Located in the extreme west of the Jing Kingdom, Shu Province was remote and desolate, with only five small counties under its jurisdiction.
Yong County, located in the southwest of Shu Province, was the last inhabited place in the west of the Jing Kingdom.
Fifty miles away from Yong County, there was a great river more than a thousand feet wide. Crossing this river, one would officially enter the territory of the Qi Kingdom.
Because it was remote and remote, it was even poorer.
The poorer a place was, the more chaotic it was, and the more chaotic it was, the poorer it was. It was an endless cycle with no solution.
Therefore, bandits were rampant in Yong County, and the public security was extremely chaotic. Fortunately, they were only small groups of roving bandits, who only dared to wreak havoc in the villages around the county, not too close to it. A hundred miles to the south was the truly terrifying place. It was the border between the Qi Kingdom, the Jing Kingdom, and the Wu Kingdom. It was an area that the three kingdoms did not care about. The mountain range stretched on endlessly, and the bandits and mountain bandits there were even more arrogant than the government. Often, there was no one living within a hundred miles, which was truly desolate and uninhabited.
Looking from afar, the city walls seemed thick, but the guards at the city gates were all listless and bored.
Although this place was considered to be bordering the Qi Kingdom, and the relationship between the Jing Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom had always been tense, the army of the Qi Kingdom would not have to climb over the mountains that stretched for dozens of miles, and then cross the great river to come to this place. The unique geographical advantage did not cause Yong County to suffer from the chaos of war.
Because of the existence of the Provincial Governor's Mansion and the King of Shu's Mansion, the public security of Yong County was more stable than that of other counties.
A few carriages slowly approached from afar, and there were nearly a hundred people accompanying them. Most of these people were dressed in blue or yellow, and they seemed to be well-organized and disciplined. The soldiers guarding the gate shuddered, and one of them retreated into the gate and shouted from afar, "Stop, who are you?!"
A figure rushed over from behind, slapped him on the head, and scolded, "You blind bastard! This is an important guest of His Highness. Get out of here!"
Behind him, a man in purple hurried forward, walked to the front of the first carriage, and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, Protector has been waiting in the city for a long time."
Behind them, a long yawn came from one of the carriages.
Then, a young voice came from the carriage, "Why did you stop? Is it time to eat?"
The yellow-clothed man next to the carriage had an expression of admiration on his face. He had lived for thirty years, but he had never seen someone so fond of sleeping. The admiration in his heart could no longer be described with words.
The man in yellow shook his head and said in a low voice, "It's not dinner. We've arrived at Shuzhou."
…
…
Yongzhou County Government.
It could be seen that the county government office had been around for a long time. The outer walls were peeling, and the paint on the gate was almost gone.
A bailiff ran into one of the houses in a panic and said anxiously, "Sir, bad news, bad news. Another village has become a bandit!"
The young man, who was dozing off on the chair, was startled. His eyes opened abruptly, and a look of anger appeared on his face. He casually smashed an inkstone on the table.
"Bastard, didn't I tell you not to disturb me when I'm resting?"
"I'm sorry, my lord!" The bailiff dodged the inkstone and immediately bowed, saying, "But those villagers have reported it to the county government. The county magistrate has ordered you to investigate the case!"
"Got it, got it. I'll go right away!"
Jiang Zian stood up from the chair angrily. Jing He was a new Jinshi in one year, but now he was appointed to be a county magistrate in such a remote place. What was the difference between this and being banished?
At the thought of having to deal with those trivial things again, his heart was filled with strong resentment.
Two years ago, because he said something wrong in Prince Ning's Mansion, his career was affected. His bright and promising future was gone. Seeing that his peers had a smooth career and left him far behind, he was naturally anxious.
It was not easy for him to get close to the King of Shu. Before he had time to rejoice, the King of Shu was expelled from the Jing Kingdom the next day. So he followed the King and became a county magistrate in the most remote place of the Jing Kingdom.
County magistrate? Was this what a scholar should do?
He dealt with trivial cases all day long. Finally, there was a big case that he could make some achievements in. However, he vomited when he saw the crime scene. He didn't make any achievements. After that, he didn't eat meat for a whole month. He, Jiang Zian, had studied hard for more than ten years just to suffer here?
There weren't even any high-class brothels here. The so-called famous courtesans were all ugly and unsightly. Even in his dreams, he wanted to go back to Qing 'an Prefecture. The girls in the Golden Phoenix Pavilion and Jades Courtyard could only be described as beautiful …
Sometimes he really doubted whether the King of Shu was the Emperor's biological son. As the eldest son of the Emperor, how could his fief be in such a remote place …
This time, he was afraid that he had followed the wrong person …
Another bailiff came in from outside and said, "My lord, the servants of the King's Mansion have sent an invitation. The King of Shu will hold a banquet in the King's Mansion tonight …"
Jiang Zian hurriedly said, "Just say that I will be there on time."
…
In an inn in Yong County, Li Yi took the box from Taoist Nun and looked at her and asked, "What is this?"
The middle-aged Taoist nun looked at him and said lightly, "Tonight, you will go with me to the King of Shu's Mansion. To avoid being recognized, wear this."
Li Yi glanced at her and opened the box. He could not help but be slightly startled.
He took out the thing in the box and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
It was a mask. It looked not much different from the human skin masks seen on TV. It was very thin and soft to the touch. As if thinking of something, Li Yi quickly threw it into the box and asked, "Is this thing made of human skin?"
"No." The Daoist nun bluntly replied before turning around and leaving.
Li Yi picked it up again and examined it carefully. It didn't look like human skin, and it didn't smell strange. He didn't know what material it was made of. It was surprising that such an exquisite thing existed in this era.
After a while, looking at a blurry shadow in the bronze mirror, Li Yi touched his face, feeling both surprised and amazed.
If he observed it carefully in the day, there might be some flaws. But at night, after wearing this thing, there was no trace of Photoshop. He did not know how it was made.
After a while, Li Yi carefully took it off and put it away. Then, he looked at the candle on the table and was lost in thought.
Along the way, he did not have enough opportunities to leave clues. He was also not sure if Ruyi and the others could get the news.
Outside of Shu State was the Qi Kingdom. Once he stepped into the territory of the Qi Kingdom, it would be more troublesome to get rid of them.
But now, this Taoist nun was watching him very closely. She even wanted to bring him to the King of Shu's banquet. There were not many opportunities to escape. Right now, he could only take it one step at a time.
In a room on the upper floor of the inn, a young man dressed in a luxurious robe smiled and said to Taoist Nun, "Auntie, after this period of contact, I realized that this King of Shu is a complete idiot. I only used a little trick and gained his trust. This person can be put to good use."
"Although this person is stupid, he has a strong background. Even the Cui family is standing behind him. In the imperial court, he has hundreds to answer his call. When the time comes, with his influence in the imperial court, it will be more convenient for us to do things. We can use him to deal with matters in the open, and in the end, we can be the fisherman who reaps the benefits." The young man's smile was somewhat proud. When he talked about the "King of Shu", his face naturally revealed a look of mockery.
"I said before, don't get too close to Li." The middle-aged Taoist nun looked at him with a frown and said, "Have you forgotten how the Fang family only has the two of us left?"
"The Fang family and the imperial family of the Jing Kingdom are absolutely irreconcilable. Naturally, this hatred will not be forgotten. As long as I am alive, I will make the Li family watch the Jing Kingdom fall!"
The young man said through gritted teeth. Then, he said seriously, "However, before that, for the sake of the greater good, it is necessary to endure …"
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