"Yes!" The Qing soldiers were assigned to him. They all wanted to show their faces. When they heard his order, they all rushed over.
Ding!
There was a dragon's roar. The soldiers only saw a flash of cold light, followed by a sharp pain in their wrists. They could no longer hold on to their weapons and they all fell to the ground.
Only then did the curly-bearded man slowly sheathe his sword.
Song QingShu's eyes lit up. With his current level of cultivation, how could he not see that the other party had already shown mercy when he attacked? Although he had stabbed the soldiers' wrists, he had not injured their tendons, so he did not stop them.
"Nine Strategies Beyond the Swords!" Such a magical swordsmanship would be unforgettable once seen. How could he not recognize it? It turned out that this man was Linghu Chong in disguise. No wonder he looked so familiar.
Song Qingshu looked at the bearded man's attire and felt more and more strange. Could this guy be disguised as Wu Tiande, the General of Quanzhou, like in the original work?
Seeing that the other party was highly skilled in martial arts, Song QingShu's personal guards immediately surrounded him and firmly protected him in the middle, confronting the Southern Song's diplomatic mission. The situation was tense, and just when a fight was about to break out, a shout suddenly came from afar, "Stop!"
Looking back, he saw a group of Green Camp soldiers running over in an orderly manner. They spread out and stood in formation. Then a man on a tall horse galloped over.
Song Qingshu's eyes narrowed. When Li Kexiu and her father took office in the south, he had saved them. How could he not recognize this man? He thought of how Li Kexiu had found an excuse to refuse him when he came to Yangzhou as the number one official of the Jin Kingdom. Now that something had happened to the Southern Song diplomatic mission, he had arrived. Song Qingshu's heart sank. It seemed that the balance in Li Kexiu's heart was clearly leaning towards him.
Li Kexiu secretly gave Goatee a reassuring look after dismounting from his horse. Then he walked to Song Qingshu and said, "Jiangzhe Waterway Commander Li Kexiu greets Marshal."
"So it's Lord Li." Song Qingshu snorted. "Lord Li is really arrogant. I have been in Yangzhou for so long but I haven't had the chance to meet him. Why is Lord Li free today? "
Now that Song Qingshu was playing the role of the most powerful man in the Jin Kingdom, he naturally had the right to show off his authority. Moreover, based on what had happened to him recently, it would be abnormal if he did not take the opportunity to vent his emotions.
Li Kexiu had been in the officialdom for many years and had long developed a skin thicker than the city walls. She replied smoothly, "A few days ago, there were some pirates near Yangzhou. It was said that they were in cahoots with the Wokou pirates. I did not dare to lower my guard and hurriedly went to investigate the details. As a result, I neglected the Marshal. Please forgive me."
Song Qingshu grunted and said, "Since Senior Li has returned to Yangzhou City, it seems that the pirates have been wiped out?"
Li Kexiu replied calmly, "The water bandits are extremely cunning. It's very difficult to track them down. This time, I've only come back to rest and reorganize. Very soon, I'll have to return to the Green Camp to take charge of the situation."
Song Qingshu secretly cursed the old fox. It seemed that he was planning to hide in the shadows until the wind blew over.
Li Kexiu took the opportunity to smile and said, "Marshal, this is all a misunderstanding. The master of the Pure Jade Monastery, Priest Ma, is my senior apprentice brother. We've known each other for many years and I admire Priest Ma's character and martial arts. With him in charge of the Pure Jade Monastery, there won't be any thieves. Marshal, you can rest assured."
Realization dawned on Song Qingshu. No wonder he thought Ma Zhen's name sounded familiar. So it was him!
Because of his good relationship with Li Yuanzhi, Song Qingshu was also very clear about the situation in Li Kexiu's family. The teacher he mentioned should be Li Yuanzhi's master, Lu Feiqing, nicknamed Needle in Silk. Lu Feiqing was also a member of the Wudang Sect. Since Ma Zhen was his senior apprentice brother, naturally he was also a member of the Wudang Sect.
Although the headquarters of the Wudang Sect was on Mount Wudang, there were a few branches in the world. They were collectively known as the Five Wudang Temples. In order, they were the Purple Cloud Temple, the True Martial Temple, the White Cloud Temple, the Shang Qing Temple, and the Pure Jade Monastery.
Among them, the Purple Cloud Temple was naturally the headquarters of the Wudang Sect. Zhang SanFeng had previously left it to Song YuanQiao to manage. Later, after Song Qingshu accidentally killed Mo ShengGu, Song YuanQiao took the blame and resigned. Yu LianZhou took over.
The master of the True Martial Temple was Taoist Chong Xu, who was inseparable from Master Fang Zheng in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
The master of the White Cloud Temple was Taoist Yu. It was said that he was invited by the Isle of Heroes, causing the White Cloud Temple to decline in recent years.
The master of the Shang Qing Temple was Taoist Tian Xu. The Black and White Dual Swords, Shi Qing and Min Rou, also learned their skills here.
The master of the Clear Jade Temple was the fat Taoist Ma Zhen. He also had two martial brothers. One was Li Yuanzhi's master, Lu Feiqing, and the other was the Fiery Judge, Zhang Zhaozhong.
Since they were all from the Wudang Sect, Song Qingshu did not want to make things difficult for them. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Since Master Li has vouched for them, I will not pursue the responsibility of the Clear Jade Temple. However, these people's behavior is suspicious. I suspect that they are spies. I am going to bring them back for interrogation."
At this time, Ma Zhen hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Master, you have misunderstood. They are genuine merchants. These years, every time they come to Yangzhou to do business, they would rest at our temple. I know them very well. They are definitely not spies."
Li Kexiu also took the opportunity to say, "That's right. I also have an impression of them. In the past, when I came to the Clear Jade Temple, I also met them a few times. I even specially checked their travel permits. There is no problem. They are definitely not spies."
Song Qingshu sneered inwardly. An ordinary caravan actually had the protection of a commander. It would be absurd to say that there was no problem.
However, the current situation had changed. Accusing these people of being spies meant that the Clear Jade Temple and Li Kexiu were on the same side. Song Qingshu did not want to affect the people of the Wudang Sect, nor did he want to publicly shed all pretense of cordiality with Li Kexiu.
Fortunately, the purpose of this trip had basically been achieved. They had found the real emissary of the Southern Song Dynasty. At the same time, they had confirmed which side Li Kexiu favored.
Song Qingshu was silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "Since Master Li has vouched for them, then this matter is over. Let's go!" With that, he called his soldiers and left.
"I will see you off, Master." Li Kexiu smiled and followed.
Seeing the two groups of people leave, Lu You hurriedly said to the middle-aged man with a goatee, "Master Han, this place has been exposed. We need to change places as soon as possible."
"No!" Master Han shook his head and said, "We will stay here and not go anywhere."
"But …"
Lu You still wanted to say something, but Master Han raised his hand and stopped him. "Today, the Jin Kingdom's Great Marshal led his troops here and returned with nothing. There is no safer place than here in the whole of Yangzhou. If we change places, won't it prove that we have a guilty conscience and give the Jin Kingdom's Great Marshal an excuse to find trouble with us again? Moreover, if we keep staying here, Li Kexiu will have no choice but to come out and protect us. In that case, everyone will think that he is on our side. It will not be so easy for him to ride on the fence. "
Lu You's eyes lit up. He sincerely praised, "Master Han is really far-sighted. I admire you, I admire you!"
Li Kexiu escorted Song QingShu all the way back to the temporary residence of the imperial envoy of Daotai yamen. She then bade farewell and said, "Marshal daren, please rest well. Leave the case of the Yangzhou prefectural magistrate being kidnapped to this lowly official to investigate."
Song Qingshu had talked with him along the way. They had clearly talked a lot, but from beginning to end, there was no useful information. Song Qingshu could not help but curse the old fox for being so secretive.
Seeing that he was leaving, Song Qingshu did not urge him to stay. He casually said a few words and let him go.
After Li Kexiu left, Song Qingshu changed into his casual clothes and quietly followed him out. As expected, after Li Kexiu left the Daotai Yamen, Li Kexiu took many turns and finally arrived at the Clear Jade Monastery.
Although Li Kexiu had been careful enough to not be followed, how could he have discovered Song Qingshu?
"You came at the right time. I wanted to hear how far your conversation went." Song Qingshu found a secluded corner and quietly flipped into the Clear Jade Monastery.
After the disturbance just now, he could clearly feel that the security of the Clear Jade Monastery had become much tighter. Even with Song Qingshu's martial arts skills, he had to be careful not to be discovered.
Following the direction of his memory, Song Qingshu found the courtyard he had just been in. His body as light as a swallow, he flew to the roof of the room in the middle. He lifted the roof tiles to take a look. Sure enough, the two parties had met here.
Behind Li Kexiu stood Lu Feiqing and Ma Zhen. Behind the self-proclaimed Han Jiefu stood Linghu Chong and Lu You.
Lu Feiqing, Lu You …
A thought flashed through Song Qingshu's mind. Presumably, this Lu Feiqing was also from the Shanyin Lu clan. It seemed that the Southern Song Dynasty had successfully hooked up with Li Kexiu through Lu Feiqing's matchmaking.
But who was this Han Jiefu? Judging from his appearance, he obviously held a high position. But which high-ranking official in the Southern Song Dynasty had the surname Han?
Song Qingshu was puzzled. He suddenly remembered that Taj-tish had mentioned that her husband, Han Qianye, had been sent to the Jin Kingdom as a spy. He suddenly realized: So it was him!
In the entire Song Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty, there were countless prominent families. But in later generations, there was no difference in the number one prominent family. That was the Zhending Han Family! The representative figures were the Northern Song Dynasty's Han Qi and the Southern Song Dynasty's Han Yuanzhou. Without exception, they had become powerful officials who were second only to one but above tens of thousands.
Calculating the time, this person naturally could not be Han Qi. It could only be the current Southern Song Dynasty's political advisor, Han Yuanzhou. Now that Song Qingshu was in the imperial court, he had deliberately studied the power structure of each country. That was why he could so quickly guess Han Yuanzhou's true identity.
"Thank you, Lord Li, for your help just now," Han Yuanzhou said.
"You're too kind, Minister Han. In fact, even if I hadn't come, Tang Kuobian probably wouldn't have been able to hurt you. I heard that this guard beside Minister Han injured a dozen Qing soldiers with a single sword strike." Li Kexiu looked at Linghu Chong in amazement. Even Ma Zhen and Lu Feiqing, who were behind her, were surprised. Although they boasted that they were famous swordsmen, they knew that they couldn't hurt a dozen brave soldiers with a single sword strike.
Han Yuanzhou was also particularly gratified. "I met this General Wu Tiande by chance on the way. At that time, I was assassinated by a group of mysterious people. If it weren't for General Wu, I'm afraid I wouldn't have escaped death in the wilderness."
Li Kexiu was shocked, "Who has the guts to assassinate Minister Han?"
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