Chapter 524 Caution

The second year of Yingshun is the Year of the Sheep.

If not for a series of events, this would have been the fourteenth year of Tianbao, and the Tang Dynasty was at its most prosperous.

Luoyang, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the night of the first lunar month.

During the Chinese New Year period, the fighting on the banks of the Yellow River temporarily stopped. Ordinary people said that Shi Siming must have many relatives to visit and had no time to fight in Luoyang.

In order to calm the people's hearts, Ye Dongdu stayed behind this time in the Yuan Dynasty and spent a small amount of money to make preparations. The Luoshui River was full of lanterns, which was very lively, and the towering Mingtang was also brightly lit.

Seen from the sky, if the lanterns in Luohe are as bright as a dragon, the Mingtang is like a shining bead of fire.

"Let's go see the lanterns."

In a house in Daodefang, Du Wulang led Xue Yunniang out, shook his head and said: "The lanterns in Luoyang are definitely not as good as those in Chang'an, and there are dangers, but Wujiu wants me to come over."

Anyway, he couldn't figure out whether Xue Bai was Li Qian or not, and he didn't bother to find out. In short, he used the word to match him.

"I didn't see the Diao brothers tonight." Xue Yunniang looked back and said, "There are few guards in the mansion. Should we leave more people to protect my brother?"

"It's time to take a bath." Du Wulang said casually, "Those who are celebrating the New Year must also take a rest."

"Then what if there is an assassin..."

"How can there be so many assassins?"

Du Wulang disagreed and took Xue Yunniang's hand to look at the lanterns. This made Xue Yunniang feel that her husband was a little too arrogant and confused.

The two quickly passed through the square gate and arrived at the Luoshui River. They saw the sparkling waves on the water reflecting the lights on both sides, which was particularly beautiful.

"A new theater has opened in the south of Xingjin Bridge, near Jingshanfang. Do you know who opened it?"

Du Wulang had a lot of gossip, and when he talked about new things, he quickly attracted Xue Yunniang's attention.

"Who drove it? Do I recognize it too?"

"You must have heard that they have a great reputation." Du Wulang said, "They used to be a figure in the Emperor's Liyuan, Li Guinian's brother Li Henian."

"It's him!" Xue Yunniang had actually only heard of Li Guinian, but she couldn't help but exclaimed.

The musicians who played for the emperor back then are now opening theaters in Dongdu. Generally speaking, they must be expensive and the business is booming. Unfortunately, because Shi Siming's rebels went south, people in Luoyang were panicked, so who still wanted to watch the theater?

It is said that Li Henian planned to go south and find another way to make a living in Yangzhou. At this time, Xue Bai came out of Luoyang and stabilized the people of Luoyang.

The people were saying, "If King Yong comes, Luoyang City will definitely be defended." Li Henian decided to take a gamble. Now that he has had a good year, if he can put down the rebellion in the new year, his way of making a living will be considered a success.

Got it.

There is wine today and drunkenness tomorrow. No matter what, this Lantern Festival, the theater is very lively. Every seat on the outermost stand is sold for a lot of money, not to mention the private rooms inside.

Du Wulang had made a reservation and couldn't wait to go in. At the same time, he showed off to his wife: "Do you know who I have made an appointment to watch the show with?"

"Who?"

"Written by Wang."

Of course Xue Yunniang knew who she was talking about. She was Wang Changling, the number one person in the newspaper world today, who had been in charge of Chang'an Daily and Tianbao Wencui.

In recent years, Wang Changling's fame has greatly increased due to the newspaper. People in the past called him "Wang Jiangning" to show that he had not been promoted in Jiangning for many years. Now everyone respectfully calls him "Editor Wang".

Just as she was happy, she glanced out of the corner of her eye and seemed to see a few familiar figures in the crowd. She couldn't help but turn her head and take a closer look, but she didn't see those few people again.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I saw someone familiar."

"It's normal." Du Wulang said, "Don't pay attention to it."

"Let's go."

They quickly walked into the lobby.

On the high platform beside them, in the luxurious elegant room on the second floor, a middle-aged female Taoist priest was standing outside the window and looking out, and she couldn't help but say "Eh".

"That couple looks so familiar."

A middle-aged man said calmly in a plain, low voice, neither happy nor sad: "It is normal to meet acquaintances on such joyful occasions."

"If I hadn't admitted my mistake, this couple would have been in trouble." The female Taoist priest's face was calm and there was a hint of sarcasm in the corner of her mouth, "It's detrimental to moral integrity."

The middle-aged man was dressed in simple and elegant clothes. He was holding a string of Buddhist beads in his hand and was counting them one by one. He sighed: "If someone bumps into this man and woman in this room, it will be detrimental to the morals."

"What are you afraid of? People in the world say that you and I are good friends. Isn't that enough?"

"When you are old, you should not be greedy for the pleasures of the past."

"Wang Mojie, are you still thinking about your capture? As I said, it will not affect your future. Your brother is now staying in Taiyuan. It shows that the imperial court has no intention of pursuing blame."

Wang Wei sighed: "I can't pass the threshold in my heart."

Princess Yuzhen looked out the window again, trying to find the man and woman she just saw.

After that, a burst of drum music sounded, and the play began. The famous song "The Romance of the West Chamber" was sung on the stage today. Many Liyuan disciples participated. It is said that some of them had seen King Yong competing with the Supreme Emperor. He was a famous performer in the world.

Wang Wei also opened his eyes and looked towards the stage.

However, he unexpectedly saw the figure of an old friend in the lobby, that was Wang Changling. Wang Changling was turning his head and scanning the stands behind him, as if he was looking for something.

~~

That same night, in a remote corner of Luoyang City, several people were gathering together to discuss something.

"If you are willing to return to Dayan, the saint will definitely reward you greatly."

"good!"

The person who answered was a young man, about twenty years old, with a strong build, thin cheeks, prominent brow bones, and a high nose bridge. He should be a Khitan in appearance. He was wearing a robe, and his manner was somewhat bookish.

This man's name is Wang Wujun, and his experience is very legendary.

He is a member of the Khitan Nuji tribe, and his father led the tribe to annex the Tang Dynasty during the Kaiyuan period. He was good at riding and archery since he was a child, and his archery skills were extremely superb, so he was regarded as an archer by An Lushan and presented to Li Longji.

, he stayed in Chang'an when he was fifteen and became a member of the Imperial Guard.

At that time, Wang Wujun's team of shooters had a leading general, Zhang Zhongzhi, who is now the general of the Yan Army. When An Lushan rebelled, Zhang Zhongzhi led eighteen of them from Chang'an back to Fan Yang, and followed An Lushan to kill him.

To Luoyang.

Later, Zhang Zhongzhi was ordered to lead troops back to Hebei to aid, while Wang Wujun stayed in Luoyang due to injury. This stay lasted until An Qingxu fled and the Emperor of Dayan changed hands.

Now that Shi Siming had been unable to attack Heyang for a long time, he secretly sent people to Luoyang to contact his old troops. Wang Wujun heard what his companions said, so he had to return to Dayan.

"One more thing, if you can make great contributions, wouldn't it be more appropriate to return to Dayan?"

"How to make meritorious service?" Wang Wujun asked.

"Today, Li Guangbi is sticking to Heyang and is cowardly and refuses to fight. If the Tang Dynasty forced Shu Han to leave Tongguan again and Li Guangbi went to fight, the saint would win the world. Therefore, Prime Minister Zhou ordered us to go to Chang'an, and Luoyang spread rumors that Li Guangbi wanted to support Yong.

The king rebelled'."

"Got it."

Wang Wujun thought again, he was so skilled, why did he stay in Luoyang doing such trivial things as spreading rumors, and asked: "If I assassinate Xue Bai, will it be considered a great achievement?"

"Of course! This man is Dayan's greatest enemy. If you can kill him, it will be the first contribution to the founding of Dayan."

Wang Wujun made the decision without saying a word that he was going to assassinate him.

Opportunities like this during the Lantern Festival are rare.

Two years ago, when Zhang Zhongzhi heard about An Lushan's rebellion and was about to flee back to Fanyang, Wang Wujun asked him, "We have the forbidden army talisman, why don't we assassinate the emperor and make great achievements?" Zhang Zhongzhi gave him a slap in the face and said this

If it doesn't work out, it will endanger your own life, and you won't be able to escape at that time.

Wang Wujun has always remembered this matter, and today he has weighed it. Luoyang is different from Chang'an, and Xue Bai's residence is also different from the palace.

Moreover, he had lived in Chang'an and Luoyang for many years, served as a member of the imperial army, and was very familiar with the terrain and the garrison habits of dignitaries' mansions, so he dared to give it a try.

"kill."

"How?"

"I have noticed for a long time that Xue Bai lives in a private house in Daodefang. The house is not big, so we killed him one by one."

"Where are the guards?"

"They are all rubbish. How could I not know that these decorations around the nobles of the Tang Dynasty will only freeze with fear when they encounter blood."

Wang Wujun has a deep memory of the Wang Welding rebellion, and he knows that sudden rushes often have unexpected effects...

~~

It's late at night, and there is no curfew in Luoyang tonight.

Daodefang, Yongwang Mansion.

This place is actually the property of the Du family in Luoyang. It has always been vacant. Xue Bai found it convenient to live here, so he lived here recently.

The lanterns under the eaves were swaying, and there were only two guards standing at the door.

In the darkness, six people came over with lanterns and asked, "Has King Yong gone to bed?"

"What's the matter?"
To be continued...