Under the sky

Chapter 293: Not getting together by chance

Shen Yuqing couldn't wait to call the horses, so he sent someone to inform Shen Weichen and Chang Buping, and he used Qinggong to rush towards Juntian Palace.Shen Weichen immediately ordered the city gates to be closed and no one was allowed in or out. He ordered all patrolling guards not to rest. Chang Buping commanded them to search everywhere in the city. Everyone removed their helmets to prevent Shen Yongci from pretending to be a guard and escaped, and he personally led his troops out of the city. Find someone.

Xie Gubai heard the news and rushed to Juntian Palace to meet Shen Yuqing and Mrs. Chu.Mrs. Chu asked Shen Yuqing to order the city to be closed. Shen Yuqing said: "Yesterday was the Lantern Festival, and there is no curfew tonight. There are many tourists in Ba County, so we ordered the city to be closed. The tourists will panic and disperse, which will inevitably lead to chaos, but it will be difficult to arrest people."

Xie Gubai asked: "How long has it been since you last seen the Grand Master?"

It turns out that Mrs. Liao, the daughter-in-law of Gang Leader Xu of the Three Gorges Clan, came to see Mrs. Chu tonight and told her that during the Lantern Festival, Aunt Xu wanted several female relatives to go drink spring wine with her. Mrs. Chu wanted to refuse, but Mrs. Liao said: "I know you and the old lady have always been together. No, but she is your aunt after all, so she has to deal with it for the sake of face. She is interested in drinking spring wine during the Lantern Festival, so she can't make it difficult for you. If the words are inappropriate, you can deal with it for a while, or come back because of illness." He added, " Mrs. Ya has been in a trance these past few months, and you don't accompany her on weekdays. If she bumps into her aunt while drinking and gets scolded, you might as well help her out and don't make it difficult for Xiao Xiao."

Mrs. Chu heard that what she said was reasonable, so she had no choice but to go to the banquet.Shen Weichen also drank with Aunt Xu during the banquet.Aunt Xu kept talking about the family's quarrels, and it wasn't until the end of the first watch that everyone left the table.Mrs. Chu returned to Beichen Pavilion and saw that the lamp was not lit in the room. She just said that Shen Yongci was asleep. She lit the lamp and saw that the quilt on the bed was bulging. She didn't pay much attention until she found that Shen Yongci was motionless and reached out to touch it. , only to find out that they were stuffed with wooden boxes and pillows, they were shocked. They quickly ordered the alarm gong to be sounded and came to find Shen Yuqing in person.

After hearing Mrs. Chu's words, Xie Gubai said anxiously: "Send someone to stop these family members quickly and find out who else has left Qingcheng!" Chu Jingtan hurriedly sent someone to ask, and someone came to report that Mrs. Qing had left the city and had not returned. However, Peng Nanxun and Peng Luyan stayed in Qingcheng, and they didn't know where their mother had gone.

Shen Yuqing asked in surprise: "Did the second aunt take dad away?"

Shen Weichen rushed to Juntian Palace and said that the city gate had been sealed and the search was being stepped up, but there was no news yet.Xie Gubai said: "If it is true that Mrs. Qing has taken away the Supreme Leader, most of the Supreme Leader is no longer in Qingcheng. During the Lantern Festival, there are many people in Ba County. When the news is reported one by one, I am afraid that people have fled far away, so we must lead our troops immediately. Chase.”

Shen Weichen said: "My cousin Lianyun and I took the Wei Shujun and the Xingtang disciples out of the city to chase the Grand Master!"

Xie Gubai hurriedly stopped her: "Hold on! Although my little sister is the commander-in-chief of Wei Shu, it is difficult to issue orders outside Qingcheng, let alone facing the Supreme Leader. If the Supreme Leader escapes far away, he may escape to the sect or other counties. , my little sister can’t use her strength.”

Shen Weichen knew that during the battle of Hanshui River, it would be difficult for him to order his master to plan the time. Even if he led his troops to catch up with Shen Yongci, both sides would have different opinions, and the local sect would not dare to offend the leader.

Shen Yuqing said: "I will personally lead the troops to chase him!"

Shen Weichen said anxiously: "I'll go too!"

Shen Yuqing said: "Qingcheng needs someone to guard it to avoid another accident. Little sister, you have to stay!"

Xie Gubai had just been wondering where Shen Yongci would escape to.Peng Tian conquered Hengshan from the south. Even if the Bazhong defenders had Shen Yongci's confidants and the trees fell down and the hozens scattered, they would not necessarily risk offending the current leader to help a powerless chief.Power will only obey the source of power. If Shen Yongci wants to regain the position of leader, he must find a big enough support.

"Chase south!" Xie Gubai said, "Look for him in Bozhou and Tongren!"

Shen Yuqing was shocked. Bozhou and Tongren were the residences of Shen Congfu and Shen Miaoshi's uncles. When Xie Gubai mentioned it, he immediately guessed Xie Gubai's concerns and said, "I understand!"

Mrs. Chu said: "Yu'er, I'm going with you!"

Shen Yuqing said: "Mom, stay and help Xiaoxiao!"

Mrs. Chu shook her head: "I made a careless mistake. I feel uneasy if I don't catch him myself."

Shen Yuqing was anxious and Mrs. Chu was stubborn, so Shen Yuqing had no choice but to agree.Xie Gubai suggested: "The leader must recover the Supreme Leader, otherwise Qingcheng will be in danger."

Shen Yuqing knew what Xie Gubai was worried about, and that was what he was most afraid of, so he immediately ordered 500 troops.Madam Chu was about to leave when Xie Gubai grabbed her sleeve. Madam Chu turned around and heard Xie Gubai say: "If you guard against thieves for a thousand days, there will always be a moment when you relax. Madam Chu... don't blame yourself."

Their eyes met, and Mrs. Chu said coldly: "I understand, sir, don't worry." Then she went with Shen Yuqing.

Shen Weichen was still worried and ordered Chang Buping to lead the Wei Shu Army to search the city, and asked Shen Lianyun to lead his army to pursue him all the way north. He also ordered the Three Gorges Gang to inspect all ferries on the Chongqing River and not let them go. He also wrote a letter promising a heavy reward to the station. Spread the message to various places.

Shen Yuqing and Mrs. Chu left Qingcheng with 500 people.The streets of Ba County were full of people, congesting the roads. Shen Yuqing ordered people to clear the way. Although it was inevitable to be blocked, it didn't take too long.A group of five hundred riders rode out of Ba County and chased for twenty miles. There were traces of people everywhere along the road, but there was no trace of Shen Yongci. Although Shen Yuqing was impatient, he remained calm and thought hard about how his father would escape.It was dark at this time, and the roads around Ba County were rugged. If he walked, even Shen Yongci's extraordinary light skills would not last long. If he rode a horse... He suddenly had an idea, turned a corner and headed east. Mrs. Chu rode her horse forward and asked: "What's wrong?"

"Inn!" Shen Yuqing said, "Go to the inn and ask!"

When I asked at the inn, I found that someone was holding a Qingcheng token and asking for horses. Shen Yuqing asked about their descriptions and immediately knew it was Shen Yongci and Shen Qingge.Shen Qingge was holding the jade order from Qingcheng's direct lineage, and he would go as soon as the order arrived. Ordinary inns would not stop him. If he asked more carefully, he found that the two people had left for more than half an hour and said they were going to Tongren.

"Dad uses the horses from the post station for twenty miles!" Shen Yuqing said, "We can't lead so many people and horses to chase, we won't be able to catch up!"

"It's dark and the road is dangerous. They can't go fast." Mrs. Chu said, "Chase first!"

The road to Bozhou and Tongren diverges here. Tongren goes to the southeast and Bozhou goes to the south. Which one should we pursue?Although Shen Yongci said he was going to Tongren, it was most likely because of the suspicion, Shen Yuqing thought.

Thinking more deeply, the fourth uncle is not in Bozhou and his father is the former leader, so it is easier to control Bozhou. However, the fifth uncle is here in Tongren. If the father can persuade the fifth uncle to help him, it will be difficult to capture the father.After weighing the two places, he couldn't find his father in Bozhou first, and it was only an extra [-] to [-] miles to go to Tongren. The delay was not long, but these [-] to [-] miles could very well be the difference between catching up and not being able to catch up.

"Leave ten squad leaders." Shen Yuqing reined in his horse and gave the order, "The rest will follow as soon as possible and meet in Bozhou!"

Mrs. Chu asked in surprise: "Why?"

Shen Yuqing said: "It's dark and the road is dangerous. I won't be left behind by my father. When dawn comes, he will change horses every twenty miles along the post station. We have 500 people. How can we have so many horses to change? He puts his horses in a hurry. Chi will only throw us away."

The more anxious he was, the more trouble he would get. Shen Yuqing calmed down and ordered ten squad captains with higher martial arts skills to follow him. He also asked the remaining ten captains to lead their teams to follow as soon as possible. If necessary, they would recruit horses from nearby towns and send someone to summon Shen Weichen. He said that he was going to pursue Bozhou, and after giving the instructions, he set off with only Mrs. Chu and Shiqi.

Tongren is too far away, thousands of miles away. Dad will not entrust his life to his brothers, he will only think about being in power himself.

He hoped he was right.

■

Shen Qingge was full of dissatisfaction because she was forced to take Shen Yongci away from Qingcheng.

After learning that Shen Yongci was under house arrest and not crazy, she went to see Shen Yongci several times.Shen Yongci would occasionally sigh, implying that Shen Yuqing had been deceived by an adulterer. If Mrs. Chu noticed, Shen Yongci would change the subject, and Shen Qingge would become increasingly suspicious and think through the whole matter.

The first doubt is Yaye's coup.Shen Yayan has the best relationship with all her brothers and sisters. She has never heard of Shen Yongci doing anything rebellious. How could Shen Yayan suddenly launch a coup against Yu'er?It was not that Shen Qingge didn't ask about it carefully at the beginning. Mrs. Ya was as silent as a cicada. When she asked Shen Yayan, she said that Shen Yongci went crazy and angered her.

This leads to the second doubt. When asked what made the eldest brother and the third brother angry, Shen Yayan evaded his words, saying that he was moody and changed his mind every day. She couldn't tell the specific thing. If he asked again, he lost his temper and said that the third brother was crazy. , Qingcheng will die in the hands of the third brother sooner or later. Ask Mrs. Chu and Yu'er about other matters.

Mrs. Chu was also evasive, saying only that Shen Yongci's memory had gradually deteriorated in recent years, he was sleepy, and occasionally behaved awkwardly.When I asked the people around me, they had never heard of Shen Yongci doing anything out of character. Even the guard who had been responsible for watching over him for the past six months said that there was nothing weird about the Taishou getting up in the morning and going to bed late, reading, writing, and practicing martial arts.

The third doubt is the guards.Even if Shen Yongci is insane, he doesn't need to be on such tight guard. Mrs. Chu doesn't even allow anyone to see Shen Yongci alone. How can this look like taking care of a patient?
Let's talk about Shen Yuqing. Shen Qingge married into the Peng family when he was young and didn't get along with Shen Yuqing much. However, during several family visits, his family praised him for being smart, generous and kind since he was a child. He was a humble gentleman like Shen Yongci. She also Seeing that this nephew is gentle and kind, he does not look like someone who is greedy for power.Besides, Shen Yongci is his only son, won’t the position of leader belong to him sooner or later?

She didn't believe Mrs. Ya's statement that Shen Yuqing deliberately killed Shen Yayan. She had no vision on the battlefield. Shen Yayan's death should be an accident. If Shen Yuqing really wanted to harm her eldest brother, a coup would be enough to hold him accountable. How could he be under house arrest and then handed over to heavy troops to let him go? Resist Huashan?Besides, Xiaoxiao is still here. Who knows that Shen Yuqing loves this girl the most and has no intention of harming her dead uncle.

What's more, if Yu'er really wants to seize power, just kill Shen Yongci. What's the point of being under house arrest?It can be seen from this that Yu'er still has deep feelings for her family. There must be some unclear misunderstandings between father and son, which led Yu'er to commit such a big mistake that violates ethics.She persuaded Shen Yuqing several times, saying that father and son are in harmony, and the son is the father's shelter, and he has always been in it. She also said that Qingcheng values ​​ethics, so the family relationship is deep. Even if Shen Yongci makes mistakes, why should he guard against his own father like a thief?When it came to his dissatisfaction, he couldn't help but cursed loudly, saying that people should walk upright and sit upright and not mess with the rules. He just didn't accuse Shen Yuqing of being in an incorrect position.

Various signs made her couldn't help but suspect that Shen Yuqing was really deceived by a traitor. Mrs. Chu was complicit in protecting her son. Shen Yayan may have known about it, but she finally decided to help her nephew and bear the crime. After all, his eldest brother was close to the other brothers, but he I can't get along with my third brother alone.

But no matter how she expressly hinted, Yu'er only said that she was worried about her father's illness and insisted on keeping Shen Yongci under house arrest.Even so, she never had any intention of helping Shen Yongci escape. She only hoped that Yu'er would suddenly change her mind and have a long talk with her father, which might resolve her knot.

Until tonight, Aunt Xu hosted a banquet for the female family members of Qingcheng to drink spring wine. She was also at the banquet. After the banquet was over, she returned to Lanxin Pavilion and saw Shen Yongci in her room.

It turns out that Shen Yongci had been secretly observing and looking for opportunities to escape.Beichen Pavilion is heavily guarded. It is already difficult to escape, and it will be even more difficult to escape from Qingcheng or even Ba County.He thought that the Lantern Festival would be the best opportunity. Aunt Xu happened to invite Mrs. Chu to a banquet. This opportunity was fleeting and he could only take risks.As soon as Mrs. Chu left, he blew out the oil lamp and pretended to be asleep. Taking advantage of the darkness of the night when the guards were handing over, he took the risk of jumping out of the back window and climbed over the wall behind Beichen Pavilion. He was lucky enough to succeed without being noticed.

After passing this level, there is still a long way to go. Qingcheng is tightly guarded. Even if Shen Yongci has great martial arts skills, it is difficult to fly. Not to mention leaving Qingcheng and Beichen Pavilion, it is even difficult to leave the Palace of Immortality.But Shen Qingge was a family member and lived in the Palace of Eternal Life like him. Lanxin Pavilion was not far from Beichen Pavilion where he lived. Shen Yongci hid in Lanxin Pavilion and no one noticed it for a while.

He waited anxiously, fearing that Mrs. Chu would come back and find him on the run. After waiting for a long time, he finally waited for Shen Qingge to return.

"Help me escape." Shen Yong said, "Yu'er was deceived by a traitor and disobeyed and usurped the throne!"

Shen Qingge had known that Shen Yongci was not crazy, but he only thought that the father and son were at odds, and advised: "What are you doing running out? What's going on between you and your son that you can't talk to Yu'er?"

"If Yu'er was willing to listen, I would have said it a long time ago!" Shen Yongci shook his head, "If the second sister doesn't help me, no one can help me! If I are taken back, the custody will be stricter, and I will have no chance to talk to Yu'er again. Let’s talk!”

"What happened between you and Yu'er?" Shen Qingge asked, "Why did he put you under house arrest?"

"Take me out first and tell me on the way!" Shen Yongci urged, "Jingtan will soon find out that I am missing!"

Qingcheng has always been based on the middle way and has passed down poems and books from family to family. Although Shen Qingge has a rough temper, he still feels that the Three Cardinal Guidelines and Five Constant Rules cannot be violated. He feels that it is wrong for Shen Yuqing to put his father under house arrest, and Chu Jingtan should not monitor her husband, which makes her temporarily embarrassed.Shen Yongci kept urging, but Shen Qingge couldn't get his brother to plead, so he had to call a carriage, secretly pick up Shen Yongci and drive out of Qingcheng.She is a direct descendant of the Shen family, so she will not be challenged and can leave the city easily.

At this time, Ba County was brightly lit and crowded, making it difficult for carriages to move. Shen Yongci blended into the crowd and asked Shen Qingge to accompany him to the inn and borrow a horse with a token.When Chu Jingtan discovered that her husband was missing, the two of them had already traveled twenty miles and found a post station to exchange horses. Shen Yongci deliberately left a message saying that he was going to Tongren to confuse the public, but he turned to the direction of Bozhou.

After that, they passed two more inns. Although Shen Qingge had learned martial arts, he was spoiled and had been neglected for a long time. He ran sixty miles at night in one breath, which made her miserable. She stopped and asked, "Can I say it now?" Well, what’s going on?”

"That Xie Gubai, I suspect he is a barbarian spy." Shen Yong resigned, "He encouraged Yu'er to usurp the throne, while Jingtan favored his son and refused to listen to me."

The news of the secret passage of the Kongtong barbarians had long been confirmed. Shen Qingge was shocked and asked, "How could Yu'er be so confused? How did he make Yu'er believe in him?"

Shen Yongci shook his head: "He laid out a grand plan for peace, saying that it would bring peace to the world, and he also said that my stubbornness would definitely cause Qingcheng to fall. I originally wanted to maintain the middle path and refused to get involved in the war, but he wanted to deviate. Help Hengshan, let Qingcheng and Huashan go to war, and provoke Dian Cang. Yu'er is afraid of my obstruction, and will rebel and usurp the throne when I go to Kunlun Palace."

When Shen Qingge heard this, he felt that he had indeed guessed correctly, and that Yu'er had indeed misunderstood his third brother.She had never been interested in political affairs, and her husband Peng Qiancong was not highly regarded in the Beggar Clan. In the past, Qingcheng was filial to the family, and her relatives and friends were harmonious. She was not familiar with political affairs. She immediately said: "Even if you have different opinions from him, Yu'er will not I should be guilty of the following. You are his father after all. If you break the rules, don't you mess up? Besides, in order to help Hengshan, Qingcheng and Huashan went to war, and the eldest brother was harmed. Is it worth it?" At this thought, Mrs. Ya felt that Maybe this was why he kept saying that Shen Yuqing killed Shen Yayan, and I felt that Shen Yongci's words were reasonable.

Shen Yong said: "Yu'er didn't listen to the advice, so I had no choice but to escape."

Shen Qingge asked: "How are you going to persuade Yu'er? Even if he is disobedient, he is your only son after all. You just have different political opinions, so why would you fall out?"

Shen Yong said: "I want to go to Tongren to ask the fifth brother for help, and then contact the fourth brother. If the fourth and fifth brothers help, Yu'er will have to give in."

"Fourth brother is not in Bozhou, so this is not the way for you to go to Tongren." Shen Qingge said doubtfully.

"This is a false plan. After going south, I will turn east to Tongren. Although I will take a detour, Yu'er will think that I am going to Bozhou. When I arrive in Tongren to convince my fifth brother, even if Yu'er arrives, it will be too late."

Shen Qingge didn't know if this was right or not, so he just said: "You go on this thousand-mile journey by yourself, and I won't accompany you. My children are still in Qingcheng, and I will stay here. If Yu'er comes after me, I will scold him, I might as well delay it for you." He added, "After all, we are father and son. Let's talk to each other. After all, your son will belong to Yu'er in the future."

Shen Yong said: "I understand that even if Yu'er wants to follow the changes of King Qin and Zhongzong is deposed, he will still succeed to the throne."

The Zhongzong that Shen Yongci talks about is the Emperor Zhongzong of the old dynasty. After he succeeded to the throne, he was deposed because of his opposition to the Queen Mother who was listening behind the curtain. After the Queen Mother became the emperor, she still made him the prince.

Hearing his assurance, Shen Qingge felt relieved and said, "Go quickly, Yu'er will catch up soon."

Shen Yongci changed his horse, asked Shen Qingge for a token, and headed south.Shen Qingge was tired for most of the night and sat in the inn to rest until it was almost the fourth watch. Firelight flashed in the distance. Sure enough, Shen Yuqing was chasing after him with eleven cavalry, including Mrs. Chu among them.

When Shen Qingge saw them, his anger welled up and he cursed: "Yu'er, why don't you listen to your father and have to be so disobedient?"

Shen Yuqing didn't know how to explain it. Mrs. Chu flew off her horse and Shen Qingge was about to curse. Mrs. Chu rushed up and slapped Shen Qingge on the face. Not only Shen Qingge was stunned, but Shen Yuqing was also stunned.

Shen Qingge had never been wronged like this. Even her husband Peng Tiancong did not dare to hurt her even a finger. She was about to fight back, but before she could raise her hand, Mrs. Chu grabbed her tightly and slapped her again, making her cheeks turn red.

Mrs. Chu grabbed her collar and cursed: "You stupid bitch, do you know what you did? You will kill Qingcheng!"

Shen Qingge wanted to resist, but couldn't, and was pinned against the wall by Mrs. Chu.Seeing her ferocity, Shen Qingge said angrily: "You helped your son imprison her husband, but you blamed me. Do you love your son so much?!"

Mrs. Chu said angrily: "If Shen Yongci escapes, I will kill your son and daughter to sacrifice the flag!"

Shen Qingge was taken aback and said in a trembling voice: "You...what did you say?" She definitely didn't believe that Shen Yuqing would hurt her family. Shen Yayan's rebellion was dismissed lightly, so why should she be punished heavily for letting Shen Yongci go? ?After all, they are relatives, why should they shout and kill?

Shen Yuqing said loudly: "Push Mrs. Qing back to Qingcheng, hand her over to the eldest lady, and keep her in a secret prison with Peng Nanxun and Peng Luyan until I come back!"

The two team captains stepped forward and held Shen Qingge down. Only then did Shen Qingge realize the seriousness of the situation and shouted, "Yu'er, you're crazy! You won't even let your father and aunt off?!"

Shen Yuqing asked: "Aunt Qing, it's still too late, what else did dad say to you?"

Shen Qingge didn't dare to be harsh when it was about his children's lives. He lowered his head and said, "He said he was going to Tongren, and he deliberately took a detour to trick you into going to Bozhou..."

Shen Yuqing and others changed horses, leaving two people to escort Shen Qingge back to Qingcheng, while the remaining ten people continued to chase south.

"Bozhou!" Mrs. Chu said, "Your father deceives everyone, even your Aunt Qing. He must have gone to Bozhou!"

Shen Yuqing nodded, not thinking that his father was lying, but that Bozhou was easier for Shen Yongci to control.

He didn't know if he had guessed correctly, let alone whether he would have time to catch up with his father.

(End of this chapter)