Dali Temple (Part Two)
The once-fearsome Dali Temple was now a scene of confrontation between two groups. Seeing the increasingly cold expression on Zhou Yanzhi's face, a dark glint flashed in Zhang Mingyuan's eyes. Holding the silver token engraved with the character "Yu," he slowly spoke.
"Or is it that His Highness is indeed hiding something or...someone illicit within the Dali Temple?"
The setting sun and cold wind whipped up the withered branches and leaves on the ground. The withered leaves scraped against the bluestone slabs with a crackling sound, pulling the string called "sharp" tighter and tighter.
In the utter silence, Zhou Yanzhi suddenly smiled, like a crack suddenly appearing on a frozen lake in winter, exuding endless chill from the inside out.
He stepped forward, his gaze lingering for a moment on the silver token in Zhang Mingyuan's hand, before he smiled and said, "Zhang Mingyuan, do you think I've been easy to talk to lately, or do you think this imperial token in my hand has no deterrent power whatsoever?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Mingyuan's expression suddenly froze.
Oh right, how could he forget? Zhou Ce'an wasn't someone easy to talk to.
From high-ranking officials to lowly ninth-rank officials, there was no one Zhou Ce'an dared not touch. Even when the censors impeached him in front of Emperor Zhaowen with multiple memorials, he would simply coldly produce a pile of irrefutable evidence, leaving no room for criticism.
Is Zhou Ce'an easy to talk to?
That's absolutely ridiculous.
How could he dare to answer the next question?
But he's so obstructing me...
Zhang Mingyuan raised his eyelids, his gaze passing through Zhou Yanzhi and landing on the Dali Temple behind him, which was still unlit. The hesitation in his eyes gradually dissipated, and a cold, battle-hardened look appeared on his face.
There must be something sinister inside the Dali Temple!
We must investigate!
The night was cool as water, and a faint chill crept up on him like a tide. Zhang Mingyuan raised his hand and slowly bowed to Zhou Yanzhi: "This humble general has been impolite. I hope Your Highness... the Imperial Guards will follow me into battle!"
In an instant, a change occurred.
Zhang Mingyuan flashed past Zhou Yanzhi and flew towards the dark main hall. A gust of wind brushed past his ear, and Zhou Yanzhi's heart tightened. He snatched the sword from a nearby imperial guard, gathered his strength, and landed in front of Zhang Mingyuan in a few quick movements.
The long sword was drawn, its sharp blade slicing through the man's armor, leaving a deep mark through which the inner lining was faintly visible.
Zhou Yanzhi raised his long sword, its sharp tip pointing directly at Zhang Mingyuan, a faint smile playing on his lips: "It seems General Zhang, having been on the battlefield for so long, has somewhat forgotten my temperament upon returning to the capital."
Zhang Mingyuan, unlike his previous fear, stared at Zhou Yanzhi with unusual provocation, his tone even more audacious: "If there are no ghosts in the Dali Temple, why is Your Highness so nervous?" His gaze fell on the tip of the knife in front of him, a glint of victory flashed in his eyes, and he raised his eyes and smiled: "In this way, it makes people wonder even more whether Your Highness really... is harboring the remnants of the Xiao family."
Zhou Yanzhi's expression remained unchanged, still displaying an extremely gentle and smiling demeanor. However, only those who knew him well knew that this precisely indicated that he was extremely angry.
Looking at the officials of the Court of Judicial Review who were fighting against the Imperial Guards, Zhang Mingyuan put one hand on the sword at his waist, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes, which was extremely different from his refined appearance.
With a slight downward pressure of one hand, the sound of a blade being drawn slowly rang out. Zhang Mingyuan spoke unhurriedly, "Your Highness, when I arrived, the Dali Temple was already surrounded by the Imperial Guards. At this moment, whether Your Highness allows us to go in and investigate or not, those people hiding in the Dali Temple have already been spotted by us and cannot escape."
After a moment of silence, Zhou Yanzhi chuckled, stepped forward with his knife, and spoke with the same nonchalant tone: "So you mean to advise me to obediently give way so that you can act arrogantly and domineeringly in my Dali Temple?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Mingyuan also laughed: "What are you saying, Your Highness? We were just following orders to search, not to bully others or act arrogantly."
Zhou Yan glanced at the scattered items on the ground out of the corner of his eye, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Zhang Mingyuan, you might as well close your eyes before spouting nonsense."
Zhang Mingyuan's perfect mask shattered, and his hand tightened on the hilt of the knife.
"His Royal Highness..."
Just as he was about to say something, Zhou Yanzhi interrupted him again before he could finish speaking.
“It seems General Zhang is determined to investigate today, so I can’t very well stop him.” Seeing the hint of surprise flash across Zhang Mingyuan’s face, Zhou Yanzhi smiled warmly, but his tone was provocative: “But General Zhang, you have tarnished the reputation of my Dali Temple today. If you don’t find anything in my Dali Temple, given my vengeful nature, I will punish you.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Mingyuan trembled, but the sudden panic that rose in his heart was suppressed when he thought of the Imperial Guards surrounding him.
Therefore, Xiao Jiangsheng has absolutely no chance of escaping!
Zhou Ce'an has absolutely no chance of escaping unscathed!
Composing himself, he smiled and said, "Of course."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, turned slightly to the side, revealing the dark main hall behind him.
"Then... General Zhang, please."
As Zhang Mingyuan hurriedly stepped into the main hall, and candles lit up one after another, Zhou Yanzhi's lips curled into a slight smile. The dim candlelight reflected on his face, revealing the cunning in his eyes.
Zhou Yanzhi strolled leisurely into the main hall, casually chose a chair and sat down. He watched with a smile as the Imperial Guards in their armor walked back and forth in the Dali Temple. Compared to their busy work, he seemed like an innocent young nobleman.
Leisurely and carefree, yet conspicuously so.
...
With his fingertips casually tapping lightly on the wooden armrest, Zhou Yanzhi closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, counting down in his mind. As the last number fell, the tapping on the armrest also stopped.
Heavy footsteps approached, accompanied by increasingly deep breaths from the newcomer. Zhou Yanzhi opened his eyes and, as expected, saw Zhang Mingyuan staring at him with a cold expression.
"General Zhang, what are you looking for, or the person..." Zhou Yanzhi paused, his gaze lazily falling on Zhang Mingyuan's still dripping clothes, then looked up again, his tone filled with undisguised schadenfreude: "It seems there's no need to ask, General Zhang must have returned empty-handed."
As the night wind blew by, accompanied by Zhou Yanzhi's sarcastic remarks and his bright smile, Zhang Mingyuan felt even colder in his damp clothes, so cold that he couldn't even muster a fake smile.
The two stared at each other for a long time. After a while, Zhang Mingyuan finally gave in, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "It was I who misunderstood Your Highness. I will now leave with my men."
"Wait a minute." Zhou Yanzhi raised his eyelids and smiled, "General Zhang is leaving already?"
What do you mean, "They left just like that?"
A sudden surge of anger rose from the bottom of his heart, leaving Zhang Mingyuan stuck in a rut. He felt that Zhou Yanzhi was truly cunning beyond measure. He had clearly set a trap for him, deliberately arousing his suspicion, and watched as Zhou Yanzhi went on and on with his self-righteous analysis, as if he were teasing a cat.
Asking him why he left now, doesn't he have any self-awareness?!
Before he could react, Zhou Yanzhi turned cold first.
"General Zhang, do you remember what I just said?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than two minor officials stepped out from behind him. One of them held a booklet, and at Zhou Yanzhi's signal, the official raised his voice loudly and clearly:
"Anyone who trespasses on official business shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane according to the laws of the Great Zhao Dynasty!"
"In addition, the total value of the damaged items at the Dali Temple today is five thousand taels of silver. In addition, the medical expenses total one thousand taels of silver!"
The sound was incredibly loud, enough to pierce through clouds and split rocks, but precisely because it was so loud, it added a touch of amusement to the otherwise serious tone.
Inside the Dali Temple, some people couldn't help but laugh out loud, while the rest either endured it or were in the category of those who would both be beaten and have to pay compensation.
The minor official shouted so loudly that even the onlookers could probably hear him.
Zhou Yanzhi took a sip of tea, raised his eyes, and saw Zhang Mingyuan's face change from dark to ashen, then from ashen to flushed, finally settling on an ashen color.
With a slight twitch of his eyelids, Zhou Yanzhi smiled calmly.
Who doesn't know that Zhou Ce'an is extremely protective of his own? He hurt his people, humiliated the Dali Temple, and still wants to get away unscathed? There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Straightening his robes and standing up, Zhou Yanzhi walked step by step to Zhang Mingyuan, his gaze sweeping over him with amusement: "Or does General Zhang wish to change into clean clothes before undergoing punishment from my Dali Temple?"
"I think it's unnecessary to go through all this trouble. In the end, we'll all leave in a sorry state anyway, so why waste each other's time?"
Seeing the throbbing veins on Zhang Mingyuan's forehead, Zhou Yanzhi smiled gently.
"General Zhang, tell me, do you think what I said makes sense?"
Zhang Mingyuan glared angrily: "Your Highness, please don't go too far!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi's smile vanished, and he retorted, "Too much?"
"I kindly advised you to leave as soon as possible, but you, General Zhang, wouldn't listen and insisted on leading these Imperial Guards to act recklessly in my Dali Temple. Zhang Mingyuan, tell me, who is really being reckless?"
...
In the end, Zhang Mingyuan had to receive fifty strokes of the cane and pay money before leaving the Dali Temple. Of course, all the imperial guards also received sixty strokes of the cane and paid compensation.
As for why the original agreement of one hundred strokes was reduced to fifty, Zhou Yanzhi said this: "Zhang Mingyuan is old, and I'm afraid he might actually beat someone to death. That would not only be embarrassing for the Dali Temple, but also make it difficult to clean up the mess of flesh on the ground. This matter is already troublesome enough, so why add more trouble for everyone?"
The other members of the Dali Temple said that they didn't mind cleaning.
They dared to make a move against our Dali Temple, so why bother giving that old geezer any face?!
...
Watching Zhang Mingyuan being helped out of Dali Temple, Zhou Yanzhi narrowed his eyes, gave instructions on the cleanup work, and turned to walk towards the backyard.
He really wanted to know how the two of them had come up with that way to tease Zhang Mingyuan.
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