A Fatal Talisman
The imperial edict was unfolded.
The first thing that came into view was the imperial seal stamped on the lower left corner.
The words' Receive the mandate of the heavens, live long and prosper 'were clearly printed on it.
Without a doubt, this was the imperial edict left behind by the late Emperor!
The imperial edict read: On the first day of the ninth month in the 37th year of the reign of Qianzhi, the barbarians have been at the border for more than a hundred years and have been paying tribute for more than ten years. Thus, they are friends. In the future, if the barbarians rebel and cause trouble, they shall be ordered to send troops and shall not be tolerated. Send a hundred thousand troops to the border to quell the barbarians.
The reading was complete.
The meaning was that if the barbarians cause trouble in the future, they could bring this imperial edict to the border and send a hundred thousand troops to kill the barbarians.
Jing Rong's hands trembled in shock.
He asked suspiciously, "As far as I know, the late Emperor never wrote this imperial edict."
"You really don't know. To be more precise, even the current Emperor doesn't know that this imperial edict was secretly given to me by the late Emperor."
Hmm?
Jing Rong didn't quite understand and waited for the rest of the sentence.
Marquis Kang frowned deeply and his expression was solemn. This matter had been suppressed in his heart for decades. The edict was like the soul of the late Emperor, lingering in his mind day and night. Now that he had taken it out, it was as if a huge rock had been lifted off his shoulders and he heaved a sigh of relief.
He slowly said, "For the past hundred years, the barbarians have worshipped our Great Lin and continuously paid tribute. However, twenty years ago, the barbarians had internal strife and changed their master. The barbarians began to stir at the border, which was why the late Emperor left this imperial edict. If the barbarians cause trouble in the future, we can send this imperial edict to the border and send a hundred thousand troops to kill the barbarians. However, twenty years ago, the late Emperor passed away and the new Emperor ascended to the throne. When he first ascended to the throne, the court was in turmoil and all the countries were rioting. In order to consolidate the throne, the new Emperor signed an agreement with the barbarians that there would be no war for the next thirty years!
Over the past few decades, the Barbarians had been fairly well-behaved in the borderlands. However, half a year ago, the Barbarians broke out in internal strife and elected a new ruler. As a result, they began to wreak havoc in the borderlands. Even though the Emperor wanted to send troops, the Barbarians ignored the defensive line and didn't send troops to attack. In other words, they hadn't violated the agreement. As such, Great Lin couldn't send troops to kill them and could only send troops to suppress them. Without a doubt, the agreement signed twenty years ago had become the Barbarians' protective talisman.
However, the late Emperor's posthumous edict is more important than any imperial edict. Once the posthumous edict is issued, the thirty-year truce agreement will be nullified. At that time, we can send out a hundred thousand soldiers to kill them. However, the Barbarians somehow found out that the late Emperor had a posthumous edict and that it was in my hands. So, a few months ago, nearly fifty Barbarians sneaked into Great Lin and came to Jingzhou in search of this posthumous edict. They were originally captured and locked up in prison, but some time ago, about a dozen of them escaped into the forest. This is also the reason why I sent out the government soldiers to hunt them down. "
Jing Rong finally understood the meaning behind it.
He didn't expect his grandfather to have such a trick up his sleeve.
How brilliant.
And now, the heavy imperial edict in his hands was not only a death warrant for the Barbarians, but also a bargaining chip for him to return to the capital.
Marquis Kang continued, "Your Highness is a smart man. You should know how to make use of this imperial edict, right?"
What a profound meaning!
Jing Rong understood. He clenched the posthumous edict tightly and cupped his hands. "If I can use this imperial edict to return to the capital, I will definitely do my best to help Marquis Kang in the future when he is in trouble."
"I should be the one thanking Your Highness and Teacher Ji. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to figure out what happened in the estate, and I wouldn't be stuck in a muddle." His tone was heavy as he heaved a long sigh. "I hope that Your Highness can fulfill your wish when you return to the capital this time. Great Lin's rivers and mountains belong to those who are capable."
Great Lin's rivers and mountains belong to those who are capable!
Jing Rong nodded lightly.
Marquis Kang returned to his seat and continued to flip through the unfinished bloodstained diary in his hands. Every word and sentence on the paper was very delicate and elegant.
He didn't say anything else.
Jing Rong also tucked the posthumous edict into his sleeves. He left quietly and returned to his room to meditate.
On that day, the estate was so busy that not even a drop of water could trickle through. Many positions were vacant after the servants of the estate had been arrested and thrown into prison. The old steward had to worry about his master's mood and was busy recruiting people into the estate. Moreover, the fire had destroyed many of the houses that were connected together, so they had to find people to repair the place. For a time, the estate was bustling with activity.
Everything was settled at night, and the estate quieted down a little.
Jing Rong also told Ji Yunshu about the imperial edict after the estate had regained its peace.
Ji Yunshu was slightly shocked when she heard that the late Emperor had left behind an imperial edict. She carefully considered the pros and cons before asking, "Then what do you plan to do?"
"Act according to the situation."
"Are you confident?"
"The imperial edict left behind by the late Emperor is real. When we return to the capital, no one will dare to stop us. It's just that we're worried that there might be a change of heart, so we can only act according to the situation." He pondered deeply for a moment, then grasped Ji Yunshu's hand tightly. "The person Jing Yi wants to stop us from returning to the capital is me, not you. So when the time comes, you must return to the capital first."
"No …" Before he could finish his sentence …
Jing Rong interrupted him.
"You must listen to me. You must do as I say. As long as you're safe, I can deal with them without worry."
He was very serious!
Ji Yunshu pursed her lips for a long time, then finally nodded.
At this time, Lang Po came in, but he stopped at the door. Seeing the two people inside, their hands clasped tightly together, he immediately realized that a flood was about to hit him.
He thought to himself, 'Why did I bump into them again?'
Strangely, Jing Rong didn't throw him a cold glance this time. Instead, he said to Ji Yunshu, "We'll leave early tomorrow morning. Go and prepare."
"Okay."
She obediently agreed and stepped out of the door. Lang Po moved to the side, making room for her at the door.
At that moment, Ji Yunshu was suspicious. She turned back to look at Jing Rong, feeling that he had something to say to avoid her.
But …
In the end, she didn't think too much about it.
They left.
After they left, Lang Po entered the room and reported, "Your Highness, we didn't find Young Master Wei."
Hearing this, Jing Rong frowned.
"What do you mean we didn't find him?"
"Our men have searched the entire capital, as well as some small places outside the capital, but they didn't find him. Lu Jiang even sent people to follow Prince Yi and his trusted aide, Dou Quan, but they couldn't find Young Master Wei." Lang Po was suspicious, "Could it be that Prince Yi didn't kidnap Young Master Wei?"
"Impossible." Jing Yi denied.
"But the entire capital has been turned upside down. Not even a finger was found."
"What about Prince Yi's Estate?"
"We sent people to Prince Yi's Estate at the beginning, but Young Master Wei wasn't inside. At that time, Lu Jiang also suspected that there was a secret passage in Prince Yi's Estate. He sent people to keep watch for a long time. If Young Master Wei was really in the secret passage, someone should have gone in to deliver food and water. But there was no movement from Prince Yi's Estate. "
Lang Po was also a little anxious.
After all, he and Wei Yi had a deep friendship and shared a bed.
Jing Rong pondered, analyzing, "With Jing Yi's personality, where would he hide Wei Yi?"
Not in the Estate!
Not in the entire capital!
Not even in some places outside the capital!
In short —
People wouldn't disappear for no reason.
He said, "Continue to search. Even if you have to turn the entire capital upside down, you must find Wei Yi. We can't let anything happen to him."
"Yes."
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