Chapter 6

Night had fallen, but Li Er's bedroom was still brightly lit. The palace attendants, holding silk lanterns, stood outside the bedroom, ready to serve Li Er at any moment.

Emperor Li Er had the habit of working late into the night, a habit formed from years of military campaigns. However, tonight, Li Er was not working. The attentive attendants noticed that since the emperor returned from the Taiji Palace, his mood had become unpredictable.

During the evening meal, the emperor flew into a rage when a palace attendant accidentally dropped a plate, ordering the inner eunuch to drag the attendant away and beat him to death!

Not long after, Changsun Wugou, dressed in a simple white silk robe, entered Li Er's bedroom with several beautiful palace maids. Seeing the emperor pacing restlessly, she took a bowl of lotus seed soup from one of the maids and walked up to Li Er, speaking softly.

"Your Majesty has been tired all day and hasn't eaten the evening meal. I have prepared a bowl of lotus seed soup. Please drink it while it's hot!"

Li Er took the bowl of lotus seed soup from Changsun, but only stirred it with a spoon, sighed, and put it back on the jade table. He then took Changsun's hand and said, somewhat tiredly, "Guanyinabi, do you think I can govern the Tang Dynasty well?"

"Your Majesty, why would you say such a thing?" Changsun was startled and looked at her husband in disbelief, asking in shock.

Changsun knew her husband well. Since the uprising in Jin Yang, he had always faced dangers personally, fighting battles in the south and north. Men like Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong, who were once formidable warlords, had ultimately become his defeated enemies.

Her husband had always been a man of firm will, never hesitating in the face of difficulties. However, now, Changsun suddenly noticed that her usually confident husband seemed restless.

After dismissing the inner eunuchs, Changsun looked at Li Er tenderly and said, "The Turks are merely taking advantage of our unstable foundation. Your Majesty, a man of great talent, surely knows the story of the Yue King sleeping on firewood and tasting gall!"

"Guanyinabi, do you think I am troubled by the Turks?" Li Er laughed, saying indifferently, "The Turks are not a concern for me. When I have pacified the domestic situation, I will ride north to the desert and personally cut off the head of that fool Jiali!"

"Then what is troubling Your Majesty?" Changsun was puzzled. If it wasn't the Turks, who else could make the emperor so restless?

"Guanyinabi, if I tell you that the 'World Walker' has appeared in the Tang Dynasty, what would you think?" Li Er smiled bitterly, looking at Changsun and sighed.

"World Walker..." Changsun was initially confused, but as she realized the terrifying implications of these words, she was shocked. Her eyes flashed with danger, and she asked through gritted teeth, "Does Your Majesty know where this person is now?"

"Heh, I have arranged for him to stay at the inn!" Li Er smiled mysteriously, saying.

Then, he recounted the encounter with Zhao Chen by the Wei River and the conversation with Zhao Chen in the Taiji Palace.

"Your Majesty, why did you not kill him by the Wei River?" Changsun's face turned pale, and her body trembled. Concerned for the Tang Dynasty, she could not tolerate such a dangerous element. She said with a fierce look, "If Your Majesty is hesitant, I will take care of it!"

"Guanyinabi, I did not kill him out of hesitation..." Li Er's heart trembled at Changsun's words, feeling a bit guilty for his earlier reaction. He then smiled indifferently, "The World Walker appears during great turmoil. Now that the Tang Dynasty has just been established and is thriving, I want to see what kind of waves these people can stir up!"

As Li Er spoke, he looked out of the bedroom, his gaze seemingly penetrating the obstacles, focusing on the mysterious place that had always made him both fear and respect.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Zhao Chen, of course, knew nothing about what was happening in the palace. He was soaking in a hot bath, surrounded by warm water, smoking a cigarette, and enjoying the comfort of it all. He exhaled a puff of blue smoke, feeling incredibly relaxed.

If he could have a cup of tea now, it would be perfect, but he was too lazy to move. After a month in the jungle, even eating and sleeping were luxuries, let alone taking a bath.

His body was covered in dirt, and he could hardly stand the smell. He scrubbed himself with soap, but the soap didn't even produce bubbles, only black mud. The hot water quickly turned black and smelly, so he had to ask Hu Lu to bring a new bucket of hot water.

Hu Lu was a remarkable person. As the innkeeper of the Chang'an inn, he had seen many local officials come to the capital for their duties. For someone like Zhao Chen, who was personally arranged to stay at the inn by the emperor, Hu Lu sensed something different.

Not knowing Zhao Chen's exact identity, Hu Lu didn't bother to find out. He simply provided the best room and the best food, and whatever Zhao Chen wanted, Hu Lu would bring it without hesitation.

For dinner, Hu Lu brought a plate of white chicken, a bowl of clear stewed mutton, a plate of sliced fish, and a jug of chilled grape wine.

The Tang Dynasty was just established, and even the emperor's meals were not much better. These were all bought by Hu Lu himself, as he recognized Zhao Chen's noble status and wanted to curry favor, hoping that Zhao Chen would remember his kindness when he became powerful.

If Hu Lu knew that the emperor and Changsun were plotting to kill Zhao Chen, he would be shocked.

After finishing the dishes and the sour grape wine, Hu Lu left, and Zhao Chen fell asleep on the bed, snoring loudly.

He didn't want to think about the emperor's intentions or his future in the Tang Dynasty. At this moment, Zhao Chen just wanted to be a well-fed pig, sleeping soundly.

During this time, Cheng Chumo and an eunuch sent by Li Er came to the inn, but seeing Zhao Chen sleeping like a dead pig, they left disappointed.

When Li Er heard that Zhao Chen was sleeping, he was furious, becoming even more convinced that Zhao Chen was the World Walker.

Zhao Chen slept for three days and three nights. On the afternoon of the third day, he got up, took a bath, and put on a set of blue robes sent by Hu Lu, feeling refreshed as he walked out of the room.

The afternoon in Chang'an was peaceful and quiet. The warm sunlight shone on the inn's courtyard, which was a private, two-story wooden pavilion. The courtyard was quiet and secluded.

There was a flower bed in the courtyard, and although it was late autumn and the flowers were withering, it didn't affect Zhao Chen's enjoyment of the peaceful afternoon.

He brewed a pot of tea and sat with Hu Lu, each on a reclining chair, drinking tea and listening to Hu Lu talk about his family history, feeling very comfortable.

"My ancestors for three generations were innkeepers, originally at the Xinfeng Inn. However, we encountered turbulent times. In the thirteenth year of the Daye era, the High Emperor rose in Jin Yang. At that time, I was the innkeeper at Xinfeng. One day, an urgent messenger arrived at the inn. I learned that a rebellion had broken out in Jin Yang!"

Hu Lu took a sip of tea, cleared his throat, and continued, "To be honest, I had long been dissatisfied with Yang Guang's tyranny. When I heard about the rebellion in Jin Yang, I was thrilled. I decided to kill the messenger and join the rebellion in Jin Yang!"

Hu Lu laughed proudly, but Zhao Chen rolled his eyes. He didn't know if Hu Lu had really killed the messenger, but given his sleazy appearance, Zhao Chen doubted he did it for the sake of the people.

As they were enjoying the afternoon, the courtyard gate was suddenly kicked open, and a general in black iron armor, holding a long spear, stormed in.

Li Jing? Zhao Chen immediately recognized the general. Wasn't Li Jing leading troops in Shuo Fang? Why was he here?

"Out!" Li Jing's face was dark, and his eyes were filled with killing intent as he stared at Zhao Chen. Hu Lu tried to speak, but Li Jing ignored him, pointing his spear at Hu Lu and growling.

Hu Lu, without any sense of loyalty, rolled out of the courtyard.

"Tell me, where is my sworn brother?" Li Jing stepped forward, his iron spear gleaming coldly, and his eyes filled with rage as he demanded.

"I think you must be mistaken! I just came out of the mountains and don't even know your brother's name, let alone his whereabouts!"

Zhao Chen looked at Li Jing, feeling frustrated. He had just made a casual comment and now found himself in trouble with Li Jing, who seemed ready to tear him apart.

'Peng!'

Li Jing kicked Zhao Chen off the chair, sending him flying several feet away. He then pressed the spear to Zhao Chen's throat, asking coldly, "Tell me, where is my sworn brother?"

Zhao Chen had seen many privileged people in his past life. He hated them, but now he realized that compared to Li Jing, they were all kind-hearted.

His chest felt tight, and the cold spear at his throat made it hard to breathe. Zhao Chen believed that Li Jing was truly intent on killing him.

"I once heard my master talk about the Three Heroes of the World. If your sworn brother is Zhang Zhongjian, the Bearded Hero, then I can tell you that he went to the South China Sea!"

Zhao Chen lay on the ground, looking at Li Jing calmly, "That's all I know. If you don't believe me, you can use your spear to pierce me!"

Li Jing left.

Zhao Chen remained on the ground, looking up at the blue sky, wondering why things had turned out this way. Why was Li Jing so certain that he knew the whereabouts of the Bearded Hero?

And why did Li Er, despite the obvious lies, pretend not to see them?

Zhao Chen closed his eyes in pain, suddenly realizing that he didn't like the Tang Dynasty anymore!

翻页上AD开始

翻页上AD结束