Chapter 206: No Jade, negotiation, tit for tat.

When Chu Ziling was secretly escorted to the main tent, he was so miserable that Shi Jinghong was shocked.

His face was bruised and purple, the outline of one eye was red and swollen, and a whip mark extended from under his eye to the corner of his mouth, so it could be seen that the blade of the whip was about to pull out his eyeball just a little bit.

Yan Yuanzhao and Yan Yuanheng were both in the main tent.

After Shi Tingyun left, Yan Yuanzhao wanted to call his horse to go with him, but Yan Yuanheng pulled him back, "Sixth brother, come with me to meet General Shi in the main camp."

Yan Yuanzhao hurriedly said, "If Tingyun thought wrongly and ran to release that Chu Ziling ......"

Yan Yuanheng replied, "Tingyun had it in mind."

Now that I've seen Chu Ziling's tragic face, Yan Yuanzhao Fang Cai is at peace.

Luckily, Tingyun didn't do anything stupid.

But Yan Yuanheng wrinkled his nose instead.

He looked at Shi Tingyun's excessively calm demeanor, and at his palm, which had thin bloodstains from gripping the whip, and his heart clenched with pain.

The envoy of the Southern Border, surnamed Kang Yang, is from the Miao tribe, dressed as a scribe, wearing a pair of crystal glasses at a young age, and his appearance and eloquence are extraordinary.

He lightly glanced at Chu Ziling, who had been beaten into a dog's demeanor, and calmly turned his head, speaking a mouthful of Chinese with exceptional fluency: ''The two princes, General Shi. General Tie Muer's letter has been read by several of you, but the peace talks still need to be agreed upon in detail. In the next few days, I will stay in your army to discuss this matter. As for ......"

He pointed to Chu Ziling, "...... This Chu Ziling, I have been asked to make sure I bring him back to the southern border."

Shi Jinghong: "By whom?"

Kang Yang said, "Best friend Ai Sha."

At those words, Chu Ziling's bloodstained eyes turned slightly.

...... Ai Sha?

Ai Sha, are you crazy?

Why did he send someone to take him away when he could have done something if he had stayed in the Northern Army?

Chu Ziling has always acted steadily, but he has also fantasized countless times in private that when he unveils his face in front of the public, the faces of the public that are either shocked, pained, or angry, and he can accept it as peacefully as possible, after all, by that time, he has already achieved success and fame, and Yan Yuanzhao, Yan Yuanheng, and even Shi Jinghong are no more than prisoners in front of him. In front of himself, Yan Yuanzhao, Yan Yuanheng, and even Shi Jinghong, are nothing more than prisoners and turtles in a jar.

It ...... was never like now, when he was kneeling in front of the hall with a bruise and swollen face, surrounded by people, and it was hard to know whether he would live or die.

Shi Jinghong did not move, "Chu Ziling, what do you have to say?"

Chu Ziling's heart was full of fear and confusion, but at this time, it was all put away.

He raised his head and said firmly, "The last general is unjustly accused!"

Kang Yang holds up a cup of tea and sips it with a calm demeanor.

Yan Yuanzhao was a bit unable to help himself and jumped the gun, "You said that this man is a traitor, but he joined the general's residence when he was twelve years old, so how could he have been admitted to the residence if his family wasn't pure and clean?"

Kang Yang set aside her teacup, "Scouts should be raised from a young age, such simple reasoning, the Sixth Prince should understand."

Yan Yuanzhao: "......"

Being speechless, he thought the envoy was a bit odd.

It is reasonable to say that scouts planted in the enemy camp should either be kept at all times, or simply be regarded as abandoned and thrown away after being discovered, so why did this person take the initiative to expose Chu Ziling's identity, and even plan to bring it back?

This Southlander, what exactly did he plan to do?

Not to mention that Yan Yuanzhao and Chu Ziling were also confused.

What does he mean by that?

Chu Ziling No matter what Ai Sha is crazy, he has been a slave for several years for the sake of one day's success, how can he let his efforts go down the drain like this?

He kowtowed once and said, "General, Gong Zi, Zi Ling does not know how to defend himself. I have been in the general's house since I was a child, free from the pain of wandering and the grace of being taught, so how could I have practiced that disloyalty and injustice?"

The words "since childhood" remind Chu Ziling of his displacement in the past, and of the piece of jade that crumbled to pieces at the foot of Shi Tingyun.

His heart and stomach throbbed with pain, and even the small of his back was tangled in a knot.

Even so, his face is barely holding on, not see anxious, but more helpless and heartache: "The Southland people just want to use this to sow discord, can there be real evidence? Gong Zi, Zi Ling since childhood and you grew up together, deep friendship, you are a moment by the villain blinded, Zi Ling willing to suffer Gong Zi anger. But Zi Ling is innocent, his heart is blue blood, the sun and moon can tell!"

Kang Yang's demeanor was as usual, not shocked or angry, instead he praised, "What a good tea. If the peace talks go well, I wonder if Mister Kang can bring some tea back to give my best friend a taste?"

Shi Jinghong was also calm and said with a smile, "If Special Envoy Kang likes it, there is no harm in taking some away."

Chu Ziling was stretched so much by the two people, the speech that painfully declared his innocence appeared to be feeble.

But it doesn't matter.

He figured that as long as there was no credentials, then there was room for maneuver.

Just ......

"...... clean and dandy?"

While he was still harboring illusions, Shi Tingyun picked up a pile of letters sitting on the desk and handed it to him, his hand shaking a little and making a rustling, crumbling sound, "...... You mean these?"

Then he slapped the letter hard in Chu Ziling's face.

Chu Ziling Seeing the pile of letters, black characters on white paper, he did not feel that his eyes were black, and a fire in his heart burned his head.

...... What is this South Border people doing? Really want to unload the mill to kill the donkey?

"Seven years of the Battle of the Twin Cities." Kang Yang played with the tea cup and narrated, "...... It happened when Shi Gong Zi went to the border for the first time. Gong Zi was still young at the time, and stayed in the main city, not going out to fight in the war. The one who served him was this Chu Ziling.I remember that Gong Zi also had a boy named Li Yeshu, who stayed in the general's residence and did not accompany him. I dare to ask General Shi, if this letter with immediate military information and handwriting similar to that of Gong Zi's was not sent by Gong Zi, then who most likely sent it? If this matter were to be judged by the world, I don't know how many secret stories would come out."

Yan Yuanheng, who was listening, changed his expression.

That's a really toxic thing to say!

This person surnamed Kang has a smile on his face, but it is clear that he is a ruthless character, and he is actually trying to involve Shi Tingyun in his words!

Shi Jinghong when the general loves the son, people all know, at present, Chu Ziling may be the matter of the spy, only a few pro guards and they know, but if the southern border people will be this matter spread out ......

Even for the sake of Shi Tingyun's reputation, Shi Jinghong had to immediately find a reasonable culprit to come out of the matter, otherwise once the matter spreads, not to mention Shi Tingyun general's son's identity will attract how much criticism for him, even if it is a "lax discipline" of the notoriety, are enough to Shi Tingyun drink a pot of water. Shi Tingyun will be able to drink a pot of water.

To put it bluntly, this is a naked threat.

--If you hand over Chu Ziling, then this matter will be known to God, to you and to me.

--If the intention is to shelter, it is not known who will be victimized once the rumor spreads.

Shi Jinghong understood the meaning of these words, but he only gave a gentle smile, "Special Envoy Kang has paid quite a bit of attention to my son, and is even familiar with my son's sidekick."

"I apologize for the offense. I was not previously aware of the General's family affairs." Kang Yang looked to Chu Ziling, "All thanks to this man, who explained it clearly in his letter."

Chu Ziling's eyes turned sharply, reading the several letters that fell in front of him, and his heart sank even further.

It is not all letters, it is selected, but the biased seals are deadly.

This includes the military information he communicated a few months ago about Wen Feiru's injury, the Dingyuan emergency, and the Fusui matter.

If one pushes for a forgery, who can learn so many secrets?

What's more, when he, Fang Cai, said something like that, he was practically forcing Shi Jinghong to condemn him immediately.

But there's no reason for the Southlander to do this to himself, especially Ai Sha, who has to point himself upwards.

Furthermore, if he wanted to harm himself, he could have sent a direct message and cut off his life, so why would he go to the trouble of proposing to bring himself back to the Southern Border?

Along with Chu Ziling's eyes, his heart is full of thoughts.

Only Ai Sha has these letters. Ai Sha has sent this person to meet him, and he has also displayed all his cards, what exactly is the reason for this?

Could it be that there is a change in the royal family of the southern border? Or the South Border King asked about himself, Ai Sha had to say his true identity, so the South Border King would like to see himself, the envoy to come here, the real compulsion to expressly ask, but also by the reason of the order of the Lord?

The more Chu Ziling thinks about it, the more reasonable it is.

Only then does everything make sense and make sense.

Thinking about this, he simply did not open his mouth to plead his case.

Yan Yuanzhao and Yan Yuanheng, who were on the side, heard the sinister words of Kang Yang and could not help but feel a little anxious.

Yan Yuanzhao looked towards Shi Jinghong, while Yan Yuanheng looked towards Shi Tingyun, who looked uncertain.

Shi Jinghong, as if oblivious, said, "Envoy Kang, then why should I return this man to the Southern Border? All I have to do is throw him out of the tent at this point, and he will immediately be split into five horses."

Kang Yang laughed, "General Shi is a smart man, it should not be willing to bring the matter of Young General Shi's lax governance to the point where everyone knows about it."

Shi Jinghong's smile remained unchanged, "Thank you, Envoy Kang, for taking the trouble."

He picked up Tie Muer's book of peace talks, flipped through two pages, and commanded without lifting his head, "Left and right, stab Chu Ziling to death with a sword, saying that Special Envoy Kang intended to commit murder, and that Chu Ziling died protecting me, and then drag Special Envoy Kang out and chop him up."

Kang Yang: "......"

As soon as the right and left vice generals drew their swords, Envoy Kang's cold sweat sprang up a back in a split second: "When ......"

Shi Jinghong raised his eyes, a gentle smile on his long brows and eyes, "Envoy Kang, if I respond in this manner, how do you plan to publicize this matter?"

Kang Yang sweated, seeing the left and right put away their swords and knives, and only then reluctantly put his heart down, "General Shi, you're joking."

Shi Jinghong said, "Special Envoy Kang, don't make jokes. We are negotiating for peace, and frankness is the first thing we should do. If you want to take Chu Ziling away, you must give me a reason not to kill him."

"He's been a bit restless lately." I don't know if it's because of the shock, but Kang Yang was unexpectedly frank, "Probably because he has a future in the Northern Household Army and wants to plan for his own future. We really do not want to sit back and watch the Central Plains have another tiger general. He has rebelled against both the Central Plains and the Southern Border, so we will bring him back and let him know how traitors should be treated. General Shi can rest assured that this man will not be treated well when he is sent back to the Southern Border. In particular, Ai Sha, who entrusted me with the visit, has a blood feud with him over the killing of his relatives, and will never lightly indulge him."

Kang Yang's attitude of not praising but criticizing made Chu Ziling feel more at ease.

He had really come to pick himself up.

Shi Jinghong pondered for a while, "Chu Ziling, how are you going to choose? Will you stay, or will you go back to the Southern Border?"

Chu Ziling had never thought that Shi Jinghong would ask for his opinion, and a cold sweat beaded down: "I ......"

With just this hesitation, ten thousand thoughts and a thousand thoughts rolled through his mind.

His own identity, by Kang Yang publicly singled out, and letters to testify, although there is still room for defense, or take the right hand to write in public, to prove innocence, but to stay here, but it is no longer useful.

Even if Shi Tingyun trusted himself, once the seed of doubt was planted, there was no turning back.

Instead, back in the southern border, he had another chance to fight on.

In the Central Plains these days, he has already had a lot of insight into the defense of the Central Plains, even if he did not make the Shi family father and son into a cast, take this information back, the end is not a loss.

And his hesitation was taken in by all those present.

Shi Jinghong waved a hand, "Okay, I know. ...... Special Envoy Kang, please."

Kang Yang knew that it was a done deal, and with a respectful arch of the hand, Chu Ziling was gagged, dragged out, and found an unused tent to hold him for the time being.

Kang Yang settled down and continued to drink his tea.

Yan Yuanzhao, however, could not sit still any longer and approached Shi Jinghong, saying softly, "General Shi, what is the point of letting him go back? Killing him on the spot is the best way to save Tingyun's reputation."

"Thank you Sixth Prince for caring about my son." Shi Jinghong replied, "But who in the personal guard camp does not know the relationship between that Chu Ziling and my son, killing him hastily without giving the reason, the rumors will only get worse."

Yan Yuanzhao disagreed: "It would be better to execute him in secret, since only a dozen people know about it. What if they bring Chu Ziling back and then use those letters with handwriting similar to Tingyun's to make an issue of it? What's more, that Chu Ziling knows a lot about the military situation in the Central Plains ......"

"Sixth Prince, don't worry." Shi Jinghong was still gentle and courteous, "You can rest assured, Chu Ziling has been transferred to the Snapdragon Battalion for many months, and the defense has already been adjusted. Moreover, they will not believe any of Chu Ziling's words. Chu Ziling will definitely die if he goes to the southern border."

Yan Yuanzhao raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Kang Yang seems to have sensed Yan Yuanzhao's concerns, and has taken the initiative to show his sincerity.

He pointed to the scattered letters on the ground and said, "General, you have read all the letters, they are all originals. You can burn them all, and after you leave this tent, Kang will not mention the letters again. Consider that Chu Ziling stole the army's property and was dismissed and driven out of the army."

"Special Envoy Kang is truly thoughtful, and I, Shimou, would like to thank him."

After Shi Jinghong signaled, Shi Tingyun, who had been standing at the side with his head hanging down, started to collect the secret letters scattered on the ground.

At the same time, Shi Jinghong spoke again, "Special Envoy Kang, Shi Mou here also has a matter that I would like you to know about."

Kang Yang is polite: "What is it?"

Shi Jinghong said, "Tingyuan Wen Feiru, has never been injured."

Kang Yang, not knowing why he brought it up, smiled politely, "That's not very ......"

Even before the word "good" was uttered, Kang Yang realized the meaning behind the words and immediately broke out in goosebumps.

Yan Yuanzhao and Yan Yuanheng at first did not quite understand why Shi Jinghong brought up the matter.

Wen Feiru wasn't seriously wounded before the Battle of Dingyuan ......

Shi Jinghong looked at Kang Yang's white face and slowly said, "I realized that there was a traitor in my house, so I played a small trick and told my close people two different messages, one was that Wen Feiru was injured, and the other was that Vice Admiral Bai was injured in Yongzhou City. And soon afterward, Dingzhou was attacked by your army."

Yan Yuanzhao also gradually realized the situation, and with astonishment in his eyes, he looked towards Shi Tingyun who was packing up the letters.

The sadness on Shi Tingyun's face was no longer there, and he picked up the letters page by page and threw them into the fireplace.

As the tongues of fire burned the corners of the paper to the point of buckling, Shi Jinghong laughed and said, "Since we have long since identified the traitor, we will work hard for Special Envoy Kang to send the traitor back to the Southern Border for us, and deal with him properly."

......

Chu Ziling, in the other tent, knew nothing of what was happening in the main tent.

He bent his knees and touched the object in his arms.

The piece of broken jade is still there.

After the jade was crushed by the enraged Shi Tingyun, he had wrapped the broken jade and put it back in his arms on the pretext that it was a relic of his mother.

Broken jade can also be repaired, put together, and it is not difficult to see the original appearance.

The ...... still works and is still available.

Chu Ziling could only comfort himself in this way, leaning his head against the hardwood on one side and enduring the pain that burned around his body.

In the next few days, Kang Yang stayed in the army to discuss the peace talks. Chu Ziling heard from his guards who were chatting outside that Kang Yang admired General Shih and the Young General in the past few days, and that he was more humble than he was when he first came here.

But Chu Ziling's days are not so good.

The body of the whip pain another, daily lack of water and food, occasionally by the guards to send a meal or rancid, even if you do not go to smell it, swallowed in one gulp, contained in the mouth of the powder and greasy taste is also called people sick.

The next day, Li Yeshu came, without saying a word, grabbed him is a burst of beatings, the hand actually than Shi Tingyun also ruthless a few points, if not outside the garrison of the guards heard the sound is not right, Chu Ziling is afraid that he will be beaten to death.

Seeing Li Yeshu's red eyes, still kicking and fighting, with a fierce crying tone in his voice, one of the tall guards simply carried him on his shoulder and sent him out to look for Young General Shi.

Chu Ziling's injuries were compounded by the fact that he could not even drink water without retching and vomiting.

But Li Yeshu seemed to miss him and would come to beat him up through the window whenever he could, and even brought a knife with him, and every time he ended up being taken out by his pro-health students.

Chu Ziling lived a wretched life, literally like a year.

After days and nights of hard work, it was finally time for Kang Yang to leave the camp.

The Southern Border Mission wanted to take Chu Ziling away secretly, so they chose to leave in the early hours of the morning. To avoid being seen, Chu Ziling's head was covered with a black pocket.

While being blindfolded, out of the corner of his eye, Chu Ziling caught a glimpse of Shi Tingyun, who had come to see him off.

When it came to the time of parting, Chu Ziling's heart was filled with a different kind of melancholy, secretly saying, "Gong Zi, perhaps when we see each other again, we will be enemies.

On the other hand, Kang Yang handed Shi Jinghong his hand in farewell and told him one last thing: "General Shi, Chu Ziling has a gray-necked pigeon. Take my advice, it's useless to keep it, kill it."

The peace negotiation team traveled along the Cang River, hearing the sound of waves, and far away from the main camp of the Northern Household Army, Chu Ziling on the back of the horse moved his sore body and said, "It's okay. Since we have gone far away, let go of me."

The peace talks team tasked with escorting him looked at each other for a while and snickered.

Chu Ziling was really uncomfortable being tied up and frowned, "Where is Kang Yang?"

Kang Yang harnessed his horse and ripped the black cloth from his head with one hand.

The morning light stung Chu Ziling's eyelids, and he squinted in discomfort. When he was able to open his eyes, he moved his arm, which was numb from being tied up, and thought, "Perhaps Ai Sha has not told anyone about his status as a prince, and Kang Yang is the only one who knows about it. Therefore, he moved closer to Kang Yang and whispered, "How is Ai Sha doing?"

Kang Yang looked at him, "Not very well. One of my eyes was injured, and I had to die nine times before I got my life back."

Chu Ziling was puzzled: "How could he, a civil servant, hurt his eyes?"

"...... clerks?"

Kang Yang's smiling eyes, as well as the slightly rising tone of his voice when he asked the question, gave Chu Ziling a vague sense that something was wrong.

He asked, "Didn't Ai Sha ask you to pick me up and take me back to the Southland?"

"'Back'?" Kang Yang pondered for a while and smiled, "Yes, 'back' to the Southern Border, from now on, the Southern Border Ai Sha Government, is your home. You used to be a slave in the Central Plains, and you have been a senator for a while, you have enjoyed your blessings, now you are going back to your old profession, I wonder how you feel about it?"

"...... What old business?" Chu Ziling The sense of foreboding in his heart grew stronger, "What did Ai Sha tell you?"

Kang Yang said, "Vice Admiral Ai Sha asked me to tell you that since you love to be a slave, he will reward you with a lifetime of slavery."

Ai Sha? ...... Vice Admiral?

Chu Ziling opened his mouth for a while and finally realized that the situation was very different from what he had imagined.

He didn't dare to hide it anymore, the blood in his chest hissed and boiled against the flow, rushing his head, "I am the Southern Border's Imperial Prince! I have a token on my chest!"

Kang Yang raised an eyebrow and reached into his arms, when she did feel a pile of broken, hard objects.

He removed the packet and squeezed it in his hand.

After Chu Ziling showed an expectant look, Kang Yang did not even open it, and with a wave of his hand, the packet of broken jade fell into the Cang River in response to the sound of the voice, and was instantly engulfed in the river, floating and sinking for a few moments, and then disappeared without a trace.

Facing Chu Ziling's face that turned gray and green in a flash, Kang Yang's eyes under his crystal glasses glowed with a cold light that seemed to be a smile, "...... Whether it was earlier or not, it's not now."