Chapter 542: Prepare for a Rainy Day (I)

September 20th, early morning.

The sky was gloomy and terrifying, with dark clouds hanging very low, almost covering the entire city of Lin'an.

Thunder rumbled in the thick clouds. It seemed that the heavens were preparing a thunderstorm, but despite the might of the Thunder God and the Lightning Goddess, the Dragon King refused to send down a single drop of rain.

This oppressive feeling of "a storm is coming" makes the people of Lin'an City uneasy. It would be more refreshing and refreshing if there was a downpour.

Inside the Tianji Pavilion, Zhao Yuan stood alone in the center of the training ground, looking up at the sky covered with dark clouds, listening to the thunder that came one after another, letting the strong wind blow on his face and the dust fill the sky, but he ignored it and stood still.

At this moment, his face was full of vicissitudes, and his eyes were shining. He seemed to be sighing at the merits of heaven and earth, and as if he was introspecting his own mistakes.

"Master Hou!"

With a gentle call, Qin Wei, dressed in black, slowly approached Zhao Yuan, bowed to him, and then carefully put the cloak in his hand on Zhao Yuan, saying with concern: "The wind is blowing hard and heavy rain is coming. My Lord, be careful not to catch a cold."

"Don't worry! This rain won't satisfy us. It will suddenly fall when people are least prepared, leaving you and me waiting in vain." Zhao Yuan stared at the sky, smiling and saying, "There are clouds, wind, lightning, and thunder. Everything is ready. We only need a heavy rain to settle the dust."

Qin Wei seemed to have heard a clue from Zhao Yuan's words. After a moment's hesitation, he suddenly realized something and continued, "My Lord, don't worry. What is coming will eventually come. God has made such a big move, it will never end in vain."

"Really?" Zhao Yuan paused, then turned to look at Qin Wei, who was looking respectful, and asked, "How is the matter in Qingyuan Prefecture going?"

"Reporting to the Marquis, Yuwen Xiu has died in Sanjiangkou. From now on, there will be no Peach Blossom Sword Island in the martial arts world." Qin Wei replied, "This time, Eunuch Wan will personally take action. No matter how high Yuwen Xiu's martial arts skills are, he will not be able to escape death in the end."

"Western Mansion should have been punished for deceiving the emperor, but the emperor was too soft-hearted and in order to keep things peaceful, he had no choice but to let Yuwen Xiu and Taohua Sword Island be scapegoats for Western Mansion." Zhao Yuan sighed, "If Xunyi hadn't brought back the news about Yuwen Xiu in time, the emperor and the prime minister would still be kept in the dark by the Privy Council."

When Liu Xunyi was mentioned, Qin Wei couldn't help but show a trace of nostalgia on his face, and asked tentatively: "My Lord, Young Master Liu has been out there for more than two years, and now Luo Tianjin has taken the throne of the leader of the martial arts world. Is it time for Young Master Liu to come back?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuan was slightly stunned, and asked back: "Qin Wei, have you guessed Xun Yi's mission?"

"If the Marquis and Brother Liu don't say anything, how dare I guess?" Qin Wei looked terrified.

"Really?" Zhao Yuan raised his eyebrows and smiled meaningfully.

"This..." Qin Wei didn't dare to lie in front of Zhao Yuan. After hesitating for a long time, he finally answered hesitantly, "To be honest with you, sir, actually... I did guess some clues, but..."

"No problem!" Zhao Yuan waved his hand and said, "You and Xunyi are friends for life and death, and I raised you by myself, so I trust you very much, otherwise I would not have allowed you to contact Xunyi."

Qin Wei was flattered by Zhao Yuan's affirmation, and he immediately bowed his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your trust, my Lord. I will do my best for you, until my death!"

"Forget it!" Zhao Yuan changed the subject and said, "Yuwen Xiu is dead, what about the remnants of Peach Blossom Sword Island?"

"They are just a bunch of rabble, so naturally they will scatter when the tree falls." Qin Wei showed contempt, but suddenly his eyes lit up, and he said, "By the way, there is a man named Ding Qinghong on Peach Blossom Sword Island. It was he who dealt Yuwen Xiu the fatal blow. Judging from the situation at the time, Ding Qinghong should have been bribed by the West Mansion, so he sold out his master for fame. I guess... Yuwen Xiu's whereabouts should have been tipped off by Ding Qinghong, otherwise how could Bai Jin find Sanjiangkou so easily?"

"Humph!" Zhao Yuan said disdainfully, "He is a servile and shameless person who flatters the powerful and hides his true colors."

"My Lord, what you said is absolutely right!" Qin Wei rolled his eyes and said jokingly, "But every wicked man will be punished by his own wickedness. Ding Qinghong originally thought that after betraying Yuwen Xiu, he could go to the Western Palace and be appointed a general and be granted a title of nobility, and enjoy a life of luxury. But unexpectedly, he was chosen by Eunuch Wan..."

Having said this, Qin Wei could no longer suppress his inner joy and gloated, "At that time, after Eunuch Wan expressed his feelings, Bai Jin made a prompt decision and handed Ding Qinghong over to Eunuch Wan for disposal on behalf of the West Mansion."

"Is there such a thing?"

"Every word is true." Qin Wei said confidently, "Bai Jin gave Ding Qinghong to Eunuch Wan without thinking twice. He was probably afraid that he would threaten his position after entering the West Mansion."

After that, Qin Wei showed curiosity and said hesitantly, "My Lord, Ding Qinghong was chosen by Eunuch Wan... What happened?"

"What happened?" Zhao Yuan snorted and laughed. "Bai Yunjian and Wan Renshan are neither male nor female, so they both have quirks. Ding Qinghong was chosen by Wan Renshan, probably because he has some good looks, right?"

"That's right!" Qin Wei nodded repeatedly. "Although Ding Qinghong is a man, his words, actions, and dress are more seductive than a woman."

"That's my guess." Zhao Yuan said, "If my guess is correct, Ding Qinghong has probably become the forbidden delicacy of Wanren Mountain."

"This..." Qin Wei was shocked. After thinking about Ding Qinghong's fate, he couldn't help but exclaimed, "So, Ding Qinghong..."

"He has become a eunuch." Zhao Yuan said with certainty, "If he was not a eunuch, Wan Renshan would never have been able to bring him into the palace. Humph! Since he likes to dress up as a woman so much, just cut off his thing and it will be considered as fulfilling his wish." "Yes." Qin Wei murmured with lingering fear, "With Eunuch Wan's martial arts, even if Ding Qinghong wants to resist, I'm afraid..."

"It's disgusting, don't mention it again!" Zhao Yuan said in a deep voice, "Qin Wei, I know you just came back from Qingyuan Prefecture, but right now is a critical moment and we need people, so I have to trouble you to go on another long journey."

Qin Wei's expression changed, and he asked, "Where are you going?"

"Luoyang City."

"My Lord, do you want me to go see Brother Liu?"

"That's right!" Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "When you meet Liu Xunyi, tell him that 'everything is ready, only east wind is missing' and let him act accordingly."

"As ordered."

"And more!" Zhao Yuan's tone sank, and he turned his deep gaze to the timid Qin Wei, and said word by word, "What you just said is right, Luo Tianjin's hegemony has been achieved, it's time for Xun Yi to come back."

Qin Wei was extremely excited and asked hurriedly, "My Lord, did you ask me to call him back?"

"No need to rush." ​​Zhao Yuan shook his head and said, "After you meet Liu Xunyi, you don't have to rush back. Stay in Luoyang City for the time being."

"Stand by?" Qin Wei was stunned, as if he didn't understand what Zhao Yuan meant.

"That's right! You will greet the imperial envoy in Luoyang City, and then go with him to meet Luo Tianjin."

"What do you mean?"

"To be more precise, it is to recruit the imperial envoy." Zhao Yuan explained, "Yesterday, the Prime Minister informed me clearly that in a few days, the East Palace will send people to Luoyang City to recruit Luo Tianjin in person."

"This……"

"Qin Wei, every word I say now is a secret of the court. It comes out of my mouth and enters your ears. Don't let any of it out." Zhao Yuan warned, "The Prime Minister has been preparing for today for more than ten years. If it weren't for the West Mansion's interference, why would it have been delayed for two more years? This is a national policy, and it is the top priority to save the Song Dynasty and save the country. The court is declining, the civil service is lazy, the military is idle, all industries are abandoned, and the people are living in poverty. Although the emperor and a group of loyal ministers are willing to revive the court, they are helpless. At present, the top priority is to resist the southward advance of the Mongolian army, but the existing troops are far from enough. Therefore, the court must quickly form an elite army that is invincible and invincible, lying dormant among the people and cooperating with the official army, so as to fight a decisive battle with the Mongolian cavalry that looks down on the world."

"The elite army that the Marquis mentioned... could it be the heroes of the Central Plains martial arts world?"

"That's right." Zhao Yuan nodded heavily. "There have always been many talented people among the people, and the martial artists are all very skilled and have extraordinary martial arts. More importantly, they value morality and don't care about life and death. Once they agree to help the court, they will fight for their lives and will never be afraid of fighting and retreat. In this way, such a civilian army composed of tens of thousands of heroes, if they are trained in some military tactics and formations, how powerful will it be?"

"It must not be underestimated." Qin Wei responded quickly.

"The most important thing is that this powerful martial arts army will be directly deployed by our East Palace." Zhao Yuan said with a hint of meaning, "If the West Palace wants to show off its power and boss around, it must first consider its own abilities. In the future, in the emperor's mind, the position of the prime minister will definitely not be inferior to that of the privy envoy."

Today was the first time that Qin Wei heard the secrets of the court, and he couldn't help but feel excited and his blood boiling.

The fact that Zhao Yuanken told him all this showed his trust and respect for him.

"But the people in the martial arts world are both heroes and ruffians." Zhao Yuan changed the subject and said bitterly, "Although they value justice over profit and are not afraid of life and death, they are unruly and difficult to control. The power of the court alone cannot shake their will. Therefore, the leader of the martial arts world is very important."

At this point, Zhao Yuan suddenly straightened his expression and said in a serious tone: "All this is exactly the real purpose of Liu Xunyi approaching Luo Tianjin."

"I understand!" Qin Wei replied with a trembling voice, "Brother Liu... is indeed doing something big."

"It's not just Liu Xunyi, but also you." Zhao Yuan corrected, "Now, you are also doing great things. Although the disturbance in the West Mansion delayed the Prime Minister's plan for two years, it is a blessing in disguise. In two years, the former 'King of the North' has transformed into the 'Leader of the Martial World'. Half of the Martial World in the past has become unified today. Once he is willing to accept the amnesty, what we get will be more important than two years ago."

"That is to say... as long as the recruitment is successful, Brother Liu can return to Tianji Pavilion?"

"That's right!" Zhao Yuan promised, "If this is accomplished, the East Palace will be lucky! The Great Song will be lucky! The people of the world will be lucky! Liu Xunyi has made great contributions and will surely be promoted. You have also made great contributions and have a bright future."

Zhao Yuan's words hit the mark of Qin Wei. His greatest wish in life was to achieve great success and rise to prominence. He was so moved and excited to get this opportunity today that he trembled all over and couldn't help himself.

Under Zhao Yuan's scrutiny, Qin Wei hurriedly gathered his thoughts and said righteously, "I, Qin Wei, swear to heaven that I will follow the Marquis' lead in this life. If I disobey you, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"

……

(End of this chapter)