Outside Yangzhou City, the Fuchun River was the most beautiful. Inside the city, the Thin Lake had the best view. It was already summer, and the lake was covered with lotus leaves. The willow trees by the lake were shady.
The House of Red Sleeves Song and Dance Troupe went to the West-Hill Divine Palace for the Rite to Light. As usual, they stayed in the Song family's courtyard by the Thin Lake. The atmosphere was as depressing as before.
It was still the fourth steward of the Cui Family who came to send out the invitations. This steward did not hide his severed fingers behind his back. Instead, he placed them calmly in front of him, as if he wanted these girls from Chang 'an to see clearly what kind of harm he had suffered because of them.
Three years ago, the House of Red Sleeves went to the Lanke Temple for the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival. It happened to be Elder Cui's 100th birthday, and the Cui family wanted the House of Red Sleeves to present a lost song. Ning Que wrote a letter, and this arrogant fourth steward had several fingers broken and was punished with a board many times.
As time passed, many things had changed. Today, the Cui family invited the House of Red Sleeves to the Cui Garden by the Fuchun River to celebrate the birthday of the clan leader, Cui Shi. They also asked them to present a song. Xiaocao, who was calm and proud last time, became more and more low-key now. Qinghe Prefecture was no longer part of the Tang Empire, and the reputation of the Academy was not enough to ensure the girls' safety.
Xiaocao looked at the West-Hill Divine Palace priest beside her. The priest did not seem to hear anything. Although he was ordered to bring the House of Red Sleeves back to the West-Hill Divine Kingdom, it did not mean that he did not want to see these proud Tang girls being humiliated in Qinghe Prefecture.
Seeing the young lady in charge of the House of Red Sleeves accept the invitation, the Fourth Steward of the Cui family smiled with satisfaction. He gently stroked his itchy broken fingers and walked out of the Song family's courtyard with his head held high.
On the streets of Yangzhou City, a noise entered the small green curtain sedan. The Fourth Steward frowned slightly and lifted the curtain. He said in a low voice, "What is Young Master Tang doing there?"
…
…
Ning Que and Wang Jinglue returned to Yangzhou City. They wore straw hats and looked like ordinary people. They were not eye-catching and did not arouse anyone's suspicion.
Walking on the street, Ning Que suddenly stopped and looked up at the signboard with the words "Qinghe Post Office" written on it. He could not help but remember that this place used to be called the Tang Post Office, and Sangsang had sent a banknote to the City of Wei here.
Before he had time to sigh, his attention was attracted by the noise on the street. He and Wang Jinglue walked over to take a look and saw that the crowd was surrounded by several young men dressed like scholars. One of them was saying something loudly, while the others were glaring at the armed forces of the warlords who were maintaining order. After standing in the crowd and listening for a while, Ning Que found out that the young man who was speaking loudly was a disciple of a side branch of the Cui Family.
Childe Cui waved his arms and looked at the arrogant people of Yan and South Jin Kingdom. He shouted angrily, "Why should we Tangs allow foreigners to be arrogant in our land? Why was the deacon who injured the girl last night sent out of Yangzhou City today? "
Those descendants of the clans who were wielding their sabers were somewhat displeased. There were also people in the crowd who angrily refuted his opinion. In the end, the debate naturally turned to whether the people of Qinghe were Tangs or not.
"What blasphemy against Haotian? This is all a one-sided statement from the West-Hill Divine Palace! Who can prove it? I, Cui Huasheng, was born a Tang and have been proud for more than 20 years. Now you say that I am not a Tang and want me to be a lowly dog like the people of South Jin Kingdom and Yan. Why should I agree? "
The crowd gradually quietened down. Ning Que looked on coldly and realized that Cui Huasheng and the young men beside him were all descendants of the clans. He confirmed that there were indeed many people in Qinghe County who were loyal to the Tang Empire, especially those who were not blinded by the mossy walls.
At this moment, the crowd gradually parted and a small sedan with green curtains walked in. The fourth steward of the Cui clan lifted the curtain and got off the sedan. He looked at Cui Huasheng and said coldly, "Young Master Tang, your cousin and uncle, as well as hundreds of people from the clans of Qinghe, were buried in the guild hall of Chang 'an City. Do you still want to call yourself a Tang?"
Cui Huasheng saw that it was this person and was stunned at first. Then, he said with a pale and sorrowful face, "My wife's family, the Qiu family, was annihilated by you last autumn. More than 40 members of my family died and their corpses were not found. Even my nephew, who was only four years old, was killed by you. My brother, who was the prefectural secretary, was beaten to death by you with rods. According to your opinion, if I still call myself a descendant of the clans of Qinghe, how can I face them?"
The fourth steward's face became increasingly gloomy and he said, "Young Master Tang, you should know that this is the wish of Qinghe for a thousand years. There is no turning back now that things have come to this. Why are you so stubborn?"
Cui Huasheng shouted sternly, "I am stubborn. What can you do to me? Qinghe today is a land without a country and without laws. Can you punish me for my crimes? "
The fourth steward said coldly, "Even if there are no laws, there are still clan rules. Someone, tie Young Master Tang up and send him to the ancestral hall for the clan to deal with!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several people rushed out from the crowd and kicked the young men to the ground. They tied them up tightly with hemp ropes and lifted them up on wooden rods. They walked towards the clan ancestral hall outside the city.
…
…
It was still the beautiful Fuchun River.
It was only then that Ning Que realized that there were many cages made of bamboo by the river. They were probably used to drown pigs. Over the years, countless men and women had drowned in the beautiful Fuchun River. Who knew how many souls had died in the gentle and beautiful water plants in the river.
He stood by the river and looked at the water plants. He listened to the sounds of rods and the cheers of the people coming from the ancestral hall of the Cui family. His expression did not change. After a long time, he turned around.
There were nearly a thousand people surrounding the ancestral hall. Cui Huasheng was dressed in white. His face was pale and his body was covered in blood. He hung on a pole outside the ancestral hall and seemed to be dying at any moment.
Wang Jinglue walked back to his side.
Ning Que said, "Cheering doesn't mean that everyone agrees with the Cui family's punishment. It's just that Cui Huasheng is usually a high and mighty playboy. Today, he was stripped of his clothes and beaten to such a miserable state. The onlookers are naturally happy."
Wang Jinglue was startled and said, "I've heard some news. Cui Huasheng is indeed a legitimate descendant of the Cui family. He married Qiu Fangwu, the youngest daughter of the Ruyang Zhizhou. On the day of the rebellion, the Qiu family was destroyed by the rebel army. Qiu Fangwu was at her maiden home and died on the spot."
Ning Que said, "The so-called popular sentiment must be stabilized before it can be won over. The Cui family did not hesitate to let their own descendant die to silence the people of Qinghe County."
Wang Jinglue asked softly, "If that's the case, should we save him?"
Ning Que said, "This person loves his wife very much. It's painful for him to live now."
Wang Jinglue said, "At least he shouldn't suffer while he's alive."
Ning Que said, "There are still two people in the Knowing Destiny State by the Fuchun River. I won't take the risk for this person. Of course … if he can survive this time, he might be of some use in the future."
After saying this, he turned and left the ancestral hall.
He looked at the other side of the Fuchun River and sensed the faint fluctuations of the array intent coming from the manors. He thought to himself that it was indeed a place with a longer history than the Academy. Its heritage should not be underestimated.
There were two people in the Knowing Destiny State by the Fuchun River. This did not make him feel afraid. However, if he were to fight, it would be a big commotion. Then everyone would know that he had left Chang 'an.
At least before entering the West-Hill Divine Kingdom, he could not let anyone know that he had left Chang 'an. Otherwise, all the powerful cultivators in the world would try to kill him.
After all, he had signed an agreement with the West-Hill Divine Palace to ensure the safety of Qinghe County. If he killed too many people here, the Divine Hall would not tolerate it forever. Before the Academy dealt with the Drunkard and the Butcher, the two swords hanging over the Tang Empire, there were many things that he could not do.
However, there were some things that he could and should do.
As Yang Erxi said, if the Tangs went to Qinghe County now, what else could they do other than kill people?
…
…
Ning Que did not enter Yangzhou City this time.
He stood in the woods outside the road and looked at the official on the white horse in silence.
The official was very young, elegant and calm. He was accompanied by dozens of subordinates and soldiers. He did not forget to wave to the people of Qinghe County on the road, which attracted a burst of cheers.
In Ning Que's eyes, this young official was very funny. This was because he was wearing the official uniform of the Tang Empire. Only some details were changed, which made him look a little funny.
Moreover, Ning Que had always thought that this person was funny because his name was Zhong Dajun.
"On the day of the rebellion, he made the most contribution. He is also the son of the Governor of Yangzhou City, so he received many benefits after the incident. If Qinghe County declares to be a nation, he will probably be conferred a title."
Wang Jinglue looked at Zhong Dajun and said.
The more contributions he made during the rebellion, the more Tangs he killed. All the officials of Yangzhou City were tricked into the Governor's Mansion by this person and then killed by the assassins lying in ambush.
Ning Que looked at Zhong Dajun's hand that was holding the reins and said, "I will leave after I kill him. Make preparations in Yangzhou City. I will be back in a month at most."
There was a dilapidated temple outside Yangzhou City. It was the only temple there.
Two monks suddenly came to the dilapidated temple. One of them had a dark complexion and a tranquil and extraordinary bearing. The other monk was blind and had a dejected and silent demeanor.
Ning Que followed the twilight into the dilapidated temple.
He looked at the dark-skinned monk and smiled slightly. He said, "Senior Brother, long time no see."
This monk was the current abbot of the Lanke Temple, Monk Guan Hai.
Monk Guan Hai looked at him and sighed. He said, "Everyone in the world is waiting for you to come out of Chang 'an City so that they can kill you. Who would have thought that you would actually come out."
Ning Que said, "Senior Brother has been cultivating in seclusion for the past few years. Didn't you also come out of seclusion?"
Monk Guan Hai said, "The West-Hill Divine Palace is going to hold a Rite to Light. Someone from Wa Mountain has to go."
Ning Que said, "I want to go and watch the fun too."
Monk Guan Hai only then knew that he was going to West-Hill. He was so shocked that he did not know what to say.
Ning Que looked at the back of the temple and asked, "How is he recently?"
…
…
(It's a little late. Three chapters tomorrow.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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