Jin Prefecture, King Lu's Palace
This was originally the Governor's Mansion of Jinzhou. Autumn was coming, and the rain was getting colder. The flowers and grasses in the mansion withered, and the trees had withered leaves falling. Winter was coming.
"Kuang" King Lu's bodyguards patrolled the area, as their armor clanged against each other. Within the garden, King Lu was taking a stroll.
King Lu walked into the garden. At this point, the clouds were dark and the sky was low. From afar, he could hear the sound of a zither being played. King Lu stopped to listen. Eunuch Liao was by his side as he bowed and spoke, "This is the sound of Sun Cai Ren's zither. Should King Lu take a rest?"
"No!" King Lu's face was filled with melancholy as he walked closer to the pool. The water was green, and ripples could be seen on the surface of the water.
The lotus had already turned yellow, and had many lotus seeds on it. King Lu walked along the corridor and arrived at the pavilion in the middle of the lake. A gust of wind blew in, causing his robes to flutter.
"A storm is brewing, and I'm feeling uneasy. Mister Xie has only left for a few days, but I don't know why, but I had a dream last night." King Lu was always able to relax in front of this person.
"Your Highness, what dream is making you feel uneasy?" Eunuch Liao asked in astonishment. King Lu frowned, "It wasn't a nightmare. On the contrary, I dreamt that Mister Xie had returned, and that we were having fun together. I was overjoyed. It's just that before I woke up, he was playing the zither for me. At that time, I didn't realize it. But when I woke up, I realized that it was a joyous occasion."
"Ai, I don't know when Mister Xie will be back. I haven't heard from him in the past few days, and I'm feeling uneasy." King Lu sighed.
Hearing King Lu's sigh, Eunuch Liao couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Xie Cheng Dong's influence on him was a little too great. He then thought to himself, "King Lu, Mister Xie's stratagems are unparalleled, and his martial arts skills are unparalleled. Furthermore, King Lu has sent five hundred cavalrymen with him. He's just returning to his sect, there shouldn't be any problems."
Before Eunuch Liao could finish his sentence, a Daoist official hurried over.
"Your Highness, there is an urgent report." The Daoist official hurried over. Hearing this voice, King Lu was startled and felt a sense of unease, "Bring the news to me."
The Daoist hurriedly handed the documents over to King Lu. King Lu received the documents and flipped through them impatiently.
"What? Pei Zi Yun collaborated with Dark Altar Sect to ambush them. Five hundred cavalrymen and Mister Xie Cheng Dong died in battle? " At this point, King Lu's head began to spin as his body swayed unsteadily. Eunuch Liao realized that something was wrong and hurriedly helped King Lu to sit on the stone pillar. He then looked at the Daoist official and asked, "Is this matter clear? Is it a false report? "
"Your Highness, I've already verified it three times. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to report it." The Daoist official's body trembled as he replied. King Lu felt his chest tighten as his face turned red. He then gritted his teeth, "What you're saying is unbelievable. I don't believe you. Dark Altar Sect has always supported me. Even when I was in dire straits, they didn't abandon me. Why would they suddenly betray me? He even killed the sect's proudest disciple? "
As King Lu spoke up to this point, he stood up and paced around the pavilion in a flustered and exasperated manner. He then shouted, "Men!"
"This servant … is here!" Eunuch Liao immediately replied.
"Take some men and capture all the people from Dark Altar Sect. Investigate this matter thoroughly. If anyone resists, kill them without mercy."
"Yes!"
When the Daoist official heard this, he hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, the Daoists from Dark Altar Sect left on the second day after Mister Xie left."
"What? Damn it! Dark Altar Sect! "King Lu was enraged as he pulled out his sword and slashed at the pillar," They deserve to be killed, they deserve to be killed. "
"Pass down my order, all the Daoist temples of Dark Altar Sect in Jin Prefecture are to be raided."
"Yes!"
Hearing the reply, King Lu heaved a sigh of relief as he regained his composure. He then felt his entire body go soft as he sat down. After some time, he ordered, "Hurry up and find out where Pei Zi Yun is."
Li County, Relay Station
It had rained for an entire night, and countless leaves had fallen to the ground. The entire ground was covered with dried leaves. This relay station didn't look very impressive from the outside, but the interior design was very unique. A messenger knocked on the door, "Uncle? It's time to leave. The weather is clear today, and we still have to continue our journey! "
The messenger didn't dare to offend Uncle Zhong Qin, and thus spoke in a soft voice. Usually, he wouldn't need to call out to Uncle Zhong Qin. Whenever he called out, there would definitely be some movement within. However, for some reason, there was no sound from inside.
"Ai, there's no movement inside?" A gust of wind blew past, and the smell of blood wafted into the messenger's nostrils. This messenger had been handling cases for many years, and his heart skipped a beat. His face fell as he stretched out his hand and pushed the door open.
The door was pushed open, only to see that the windows were tightly shut, and it was rather dark inside. Not far from the door, Uncle Zhong Qin was sprawled on the ground, motionless. His body was stiff, and blood was flowing from his nose and mouth.
"Not good, something big has happened." The messenger's eyes were wide open, and he broke out in a cold sweat. When he regained his senses, he shouted out in alarm, alerting everyone in the courtyard.
The eunuch Liu, who was in charge of escorting Pei Zi Yun, was around fifty years old. He was just about to get out of bed when he heard the commotion. His face fell as he leapt up and ran out barefooted.
Several coroners were examining the scene of the murder, along with soldiers and bailiffs. In no time at all, the entire relay station was bustling with noise and excitement.
The County Magistrate and the eunuch Liu who was escorting Pei Zi Yun all had ashen expressions on their faces as they watched silently. There was also an official who happened to pass by the relay station. He was dressed in a fourth ranked official's robe, and was standing outside the door without making a sound.
"Eunuch, Count Zhong Qin was an important official of the Imperial Court. Although he was captured and sent to the capital, he was still an official. He didn't have much gold or silver on him, and yet he was killed here. I really don't understand."
"You have to know that bandits only seek wealth. How would they dare to kill an important official? Even King Lu wouldn't do such a thing to a prisoner." The County Magistrate spoke, his saliva dripping with bitterness. Even if this matter had nothing to do with him, since it happened within his own county, he wouldn't be able to escape punishment.
This was like a disaster falling from the sky.
Hearing these words, the eunuch swallowed his saliva. He knew that he was in deep trouble. He then looked at the constable and the coroner and asked coldly, "Have you investigated thoroughly?"
The few of them looked at each other and whispered to each other. One of them then stepped forward and reported, "Eunuch Liu, we've investigated thoroughly. Count Zhong Qin struck his head with a single palm strike, and the top of his skull caved in. Even his brain was blasted apart. He died on the spot."
As he spoke, he looked at the eunuch Liu and the County Magistrate before saying, "But there's wine and cooked dishes on the table. I've asked around, and found out that these weren't provided by the relay station. They were brought in from outside. Seeing as Count Zhong Qin ate and drank, I'm sure he was an acquaintance."
"Also, from the way he sat, I can tell that his status wasn't low."
Everyone understood what he meant. Count Zhong Qin's status was extremely high. Even if he was an acquaintance, he would still be seated in a very delicate position. Now that there was food and wine on the table, it was obvious that this person's status wasn't low.
"That's not all. The most frightening thing isn't the method he used to kill Count Zhong Qin. It's the fact that Count Zhong Qin didn't even call out for help. There were guards stationed outside the courtyard. Although it's raining, an ordinary person wouldn't be able to climb over the walls. Even if he were to get close to the courtyard, they would be able to detect him."
"The only possibility is that this person knew sorcery, and was highly skilled in martial arts. Either that, or he had a grudge against Count Zhong Qin. That's how he managed to get so close to us without us noticing."
Hearing the coroner's conclusion, Eunuch Liu's face turned gloomy. The County Magistrate was equally bewildered. After some time, Eunuch Liu shuddered and asked the Daoist official who was following him, "Where is True Monarch Pei's carriage?"
The Daoist official hesitated before replying, "This lowly official will investigate immediately."
As he spoke, he turned around and left. After a while, he returned to report, "True Monarch Pei's carriage has arrived at our county's Liushukou Pier. It's about ten miles away."
Hearing this, everyone's faces changed. Eunuch Liu's face turned ashen as he gritted his teeth. The County Magistrate thought to himself, 'Could it be that he dares to commit such a heinous crime and disregard the Imperial Court?'
As he thought this, he turned around and bowed to the fourth ranked official, "Your excellency Ji, you're just passing by. We shouldn't have disturbed you. It's just that our ranks are too low …."
This fourth ranked official was a political official, and looked to be around fifty years old. His name was Ji Ming. He had been intelligent since he was young, and was diligent in his studies. His entire life, he did not have much success. At the age of thirty-seven, he became an Imperial Scholar and joined the Xu Army. He dared to voice out his opinions, and did not shy away from the nobles. This earned him the favor of the Emperor. It was just that he was very clear about his likes and dislikes, and did not hide his emotions.
Ji Ming had long heard of the rumors, and had his suspicions. He hated Daoists even more. This wasn't his job, but his expression changed, "Men, let's go pay our respects to the True Monarch."
The autumn waters of the river rippled, and the autumn afternoon was still hot. Pei Zi Yun leaned against the railing of the boat. There was a table beside him, and a watermelon that had just been fished out of the water. It was placed on the table, and was sliced into ten pieces by a servant.
Pei Zi Yun looked out into the distance, and held the cold watermelon in his hands. He was extremely satisfied. Ren Wei was beside him, and smiled, "My Lord, the temperature on the island is warmer than on land. That's why there's also this autumn melon. It's a rare commodity, and I've brought it here to relieve the heat."
After Pei Zi Yun finished eating, he smiled, "How's the situation on the island?"
"The people on the island are living in peace and contentment. We've relocated some people, and recorded that there are more than eight hundred families living on the island. We've opened up three thousand mu of farmland, and six thousand mu of paddy fields. We've stopped farming, and the fishing industry has expanded. According to my Lord's instructions, we're drying fish and selling them."
"The salt pans have been filled with salt, and more than enough to satisfy the needs of the island. There's also a small amount of it for sale on the ships."
"The war in the South has stopped, and trade has resumed. Many people who go out to sea now stop at Goldwater Island to replenish their supplies. It's much more prosperous than before."
Hearing Ren Wei's words, Pei Zi Yun nodded his head. Since Goldwater Island had the Qi of a turtle, it could be passed down from generation to generation.
"Whew!" Pei Zi Yun heaved a sigh of relief, and his heart was filled with joy. Ren Wei smiled, "My Lord, there's one more thing. This is a letter from the Canton Princess."
Hearing these words, Pei Zi Yun felt a warmth in his heart, "Let me take a look."
Ren Wei held out the letter with both hands, and Pei Zi Yun opened it up. There weren't many words written on it, and it was filled with longing. At the end of the letter, there was a musical score. Pei Zi Yun read it carefully, and played it with his fingers.
"It was composed by the Canton Princess herself." Pei Zi Yun heaved a sigh of relief. He missed his home, and missed her even more. At this point, someone rushed forward.
"True Sovereign, Ji Ming, Eunuch Liu, and the County Magistrate have come to pay their respects. They say they have important matters to discuss!" The man bowed as he spoke.
When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he laughed coldly and placed the letter down, "Men, let me receive them."
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