svetikya Page 451
Page 451
[Number Six: Number Seven, Number Seven! Which temple did the monk who eloped with the princess belong to?]
[Number Two: With that brainless emperor around, even under the emperor's nose, there's no peace. How pathetic! Murdering a princess is a crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of one's family. The Minister's son is truly brainless.]
[Number Two: Number Six, you seem to be in such a hurry, you don't happen to know that eloped monk, do you?]
[Number 7: Number 6, the monk seems to be from Qinglong Temple.]
[Number Six: Thank you, Brother Ling.]
The chat came to a temporary halt. Huaiqing already knew that Number Six was an honest monk, but he didn't know exactly where he was.
But this number seven seems to know quite a lot.
[Number One: Number Seven, you're really well-informed, you know things even faster than I do.]
Huaiqing stared intently at the small jade mirror, trying to glean some clues from Number Seven's answer.
Li Chang'an, riding on his horse, looked at the message in the small mirror, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Huaiqing, you little rascal, you're just trying to trick me into revealing information. I have the script with me, why would I be afraid of you trying to trick me?
[Number 7: Today I listened to music in the brothel, and everyone was talking about it.]
Huaiqing frowned slightly. As expected, they were tight-lipped. They had no clue who had leaked the information.
"Your Highness, we have arrived at Haoqi Tower."
The princess stepped down from the carriage and, accompanied by two men with golden gongs to greet her, quickly ascended the Haoqi Pavilion, the headquarters of the night watchmen.
"Meet the princess."
The night watchman leader, Wei Yuan, bowed respectfully. The princess said, "Lord Wei, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down and let's talk."
Wei Yuan sat respectfully at the lower seat and sighed softly, "The eldest princess didn't even go to the government office."
Huaiqing said calmly, "That girl from Lin'an has already gone. The pressure from the royal family on the government should be enough. I just feel that this matter is not simple."
Wei Yuan said directly, "The princess is missing. The night watchmen and the Imperial Observatory are helping Prince Yu search for her, but the government office suddenly received a report that Prince Yu is on his way back to the capital from Qinglong Temple."
"I have already sent someone to meet the constables from the government office, in case something goes wrong."
Huaiqing asked worriedly, "What has Zhang Feng done?"
Wei Yuan replied, "After we heard the news, we also sent people to keep an eye on the Zhang residence. Zhang Feng did not take any action, but simply stayed inside the house."
"It's also possible that he acted quickly, and by the time the night watchman arrived, he had already taken action. However, the Earl of Pingyuan and Sun Zhongming were not in the mansion, and we don't know where they are."
Hearing Wei Yuan's words, Princess Huaiqing's worry deepened. "The incident just happened, and the news has already reached the capital. Clearly, someone did this on purpose. Who reported it to the government office?"
"He is a fifth-rank martial arts escort from the Sifang Escort Agency, and a member of the Martial Alliance."
Huaiqing then asked, "So, the wandering swordsman who captured Young Master Zhang must also be a member of the Martial Alliance, and the news was also released by the Martial Alliance. Why is that?"
Wei Yuan smiled faintly, "To put it simply, the other party just wants to punish the villains. They released the information because they are afraid that Zhang Feng and Prince Yu will reconcile in private."
"Thinking about it more complicatedly, the other party may have deliberately leaked the information to cause both the Liang faction and the nobility group to suffer heavy losses. It could be the Qi faction, the Wang faction... or even the eunuch faction."
Zhang Feng and Sun Zhongming's group belonged to the Liang faction, while the eunuch faction was Wei Yuan himself, with the main force being the night watchmen.
Huaiqing said quietly, "Uncle Yu is very fond of Pingyang. Even if the news isn't released, there's absolutely no way he'll reconcile with Zhang Feng. In that case, we need to thoroughly investigate the identity and background of that wandering knight."
Just then, a man in silver robes rushed in to report, "Princess, Duke Wei, Sun Zhongming, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, has come to surrender!"
"Go and see!"
Huaiqing stood up first, followed closely by Wei Yuan. After arriving at the main hall of the night watchman's residence, Huaiqing sat in the back hall, while Wei Yuan went to see Sun Zhongming in person.
As soon as Wei Yuan entered the main hall, he heard the sound of kowtows.
"Lord Wei, save me!"
“Zhang Feng’s son was so audacious that he attempted to rape the princess. My son was merely helping the princess obtain her identity and assisting her in eloping with that monk. He had no malicious intentions!”
"Upon receiving the news, Zhang Feng took a desperate gamble and has already sent men disguised as monks to kill and silence witnesses, and to assassinate the princess!"
“I, Sun, am deeply indebted to the Emperor and regard him as my father. How could I dare to harm any member of the royal family? Zhang Feng and his son, and the Earl of Pingyuan are audacious and lawless. This has nothing to do with me!”
Huaiqing, who was in the back room, couldn't help but tremble. He was also frightened by Zhang Feng's madness. This was truly a desperate act, a case of a cornered dog jumping over a wall and running away without thinking.
Wei Yuan asked anxiously, "How many people did Zhang Feng send, and what are their cultivation levels?"
Sun Zhongming replied, "There are probably several dozen people, the strongest of whom is a fifth-rank official, and several others are sixth-rank officials!"
Wei Yuan hurriedly said to Jinluo behind him, "Nangong, you go there yourself, and be quick."
Although he had already sent Yin Luo there, whose cultivation and strength should be quite good, he was afraid that she wouldn't be able to make it in time. Sending Jin Luo would be the safest option.
"Alright, Lord Sun, now you should explain your situation properly."
Wei Yuan sat in the armchair and began to listen to Sun Zhongming's confession.
Jingzhao Mansion.
"Where is Chen Hanguang! Get out here right now!"
Prefect Chen Hanguang of Jingzhao Prefecture jogged to the door to greet her. He saw Princess Lin'an in a red dress, her eyebrows raised, her petite face icy cold.
Carrying a sharp, imperial-bestowed sword, she strode into the government office gates, protected by several guards, exuding a murderous aura.
Princes and princesses are not allowed to interfere in political affairs, but if it is Princess Lin'an, who is the most favored by His Majesty, then it may be a different story.
"Quickly bring that bastard Zhang Yi here, I will personally execute him!"
Chapter 270: Caiwei is very explicit, and Biaobiao is very domineering.
On the official road outside the capital, hundreds of yamen runners were escorting a large prison cart, heading towards the capital.
Princess Pingyang, still shaken, was like a frightened kitten, no matter how precious she was. She rode on the same horse as Lü Qing, and the female constable would comfort her from time to time.
"Princess, we have already informed His Highness Prince Yu, and we believe he will arrive soon."
Upon hearing Lü Qing mention Prince Yu, Princess Pingyang's mind was filled with memories of how good her father had been to her. He had truly cherished her like a precious gem, and she thought how heartbroken her father would be if she were to die.
Princess Pingyang thought for a moment, then realized that if she eloped successfully and was never heard from again, how heartbroken her father would be. Thinking of this, Princess Pingyang wept even harder.
"Father... Father... Waaah..."
Lu Qing was in her early thirties and still unmarried, so she had no idea how to coax a child. One sentence from her made the princess cry again.
The monk Heng Hui was now completely dazed, as if he had lost his soul. He felt no pain at all from the serious injuries on his hands and legs, and his heart was filled with turmoil.
“Buddha…I was wrong…but where did I go wrong…why is this happening?”
While he was lost in thought, dozens of men in black sprang out from the woods beside the official road. These men in black were all martial artists, and in a few leaps they charged into the ranks of the yamen runners.
"Junior Brother Heng Hui, we've come to save you!"
The burly man at the head of the group emanated a faint golden light, clearly indicating he possessed powerful Buddhist martial arts skills. Moreover, all the men in black, including the burly man, were bald, without even eyebrows.
Most of the yamen runners in the Jingzhao Prefecture were ninth-rank martial artists, not particularly skilled in martial arts. These people were there to maintain order in the capital region, not elite figures like night watchmen.
The night watchmen were not part of the Six Ministries and did not handle reports from ordinary citizens; they were part of the imperial intelligence system. The Jingzhao Prefecture, commonly known as the "Prefectural Government Office," was the one that dealt with the people of the capital and was the fastest to dispatch officials.
The men in black were ruthless. Except for the leader, who used Buddhist kung fu, the others used all sorts of chaotic martial arts. They instantly broke into the constables' ranks and charged towards Heng Hui.
The constables immediately tightened their ranks and began fighting the men in black.
"What's going on? Where did these monks come from?"
"They're here to kidnap that frivolous monk!"
"Protect the princess!"
The clever constables remained clear-headed; the three prisoners and Heng Hui were secondary concerns—the princess's safety was their top priority.
Whether the monk is evil or the three young masters are bad, it's easy to explain if they die or escape. But if something happens to the princess in their hands, they might incur the wrath of the royal family.
"Junior brother, don't be afraid, your senior brother will definitely get you out of here!"
The fifth-rank martial artist, leading several of the strongest men in black, had already reached Heng Hui's vicinity, while Li Chang'an and Lü Qing's horses were in front of Heng Hui.
The clueless Heng Hui was completely bewildered. Hearing the unfamiliar voice, she was still wondering which senior brother it was.
"Protect the county lord! Don't worry about the others for now!"
At Lü Qing's command, all the constables began to move closer to Princess Pingyang.
She was extremely anxious, because there were clearly several sixth-rank martial artists among these men in black, who were as tough as copper and iron, and she was no match for them at all.
Just as the situation was in chaos, Lü Qing suddenly saw several green lights fly past his eyes. The green lights were wrapped with powerful spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and were not the throwing knives of martial artists.
"Puff puff……"
Several men in black who were close to Heng Hui did not even see the flying sword in the green light before their hard skulls were pierced by the sword. They convulsed and fell to the ground, dying on the spot.
Lu Qing was horrified as he looked at the flowing blood and brain matter on the ground and the clear blood hole in the black-clad man's forehead. This was the head of a sixth-rank martial artist!
He turned his head and saw that Li Chang'an only moved his fingers slightly, his face indifferent.
So, Master Li is a Taoist cultivator.
Li Chang'an frowned slightly, because the fifth-rank black-clad man in the lead had all five senses, which allowed him to perceive the flying sword, but he actually managed to dodge it.
The martial artists in this world are not low-level martial artists, but high-level martial artists who can contend with Taoist magic.
The leader of the men in black exclaimed in shock and anger, "The Sword Dao of the Human Sect!"