After lunch, Chu Xianglong ordered a servant to make him a cup of tea. He took a sip of the steaming hot tea and asked.
"How is the Princess?"
"She has been staying in her room." The servant answered.
The Princess who lived in that luxurious and spacious room was actually a puppet. The real Princess came out all day and mingled with the ordinary maids.
Sometimes, she would sneak into the kitchen to steal food or watch the boatmen cast the net to catch fish. She would just stand aside and give orders.
The boatmen were not angry at her. Instead, they had a good impression of this average-looking old maid. A few boatmen who had accumulated a lot of wealth but were not married yet were secretly trying to find out about the old auntie.
This was the charm of the Princess. Even if she looked ordinary, men would fall in love with her after spending a long time with her.
That was why Chu Xianglong forbade the soldiers from going to the deck and the men from touching the Princess in private. However, he couldn't say it out loud. He couldn't show his concern for a maid.
"Head north as soon as possible. Once we reach Chu Zhou City, we will be completely safe." Chu Xianglong heaved a sigh of relief.
It was a wise decision to mingle with the investigation team. Before they set off, even the head of the team, Xu Qi 'an, and the other senior officials didn't know that the Princess was with them.
At this moment, he suddenly heard the sound of dense footsteps coming from the deck, followed by the unrestrained laughter of the men.
The soldiers at the bottom of the deck have all come out … Chu Xianglong's face darkened, followed by a surge of anger. He repeatedly ordered the soldiers below not to go up to the deck.
How dare they ignore his words?
Chu Xianglong walked out of the room and walked through the corridor to the deck. He saw groups of soldiers carrying toilet bowls and pouring the filth into the river. The wind blew and the stench rushed into his nostrils.
Centurion Chen Xiao stood on the deck and shouted, "Remember to clean the bowls after you are done."
"Yes sir!"
The soldiers answered loudly with smiles on their faces.
Chu Xianglong stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked serious and shouted, "Who allowed you to come up here?"
The noise suddenly stopped. The soldiers hurried to put down the bowls and looked at each other. They didn't know what to do. They lowered their heads and didn't dare to speak.
Chu Xianglong shouted, "Do you think the law can't be enforced when there are too many people? You like to go to the deck, right? Come and prepare the stick. "
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps could be heard. The guards brought by Chu Xianglong came from the other side of the deck, holding a military staff in their hands.
"General Chu, this, this …"
Chen Xiao was panicking. The reason why he didn't tell Chu Xianglong about the situation was that he didn't tell Xu Qi's words was that he was Xu Yinluo was that with Xu with Chu. It would make.
Xu Qi 'an happened to return to his room. He must have heard the commotion outside. If he was really willing to stand up for the Imperial Guards, he would come out.
On the other hand, it meant that he didn't want to have a conflict with General Chu. After all, General Chu was the deputy general of the King of Zhenbei. He was a big shot with military power.
"General Chu, why are you so angry? I asked them to come up and clean the bowls."
Finally, the Imperial Guards' expectant voice came from the cabin. It was accompanied by light but forceful footsteps. Xu Qi 'an, who was wearing the uniform of the Imperial Guard, walked out with one hand on his saber.
Chu Xianglong turned around, stared at Xu Qi 'an, and said in an aggressive tone:
He said in an aggressive tone, "You don't know my order? If you don't know, tell them to go back and promise not to come out again. If you do, I need an explanation. "
Chen Xiao braced himself and cupped his hands. "General Chu, a few soldiers are sick. I can't do anything about it. I have no choice but to ask for your excellency Xu's help …"
"He's either very loyal or very smart …" Xu Qi 'an thought, but he said, "You have no right to speak. Get lost. "
Chen Xiao lowered his head and said nothing. His eyes flashed with gratitude.
Xu Yinluo was trying to get him out of the picture.
After reprimanding the centurion, Xu Qi 'an stared at Chu Xianglong and said in a deep voice.
"General Chu, you want an explanation? You can go to the bottom of the cabin yourself. If you can stay there for a few days, you will feel it more deeply. I've decided that the Imperial Guards can go in and out freely from the beginning to the end of the morning. From the beginning to the end of the afternoon, they can go in and out freely. From the beginning to the end of the afternoon, they can go in and out freely. "
They can go on the deck for six hours a day.
This can effectively improve the air quality and is beneficial to the soldiers' physical and mental health.
On the deck, the soldiers were exchanging looks of excitement. The wind was strong and the bottom of the cabin was shaking. Coupled with the strange smell, it was so stuffy that people wanted to vomit.
Moreover, they had to eat dry food in such an environment. The physical discomfort was one thing, but the mental torture was the most torturous.
Chu Xianglong said lightly, "Your excellency Xu doesn't know how to lead an army, so don't tell me what to do. What's the big deal? When you're on the battlefield, you'll even have to eat mud, and you'll have to lie on a pile of corpses. "
As he spoke, he looked at Xu Qi 'an with a sneer. He didn't hide his disdain and contempt at all.
Xu Qi 'an retorted, "General Chu is a veteran who has been on the battlefield for a long time. I'm not as good as you in leading an army. But if you want to talk to me logically, I can talk to you. "
After a pause, he took a step forward and stared at Chu Xianglong.
"You said that this is a war. How can it be the same during a special time? General Chu's soldiers also live in the toilet every day and eat dry food in the smell of feces and urine.
"These soldiers are all elites. They train hard every day and know how to fight a war. But hard work and suffering are not the same thing. If you don't even know how to train your soldiers, how do you lead them? How do you fight a war?
"To put it bluntly, they're not your soldiers, so you don't treat them as human beings."
Well said!
Chen Xiao roared in his heart. He felt sorry for the soldiers these days when he saw how dispirited they were. Because they were all his soldiers.
Chu Xianglong didn't treat them as human beings because they weren't his soldiers.
Xu Yinluo was worthy of being Daibun's poetry champion … Chen Xiao admired him from the bottom of his heart. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was a wise saying.
The soldiers lowered their heads and gritted their teeth. Although they didn't say anything, their slightly clenched fists revealed their inner indignation.
They were soldiers at the bottom of the hierarchy and indeed had no status. But soldiers were also human beings and had emotions.
Chu Xianglong seemed to be infuriated. His expression was wild and fierce. He stepped forward so that his face was very close to Xu Qi 'an's, and asked sternly,
He asked sternly, "Are you teaching me how to do things? Who do you think you are? "
"I'm thinking, did I give in too quickly last time and let you get what you want so easily, so that you have a wrong idea?"
Xu Qi 'an took a step back and kept a distance from Chu Xianglong.
In Chu Xianglong's eyes, such a move was naturally a sign of timidity. That's right. His first impression of Xu Qi 'an was that he was talented but greedy for power and could be controlled and suppressed with more power.
This was in line with the image shown by Xu Qi 'an in the imperial examination cheating case. He easily got the Vajra Power and didn't even dare to go back on his word after that. He even sent the Buddha statue to him.
Many martial artists were willing to be dogs. Even if they were powerful, they would still bow and scrape to high officials because they were greedy for power.
"Isn't that so?" Chu Xianglong said disdainfully.
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xu Qi 'an, who had taken a step back, suddenly turn around and sweep a fierce whip kick at his waist.
Without any warning, he made a move.
Chu Xianglong crossed his arms to block. With a bang, his Qi exploded into ripples. He seemed to have been hit by a battering ram. His legs slid back and his back hit the cabin wall hard.
The solid wooden wall cracked.
A dot of gold paint lit up between Xu Qi 'an's eyebrows and quickly spread to his whole body, revealing a shining golden body. He said word by word, "I have a very bad temper, you fool."
Wei Yuan reminded him to build a good relationship with the King of Zhenbei's people. This was to make it more convenient for him to investigate the case and not encounter difficulties in everything.
But Wei Yuan definitely didn't want him to bow down and greet the King of Zhenbei's people with a smile. After being slapped on the left side, he still wanted to slap the right side.
Because if there were no clues in the case, as the chief official appointed by the imperial court, he could return to the capital safely. If there was really evidence against the King of Zhenbei, even if he and Chu Xianglong were sworn brothers, it would be of no help.
Xu Qi 'an had long disliked Chu Xianglong. He took advantage of his younger brother's predicament to hit him when he was down and plot to steal his Vajra Power.
Chu Xianglong, whose arms were sore and old meridians were affected, stared at Xu Qi 'an in disbelief.
How dare he make a move?
Did he really think that he, a small silver gong, could afford to offend a general who held real power and was the deputy general of the King of Zhenbei?
"General!"
Chu Xianglong's guards were furious. They rushed over in unison, holding their military staffs and pointing them at Xu Qi 'an.
As long as Chu Xianglong gave the order, they would go up and subdue this arrogant brat.
"Your excellency Xu!"
Hundreds of imperial guards rushed over at the same time, surrounding Xu Qi 'an and confronting Chu Xianglong's guards with stern expressions.
Their position was very clear. Although the imperial guards and the silver gong were from different yamens and did not interfere with each other, Xu Qi 'an was now the chief official and the supreme leader of the diplomatic mission.
Moreover, just based on what he had said just now, it was worth risking his life for him.
"All of you, stop!"
A shout came from the cabin, and a few officials who had heard the news walked out quickly.
Two imperial censors from the Imperial Censorate, the chief constable of the Ministry of Justice, and the minister of Dali Monastery stood behind them with their own guards and bailiffs.
The two imperial censors tried to smooth things over as soon as they came up, saying repeatedly, "Let's talk things over. Why do you two need to fight?"
The Deputy of the Supreme Court looked at the cracked wall and Xu Qi 'an, who had revealed his golden body, and said in a strange tone,
He said in a strange tone, "Your excellency Xu is very skillful. I'm afraid that even the whole ship combined would not be a match for you."
"You came at the right time."
Chu Xianglong glared at Xu Qi 'an and told them what had just happened. He pointed at Xu Qi' an and said, "The soldiers are just an excuse for him to stir up trouble.
"What happened to the soldiers is just an excuse for him to stir up trouble. His real goal is to take revenge on me. Sirs, how do you think we should deal with this?"
Dali Monastery prime minister immediately said, "There are women on the ship, and it is not appropriate for the soldiers to go on the deck. I think that General Chu's order is reasonable. "
The constable of the Ministry of Justice said lightly, "In my opinion, your excellency Xu should apologize. The Imperial Guards are to return to the cabin and are not allowed to go out. This matter should be settled. We should be united on this trip to the north. "
The two imperial censors from the Imperial Censorate agreed.
The thoughts of the three officials were simple. First of all, they did not like Xu Qi 'an. He had a grudge with the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Monastery, and the Imperial Censorate.
Secondly, it was necessary to build a good relationship with the deputy general of the King of Zhenbei on this trip to the north.
The commotion on the deck alerted the Princess who was drinking tea in her room. She came out upon hearing the commotion and saw a group of servant girls from the Prince's Mansion gathered in the corridor leading to the deck.
"What happened?" She frowned and asked out of habit.
The maidservants turned around and glanced at her. They didn't like the arrogant tone of this unfamiliar old maidservant, so they chattered, "Young Master,
They chattered, "General Chu and Xu Yinluo had a conflict, and they almost fought."
"It seems that General Chu did not allow the guards at the cabin to go on the deck, and Xu Yinluo did not agree. That is why they had a conflict."
"Hmph, this Xu Yinluo does not know how to appreciate favors. He actually dared to fight with General Chu. He is Duke Huai's deputy general. Right now, the lords are standing on Deputy General Chu's side and asking him to apologize. "
"Even though I admire Xu Yinluo a lot, he is in the wrong this time. These soldiers are so smelly and are such an eyesore. We will not be able to enjoy the breeze on the deck in the future. "
The Princess tried to push the servant girls away, but she did not expect that the servant girls, who were usually respectful to her, not only would not let her pass, but they also blocked her way.
The Princess was furious. She could not see the scene on the deck. Fortunately, the servant girls had quietened down. She heard Xu Qi 'an's cold laugh.
"Apologize? I am the head official appointed by His Majesty. I have the final say on this ship. "
The Dali Monastery prime minister retorted, "It is true that you are the head official, but you do not have the final say in the diplomatic mission. Otherwise, what use do we have?"
The head constable of the Ministry of Justice nodded. "His Majesty's order is that the three departments and the night watchman will work together to handle the case. If your excellency Xu wants to have the final say, then forgive me for not agreeing."
The two imperial censors agreed with the words of the head constable and the Dali Monastery prime minister.
All of a sudden, the pressure was on Xu Qi 'an.
Even if he stubbornly refused to admit his mistake, being ostracized by his peers in front of everyone, he would lose all his prestige … The Princess keenly captured the intentions of the officials.
She did not think that this all-powerful man would admit defeat. However, in the current situation, it was not important whether he admitted defeat or not.
Everyone present could see that the head official, Xu Yinluo, was unpopular. His peers ostracized and suppressed him.
Once this stereotype was formed, the head official's prestige would plummet. No one in the team would listen to him. Even if they were respectful on the surface, they would feel disdain in their hearts.
"If Duke Huai was in this situation, what would he do …" The Princess thought to herself.
She did not know why, but she subconsciously compared the young man on the deck with Duke Huai.
After comparing, she realized that their situations could not be generalized. After all, Duke Huai was a prince and a third grade martial artist. He was far from being comparable to the current Xu Ningyan.
Thus, the Princess muttered in her heart: What would he do?
He probably won't admit defeat … Then I will look down on him … No, if he admits defeat, I will have a handle to mock him … She thought to herself. Then, she heard Xu Qi 'an's shout.
"Soldiers, listen up. As the head official, I am going to the north to investigate a case. This is a serious matter. In order to prevent anyone from leaking the secret and causing trouble, I have to expel all unauthorized personnel. Follow Chu Xianglong and his deployment."
On the spot, only four silver gongs and eight bronze gongs unsheathed their weapons and supported Xu Qi 'an.
The hundred Imperial Guards on the deck did not make a sound, as if they did not dare to get involved.
After a few seconds of silence, a soldier quietly returned to the bottom of the cabin.
Then one, two, three … More and more soldiers lowered their heads, left the deck, and returned to the bottom of the cabin.
Not long after, the deck was emptied.
"Tch!"
Chu Xianglong's disdainful sneer was especially ear-piercing.
The Dali Monastery prime minister's face was full of ridicule and schadenfreude.
The corner of the constable's mouth twitched. He crossed his arms and leaned against the cabin wall, as if he was watching a show.
The two imperial censors from the Imperial Censorate shook their heads helplessly.
Suddenly, the sound of noisy footsteps on the stairs could be heard, and the sound of footsteps connected together.
The hundred Imperial Guards returned. Different from before, the toilet bowls in their hands were replaced by standard military knives.
They went back to the bottom of the cabin to get their weapons.
Chen Xiao held the military knife and walked to the side of Xu Qi 'an. He said in a deep voice, "Draw your knives!"
"Clang …"
The sound of swords being unsheathed could be heard as a hundred soldiers drew their swords and pointed them at Chu Xianglong and the rest.
"You, are you going to rebel?" The Dali Monastery prime minister's face changed slightly and he shouted angrily.
Chen Xiao was silent. He licked his lips and stared sharply at the Dali Monastery prime minister. Then, he glanced at Xu Qi 'an. It seemed that as long as Xu Yinluo gave the order, he would dare to go forward and chop this long-winded civil servant.
The Dali Monastery prime minister felt a chill in his heart. He took a few steps back subconsciously and dared not show his head again.
The constable stopped leaning against the wall and straightened his back. His expression changed from playful to serious. He quietly clenched the knife in his hand as if he was facing a formidable enemy.
As a Warrior, he could see the tenacity in the eyes of the Imperial Guards. They would never hesitate when they brandished their knives.
The veins on Chu Xianglong's forehead bulged. He still couldn't believe that as the deputy general of the King of Zhenbei, he would be treated like this. These low-ranking soldiers dared to draw their knives at him.
"Yang Yan!"
Chu Xianglong growled, "Are you going to rebel? I'm traveling with the envoy group. It's His Majesty's order."
"Shut up!" Yang Yan's cold voice came from the cabin. "I don't know about this."
"You …"
Chu Xianglong's face turned pale. His expression changed several times as he stared at Xu Qi'an. He gritted his teeth and said, "What do you want?"
Xu Qi'an faced the sun and said arrogantly, "Three things. First, my decision just now remains the same. The soldiers will have six hours of free time every day. Second, remember my identity. There's no place for you to speak in the envoy group.
"Is that clear enough?"
Chu Xianglong's face darkened and he nodded slowly.
Xu Qi'an walked over with his knife and sneered, "Third, apologize to me."
In an instant, Chu Xianglong's face twisted slightly. The veins on his forehead bulged and the muscles on his cheeks twitched.
"Escorting the Princess is of great importance. I can't act on impulse …" Chu Xianglong finally gave in and said in a low voice, "Your excellency Xu, you're a magnanimous man. Please don't lower yourself to my level."
Xu Qi'an snorted, "Sensible."
Behind him, the hundreds of Imperial Guards grinned and revealed simple smiles.
