Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 105 Strategic Planning, Decisive Victory

Cen Mansion.

The once solemn mansion is now shrouded in gloom.

Madam Cen leaned against the rosewood chair in the main hall, clutching a peace charm tightly in her hand. The writing on the charm was soaked with cold sweat, blurring into a patch of indistinct ink.

Her eyes were fixed on the direction of the gate, as if she could see her eldest son returning at any moment.

"master……"

The steward reported in a trembling voice, "We've searched the entire vicinity of Jade Spring Mountain, and posted notices in the east and west of the city, but there's no sign of the young master, nor have any thieves left a single note... This doesn't seem like the behavior of ordinary thieves..."

Cen Changqian stood by the window with her hands behind her back, her body slightly hunched, and said coldly, "Keep searching!"

"Yes."

The butler sighed inwardly and slowly withdrew from the study.

Just then, a servant announced that the two officials, Lu Fuyuan, the Minister of Land Affairs, and Ouyang Tong, the Grand Councilor, had arrived.

Cen Changqian was taken aback and was about to refuse to see them when the two figures had already passed through the corridor and were approaching quickly.

Cen Changqian sighed and shook her head.

Lu Fuyuan, his face contorted with murderous intent, roared, "What are you still looking for! We've already examined the battle at the foot of Jade Spring Mountain. Cui Jingzhou and Mo Huaiyuan were clearly killed by those seven thugs! With Cen Gong's discerning eye, you know this all too well. Are you still deceiving yourself here? Hurry up and save them!"

Ouyang Tong's expression was grave: "If Lingyuan really falls into Zhou Xing's hands, Prime Minister Cen should prepare early. He may not be able to withstand the tortures inflicted by the Dali Temple. At that time, Zhou Xing will definitely use this as an excuse to frame Prime Minister Cen for treason, just like Wei Gong did in the past... And Wu Chengsi is also watching us like a hawk. The political climate in the court... may change drastically!"

Cen Changqian closed her eyes and sighed: "Foolish! I have repeatedly told you to stay at home, yet you still dare to come here today? The gates of the Prefectural Government of the Capital are tightly closed, but the Wu family members are riding horses and patrolling the streets—can't you see the trend?"

His face was full of sorrow, and he said resignedly, "Having already angered the Wu family, and having repeatedly advised against the wasteful practices of Dayun Temple, I had long anticipated this disaster. Now I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate, searching everywhere to find some solace!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed the two men's wrists, and said in a hoarse voice, "I may lose my old life, but if you are implicated—the Crown Prince is already walking on thin ice in the Eastern Palace, do you want him to become a fish on a chopping block?!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Fuyuan crushed the teacup in his hand, and hot tea mixed with blood seeped out from between his fingers.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Lord Cen, in the court today, besides you and Grand Secretary Di, who else dares to speak a word of justice? Even if we survive this calamity, can we compare to the words of Wu Chengsi and Zhou Xing?"

Ouyang Tong suddenly coughed violently and said with a bitter laugh, "Back then, there was also Grand Secretary Di who opposed making Wu Chengsi the heir apparent. I'm afraid Zhou Xing will also take action against him. If you all... alas!"

He sighed heavily, filled with despair.

Upon hearing this, Cen Changqian swayed, barely managing to steady herself by grabbing the table. She murmured, "Huaiying... he has always been exceptionally quick-witted, he should... he should know how to protect himself."

Despite saying that, his voice was full of worry.

The three of them fell silent.

A cold wind swept past the window, rustling the ancient cypress trees in the courtyard, as if countless wronged souls were whispering.

Suddenly, the steward hurriedly entered the courtyard carrying a piece of plain paper and reported, "Master, a young novice monk just brought this item, saying it's a donation list for Dayun Temple."

The three of them were taken aback, not understanding what was going on.

Cen Changqian realized something was wrong. She took the list, waved for the butler to leave, and unfolded the plain paper. It read in the usual account format:

Incense offerings: Three sticks of sandalwood incense, to be lit before the Buddha; ten sheets of gold foil, to be temporarily stored in the donation box.

—Laywoman Li.

Lu Fuyuan, with his sharp eyes, noticed a crescent-shaped silver line on the corner of the note. Combined with the five characters "Laywoman Li," the three of them had an idea.

Ouyang Tong took the plain paper and gently heated it under the candlelight. Gradually, a few lines of light ink characters appeared on the paper:
"Gentlemen, please understand: the great edifice is about to collapse. We must temporarily avoid the limelight, endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, and await the opportune moment."

There will be a turning point before the arrival of Dayun Temple.

The three stared at the words that appeared on the blank paper. The room was so quiet that the sound of the lamp wick crackling could be heard.

Lu Fuyuan was both surprised and delighted. Although he didn't know what kind of turnaround there would be, at this moment, Princess Taiping sent a message and the Li family took action, which gave him a sense of encouragement that his path was not lonely and that the flame of revolution still burned!

The usually upright and outspoken minister's throat bobbed, and he was momentarily speechless.

Ouyang Tong stared at the note again and again, as if to confirm whether it was an illusion, and then let out a long sigh of relief.

Whether it succeeds or not, having this intention is enough!

Cen Changqian's gaze lingered on the words "there is always a turning point" for a long time, then she suddenly chuckled softly: "What a fine 'Layman Li'..." The old prime minister murmured, moving the plain paper towards the candle flame, the flame licking the corner of the paper, letting the ashes flutter like butterflies: "It seems that this old man of mine will have to hold on for a while longer..."

The words fell.

A sudden commotion came from the front yard.

More than ten bailiffs from the Dali Temple, dressed in brown robes, stormed into the courtyard. The leader was a gaunt and sinister man in a purple robe of the third rank.

It was Zhou Xing, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

"Prime Minister Cen."

Zhou Xing bowed respectfully, but a venomous smile played on his lips. A corner of a document peeked out from his sleeve: "Someone has accused you of conspiring with the former subordinates of the King of Yue to rebel. This is an arrest warrant."

Cen Changqian sneered and unfolded the petition to examine it closely. There were six large characters in vermilion ink on it: "Cen Lingyuan has confessed." The handwriting was indeed her son's.

"What a fine confrontation between father and son."

Cen Changqian sighed softly. The constables swarmed forward, but Cen Changqian let the iron chains bind her, her gaze fixed on the crooked handwriting on the petition. She said softly, "Lingyuan's handwriting... is still so illegible. After all these years following me, he hasn't learned any calligraphy skills, but he's softened his bones..."

He raised his hands, which were bound by iron chains, and gently ran his fingertips over the bloodstains on the words "confession." He sighed, "My son has been unruly since childhood. It is my fault for not disciplining him properly. Now he is suffering such torment... It is retribution."

Upon hearing this, Lu Fuyuan clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging deep into his palm.

Ouyang Tong turned his face away, his body trembling slightly beneath the wide sleeves of his official robe.

"Both of you."

Cen Changqian suddenly straightened her disheveled clothes, her voice abruptly turning serious: "Remember what I told you, if anyone asks..."

He gave Zhou Xing a meaningful look: "Tell me, I've been reading the Book of Han a lot lately, especially the Biographies of Cruel Officials!"

Zhou Xing's smile remained unchanged, but a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

He sneered inwardly: You old fool, once you confess and sign, the next ones to be seen off by these two accomplices will be you!
Before Lu Fuyuan and Ouyang Tong could react, Cen Changqian had already been escorted out of the courtyard.

Suddenly, the ancient cypress tree in the courtyard moved without wind, shaking off a carpet of withered leaves.

……

Forty li north of Shendu is Yanshi Ferry.

With the Yellow River ice jam approaching, Di Renjie stood on the embankment, inspecting the dredging of the canal.

The winter wind was biting cold, and he wore a cloak as he looked across the river mouth.

His son, Di Guangsi, quickly stepped forward and respectfully handed over the report: "Father, ice has appeared on the Yanshi section of the river, which may hinder the canal transport."

Di Renjie nodded and pointed to the embankment ahead: "Instruct the river workers to raise this section by three feet."

"Yes."

Di Guangsi is Di Renjie's eldest son. He is currently the Assistant Director of the Water Department of the Ministry of Water Resources, but he is a seventh-rank official.

Di Renjie held a high position, and his son was not suitable for a key post, so he was arranged to gain experience in the practical department. Di Guangsi was calm and composed, and did not complain at all. He quickly gave instructions to the river workers. Suddenly, an old river worker came hunched over and presented a rough pottery bowl: "Sir, drink a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold." There was a wet piece of plain linen stuck to the bottom of the bowl.

Di Guangsi's expression changed slightly as he looked at his father.

Di Renjie calmly took the pottery bowl and walked back to the tent.

The charcoal fire crackled in the tent. Di Renjie unfolded a linen cloth and, by the firelight, deciphered the coded message written in vinegar: "Cen Gong is imprisoned, Zhou Xing has framed him. Endure for now to protect yourself, and wait for a turning point."

A crescent-shaped silver thread was embroidered on the corner of the cloth.

Di Guangsi exclaimed in surprise, "Father, this..."

"It's finally come to this..."

Di Renjie sighed, then crushed the ice shards and wiped them on the cloth, causing the writing to gradually fade.

He was unconcerned about his own safety, and looking at the piece of cloth, he smiled bitterly: "Writing with vinegar on ice, which only becomes visible when heated, actually captures the essence of the 'hidden ink method' in the 'Essential Techniques for the Common People.' This doesn't seem like the handwriting of a princess..."

Di Guangsi's eyes lit up: "Could it be him? Could this be the 'Heavenly Crafts Scroll'?"

"What kind of masterpiece is this!"

Di Renjie shook his head and lightly scolded, "The *Huainan Wanbishu* already records this; vinegar-coated books become clear when heated. I told you to read more books, but all you do all day is study criminal law!" Then, changing the subject, he nodded and said, "However, this person's idea of ​​using river engineering for transmission and ice shards as a conduit truly embodies the principle of 'great skill appearing clumsy.'" Outside the tent, the north wind howled.

Di Renjie stared at the linen gradually turning to ash in the charcoal brazier, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes: "It seems he is not simply a man who amuses people with his looks."

He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, and said thoughtfully, "To be able to come up with such a secret method of communication, and to be so knowledgeable about the court situation, it's no wonder the princess relies on him so much. It seems that the one who will break the deadlock is most likely him!"

Di Guangsi was somewhat surprised: "Father means..."

"Those who use their beauty to please others will find their favor waning as their beauty fades."

Di Renjie gave his son a meaningful look: "But if you have strategic thinking, the situation will be completely different."

……

Bashu.

At the foot of Jianmen Mountain.

Qiu Shenji stood in front of the military tent, gazing at the misty Jianmen Mountain, his knuckles turning white from clenching his fists.

The traps and mechanisms of the Unwielding Sect had already cost him three elite teams, yet he still couldn't breach the mountain gate.

"Report——"

A guard stepped forward quickly and whispered, "General, a secret message from the capital!"

Qiu Shenji unfolded the letter, his gaze suddenly sharpening—"Zhou Xing framed Prime Minister Cen, accusing him of secretly colluding with the King of Yue in the fourth year of the Chuigong era. The confession has been presented to the Emperor."

He sneered, his knuckles squeaking as he gripped the letter.

In the fourth year of the Chuigong era, Qiu Shenji was the Grand Commander of the Qingping Road Army! If Cen Changqian is convicted of "colluding with the Li Tang," then what is he, the actual commander-in-chief?
"Well done, Zhou Xing..."

A murderous glint flashed in Qiu Shenji's eyes. "Trying to use someone else to do your dirty work? I'll show you no way!"

He turned abruptly and shouted sternly, "Send the order! The entire army shall continue the assault on the mountain! We will not return to the court until we have destroyed the Buqi Sect!"

The guard hesitated: "General, this trap formation..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Qiu Shenji grinned maliciously: "Zhou Xing wants me dead, but I'll show him I'm alive!"

He ripped off the Golden Guard's robe from his shoulder and threw it onto the table: "Pass on my orders—whoever breaks through the trap will be rewarded with a hundred bolts of silk; whoever takes the head of a disciple of the Unyielding Sect will be granted the rank of Seventh-Rank Yihui Colonel! The first to storm into the inner hall will be rewarded with fifty acres of permanent land in the capital! Whoever beheads an elder of the Unyielding Sect will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold, and I, the general, will personally petition for a title and rank for him!"

The soldiers inside the tent immediately began to breathe heavily.

The silk and gold rewards were secondary; although the seventh-rank military officer was not a real position, it was a stepping stone for poor families to advance their careers. The perpetual land could be passed down to their descendants, not to mention the possibility of being promoted and granted titles.

In an instant, a murderous aura filled the tent!
"Bang the drum!"

Qiu Shenji roared, his eyes bloodshot, "Tear this mountain gate open for me!"

"Yes!"

The elite Imperial Guards responded with a resounding roar, drawing their swords in unison and sprang into action.

Qiu Shenji strode back to his tent, picked up his brush, and wrote furiously, ink splashing everywhere:
Your subject, Qiu Shenji, respectfully reports:
Zhou Xing abused his power and violated the law, fabricating charges and framing Cen Xiang for treason, intending to implicate his subordinates.

In the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Chuigong, I was ordered to suppress the rebellion. Zhou Xing, who was then serving as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, accepted bribes and released thirty-seven remaining members of the Yue King's faction! Now he wants to use the Cen case to get rid of me. His intentions are despicable!

Your Majesty, I implore you to investigate thoroughly and not allow loyal officials to be wronged or treacherous officials to succeed!

After finishing writing, he stamped the seal of the General of the Golden Guard heavily and said to his personal guards, "Escort this message by express mail, which will travel 800 li to the Silver Terrace Gate!"

The personal guards should be.

Qiu Shenji donned his armor, mounted his horse, and pointed his longsword at the mountain peak: "Kill!"

The war broke out.

The guard dared not delay, and with the secret letter in his hand, he mounted his horse and set off for the capital with an urgent message, changing horses but not his rider at each post station along the way.

Finally, at dawn on the third day, exhausted, they arrived at the last official post station outside Luoyang City – “Baqiao Post Station”.

As the guards rushed into the gate of the post station, they were suddenly greeted by a strange fragrance. The post station's grooms and administrators stood still, with eerie smiles on their lips.

His vision suddenly blurred, and he staggered and fell to the ground.

From the shadows, Lu Chenyuan, dressed in a purple robe, slowly walked out, tall and elegant, his fingertips twirling a box of calming incense.

The twenty-fourth guard of the princess's residence appeared silently, took out a bamboo tube from his personal guard, and presented it with both hands.

"General Qiu's calligraphy is indeed full of murderous intent."

Lu Chenyuan unfolded the secret letter, read it through, shook his head and chuckled, "It's just that the content is weak, and the writing is poor." He sat down, flicking his robes, and pinched the edge of the letter between two fingers: "Pen and ink—"

Before he finished speaking, Chi Mei, the leader of the twenty-four, presented a sandalwood box containing the wolf-hair brush and pine soot ink that Qiu Shenji loved to use.

Lu Chenyuan glanced at the contents of the letter and already knew what to expect. He then wrote down his own words, which were exactly the same as Qiu Shenji's in handwriting and style:
"Your subject Qiu Shenji respectfully reports: I have heard that 'the power of punishment and reward, granting and taking away, rests with the emperor.' Now, there is Zhou Xing, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who abuses his power and commits heinous crimes. I risk my life to report this to you:"
First, he condoned rebellion, accepted bribes, and deceived the emperor. During the campaign to quell the rebellion in the fourth year of the Chuigong era, Zhou Xing privately accepted 30,000 taels of gold from the remnants of the Yue King's faction and released 37 important criminals. Among them was Zhao Huaiyi, a strategist of Li Zhen, who is now his advisor! This traitor not only shows no remorse but also attempts to frame loyal officials. His intentions are despicable, and his crimes deserve the extermination of his entire family!

Secondly, they fabricated charges and framed people, undermining the foundation of the state. Last year in Luozhou, Zhou Xing, in order to seize farmland, falsely accused Zhang of treason, implicating more than two hundred people. His henchmen broke into people's homes at night, poured boiling oil into their ears to force confessions, resulting in many elderly, weak, women and children jumping into wells. This spring, they even tried to frame Prime Minister Fu, but fortunately His Majesty investigated.

Thirdly, he forged imperial edicts and committed arbitrary killings, showing utter disrespect for the emperor. In the first year of the Tian Shou era, Zhou Xing falsely issued an imperial edict, cruelly murdering the exiled censor Wang Deqian. I have found his own handwritten order to "beat him to death on the spot," and his corpse was even fed to mastiffs. This scoundrel still boasted, "My orders are the king's orders!"
Fourthly, he is corrupt by nature, bringing disaster to the country and its people. This year, 300,000 shi of grain were allocated for disaster relief in Henan. Zhou Xing and the transport commissioner divided the spoils, using bran and chaff to make up the difference. Disaster victims exchanged children to eat, while in his private residence, he fed cranes with stale rice. I intercepted a letter from his family saying, "The dead are everywhere; it would be good to buy land at a low price to use as a medicinal herb garden."

Fifth, his usurpation and treason were crimes deserving of death. Zhou Xing privately built the "Yanghui Manor" in Mangshan, where he housed 500 armored soldiers and even privately made dragon robes. His confidants claimed that they would practice the etiquette between ruler and subject in a secret room and address each other as "Emperor Zhou"!
Your Majesty, I implore you to immediately dispatch the Imperial Guards to search and confiscate the Zhou residence and Yanghui Manor. If even a single word is found to be false, I am willing to accept the punishment of deceiving the Emperor!
Your humble servant, Qiu Shenji, tearfully submitted this memorial.

"..."

Chi Mei stood by, watching as his brush moved across the paper, producing shocking words that seemed to leap off the page. A chill ran down her spine.

The phrase "addressed as 'Emperor of Zhou'" is particularly vicious!

It directly targets the Empress Wu's most intolerable weakness.

She carefully compared the two memorials and found that Lu Chenyuan's handwriting was exactly the same as Qiu Shenji's, even the unique horizontal and vertical strokes of a martial artist and the sharp pauses at the end of the strokes were exactly the same.

Even if Qiu Shenji were to personally examine it, he would likely doubt whether it was written by him.

Even more chilling are the pieces of evidence, a mixture of fact and fiction:

Zhao Huaiyi is a real person, but his origins are unknown; the incident this spring where he framed Fu Youyi, the Prime Minister, out of personal grudges did indeed happen; although Wang Deqian's body has not been found, there are rumors of mastiffs eating people in Lingnan; Yanghui Manor is the secluded place where Zhou Xing cultivates the "Nine Heavens Moon-Embracing Technique," and its inner workings are little known...

Everywhere you look, there's something to make a fuss about.

These are all places where Zhou Xing is unable to defend himself!

Once this memorial is presented...

Even if Zhou Xing manages to escape this calamity, he will never trust him again!
"That's true."

Lu Chenyuan blew the ink dry, stamped the forged gold seal, applied the baked enamel, stuffed it back into the sealed letter tube, and said, "Let's go and restore everything."

"Yes."

The twenty-fourth move was incredibly fast.

Among them, the three phases of Grain Rain are proficient in illusion magic. With the help of the fifth-grade spiritual material [Calming Incense], they can briefly "weave dreams" to hypnotize their targets, blurring the lines between reality and dreams.

The guard was startled awake from the wooden table, his forehead still bearing a red mark from the pressure.

He looked up and saw the postmaster engrossed in checking documents, and the groom carrying fodder walking through the courtyard—everything seemed normal.

He subconsciously touched the letter tube at his waist—the sealing wax was intact, and the clay seal was undamaged.

"Traveling overnight is too tiring..."

He muttered as he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and dashed toward the stables: "Change horses! Urgent dispatch!" He was completely unaware that half an hour had been missing from his memory.

Lu Chenyuan and the Twenty-Fourth Warrior watched him leave from the shadows.

Chi Mei admired Lu Chenyuan's methods immensely, but still had some concerns: "My lord, if Emperor Wu summons Qiu Shenji back to the capital for questioning, wouldn't that...?"

Lu Chenyuan smiled slightly: "Do you think he can come back?"

Chi Mei was taken aback.

Lu Chenyuan had no intention of explaining, and turned to step into the morning mist: "Let's go, let's go back and watch the show."

(End of this chapter)