Chapter 157
King Yu glanced at him, his expression calm as he shook his head.”This King has already half-retired, so it shouldn’t be a slander. Tell me, what happened?”
Even though he said that, his eyes were filled with disapproval and contempt. Obviously, he didn’t believe what Xu Qi ‘an said.
“More than a year ago, there was a monk named Heng Hui in the Azure Dragon Temple who had an affair with a female devotee. The two of them pledged to marry each other in private and escaped with a celestial device of the Azure Dragon Temple that could conceal one’s aura.
“That’s because that woman’s identity is extraordinary. If she didn’t carry a magic tool to conceal her aura, she wouldn’t be able to escape the capital’s boundary.”
King Yu, who was drinking tea with his head lowered, suddenly raised his head and stared at Xu Qi ‘an.
Xu Qi ‘an said, “the monk’s name is Heng Hui. Prince Yu might not know his name, but he must know the woman. She is your daughter, Princess Ping Yang.
Bang! Bang!
King Yu crushed the blue-and-white teacup in his hand. His expression was one of ferocity and agitation as he said angrily, what a load of nonsense. Ping Yang has been educated and reasonable since young. How could she have eloped with a wild monk ...? Men, men, drag this thief down and behead him!”
The guards outside the hall rushed in and surrounded Xu Qi ‘an. He was not flustered at all. He looked at his old father, who was baring his fangs and brandishing his claws, and felt a little emotional. Any father would have a mental breakdown after hearing such news.
And to King Yu, this was only the appetizer.
After the guards rushed in, King Yu, who had been furious a moment ago, suddenly became discouraged. He waved his hand and the guards left.
yes, I’m not surprised. Before Ping Yang disappeared, I arranged a marriage for her, but she strongly opposed it and even said that she had someone she liked. King Yu laughed bitterly.
“How absurd is this? marriage is a matter of great importance, and it is the parents” order and the matchmaker’s words. How can a woman like her make her own decisions? How does she know that others aren’t lying to her and have other motives?”
Although I don’t agree with the idea of parents ‘orders and matchmakers, free love is indeed fatal in this era. After all, it’s not like my era where separation and reunion became common sense.
Xu Qi ‘an nodded.
“After I heard this, I flew into a rage and slapped her. Not long after, she disappeared. She must have been abducted by that wild man ... This is what I think.
“In the beginning, I gritted my teeth in hatred. I hated her for being shameless and for embarrassing the imperial family. However, the more time passed, the more I missed her. I only wanted her to come back to my side and call me father. I didn’t care about anything else.”
..... Perhaps, you will never see her again.
From the conversation between Heng Hui and uncle Ping Yuan’s son that night, it wasn’t hard to hear that Heng Hui was someone who had died once. If Heng Hui was already like this, what about Princess Ping Yang, who had eloped with him?
There were only three possible outcomes for the woman:One, dead. Two, it would be taken over.
The third was a combination of the first two.
I’m not here to expose King Yu’s scars, nor am I here to tell you who the man you eloped with Princess Ping Yang is. Xu Qi ‘an said.
King Yu was stunned for a moment, then he became excited. He rushed to Xu Qi ‘an and grabbed his wrist with one hand and his collar with the other. you have news of her? ” Where is she, where is she!”
Xu Qi ‘an frowned.
“.... This King has lost his composure.” King Yu loosened his grip and took a step back. He straightened his back and suddenly bowed, saying in a low voice, ”
“Lord Xu, if you can help this King find her, this King will owe you a great favor. I’ll definitely repay you in the future.”
“I’m here for this matter ... Your Highness, have you heard of the case of the extermination of the residence of count Ping Yuan?”
“Not yet,” King Yu was a little surprised.
“How is the relationship between Your Highness and the count of Ping Yuan?” Xu Qi ‘an asked.
“He is also a member of the noble and in the past we often had contact. However, count Ping Yuan is ambitious and is unwilling to have the power in his hands, flirt with the Civil officials, and be despised by the other nobles.” King Yu said.
Xu Qi ‘an nodded and continued, “”I heard that Your Highness almost entered the cabinet?”
King Yu was silent for a moment. His Majesty did have such an idea last year. The cabinet is now Wang zhenwen’s world. Even though there are other parties and Wei Yuan to keep things in check, they can only barely maintain the balance.
“I have a noble backing me, and I’m also from the imperial family. His Majesty wants to help me enter the cabinet and stir up the muddy water.”
Emperor Yuan jing was very powerful. Although he did not care about the state affairs all year round and squandered money at will, he still maintained a high degree of control over the state affairs after more than ten years of slacking. This power play could be said to be at the point of perfection. Xu Qi ‘an asked casually, ”
“His Highness is currently recuperating in his residence, so who is the one who benefits the most?”
“Head assistant Wang zhenwen and Minister of War Zhang Feng ... Heh, that was originally my seat.” King Yu laughed helplessly.
After talking for so long, he could not hide his fatigue. Xu Qi ‘an had also gotten the information he wanted to know, so he got up and left.
The horse’s hooves were light and fast. This young mare had been ridden by her second uncle for a few years, and now it was ridden by her nephew. Although the people on it were different, it did not have the slightest emotion of being sad about spring and autumn. It was still gentle and happy.
Xu Qi ‘an’s mood was not so light. According to King Yu’s words, the elopement of Princess Pingyang and henghui might have been a trap in itself.
I can’t handle you, but I can’t handle your daughter?
There was nothing a politician wouldn’t do. This possibility was extremely high.
Heng Hui’s revenge also indirectly confirmed this point.
“Who could it be, chief advisor Wang? Minister Zhang? Or both ... However, there is a problem here. What does the struggle between the Civil officials and the noble groups have to do with the Sang Bo case and the demon race?”
“Besides Emperor Yuan jing, who else knows about the thing sealed under sang Bo?”
“Not good. Heng Hui’s next target will either be the chief advisor or the Minister of War.”
Xu Qi ‘an’s heart sank. He squeezed his horse’s belly and galloped as fast as he could toward the palace. He was stopped at the gate of the palace.
“Is Duke Wei still in the palace?”
“He’s been gone for half an hour.” The palace guards who were guarding the city replied.
Xu Qi ‘an immediately turned his horse around and left the Imperial City. After galloping on the wide streets of the inner city for a long time, he finally saw Wei Yuan’s carriage.
Wei Yuan’s guard turned around warily when he heard the sound of horse hooves approaching from behind. He gripped his saber tightly.
But after seeing that it was Xu Qi ‘an, he relaxed his vigilance.
“Duke of Wei, Duke of Wei ... I have something to report.” Xu Qi ‘an shouted.
...
Jiang Luzhong heard Wei Yuan’s voice coming from the carriage, “”Stop the car.”
He immediately pulled the reins and stopped the horse.
Xu Qi ‘an rode his horse to the window and said in a low voice, “”Duke of Wei, I have an urgent matter to report.”
The curtain of the car window was lifted, and a handsome old man with deep facial features and white sideburns frowned. “When will you change your habit of reporting intermittently?”
After ridiculing Xu Qi ‘an, he asked, “”What’s the matter?”
“Henghui’s next target is likely to be the Minister of War or chief advisor Wang. If something happens to them, you’ll be in trouble.” Xu Qi ‘an said in a deep voice.
.....
Zhang Manor.
The Minister of War, Zhang Feng, returned to his residence in a carriage. He asked the Butler, “”Where’s Yi ‘er?”
“He’s not up yet,” the Butler replied.
“Tell him to get dressed in 15 minutes and meet me in the study,” the Minister of War said with a dark expression.
...
The old Butler carefully looked at Minister Zhang’s expression and left to carry out the order.
Zhang Feng returned to the study, took off his robe, and handed it to his attendant. He then sat on the large chair, leaned back, and closed his eyes to rest.
15 minutes were about to pass, and Zhang Feng’s eldest son, Zhang Yi, came in on time.
“Father, why did you call me?” Zhang Yi’s face was slightly pale. His puffy eye bags and deep dark circles exposed his identity as a time management master.
“Pack up and leave the capital immediately.” Minister Zhang said the words that he had considered over and over again.
“Ah?”
“I’ll go now!” Zhang Feng’s eyes were stern.
“.... Good, good.” Zhang Yi had always been afraid of his father, so he would do whatever his father said.
With the help of the servants in the manor, Zhang Yi packed his clothes, dry food, gold, silver, and other items that were easy to carry around. He led more than a dozen servants to the outer city.
However, when the carriage arrived at the gate of the inner city, the soldiers guarding the gate stopped the carriage after asking for his identity.
“His Majesty has decreed that officials of the sixth rank and above, including their families, are not allowed to leave the capital.”
.....
At dusk, after spending the entire day in the eldest princess’s Manor, li Caiwei rode her horse to the Xu Manor and knocked on the door of the small courtyard.
“Caiwei.” Xu Qi ‘an had already taken off his official uniform and changed into ordinary clothes. Sister lingyue had sewed him up.
The younger sister’s hand was threading the line while the older brother was putting on the clothes.
Yan Caiwei took out two porcelain bottles from the deerskin bag at her waist, “”Eat it sparingly. Great strength pills are very expensive. One pill costs two taels of silver.”
One pill is half a month’s salary ... Yan Caiwei was actually an invisible rich woman who had an airport runway at a young age ... It didn’t matter if she was the supervisor’s disciple or not, the main thing was that he wanted to raise her up by himself ... Xu Qi ‘an was envious of this kind of “rich second generation.” Although he had more than 900 taels of gold, the money was used to buy a house.
“Miss Caiwei, come in and have a cup of tea.” Xu Qi ‘an had a bewitching smile on his face.
Yan Caiwei’s face turned red and she spat,”The sun is about to set. What are your intentions by inviting me into the Academy now?”
After she finished speaking, she glanced at him, pulled the horse’s reins, and walked away with her little buttocks shaking.
‘Hmph, you’re neither protruding nor curvy. It’s funny that Xiaoxiao is going against an A ...’ Xu Qi ‘an also rolled her eyes at her back and closed the courtyard.
After the Sang Bo case was over, he would make a simple version of chicken essence to reward this girl.
After having dinner in the main house and chatting with the beautiful girl for a long time, Xu Qi ‘an returned to his small courtyard and spent half an hour in his room.
“Meow~”
Suddenly, he heard a meow.
“The door isn’t locked.” Xu Qi ‘an said.
The door was pushed open, and an orange cat strode in elegantly. His tail was raised high, and his yellow cat eyes stared at him. He said in human language,
“What did Luo Yuheng say?”
..... Did Golden Lotus Daoist priest open the door to a new world? Or a special fetish?
“I’ve got the soul gathering pill,” Xu Qi ‘an said as he looked at the orange cat.
[ PS: this case took a long time to write, mainly because it’s too important. ] It can be said to be the cornerstone of this book, and it will affect the second, third, and fourth volumes. I have no choice but to extend its length to have enough space to buy foreshadowing. Well, it’s almost over. There are only a few chapters left.
[ author’s note: by the way, the update at noon tomorrow might be delayed until the afternoon or evening. I’m out in the morning and can’t write in the office. ]