Chapter 594: Reunion in the Heart of the Lake

There is a Danfeng Garden in the north of Luoyang City.

Once upon a time, "Danfeng Garden" was a garden palace of the royal family, with beautiful scenery and unlimited luxury. After the change of dynasties and the baptism of blood and fire, Danfeng Garden was repeatedly destroyed and almost reduced to ruins.

After the Duanping invasion of Luoyang, the Mongols took over Luoyang City. In order to make a fortune, they openly put the dilapidated Danfeng Garden up for sale. It was bought by a local wealthy businessman who spent a large sum of money on it. He wanted to renovate it and use it as a private residence, but his business declined unexpectedly. The wealthy businessman died of depression when the Danfeng Garden was halfway through being renovated.

In order to repay the business debt, his descendants had no choice but to use Danfeng Garden to pay off the debt. The biggest creditor at that time was Dongshan Company.

Danfeng Garden naturally fell into the hands of Shen Dongshan. After he spent a huge amount of money and renovated it carefully, Danfeng Garden has now become a magnificent private garden, which is as luxurious as its heyday.

Looking at all the buildings in Luoyang City, in terms of grandeur, the Ziwei Palace in the north of the city is second to none. This was the imperial palace in the past and is naturally majestic and unparalleled.

Below the Ziwei Palace are the General's Mansion and the Xianwang Mansion, where the carved railings and jade bricks, red pavilions and brothels are breathtaking. Next is the Qionglou Jinque, Langyuan Yaotai, and the Danfeng Garden covering an area of ​​more than a thousand acres.

What is most regrettable is that such a beautiful garden is used as a back garden by Shen Dongshan. He only lives there for more than three to five days a year and it is mostly idle on weekdays. It is really a waste of resources and makes people both envious and jealous.

Even so, Danfeng Garden is still cleaned every day and guarded every night. There are more than 300 servants guarding the garden, and the annual expenses range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.

This shows that the richest man in the Song Dynasty spent money like water and his reputation was not in vain.

Now, Zhao Yuan was ordered to go north, and his destination was exactly this Danfeng Garden.

In the evening, Liu Xunyi came to Danfeng Garden alone.

Although Luo Tianjin sent him to kill someone, after much deliberation, Liu Xunyi still chose to show his true face. He neither disguised himself nor sneaked in, but visited openly.

There is a lake in Danfeng Garden, which occupies almost two-thirds of the entire garden, and is called "Ningcui".

There is a pavilion in Ningcui Lake, named "Lake Center Pavilion". As the name suggests, the Lake Center Pavilion is located in the center of the lake and is surrounded by water. What's more interesting is that there are no bridges connecting the lake center pavilion to the shore. If you want to go to this pavilion, you can only take a boat.

Shen Dongshan built the pavilion in the middle of the lake in such a unique way in order to make it easier for him to discuss secrets with his friends.

Ningcui Lake is so vast that even if you shout loudly from the pavilion in the middle of the lake, people on the shore will hardly hear you clearly.

If you want to avoid being eavesdropped by walls, a pavilion in the middle of a lake is the best choice.

At this time, Shen Dongshan was setting up a banquet in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, chatting and laughing with Zhao Yuan. Standing by were Qiu Han and Qin Wei, in addition to Shen Dongshan's personal guard Kui Qi.

Under the starry sky and the moon, white snow is falling, and silver flowers are sprinkled on the surface of Ningcui Lake, which is so beautiful that it seems out of this world.

A light boat broke through the lake and came slowly.

A man stood at the bow, with a handsome face and an upright posture, his blue robe fluttering in the wind. He ignored the falling snow.

Looking up carefully, the person coming was Liu Xunyi with sharp eyes and solemn expression.

When they were near the pavilion in the middle of the lake, the boatman suddenly turned the boat sideways, cast down a long pole to stabilize the boat, and bowed to Shen Dongshan from a distance, saying in a clear voice: "Sir, Liu Zhishan wants to see you for something. I wonder if he can come to the pavilion?"

Hearing this, Shen Dongshan slowly stood up and was about to answer, but suddenly felt something was wrong, so he cast a hesitant look at Zhao Yuan, as if asking what he thought.

However, Zhao Yuan seemed indifferent to Liu Xunyi's visit and still sat at the table eating with relish.

On the contrary, Qiu Han and Qin Wei, who were standing aside, couldn't help but reveal a hint of weirdness in their eyes when they looked at Liu Xunyi.

"Master Zhao, look..."

"This is Master Shen's place, so naturally everything will be arranged by Master Shen." Zhao Yuan answered calmly.

"This……"

"Master Shen, I'm sorry!"

Before Shen Dongshan could make a decision, Liu Xunyi on the boat seemed to be getting impatient and suddenly flew up, stepped on the water, and in a blink of an eye, he crossed the lake surface of more than ten meters and headed straight for the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

"Be bold!"

Kui Qi roared and swung the Wan Ci Flywheel in his hand with all his might. With a slight "whoosh" sound, the Wan Ci Flywheel spun rapidly towards Liu Xunyi. The terrifying energy made the lake water rustle and create waves.

"Humph!"

Liu Xunyi shouted softly, but did not draw his sword. Instead, he stepped his left foot on his right foot and jumped up again.

At the same time, the Wanci Flying Wheel suddenly arrived. Liu Xunyi took the opportunity to step on it, using the force to move forward. His speed increased by three times, and he instantly reached the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Seeing this, Kui Qi's eyes turned cold and he quickly rushed forward to stop Liu Xunyi.

Qiu Han and Qin Wei looked at each other and drew their swords at the same time. Although they did not step forward to help Kui Qi, they also showed an attitude of preparing to take on the enemy with a fierce look in their eyes.

"Liu Zhishan, Mr. Shen hasn't invited you into the pavilion yet, how dare you barge in?"

Shen Dongshan was frightened by Liu Xunyi's sudden action. He wanted to try to escape, but he was relieved when he saw that Liu Xunyi was still rational and didn't seem to have any ill intentions. He was angry and said unhappily: "I have been a close friend of your family's master for many years. Even he has to show some respect to me. How dare you, a mere fan holder, be so presumptuous?"

"Please forgive me, Master Shen. I have a mission to carry out and cannot delay. I hope you will forgive me if I have offended you." Liu Xunyi glanced at Zhao Yuan who was still eating and drinking, then turned to Shen Dongshan and bowed to apologize.

"You are here to take responsibility?" Shen Dongshan hesitated, "Could it be that Lord Luo asked you to come?"

"Exactly."

Hearing that it was Luo Tianjin's idea, Shen Dongshan's tone immediately softened a lot, and he asked curiously: "I wonder what Lord Luo wants to talk to me about?"

"I am not here to look for Master Shen. I am here to look for Master Shen..." At this point, Liu Xunyi slowly turned his complicated gaze towards Zhao Yuan. "Master Zhao?" Shen Dongshan asked in surprise, "What do you want to see Master Zhao for?"

"The mansion master has given an order, so I'm sorry I can't tell you anything." Liu Xunyi shook his head and said, "May I ask Mr. Shen to step aside for the time being, so that I can talk to Mr. Zhao alone."

"I'm afraid this... isn't appropriate?" Shen Dongshan said in embarrassment, "Danfeng Garden is my place after all. What if something happens to Lord Zhao..."

"Why not let Qiu Han and Qin Wei stay and protect me?" Zhao Yuan pointed at Qiu Han and Qin Wei and asked Liu Xunyi, "They are officials in the same court as me and are also loyal ministers and generals of the emperor. I wonder what Liu Zhishan thinks?"

Liu Xunyi stared at Zhao Yuan, who seemed to be smiling but not smiling, and was silent for a long time before he slowly nodded: "Everything is as Lord Zhao said."

"Master Shen." Zhao Yuan cast a kind look at the troubled Shen Dongshan and chuckled, "Can you give me some convenience?"

Shen Dongshan said hurriedly, "Since Lord Zhao has spoken, I will certainly refuse."

After that, Shen Dongshan asked his servants to bring the boat closer, and then he told Liu Xunyi, "Liu Zhishan, Lord Zhao is an imperial envoy sent by the emperor, you must be careful with your words and actions. Don't think that this is Luoyang City, you can do whatever you want without any law."

"I will keep Mr. Shen's reminder in mind."

Liu Xunyi responded modestly and watched Shen Dongshan and Kui Qi sail away.

After a cup of tea, the boat disappeared.

Looking around, except for a few people in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, there was only the remaining snow on the green lake and the fish in the water.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi's expression suddenly changed. The cold arrogance on his face turned into respect in the blink of an eye. He quickly stepped into the pavilion and knelt down to Zhao Yuan, saying: "Your subordinate greets Marquis Tianji..."

Before Liu Xunyi knelt down, Zhao Yuan quickly reached out to hold her up and said cautiously, "We don't have to worry about ears on the other side of the wall, but we have to be careful of eyes on the other side of the river. Tonight, you and I don't have to be polite. Sit down and talk."

"This……"

Seeing Liu Xunyi's hesitation, Zhao Yuan's face darkened. He waved his chopsticks and pointed at the stool opposite him, urging him, "Hurry up and sit down!"

"How dare your subordinate to offend!"

After saying that, Liu Xunyi no longer hesitated and quickly sat down opposite Zhao Yuan. From the shore, the two of them were sitting on equal footing, as if they were negotiating.

"Xunyi, I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you very much."

As Zhao Yuan was talking, he personally poured wine for Liu Xunyi. Liu Xunyi wanted to stand up to give way, but he "pressed" her back with his eyes.

"Xunyi is also very concerned about the Marquis." Liu Xunyi was so excited that even her voice trembled. "How has your health been in the past two years?"

"Don't worry, everything is fine." Zhao Yuan looked at Liu Xunyi, who was so happy, and couldn't help but sigh, his eyes full of pity, "But you are much thinner than when you came."

"Thanks to the Marquis, everything is fine for me." Liu Xunyi said modestly, "Luo Tianjin treats me well. I have no worries about food and drink, and I don't have to worry about having no money to spend."

"That's good!"

"Oh, right!" Liu Xunyi's mind suddenly changed, and he said hurriedly, "I have something to report to the Marquis."

"What's the matter?"

"It is rumored that Jin Fuyu secretly trained an army of 100,000 in Hengshan Village."

"What?" Zhao Yuan was immediately shocked and asked suspiciously, "Is the news true?"

"Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, I heard the news from a friend in the underworld, so I believe it is true."

"hiss!"

Seeing Liu Xunyi's confident look, Zhao Yuan couldn't help but take a breath, thought for a moment, and nodded slowly, saying: "Whether this matter is true or false, we can't take it lightly. I will write a letter overnight and report this news to the prime minister. I believe the court will distinguish the truth and find a way to deal with it. Right now, our top priority is to do a good job of recruiting them."

At this point, Zhao Yuan's expression eased, and he continued, "Xun Yi, I have heard about your experiences in the martial arts world during this period. You have been fighting and killing all day long, and you have often suffered new injuries before your old ones have healed. Sigh! I really wronged you."

"Everything is my responsibility!"

Zhao Yuan looked Liu Xunyi up and down with satisfaction, and praised: "In less than three years, you have gone from a nobody to Luo Tianjin's confidant, and he even chose you as his son-in-law. Xunyi, I was right about you back then. You can really become a great man."

"My Lord, now is not the time to reminisce about the past." Qin Wei reminded in a low voice, "Brother Liu, why did Luo Tianjin send you here so late at night?"

"Also, what exactly does Luo Tianjin plan to do with the amnesty?" Qiu Han added, "Does he have any intention of surrendering?"

Hearing this, the joy lingering in Liu Xunyi's heart gradually dissipated, and was replaced by a deep worry.

Seeing this, Zhao Yuan couldn't help but be secretly surprised, and said in a serious tone: "Xun Yi, if you have something to say, just say it!"

"This this……"

Liu Xunyi wanted to say something several times but stopped himself and was unable to finish the next sentence. It seemed that he had something on his mind and didn't know where to start.

"Why are you hesitating? Could it be...that something has changed?"

After hesitating for a long time, Liu Xunyi suddenly looked up, staring at the anxious Zhao Yuan with a tangled gaze. After hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind and dared to advise: "My Lord, why don't we go back to Lin'an City together? Let's go tonight!"

……

(End of this chapter)