Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

This is an achievement that none of the previous kings of the Song Dynasty had accomplished!

Overwhelmed by his achievements, Zhao Ji, instigated by Cai Jing and Tong Guan, immediately stripped Xu Guanzhong of his title as the top martial arts scholar and imprisoned him.

In the countryside, the people of Bianliang,

It was precisely because of the alliance with the Jin to attack the Liao and the capture of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun that the people were excited and united as one.

But then Xu Guanzhong suddenly poured cold water on his enthusiasm.

Most people don't care about the truth; they just parrot what others say, blindly following the crowd in their righteous indignation and public outrage.

Furthermore, Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and others deliberately spread rumors among the people.

Xu Guanzhong was portrayed as a shameless traitor and collaborator who sold out his country in order to curry favor with the Liao people.

This led to the situation where millions of people in Bianliang (Kaifeng) vehemently condemned Xu Guanzhong...

Chapter 247 Haunted Ship

"Chief Zhao, Brother Xu has been stripped of his title as the top martial arts scholar and imprisoned in the imperial jail."

Yan Qing cried out, "But Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and the others still refuse to let him go and have decided to execute Xu's elder brother at the end of June!"

"In this world today, only Chief Zhao is capable of saving Brother Xu!"

Yan Qing bowed repeatedly, pleading, "I implore Chief Zhao to lend a helping hand!"

"Brother, get up quickly!"

Zhao Yuan quickly helped him up: "Don't worry, Brother Xu and I still have a bet to settle. How can I watch him die in Tokyo in vain!"

“Brother, Brother Shiqian and I were originally heading to Jizhou Prefecture when we met Brother Yanqing along the way,”

Han Bolong said, "When Brother Shiqian heard that Scholar Xu was in trouble, he knew that you would definitely help him. He had already taken the lead and went to Bianliang, the capital of Tokyo, to find out more information."

"Indeed, Brother Shi Qian is indeed quick-witted," Zhao Yuan exclaimed.

Since Xu Guanzhong's life was at stake, Zhao Yuan dared not delay for even a moment.

But he is now, after all, the master of Liangshan.

Before heading to Tokyo, it was natural to first make all the necessary arrangements for Liangshan.

By the time all the tasks were completed, it was well past noon.

Zhao Yuan then summoned the leaders of Liangshan who had free time.

Among them, Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, and Xu Ning, although they were from Dongjing,

However, they all harbored grudges against Gao Kan, and if they were recognized in Tokyo, it would inevitably cause them more trouble.

Qiongying had wanted to go too, but now that Hu Sanniang wasn't there,

She was in charge of all the female soldiers on Liangshan Mountain, so she could only pout and sullenly choose to stay.

Those who ultimately decided to follow Zhao Yuan and travel by water to Bianliang were Jiao Ting, Shi Xiu, Zhang Shun, Ruan Xiaowu, Ruan Xiaoqi, and Li Kui.

In addition, there were two hundred cavalrymen disguised as merchants.

Led by Sun An, they traveled by land to Chenqiao Town, northeast of Bianliang, where they awaited Zhao Yuan's orders.

The group went back separately, quickly packed their belongings, and then...

They gathered in front of the military camp on the north bank, and together with Yan Qing, boarded the passenger ship.

First, they traveled south through the marshland, then entered the Guangji River from the southwest side of the marshland, and went upstream to Tokyo.

......

Traveling by water from Liangshan Marsh to Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Eastern Capital, takes only five or six days.

Although Yan Qing was still anxious, he knew this was the fastest possible speed.

The group continued their journey for two days.

That afternoon, the passenger ship was about to arrive in Jiyin.

Zhao Yuan picked up a jar of wine, preparing to go find Yan Qing, and advised him not to be impatient.

Before he even reached Yan Qing, he saw Ruan Xiao Wu, Ruan Xiao Qi, and Zhang Shun blocking Li Kui's way, arguing about something.

"what happened?"

Zhao Yuan asked in confusion, "Has something happened?"

The two Ruan brothers and Zhang Shun chuckled dryly, offering no reply.

Li Kui couldn't hold back any longer and said with a look of lingering fear, "Brother, our ship is haunted!"

"Tie Niu, don't talk nonsense!"

Ruan Xiaowu glared at Li Kui.

"Brother, don't listen to this fellow's nonsense. There must be some problem with the ship. We'll find out once we investigate."

"Hey, it's haunted! And you guys kept it from your brother!"

Li Kui's eyes widened: "Aren't you afraid that ghost will come after my brother?"

"what happened?"

Zhao Yuan asked in confusion, "What the hell?"

"Brother, it's like this,"

Zhang Shun replied, "These past two nights, many soldiers have heard strange noises, and the food on the ship has clearly been touched in the morning."

“Some of the more timid soldiers said that the ship must be haunted.”

"Brother, you must be careful when you sleep at night,"

Li Kui mysteriously advised, "I've heard people say before that ghosts and monsters like to target handsome young men."

"On this ship now, only you and Brother Xiao Yi are handsome. Maybe at night, the ghost will come looking for you to suck your yang energy."

"What nonsense are you spouting, you black bastard?"

Zhao Yuan felt both amused and exasperated: "Where are Shi Xiu and Jiao Ting? Have them go with you to investigate what exactly happened."

When they arrived at Yan Qing's cabin, he wasn't there.

After inquiring about the situation, Zhao Yuan went up the stairs to the deck.

Yan Qing was sitting at the bow of the boat, looking at the scenery on both banks with a worried expression.

"Brother, don't worry,"

Zhao Yuan put down the wine jar and poured a bowl for each of them.

"Didn't you say the execution wouldn't be until the end of the month? We'll definitely make it in time."

"Chief, I'm worried that those treacherous officials will make a move against Brother Xu beforehand,"

Yan Qing said worriedly, "If that's the case, perhaps by the time we arrive, we'll only be able to..."

"Don't worry, Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and others are determined to ally with the Jin to attack the Liao, but Brother Xu is certainly not the only one in the court who opposes them."

Zhao Yuan comforted him, saying, "Judging from their current state, they clearly intend to use Brother Xu's life to suppress the opposition in the court."

"In that case, those treacherous officials will definitely not let Brother Xu die silently in prison. Only by executing him openly and justly can we make an example of him!"

"The chieftain's guess is indeed reasonable,"

Yan Qing couldn't help but nod: "But if what the chieftain said is true, then Brother Xu is definitely being watched closely by Cai Jing and Tong Guan's gang. How can we save him?"

"We'll talk about that when we get to Tokyo,"

Zhao Yuan picked up his wine bowl and took a big gulp.

"We don't even know what the situation is like in Tokyo right now, so what's the point of thinking about these things?"

"Instead of worrying about these things, we should conserve our energy and make plans when we get to Bianliang."

Yan Qing nodded, picked up his wine bowl, and drank it down in large gulps.

Perhaps it's true that it's not the wine that intoxicates, but the mood; trying to drown one's sorrows in alcohol only makes them worse.

Yan Qing had only drunk less than five bowls when he became dizzy and confused.

Zhao Yuan summoned his soldiers and carried him back to the cabin.

He remained seated on the deck and finished the remaining wine in the jar.

Seeing that it was getting dark,

He then staggered back to his room.

As soon as he lay down on the couch, Zhao Yuan drifted off to sleep.

He had only slept for less than an hour, because he had drunk too much alcohol earlier.

Zhao Yuan was then awakened by the urge to urinate.

He was about to get up and go to the deck to relieve himself.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound coming from his room.

Holy crap, is there really a ghost?

Zhao Yuan immediately recalled what Li Kui had said that afternoon.

Could it be that the black-faced guy was right?

The ghost really came looking for me?

Chapter 248 Female Ghost Pressing Down on Bed

The thought flashed through my mind.

He then forgot about it.

How could ghosts and monsters possibly exist in this world!

Although the system itself is already quite unscientific.

This afternoon, when Zhang Shun mentioned this matter,

Zhao Yuan's first impression was that someone must be hiding on the passenger ship.

Look at how it is now,

The "ghost" was hiding in his cabin.

No wonder Shi Xiu and Zhang Shun searched the boat all afternoon without finding anything.

Thinking of this,

Zhao Yuan deliberately started snoring while secretly opening his eyes.

In the pitch-black cabin, he could barely see anything.

A figure was sitting at a table not far away, seemingly eating something.

Upon hearing Zhao Yuan's snoring, the figure was immediately startled.

He hurriedly stood up from the table and carefully observed the movements on the bedside.

After seeing that Zhao Yuan was still lying there and had not woken up,

The figure then breathed a sigh of relief.

"He snores so loudly even in his sleep, like a pig..."

The figure muttered something softly.

That voice sounds familiar...

Zhao Yuan racked his brains, trying to recall if he had heard that voice somewhere before.

But because I drank a bit too much earlier, my head is still a little foggy.

He thought for a while, but still couldn't come up with a single clue.

Just then, the dark figure suddenly and boldly walked to Zhao Yuan's bedside.

In the pitch black, Zhao Yuan could only barely make out that the shadowy figure wasn't very tall.

Suddenly, the dark figure bent down and reached out as if to do something.