Prefecture City
Yue Qiu Shan's High Scholar Yue's house was decorated very simply. There were only a few paintings hanging around the room, and the atmosphere was very scholarly. At the side of the room, there was a teapot brewing tea.
After pouring away the first two batches of tea, the third batch of tea was brewed. Just then, a man came knocking on the door, "Master, something bad has happened."
Yue Qiu Shan was somewhat displeased and scolded, "What is it? Tell me in detail. Don't panic. How many times have I instructed you not to disturb me when I'm drinking tea. Everything can wait until I'm done with my morning tea."
"Master, Zhang Jie Yu, Young Master Zhang, sent people to Slow River County last night. This morning, a messenger pigeon arrived, saying that Young Master Zhang did not return last night. I'm afraid something big has happened."
The servant reported, and explained the situation in a few sentences. Yue Qiu Shan maintained his composure. Although Zhang Jie Yu was his own disciple and son-in-law, he was still young. He had not handed over the entire Daoist system of the prefecture, but only gradually. Yue Qiu Shan did not have much time left, but he could not afford to let go of his power.
In Slow River County, he had planted spies. If anything big happened, they would report it to him. Since there was no news from them, nothing had happened.
Yue Qiu Shan then placed the teacups in front of him. He then used the teapot to fill up all three of his teacups. The aroma of tea permeated the air.
He then asked, "Do you know what he went to do?"
Seeing that the servant did not dare to answer, Yue Qiu Shan then felt that something was wrong. He then shouted, "Tell me, what happened?"
The servant then knelt down and said, "Master, it's not that I'm trying to hide it. I only heard that Young Master Zhang heard that Pei Zi Yun had killed Li Wen Jing yesterday. He then brought his men from Silver Dragon Temple and Luo Gang to kill him."
Yue Qiu Shan stood up and was furious, "Zhang Jie Yu is usually calm and steady. Who would have thought that he would do such a stupid thing today. He deserves to die, he deserves to die."
At this point, he felt something warm in his robes. It was a communication talisman. He had a bad feeling about this. He then ordered the servant to leave and took out the talisman.
Zhang Xuan took out the talisman, and a human figure appeared. However, it was a little blurry, appearing and disappearing from time to time. This was a sign that someone had interfered with the talisman. Zhang Xuan tapped it with his finger, and spiritual light entered the talisman. Only then did it stabilize.
The background of the mirror was a room, and it seemed to be an inn. The person inside the mirror said, "Not good, Senior Uncle. Something big has happened. This morning in Snail Village, Pei Zi Yun led the villagers to the County Magistrate's office to lodge a complaint. It seems to have something to do with Junior Brother Zhang. They said that Junior Brother Zhang plotted to murder an Elementary Scholar, and was a demonic person. He has already been killed. I was quite a distance away, and couldn't hear clearly."
As soon as the Daoist finished speaking, he pointed at the mirror and an image appeared on it. In front of the Slow River County Yamen, there was a huge crowd of people. They were all wearing white headscarves and were dressed in mourning attire. They were gathered in front of the County Yamen and there were many coffins placed around.
Yue Qiu Shan was a High Scholar of the previous dynasty, and he found it hard to breathe. The disciple who had taken over his position in Dong An Prefecture had died just like that. He was enraged. There was a purple teapot on the table, and it was High Scholar Yue's favorite. High Scholar Yue picked up the teapot and smashed it on the table.
There was the sound of a pigeon flapping its wings as it landed on the window. The Daoist grabbed the pigeon from the window and removed the letter from the pigeon's leg. He took a look and couldn't help but cry out, "Senior Uncle, it's a disaster, a disaster as big as the heavens. Zhang Jie Yu led a group of people to attack Snail Village last night and killed 23 villagers. He even killed the patrol officer. In the end, he was killed instead."
"Now that the corpses and heads are all here, and the plot against the Elementary Scholar has been exposed, the victims have all gathered. This is a disaster!"
This pigeon was sent out by a spy that Holy Jail Sect had planted within the County Yamen. These spies did not need to do much work. All they had to do was spread the news within the County Yamen, and they would be rewarded with silver.
When Yue Qiu Shan heard this, his face turned ashen. Was this Zhang Jie Yu crazy?
Initially, he thought that he was a talent that could be nurtured and nurtured. Who would have thought that he would go against the grain and kill the Chief Patrol Officer. This was an official position, and the repercussions would be disastrous. He had implicated the entire Holy Jail Sect.
"I understand. I will report this matter to the Sect. You continue to lie low, and do not cause any trouble." Yue Qiu Shan took a deep breath and instructed the Daoist.
"Yes, Senior Uncle." The Daoist replied respectfully before he switched off the communication talisman. He was a little anxious, but after reporting the matter, he relaxed a little.
Yue Qiu Shan paced back and forth in his room. This matter was a disaster. Zhang Jie Yu had always been calm and magnanimous, but he did not expect to do something like this today. He had broken the rules and killed the Chief Patrol Officer. If word got out, he would be in big trouble.
This matter had to be reported to the Sect Leader. Yue Qiu Shan used the communication talisman to contact the Sect Leader. Suddenly, the talisman changed, and a real person appeared on the screen.
This Daoist was Zhang Jie Yu's uncle. He looked at Yue Qiu Shan and said, "Just now, the Deacon of the Hall of Worship sent news that Zhang Jie Yu has fallen. I would like to ask, Senior Brother, what exactly happened?"
The Daoist's tone was cold. Zhang Jie Yu had originally been entrusted to Yue Qiu Shan to teach him. Who would have thought that he would be killed by someone else. Naturally, he was unhappy.
Yue Qiu Shan sighed, "Senior Brother, something big has happened. Zhang Jie Yu brought the Luo Gang and Silver Dragon Temple to assassinate the newly promoted Top Scorer Pei Zi Yun. He didn't want to kill the Chief Patrol Officer, but ended up getting himself killed as well. Someone even revealed that he had harmed an Elementary Scholar years ago. I was just about to report this to the Sect Leader when I didn't expect Senior Brother to receive this news."
"What? That unfilial son actually did such a stupid thing. " The Daoist had originally come to reprimand his junior brother. After hearing Yue Qiu Shan's words, he understood the severity of the matter. His face turned pale and he spoke to Yue Qiu Shan, "Junior Brother, tell me everything in detail."
Yue Qiu Shan told him everything that had happened. When the Daoist heard this, he was enraged, "That damned unfilial son. That damned Pei Zi Yun."
This matter was too big for him to decide. He had to report it to the Sect Leader. It was just that if he were to say it himself, and if someone else were to say it, it would be a different matter altogether. "Junior Brother, I will follow the Sect Leader to report this matter. In a while, I will send a message to the Sect."
As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly switched off the communication talisman and went to look for the Sect Leader.
Yue Qiu Shan could not help but sigh. Years ago, if he had been diligent in his Dao Arts, and broken through the gates of heaven, he would have become a Core Disciple. Perhaps today, he would still be cultivating in the mountains, and would not be plotting against the Sect Leader.
Now that he was old and dying, his Senior Brother was still a middle-aged man, in his forties.
However, when he thought about it again, he realized that the Inner Sect was poor. Although there was a difference between the Outer Sect and the Inner Sect, the power of the Outer Sect was much greater than that of the Inner Sect. This was the difference between the Officials of the Capital and the County Officials.
The real difference was that after death, when the Inner Sect disciples broke through the gates of heaven, they would become Ghost Immortals. Even if Yue Qiu Shan enjoyed wealth and riches, he would still be a mortal.
After some time, the Communication Amulet lit up and the Daoist appeared. His face was ashen. Seeing his Senior Brother in such a state, Yue Qiu Shan's heart sank.
"Zhang Jie Yu, this unfilial disciple. The Sect Leader has decided to remove his name from the Sect. Junior Brother Yue, immediately cut off all contact with Zhang Jie Yu. Cut off all the connections he has with Zhang Jie Yu. Do not implicate any of our other chess pieces. Do your best to preserve our strength."
The Daoist paused for some time before continuing, "Silver Dragon Temple and Luo Gang know of our whereabouts. All the disciples shall retreat. This matter was done by Zhang Jie Yu alone. Our Holy Jail Sect will not take the blame. We can only let the Zhang family, Silver Dragon Temple and Luo Gang take the blame."
Yue Qiu Shan's voice was trembling as he said, "This Silver Dragon Temple is not a big deal. But this Luo Gang is the stronghold of our Holy Jail Sect. If we lose them, our strength will be greatly reduced."
"At this point in time, what's the point of being greatly reduced? If we do not cut off all contact with them, those bastards who have been reared by the Imperial Court will come looking for us. When that time comes, we will suffer more losses than this. This is the decree of the Sect Leader." The Daoist then said fiercely, "Luckily, although you have an engagement, it has not been announced. You are not married either. This matter will not affect you too much."
"This is not a small matter. You must handle it carefully and quickly."
Yue Qiu Shan had no choice but to agree. He then called for his men. A Daoist and a warrior entered the room. Seeing Yue Qiu Shan's ashen face, and seeing the broken teapot on the floor, they knew that something big had happened.
Yue Qiu Shan immediately whispered to the two of them. The two of them were taken aback at first, but then nodded their heads. The Daoist then replied, "Senior Uncle, don't worry. We have a record of this matter. Since we have a clear order, we will handle it quickly."
Dong An Prefecture
The streets were bustling, and people were walking to and fro. All of a sudden, a group of soldiers came running towards the Magistrate's Yamen. They were escorting a civil official, and were running towards the Magistrate's Yamen. The surrounding commoners were so frightened that they scattered in all directions.
A scholar was also frightened by the horses, and was about to rush forward to argue with them when an old man held him back and said, "Do you want to die? Scholar, these people have an urgent document. If you obstruct them, you will be sent to jail."
The old man pointed to the flag on the back of the soldiers as he spoke. The scholar was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. The Xu Dynasty had only just been established, and the military was like a raging fire in the past. These soldiers had an urgent document, and if they obstructed them, they could be killed immediately. The scholar then thanked the old man profusely.
Magistrate's Yamen
The Magistrate had just finished his meal and was sitting on a chair in the backyard, drinking tea. At this point, a bailiff sprinted over and shouted, "Master, bad news. Slow River County has just issued an order, and the newly appointed County Lieutenant has been killed. It's even been reported to us."
The Magistrate's expression changed as he stood up and received the document. He took a look at it, and his face was filled with fear. After a while, he calmed down and walked a few steps before issuing an order, "Immediately order the Warden's men to come over. Also, gather all the constables and bailiffs. There's something important to do today."
As he walked, he put on his robes and arrived at the main hall. At this point, the constables had already arrived at the main hall. After some time, the men from the Warden's men arrived as well. They bowed and said, "Magistrate, what's the urgent matter?"
The Magistrate then gave the order, "The two of you, immediately take your men and seal off Silver Dragon Temple. Not a single person is to leave. If anyone resists, kill them without mercy."
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