

Some of them cursed the imperial court, some secretly tested Lu Nianchou for information, and some said they would protect them.

These people had various purposes, which made Cheng Ying, who was already worried about her husband, overwhelmed.

She knew very well that those who said they would protect them may not necessarily have good intentions.

If Lu Nianchou was still alive, they could protect them and intercept the unparalleled hero; but once the news of Lu Nianchou's death spread, those people would sell them to the court. This would be a huge wealth.

Nowadays, they are a hot commodity. They seem to be just a few women and children. They can be manipulated at will. Betting on both ends is a sure-profit business for anyone.

Especially Guo Sheng, the general under Lu Nianchou's command, is currently in a very delicate situation. Lu Nianchou's whereabouts are unknown and he is designated as a rebel, but Guo Sheng may be bribed by the court.

In this case, if you make a wrong step, it is very likely to kill the whole family.

Although Cheng Ying looks weak, she has a strong temperament. If it were just for herself, it would be nothing more than death.

But when she thought of the child in her belly and Nian Ci, who was less than one year old, she silently endured it and kept planning. At the same time, she contacted people from all walks of life and tried to find some reliable ways.

"In addition to some opportunistic people, the people who come into contact with me now include spies from the imperial court, various forces in Xiangyang City, and people in the world."

"All the forces in Xiangyang City are not trustworthy. Instead, they are a mixture of dragons and snakes. This may be the best choice at this time."

Cheng Ying silently thought about it, "Among the Jianghu people, not to mention other messy cases, there are only two parties that we can rely on relatively speaking."

"One of them is Guo Jing and Huang Rong, and the other is Mingjiao..."

"Both Li Buyi and Yin Jiu sent people to visit, and Li Buyi even came to persuade him personally."

"Which side should I choose?" Nowadays, it is difficult for them to escape from Xiangyang City and escape the pursuit of the court just by relying on their own strength.

Unknowingly, it was already midnight, the night was quiet, and everything was silent. Thick black clouds appeared in the sky at some point, and even the moonlight was blocked, making people feel an indescribable solemn murderous intent.

Cheng Ying was a little frightened and couldn't sleep peacefully at all. Although she had made preparations in advance, she was still a little uneasy when things came to a close.

Seeing that it was already the appointed time, a faint creaking sound suddenly came from the window.

Cheng Ying quickly got up from the bed without speaking, just looked calmly.

The window was opened tightly for a moment, and a dark figure flashed in, and the window was carefully closed.

I saw the person wearing black tights, carrying a small package on his back, and holding a sheathed sword in his hand. He moved very quickly.

"Jingshu, it's me!"

Cheng Ying also recognized the person at this time, it was Hong Lingbo.

Hong Lingbo has traveled around the world for many years, and he guessed a lot of things just by hearing Cheng Ying's message. Although he didn't know many of the inside stories, he also knew that the servants in the mansion were unreliable.

She used her clothes and hat in the room to make it look like she was still asleep, and then quietly slipped out with Nianci who was sleeping.

Cheng Ying breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her and quickly got out of the bed. He saw that her clothes were neatly dressed and she was obviously ready.

She raised her hand to pick up the jade flute given to her by Lu Nianchou from the table beside her, and whispered, "Without any further delay, let's leave now."

Hong Lingbo could be considered an old man, so he didn't ask much after hearing this, and just nodded silently.

Cheng Ying walked to the closet in the room, opened the door, and then reached out to fumble around. There was a crisp click, and the cabinet moved slowly, revealing a dark hole.

"Let's go." As she said this, she took out a luminous pearl from her arms, barely illuminated the way forward with a weak light, and then walked in first.

Hong Lingbo glanced at her and couldn't help but be a little surprised. Just after he jumped into the cave entrance, the secret door behind him closed on its own.

"There is a secret passage in your room? When did you do this?"

In fact, who would have thought that Lu Nianchou, a young and highly skilled martial artist, would have such a sudden accident.

Hong Lingbo had never thought about creating a secret passage in his room.

"I didn't build it. This house was originally the stronghold of the Ming Cult. In order to prevent accidents, there are many secret passages in the yard." Cheng Ying explained casually while leading the way.

When Hong Lingbo heard this, he couldn't help but frowned, "If you put it this way, wouldn't our whereabouts be noticed by people from the Ming Cult?"

Cheng Ying nodded, "At this time, I can no longer care about so much."

"We must first leave Xiangyang City and get rid of the court's eyes and ears. At the same time... you must get out of Guo Sheng's sight and control."

"There aren't many people we can rely on in a situation like this!"

Hong Lingbo was still a little worried, "Guo Sheng is also a member of the Ming Cult. Would he not know the secret passages in this house?"

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Cheng Ying's face, "Guo Sheng naturally knows that. In order to prevent him from having time to trouble us tonight, I specially asked two experts to help us find something for him to do."

"Master?" Hong Lingbo asked in confusion.

Cheng Ying did not explain, but just said: "In any case, we should leave as soon as possible. As long as we leave Xiangyang City early, the world will be so big that there will be no place for us anywhere."

Hong Lingbo didn't ask any more questions and just said, "As long as you have a plan in mind."

With Lu Nianchou's disappearance, the two women no longer had the previous estrangement. Instead, they began to work together as a family to face the foreign enemy.

Just as Cheng Ying and Hong Lingbo were escaping through the secret passage, a fire suddenly broke out in the General's Mansion in Xiangyang City.

The so-called General's Mansion is actually Guo Sheng's mansion. Because of his current status, the people in Xiangyang City call it the General's Mansion.

Originally, it was the dead of night, and ordinary people did not dare to approach the soldiers patrolling in all directions of the General's Mansion.

But at this time, a raging fire suddenly started burning, and then someone shouted loudly that they were running out of water.

Although there was a fire, the entire mansion was still in no panic. Just like a military camp, the soldiers began to act quickly, diverting water from all directions to put out the fire.

There were two men in black looking at the eaves in the dark. Seeing this scene, one of them couldn't help but said: "It seems that Guo Sheng's army does have two brushes. There was a sudden fire in the middle of the night. The people in the mansion have not been around recently." No chaos, no restlessness at all.”

"If this continues, the fire will be completely extinguished in less than a quarter of an hour."

The man in black next to him raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and said: "It won't work if this goes on. Guo Sheng is very alert. If he doesn't cause chaos in his house, I'm afraid he will alert the snake."

"In that case... then I will add some more fun to him." The man in black said, looking back at his companion who looked a bit bloated next to him, "You wait for me here, don't go anywhere, I'll come back as soon as I can .”

"Okay, go and come back quickly, pay attention to safety, and if something cannot be done, don't force it." The somewhat bloated man in black warned.

Another man in black smiled, reached his peak, and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.

Not long after, before the fire in the general's mansion was extinguished, a scream was heard, "There are assassins, come and protect the general."

With this life's shouting, everyone in the entire mansion was completely moved, and the servants and maids were even more frightened.

Soon he remembered the sound of clashing weapons and shouts of killing.

The General's Mansion was in chaos. There were spies from all the surrounding forces, monitoring every move in the General's Mansion at any time. They reported the situation immediately when they saw it.

Although it was the middle of the night, there was an undercurrent in Xiangyang City, and many people had secret plans.

As for Cheng Ying, after exiting the secret passage with Hong Lingbo, she appeared in a remote alley in Xiangyang City, where a carriage was already waiting.

When Cheng Ying and Hong Lingbo got on the bus, the coachman wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat began to drive without saying a word.

However, as time slowly passed, Cheng Ying's expression suddenly changed. He suddenly opened the curtain of the carriage and took a look. With a cold tone, he shouted at the driver on the shaft and asked, "Where are you taking us?"

The coachman still said nothing, but waved his whip fiercely, making the carriage run faster and faster.

The night was dark and completely silent, except for the crisp sound of horse hooves echoing along the long street.

(End of this chapter)