area51novel Chapter 168 The Emperor's Thoughts!
Chapter 168 The Emperor's Thoughts!
Chapter 168 The Emperor's Thoughts!
In just a short while, Lu Xiucai had already poured tea for Magistrate Lou, his movements unusually swift.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Lou held Li Dazui's hand and chatted about everyday things.
Magistrate Lou was Li Dazui's uncle, a fact known to everyone in Qixia Town. However, everyone also knew how much Magistrate Lou looked down on Li Dazui, so they didn't take it seriously.
But today is different. With Magistrate Lou's arrival, everyone along the way learned about Tongfu Inn's extermination of the demons.
This is no small matter; it could even affect Magistrate Lou's career. At this moment, Li Dazui is no different from Magistrate Lou's own nephew.
The two chatted happily, like a long-lost father and son, until Tong Xiangyu's appearance broke the atmosphere.
Tong Xiangyu had already changed into appropriate clothes and, pulling Guo Furong downstairs, greeted Magistrate Lou. Magistrate Lou finally let go of Li Dazui's hand and instead took Tong Xiangyu's hand in his.
"Manager Tong is both beautiful and intelligent, and her staff are all very capable. With talents like you around, Qixia Town can only get better and better!"
Magistrate Lou began by offering words of comfort to the crowd in a commanding tone, which was part of the formality. After saying the polite words, he then began to bestow rewards upon the crowd on behalf of the Emperor.
Everyone knelt down.
As if remembering something, Tong Xiangyu quickly said, "There's another person in the backyard."
Magistrate Lou was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then you should call him quickly. This is a very important matter. If you miss it, you will regret it for the rest of your life."
Just as Tong Xiangyu was about to get up, Guo Furong stopped her, shaking her head and saying, "Don't waste time. My senior brother won't come. He's hated this kind of scene more than anything since he was a child!"
"How can this be?!" Tong Xiangyu exclaimed excitedly, "Ordinary people never even get to see a reward order in their entire lives; this is a rare opportunity!"
"I have plenty of similar things at home." Guo Furong stood up, feeling a bit bored, and complained, "When I was little, my dad used to spank me with these things all the time. I couldn't even dodge them in time, and I never wanted them."
Magistrate Lou was a seasoned official; he could tell from Guo Furong's demeanor that she wasn't lying, so he asked curiously, "Who is your father?"
Guo Furong openly revealed the name of Guo Juxia.
Anyway, this adventure in the martial world is coming to an end, there's no need to keep it a secret any longer.
Given the intelligence capabilities of the Six Doors, Guo Juxia must have known about last night's events before Magistrate Lou. Guo Furong thought he might already be on his way.
After Guo Furong introduced herself, the inn fell into a brief silence, followed by gasps of surprise.
Even the usually composed Magistrate Lou couldn't help but change his expression drastically.
I thought the other party might have some connections, but I didn't expect their connections to be this strong!
Magistrate Lou's eyes darted around, and he laughed loudly, "It was my rudeness. So you are the beloved daughter of Master Guo. In fact, I have long heard that Master Guo has a beautiful daughter. Seeing you today, I can confirm that she lives up to her reputation."
A smile spread across Guo Furong's face; she was always happy to be praised.
The way Old Xing looked at Magistrate Lou was as if he were looking at an idol. In such a short time, he had learned the way to get promoted.
His flattery skills were nothing compared to those of Magistrate Lou.
To be able to please the target so well in such a short time, one can only say that Magistrate Lou is very experienced.
"You can keep this reward, but I'll pass. I don't feel comfortable taking anything from the Divine Arrest Bureau."
Guo Furong refused again.
Considering the irreconcilable conflict between the Six Doors and the Divine Arrest Bureau, Magistrate Lou immediately understood and stopped pressuring the matter, bestowing the reward order upon Tong Xiangyu and the others.
At this moment, these people could be considered to have brought honor to their ancestors.
It wasn't just Bai Zhantang who needed this; for Lü Xiucai, with the reward in hand, even if his imperial examination results were mediocre, he could still become an official and fulfill the high hopes his ancestors had placed on him.
Meanwhile, just as Guo Furong had predicted, Guo Juxia was already on his way to Qixia Town.
Besides him, several other groups are also on their way.
Such a large-scale mobilization is for no other reason than this.
It was all for the sake of Prince Chu Yang.
Beijing.
Inside the Forbidden City, in the Imperial Study.
There are three people in the room.
The current emperor sat at his desk reading the official gazette containing news about Chu Yang, while two powerful eunuchs stood beside him.
Cao Zhengchun, the head of the Eastern Depot, and Wei Zhongxian, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
"No matter how dissolute he may be, he is still a prince appointed by my father during his reign, and he is my imperial brother!"
"If I don't want him to die, then he cannot die!"
The emperor, sitting at his desk, flew into a rage and slammed the official gazette he was holding onto the ground!
What a noble prince! He almost died at the hands of demons. It was a disgrace to the royal family if word got out. How could he not be furious!
Wei Zhongxian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was standing beside the Emperor, chuckled softly, "Your Majesty, please calm down. His Highness Prince Xian has always been known for his absurdity. Fortunately, divine lightning struck down and vanquished the demons. It is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."
"Wise Prince? Hmph!" The emperor seemed to have been touched on a sensitive spot. His expression changed abruptly, and his gaze became fierce. "Back then, before Father Emperor had even established a crown prince, he couldn't wait to bestow upon him the title of Wise Prince. Heh, what a Wise Prince!"
"This was the title my father received when he was young."
"This shows Father Emperor's intentions back then. If it weren't for that sudden illness, I don't know what my fate would be now."
Seeing that the emperor was in a bad mood, Wei Zhongxian quickly began to flatter him, "Your Majesty, why bother with the past? Prince Xian is now a useless piece of trash and poses no threat to you whatsoever."
Cao Zhengchun raised an eyebrow, glanced at Wei Zhongxian with the look of someone staring at a dead man, and then immediately lowered his head.
The next second, the emperor stared at Wei Zhongxian and said coldly, "If he's a good-for-nothing, then what am I, his elder brother? And what is our father?"
Seeing the emperor's voice growing increasingly cold, Wei Zhongxian immediately knelt down, saying in extreme fear, "This servant misspoke!"
The emperor took a deep breath, instantly regaining his usual composure. "Go and receive fifty strokes of the cane yourself. With your physique, you should be able to withstand it."
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Wei Zhongxian kowtowed frantically, then silently left the imperial study and obediently went outside to receive his punishment.
Seeing his disheveled appearance, Cao Zhengchun sneered.
Even if the emperor hates it, it's his own business, how can a servant girl have the right to speak out!
Wei Zhongxian was promoted by Cao Zhengchun, but after he became the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he ignored Cao Zhengchun and seemed to want to establish his own faction. Cao Zhengchun regarded him as a political enemy.
The more mistakes like today, the better for Wei Zhongxian!
"Cao Zhengchun!"
"Yes, sir!"
"What do you think of my younger brother's luck?"
"His Highness is blessed with good fortune, but unfortunately, once he enters the gambling den, things will be a completely different story."
"Hahaha, the money he's lost since he was a kid could open hundreds of gambling dens!"
"Your Majesty should advise Prince Xian."
"Forget it! His lifeblood is eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring; even if Father Emperor came, it wouldn't make a difference!"
At this point, cold sweat was already dripping down Cao Zhengchun's forehead. He dared not continue the conversation and silently prayed that the topic would end there.
However, after a brief silence, the emperor suddenly spoke, and his single sentence made Cao Zhengchun's heart pound.
"Do you think that demon was really killed by a divine lightning strike?"
When Cao Zhengchun came out of the Imperial Study, his back was soaked with sweat. He glanced back at the door with trepidation, then quickly left without looking back.
The entire Imperial Study was like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey.
Among all the civil and military officials, only he and Wei Zhongxian knew the true nature of the current emperor; even the two marquises most trusted by the emperor were unaware of it.
Therefore, Cao Zhengchun only acts so cautiously when the two of them are alone with each other.
Most people thought that the emperor was weak-willed, easily swayed, and more fickle than a weather vane, supporting one person today and another tomorrow, making the power dynamics in the court as complex as a spider web.
But no one realized that all this infighting among so many factions had absolutely no impact on the emperor's power.
Back at the Eastern Depot, Cao Zhengchun was still gripped by fear, the emperor's questions echoing in his ears: all these years, he had actually been in charge of monitoring Chu Yang.
Everyone in the capital knows that His Highness the Prince Xian is always absurd, so what's the point of monitoring him?
As time went on, Cao Zhengchun grew tired of wasting his time on him.
Compared to a wise king who couldn't cause any trouble, he had far too many important enemies to deal with.
For example, Yu Huatian of the Western Depot and Zheng Dongliu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, were his mortal enemies.
Not to mention that when the late emperor was alive, he had a conflict with the Iron-Blooded Marquis of the Dragon Guard Manor, making him an enemy on all sides.
I'm barely making ends meet myself, how can I have time to care about a useless person!
But at this moment, Cao Zhengchun gradually realized that the emperor had been making an example of Wei Zhongxian in the imperial study, and Cao Zhengchun himself was the one being warned.
It's all because of the wise ruler!
You failed to handle the task I assigned you properly. Today, Wei Zhongxian is the one being punished, but tomorrow, you, Cao Zhengchun, will lose your head!
Thinking of this, Cao Zhengchun broke out in a cold sweat and felt extremely uneasy. He immediately ordered his servants to bring the head of the Eastern Depot.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Cao Shaoqin, looking travel-worn, walked in from outside, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and respectfully bowed to Cao Zhengchun.
Cao Shaoqin's father was Cao Zhengchun's elder brother. During the famine, the Cao family kept the eldest son to carry on the family line and sent the second son to the palace. Unexpectedly, Cao Zhengchun thrived in the palace.
Seeing Cao Zhengchun gain power, the Cao family immediately wanted to curry favor with him. However, Cao Zhengchun was a ruthless man who gave his family a difficult choice: if they wanted to establish a relationship, they had to send the Cao family's only son to the palace to accompany him.
This family were all ruthless. Cao Zhengchun's elder brother and father agreed without hesitation, so Cao Shaoqin entered the palace at a very young age and was trained by Cao Zhengchun, eventually becoming the head of the Eastern Depot.
Cao Zhengchun, without reservation, passed on the complete Tiangang Boy Skill to his nephew.
Cao Shaoqin was exceptionally talented and loved to study swordsmanship. He was extremely ruthless and merciless in his attacks. Combined with the powerful defense of the Heavenly Gang Child Skill, he had no weaknesses in either offense or defense. Among the two factories and one guard, there were very few people who could defeat him.
Ma Jinliang, the head of the West Depot, was also skilled with a sword, and even wielded two swords. The two had a lot of private rivalry, but Cao Shaoqin usually had the upper hand.
"I wonder what business Uncle has with Shaoqin?"
"You are going out on this trip. You must personally bring His Highness the Wise Prince back to the capital. Remember! I said personally!"
"Uncle, why did the Prince Xian leave the capital for no reason?"
"I heard she was tricked out by the eldest daughter of the Guo family. That brat is always yelling about wanting to roam the martial world, but her kung fu isn't even close to her father's toe. If it weren't for her father's sake, I would have killed her!"
"Uncle, please calm down. Our Eastern Depot has already made enemies on all sides. It would be unwise to antagonize Guo Bujing as well."
"Hmph! You don't need to tell me that. Guo is a smart man. He never makes enemies and never shows his emotions. He does whatever the Emperor orders him to do. He's truly watertight."
"My uncle once said that honest people are the most terrifying when they get angry."
After giving his orders for a while, Cao Zhengchun was about to wave Cao Shaoqin away when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he asked, "Do you think that after all these years, His Highness the Prince might have hidden something?"
Cao Shaoqin paused for a moment, then decisively shook his head and said, "I've seen His Highness Prince Xian practice. To be honest, he really has no talent at all. In addition, His Highness is naturally lazy and only practices a few days a month at most. It's already a miracle that he was able to even get the basics of the Surging Wave Palm."
Hearing this, Cao Zhengchun finally relaxed, his tense demeanor dissipating, and his tone became more casual, "Then hurry up and go. Remember, no matter who tries to stop you, only the Eastern Depot can bring the Prince Xian back to the capital!"
"Nephew understands!" Cao Shaoqin bowed and turned to leave, his cloak fluttering in the wind.
When the Eastern Depot made its move, its arch-rival, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, followed suit. Naturally, their actions could not be kept secret from the Western Depot, which was responsible for overseeing them.
Suddenly, the small capital city became bustling with unpredictable events.
Northern Garrison Command.
A plaque with the inscription "Justice resides in the hearts of the people" hangs in the center of the lobby.
Zheng Dongliu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing intently at the plaque, when a commander entered from outside.
"Commander, Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang have both left the capital. Should we send men over as well?"
"Let Commander Zuo watch the show."
"I will go and inform Commander Zuo immediately."
"Wait! Tell Li Gexiao too."
"My lord—Brother Li is no longer a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
"Whether Li Gexiao is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or not is up to me to decide!"
Amid Zheng Dongliu's furious roar, the unfortunate commander fled as fast as he could, as if his backside was on fire.
Qixia Town.
Chu Yang slept for a whole day and didn't come out of the back room until almost evening.
A familiar shout came from the lobby.
"It's one thing to act recklessly all the time, but this time you almost got someone killed!"
"I'm telling you, if you're killed by a demon, you deserve to die, but don't implicate other innocent people."
'
Harsh words pierced Guo Furong's heart like a sharp sword.
She thought her father would comfort her, but instead she only heard ridicule and mockery.
Guo Furong knelt on the ground and wept softly, while the people around her dared not utter a word.
Guo Bujing was so angry because Guo Furong had dragged Chu Yang into this. If the Prince Xian died in Qixia Town, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for the entire Guo family to be executed.
The only thing that made Guo Bujing feel gratified was that Guo Furong was willing to sacrifice herself to save others at the last moment, at least she didn't embarrass him.
And Chu Yang—
He had always looked down on this ignorant and incompetent prince, but after hearing what happened last night, he couldn't help but feel shocked.
Just as Guo Bujing was about to teach Guo Furong a lesson, Chu Yang was already standing in the hall, looking at him with a smile.
Guo Bujing was about to bow when he saw Chu Yang shake his head slightly, so he immediately changed his actions.
Only the experienced Bai Zhantang noticed this scene and was immediately shocked!
"My goodness! Who exactly is Miss Guo's senior brother?!"
"Master, please calm down and forgive your junior sister. She did very well last night!"
"If we don't punish her properly, she'll harm others again next time."
"Let's find a different way to punish him. What era are we living in? Why are we still using corporal punishment?"
"You're right. From this day forward, I'm kicking her out of the house."
Old Guo used the kindest tone to say the harshest words, directly causing Guo Furong to lose her household registration. This was indeed the ultimate punishment for Guo Furong, and she looked at Chu Yang with murderous eyes.
Chu Yang shrugged and said with a smile, "You're welcome."
Guo Furong cried even louder immediately.
Chu Yang said with relief, "Junior Sister seems very moved. She must have understood Master's good intentions. Why don't we let her cry for a while and then go upstairs to talk?"
Old Guo nodded, and without even glancing at Guo Furong, he went upstairs first.
Chu Yang patted Guo Furong's head. "Don't cry. Your dad was just kidding. But you won't be going home anytime soon. Find somewhere to stay for a while."
Guo Furong, with snot and tears streaming down her face, cried, "I can't even go home, where else can I go?"
Chu Yang asked in surprise, "Weren't you going to roam the martial world?"
Guo Furong quickly shook her head, "I'm not playing anymore. Demons are more terrifying than I imagined. If I encounter them again, I'll really die at their hands. The demons that Senior Brother Zhuifeng and the others told me about before weren't this scary at all. They were either foxes or dogs, or maybe cats—"
Chu Yang said helplessly, "Then just find somewhere to stay. This inn is not bad, and we've all been through thick and thin together."
"Yes, yes!" Tong Xiangyu comforted Guo Furong, holding her hand. "Don't be afraid. Just stay here with me. You can go back when your father calms down."
"Thank you, shopkeeper!" Guo Furong burst into tears, feeling the care shown to her.
Chu Yang shook his head, turned around, and went upstairs to the second floor.
After he left, Bai Zhantang sneaked up to Guo Furong and cautiously asked, "Little Guo, what's the background of your senior brother?"
Guo Furong glanced at him with red eyes and replied, puzzled, "I don't know. Why are you asking this?"
""
Not getting an answer, Bai Zhantang chuckled and said, "I was just asking casually. It seems your father respects him quite a bit."
"Hey, Zhantang, what nonsense are you spouting?" Tong Xiangyu glared at him reproachfully. "He's our master! What master in the world treats their disciple with such respect?"
Bai Zhantang kept apologizing.
Guo Furong felt that this person was a bit strange, but then she thought about it again and realized that she did have that feeling in the past.
On the other side, Guo Bujing was already kneeling on one knee in the room, and no matter how Chu Yang tried to pull him up, he wouldn't get up.
"My daughter deserves to die, causing Your Highness to be in a life-or-death situation. I am ashamed before Your Highness!"
"Alright, I'm fine. Let's just leave it at that. Later, have those people give a unified story and remove Furong from this matter."
"How can this be allowed? According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, she should be punished."
"Stop your babbling. Am I a prince or are you the prince? Do I need you to teach me how to do things? I'll give you a way out, so hurry up and take it."
If it weren't for this trip, Chu Yang wouldn't know when he would have been able to enter the Soul Palace, so it could be considered a blessing in disguise.
Besides, Chu Yang didn't believe that Guo Bujing was really staging this self-inflicted injury to send his daughter to prison.
They're all thousand-year-old foxes, what's the point of acting out a ghost story?
"Your Majesty, I thank you!"
Old Guo stood up, clasped his hands in gratitude.
"In the entire capital, only you would respect a good-for-nothing prince like me."
Chu Yang shook his head and chuckled.
That's pretty much the end of the conversation.
Even Guo, who was the chief constable of the Six Doors and the instructor of the Imperial Guard, dared not continue the conversation.
"His Majesty is very worried about what happened to the Prince. The Eastern Depot, which is in charge of the Prince's safety, will inevitably be reprimanded. I was worried that Cao Zhengchun would take his anger out on the Prince, so I came here personally to bring the Prince back to the capital."
Old Guo's concerns were not unfounded. The emperor was only concerned that Chu Yang's death outside would bring shame to the royal family and could potentially affect his own reputation.
Whether Chu Yang was missing an arm or a leg, or whether he was assassinated on the road and beaten into a dazed state, the emperor didn't care.
The immense pressure he put on Cao Zhengchun might have been partly a deliberate attempt to exploit Cao Zhengchun and make Chu Yang suffer.
"That sounds nice, but rather than being responsible for my safety, you're more like monitoring me. Without the Eastern Depot's diligent work over the years, the one sitting on the dragon throne probably wouldn't even be able to enjoy his meals."
"After all, in our Zhu family, brothers turning against each other and uncles bullying their nephews are commonplace."
Chu Yang chuckled, his expression playful.
Old Guo felt a chill run down his spine. The wise prince before him seemed like a completely different person. He would never have said such a thing before; being cautious in his words and actions was his usual way of life.
"It is said that people's personalities change drastically after facing a life-or-death crisis. Seeing it today, I can confirm that it is no exaggeration."
Old Guo subtly reminded Chu Yang to watch his words; if he continued talking like that, he would have to leave.
"I'd appreciate it if you could make the trip, but you don't need to pick me up and take me back to Beijing. I've finally managed to get out of town, so I want to travel around, see some friends, and then go back."
Chu Yang politely declined Lao Guo's offer.
"That's probably not up to Your Highness. The people from the Eastern Depot are probably already on their way and will arrive in Qixia Town soon. At that time, they won't be as easy to talk to as I am."
Guo spoke softly and tried his best to appear kind.
"Then let's wait for them to arrive, and I'll explain things to them before we set off."
Chu Yang calmly sat down, picked up the empty teapot on the table, shook it, and said with a smile, "Please pour me a cup of tea, Master."
"Your Highness!"
Old Guo felt that Chu Yang couldn't tell what was important, so he grabbed Chu Yang's arm and tried to take him away from there.
Chu Yang was not pulled up as expected. Instead, the force from his hands was heavy, giving him the illusion of carrying a huge boulder.
Old Guo usually practiced lifting heavy stone weights weighing tens of thousands of kilograms, so he was very familiar with the weight and immediately began to have doubts.
"Your Highness?"
Old Guo refused to believe it and put all his strength into trying to pull Chu Yang up.
Even after he had veins bulging on his arms, his face turned bright red, and he unleashed a force exceeding ten thousand jin, his opponent still did not react in the slightest.
"Go and get me a pot of tea."
Chu Yang looked at him with a smile.
Old Guo suddenly seemed to have encountered something extremely terrifying, taking steps backward and displaying an expression of disbelief on his face.
"That demon—was it killed by the prince?"
"Um."
A brief silence fell over the room.
Old Guo took a deep breath and shook his head, saying, "I don't believe that a person's martial arts talent can change so much in a short period of time. The current situation can only mean that you have been biding your time for a long time."
Chu Yang pondered for a moment and realized that from other people's perspectives, this was indeed the case; his behavior even had a traitorous feel to it, which made him feel somewhat helpless.
as predicted.
next second.
Old Guo said firmly, "There's no way I would rebel against the Prince. Forget about it!"
[Requesting monthly votes at the beginning of the month, everyone!]