Chapter 1250 Chapter 1190: The Pitch-Black Night (Part 2)

The rain pattered rhythmically, falling on the rooftop and cascading down along the walls. The small stream behind the room swelled with the rushing water, and across the way, the tarpaulin boats bobbed in the current, tethered by their ropes.

Ning Ji and Qu Longjun sat on the small balcony after lunch, leaning against the railing and watching the rain.

It was a brief respite during the intensive training to become a temporary expert.

The situation within Fuzhou City had become tense. With Zuo Xingzhou's disappearance, Ning Ji could no longer remain aloof. Just as Ni Po had sought them out the previous night, both of them were likely to be drawn into the chaos.

Against this backdrop, the daily training of Qu Longjun had become a significant matter. Even if it was impossible to make her a true expert, it was not entirely impossible to combine her dance foundation and coordination skills to mimic some of the characteristics of an "expert."

In the two days since the confession of their feelings, Ning Ji had intensified Qu Longjun's training in the courtyard, focusing on the hand, eye, body, and footwork of an "expert." Such training had occurred before, but now it was more intimate. Occasional physical contact was a novel and sweet step for both of them.

The morning training only stopped at lunchtime. Ning Ji bought back the meals from outside, and Qu Longjun did some processing in the kitchen. After eating, she took a shower, put on loose clothes, and tied her hair in a ponytail. At this time, she was refreshed and carried a fragrant smell. Ning Ji stretched his limbs beside her, and the sound of the wind and rain, and the rise and fall of the boats all seemed quiet.

"...With Ni Po's incident and our successful pretense, I'm afraid that the Ministry of Justice will send people to test us tonight... Zuo Wenxuan couldn't say this matter too clearly. If it's Tie Tianying, that old dog, who comes, it will be a little troublesome. I'm afraid you won't be able to hide it from him. But it's not without a solution..."

"Are you going to fight him on the spot?"

"There's no need for that. He's a big official now. Tearing up the pretense in public is just asking for a beating... A group of constables swarm up, and without firearms, it will be difficult for me to escape..."

"...What are Zuo Wenxuan and the others thinking?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask... Tie Tianying's feud with the Huaxia Army is well known in the Southwest. He... cooperated with the Manicheans and killed Liu Dabiao of the Badao Clan. This is the deepest of feuds. Later, when that Prime Minister Qin was demoted, several constables added insult to injury. Not only did Tie Tianying punch... Master Ning, but he even forced the First Madam to jump into the river..."

"...During that time, Master Ning originally planned to withdraw from the capital and return to Jiangning to live in peace. But because of Prime Minister Qin's matter and the First Madam's matter, Master Ning realized that the dog emperor had remembered him, and the lackeys had also set their sights on his family. So he began to plan a rebellion from that time on... Tie Tianying was very arrogant at that time. Many of the old members of the Zhuji wanted to tear off his skin. Like Grandpa Chen Tuo, he took many children in the previous years to talk about the regicide and rebellion in those years. The biggest regret was that he couldn't find Tie Tianying, kill his whole family, and beat his mother..."

"I've heard of Chen Daxia's name too." Qu Longjun, who was leaning on the side, said.

"Hehe." Ning Ji smiled. "He's very good now that he's old, but he was a villain when he was young. He often said that it was villains like him who could deal with people like Tie Tianying. Later, he and several old seniors said that when Prime Minister Qin fell, the Zhuji was in internal and external troubles, and was targeted by all kinds of petty people. If it wasn't for Ning... Master Ning's decision to kill the emperor, they would have to go all out and exchange their lives for Tie Tianying's..."

He paused slightly, sat under the eaves, and his eyes darkened slightly: "In addition, there was the matter of throwing manure at Prime Minister Qin, and later there was the matter of running to the Southwest to assassinate... a bunch of bastards can't get rid of the relationship... This group of bastards from the Zuo family, when they were in Xiaocang River, when they were in the Southwest, they were clearly favored by Grandpa Chen, and knew about the grudges on both sides. They have been back to Fujian for so long, but they still haven't found a way to deal with him... ungrateful white-eyed wolves, traitors, this is selling the country for glory..."

For the entire world, the most extraordinary feat of the Huaxia Army was always the knife in the Golden Luan Hall that year, and within the Huaxia Army, whenever heroes gathered, they would naturally talk about this matter. During that time, although the emperor was going against the tide, the people who confronted the middle and lower-level members of the Zhuji the most were always the people from the Ministry of Justice. Most of these people had passed away in the long decades of battle, but the remaining ones were all high-level figures in the Southwest whose every move could shake the world.

If they hadn't rebelled, it would have been very difficult for the Zhuji to get out unscathed. According to Ning Yi's behavior, everyone had privately discussed many action plans, including Chen Tuo, who had prepared to leave the Zhuji and destroy Tie Tianying's entire family, and then take the blame alone. In addition, there were plans to take care of the other constables of the Ministry of Justice, change their blood, and even assassinate Tong Guan and Wang Fu. At that time, the hot-blooded Zhu Biao planned to take care of the affairs in the capital and then go north to assassinate the Qi family, and even prepared to pull Yue Fei along.

Later, when everyone discussed this matter in Xiaocang River and in the Southwest, they were all passionate and generous. They had experienced the bloody battle in Xiacun, and had long broken away from the ordinary employment relationship with Ning Yi. Later, they saw the fate of the Qin family, and as people of the underworld, they only felt that even if they risked their lives, they could not let Ning Yi's family repeat the same mistakes. Fortunately, what Ning Yi did later was even more outrageous, so that the Zhuji people did not scatter a useless flame.

Ning Ji had grown up listening to this kind of discussion since he was a child, and his hatred for Tie Tianying was very deep. After coming to Fuzhou, he certainly regarded the Zuo family as old friends, but when he mentioned their position on this matter, he was never polite. At this time, he mumbled and cursed with words such as "dog things" and "bastards" for a long time, wishing he could call the military law team from the Southwest to clean up these bitches and their mothers. Qu Longjun looked at his angry profile from the side, but smiled, attached her face to it, and gave him a kiss on the face.

Soft and fleshy.

Ning Ji flattened his face.

"...What are you doing?"

"Cute."

"Hmph. I'm talking about serious matters."

Swinging his legs, Ning Ji frowned for a while before sighing and looking serious: "Anyway... this time I want to kill Tie Tianying, and the possibility of falling out with them is not small. Zuo Wenxuan won't betray me, but there will be some unpleasantness. So we have to prepare in advance... Of course, when I kill Tie Tianying, I'll cover my face and run away when I'm done..."

He muttered and calculated, worrying for a while, and seeing that Qu Longjun's expression was relaxed and natural, he also curled his lips: "Don't think it's interesting. Even if it's pretending to be an expert, it's easy to say, but it's difficult to practice..."

"Xiaolong..."

"Hmm?"

"I was thinking, why don't you really teach me martial arts?"

"...Ah?"

He turned his head and saw a solemn seriousness on Qu Longjun's face.

"I know that I'm not made of the stuff for martial arts, and maybe I'm too old, but half of the world is at war now. I'm following you, I can go anywhere, but I don't want to be a burden all the time. Even if I learn some simple martial arts, when something happens, I won't panic so much..."

Her words were soft and gentle. Ning Ji looked at her, and his eyes darkened. He was silent for a moment.

"Practicing martial arts... is not such a simple thing... You are a girl..."

"But when I was in the Southwest, I also saw female soldiers, and in other places, there are also women practicing martial arts, such as that Lady Yan they mentioned..."

"Practicing martial arts requires heart..." Ning Ji said, and the next sentence was even lower: "And what Lady Yan, they are all just fancy moves..."

"Xiaolong." Qu Longjun said, "Before I was with you, I also ran around outside, blackened my face, disguised myself as a beggar, and often carried a knife in my arms. The Jurchens have been beating this world for more than ten years. Now that I'm with you, if I have to kill someone, I won't be afraid. Even if I can't compare to Aunt Gu of the Huaxia Army, but Xiaolong, don't underestimate me."

"I'm not underestimating you, but practicing martial arts is really not the same thing." Ning Ji said softly, looked at the rain curtain in front of him for a while, and then pondered and said seriously, "The thing about practicing martial arts, it can be taught, but it's difficult to become an expert. When you haven't practiced martial arts, when something happens, you will run, but when you have practiced martial arts, sometimes you have to fight with people. Maybe twice or three times, but the chance of survival is really not bigger than you always running."

He paused slightly: "Moreover, you are a girl, and your strength is originally small. When you fight, you have to be more decisive and fight harder than ordinary people. In the Southwest, you have seen those women who can fight, but before these women can fight and kill, you can't imagine what they have experienced. They have all suffered hardships and hardships, and they are really at the point where they can't live anymore. Only by not treating themselves as human beings can they have that kind of heart."

"...Is this a good thing?" In the quiet rain curtain, Ning Ji looked ahead and continued, "And having this kind of heart is also the first step. They have to fight with people more than ten or dozens of times to survive before they can become real ruthless characters, Xie... Xiao Qu, I'm a military doctor, and I grew up in the Huaxia Army. You don't know, the children in the Huaxia Army, as long as they have some talent, will learn martial arts, one is to strengthen their bodies, but to a certain extent, they will go to the battlefield... When I was young, there were many brothers and sisters in my sect, but no matter how powerful or talented he was at the time, some people would die every year... The few who survived became experts, but not many people hope that their family members... become such experts..."

Ning Ji turned to look at her.

"If you really enter the so-called Jianghu, learn martial arts, and use knives and guns to solve problems, some enemies are so evil that you can't imagine it, and to become an expert, you have to fight dozens of times, and one carelessness will be gone... I'm lucky, I killed many times, and I secretly survived, and I've lived to this day, so there are fewer things to worry about. But if you learn martial arts and go to face those bad guys... I will be more afraid than I am now..."

Qu Longjun listened to him and looked at him, her crystal eyes flickering slightly. After a while, she leaned over and gently hugged Ning Ji.

Ning Ji also hugged her, as if he was holding fragile porcelain.

The two hugged under the eaves, and after a long time, Qu Longjun retracted her legs from outside the balcony. She knelt in front of Ning Ji, looking at him with her eyes, bit her lip, and finally held up three fingers.

"Xiaolong, I swear, I will listen to you. If I encounter anything, I will definitely run away, but I don't want to only learn how to deceive people. Even if I'm tired, I want to learn real martial arts. I'm also afraid, afraid that one day, there will be a time when I can't escape..."

"No, there won't be."

Ning Ji shouted.

But Qu Longjun's kneeling posture did not move.

Ning Ji looked to the side and was silent for a long time.

He said in a muffled voice: "...I'll consider it."

Outside the corridor, the rain kept falling.

Sometimes, the evil of some enemies is something you can't imagine...

...

Near the academy, Wenqing Teahouse, the rain falling from the eaves was like a curtain, enveloping the space filled with tea fragrance.

"...The banquet on the first day of the month was very effective. It proves that the opening of the Enke and His Majesty's consideration are quite persuasive to the upper and middle-class families in Fujian... Wang Zhan and Geng Yidao had already expressed their intentions at that time. Privately, they also revealed the plans of some rats in this situation. The reaction of bandits such as Chen Shuangran proves that they are anxious and desperate..."

Li Pin turned the tea whisk in his hand and spoke to the great scholar opposite him.

"...Officials are assassinated, and the chief constable is killed, but you can't catch anyone. Can you say that the other party is desperate?"

"Assassination is a minor matter and cannot determine the overall situation."

"...But you can't even stop the assassinations..."

"People are desperate, and in today's world, it's difficult for anyone to stop them."

"The Southwest can."

"But where is the truth in the Southwest? Brother Lu, it lies in their unity of purpose, in their control of the army... To put it deeper, it lies in their reform. Look, now His Majesty has also released the Imperial Guards..."

"How was the effect of releasing them for disaster relief last time? The things that were done haven't been cleaned up yet, right... Brother Li, you don't know why the principle of 'armies pass like a comb, bandits pass like a rake' has been around since ancient times, do you?"

"Brother Lu is frank, and I will also be frank. The sentence behind this also needs to add 'officials pass like a razor'. Why? Because the army has never been able to do delicate work since ancient times. As long as they are released, they will inevitably hurt the people, cripple the people, and harm the people. Even if the officials are slightly careless, they are more harmful than beneficial to the people. Last time, the Beiwu Army's disaster relief was indeed taken advantage of, but Brother Lu, you are a sensible person, and you also know that it was taken advantage of by bad people. That army was actually able to carry out disaster relief without hurting the people, but the response to the incitement of bad people was wrong."

"...Hmph, what if the response is still wrong this time? Have you caught the bad guys?"

"What we are talking about here is the general idea of the whole thing. His Majesty wants to reorganize the army and also wants to reorganize the officials. After the last incident, the Wubei Academy's classes are preparing for these things every day. After entering Fuzhou, the Imperial Guards have recently had problems with corruption. His Majesty has removed two commanders. This time, His Majesty ordered the Imperial Guards to conduct a search in the city, cooperating with the Wubei Academy and the young officials in the court. Not only is His Majesty personally in charge, but he also repeatedly and strictly ordered that there should be no excessive disturbance to the people... Brother Lu, with your knowledge, can't you see it? This is the real reform, this is the hope of the future world..."

"..."

"You are a great Confucian in Fujian, with countless disciples. You are also a sensible person. Small troubles are meaningless. New ways of living and new ways of playing are the creation of a new situation that has never existed since ancient times! As long as the cooperation of these armies and officials in disaster relief or handling affairs can form a common practice, and the ability to avoid disturbing and harming the people can continue, His Majesty will truly ignite a new spark. If it doesn't work once, there will be two times, and if it doesn't work twice, there will be three times. But ultimately, as long as it's done, we will be invincible when we kill out of Fujian. This is what His Majesty is doing, and he is about to do it, so I want to invite Brother Lu to come and supervise this matter... Brother Lu, the court has never given up on you. We have always hoped that your students can come and achieve great things together."

"..."

"..."

Li Pin looked at the old Confucian named Lu Lun opposite him.

Lu Lun drank the tea in his hand, his expression changed, and after a while, he slammed the teacup on the table.

"Naive!"

"Brother Lu, please speak."

"Li Pin, you have never been clear about why I, Lu Lun, have opinions about you, so I will say it clearly today! Because you have been doing these petty things from beginning to end! For an army, a city, to have His Majesty in charge so they don't disturb the people, is that really a big deal? What is His Majesty? His Majesty is the Son of Heaven! The Son of Heaven is the Nine-Five Supreme, is the dragon. As the saying goes, 'A flying dragon is in the sky.' The emperor must be high above, using his majesty to rule, in order to lead the nine provinces and all directions..."

"..."

"And what about you? Deceiving His Majesty when he is young, always encouraging him to do some childish things, showing off in front of people, bestowing favors on the common people, and even three days ago, for a little bit of profit, you personally ran to bestow favors on dozens of small families and small chambers of commerce, and you are still complacent. Yes, you have bewitched and cultivated His Majesty into a suitable county magistrate, at most a prefect! Some people who see him will think His Majesty is wise, but Li Pin, this world is so big, there are many people who can't see His Majesty. His Majesty doesn't need to make these people feel close, and there is no way to be close to them. He needs to make the world feel awe!"

"..."

"I think the people in the Southwest are truly powerful. They bewitch people's hearts and make you all believe in that set of so-called grassroots reforms. You even think that Confucianism should be reformed too. What do you know about the greatness of Confucianism? To rule the world, both kingly and hegemonic ways must be used. As long as you can achieve 'punishments are unknowable, then authority is immeasurable', why does His Majesty have to be in front of everything and do everything himself—"

"..."

"Also, when the army is dispatched and conflicts arise with the people, you couldn't handle it properly last time. Do you really think you can settle it this time? When the army is dispatched, you want to avoid disturbing the people for the sake of face. If you don't disturb the people, the people will disturb you. What will you do? Li Pin, you dared to call me here boldly. You don't know how many ways there are to make you look bad and create chaos. You have great confidence, don't you..."

After the other party cursed for a while, Li Pin waited for a moment before speaking: "I think that since many things are new, it's always good to experience them over and over again before drawing a conclusion."

"Yes, I want to see how you experience it. I don't think you have read Confucianism thoroughly. You don't even know how evil people are—"

The conversation in the room went on for a while. Lu Lun tidied up his clothes and left, and Li Pin sent him downstairs. After returning to the tea room, he picked up paper and pen and recorded some of the information from the previous conversation clearly. While writing, the servants began to come in to rearrange the room, preparing for the next banquet. Luo Shouwei came closer and looked at what he was writing for a while.

"It seems that the man surnamed Lu is very dissatisfied. You can't win him over. Do you want to report it to the court..."

"..." Li Pin paused slightly, thought for a moment, "If he can scold directly, he might just be dissatisfied. If he has really made up his mind to oppose us, he won't say half a word... Ultimately, it still depends on whether the court's military training can go smoothly..."

"Then what he said is also right. The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. There will always be many ways to make trouble."

"As long as there is no major chaos that we can't suppress, we will win... According to the experience of the Southwest, if the military officers of the Wubei Academy are able to restrain and speak to the soldiers, such an army will be very capable on the battlefield... We are no longer afraid of the Jurchens."

The fine rain pattered. After that, a new round of meetings began in the teahouse.

In the courtyard of Huaiyunfang, Qu Longjun set up her stance and began to practice boxing with Ning Ji. This time, the teaching was more severe than the previous times.

At the same time, Yue Yun was running on the streets of Houguan County...

The traces of the Imperial Guards were scattered throughout the city, and the patrol officers began to walk the streets, beating gongs to remind everyone to bring identification documents when they went out tomorrow. Because of the rampant bandits, a large-scale screening had begun in the city. At the same time, they also reminded everyone not to panic, and to report simple matters to the accompanying military officials if they encountered problems...

The strategy of "beating the mountain to shake the tiger" had begun to show results. At several city gates, there was a large-scale departure of underworld people, but the soldiers who came here did not stop them.

The real work and test would officially begin tomorrow morning.

This was a pre-set plan of the court.

However, in the evening, an accident quietly occurred in Houguan County, where Zhong Ergui was wrongly killed two months ago...

In Wenqing Teahouse, when Luo Shouwei received the report from outside and came to inform him, it was already a little dark outside. When Li Pin heard what had happened, he hesitated for a moment, and no suitable expression could appear on his face.

In the Princess Royal's mansion, after Yue Yinping reported to Zhou Pei, she rode out of the gate on horseback. After turning a street ahead, she saw that there were more people in front, so she got off her horse and ran straight forward on foot. Her figure, wearing a raincoat, made a whistling mark on the streets in the evening.

The incident that happened in Houguan County not long ago was also very simple.

Not long after noon, due to the large-scale deployment of the Imperial Guards, many snakes and rats in the city were disturbed and had various strange actions. Yue Yun received information that one of the masterminds who framed Zhong Ergui in Houguan County two months ago, a underworld man nicknamed "Human Rat" and named Zhang Li, might run away.

Yue Yun immediately went to Houguan County and found Zhang Li, who was about to leave on the street.

The other party galloped away on horseback, and Yue Yun chased after him closely. When passing a street corner, he saw several horses on the roadside in disarray, so he grabbed one and continued to chase forward.

After rushing through half a street, screams appeared on the street, followed by the fall of the horse and the rolling of people in the mud. Yue Yun knocked down several stalls on the street and slammed heavily into the corner of the street.

He was not injured. After getting up, he looked back and was stunned. Then, he rushed to a figure on the road whose limbs were twisted by a horse.

It was a little girl who suddenly appeared in front of the galloping horse. She was about five or six years old. In the continuous rain, she was twitching in the mud on the road. A touch of bright red had gradually seeped from the corner of her mouth, turning into the only touch of red on the gray-green street.

Yue Yun stared wide-eyed in front of her...

...

The gray-black rain curtain enveloped the city, and the ancient city was about to light up its lights.

Unnoticed, above a house not far from Yue Yun, Chen Shuangran, Mr. Jin, Chen Yan, Deng Nian and others were observing the development of the situation on the long street. Some people looked proud, some people looked indifferent, and the black-skinned girl covered her mouth and giggled.

Ahead of the street was Zhang Li galloping on horseback; at the street corner behind was the "peddler" dragging a few horses; and in the alley in the middle of the street was Monk Tunyun, who had casually abducted a girl from a nearby family not long ago. The three arranged people were silently leaving everyone's sight at this moment.

"Giggle...Giggle..."

Chen Shuangran laughed happily. Her words were low, and only a few people around her could hear them.

"A gentleman can be deceived with righteousness, and an honest person... can be defiled with filth... Yue Yun is Yue Fei's only child. Driving him crazy is much better than killing him... I really want to see, what can that General Yue, who has always been upright and selfless, do next... Hahaha... Hahahaha..."

This frame-up was also successful.

Sometimes, the evil of some enemies is something you can't imagine...

(End of this chapter)