She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

The man was wearing a green robe, with stubble growing wildly on his chin, drooping eyebrows and eyes, and he looked particularly haggard with fatigue from traveling day and night.

Ah-yi looked at the person in front of her in surprise, "Xu Tingzhou, why is it you?"

Xu Tingzhou nodded slightly, first instructed the people behind him to put the lapis lazuli on the open ground and count it, then walked slowly to A'an.

"Your Highness, may I have a word with you?"

Behind the main hall, on the palace road with few people.

Ah'an stopped in front of a tall tree.

Xu Tingzhou raised his eyes and took a closer look at the princess in front of him, who was wearing an apron and had her sleeves rolled up. He forced out a smile that was uglier than crying, "It's been a long time since we last met. Your Highness is still as casual as ever."

Perhaps it was the atmosphere of sorrow that was all around him that could no longer be contained and was spreading everywhere. Ah'ao also sensed something was wrong and frowned.

"What's wrong with you?" Ah-yi asked, "You don't look like the Lord Xu who used to be so proper and appropriate."

Xu Tingzhou lowered his head in panic, only to find that the hem of his clothes was covered with mud and dust, and he didn't even notice that a corner of his sleeve was torn.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for making a fool of myself." Xu Tingzhou cupped his hands and hesitated for a long time, "But, there is one thing I would like to ask for your help."

Ah'ao was silent.

When they met, Xu Tingzhou was never surprised by her identity, nor was he curious about why she appeared here.

In addition, she also knew about the lapis lazuli falling from Yuanzhou, but it was only mentioned three or four days ago. Yuanzhou is located in the northwest, and it would take at least five days to reach the capital by fast horse. If it weren't for the day and night journey, it wouldn't be this fast, and he would have entered the palace today.

This is not a major task, even if you buy it in a month or two, it is still in time.

There must be something very important that could make Xu Tingzhou act like this.

"Just say it."

Xu Tingzhou lowered his head, clenched his sleeves tightly with his hands, and actually bent his knees and knelt on the ground.

Ah-yi quickly stepped back a few steps, "What are you doing?"

"There was a fire in the palace a few days ago, and His Majesty ordered the death of Concubine Xu in the West Palace. Does Your Highness know about this?" When Xu Tingzhou said this, his eyes turned red and his voice was choked with sobs.

Concubine Xu died by hanging.

It was said that she was hanged. Ah-yi went to see it secretly. The West Palace was burned down and the beams collapsed. Where did the beams come from for her to hang herself? It was just that the eunuchs who were doing the work came with white silk and strangled her to death.

Life and death are all in one thought.

Even Lady Xu lost her home because of the fire, and she almost died there.

How could A'ao not know that she had died in vain? Even the scriptures on the cloth used to wrap her body when she was sent away were copied by A'ao. She chanted them several times in front of the Buddhist temple and then secretly wrapped her body with them.

Both of them had the surname Xu, and A'ao almost immediately guessed the relationship between them.

Xu Tingzhou's eyes were dull, and tears flowed out like a leak, "That's my sister."

Just five words, but they are as heavy as a mountain. The thousands of miles that can never be crossed in a lifetime are no longer the towering Wuling Mountains, nor the broad and turbulent Pingjiang River, but the underworld on earth, both of which are so vast that they can never be seen.

It was our farewell since my sister entered the palace at the age of sixteen.

Ah'ao stared wide-eyed, watching Xu Tingzhou's tears gather into a small puddle on the stone bricks in front of them. She felt dizzy, her mouth dry, and she couldn't utter a word.

He cried with great pain, but still suppressed his voice. His words were intermittent and almost inaudible. "I have watched her grow up since she was a child. My mother died young. I learned how to comb her hair and do needlework and embroidery from what I learned little by little. After my father passed away, my sister was my only relative. I didn't expect her to be blessed with good fortune and just live a plain life. But now she is dead!"

Xu Tingzhou grabbed Ah'ao suddenly, and she was caught off guard and staggered two steps.

Even so, the sorrowful voice was low, fearing that someone would find out, "She's dead, Your Highness. My sister is gone. I'll never see her again."

These words were like a heavy punch that pierced Ah's heart and lungs. The slow-moving pain, mixed with the bitterness, spread quickly to her limbs and bones.

Before I knew it, my face was stinging from the wind and my hands were filled with tears.

It was as if she was traveling back in time. Only three years ago, she was also here and saw with her own eyes Chen Zhaoying's blood soaking the cold sword.

She fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and then died.

The bright red blood flowed like a river, and Shen Zhuo stood behind the glaring red, ascending to the throne of the emperor in a dignified manner.

"Lady Xu...died on February 29th, before spring came." Ah's voice trembled, "I ordered people to take her out of the mass grave and bury her in the pine forest on the outskirts of the city."

Xu Tingzhou suddenly lost all his strength, sat on the ground, and stared at the ground blankly.

The sky and the earth suddenly lost their color, and what came even more devastating than the grief was endless despair.

"She was afraid of the cold and didn't even wait until... the warmer days of spring."

The inexplicable resentment surged into A's heart like a tide.

She wiped her tears fiercely, squatted down, and stared at Xu Tingzhou sharply, "If you want to let others find out, you can suffer now. If you want to take revenge in the future, wipe your tears and get out. I will find a way to keep you in the capital."

Xu Tingzhou was stunned.

He chose the latter.

In fact, entering the capital alone was a ridiculous act on his part.

Shortly after investigating You Tong's case, Xu Tingzhou returned to Yuanzhou. Li Chongxuan took the opportunity to promote him and transferred him to be the county magistrate of an important town in Yuanzhou.

The position of county magistrate can be big or small. Small in that the position is low and the power is limited. But big in that the position is high and the power is limited. But big in that the position is high and the power is limited. The position of county magistrate can be high and low. The position of county magistrate can be high and low. Even if a talented person who has passed the imperial examination is a top scholar, he will be sent to serve as an official in a foreign country after he enters the government.

Although Xu Tingzhou's talent and learning were not so high, and he was not completely proficient in ancient books and classics, he was flexible and good at applying what he had learned in his life.

I know a little bit of everything, but I am not proficient in anything.

It was because of this that Li Chongxuan promoted him out of turn and even kept him by his side.

Xu Tingzhou knew very well that if he was alone, even if he could fight a hundred people, he would still die, and he would still not be able to avenge his loved ones.

His strength was too weak, and the new emperor wanted to crush him to death, so he would be left exposed in the wilderness like the people outside the city who were forced to lose their land and homes due to expropriation.

But the person in front of me is different.

He also has hatred towards the new emperor, and as long as he can avenge himself, it doesn't matter who he stands behind.

"At your command, Your Highness."

Behind Wanshan Hall, a piece of clothing that was exposed in the shadow was quietly retracted.
-
Pingchuan, on the north bank of Pingjiang.

A cargo ship coming from the east was now crowded with people.

There was a boss who made an extremely tempting bet on this boat today. According to the situation, the boat would be docked for two days, and the gamblers who heard the news gathered on the river bank from Pingchuan City one after another.

Chen Lan wore a coarse cloth and dressed himself up as a ship's farmhand. He leaned against the window and stared at the movements on the dock.

The minion Chen Xu stood behind him and also looked in the direction his master was looking.

Chen Xu was the grandson of the housekeeper who lived in Princess Pingchang's mansion when Chen Lan was young. Ever since the housekeeper was buried alive with the princess, he left his son to sit and wait for death.

The son died early from alcoholism, leaving behind a grandson who had to sit and wait for death.

Perhaps it was this talent of sitting back and waiting for death that Chen Lan found so interesting, so he recruited Chen Xu, who had long been sold as a slave, to be his so-called deputy general.

After Chen Lan proclaimed himself the General of Assisting the State, he also proclaimed himself the Marquis of Pingzhou, and gave the position of General of Assisting the State to Chen Xu.

No matter how widely their reputation spread, the master and servant had to disguise themselves and hide on the boat, and were not even allowed to go ashore, for fear that they would be discovered by Hengzhi's rebel-suppressing troops. They were in a very embarrassing situation.

"My Lord, should we continue waiting?" Chen Xu asked after a long while.

Chen Lan frowned and bit his lip, feeling unhappy both physically and mentally.

Why not come?

He had already let the news out, saying that this plan was planned by the leader of Beitang, and the news had spread to Pingchuan City a few days ago.

Pingzhou Prefecture is not far from Pingchuan City. If Hengzhi is really focused on suppressing the rebellion, how could he not be anxious when he has not wiped them out in one fell swoop for a long time?

Since the part of Beitang in Kezhou was massacred by Hengzhi at the beginning of the year, its power has been far less than before. Some of those who escaped death came to Pingzhou from Kezhou to seek refuge.

When Chen Lan started the rebellion, he sought out money and people from the Beitang in Pingzhou. After he succeeded, he immediately turned against them, killed several leaders and dumped their bodies, then put the blame on the court, giving other Beitang people a reason to follow him.
Over the years, they have infiltrated the entire Da Chong. Except for the iron wall of Shu, where they cannot penetrate at all, the two most powerful states are Pingzhou and Kezhou.

They concealed their identities and existed widely in all places where people were. Their identities were complicated and they would not take action easily. It was also because Bei Tang had been thinking about intensifying the conflict between Da Chong and You Bei, and then reaping the benefits when You Bei invaded.

Anyway, they are just opposing the imperial court. So what does it matter who is in charge of this imperial court?

Therefore, Chen Lan, who was penniless but full of ambition, had the opportunity to spend one thousand taels to set up this game today.

"Don't make noise!" Chen Lan was humiliated and said in a low voice, "You can even make the fish that have been hooked run away in a hurry. How can you achieve anything like this?"

At this time, the shore was calm and the gamblers gathered in the cabin, making it extremely lively.

Today is a clear and sunny day with great weather. It is the perfect day to dock.

The reason why Chen Lan was so eager to take action was because Heng Chi was too ruthless.

Hengzhi first pretended to strengthen the martial law at the city gates, and then sent people to patrol the city day and night. As long as Chen Lan could take advantage of the situation to counterattack, he would not give him such an opportunity.

Knowing that Chen Lan was fully aware of the deployment in the city, he changed the positions of all the weapons and defense towers. Composition and layout were what Heng Zhi was best at, and it was exactly what he wanted.

This is not the most hateful thing.

Many of the Beitang people were wealthy merchants from Pingzhou. As long as food, fodder, salt and iron were circulated, they would always find a way to maintain their own side and wear down the enemy.

Unexpectedly, Hengzhi attacked Yuanzhou and Qinzhou, the most important passes for merchants from Pingzhou.

Li Chongxuan of Yuanzhou and Hengzhi were old friends, and because of the friendship with A'an, they naturally helped. Qinzhou was the home of Chu Hui's wife Jiang Xueshu's mother. The Jiang family knew that Chu Hui had killed Jiang Xueshu because Zhao Hou and his wife had worked together to find out, and they also helped to block the murder out of kindness, cutting off another way for Beitang merchants.

Now that he was attacked from all sides, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Chen Lan was as miserable as an ant on hot pot.

Hengzhi suffered heavy losses before he even mobilized a single soldier.

At this point, Chen Lan became increasingly angry and pounded on the window frame.

"Report——"

Chen Lan said angrily, "Why are you so startled again!"

The soldier who brought the news knelt down on one knee with a look of joy on his face.

"My Lord, the fish is on the hook."

(End of this chapter)