The accommodations for Li Ru and the princess have been arranged at the village inn, personally arranged by the village head. The accommodations are quite good, though not as nice as Li Xue's.

And so, Li Ru and the princess stayed in Narcissus Village for more than half a month, and it was time to return.

Li Xue told Li Ru that she still had things to do and couldn't leave for the time being, so she asked her brother and sister-in-law to go back to the capital first.

Although Li Ru didn't notice anything, the princess was very clever and had already seen through Li Xue's little scheme.

Li Xue knew that although the Prince's mansion had nothing to lack, some local specialties of Shuixian Village were rare. Li Xue prepared a lot of agricultural products, including several dried wild boar legs.

Li Ru planned to return to the capital the next day. The villagers of Shuixian Village were too polite, so in order not to disturb them, Li Ru decided to leave the village quietly with the princess.

Early the next morning, Li Ru's carriage left the village, and Zhao Xian, Li Guang, and Li Xue went out of the village to see them off.

The three stood at the village entrance, watching the carriage depart. Soon, the carriage disappeared from sight.

Just as the group was leaving, Li Guang noticed a man riding a donkey in the distance, with another man holding the donkey's rope, walking towards them.

It was still early, and everything was hazy and unclear, but it was evident that the person riding the donkey was very tall. This scene seemed familiar.

In those days, many people rode donkeys on their journeys, so there was nothing unusual about it. But Li Guang always felt that a magical force was pulling him along, preventing him from leaving.

Seeing Li Guang staring into the distance, Zhao Xian and Li Xue felt a little strange and also looked into the distance.

As the man riding the donkey drew closer, the crowd gradually came to see him clearly.

The one leading the donkey was an old Taoist priest in his fifties, and sitting on the donkey's back was another old Taoist priest, thin and bony, whose age was hard to tell.

"Master Dao".

Li Guang cried out in alarm and ran towards the old Taoist priest.

Zhao Xian and Li Xue followed Li Guang forward, not expecting that the person in front of them was actually an old Taoist priest.

Li Guang arrived before the old Taoist priest, his face beaming with delight.

"Master Dao, what brings you here?"

The old Taoist priest on the donkey's back did not answer, but slowly opened his two deep-set eyes. When the donkey driver saw someone approaching, he stopped the donkey.

The old Taoist priest looked ashen and listless, even thinner than before. Upon seeing this, Li Guang immediately sensed that something terrible was about to happen.

"Master Dao, what's wrong?"

Li Guang stepped forward, intending to help the Taoist priest down from the donkey's back.

Only then did the old Taoist priest's cloudy eyes finally see Li Guang.

"Young man, it's great to finally meet you."

"Master Dao, let me help you down to rest for a bit."

"No need, I'll just say a few words to you and then leave."

The old Taoist priest was in very poor condition, which worried Li Guang. He wondered what the old Taoist priest wanted to do with him.

The Taoist priest adjusted his breathing and spoke again:

"It has been more than a year since we parted ways in the north. Since I cleaned up my own house, my health has been deteriorating day by day."

According to the celestial signs, I will be able to meet you one last time, but this will be the last time. However, I cannot defy fate, and I cannot refuse to meet you to prolong my life.

The will of Heaven cannot be defied. This humble Taoist priest still has one thing to finish, which must be completed as soon as possible. This will also be the last time this humble Taoist priest helps this young brother.

The three northern kingdoms will be the biggest trouble for you, my brother. They must be dealt with as soon as possible. I am no longer able to help you.

The affairs in the north must be handled personally by my younger brother; there must be no slackening.

I have two things here. If you, young brother, can use them well, the Three Kingdoms can be unified, and the Great Northern Dynasty will no longer have to worry about the north.

After the old Taoist finished speaking, he took out a small cloth bag from his bosom and handed it to Li Guang.

Li Guang took the cloth bag and felt it was very light; it probably only contained a few sheets of paper.

“Now that you have these two items, I am completely at ease. I can now retire to the mountains and forests and live a life free from worldly affairs.”

After the old Taoist finished speaking, he turned the donkey around and prepared to leave.

Li Guang grew anxious, stopped the donkey, and spoke up.

"Master Dao, you've arrived at the village. Why don't you go to the farm for a drink before you go?"

The old Taoist priest looked at Li Guang with some reluctance and said:

“Young brother, fate is hard to defy. Once I leave the donkey and my feet touch the ground, I will never have the chance to ride it again. I will not drink the wine and will take my leave.”

After the old Taoist finished speaking, he stopped talking, lowered his head and closed his eyes. Seeing this, the old Taoist driving the donkey turned around and left with the donkey.

Seeing this, Li Guang was stunned. The old Taoist priest came and left in a hurry, leaving Li Guang at a loss for what to do.

Even after the old Taoist priest had walked away and disappeared into the distance, Li Guang remained in a daze.

“Go back, Li Guang, the Daoist has already gone far away,” Zhao Xian said.

Li Guang nodded blankly and slowly said, "This time, Daoist Master is leaving and will never come back. This is the last time I will see Daoist Master."

After Li Guang finished speaking, he walked towards the village, turning back every few steps.

Upon arriving at the farm, Li Guang opened the cloth bag given to him by the old Taoist priest. Inside, there were layers upon layers of wrapping, until he finally discovered a secret edict and a portrait.

Li Guang was knowledgeable and experienced, so he certainly knew about the secret edict. In ancient times, a secret edict was equivalent to a confidential imperial decree, a secret edict left by the emperor or empress dowager or other powerful figures to their civil and military officials.

This is clearly not a secret edict from the Northern Dynasty. The person in the portrait is not from the Central Plains, but rather looks like a foreigner. Could this secret edict come from the royal family of a foreign country?

Li Guang picked up the secret edict and read it carefully. Although the languages ​​of the foreign countries and the Central Plains were similar, the written characters they used were different.

Li Guang knew some of the language of the foreign country, and he wanted to study the secret edict carefully to see what it contained.

This secret edict was likely left by the former emperor of the Fan Kingdom, Yelü, twenty years ago. Yelü had many sons, but only three survived: the second prince Yelü Han, the fourth prince Yelü Wu, and the eighth prince Yelü Lang.

The current emperor of the Fan Kingdom is Yelü Wu, the fourth prince. The second prince disappeared a few days before the old emperor's death.

The throne was inherited by the fourth prince, Yelü Wu. After Yelü Wu ascended the throne, the eighth prince suddenly became mentally unstable and acted erratically all day long.

The secret edict was very brief, likely written by the old Yelü, and contained only one sentence:

"The throne will be passed to the second prince, Yelü Khan."

The current emperor of the Fan Kingdom is the fourth prince, Yelü Wu, but the secret edict clearly states that the throne will be passed to Yelü Khan. What exactly is going on?

Li Guang looked at the secret edict and began to think.

Based on the current situation, there are two possibilities: one is that the secret edict is fake, and the other is that the secret edict is genuine, but the throne of the foreign kingdom has been usurped by the fourth prince, Yelü Wu.

If this conjecture is true, then a coup must have occurred within the royal family of the vassal state seventeen or eighteen years ago, resulting in the killing of Yelü Khan and the usurpation of the throne by Yelü Wu.

The eighth prince, Yelü Lang, was affected by this coup and became an idiot.