Chapter 119: Is there anyone else who can communicate with gods besides Xie Yuchuan?

After bidding farewell to Wang Yu, the director of the Imperial Observatory, Li Shaoqing returned to his own desk in silence.

"Mr. Li, how does Lord Wang feel now that he's back? I have a revised calendar document to send to Lord Wang for review." A colleague carefully approached him with the document in hand to inquire.

Li Shaoqing raised his head, was stunned for a moment, nodded and said: "Just go and do what's important."

The other party expressed his gratitude and went to the supervisor's yard with the official documents.

There was no one in the room, and the colleagues who had gone out had not returned yet. The huge government office was eerily quiet.

"The world is about to fall into chaos, and countless people are suffering. How many people can you, a mere person, save with your limited power?"

"Go north, a wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in."

"Wouldn't it be better for you to go north and find the answers?"

…

The words my mentor Wang Yu just said are still ringing in my ears.

Li Shaoqing stared at the green inkstone on the desk and fell into long contemplation.

The Li family had served as supervisory officials for three generations, with sons inheriting their father's legacy without exception, and descendants were not allowed to change their positions or trades. After Li's father passed away, his great-uncle Wang Yu took over his position. When Li came of age, he brought him to the Daliang Imperial Observatory, personally teaching him. In his heart, Wang Yu was like a father figure.

He thought Wang Yu would not say those words to him unless the situation was difficult.

But, the North...

If his deduction turns out to be correct, the North is in real chaos.

The hills outside the pass are not a safe place.

How to choose? This became a difficult problem facing Li Shaoqing.

As winter arrived, leaves fell in the capital of Daliang, and white clouds obscured the sun above the Imperial Observatory. In the deserted courtyard, there were only two water tanks and a crooked tree, with a few sparse leaves hanging on the branches, leaving only a little light.

Li Shaoqing felt that his fate at this moment was just like those fallen leaves.

After sitting quietly and thinking for a long time, he started to think again and started to deduce. This time he decided to listen to his teacher's advice and see if it was feasible for him to go north.

The tip of the pen was soaked with ink, and it was suspended on the paper for a long time in contemplation. Li Shaoqing then began to write with just a few strokes.

The word "thank you" floats on the paper.

*

In the evening, several groups of cavalry left the palace and rushed out of the city gate one after another.

News arrived at the palace gate. Grand Chamberlain Wei Xi turned and reported to Emperor Longqing, "Your Majesty, General Feng has already left the capital with his men."

Emperor Longqing turned around from his dragon bed and gave him a cold look, "Release the people who went south to Huaiyang as well."

"As you wish."

Emperor Longqing woke up and simply sat up. A palace maid stepped forward and knelt on her knees to put on the emperor's boots.

Wei Xi stood aside waiting for orders.

"I heard that Qingxi Palace invited Xu Gongliang into the palace?"

Wei Xi replied, "Noble Concubine Xu sent a note yesterday. Lord Xu is unwell, so Noble Concubine will excuse herself."

"Oh?" Emperor Longqing raised his head and chuckled, "That's unexpected."

Wei Xi said, "Lord Xu's grandson went to Anbo Mansion to pick up the Crown Prince's wife and brought her back to her parents' home. The two families had a quarrel. I heard that Lord Xu fell ill out of anger."

"Really?" Emperor Longqing felt inexplicably better and asked, "Send the imperial physician to the Xu residence for a thorough examination."

Wei Xi lowered his head and accepted the order.

After changing his clothes, Emperor Longqing walked out of his bedroom, followed closely by Wei Xi and other guards.

"Go to Qingxi Palace. Since Xu Gongliang can't come, I will go see the imperial concubine."

As the sky gradually darkened, the imperial carriage moved all the way to Qingxi Palace.

In the bedroom of Qingxi Palace, Concubine Xu was about to take off her jewelry and hairpins to sleep on the bed when a palace maid hurriedly announced, "Your Highness, the Emperor is here!"

Concubine Xu turned away from the bronze mirror, and a wave of irritation rose between her straight and beautiful eyebrows.

"Your Majesty, it's so rare for the Emperor to come here once."

The palace maid behind her advised.

Concubine Xu suppressed her emotions and said calmly, "Change your clothes."

She had no choice but to accept the emperor's mercy.

*

A hawk soared in the sky, free and unfettered, spreading its wings and flying all the way over the capital, across the Jingwei, and straight through the Qingzhou Mountains.

It was already dark, and the Xie family still hadn't seen Xie Yuchuan return. Even Mrs. Xie, who was the most stable, couldn't help but feel uneasy and kept looking back.

"Is Yuchuan not coming back today?"

Outside the post station, the escorting officers and soldiers had already started to eat at the appointed time. The journey was short today, and the food was greatly reduced. Many people were not full, but no one dared to argue with the officers.

It is very rare to have the opportunity to rest in less than half a day. Just eat less. If you anger the officials, you will suffer the consequences.

In private, the convicts whispered to each other and occasionally exchanged a few words, and everyone had similar ideas.

The prisoners were unable to complete their daily marching schedule, and the ones under the greatest pressure were the escorts. If they were to set out on the road tomorrow, it would undoubtedly be even more difficult, so it would be better for them to take a break and make preparations now.

Ordinary yamen runners and soldiers were also happy to rest. The headaches were taken care of by the superiors above them. For them, as long as the prisoners did not cause trouble, they could relax and rest for a while.

As night fell, Adjutant Cheng Ye went outside the camp to patrol, but Xiong Jiushan and others had not returned yet. His calm mood during the day began to become a little anxious.

"Master Xiong has been away for too long. If this continues, when will he be able to leave?"

An old yamen runner said, "The Qingzhou Postmaster just sent someone to bring you wine and food, trying to inquire about what you were doing."

"How did you reply?"

"I just said that Commander Wang Da had something to ask our lord for help, and I didn't say anything else. When the man heard the name of Commander Wang Da, he left without saying a word."

"Didn't you come to ask again?"

"No, but the postmaster asked someone to add a few more meat dishes for you, sir." The old yamen runner spoke in a very organized manner.

Cheng Ye laughed when he heard this, "I'm borrowing the reputation of Lord Wang."

He turned to look in the direction of the Xie family's gathering and asked, "I've noticed that the Chai family has been getting closer to the Xie family these past two days. Do you know why?"

The old yamen runner, who had some kind of clairvoyant ability, recounted the events of the past two days between the Chai and Xie families as if he had witnessed them himself. "Chai Ji's wife developed a cough during her exile, and it's been a struggle all the way. I don't know how she got some life-saving medicine from the Xie family, but her cough is much better today. A few of us yamen runners are even trying to get some back from them privately."

Heading north in winter, it's freezing cold all the way. Who knows if I'll catch a cold? If the Xie family has such good medicine, wouldn't that be a great thing?

Cheng Ye became interested when he heard this, "Is the Xie family's medicine so effective?"

"Chai Ji sent his son to the Min family caravan to exchange tea leaves as a return gift to the Xie family. I have a feeling the medicine should be good."

Cheng Ye looked towards the Xie family again.

"Do you know what other good things the Xie family has?"

"Well..." The old yamen runner thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know the details, but I feel that the Xie family has accepted several gifts, so they are definitely not embarrassed."

After the Xie family was exiled, they accepted gifts several times, and Cheng Ye knew about it.

Because he was in a hurry before, he really didn't think about the Xie family. Now he stopped here waiting for people and had nothing to do, and he suddenly became interested in the Xie family.

"You said that Lord Wang took Xie Yuchuan away. Are there any other members of the Xie family who can communicate with spirits?"