Painting Doctor Jinhua

Chapter 167: Masters vs. Masters, Mysterious Contest

There was a look of surprise in Fenghuang's eyes again. Thinking of the destruction of her family, she was suddenly filled with grief and a sense of despair of dying.

"Yes, I am Murong Jue!" He replied in a deep voice, then looked at Xiao Jinyu and smiled sadly, "I'm sorry, Brother Qing, I still lied to you and concealed my identity. Now I am in Qi State and I am a descendant of a judge. You have taken me in for so long. If treacherous people like Lu Lingxuan and He Shikai knew about it, they would definitely frame you for conspiring with me. If you hand me over to the emperor Gao Zhan now, maybe you can atone for your sins!"

"Chang Gong didn't mean that!" Xiao Jinyu immediately interrupted him, "Fenghuang, my father was also killed on the charge of treason. That Lu Junjun was also the wife of a minister. The Grand Marshal Huan Wen of the Jin Dynasty was also a descendant of the Xing family. Who can tell the truth about the so-called crime of treason?"

"A hero doesn't care about his origins. Don't give up on yourself!"

Xiao Jinyu smiled after she finished speaking, and Fenghuang couldn't help but burst into tears.

"The person you fought with today, is he an old friend of yours?" Xiao Jinyu asked again.

When mentioning this person, Fenghuang's eyes showed resentment, and he nodded and said, "Yes, that man was once my father's general. It was he who secretly reported my father's rebellion. Now I meet him in this Great Majestic Temple!"

"He must be Lu Lingxuan's man!" Xiao Jinyu continued, "Perhaps there are also Lu Lingxuan's spies in this Grand Monastic Temple, so we were ambushed by assassins so soon after we met Zu Ting!"

"You showed up at the Tongque Tower and saved my life at the risk of your own life. It may have been from that time that Lu Lingxuan began to suspect you!"

"Phoenix, after all, I owe you too much..."

At this time, Lanling Wang also said: "If you are willing, you can go to my army for training. Although I have been transferred back to Yecheng to guard the Northern Camp, there are also my trusted men in the army stationed in Jinyang. How about going to Jinyang to avoid the limelight for a while?"

Jinyang can be regarded as the second capital of Qi State. Emperor Shenwu Gao Huan established the Bafu in Jinyang and controlled the government affairs of Yecheng. In his later years, Gao Yang was addicted to wine and sex and also lived in Jinyang, handing over the government affairs of Yecheng to Gao Yan. Even Gao Zhan ascended the throne in Jinyang.

For the State of Qi, Jinyang had an absolute geographical advantage in its fight against the Northern Zhou and the Rouran. It was an extremely important frontline town, where Qi's most elite troops were stationed, and it was also the place where the Northern Qi's economy was most prosperous.

Gao Changgong asked him to go to Jinyang for training, which was a great trust in him and an opportunity for the Murong family to revive!

Fenghuang looked at Gao Changgong in surprise, then looked at Xiao Jinyu.

Xiao Jinyu nodded to him, as if waiting for his answer!

After a long time, Phoenix nodded with tears in her eyes.

"Okay, I'll listen to Brother Qing!"

At this time, Gao Changgong took out another jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Fenghuang.

"When you get to Jinyang, you can go find General Duan and tell him that I am from Prince Lanling's palace!"

"Okay, thank you, Prince!"

Fenghuang bowed to Gao Changgong for the first time, turned around and was about to run out of the mansion, but suddenly turned back after taking a few steps, strode towards Xiao Jinyu and hugged her in her arms.

Xiao Jinyu was a little caught off guard, so she whispered in his ear, "Brother Qing, I like you too. The kind of love that makes me afraid you'll get hurt if I'm not by your side for a moment. I know you're going to take a very difficult path, and there may be many dangers on this path. If I'm not by your side, you must protect yourself well, and don't act on your own like you did in Pengcheng!"

"Whenever you need Phoenix, just send me a letter and Phoenix will come back at any time!"

After choking up, he smiled with tears in his eyes.

"When Phoenix grows up and becomes stronger, it will come back to protect Brother Qing!"

After saying this, Fenghuang let her go and ran out of the mansion with tears in her eyes.

Xiao Jinyu didn't know what was going on in her heart. She was stunned for a while, and suddenly she thought of something. When Fenghuang was about to step out of the gate of Lanling Palace, she suddenly shouted:

"Phoenix——"

Fenghuang felt a little happy in her heart, and she paused, then she heard her say very calmly:

"Not tonight, we need to think long and hard!"

……

"Grandson of Murong Shaozong, Murong Jue?"

In the Lu Mansion in Yuanzisilifang, a man in black tore off the cloth covering his face and reported to Lu Lingxuan everything that had happened in the Dazhuangyan Temple. When he mentioned the Hu boy beside Xiao Jinyu, Lu Lingxuan's eyes flashed with surprise.

"Is there any male descendant of the Murong clan still alive? On that day, Emperor Xiao Zhao issued an order to have Gao Guiyan, the commander of the imperial guards, exterminate the Murong clan. Wasn't there no male descendant left?"

"That was true originally, but Murong Jue was only eight years old at the time, and she was born with an exceptionally beautiful appearance. If she had dressed up a little, she could have pretended to be a little girl to escape the sight of the imperial guards. There have been such cases before. During the Western Jin Dynasty, Empress Jia Nanfeng sent Qinghe Prince Sima Xia to kill Wei Guan in the name of plotting to depose him. Rong Hui, who had an old grudge against Wei Guan, reported the names of nine members of the Wei family's descendants in a row, but didn't he kill all of the Wei family's descendants?"

Of course, Lu Lingxuan had also heard of this incident. On the day when Wei Guan's property was confiscated, his two youngest grandsons, Wei Jie and Wei Xi, happened to escape from the house due to illness and escaped the disaster. As a result, Rong Hui's family was later retaliated by Wei's descendants and the entire family was executed. Not a single person was spared. This is the consequence of not removing the roots of the problem!

"So, how did you recognize that this boy was Murong Jue, the son of Murong Shisu?"

"It's very simple. Murong is a descendant of the Yan royal family. He is extremely beautiful and handsome. Murong Jue has inherited this temperament and appearance of the Murong family. In addition, his martial arts were taught by his father himself. Even I have taught him a few things before, so I am very familiar with some of his methods!"

"So you have seen this child before!"

"Yes, I have seen it!" said the man with his head lowered.

Lu Lingxuan immediately started laughing.

"Then we can also follow the example of Sima Xia, Prince of Qinghe, and build Prince Lanling's mansion at night!"

When he heard that Lanling Prince's Palace was to be built at night, Mu Ti Bo became excited. He had never led his troops to the palace of a royal prince before. Just thinking about it made him excited to give it a try!

"Mother, are you going to imitate Sima Xia and forge an imperial edict?"

"There is no need to forge an imperial edict, as long as Prince Lanling has the courage to continue harboring the imperial criminal!"

Smiling, she gave the order to Mutipo:

"Go and inform Han Changluan to take a group of palace soldiers to Lanling Prince's Palace!"

"Yes!"

……

At midnight, the stars in the night sky were exceptionally bright. Suddenly, a fire lit up outside Prince Lanling's Mansion. Countless soldiers in armor rushed in and surrounded Prince Lanling's Mansion in a moment.

This was a group of palace soldiers led by Han Changluan. Each of them wore Ming Guang armor and a half-faced helmet, with a longbow behind their backs and a short sword at their waists.

The huge movement quickly attracted the attention of the people in Lanling Prince's Mansion. Steward Liu opened the door as ordered and asked the visitor what he wanted. Mu Ti Po stepped forward and said, "Let your prince come out and see us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Prince Lanling came out with his princess. Seeing that there were hundreds of armored soldiers holding torches standing in front of the palace gate, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Prince Lu mobilized so many troops to surround Prince Lanling's palace at night. What's the reason?"

Lu Lingxuan then walked out slowly from the crowd of soldiers, and only stopped when she was in front of Lanling Wang. She raised her eyes and smiled, "For the safety of Lanling Wang and Lanling Wang's wife, I have come here on your Majesty's orders to capture the remnants of the criminals!"

"Does Lord Lu suspect that there is a wanted criminal hidden in Prince Lanling's mansion?" Prince Lanling asked.

"If there is nothing, why should the prince be afraid of a search? I can not allow these palace soldiers to enter the prince's mansion, and only I, my few guards and General Han can go in and take a look. What do you think?"

"Okay!" This time Lanling Wang replied without hesitation.

Lu Lingxuan was slightly surprised, so she took Mu Tipo, Han Changluan and the black-clad hidden guard Erzhu Ying into the mansion and came to the hall of Prince Lanling's mansion, where she saw a young man in black plain clothes sitting upright on a cushion, playing chess alone against a fierce chess game on the board!

This is playing chess with yourself!

Since I can’t find an opponent, I can only play against myself!

The style of an expert?

"Lord Lu, can you send your subordinates to search every corner of Prince Lanling's mansion to see if there are any so-called remnants of criminals you are looking for? Lord Lu, you... you have nothing to do anyway, why not play a game of chess with me?"

Lu Lingxuan smiled in surprise, and then heard the young man say,

"Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Go has been a mysterious existence like the Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the connection between heaven and earth. Confucius said, 'If you understand the theory, you will be able to teach the saints!' Go can also educate people like poetry and books!"

"Lord Lu, you know the way of chess, right?"

When he said the last sentence, the boy had already raised his head, looked at her, and stood up with his hands behind his back!

Her eyes were clear and her figure was graceful, and she had the demeanor of a famous scholar who was as refreshing as the wind blowing under the trees and as forthright and upright as anyone!

"Who are you?" Lu Lingxuan asked, and at the same time raised her hand to signal Han Changluan and others to go to various places in the mansion to look for people!

At this time, Lanling Wang replied: "I heard that Lord Lu's intelligence network is spread all over the Three Kingdoms. You should have heard that there is an extremely talented staff member in my palace, right?"

Lu Lingxuan suddenly realized something and looked at the young man in black with even more curiosity.

"Are you the Xie family of Chenjun who became famous at the Southern Dynasty Fahua Mountain Elegant Talk Gathering—Xie Zhen?"

"Yes, it's me!" The young man answered without any modesty, "How about it, Lord Lu, do you dare to compete with me in chess?"

Lu Lingxuan snorted coldly with great disdain.

"Why don't you dare!"

After saying that, he walked forward and sat down beside the chess scale. The young man in black also sat down calmly.

The young man made a gesture of invitation, and Lu Lingxuan made the first move.

In fact, the chessboard is already in an endgame. There is a white piece in the middle with no way out, but there is a chance for a fight in the empty corners. This chess game seems to be hinting at something.

Lu Lingxuan looked at the young man curiously again, then calmed herself down and started making her move.

Xiao Jinyu noticed that Lu Lingxuan was indeed quite clever. She was able to turn a deadly chess game around by taking advantage of the small corner.

Seeing that she had joined the game, Xiao Jinyu did not hesitate to play with her, and focused on the game.

No one knew how much time had passed, but the two of them had actually played chess with great force and determination. By the time Han Changluan and Mu Tipo returned to the hall in disappointment, half an hour had passed.

"Mother--"

Muti Po hurried forward and whispered in her ear: "We haven't found him yet. I'm afraid he has escaped!"

Lu Lingxuan stood up suddenly and looked with a little annoyance at "Xie Zhen" who was sitting next to the chess scale, still calm and unhurried.

"What's wrong? Lord Lu seems angry? Has Lord Lu never heard of this saying: The way of gambling is to be rigorous, the high ones are in the middle, the low ones are on the edge, the middle ones occupy the corners, and it is better to lose a few pieces than to lose the initiative. This is the usual way of chess players, and it is also the way of military strategy!"

Lu Lingxuan smiled very coldly, then left with Mu Tibo and Han Changluan.

After leaving Lanling Palace, Mu Ti Po said angrily: "Mother, it seems we have been fooled. Lanling King's staff dragged mother to play chess. She is trying to buy time for Murong Jue to escape!"

"Why don't you send someone after them right away? Quickly order people to seal off the Yecheng Post Station and don't let anyone escape!"

"Yes!"

Mu Ti Bo and Han Changluan responded to the order at the same time, and immediately led a group of cavalrymen to rush out of Yecheng!

Before leaving, Lu Lingxuan glanced at Prince Lanling's Palace again.

"One Xiao Jinyu is not enough, and there is also a Xie Zhen coming?"

……

After Lu Lingxuan and a group of palace soldiers left, Xiao Jinyu took off the "mask" of Xie Zhenzhi on her face. At the same time, the "Princess Lanling" also took off the "mask" on her face, revealing the face of a phoenix.

"Brother Qing, why didn't you let me leave just now? Even if I let Ah Xiu pretend to be you, I could still escape from Yecheng right now."

Xiao Jinyu shook her head: "No, even if you escape from Yecheng, you will still face countless assassins chasing you. Since we are sending you to Jinyang, we want you to arrive in Jinyang safely!"

"Now is not the best time to leave!"

"Then when is the best time?" Phoenix asked again.

Xiao Jinyu replied, "Three days later, we have to make at least three moves in this game of chess. You can leave only when Lu Lingxuan can no longer tell the real from the fake!"

After that, he called Ling Ye over again, "First send someone to Yecheng Post Station to investigate the situation for Fenghuang, and at the same time put on a show for Lord Lu!"

"Yes! Princess!"

……

At dawn at noon, the fog had not yet dispersed, and the guards at the Yecheng Post Station saw teams of soldiers and horses galloping towards them. An official wearing the Five-Beam Official's robe held a sword against the neck of a ward leader, and seemed to be instructing him in something, or giving him orders!

The dormitory head nodded nodly, and when the official rode away on his horse, his legs almost weakened to the point of kneeling down!

"What happened?" another postman asked curiously.

"I heard that a wanted criminal of the imperial court is about to escape from Yecheng. We are asked to guard the post station and capture him as soon as he arrives!"

"The portraits are ready, take a look!"

"Oh, how come you look like a woman? How come such a handsome young man has become a prisoner?"

Yecheng Post Station was originally a temporary resting place for people traveling from Yecheng to various places, but it was also a mixed crowd. Many people passed through this station, but everyone who had to pass through had to show a token to prove their identity.

Therefore, it shouldn't be difficult to track down a fugitive who is likely to have come from Prince Lanling's Mansion!

But this little thing became a problem. For two consecutive days, there was no sign of a young man as beautiful as the one in the picture passing by this place.

When Han Changluan brought the news to the Lu Mansion, Lu Lingxuan seemed reluctant to believe it.

"Could it be that the boy is still in Lanling Palace?"

Mutibo was also very surprised.

"Mother, do we have to search Lanling Palace again?"

"No, we've already been there once. If you didn't find it, it just means you're incompetent. There's no reason to go again!"

"Now what?"

"Wait, wait until he leaves Yecheng!"