The county government under the jurisdiction of Huguo Temple
The lights stayed on all night.
At 1:15 AM, the county magistrate was dozing off when his advisor hurriedly entered with a petition.
"My lord, it's done."
The magistrate's drowsiness vanished instantly.
"Bring it here quickly."
After reading the contents of the petition and seeing the name and fingerprint on it, he breathed a sigh of relief and then hurriedly asked a question.
Are you injured?
The clerk immediately shook his head, "Don't worry, sir, we will absolutely not let anyone find any clues about the forced confession. Young Master Zheng is completely unharmed."
The magistrate was finally relieved.
"In that case, I can finally report back. I will head to the capital as soon as it is dawn."
The advisor, however, was still somewhat worried.
“My lord, if this matter is reported, it will offend the Ninth Prince. I think it is better to wait and see. If the Ninth Prince has not lost power and the situation can still be turned around, then this petition will be unnecessary.”
Upon hearing this, the magistrate stroked his goatee.
"You're right, but what if the Emperor blames me for being slow in handling matters?"
Just as the advisor was about to speak, he was interrupted by a cooing sound.
A pigeon landed by the window, with a secret message tied to its leg in a bamboo tube.
The two exchanged a glance, both feeling a chill run down their spines.
The fact that a message is being sent at this moment suggests that a decision has already been made.
...
Inside the palace,
A strange noise came from a secluded palace.
It looked like a wild beast was gnawing on the bones.
Xiao Jiangzi, who was on night watch in the outer hall, was startled awake and rubbed his eyes as he looked into the dark corner.
Thinking that no one had lived there for a long time and that a stray cat had come to the hall, they picked up the lantern at their feet and prepared to drive it away.
As I approached, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a withered hand reaching out from behind the rocky hill, which was hidden by lush weeds.
Immediately afterwards, a skull covered in flesh also emerged at an angle.
The eyes, like those of a dead fish, were eerily terrifying under the light.
He screamed in fright, fell to the ground, dropped the lantern in his hand, and scrambled backward to hide.
A low, inhuman panting sound came from behind the rocky hill.
A mummified corpse was thrown out.
The burning lanterns that rolled on the ground illuminated the shadows behind the rocky hill.
Xiao Jiangzi stared in astonishment at the face covered in strange talismans and those crimson eyes, his mouth agape, unable to utter a sound.
The man tilted his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Xiao Jiangzi, and suddenly pounced like a leopard.
In the blink of an eye, Mo Shaoze, who hadn't even had time to put on his outer robe, rushed over and kicked the man away.
At the same time, he grabbed Xiao Jiangzi, who was already slumped on the ground, and quickly took a few steps back.
"Your Highness... Your Highness, a monster... a monster! A monster that sucks people's life essence!"
Mo Shaoze was out of favor, but this time he was summoned to the palace because the Empress Dowager was attacked and the Emperor Emeritus was seriously ill. Since he did not have the opportunity to see the Emperor Emeritus yesterday, he petitioned the Emperor and was allowed to stay overnight.
This palace was where he lived with his mother when he was a child.
Not only is it remote, but it has also been abandoned for so long due to being uninhabited, and there is not even a single palace servant to serve it.
He followed the burning lantern and saw the mummified corpse.
Judging from her clothing, she should be a palace maid.
In such a vast palace, the death of a palace maid would be commonplace, but the manner of her death was truly bizarre.
And this person...
He looked at the face covered in talismans and couldn't help but swallow.
"Xiao Jiangzi, I'll hold him off. Go and call the Imperial Guards over."
The two had lived together in a separate courtyard for many years, relying on each other for survival, and had developed a deep friendship.
Xiao Jiangzi shook his head anxiously.
"Your Highness, you know kung fu, please leave!"
He gritted his teeth and got up from the ground, wanting to rush out and stop the approaching masked monster, but Mo Shaoze grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
"You're not listening to me anymore! Go now!"
A rough, guttural sound rang out.
"You all must die!"
Xiao Jiangzi was so frightened that the hairs on his body stood on end.
"Your Highness...this monster can speak human language."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the monster pounced on him.
It reeked of a fishy stench, and the hand was pitch black; when it grabbed, it exuded a chilling coldness.
Mo Shaoze grabbed Xiao Jiangzi and dodged quickly.
They were quickly forced to the stone steps of the outer hall.
Seeing that there was no way to escape, Mo Shaoze said sternly, "Go inside the hall and find me a weapon."
Xiao Jiangzi immediately responded and scrambled into the hall.
Since Mo Shaoze was sent to another residence, no one has entered this palace.
Xiao Jiangzi, familiar with the place, rushed into the study, took a dusty long knife from the shelf, and quickly returned.
As soon as he ran out of the palace gate, he saw that the monster had already pinned Mo Shaoze down and was about to bite down hard on his neck with its big mouth open.
"Your Highness!"
Xiao Jiangzi was heartbroken and screamed in agony. He drew his knife, raised it high, and desperately slashed at the monster.
Before the person could even run over, they were thrown away by a powerful force.
A golden light flashed from Mo Shaoze's waist, instantly sending the monster flying several meters away and crashing it hard into the rocks.
He seemed terrified of the light, and roared as he turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Mo Shaoze was panting heavily. The stench in the air was still there. He slowly raised his hand and touched the thick saliva dripping from his neck.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Xiao Jiangzi knelt down in front of him, dropped the big knife, and hurriedly checked if he was injured.
Mo Shaoze pushed him away and sat up.
"I'm fine."
He reached his fingers into the belt around his waist and pulled out a talisman.
The talisman turned to ashes the moment it touched his hand, and drifted down from his fingertips.
Xiao Jiangzi looked surprised.
"Your Highness, what is this?"
Mo Shaoze didn't explain; his voice, still trembling with relief, betrayed his near-death experience.
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