Chapter 640: Golden Sword Enters the Palace
At night, a team consisting of more than a dozen ox carts and dozens of people arrived at the back door of Prince Xian's palace.

Their appearance immediately alerted the gatekeepers.

"Stop!" Before everyone could get close, the leading disciple suddenly shouted, "Who are you? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Hearing this, a hunchbacked man in the team waved his hand to stop the team from moving forward, then took out a piece of paper from his arms, looked at it carefully in the dim moonlight, and then smiled flatteringly at the disciple of the Xianwang Mansion who came forward, "Excuse me, sir, is this the Xianwang Mansion?"

"That's right." The gatekeeper was stunned, looked up at the convoy, and asked suspiciously, "You are..."

"We are a troupe of opera performers from Junzhou, and we are here on behalf of a man called... a man called..." At this point, the hunchbacked man hurriedly picked up the book and took another look at it. Only then did he suddenly realize, "We are here on behalf of a man called Liu Xunyi, and we have come to your house to perform on stage."

After that, the hunchbacked man handed the letter to the gatekeeper and said with an apologetic smile, "Sir, please take a look. This is the document sent by Master Liu."

"A troupe of opera singers?"

The gatekeeper was skeptical, but saw the document clearly written, "Luoyang Xianwang Mansion, Liu Xunyi sincerely invites Junzhou Qingyue Troupe to perform at the mansion on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and rewards 300 silver coins to add to the entertainment."

"what's up?"

When the gatekeeper disciple was looking through the documents, Lin Fangda's voice suddenly came from the back door.

“Greetings, Master Lin!” The gatekeeper hurriedly bowed and presented the document in his hand to Lin Fangda, explaining, “These people claim to be a troupe of opera performers from Junzhou, saying that Liu Zhishan invited them to perform in the mansion…”

"I know about this." Lin Fangda replied nonchalantly, "At the beginning of the month, Liu Zhishan came to discuss with us how to make the gathering more lively as the mansion was full of guests during the Laba Festival. It was my idea to find a troupe to perform in the mansion."

"I see!"

After hearing Lin Fangda's explanation, the gatekeeper disciple immediately dispelled his doubts.

Little did he know that Liu Xunyi had already received an order from Zhao Yuan to try every possible means to arrange for 300 golden sword lieutenants to sneak into the Xianwang Mansion, but he could not find a suitable opportunity. It happened that on that day, he was discussing with Su Tang, Luo Qi, Lin Fangda and others how to make the Laba Festival more lively, and Lin Fangda inadvertently suggested finding a troupe of miscellaneous dramas to enter the mansion. Liu Xunyi suddenly had an idea and agreed.

Therefore, the people who appeared at the back door of Prince Xian’s Mansion tonight were not from the Qingyue Squad at all, but from the Tianji Pavilion.

The hunchbacked man in the lead was Wei Liang, one of the ten young guards of Tianji Pavilion.

“How many people are there in your troupe?”

"Including the guys who are loading and unloading the stage, there are a total of 61 people." Wei Liang pointed behind him and said with a silly smile, "The truck is loaded with items for setting up the stage, hundreds of different sizes, and we simply can't handle it without enough people."

"What kind of show are you playing?"

"Follow Master Liu's wishes and perform The Generals of the Yang Family." Wei Liang responded fluently, "Loyalty and righteousness are unparalleled, and it is a top-notch elegant play."

"The Generals of the Yang Family?" Lin Fangda was slightly stunned, then slowly nodded, "That's good, it's better than those romantic affairs."

"Master, you are absolutely right."

"Oh, right! We agreed to come on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Why did you come tonight?"

"At least set up the stage one day in advance, otherwise it will be too late." Facing Lin Fangda's questioning, Wei Liang acted very calmly, "If it is inconvenient to enter the mansion tonight, we can temporarily stay somewhere else, but... the hotel fee may have to be calculated separately. After all, we have to eat and eat, and it costs a lot to travel from Junzhou here. Hehe... It's a small business, and the money is earned through hard work. I hope you can understand. In addition, most of the items in the car are too heavy, so we need to trouble you to keep them for us temporarily. We are unfamiliar with Luoyang City. If they are lost or damaged, it will be more trouble than gain."

"Forget it!" Lin Fangda strolled back and forth in the convoy for a few laps, occasionally lifting the cloth on the car and looking inside. Seeing nothing suspicious, he nodded and agreed, "You can go in, but remember, after entering the mansion, you must obey Master Liu's arrangements. Keep your hands and feet clean, and keep your eyes, ears, and mouths closed. Don't look at what you shouldn't look at, don't listen to what you shouldn't listen to, and don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Otherwise, not only will you not get any reward money, but you may even lose your life."

Facing Lin Fangda's threat, Wei Liang turned pale with fear and said in a panic, "The Xianwang Mansion is famous all over the world. Even if we have the courage of a bear or a leopard, we dare not act recklessly here. Don't worry, sir. After entering the mansion, we will behave ourselves and will never do anything wrong."

"Yes!" Lin Fangda nodded with satisfaction, and then instructed the gatekeeper, "Lead them to the East Courtyard and let Liu Zhishan make the arrangements."

"Yes."

After saying that, Wei Liang bowed repeatedly to Lin Fangda, and then led the convoy, trembling with fear behind the gatekeeper disciple, and carefully entered the Prince Xian's Mansion.

In the East Courtyard, Liu Xunyi sat alone in front of the steps, gazing at the bright stars and the moon, as if lost in thought. He was completely unaware of the arrival of the gatekeeper disciple and Wei Liang.

"Greetings, Liu Zhishan!"

The greeting immediately woke Liu Xunyi from his deep thoughts. He looked up at Wei Liang and his group, and was startled in his heart. On the surface, he remained calm and said thoughtfully: "What are you doing..." "The Qingyue class from Junzhou has arrived." The gatekeeper disciple reported, "Master Lin ordered me to bring them here and hand them over to Liu Zhishan for arrangement."

"Oh!" Liu Xunyi responded, "Just now I was wondering when they would arrive in Luoyang City, but I didn't expect to be so obsessed with it."

"Greetings, Master Liu!" Wei Liang took the opportunity to bow to Liu Xunyi, "How dare we delay the mission of the Xianwang Mansion? Besides, Master Liu is generous, and we will definitely do our best and make thorough preparations."

"Thank you! It's getting late today, and you're all tired from the journey. Why don't you take a rest first? It won't be too late to set up the stage tomorrow morning."

"Everything will be subject to Mr. Liu's arrangements."

After saying this, Liu Xunyi sent the gatekeeper disciples back, and ordered people to settle Wei Liang and his group in the side rooms to rest, and sent people to bring them food.

As there were many people in Prince Xian's mansion, Liu Xunyi did not dare to recognize Wei Liang and others for fear of being discovered.

It was not until midnight that Liu Xunyi arranged the last group of people who were going out on patrol. Only then did he drag his tired body and return to his room with fatigue in his heart.

"Just now he was giving orders in the East Hall and everyone responded. Liu Zhishan is really impressive. No wonder he doesn't want to go back to Lin'an. It turns out he is happy there. Haha..." A teasing laugh suddenly came from the corner of the room.

Liu Xunyi didn't seem surprised by the unexpected guest. He still lit the candlesticks leisurely, poured tea and water leisurely, and said calmly: "Brother Qin, please don't talk nonsense. There are already many people in the court who have doubts about me. If you are also happy and don't miss Shu, I am afraid I will die sooner or later."

"It's just a joke, please don't take it as an offense, Brother Liu!" Qin Wei realized that Liu Xunyi seemed to be in a bad mood, so he hurriedly apologized, "The Marquis specifically told us to follow your arrangements after we enter the mansion."

"Just now I only saw Wei Liang, but not you. Where is Brother Qin hiding?"

"Wouldn't it be strange if a troupe of opera actors showed up with two or three hundred people?" Qin Wei curled his lips and said, "Only sixty-one people showed up just now, and the rest were hiding in the car. I and six brothers were squeezed in a 'coffin', and it was suffocating. I almost suffocated to death."

"Where is the Lord?"

"The Marquis has been in and out of the mansion so many times that he is too conspicuous." Qin Wei evaded the question, "So he...he is hiding somewhere else and will show up when the action is taken tomorrow night."

"Somewhere else?" Liu Xunyi frowned and asked puzzledly, "Where?"

"That... I don't know either." Qin Wei smiled awkwardly, "The Marquis is like a dragon that can't be found from head to tail, how can he tell us where he is?"

In fact, Zhao Yuan was staying with Yun Zhuiyue at the moment. First, to prevent Yun Zhuiyue from breaking his promise and escaping from the battlefield. Second, to prevent Yun Zhuiyue from harboring evil intentions and ruining their plans.

As for what Qin Wei said, it was just an excuse.

"Brother Liu, you look worried and your brows are dark. It seems that... you are worried." Qin Wei was worried that Liu Xunyi would ask about Zhao Yuan's whereabouts, so he hurriedly changed the subject. "Don't worry! After this incident, you will rise to prominence and achieve success!"

"My Lord wants to kill Luo Tianjin, then Ling Xiaoxiao, and finally I will take his place and command all the heroes in the martial arts world to submit to the great rule." Liu Xunyi said bitterly, "It sounds easy, but how difficult is it to put it into practice?"

"What are you afraid of?" Qin Wei asked, "Are you afraid that things will change, or that you will not be able to command the heroes..."

"Brother Qin, to be honest, I always feel that this matter is going too smoothly, even a little strange." Liu Xunyi hesitated again and again, and finally told Qin Wei all his worries. "Luo Tianjin obviously knew that I was an insider of the court. Why didn't he kill me, but entrusted me with an important task? Is it just because Xunzhen couldn't produce solid evidence? Also, when I proposed to send disciples in the mansion to patrol various places in the city, almost everyone in the mansion opposed it, but Luo Tianjin agreed without hesitation, and he overruled everyone and made his own decision. This section made me even more uneasy. There is a saying that 'blessings are based on disasters, and disasters are based on blessings'. I feel uneasy in my heart, as if everything is a trap set by Luo Tianjin, just waiting for us to fall into the trap."

"Brother Liu, in your heart Luo Tianjin has become an insurmountable mountain." Qin Wei said seriously, "You are used to seeing how he plays with others, how he deceives others, and how he schemes against others. Therefore, you surrender before the battle, and are sure that you are no match for him, so you regard all his actions as carefully designed traps. In fact, Luo Tianjin is also a human being, and everyone has his mistakes. In my opinion, what really makes you uneasy is not Luo Tianjin, but your inner demon."

"Brother Qin, I..."

"I know you feel guilty towards Luo Tianjin. He treated you well, and you couldn't bear to kill him, so you always found various reasons to delay our plan." Qin Wei reminded, "But don't forget that Luo Tianjin is plotting a rebellion. If we don't nip it in the bud, once it becomes bigger, the Song Dynasty will be attacked from all sides, and the people of Ming will be in dire straits. Do you want to abandon the Marquis, the court, and the people for your own selfish reasons?"

"I……"

"To be honest, the court has already made a comprehensive plan to destroy Luo Tianjin first and then Jin Fuyu. Only by eliminating internal troubles can we resist external enemies." Qin Wei spoke in a barrage of words, not giving Liu Xunyi a chance to refute. "As for you and me, we are both chess pieces in this game. We have no choice but to kill the enemy and make contributions to get rid of our humble fate, and even to be honored as wives and children, and to bring honor to our ancestors. Brother Liu, do you still remember how we felt when we were hungry and cold when we were young? I can never go back to the past, and neither can you. Therefore, we must be ruthless and eliminate all those who hinder us, and then step on their corpses to achieve fame and success step by step. There is a saying that 'one general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of bones'. Only by achieving ourselves can we be qualified to discuss right and wrong, good and evil, and right and wrong... As for now, we can only fight for life and death, success or failure, and day and night!"

"Brother Qin's words are so enlightening that they really make me ashamed."

"Brother Liu, there is no need to feel sad. Luo Tianjin will definitely die tomorrow, and you will definitely be able to take his place. Only in this way can you and I have a place to stand in the court. If this fails, the Marquis will be deposed, and you and I... will also die without a burial place."

……

(End of this chapter)