Tiger Guards

Chapter 175: Resentment is Hard to Dispel
The four people helped Fu Shou to ride their horses. Even Concubine Song, who had the lowest status, could ride horses skillfully.

Before leaving, Zhao Ji threw more than a dozen torches, setting the entire Zhao family's old house and courtyard on fire.

As the Southern Commander, Old Zhao and Tongxiang Jun's mother don't care about this place, so why should Zhao Ji feel sorry for this place?
Burn it all in one fire and you will never have to think about it again.

Zhao Ji stopped to watch the blazing flames that were quickly ignited by the night mountain wind. Without any lingering feelings, he turned around and led the Huben and Yicong knights to retreat with the queen and the other three.

They passed the pass around midnight, and Han Shu led more than a hundred cavalrymen to guard the camp in front of the pass.

Han Shu paced back and forth, feeling anxious.

His cousin Han Dong had already given him a general idea when he was heading north from the pass.

How could Han Shu not be anxious?
The Hedong Han family is not a prominent or prestigious family, but like the various Wang families, there are Han families everywhere in the counties.

For example, Han Gao. Han Dong followed Pei Xiu and had a wide range of friends, so he knew Han Gao; but Han Shu had never even heard of this person before, and only heard of him today.

Seeing the cavalry coming from the south, Han Shu let out a long breath.

Holding a torch, he came to greet them from the side of the road: "Minister!"

Zhao Ji reined in his horse and waited until the dust from the night's south wind had cleared a little before asking, "How are the camps doing?"

“No unusual movement.”

"Well, you go ahead and enter the old Tiger Guard camp tonight."

"Here!"

Han Shu answered loudly without saying much.

As the Henei troops arrived, the troops gathered in the Jiangyi camp gradually dispersed and were relocated to make room for military settlements and horse grazing.

The more concentrated the army is, the easier it is to seize power in a hurry.

If they were stationed separately, Zhao Ji would still have a chance to counterattack.

As long as they can gain a foothold, the forces of the scattered military settlements can be gradually mobilized and gathered.

At this moment, Zhao Rui had already entered Jiangyi City.

When Zhao Fan told things to Zhao Ji, he would glorify himself; but in front of Zhao Rui, he would naturally say whatever he wanted.

Zhao Fan even suspected that the knights who ambushed them from the north might be from Beixiang or the patrolling Tiger Infantry.

Inside the hall, the night wind was exceptionally strong, making a whistling sound.

The internal and external qi interacted with each other, and the oil lamp in the house jumped from time to time, echoing the sound of the wind outside.

Liu Xie sat listlessly in the main seat. He was really tired.

The queen was not only his wife, but also a sister who was like a mother to him.

He lost his mother at a young age and experienced many turbulent times. Fu Shou took care of him and showed concern for him just like a mother.

I just hope the queen can come back safely, nothing else matters.

If the queen was gone, he didn't know how to face this dangerous and unpredictable world.

At this moment, he felt Fu Wan's stupidity. It seemed that there was no essential difference between him and Yang Qi and others, and he was even worse than Yang Qi.

At least if Yang Qi and others went to pick up the queen, they would definitely ask Zhao Ji about his attitude and let Zhao Ji send someone to take charge of this matter.

Now, it has caused trouble for Zhao Ji and made it even more difficult for them to get along.

And Fu De voluntarily gave up the supervision of the treasury, which would put the court in a passive position.

Not only Fu Wan, but even Zhao Rui seemed extremely stupid at this moment.

Zhao Rui did whatever Fu Wan said and had no autonomy at all.

Liu Xie took a long time to calm down, finally regaining some strength, and said: "Things have come to this point, waiting for Zhao Qing's reply. That's it, I'm tired."

"I'm waiting to retire."

Fu Wan and Zhao Rui hurriedly saluted. The emperor finally restrained himself and maintained his composure. He did not lose his composure and curse, which was considered a great respect for them.

After the two men retreated, Liu Xie stood up to leave, but his legs went weak and he fell to the ground.

Shi Qian stepped forward to support him, but Liu Xie pushed him away and slowly got up. He clenched his right fist and struck his chest: "Shi Qing, Shi Qing, my heart is like a knife."

There were some things he couldn't even tell Shi Qian. Given the Queen's stubborn nature, she wouldn't be able to bear the humiliation and would most likely abandon him.

But he really didn't care about these things. He just wanted the queen to be alive and accompany him.

But can such words be said?
Shi Qian continued to support Liu Xie and helped him to the dormitory. Liu Xie felt anxious and chest tightness, and he wished he could burn to death all the people who made him unhappy.

Grabbing Shi Qian's hand, he said, "Shi Qing, go find Zhao Qing immediately after daybreak and tell him I want to kill someone. The more clan thieves the better. Gather them all together and kill them all! Let Zhao Qing arrange this, so I can vent my anger!"

"Yes, the servant understands."

Shi Qian patted Liu Xie's palm gently and said soothingly, "The Minister of the Interior is a man who values friendship. The clan thieves are causing trouble, and Concubine Zhao is also in danger. The Minister of the Interior will definitely wipe out the clan thieves and vent his anger."

Liu Xie opened his mouth to breathe in the air, tears streaming down his face, wetting the pillowcase.

Of all the people around him who could help him avenge his grievances, only Zhao Ji had the execution ability to do so. Even Fu Wan might not dare to do such a thing.

Before, the ministers clamored to settle accounts with the Hedong clan thieves, but that was just talk. This group of people still planned to let Zhao Ji do it.

If you really want to do this kind of thing, you have to have someone like Zhao Ji who has fewer concerns to do it.

Liu Xie still held Shi Qian's hand and kept talking, and Shi Qian listened patiently.

Not long after, Liu Xie said he was tired, and he stopped talking and fell asleep.

Shi Qian gently pulled out his hand and placed Liu Xie's hand under the thin quilt, then carefully left the dormitory.

At the old camp of the Tiger Guards, Zhao Ji jumped off his horse and felt his legs were rubbing against each other. He guessed that the Queen and others were also feeling uncomfortable.

The wind was strong at night, and even though everyone was wrapped in cloaks, they were still covered in dust.

There were no female family members in the camp, so Zhao Ji could only arrange for them to live in the innermost small camp and arrange two more groups of volunteers to be on duty together.

Guessing they wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, Zhao Ji ignored them. After eating and drinking his fill, he sat cross-legged in the camp next door, practicing his skills in a light sleep.

These four guys stopped eating during the critical period of their growth and development. Even though they ate and drank well during this period, they were still as healthy as bean sprouts.

When helping them get on and off the horses, it felt as light as a feather.

While in light sleep, these distracting thoughts intertwined, so much so that the faces of several people, smeared with black ash from the stove, were dug out and recombined with their bodies. No matter how they were combined, Zhao Ji felt like bean sprouts or nails.

As his sleep deepened, the four people in Zhao Ji's consciousness began to merge into one, the kind with four heads and eight legs.

In fact, the person he really remembered was Concubine Zhao, who had a long face and big eyes. She was malnourished and her skin was not good. Although she covered her face with makeup, it could not hide her exhausted complexion.

Even Concubine Zhao's facial features were not clearly visible to him, let alone the other three.

As the sky gradually brightened, Zhao Ji woke up from his light sleep. Looking at the 'Concentration and Nourishing Qi' on his right palm, which had been upgraded to the second level, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

I didn't do anything. Is this a natural accumulation, or was it because of the intense emotional fluctuations in my mind while I was meditating last night?
I stood up with doubt in my heart and pressed the sides of my thighs tentatively. The abrasion had not recovered and it still hurt a little.

Zhao Ji opened the door and the golden sunlight fell on his face, and he couldn't help squinting.

Smoke filled the air from cooking fires throughout the camp. The guard on duty at the gate bowed and said, "Minister, the Grand Chamberlain is requesting an audience outside the camp."

"Invite him in."

"Here."

Zhao Ji walked in a way that was relatively less tiring to his thighs. When several Hu Ben soldiers who had acted together last night saw this, they looked at each other and felt relieved. They were all in the same situation, and their condition was even worse than Zhao Ji's.

Soon, Shi Qian entered the camp and saw Zhao Ji warming himself by a campfire: "Mr. Shizhong."

"Grand Autumn Master, Zhao has fulfilled his mission."

Zhao Ji pointed to the barracks where the Queen and the other three were staying and said, "In the future, please discuss this kind of thing with me in advance so that I can dispatch capable personnel."

"Yes, what the Minister of the Interior said is absolutely true."

Shi Qian quickly admitted it, and then looked around. Seeing Zhao Ji hooking his hand at him, Shi Qian approached and half-bowed to Zhao Ji, saying, "Sir, His Majesty wishes to ask you to gather the clan thieves and kill them all at once, so as to relieve the anger."

"This is not difficult. We will depart tomorrow. The Henei troops will go first, and I will command the central army to escort Your Majesty on his tour of Taiyuan. Please also ask the Grand Chamberlain to inform Your Majesty that I will arrange a grand ceremony for Your Majesty by the Fen River."

"Thank you, Lord Shizhong."

Shi Qian bowed and expressed his gratitude as a personal token of his appreciation.

Zhao Ji just smiled. At this time, the people brought by Shi Qian had already asked the queen and the other four to leave the barracks.

As Zhao Ji expected, they did not sleep all night.

It was just that the riding was bumpy, and now their walking posture was very inelegant, so they all covered themselves with cloaks, their faces still dark, and walked slowly.

Shi Qian's face was now as dark as ink. Seeing him like this, Zhao Ji said, "I drove seventy miles south and another fifty miles back. A total of one hundred and twenty miles, the skin on my legs is worn out, not to mention the people in the palace."

Shi Miao could smell the strong smell of sweat wafting from Zhao Ji's body. Naturally, he didn't doubt Zhao Ji and simply said, "I just hate those incompetent people who bring shame to the royal family."

Even at this time, Zhao Ji was unable to see the faces of the queen and the other three people clearly. He was really stingy.

The Queen and her three companions walked out of the small camp and got on the car directly without even looking at Zhao Ji.

Seeing the imperial carriage depart, Zhao Ji also stood up and patted Shi Qian on the shoulder. "I will send people to hunt down the rebellious ministers, and this matter will end here. The Grand Chamberlain should return quickly. They were frightened last night and urgently need to rest."

"Yes, I'll take my leave."

Shi Qian bowed deeply, and his etiquette was very thoughtful and humble.

Zhao Ji just smiled and felt that he should take the initiative to get Hu Ban down and protect him first.

It's better to avoid the limelight than to endure it stubbornly.

Such a big thing happened yesterday, but one of them died, Fu De, his own reserve father-in-law. The old man must be mad today.

If you think about it carefully, this is just the backlash of the treasury.

(End of this chapter)