Just now, Wenhao and Yun Xuan had excitedly rushed over to find Huang Jingrong and told him that after many rounds of discussion, Xunqi and Zhe Zhu had basically agreed to their terms of compensation. The two imperial envoys, Imperial Censor Huang and Yang Langzhong, would act as mediators and the two sides would formally hold negotiations. If the negotiations were successful, they would swear an oath of blood and form an alliance of brothers, never to violate each other again.
Wen Hao and Yun Xuan spoke as if there really was such a thing. Wen Hao was responsible for reporting the process and results of the contact between the two parties, while Yun Xuan seemed to be dissatisfied with such a compromise. He would even grumble from time to time, making Wen Hao's words sound more believable.
Unfortunately, Huang Jingrong had already eavesdropped on their discussion. She only sneered inwardly, but pretended to believe them. She even pretended to be dissatisfied and reprimanded them. After the two explained their difficulties in every possible way, she reluctantly agreed.
After Wenhao and Yun Xuan left Huang Jingrong's residence, they let out a long sigh of relief. They were really tired from acting like this. Huang Jingrong had been acting with them and seemed to be exhausted. After seeing the two of them off, he returned to his room and sat down. After pondering for a long time, he called his two bodyguards and hid in the back garden.
Huang Jingrong had learned her lesson from Wen Hao and Yun Xuan. She purposely chose a small pagoda that looked down from a high vantage point. There were no trees in the surroundings to prevent eavesdropping on the walls.
Huang Jingrong had already thought about it carefully. He could not openly break off relations with Wen Hao and Yun Xuan. Now that he was in Wen Hao's stronghold, he was like a piece of meat on Wen Hao's chopping board. If he openly broke off relations, he would definitely die.
It was also impossible to escape. He had already heard that the Wu Man warriors were all over the jungle around the village. Even the soldiers in the village who were also good at jungle warfare would have a slim chance of survival if they went out, let alone a scholar like him who had only visited famous mountains and did not know what a real jungle was.
However, he did not want to die. He did not want to sit and wait for death. He wanted to live, so he had to rely on Wen Hao and Yun Xuan to protect him. However, these two people had already decided to abandon him. What should he do? He could only think of a way to tie Wen Hao and Yun Xuan to his chariot and fight for him wholeheartedly. This was the only way to survive.
Therefore, after Huang Jingrong called the two attendants in front of her, she frankly told them about the current dangerous situation. According to his story, he was certainly going to die, and his two followers were not going to be spared either.
Although Huang Jingrong was trying to make the two of them work for him wholeheartedly, he wasn't lying. If the other party wanted to kill him, he wouldn't let his two followers return to the capital alive and tell them what they saw with their own eyes.
When the two lackeys heard Huang Jingrong's words, their faces immediately paled, not a single trace of blood could be seen.
When Qin Wuyang was twelve years old, he killed people in the downtown area. No one dared to disobey him. However, when he arrived at King Qin's main hall, his face was pale and his body was trembling. Fighting in the streets and alleys required the courage of a hot-blooded man and the anger of an ordinary man. It was incomparable to the courage and boldness that Huang Jingrong wanted them to do.
"This Huang's life is in your hands! If this matter succeeds, when you return to the capital, this official will guarantee you a prosperous future. If it doesn't work, I'll die here, and the two of you won't be able to live either. If you can think through the pros and cons, then there's nothing to be afraid of. "
Huang Jingrong smiled and said, "I'm also afraid of death. That's why I'm fighting. What do you guys think?"
The two attendants looked at each other. One of them gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! Sticking our heads out is a knife, pulling our heads back is also a knife. If we go all out, we might still have a chance of survival. Let's do it! "
Huang Jingrong was overjoyed. She quickly stood up and held their hands. She asked warmly, "What are your names?"
Although the two of them had been by Huang Jingrong's side ever since they left the capital, Huang Jingrong had never asked for their names. Usually, she would only greet them with, "Come in!" Huang Jingrong could still vaguely remember their surnames, but she didn't know their names at all.
The two of them respectively replied,
"My surname is Luo, my name is Luo Mengyi!"
"My surname is Li, my name is Li Shichun!"
"Good!"
Huang Jingrong nodded heavily and said, "If we die in the future, you and I will be ghosts in the same cave. If we live in the future, we will be brothers with different surnames!"
The two attendants who were born ruffians were so excited that their faces were red. Because of Huang Jingrong's respect and promise, they felt a little like a gentleman who would die for a bosom friend.
…
They stopped fighting.
Looking at the peaceful atmosphere in the stockade village, and feeling the reactions of the people around him, Wen Hao felt that his choice was correct.
On an open field in front of the mountain, a large shed was built using bamboo and wood. The bamboo craftsmen were clever and dexterous. In just half a day, they had built a large hut. The roof was covered with green weeds, and the bottom of the hut was very cool. Soon after, someone dragged over bamboo mats, felt blankets, a few tables, and a large bull for blood sacrifice. Wine jars were piled up beside the hut. Not far away, a few pits were dug, and a few whole sheep were hung into them. The meat was not yet cooked, but the smell of the meat was already filling the air.
This location was very good. If Wen Hao wanted to arrange a sneak attack, they would have to come down from that mountain path. From here, they could see it clearly. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the people in the hut would have already left on horses. Similarly, if Xuanqi wanted to ambush them, other than one side of the mountain, the other three sides could be seen at a glance. Before the troops arrived, Wen Hao and the others could retreat up the mountain.
The commanders of both sides had not arrived yet, but they had each sent a head steward with more than ten people. They were responsible for arranging the venue, and they were also responsible for checking whether the other side was secretly playing tricks.
A bamboo pole was erected on the ground as a sundial. The shadow gradually overlapped with the pole, and then it tilted towards the east. When it was three steps away, a group of people appeared on the mountain. On the ground, there was also a group of galloping horses in this direction. Standing on the hillside, they could clearly see the group of galloping horses. When they saw that there were no more than twenty or thirty horses, Wen Hao and the others felt relieved and continued down the mountain.
The hut was large enough, with a radius of five or six feet. It was propped up by bamboo poles as thick as the mouth of a bowl. There were two long tables under the hut. On the left side sat Xuanqi, Meng Zhe Zhu, and the two big-headed men of the Black and White Man. On the right side sat Wen Hao, Yun Xuan, the two chieftains, and the big-headed men of the Wen and Yun tribes.
Originally, Meng Zhe Zhu did not want to fall behind Bai Man in anything. He liked to compete with Bai Man the most. For example, when he went to Yao Prefecture to pay his respects to the imperial envoy, Meng Zhe Zhu, who was already halfway there, immediately returned home and went with someone else.
But now it was different. He was the son-in-law of Xuanqi, and the two elders of the Black and White Man were no less respected than Zhongyuan. With his father-in-law sitting at the head of the table, he couldn't even let out a fart.
At the head of the two long tables were two short tables. Those were the seats for the two imperial envoys, Huang Jingrong and Yang Fan. The two of them were the imperial envoys of the Great Zhou, but now they were wearing the clothes of the local natives.
Huang Jingrong's clothes had been left in Yao Prefecture City. The clothes that she was originally wearing had long since become tattered after the escape. Yang Fan did not bring his official robes. He was alone and only brought the official seal and the imperial edict to prove his identity. The rest of his things were with Maqiao.
When the people from both sides met, they all glared at each other, especially those big-headed people whose strongholds had been severely damaged in the battle. They all gnashed their teeth and looked as if they would draw their blades at the slightest disagreement. Even when Xuanqi and Zhe Zhu saw Wenhao and Yun Xuan, they looked as if they were enemies and their eyes reddened when they saw each other.
On the other hand, when Yang Fan and Huang Jingrong were at White River Stronghold, Huang Jingrong had personally supervised the battle to take down the stronghold. Her goal was to kill Yang Fan. This time, Yang Fan had besieged Wenhao's stronghold, and the first condition of the negotiation was to kill Huang Jingrong. The two of them had already reached a point where they would not rest until one of them was dead, but the two of them were smiling happily as if they had been good friends for many years.
"Ah! Imperial Censor Huang, please take a seat! "
"No, no, no, you and I are both imperial envoys. Yang Langzhong's position is above this Huang, so he should take a seat first."
"Hahaha, in terms of age, this Yang is a junior. If Imperial Censor Huang doesn't sit, how would this Yang dare to sit!"
Xuanqi, Meng Zhe Zhu, Wenhao, Yun Xuan, and the group of big-headed people couldn't help but roll their eyes when they saw these two people's hypocritical appearances. They silently cursed, "You've already shown your blades, but you're still putting on an act when you've met each other. Do you two imperial envoys need to be so disgusting?"
"Alright, since Yang Langzhong is so courteous, then this Huang will be generous, hehe …"
Huang Jingrong cupped his hands at Yang Fan and sat down at the head of the table. However, Yang Fan didn't take a seat. He cupped his hands at Huang Jingrong and said, "Imperial Censor Huang, back then at White River Stronghold, in order to gain the trust of the soldiers, this Yang had once asked them to bring this imperial envoy's official seal to see you. This official seal, can you return it to this official now?"
As Yang Fan spoke, he cast a glance at Ling Potian who was standing beside Wenhao. Huang Jingrong seemed to have just remembered. "Ah!" He slapped his forehead and said, "If Yang Langzhong didn't mention it, this Huang would have almost forgotten!"
Huang Jingrong took out a glistening yellow official seal from his sleeve and handed it over to Yang Fan. Yang Fan verified that there was no mistake and put it away in his sleeve. He bowed to Huang Jingrong again before sitting down beside him.
Huang Jingrong naturally wouldn't argue with Yang Fan over a mere official seal. He had already seen how the leaders of both sides were at daggers drawn just now. He was even more certain of his plan. The chieftains and leaders of both sides were filled with hatred, suspicion, and mutual distrust. As long as a little spark was splashed, it would be able to ignite a raging fire. His idea was very feasible.
If Huang Jingrong wanted to save his life now, his only chance was to create an assassination on the negotiation table, causing both sides to completely break off their relationship. Yang Fan was someone who had to be killed, but killing one Yang Fan might not necessarily change the situation. He still had to kill an important figure on the other side, only then could both sides become irreconcilable.
As for who to kill, this person could be Kun Qi or Meng Zhe Zhu. No matter which one it was, as long as this person died, Wenhao and Yun Xuan would have no other choice. Even if they wished they could hack him into pieces, they could only drag him back to the mountains and put up a stubborn resistance. There would be no more room for negotiation.
Of course, in a surprise attack, he could also be killed on the spot, but this was already his only chance.
Huang Jingrong knew that the precondition for both sides to negotiate was to take his head. He didn't know when Yang Fan's side would prepare to make a move, so he planned to strike first to gain the initiative.
The moment both sides sat down, Huang Jingrong opened his mouth to speak …
…
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