Chapter 665 An old friend from a foreign land
"The Emperor of Han loves beauty and wants to conquer the country, but he has ruled for many years but failed to do so. The Yang family has a daughter who has just grown up, but she is kept in the inner chamber and unknown to the world. She is born with a beautiful appearance and is chosen to be by the emperor's side. She looks back and smiles, and all the beauties in the palace pale in comparison..."

The business of Yingtianlou in Xijingfu was as prosperous as ever today. Customers flocked in like clouds, and the place was full of wealthy customers. It was very lively and bustling.

The girl singing on the stage was no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. Her voice was melodious, ethereal and clear, making people feel relaxed and happy, as if they were listening to the sound of nature.

At this moment, the little girl was holding a pipa in her arms, plucking it with her slender hands, making the notes ups and downs, while she was chanting Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" with a sad expression and melancholy eyes, as if she was immersed in the tragic love between Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan.

The guests in Yingtian Tower were gradually attracted by the music. They subconsciously stopped making noise and stared at the girl on the stage, listening to her with fascination and unable to control themselves.

At a table on the second floor, Qin Ku was alone, looking at the table full of delicious food but he couldn't muster the slightest interest. He just stared blankly at the girl singing in the audience, with a dull expression and deep eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

"The six armies refused to move, so what could I do? The pretty lady died before the horse..."

Qin Ku muttered to himself, and before he knew it, a hint of sadness emerged in the depths of his eyes.

"If the Lord of Qin was Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, I believe he would not have sentenced Yang Yuhuan to death, even if his ministers advised against it."

Suddenly, a clear and pleasant laughter sounded from beside the table, which immediately startled Qin Ku, who was in a trance, and his face changed immediately. He looked up hurriedly.

But he saw a young scholar with a fair face and elegant manner, standing leisurely in front of him.

Qin Ku was stunned and looked at the scholar for a long time, but still couldn't recognize his identity.

"you are?"

"You are such a forgetful person. After just a few months of not seeing you, Palace Master Qin already doesn't recognize me."

After saying this, the pale-faced scholar waved his sleeves and disappeared from before his eyes. In an instant, his face was completely changed and he turned into a stunningly beautiful woman.

Seeing this scene, Qin Ku couldn't help but be shocked. He also found that the woman's face seemed familiar, so he hesitated for a moment, and suddenly his eyes changed, and he asked in surprise: "Are you Xunzhen?"

Yes, this woman was Xunzhen, who escaped from Prince Xian’s palace overnight and had been hiding for many days without showing up.

At this moment, Xunzhen was accompanied by Yelu Qin and Abaolu, who were in disguise.

"It turns out to be you."

After recognizing the person, Qin Ku's voice sounded slightly disappointed, as if he had little interest. Without any extra greetings, Qin Ku just drank and said nonchalantly, "Why do you say that I won't sentence Yang Yuhuan to death?"

Xunzhen smiled slightly and said calmly, "Qingfeng sent three letters in a row, urging the Hexi Qin family to send people to Lin'an to kill Liu Xunyi, but the Qin Mansion Master did not reply even a single word. Is this noble and aloof intention of the Qin Mansion Master alone, or is it the intention of hundreds of people in the Qin family?"

Qin Ku paused for a moment while holding the wine glass, and asked with interest, "What do you think?"

"The Qin family has no friendship with Liu Xunyi, and they even have a lot of resentment. Therefore, it was the Qin Mansion Master who was determined not to kill Liu Xunyi, even if he didn't hesitate to disobey the order of the martial arts leader." Xunzhen smiled and said, "As I expected, some people in the mansion couldn't hold back. I just don't know... have they advised the Qin Mansion Master against it?"

"Haha..." Xunzhen hit the nail on the head, causing Qin Ku to laugh out loud, "They wanted to use military force to remonstrate this morning, but unfortunately I am not Li Longji, and Liu Xunyi is not Yang Yuhuan, so they can't act rashly."

Yelu Qin said with emotion: "Master Qin is willing to sacrifice the future and destiny of the Qin family for Liu Xunyi. This is truly admirable!"

"You can respect and admire me, but you can also worry about me." Xunzhen said with a veiled tone, "It is undoubtedly a blessing for Liu Xunyi to have a friend like you. But it seems a little bit..."

"You're only half right." Qin Ku retorted, "It's certainly a blessing for Liu Xunyi to have a friend like me, but it's equally precious for me to have a friend like him."

"Why?"

"When I first met him, he was the most famous person in the world, and I was just a charlatan who was eating and drinking for free everywhere." Qin Ku recalled, "But even so, he still didn't despise me, but treated me honestly. Just because of this, now that he is in trouble, I can't betray him and sell out my friend for fame."

"What about the Qin family?" Yelu Qin asked curiously, "You let Liu Xunyi go and offended Qingfeng. Have you ever thought about the fate of the Qin family?"

"It is precisely because I am concerned about the Qin family that I remain moderate and neither help Qingfeng nor Liu Xunyi."

"Luo Tianjin has done you a favor, are you going to repay him like this?" Abaolu asked in a bad tone, "Let go of the traitor who betrayed and assassinated him?"

"I don't believe Liu Xunyi would kill Luo Tianjin." Qin Ku said seriously, "Even if everyone in the world says so... I still don't believe it."

"you……"

"Forget it!" Xunzhen interrupted Abaolu's argument without leaving a trace, and raised his eyebrows slightly, pretending to be displeased, "We have come from afar, does Lord Qin only want us to stand and talk?"

"You can sit down, but you are not allowed to drink my wine or eat my food." Qin Ku's eyes were cautious and serious.

"You are now the head of the Qin family. You are no longer the poor boy you were back then. Why are you still so stingy?" Yelu Qin said sarcastically, "When you were in the Xianwang Mansion, you were a famous miser who never gave a penny."

"Is there a free banquet in the world?" Qin Ku curled his lips, then rolled his eyes and asked curiously, "Oh right! On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month last year...what happened in the Xianwang Mansion? Also, where were you when Luo Tianjin got into trouble? Where did you go afterwards?" "There is no free banquet in the world, and there is no free news either." Xunzhen used his own method to fight back, "If you want to get news, you must exchange it with wine and food."

Hearing this, Qin Ku was stunned and said in astonishment: "This is really strange. I have only been away from Prince Xian's Mansion for a few days, why have all of you become so weird? Why? After Luo Tianjin's death, Prince Ning and Miss Xunzhen have also fallen to the point of cheating for food and drink?"

"Ha ha……"

Qin Ku's words made Yelu Qin and Xun Zhen laugh.

Although the three of them seem to be talking and laughing and seem very happy, their laughter is actually full of bitterness and sorrow, which they cannot tell to outsiders.

"After all, we know each other, so I'll treat you to a meal." Qin Ku's mood improved, and he was generous and open-minded.

"In this case, I hope that Lord Qin will be a good person to the end and send the Buddha to the west." Xunzhen pointed downstairs and said, "We still have two tables downstairs. I hope Lord Qin will not be stingy with rewards."

Hearing this, Qin Ku was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and shouted "I've been fooled".

After three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes, several people reminisced about the past and had a great time talking.

Many secrets that were taboo in the past are now revealed "under the influence of alcohol".

"In fact, I have already guessed the purpose of your getting close to Luo Tianjin." Qin Ku's face was slightly red, and he looked a little drunk. "Isn't it just for Xi..."

"Shh!"

Before Qin Ku could utter the word "Western Liao", Yelu Qin's face changed with fear and he hurriedly stopped him: "There are many people here, it's not like when we were in the Xianwang Mansion. I hope Lord Qin will be careful with his words!"

"Alas!" Xunzhen sighed, "Now that things have come to this, I don't know how we are going to explain this to Prince Shao Qin when we return..."

"boom!"

Suddenly, Abaolu slammed his fist on the table. Whether it was because of the alcohol or because he was angry, his face turned red and his eyes were full of resentment. He said in a deep voice: "I only hate Luo Tianjin for seeking fame and reputation. He can only cause trouble instead of success! If he had not indulged Liu Xunyi again and again, how could he have fallen to this point? Now, he not only killed himself, but also implicated us and the young king of Qin. It's really hateful and abominable!"

"Shut up!" Xunzhen was worried that Abaolu might say something out of turn after drinking, so his face darkened and he scolded, "The matter is done, what's the point of complaining? Besides, Luo Tianjin is dead, and we... at least are still alive."

"Hehe, you guys are really good at slipping away." Qin Ku joked, "You noticed something was wrong early and took advantage of the chaos to escape from Luoyang City. Otherwise, your fate might not be luckier than Luo Tianjin's. But in the final analysis, Luo Tianjin is just an ally you found in the Central Plains, he is not irreplaceable. Although he is dead, you can choose someone new, why rush back to apologize?"

"Newcomer? Lord Qin, are you talking about yourself?" Yelu Qin stared at Qin Ku and asked carefully.

“No, no, no!” Qin Ku waved his hands repeatedly. “Qin is content with a small fortune and has no ambitions or aspirations, so he has no interest in your big things. The newcomer I’m talking about is… the newly appointed leader of the martial arts world.”

"Qingfeng?" Xunzhen snorted and laughed, "This man is so fake that he seems genuine, and so treacherous that he seems loyal. We really can't trust this old fox. I even suspect... that Luo Tianjin's death is related to him."

"What?" Qin Ku's eyes changed, and he quickly asked, "What do you mean?"

"Just think about it, Ling Xiaoxiao is just a woman, how could she escape from the chaotic situation unscathed? And how could she easily control the power of the Xianwang Mansion? If you say that she has no one to support her, I would rather die than believe it."

"That makes sense!" Qin Ku nodded repeatedly, as if thinking about something.

"In fact, I have long seen that this woman is a vicious woman." Yeluqin sneered, "Palace Master Qin doesn't know that in the Xianwang Mansion, Ling Xiaoxiao is one of the few people who knows the secret between us and Luo Tianjin. Even Liu Xunyi knows nothing about it. Therefore, Zhao Yuan's sudden change of attitude from recruiting to suppressing the bandits must be Ling Xiaoxiao's obstruction."

"Not only that, someone leaked our identities to the Mongols not long ago. So when we went to the Western Regions, there were notices posted at every pass and fortress along the way to arrest us. We had no choice but to disguise ourselves." Xunzhen said helplessly, "I suspect that the person who leaked the secret to the Mongols and wanted to kill us was also Ling Xiaoxiao. How can we trust this father and daughter who acted so despicable?"

Qin Ku nodded slowly, his face thoughtful, and suddenly raised his eyelids, and asked with a smile: "I guess... this is the real reason why you are looking for me?"

Hearing this, Xunzhen and Yeluqin couldn't help but look at each other, both with a solemn look on their faces.

"That's right! The Mongolian general stationed in the Xijing area is named Sui Zuo. He suffered a loss from the "disguise technique" in Huashan, so he is very strict with the passers-by coming and going. I heard that he placed a basin of clean water in front of each major pass, and everyone who came and went had to wash their face three times, wishing they could rub off a layer of skin, before they were allowed to pass. If we want to get through by cheating, it will be as difficult as climbing to the sky..."

"Wait!" Qin Ku's eyes moved and he interrupted, "How do you know that Sui Zuo suffered from the 'disguise technique' in Huashan? If I remember correctly, you two...sneak attacked Jinjianwu in Jingjiang Prefecture at that time and never went to Huashan."

"This..." Being questioned by Qin Ku in person, Yelu Qin couldn't help but look uneasy.

"Although we have never been to Mount Hua, it does not mean that we do not have people there." Xunzhen said in a veiled manner, "Young King Qin's methods are far more powerful than Palace Master Qin imagined."

Qin Ku knew that the more he knew about some things, the more trouble he would have. In order to avoid getting into trouble, he stopped asking questions and said with a silly smile, "Just tell me! What do you want me to do?"

"The Hexi Qin family has been working in the northwest for many years. They are wealthy and powerful, and have many informants. Therefore, we hope..." Xunzhen paused for a moment. Seeing Qin Ku listening patiently, he took a deep breath and told him everything he was thinking. "I hope that the Qin Palace Master will help us pass through the customs smoothly because we know each other."

……

(End of this chapter)