Chapter 47: The Legend of the Malevolent Spirit

  "Are you that evil spirit?!"

  When Di Lie was about to interrogate Guo Lu, in order to intimidate this fierce guy, he briefly mentioned his brilliant military achievements of having knocked down two golden soldiers and beheaded more than three thousand households like him. Unexpectedly, the reaction was beyond expectation, and Guo Lu and that woman exclaimed in unison.

  Di Lie Mo Ming: "What evil spirit? I may also appear at midnight, but I've always only killed people without scaring them. How did I get linked to 'Midnight Evil Spirit'?"

  When Guo Lu yelled out "Xiong Ling" with a hoarse voice, his pale face due to excessive blood loss turned even whiter and slightly greenish. The fierce eyes of the cow unexpectedly flashed a hint of fear. On the other hand, the woman's phoenix-like eyes were filled with surprise and joy.

  Di Lie also became a devilish figure in the Jin army because of this, and quickly gained the trust of that woman, revealing his identity and some information about the three kings' camp.

  As the woman said earlier, she is the current imperial consort of the Great Song Dynasty, Empress Zhu.

  After the fall of Bianjing, the Song imperial family was completely captured, and she, along with Zhu Shenfei (Qinzong's consort), Princess (Qinzong's younger daughter), Emperor Zhenzong's sister, and a large group of concubines and palace maids, were assigned to the northern expeditionary army of General Bao Shanwang.

  Two days ago, Bao Shan Da Wang and Zhen Zhu Da Wang met in the camp of Zhen Zhu Da Wang. She finally saw Wei Fei (the mother of Kang Wang), Xing Fei (the wife of Kang Wang), Zhu Fei (the wife of Yong Wang), Fu Jin, and the two princesses Liang Liang (sisters of Kang Wang), as well as Xiang Guo Wang (Zhao Ding) and Jian An Wang (Zhao Mo) and other members of the Zhao Song royal family.

  Yesterday's heavenly princesses and imperial concubines have now fallen into the hands of the northern barbarians as captives. This kind of fall from heaven to hell has caused all the women to meet, none of whom can help but cover their heads in grief, sobbing uncontrollably. And as for King Zhao Gui and King Zhao Mo, those who were once noble and respected, yet bear an unshirkable responsibility for the current state of affairs, they stand silently with shame, unable to face the silent condemnation of the women and the scornful gaze of the Jin soldiers standing guard beside them.

  At this time, Zhao Fugui, the concubine of Emperor Taizong of Liao, quietly spread a piece of news that she had overheard to her sisters: there was an unknown entity called "evil spirit" by the Jurchen shaman, which wandered above the heads of the retreating Jin army like a ghost. So far, it has caused the destruction of two retreating armies and the death of their commanders.

  Although the Jin army's upper echelons tried their best to block this news, with two major armies defeated and their commanders dead, how could such a significant event that occurred on a large scale be blocked? As a result, all the troops passed it down one after another, but for those tens of thousands of Song captives, this news was indeed tightly sealed.

  Fu Jin Emperor's concubine was able to obtain this information, largely because she had a talent for languages. Having served the King of Bao Shan for several months, she could also understand five or six out of ten Jurchen words, so she was able to hear the discussions of the drunken Jin generals during a banquet. The King of Bao Shan, however, underestimated his concubine's foreign language skills, which led to the leak of information.

  Evil spirit? What is that? A wisp of a ghost, an evil demon, or a group of monsters, or perhaps... a person?

  Even if they were trapped in the palace, the women's innate gossip psychology still made a group of concubines and imperial ladies enthusiastically discuss this "evil spirit" - for a group of women who were experiencing the pain of losing their country, any event that could give the enemy a heavy blow was an exciting tonic in their humiliating lives.

  It was from this moment on that the image of this "evil spirit" was deeply imprinted in Empress Zhu's mind. However, as a result of long-term influence by Taoism, the image of evil spirits in her mind was more similar to Zhong Kui, the ghost catcher...

  Now that I've seen the true face of "Xiong Ling", it's actually a young man in his early twenties, and the difference between him and the image in my mind is really too big. At first, Zhu Huanghou instinctively thought that some righteous army had heard about this matter and borrowed its fierce name to intimidate Jinwu, but soon noticed Guolong's face changing greatly.

  Unlike the incomplete information obtained from Fulin Emperor and Zhu Empress, Guoluo, as a high-ranking general of the Jin army, had a very clear understanding of the significant damage caused by "Qiongling" to the Jin army. There were many details that only a few high-ranking generals knew about, but now this young man in front of him seemed to know everything clearly, as if he had seen it with his own eyes - huh, should be what he saw and did with his own hands? Otherwise, there is no other explanation.

  Guo Lu's change in color and the venom in his eyes, as well as his silence, were no different from proving Di Lie's identity as a "malevolent spirit". Once she understood this point, Zhu Huang Hou was overjoyed and her trust soared, making it easy to understand.

  However, due to her status as the empress, she was under strict surveillance and could not easily come into contact with the outside world. Therefore, she could only learn about some of the situations within a small range of Song captives, and only limited to the situation of a few members of the royal family, completely unaware of the detention conditions of most palace maids, officials, and ordinary people. As a result, Di Lie was unable to get any intelligence from her mouth regarding Ajie and other captured craftsmen.

  As for Guo Lu, being a nobleman, such trivial matters naturally wouldn't enter his eyes. After Jia Hu was beaten and lost six teeth, Di Lie confirmed that he really didn't know. However, regarding another situation, Di Lie could affirm that Guo Lu definitely knew.

  "I need all kinds of intelligence on the current Three Kings' Stronghold. You'd better tell me." Di Lie's calm tone carried a hint of ruthlessness, "Don't lie in front of a true expert. Even if you confess everything, I won't spare your life. There are many ways to die unnaturally, but ultimately there are only two: one is being killed; the other is begging for death. Which one do you want to choose?"

  Guo Lu coldly stared at him: "There are no cowards among the Jurchen people who fear death. Whatever tricks you have, bring it on to Lord Chong!"

  Zhang Rong and others subconsciously took a look at Ah Shu, but saw that this female Zhen person's outlier had long since flashed away.

  "Is that so? I don't believe it," said Jia Hu with a ferocious smile. "Your Highness, please hand him over to me. In less than half an hour, I'll make him spit out everything he's been hiding since childhood." After getting Di Lie's permission, Jia Hu dragged Guo Lu to a mountain valley in the back and began the torture.

  Facing the elegant and refined current empress, from Yang Fen to Zhang Rong, all knelt down, calling themselves guilty. Only Di Lie and A Zhan stood still. Di Lie had no habit of kneeling to anyone, let alone a woman; while A Zhan always regarded the women of the defeated as spoils of war, how could he see the victor kneel to the spoils?

  For Zhang Rong, Yang Kuang and others' visit, Zhu Empress felt very natural. Although she was captured by the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty, she still remained the empress who ruled with dignity under heaven, and all the Song people in the world were her subjects. Therefore, when Di Lie stood up straight, Zhu Empress slightly frowned (as for Ah Suo, who looked like a foreigner at first glance, she chose to ignore him), only then did she vaguely remember what the executioner had called him before, and she said in a low voice: "They... call you... Your Highness?"

  "It's true." Di Lie didn't even bat an eye, and repeated the fabricated identity he had created for himself. At the same time, he emphasized that this identity was personally acknowledged by those princes from back then, such as Prince Bo, Prince Xin, and the four princes of Jin Kang, Ping Yuan, He Yi, and Yong Ning, all of whom were close relatives of the Zhao Song emperor.

  "It turned out to be a descendant of the great Han, a prince living abroad, although separated by blood for thousands of years, also a descendant of Yan and Huang, a later generation of Huaxia, a woman who lost her country was disrespectful." Empress Zhu saw that Di Lie's words were convincing, and her face showed self-confidence, while Zhang Rong and Yang Feng also had an attitude of "it should be so", plus there were people from the royal family to testify, she already believed seven or eight parts. Just wait until you see Wang Pu and others confirm it, then you will fully believe it.

  However, in response to Empress Zhu's request to meet the princes, Di Lie could only regretfully shrug his shoulders: "At the time of the decisive battle with General Jin and Gongsun Zan, these princes all ran away without a trace. Now I don't know where they are hiding either. But as long as they still have their lives, the empress will have the opportunity to meet them in the future."

  At this time, Jia Hu had returned with a pleased expression to report: "The information that Your Highness needs has basically been dug out, and that guy is actually ten years old and still wets the bed... uh, I'm so sorry, please forgive me, Your Majesty..."

  Empress Zhu's jade-like complexion was slightly flushed, she turned her face to one side, merely lifting the hem of her sleeve lightly, allowing everyone to bow.

  After Zhai Hu reported the intelligence to Di Lie, Di Lie slightly hesitated and gave a signal with his eyes: "Zhang brother, I'm leaving this person in your hands. Be quick about it. Also, don't damage that set of clothes, and bring over the waist token as well."

  Zhang Rong nodded gratefully and silently picked up his curved knife and left.

  Due to this unexpected situation, Di Lie temporarily changed his plan and decided to take advantage of the poor visibility after dark to impersonate Guo Lu's identity and sneak into the Jin camp. He put on Guo Lu's suit of armor, which was indeed exquisite and sharp. In the leather pouch on his body, there were also some white jade, pearls, and gold and silver ingots, with the seal of the Great Song Dynasty's inner treasury on them, and it was clear where they came from without asking.

  Then he shaved off Gu Lück's messy big beard, stuck it on himself, and applied some black oil from the camouflage paint. At a glance, he really looked like Gu Lück. Of course, it wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, but Di Lie estimated that in the entire Golden Camp, there were no more than ten people with positions higher or equal to Gu Lück's, and how many of the lower-ranking guys would dare to scrutinize and question a majestic Mang An Ba?

  What really made Di Lie worried was that the empress, a captive, had gone missing and would soon attract the attention of the Jin army. This small hill was no longer safe, and they had to withdraw as quickly as possible before the Jin army detected anything.

  When Di Lie was about to take a risk alone, sneaking into the Golden Camp at night, while the entire small team moved outwards. Zhang Rong and Yang Feng exchanged a glance, their expressions hesitant and uncertain. From their original intention, they wanted to object. But now it's indeed a rare opportunity, before the truth of Guo Lun's death is exposed, taking advantage of this identity as cover, it's truly an excellent chance to sneak into the Golden Camp and rescue people. Missing this opportunity would likely require paying an even greater price.

  But they couldn't spare too many people to accompany Di Lie because there was a more important figure: the current empress.

  Rescuing an empress, what does it mean? Zhang Rong and Yang Feng thought about it and felt inexplicably excited. They couldn't accept the idea that Great Song had perished in their hearts, always thinking that after the Jin people withdrew northward, Great Song would eventually be restored. And this achievement of saving the emperor... probably wouldn't pale in comparison to the achievement of following the dragon!

  However, there was one person who opposed it, and surprisingly, it was Empress Zhu!

  "No, I won't leave, but will return to Jin Camp with Your Highness." The calm words of Zhu Empress shocked everyone.

  Di Lie Mo rubbed his chin, gazing at this rather bold empress with great interest: "Tell me your thoughts."

  The Empress Zhu was quite displeased with Di Lie's bold and unbridled gaze, as well as his language devoid of any respectful title. However, at this moment, she had to ask for help from him, and the "fierce spirit" aura surrounding him was somewhat intimidating, so she could only endure it. With a gentle yet firm tone, she said: "Once I leave, I will inevitably implicate all the imperial consorts, princesses, and palace maids who went out of the camp to play with me. The consequences of the Jurchen people's anger are worrying. Therefore, if we must go, let us go together! I beg Your Highness not to hesitate in assisting me."

  Empress Zhu said, and then, with the dignity of an empress, slowly knelt down in front of Di Lie...

  Zhang Rong and Yang Qian were stunned, their mouths agape, wanting to stop Di Lie on behalf of the others, but they couldn't utter a word. Meanwhile, Di Lie, the main culprit, was completely unmoved, watching with an expressionless face as one by one knelt down without making a sound.

  When Empress Zhu kneeled on the ground, Di Lie only let out a soft sigh: "A queen with such sentiment and righteousness is rarely seen... Hmm, you've only been a queen for about a year, and haven't been corrupted too deeply by the palace's mire. Fine, I won't let your kneeling go to waste, I'll accompany you on this trip."

  The decision of Zhu Huanghou avoided the small team's helpless advance withdrawal, everything is still proceeding according to the original plan, only the number and difficulty of people to be rescued have increased sharply.

  But for Di Lie, one sheep is also a hurry, and a group of sheep are also released. Anyway, since Ajie and the craftsmen's whereabouts are currently unknown, it's not bad to rescue this group of golden branches and jade leaves first.

  Royal! The value in the future shouldn't be low, right?