The magistrate's heart tightened. If that was the case, it wasn't wrong. The old sage said that only he could communicate with the river god. If he had to take responsibility, what if the old sage wasn't asking for a promotion or wealth? Perhaps the old sage was just asking for a long and healthy life.
Yan Shujin said a few more words and dismissed the magistrate. After he left, she gritted her teeth and said, "How could there be such an idiot? Has he gone stupid from studying too much?"
Aunt Yu also found it amazing, saying, "If he weren't stupid, he wouldn't have remained a county magistrate for so many years."
Yan Shujin took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and said, "Wang, the guard, send someone to follow him. I don't believe that old swindler won't come out this time. If we see him, and if we can catch him, we'll tie him up."
Ultimately, Yan Shujin's actions today were all aimed at drawing out that old immortal, gradually pushing his disciple to the brink, forcing him to ask the old immortal to come out and face the situation.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be good if the old swindler got wind of the arrival of the prefect and his men tomorrow and ran away before he knew it.
The magistrate was cunning; he led his constables directly to the Taoist temple. The old immortal had just arrived at the temple when three of his disciples went missing. One was responsible for managing town affairs, another assisted his eldest disciple in managing the temple, and the third helped with management…
This time, the old immortal didn't put on airs at all. He immediately met with the county magistrate and asked, "What exactly happened? We must not let Princess Yongfu miss the river god sacrifice four days later, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain."
"Hand over the two children first," the magistrate said in a low voice. "That shopkeeper Li regretted it and went to the princess to complain, begging her to save his daughter. He even revealed what happened."
"What!" The old immortal's face changed drastically, but he had already made up his mind. As long as he dealt with the magistrate, he would immediately flee with a few trustworthy people and his property. Before coming here, he had intended to seek advice from his advisor, but he found that the place they had secretly contacted was deserted. If it weren't for the gold and silver hidden in the Taoist temple, he wouldn't have even come here: "It was he who begged me in the first place..."
The old sage and the magistrate, who were having their conversation, had no idea that Guard Wang had already led his men to lie in ambush outside, just waiting for the magistrate to bring the child out so they could arrest him.
The magistrate urged, "Give me the child first, I'll go deal with the princess."
The old immortal's expression changed repeatedly. He pondered that since he was going to run away anyway, he couldn't take those children with him. He then nodded to his eldest disciple.
The eldest apprentice went to the backyard and quickly brought out a boy and a girl. The magistrate had the yamen runners take the two children over and instructed them, "The princess is about to leave, so please keep a low profile."
The old sage readily agreed: "The River God will know of the magistrate's merits."
The magistrate nodded and said nothing more. He knew that Princess Yongfu would not let the old immortal off easily, but he would not tell the old immortal now. If the old immortal was really powerful and could overcome this crisis, he would have helped the old immortal. Thinking this way, the magistrate felt that he had not offended either side, so he felt at ease.
The old immortal went to see off the county magistrate; a county magistrate rarely received such treatment.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the two left the Taoist temple, Guard Wang led his men up and captured the old immortal before anyone could react.
Just as the old immortal was about to speak, Guard Wang had his mouth gagged.
The guard looked at the magistrate and said, "We were able to catch this old swindler thanks to the magistrate's cooperation. The princess said you can rest assured that you will get a share of the credit."
The magistrate was caught off guard and, seeing the old sage's sinister gaze, it was too late to deny it.
The guard urged, "The magistrate, why don't you order the yamen runners to arrest everyone? The princess has already prepared a victory banquet, and she's just waiting for you."
As he said these words, Wang, the guard, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Princess Yongfu was truly ruthless. These were all words she had instructed him to say. If any of the old immortal's followers wanted to help him take revenge, they would blame the county magistrate for all of this. In fact, Princess Yongfu would be much safer.
The yamen runners looked at each other, knowing that the magistrate had first visited Princess Yongfu before bringing them to the Taoist temple. If that was the case, it made sense.
The magistrate was now in a difficult position, so he made a tough decision and said, "Yes, arrest all of them."
Those brought by the magistrate were all under his orders and did not really believe in the old sage. They immediately arrested all the old sage's disciples and even broke into the house and arrested the female Taoist nuns as well.
Except for the old immortal who was being escorted by Wang's guards, the rest of the people were tied up with ropes, gagged, and dragged down the mountain.
Guard Wang only took the old immortal and the two children with him.
Yan Shujin had no intention of seeing the old immortal at all; she simply ordered him to be locked up and kept under guard. She then took her two children to see Li Zhaodi. After resting for a day, Li Zhaodi felt better and burst into tears upon seeing her sister.
After Li Zhaodi calmed down, Yan Shujin said, "This boy..."
“No,” Li Zhaodi said, seeing the little boy standing next to Princess Yongfu. “He’s not that virgin boy. That virgin boy is very handsome. He’s not him.”
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