Hibiscus Tent: The Prime Minister’s palm is reborn

The sun was scorching, and there were many pedestrians on the bare road, some going into the city, some leaving the city, all of them walking with their heads down, carrying bags on their backs.

Qian Ming wiped the sweat off his forehead, pointed at the city not far away and shouted happily: "We're here! We're here! Linchuan is just ahead!"

Gao Qian glanced at him, and Qian Ming immediately covered his mouth and shrank his neck to move closer to Liang Qian.

Liang Qian smiled slightly, then looked at the city gate that was clearly visible in the distance, and frowned unconsciously.

When they were about to reach Linchuan, they sold their horses and carriages and disguised themselves as ordinary refugees.

The war had not yet reached Linchuan, so the inspections before entering the city were much more relaxed.

The market in Linchuan city is bustling with people coming and going.

After entering the city, Wang Tingyue and Xiao Wu went to find a place to live.

They were waiting at the street corner.

Although Linchuan is not as prosperous as a big city, compared with Tuyang and Lianzhou which have been devastated by war, it is a rare peaceful and comfortable place in troubled times.

But how long can this comfort and ease last?

Liang Qian withdrew her gaze, but unexpectedly saw Gao Qian looking at her.

She subconsciously reached for the pouch on her waist to get him medicine.

Gao Qian grabbed her arm and stared at her with his dark eyes: "As long as there is a war, there will be a sea of ​​blood and a mountain of corpses. This is not something you can change."

Liang Qian was slightly surprised, then smiled and said, "I don't want to change. After all, I know how much I weigh."

Gao Qian did not refute her: "So what if you insist on returning to Jinye?"

Liang Qian looked up at the various people on the road and sighed, "I don't know what to do, but I can't hide in Zhou and pretend I know nothing, or stand in the Zhou army and help them to plan how to deal with Qi's soldiers and civilians, and think about how to occupy Qi's cities..."

She was silent for a moment, and then continued, "Even if I treat their generals and soldiers, it won't work. I can't help but think about how many Qi soldiers the wounded soldier in front of me has killed, and which Qi soldier injured him... If I heal him, who will he kill in the next battlefield? But I can't help but heal him, because he is just a warrior who obeys orders and goes to the battlefield with his head on the line. He is also a son or a husband that someone is looking forward to..."

Gao Qian frowned, full of sarcasm: "Liang Qian, you are so stupid."

He was laughing at her, and his face was indeed smiling, but for some reason, he couldn't stop feeling sad in his eyes and in his heart.

If he had lived in the imperial palace before, far away from all the chaos and war, he would have only blamed the soldiers for their incompetence even if he heard about the defeat of the army. However, after six months of fighting with the Zhou army, he experienced first-hand what it felt like to face the enemy and how helpless he was.

Likewise, he is no longer just a puppet tied to a high position and manipulated by others, a lonely man in Jinye who only thinks about how to compete for power with various forces...

Liang Qian ignored Gao Qian's ridicule.

Gao Qian glanced at her and said, "Did you feel guilty because you saved him and saw him leading the Zhou army to destroy Qi?"

He shook his head and smiled, and then said, "The blood-soaked peony is so beautiful, but who knows that thousands of bones are withered under the flower? Are you worried about this sentence?"

Liang Qian wanted to deny it, but she couldn't deny it.

Gao Qian raised his eyebrows, his lips showing an unconcealed sarcasm: "Didn't you say you knew how much you weigh?"

Just as Liang Qian glared over, Wang Tingyue and Xiao Wu came back.

She was too lazy to talk to Gao Qian anymore.

Gao Qian grabbed her, narrowed his eyes and smiled frivolously: "Now it seems that what Weiguogong Lou Jing said does make some sense!"

They stayed in a very inconspicuous little inn.

The people who stay here are from all walks of life and do all kinds of work.

It is said that the small hermits hide in the mountains and the great hermits hide in the city.

Who could have imagined that the emperor would live in such a place.

After resting for half a day, Wang Tingyue took Xiao Wu out to inquire about the news.

Liang Qian leaned over the desk, scribbling unconsciously on the map with her fingers.

Suddenly, he sighed slightly: "You shouldn't have stayed in Lianzhou that day. If you went to Meilin Island with Pei Yao, maybe he wouldn't have died, and you wouldn't have become so passive-"

Gao Qian raised his eyebrows, put down the cup in his hand, and smiled: "It is possible that I have been killed by the rebels together with Pei Yao."

Liang Qian did not refute, knowing that he was right.

The mutiny on Meilin Island was not an accident.

Chai Wenkui was cultivated and promoted by Pei Yao. Knowing that Pei Yao wanted to welcome Gao Qian back, he pretended to support him. After Pei Yao sent out elite soldiers and confidants, he ordered people to intercept and kill him in the valley. At the same time, he took the opportunity to launch a mutiny and killed Pei Yao and several generals who supported Gao Qian.

Was this done by the Queen Mother or someone else in Jinye City?

There was another point that she hadn't figured out.

Liang Qian raised her eyes and said, "Since the mastermind behind this doesn't want you to go back, why didn't Chai Wenkui let Sun Hu wait for an opportunity to kill you? Why risk being discovered and send him to follow us?"

She paused, then asked, "Also, why did you stay in Lianzhou that day?"

Liang Qian doesn't think that he does this for her.

Gao Qian smiled and asked instead of answering: "I want to ask you, what would you do if you lost the bet that day?"

Liang Qian was speechless for a moment.

On that day, she knew her child was in danger, so she wanted to use her own life and her child's life to gamble a glimmer of hope for the soldiers and people of Lianzhou City.

Cities have always been built according to marching routes, with a city every few hundred miles, which can be considered a layer of defense.

Tu Yang's victory was unfair to begin with, and it was only a matter of time before he was conquered by Zhou's army. She had already anticipated this.

Lianzhou is adjacent to Tuyang, with no strategic terrain outside and only remnants of defeated troops inside. If they continue to fight to the death, it will be meaningless except for exhausting food and manpower.

On the contrary, preserving the remaining troops and retreating to the next city can also retain strength for future counterattacks.

After all, among the thirty-six strategies, retreat is the best one. Using retreat as an attack is also a tactic.

If there is any uncertainty, it is Yuwen Jue.

If he was really just the cold-blooded and ruthless Grand Tutor Lu in his previous life, he would have pursued the victory without any scruples, killing all of them, and would not have left any chance for the Qi army to survive.

Gao Qian saw Liang Qian with her brows down and not saying anything, just in a daze, so he picked up the teacup and drank tea silently.

The tea no longer had the fragrance it once had, but instead was astringent, bitter, and difficult to swallow.

This simple inn definitely did not have the tea he loved to drink every day, and even the rim of the teacup was chipped.

Gao Qian saw this, raised his lips and smiled, then narrowed his eyes and turned to look out the window.

Liang Qian lowered her eyes and looked at a certain place on the map.

Meilin Island, which she had seen repeatedly on the map, was truly easy to defend but difficult to attack.

If a war is inevitable, what can she do?

Liang Qian's fingers gently traced the mountains and rivers.

After spending the past few days together, she could clearly see and feel that the Lu Xiu she was familiar with had not disappeared.

But in the end, all she could achieve was to create a hindrance that was irrelevant to the overall situation, rather than shaking his determination to destroy Qi.

In fact, even in Pingzhou, she was unable to dissuade him from defending the city and dying for it.

Therefore, all she could do was to trip him up after he occupied Lianzhou...

In this respect, they are really similar. They will never give up their goals for each other.

Gao Qian turned around and looked again, and saw Liang Qian staring at the map, wondering what he was thinking.

He broke the silence and said, "They didn't kill me because they wanted to get something from me."