Southern Jiang.

After successfully recapturing the four cities on the north of Bo Ku, Leng Qingtang led the imperial army to settle in the Qingche City and joined the teams of Ji Yaoguang and Lang Huan.

In the next five days, Leng Qingtang brought messengers proficient in Boku language to negotiate with the country's envoys many times. Taking the captured commander in chief and soldiers of the Bo Ku army as hostages, he asked them to clearly write down the number of prisoners redeemed and the amount of silver paid to Da Yi in the capitulation.

At the same time, Leng Qingtang rewarded the generals and Ji Yaoguang's team with enough treasure deducted from the war trophies and money in Qingche City.

Ji Yaoguang declined the reward of 100000 liang money. She only hoped that Master Leng could provide her with a convenient and unimpeded shipping line by virtue of his connections when transporting goods by sea in the future.

Leng Qingtang didn't refuse her request.

Later, Ji Yaoguang led her pirate team to leave by boat. The Lang Army also returned to Guangxi in batches.

The old chieftain in charge of the Yunnan border affairs died in the war, and his oldest son inherited his position according to laws and regulations.

Soon after, the eunuch sent by the imperial court of Da Yi arrived at the government office set up on the border between the two countries and read out Imperial Mother Xiao's decree on the appointment of a new chieftain. Leng Qingtang and others finally learned the news that the emperor and queen died, that Prince Chen succeeded to the throne as emperor, and that the imperial edict had been shown to the world.

Leng Qingtang was stunned.

How was it possible that Prince Chen Huanan Xin succeeded to the throne?

Everyone in the world knew that he was a fool!

He asked the eunuch Lord Liu about the reason and was told that as early as a year ago, Prince Chen was hit by lightning on a rainy night. When he woke up, he unexpectedly became normal.

Leng Qingtang couldn't believe it at all. This was nonsense!

Although he was angry, he could do nothing.

He was one step away, one last step away from success!

At that time, in order to subdue the Lang Army, he resolutely played Empress Qian at her own game for her true wickedness. He didn't realize that when he led the army to the south, something big happened in the capital.

It was the sinister person who secretly conspired behind the scenes and deliberately blocked the news after the event. Even though the Eastern Depot had eyes on the border of Yunnan, it failed to get the news from the capital as soon as possible, so he did not know the secret.

At this time, the man's back was sweating. He was angry and regretful.

He sighed that every man had a fool in his sleeve.

He secretly planned for more than ten years and he was about to turn the tide and control the world. In the end, he just let others hitch a free ride.

Now what Leng Qingtang hated most was Prince Chen Huanan Xin, whose perfect camouflage could deceive him and Yu Xuanji.

Leng Qingtang’s face became pale with anger, and he could not help worrying about the current situation of Yu Xuanji and the Eastern Depot.

Relying on his intuition, he knew that the death of Emperor Jingxiao and Empress Qian was unusual. They would not be killed by the disciples of the Clan of Swords, as the eunuch mentioned casually.

At this time, both Yu Xuanji and the Eastern Depot were in extreme crisis.

The person who made him restless most was Yunxi. Yunxi and Concubine Yu in the palace were like sisters. If something happened in the palace, she must not turn a blind eye. He hoped she wouldn't get into any trouble.

Next, the eunuch read another imperial decree. He asked Leng Qingtang to go with him someday and board the ship from Qiongyang to Kunhuang Island in Wei Sea to meet the people of the Eastern Depot, so as to find out the secret of the underground palace for the imperial court as soon as possible.

Leng Qingtang paced back and forth as soon as he came back to the house. The captain and the platoon leader stood by and looked at him, also frowning. They really wanted to get on the boat and returned to Wei Sea immediately to meet Chiliarch Cheng and others.

The knock on the door outside was not too loud, but it was enough to attract the attention of the people in the room.

"Who is there?"

Leng Qingtang stared at the black figure on the window and asked in a deep voice, with his usual alert.

"My Lord, I'm from the East."

Seeing the special shadow of the hand on the window paper, Leng Qingtang immediately understood that it was his own person, which could be proved by the special signals and gestures.

The seventh captain quickly opened the door and saw a young man of seventeen or eighteen years old outside.

He was the entourage who came with the eunuch.

The man came into the house, tore off his mask, knelt down, and said,

"Master Leng, I am a secret guard from the fifth team in the Eastern Depot in the capital."

"Rise."

Seeing his subordinates, Leng Qingtang suddenly seemed to have set his mind at ease. He calmed down and helped the man up in person with bright eyes,

"Tell me, is there any news from the capital?"

With a heavy heart, the secret guard frankly said,

"Master, one night more than ten days ago, hundreds of thousands of troops in the capital suddenly surrounded the Palace and killed thousands of disciples of the Clan of Swords in Prince Qin's name. Even Wenren Junzheng was killed."

"When I came out of the capital in disguise, I heard that the heads of Wenren and several big disciples had been hung under the Gate of Yangfangkou for many days."

"Sure enough, things are far from as simple as eunuch Liu said. Why did the capital army enter the palace without the emperor's gold Warrior Token?"

Leng Qingtang was shocked. He was stunned for a moment. He suddenly thought of something and asked in a hurry,

"Where is the High Priest?"

The secret guard shook his head with a bitter face,

"After the disciples of the Clan of Swords were suppressed, Prince Chen and Imperial Mother Xiao took control of the government. They claimed that High Priest was a demon, saying that High Priest cooperated with the Clan of Swords to assassinate the emperor. Now they are posting portraits everywhere to arrest High Priest."

Leng Qingtang's face was dark and he was a little relieved. He touched his forehead with cold fingers and said,

"Well, arrest portraits posted everywhere at least show that High Prist is still alive. He should have escaped successfully."

The secret guard continued,

"At present, the situation in the capital is very chaotic. Imperial Mother Xiao banned many privileges of the Eastern Depot on the grounds of the national funeral, and the secret guards are greatly restricted."

"The captain racked his brains to come up with an idea. He sent me in disguise to escort the decree officer into Yunnan as an attendant to take the opportunity to bring you the news."

"Master, the capital is already a dangerous place. Imperial Mother Yu specially asked that you and Miss Yun should never go back to the capital again. "

Leng Qingtang's long eyelashes trembled and became nervous again,

"Isn't Yunxi in the Eastern Depot?"

"When the old emperor was alive, he issued an order to send the Eastern Depot to Kunhuang Island to inspect the construction project of Wangxian Rise. Miss Yun has gone to Wei Sea with Chiliarch Cheng, the first team, the second team, and the third team."

As for her lying and sneaking out of the Eastern Depot at the beginning, the dark guard couldn't mention it to the Master.

Leng Qingtang sipped his mouth and thought for a moment,

"They are all in Wei Sea. So it seems that I have to start as soon as possible and meet with Chiliarch Cheng."

"Master."

The secret guards were shocked.

Leng Qingtang frowned and waved his hand.

"Don't worry. Even for the sake of the Eastern Depot, I will risk going back and never abandon them. The Kunhuang Island map is now in the hands of the Eastern Depot. Since Prince Chen wants me to explore the underground palace on the island, he won't be in a hurry to hurt me."

"In any case, despite the danger, I decided to move on. You should be careful to follow eunuch Liu these days. If it's unnecessary, don't contact me again and go back to the capital carefully. "

The secret guard knelt down and said,

"Master, thank you for your consideration."

When opening the door, the secret guard looked around, then flashed back in the boundless night.

...

Two days later, it was sunny. Leng Qingtang and the team of the eunuch left the government office and headed for Guangxi. They turned back and rushed to Qiongyang Haikou.

The eunuch boarded a blessing ship. He placed the Eastern Depot and 10000 Imperial Guards on 12 tower ships and headed for Wei Sea together.

The blessing ship was brightly lit. Several guards and eunuchs were drinking and gambling around the table.

Throwing the last card in his hand, the eunuch Liu clapped the table with a smile and shouted,

"I win! Give me your money!"

The people nearby sighed constantly,

"Oh, you have done a good job recently. You are also so lucky. You have won us a lot all night."

"That's right. When we return to the capital, the new emperor will give you a lot of rewards when he ascends the throne. It seems that the post of Bingbi in the Imperial Ceremony Office is yours."

"Yes. When we left the capital, I heard that the second leader of the Imperial Ceremony Office had died of the illness. Leng Qingtang has lost another right-hand man."

There were bursts of laughter around.

In the corner of the small cabin, a man dressed as a guard stared at the people on the table. His fists clenched and his heart ached as if a poisoned knife had been inserted into his heart.

Eunuch Liu leaned lazily on the back of his chair. While waiting for the people to shuffle, he asked the people around him,

"By the way, did you finish the work I asked you to do?"

The man smiled flatteringly and said,

"You may rest assured. When you entered Yunnan, those of us who stayed behind had already tampered with the twelve tower ships and put termites into the ships. In a day or two, their fleet will be destroyed."

There was another wild laugh in the cabin.

The secret guard disguised as a guard looked anxious, and his face under his mask was gradually sweating.

He must tell the news to Master Leng as soon as possible.

He turned around and hurried out of the cabin. A man at the table saw him and asked,

"Hey, where are you going?"

"The bathroom."

The secret guard bowed his head and lied.

Eunuch Liu glanced at him,

"A lazy donkey excretes much. Hurry back!"

"OK."

The secret guard pushed the door and hurried up the stairs.

Before taking a few steps, he suddenly stumbled under his feet. His whole body was knocked high by a force of gravity, and then fell down the stairs on his back.

The secret guard stood up and saw the noise and violent shaking around.

...

"Master Leng, there is a storm on the sea. Please stand with your back against the wooden pavilion and find strong support to hold it firmly."

On the tower ship where Leng Qingtang was located, a crew member boarded the elegant pavilion on the third floor and said urgently to Leng Qingtang and his men.

"I see. Thank you for your advice."

Leng Qingtang thanked the crew and leaned back against the four corners of the pavilion with everyone, clutching the beautifully decorated carved pane with ten fingers.

The sea was dark. Sharp lightning ripped the sky and lighted up the darker and inky waves.

The thunder on the horizon roared, as if it were blowing on the head. The door of the pavilion opened and closed back and forth.

The swinging hull made the fourth captain and the seventh captain stand unstable. When they fell, they collided with each other because of the bumpy ship.

The crew turned pale and ran back with an anxious voice,

"Oh, no! The lower hold is flooded and the tower ship is afraid to sink. The chief officer is unloading the dragon boat. Master, you and captains should get on the boat quickly."

Leng Qingtang was shocked. The terror he had never experienced made it difficult for him to breathe.

He was so dizzy that he was supported by two captains. He stepped on the shaky ground all the way, struggled to escape from the pavilion, and went down the stairs to the deck.

It rained heavily and there were loud voices everywhere.

With the limited light of lightning, Leng Qingtang saw the dense dragon boats tossed in the sea. Not far away, a dozen boats were already filled with Imperial Guards.

When the waves rolled, a tower ship was thrown into the air like dead leaves, and then reversed, leaning slowly into the deep bottom of the ocean.

The wreckage of the shipboard stirred the tiny people to rotate wildly in the current, and the weak and desperate cry was finally drowned by the waves.

Leng Qingtang watched anxiously, completely ignoring that he was wet by the heavy rain.

He knew that each huge tower ship had only nine dragon boats for emergency use, and one could hold up to 20 people.

All the dragon boats on the tower ship together were not enough to board all the 10000 Imperial Guards.

Leng Qingtang was so angry that he hit the boat string with his fist and shouted,

"Will none of my ships survive the storm? Those dragon boats are not enough!"

The chief officer grasped the rope of the dragon boat with both hands and urged in the rain,

"Master, you can't care about others now. Go on the boat quickly!"

"Master, let's go!"

The second captain and the platoon leader were sweating anxiously. The sweat kept flowing down their cheeks. They couldn't tell whether it was sweat or rain.

They put up Leng Qingtang's arms and dragged him onto the dragon boat. When the first mate and the sailors saw that all the people went to the dragon boat, they worked together to remove the rope and let the dragon boat float into the ocean.

The platoon leader of Imperial Guards protected the Master. The second captain led the guards to paddle continuously, quickly pulling away the maximum distance from the tower ship.

The tower ship may sink to the bottom of the sea at any time. If the dragon boat was too close to it, in case it overturned, all the people on the dragon boat would be killed.

Leng Qingtang sat in the bumpy dragon boat and felt dizzy and wanted to vomit.

Suddenly, he saw a blessing ship passing in front of the dragon boat.

Leng Qingtang took a few deep breaths, tried to resist the feeling of vomiting, put his hands close to his lips, and shouted,

"Eunuch Liu, call my men on your boat."

A group of people gathered at the corner of the ship on the deck. In the light of lightning, everyone looked at him maliciously.

One of them shouted,

"Master Leng, run away. They are bad people and deliberately damaged the tower ships and the dragon boats!"

Leng Qingtang was shocked. The speaker was the secret guard of the fifth team who sent him the message.

A flash of lightning split the sky. In the light, Leng Qingtang saw clearly that the man was pressed on the boat string behind his hands, and the cold blade was on his neck at the moment.

The eunuch Liu, standing next to him, showed a sinister smile,

"Master Leng, I'm sorry. Is he your man? Since you know the whole thing, I have nothing to hide. The emperor wants you to die, so I dare not obey the order! Come on, feed him to the fish!"

When he ordered, blood gushed.

The secret guard's throat was cut by the blade. He stared at Leng Qingtang in the distance. Suddenly, his body fell into the sea and was sunk by a wave.

"You bastard!"

Leng Qingtang yelled. He was heartbroken and angry. His eyes widened and were all dyed red by his subordinates' blood.

In the harsh and evil laughter, he watched the blessing ship raise its big sails and sail away in the wind. Leng Qingtang was numb on the dragon boat.

Shi Lei nearby shouted urgently,

"Master, the dragon boat is also flooded."

Leng Qingtang bowed his head when he heard this. The water flowed under their feet. The muddy seawater was pouring into the boat from the gap of the board, and in a moment it flooded their feet.

The boiling wave came from all directions again, and the huge wave broke out of the sea like a giant and slammed into the dragon boat head-on.

The dragon boat was like fragile wormwood, which was cut in two and then sucked in by the vortex.