114: Cheating Zhan Pianpian! First meeting Yan Bingyun! (23

Chapter 114: Stealing Zhan Pianpian! First Meeting with Yan Bingyun! (23)

In Li Chang'an's eyes, Zhan Pianpian was already his prey.

He wanted to eat now, so he came directly.

Zhan Pianpian looked at her slender, delicate figure and her charming, lovely face in the mirror, and a sense of self-confidence immediately arose in her heart.

In a daze, she suddenly heard a familiar chuckle.

Then, Zhan Pianpian turned around and saw Li Chang'an, whom she had longed for, sitting on her bed.

How could a man sitting on her bed not make Zhan Pianpian's heart pound and her cheeks flush?

"Pianpian, aren't you coming over?"

Li Chang'an's voice was still so gentle and irresistible.

Although Zhan Pianpian smiled brightly, her heart was pounding.

She was wearing a long yellow palace gown, which was the most beautiful and elegant, also showing her noble status.

She walked gracefully and dignifiedly to Li Chang'an, momentarily feeling constrained and unsure of what to say.

Li Chang'an smiled, "I came to find you as soon as I arrived in Shangjing. That's pretty fast, isn't it?"

Zhan Pianpian nervously tidied her hair, then nodded solemnly, "Fast! Lightning fast!"

Seeing Zhan Pianpian's innocent look, Li Chang'an couldn't help but want to tease her. He gently took Zhan Pianpian's delicate hand.

"Pianpian, I met Your Majesty today, and she said you were unwilling to marry this prince."

"After much hesitation, this prince still decided to come and ask personally..."

Hearing Li Chang'an's words, Zhan Pianpian didn't doubt him at all, and her expression immediately became nervous, her eyes clear and bright.

"Your Highness, His Majesty is lying to you. It's because he and Empress Dowager have different opinions. This princess... of course, is willing..."

Li Chang'an pretended not to understand, "Pianpian, what are you willing to do? Are you willing to listen to His Majesty?"

Zhan Pianpian, in turn, held Li Chang'an's hand and said solemnly.

"Of course I am willing to marry Your Highness. When I heard Your Highness was coming to Shangjing, my heart was filled with joy."

Li Chang'an said, "Oh," then took off his shoes and sat directly on the bed.

Zhan Pianpian was instantly surprised, "Your Highness, what... what... do you want to do?"

Li Chang'an also said seriously, "Are you unwilling to be husband and wife with this prince?"

Zhan Pianpian nodded like a pounding garlic, "I am willing."

"Then hurry up and come!"

Li Chang'an gently patted the bed and pulled Zhan Pianpian over.

Zhan Pianpian initially felt it was inappropriate, but seeing Li Chang'an gazing at her gentle and lovely face, she was instantly filled with pleasant surprise and completely forgot about being reserved.

Li Chang'an saw clearly that Zhan Pianpian's nose was delicate and pretty, and her moist lips were painted with a layer of peach-red rouge, making her fair skin and red lips even more striking.

Facing each other, their breaths mingled, and their breathing unknowingly became much heavier.

"Prince Yong Your Highness... Is Pianpian beautiful?"

Zhan Pianpian's voice was gentle and sweet, her brows slightly furrowed, and her gaze shifted nervously.

Li Chang'an pulled her into his arms, pressing tightly against her nervous, stammering red lips.

Not long after, Zhan Pianpian regained her composure and gently drew the bed curtains.

Then, Zhan Pianpian shyly leaned down, "Husband, let Pianpian serve you."

Afterward, Li Chang'an said with some surprise, "Pianpian, how do you know how to do this?"

Zhan Pianpian stammered and chuckled, "I learned it from husband's poetry..."

Hiss... The wonders of poetry, to this extent!

The next morning, Shangjing City suddenly became lively.

In a teahouse, idle guests were excitedly discussing news from the upper echelons.

"Last night, the Great General came to snatch his foster father's body. It was a bloody mess at Dashanlan!"

"This is all Lord Shen's scheme, deliberately moving Xiao En's body to Dashanlan just to lure the Great General's people into action!"

An elderly scholar cursed in a low voice, "Shen Zhong, that scoundrel, is utterly devoid of virtue!"

"The Great General is loyal and righteous, yet Shen Zhong wouldn't even let his foster father be buried in peace. He's completely inhuman!"

"Not entirely. Shang Shanhu disregards the imperial family and is arrogant and overbearing.

I heard that Empress Dowager even advised him and would arrange the handover of Xiao En's body as soon as possible, but Shang Shanhu couldn't wait!"

"Go to hell, if your father died and couldn't be buried, wouldn't you be anxious!"

"Why are you cursing? Lord Shen has always been impartial and incorruptible. He may seem cruel, but it's all for the sake of Great Qi!"

Several people were arguing fiercely when a young man with an unremarkable appearance suddenly entered from the doorway.

"Gentlemen, do you know where the Brocade-Clad Guards' prison is?"

As soon as Young Master Guo spoke, these people were instantly bewildered.

The first thing Fan Xian did upon entering the city was to find Yan Bingyun. He and Zong Zhui acted in the shadows, letting Guo Baokun attract the attention of the Brocade-Clad Guards in the open.

Seeing the confused expressions on these people's faces, Young Master Guo couldn't help but sigh.

The people of Shangjing City were truly insensitive; they didn't even know where the Brocade-Clad Guards' prison was.

"Brocade-Clad Guards, Lord Shen Zhong!"

"The prison, the place where people are held, do you understand or not!"

After Young Master Guo explained again, the chatting idlers scattered like birds and beasts.

This fool, could it be the Brocade-Clad Guards' bait for law enforcement?

It must be. This is Shen Zhong's style!

...Three days later, at the post station.

Li Chang'an summoned Wang Qinian and Teng Zijing, and as usual, inquired about the situation at the city gate.

"These past few days, has Shang Shanhu sent anyone to seize Xiao En's body?"

Although Li Chang'an only brought fifty Shadow Guards to Shangjing, the Net had a significant presence in Shangjing City.

The overall strength and penetration depth of the Brocade-Clad Guards were far inferior to the Supervisory Council, so the Net in Shangjing was even stronger than in the capital.

On the first night in Shangjing, Wang Qinian had already connected with the Shangjing Net, and the Shangjing Net quickly became active.

"Reporting to Your Highness, Shang Shanhu only has one hundred private soldiers in Shangjing. Although they are elite troops, they are mostly Sixth Realm."

"Shangjing City is the Brocade-Clad Guards' lair, with countless masters. Although there are no Ninth Realm masters for now, it's more than enough to guard Xiao En's body."

"On the first night, Shang Shanhu personally led people to seize Xiao En's body. After losing more than a dozen men, he decisively retreated."

Although Shang Shanhu was powerful, he was still somewhat outnumbered if he wanted to contend with the Brocade-Clad Guards in the capital.

"Besides Shang Shanhu, did anyone else try to seize Xiao En's body?" Li Chang'an asked again.

Wang Qinian replied, "There were two more groups!"

"According to Your Highness's arrangements, anyone who tried to seize the body was closely monitored."

"The first group was mountain bandits from Panlong Mountain in the north. These people were remnants of the Northern Wei Tieqi. After the fall of Northern Wei, they became bandits and have been living in seclusion in the Jianghu."

"From the time Xiao En left the capital, Panlong Mountain sent thirty masters to rescue Xiao En.

They had already been discovered by the Brocade-Clad Guards, but the Net's people eliminated the Brocade-Clad Guards who were secretly watching."

"The second group was surprisingly from the Marquis of Changning's manor. It's unknown whether Marquis Changning, Wei Bi was following Empress Dowager's decree or acting on his own initiative."

The Northern Wei Tieqi, like the Supervisory Council and the Brocade-Clad Guards, was an elite intelligence organization.

The appearance of the Tieqi remnants was not surprising, as Xiao En was the Tieqi leader.

When Northern Wei was usurped by Zhan Qingfeng, the Tieqi defended the Northern Wei emperor.

If they had deep grudges with the Zhan family during the dynastic change, Northern Qi would not have accepted them.

As for the appearance of Wei Bi's people, that was quite interesting.

The second-in-command of the Brocade-Clad Guards was Wei Bi's son, Wei Hua, and Wei Bi was Empress Dowager Wei's younger brother.

It's possible that Empress Dowager arranged for her brother to disrupt Xiao En's matter to punish Shen Zhong, or it's possible that Wei Bi wanted to undermine Shen Zhong to promote his son.

Or both. Empress Dowager Wei intended to have her own family take over the Brocade-Clad Guards. She wouldn't be able to sleep if such a powerful intelligence agency wasn't in her hands.

The young emperor said that his people were closely watched by Shen Zhong, but Empress Dowager's people were nominally allied with Shen Zhong, so Shen Zhong naturally wouldn't watch the Marquis of Changning's manor.

The situation in Northern Qi was truly interesting.

"Old Wang, among the young emperor's important ministers, are there any whose subordinates have many masters and are capable of seizing Xiao En's body?"

These past few days, Wang Qinian's main task was to integrate the Shangjing Net, so he was well aware of this information.

"Duke Zheng, Marquis Liyang, Minister Cui of the Ministry of Rites, Minister He of the Ministry of War, and eight other families all have more than thirty Seventh Realm masters, while others have relatively fewer."

These people were all the young emperor's men, but they were all so closely watched by the Brocade-Clad Guards that they dared not act rashly.

They were either ducal or marquis families, or powerful aristocratic families, all with many masters.

However, in recent years, Shen Zhong has wielded immense power, suppressing these great families by himself.

Li Chang'an said, "Old Wang, arrange for men tonight to kill all the Brocade-Clad Guards' hidden agents near these eight families."

"Then spread a rumor that the young emperor has a secret decree to help Shang Shanhu retrieve Xiao En's body, so that Shen Zhong will be imprisoned for dereliction of duty!"

"Regardless of whether they believe it or are willing to act, you lead the Net's people to try and seize Xiao En's body once. Don't actually succeed, just kill some Brocade-Clad Guards."

Wang Qinian immediately understood and went to prepare the men.

In fact, Li Chang'an's side was also being watched by the Brocade-Clad Guards, but let alone the Brocade-Clad Guards, even Lang Tao wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Wang Qinian.

Li Chang'an then instructed, "Teng Zijing, tomorrow you continue to openly visit the young emperor's people, so that both the young emperor and the Brocade-Clad Guards believe that we still have no leads."

Teng Zijing had already visited some people, but they either refused to see him or only offered fleeting pleasantries.

"As you command, Your Highness!"

Great General's Residence.

Shang Shanhu was still fuming, "Empress Dowager is stalling for time, and Shen Zhong is also stalling for time!"

"Foster father, your son is unfilial! I couldn't save you when you were alive, and I can't even let you be buried after death!"

Not long after, Deputy General Tan Wu rushed in, "Great General, this subordinate secretly contacted the leader of Panlong Mountain outside the city."

Shang Shanhu stood up and asked, "How is it? Are they willing to pledge allegiance to me?"

Tan Wu shook his head and said, "They said that if you want them to pledge allegiance, unless the Great General rebels against the Zhan family emperor, their three thousand men are willing to be at the Great General's disposal."

Panlong Mountain was a band of mountain bandits. The masters who came these past few days were from their ranks; the majority of their forces were in the mountains.

Shang Shanhu sighed, "After so many years, they are still the same."

Tan Wu said directly, "Great General, haven't you seen clearly about the Old Master's matter this time?"

"You witnessed Lang Tao assassinating the Old Master with your own eyes. If Empress Dowager cared about your feelings, why would she assassinate the Old Master!"

"Empress Dowager and His Majesty simply cannot tolerate you and don't want the Old Master to return to help you! Why not return to the border, reorganize your forces, and raise an army to rebel!"

Shang Shanhu snorted coldly, "With my foster father gone, I have no more ties to Northern Qi."

"With the Great Grandmaster present, we cannot replace the Zhan family's young emperor. We can only first gain a foothold at the border and then wait for the Great Grandmaster's lifespan to end!"

"But leaving now, I am truly unwilling!

My foster father hasn't been buried yet! Lang Tao is not dead! And Shen Zhong is still living quite comfortably!"

Tan Wu said, "You want to avenge the Old Master, and then return to the border to raise an army?"

Shang Shanhu replied, "Exactly. If I don't kill Lang Tao and Shen Zhong, I am unworthy of being a son!"

"Tan Wu, go and discuss with the leader of Panlong Mountain again, and ask them to help me kill Lang Tao and Shen Zhong!"

Night fell.

Fan Xian was searching the entire city for Yan Bingyun, but Li Chang'an, with his foresight, had already found him.

He only paid a little more attention to Shen Zhong's sister, and it was easy to find Yan Bingyun's hiding place.

Now that Xiao En, whom Fan Xian brought to Shangjing City, was dead, Yan Bingyun suffered even more severe torture.

The two sides had agreed on a hostage exchange, but Xiao En was already dead, so even if Yan Bingyun died, Southern Qing couldn't say anything.

Li Chang'an knocked out the Brocade-Clad Guards guarding Yan Bingyun and saw the bruised and battered Yan Bingyun.

"Yan Bingyun!"

Yan Bingyun heard the call and instantly looked up.

Seeing a shadowy figure in the darkness, Yan Bingyun was greatly surprised!

"Who are you? How did you get in?"

Li Chang'an glanced at Yan Bingyun's profile. It was quite good; he was a talent for intelligence work.

Name: Yan Bingyun

Age: 17 years old

Realm: Seventh Realm Upper

Talent: Intelligence (Eighth Realm), Management (Eighth Realm)

Abilities: Intelligence (Eighth Realm), Management (Sixth Realm), Assassination (Fifth Realm)

Emotion: 0

However, now that the Net had taken shape, Li Chang'an's need for talent was not so urgent, so he would not bother to subdue Yan Bingyun.

"I'm just here to complete the transaction with your grandfather. As for your life or death, it has nothing to do with me."

Yan Bingyun said weakly, "My grandfather? My grandfather passed away many years ago. What are you talking about?"

Li Chang'an said unhurriedly, "You are not a Southern Qing person. Your identity is the grandson of Xiao En, the leader of the Northern Wei Tieqi."

"Your mother was a Brothel woman named Yu Xiang. You were controlled by Chen Pingping as soon as you were born."

Hearing this, Yan Bingyun shouted sharply, "Nonsense! You must have been sent by Shen Zhong!"

Li Chang'an said impolitely, "Shut up! Do you think Shen Zhong can afford me?"

"I'll only say it once. If you keep shouting and miss anything, I won't say it a second time."

Yan Bingyun was a very rational person. Although he was very loyal and firm to Southern Qing, he was not the kind of hot-headed, brainless person.

"Chen Pingping cultivated you into a loyal guard of Southern Qing. If you never knew the truth, he would continue to reuse you."

"However, your grandfather made a deal with me before he died. He hopes you know the truth."

"This truth is very difficult to investigate, and it's very possible that Chen Pingping has completely destroyed the evidence."

"Once you start investigating, or even have this thought, you will be in mortal danger."

"However, your grandfather hopes you know the truth."

"As for how to choose, it's all up to you."

Yan Bingyun listened calmly, and when he looked up again, he found that there was no one in front of him.

He found it difficult to judge the truth of Li Chang'an's words now, but out of his professional habit, once there was a hint of doubt, that thought could no longer be suppressed.

He was a little afraid now. If this was true, how should he conduct himself?