The six great offices of the protectorate would hold public lectures twice a year.
The main purpose of these lectures was to explain to the people the various problems that the offices had encountered in their work, as well as why they had to do what they did, what the reasons were, and what solutions there were. At the same time, they would receive letters of criticism from the various cities and towns to communicate and alleviate conflicts.
And every time, it was basically the head of the yamen who was in charge and in charge of such matters.
The tenth day of the seventh month was the day of the public lecture. Because Manager Ji was old and lacking energy, Manager Jiang Dingyi was sent in his place.
Three days before the public lecture, the Civil Affairs Office had already contacted the Civil Affairs Office and asked them to search and clear the roads that the procession would pass through to ensure their safety.
However, those who understood the true situation knew that the Civil Affairs Office could only deal with ordinary people. When faced with true assassins, such actions would only look good on the surface and provide some psychological comfort.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was soon the tenth day.
When the sun had just risen, the procession of carriages and horses had already been prepared in front of the office. A cool breeze blew at the banners on the ceremonial robes. Everyone stood silently, and the occasional clatter of armor could be heard. At this time, the warm golden light of dawn had only just emerged. Standing on the platform, one could see that the entire city had not yet awoken. The empty light gray sky was exuding a unique tranquility.
After a short while, Jiang Dingyi walked out of the office with his servants and personal bodyguards. He greeted a few of the guard captains and then clasped his hands in a Solemnly salute to Zhang Yu. Afterwards, he boarded a large, reinforced carriage.
Someone near the carriage gave a shout, and a few short trumpets sounded. The entire procession raised their ceremonial robes high and began to rumble forward.
This time, they had to set out from the inner city platform and pass through the entire city. However, because the journey to Wenqi Plaza was rather long and the procession was not traveling in a straight line, by the time they reached there, they might be close to the center of the city.
Seeing the procession set out, Zhang Yu also mounted a large black horse. He held the reins in one hand and the Xia Sword in the other as he slowly advanced. At the same time, his Heart Lake spread out as he paid attention to his surroundings.
This time, he didn't wear his medical robe. Instead, he wore a Xuanfu Taoist robe with a cloak over it. His face was hidden in the shadow of the hat, and his hands were covered in vermilion gloves.
Recently, after cultivating the Seal of the True Embryo, he could feel that even if he did not activate the Heart's Light, his skin was still wrapped in a layer of lustrous jade. This was one of the signs that his body had entered the realm of divinity.
It was just that this was too eye-catching, so he had to find a way to conceal it. Only when his cultivation gradually deepened would he be able to restrain it.
There was a group of sixty guards from the Protectorate General, a group of thirty attendants from the yamen, and ten officials from the Justice Department, making a total of one hundred people.
The true elites here were the protectorate guards. Every one of them had undergone strict training, and they were all dressed in metal armor. They were fully equipped with weapons, and there were even two carriages pulled by four horses.
The officials from the Justice Department were only responsible for maintaining order, so they could be ignored.
The swordsman called Qin Wu also walked in the procession with a dozen of his disciples. At this time, they had all changed into the uniform and leather helmets of the yamen attendants. They looked no different from ordinary guards.
Qin Wu's mind was very tense. He was an experienced man and knew that because the time had been set, it was very likely that they would encounter a group of well-prepared assassins.
He had previously strongly suggested that Jiang Dingyi change the date or find someone to go in his place. However, the rules set by the Commissar could not be changed at will, so Jiang Dingyi had decisively rejected his suggestion.
Thus, he suggested that Jiang Dingyi find a substitute, but this was also rejected.
After realizing that he might have to fight a hard battle, he could only do his best to prepare everything.
He arranged for each of his disciples to be in a key position in each direction, while he himself was near Jiang Dingyi's carriage. This way, no matter which angle the enemy attacked from, he would be able to react immediately.
At this time, he glanced at Zhang Yu on his horse, then looked away.
Jiang Dingyi had told him that Zhang Yu was a Xuanxiu. He was here to protect him, and also his friend. He had to respect him.
Qin Wu also admitted that Xuanxiu was very powerful and had many methods that ordinary people did not possess. However, he had been a guard his entire life and had his own pride. He believed that he could do this kind of thing better.
Thus, he did not take the initiative to discuss anything with Zhang Yu. When he made arrangements, he pretended that Zhang Yu did not exist.
Zhang Yu did not care about this. He was here to deal with opponents with extraordinary strength. As for ordinary matters of protection, it was the duty of the guards and swordsmen. He would not rashly interfere.
As for the methods used to deal with ordinary people, it was the same whether he knew about them or not. There was no need for the two of them to have any interactions.
At the same time, in a long and narrow stone passageway under the ground near Wenqi Square, more than thirty members of the Tianping Cult were silently gnawing on dry and hard buns, drinking bitter water, and swallowing with all their might. For a moment, the passageway was filled with the sound of chewing.
Their hair was disheveled, their clothes were tattered, and they wore straw sandals. The only thing they could take out of their bodies was the weapons in their hands.
They were at the lowest level of the Church of Balance. As assassins, they did not receive any money. They could only receive some dry rations and water every day to maintain their most basic living.
They were not residents of Auspicious Light City, but people who had wandered here from outside.
In recent years, many towns in the north of the Governor-General's manor had suffered inexplicable natural disasters, and many of them had been abandoned.
Although the Governor-General's manor had tried to arrange for the townspeople to be moved to other places, there were still many people who had not been properly arranged. Among them, there were some who had mysteriously lost their household registration without their knowledge.
There were also some people who had spontaneously come out to develop wastelands in the early years. The climate change had caused the fields to gradually become barren, and they had no choice but to flee to Auspicious Light City to seek a livelihood.
After eating, everyone began to wipe their weapons. Most of them held a longsword in their hands, and there were also a few daggers and short axes.
"Old Chen, did you light incense for your daughter before coming out?" A man with slanted eyebrows broke the silence.
The one called Old Chen was a man about fifty years old with a face full of hardships. He said in a calm voice, "I did. After today, I might go accompany her."
The man with slanted eyebrows came over and said in a low voice, "I heard that as long as enough sacrifices are offered, the God of Balance can revive people. Old Chen, have you ever thought of reviving your daughter?"
Old Chen's hand movements paused, and then he said, "No."
The man with slanted eyebrows was puzzled. "Why?"
Old Chen said in a low voice, "Revive? Let my daughter starve and freeze again? "His movements of wiping his sword suddenly sped up." I'd rather not. "
The man with slanted eyebrows also fell silent. He cursed something and began to wipe the sword in his hand fiercely.
On a tall building near Dan Harbor, two people wearing white masks were hiding in a compartment. They were using a telescope to look into the distance.
"Have all the arrangements been made?"
"Don't worry. The three groups of people are all believers of the God. Their blood and lives are enough to make the God of Balance happy."
To the God of Balance, the believers were his lambs. He would not take the initiative to give them anything. Normally, he would let them go like sheep. If they died like this, the power of the believers would become a part of him, so the more that died, the better.
It seemed that those who believed in the God of Balance did not benefit at all. Instead, they had to pay a lot. It seemed that there was no need to believe.
But in reality, in the boundless mortal world, there were too few things that the weak could rely on. The God of Balance was a God after all. This identity at least gave his believers some spiritual comfort and the courage to stand up and resist.
The carriages of the Civil Affairs Office had already left the platform and were moving along the main road. In front of the road, a young man dressed in cotton clothes ran toward them. Before he could get close, he was stopped by the vigilant Civil Affairs Office. They only let him pass after checking his identity.
The young man came to Qin Wu's side. He wiped the sweat on his cheek and was slightly out of breath. He cupped his fists and said, "Master."
Qin Wu threw a water bag over and said in a low and magnetic voice, "How is it in front? Are there any problems? "He did not trust the Civil Affairs Office people, so he asked his disciple to scout ahead first.
The young man opened the water bottle and drank a mouthful. He wiped his mouth and said, "This disciple has checked everything. There are no problems with the houses and squares along the way. If there is an assassin, it either fell from the sky or drilled out from the ground."
Qin Wu snorted and said, "Maybe you're right."
The young man was startled. "Ah?"
Qin Wu took back the water bag in his hand. He turned his chin and gestured to the back. "Go to the back and watch. Keep your eyes open."
"Yes, Master!"
The young man squeezed to the back. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He came to the front of a beautiful girl dressed as a man and said, "Xiao Ling, why are you here?"
The girl rolled her eyes at him and did not say anything.
The young man saw that she was ignoring him. He rolled his eyes and covered his mouth with his hand. He lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Ling, do you know? I heard that there is a Xuanfu Xuanxiu in our group. "
"Xuanxiu? Which one? "The girl's interest was piqued." Where? "
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