It is said that Nanzhou City is located in the south of the Xijing Dynasty, far from the capital. Its economic development is average, but it is far from the political and economic center, so it is naturally not in the core competition.
Therefore, Prefect Liu was actually a good official, just a bit timid. Moreover, he had only seen the emperor once in his 45 years of life, and this was only the second time, so he was naturally frightened by the emperor.
Li Yannian followed the maids in the mansion to the kitchen in the backyard. When he came out carrying a food box, he subtly surveyed the layout of the entire courtyard.
In the middle of the night, he searched the mansion inside and out but found nothing unusual. He crouched on the wall, about to leave, when someone covered his mouth and nose from behind.
A cold male voice rang in my ear: "Don't make a sound."
Li Yannian nodded. He hadn't intended to make a sound either. His martial arts skills were not weak, but he hadn't expected to be taken hostage by them. He hadn't even noticed beforehand, which showed that this person's martial arts were superior to his.
Li Yannian was led away from the wall by the man and flew towards the outside of the prefect's mansion. The two landed in a dilapidated temple in the city.
Li Yannian, panting, turned to look at the person who had just caused him so much suffering, who was now wearing a mask.
"Who are you?" Li Yannian's eyes lit up with wariness.
The man pulled down his mask, revealing his full face, and Li Yannian instantly recognized the person in front of him.
"You! Lord Cheng! What are you doing here? No, it's good that you're here!" Li Yannian exclaimed excitedly, his words tumbling out incoherently.
Cheng Yi, his eyes filled with wariness, scrutinized the man before him with icy eyes: "Who are you? How do you recognize me?"
“Lord Chengyi, I am a palace guard who accompanied the Emperor on his tour... but we encountered villains, and now only the Emperor and I remain.” As Li Yannian spoke, he stepped forward and grabbed Chengyi’s hand, intending to take him to see the Emperor.
Cheng Yi shook off his hand, still somewhat doubtful, and did not go with him.
"Is His Majesty currently at the residence of the Prefect of Nanzhou?"
"Yes, the Emperor and I were rescued by the mountain people and only arrived in Nanzhou City yesterday."
Cheng nodded slightly, then walked thoughtfully to a dilapidated chair and sat down, his expression indifferent: "You can leave now, I have my own plans."
Li Yannian was somewhat puzzled: "Lord Cheng, aren't you coming with me to see the Emperor?"
"You can leave now." Cheng Yi said, then ignored him.
Li Yannian had no choice but to leave, turning back every few steps.
Cheng Yi frowned as he watched Li Yannian slowly leave. Cheng San and Cheng Wu landed in mid-air and slowly walked forward.
"Why should we let him leave?" Cheng San frowned.
Cheng Yi gave an irrelevant answer: "How credible do you think what he said is?"
"The Emperor secretly sent us a message that he is indeed at the Prefect's residence. However, we don't know if this person is a spy for Nalan's faction. Otherwise, with so many people following the Emperor, and several of our brothers sacrificing themselves, it's suspicious that he survived," Cheng Wu analyzed.
The three exchanged a glance and said nothing more.
After Li Yannian returned, he told Di Jingcheng about his encounter with Cheng Yi that evening.
Di Jingcheng looked at Li Yannian kneeling below him, his expression remaining largely unchanged. It seems you, Li Yannian, are indeed somewhat dim-witted; you're probably not a spy for the Nalan faction.
He said calmly, "Get up and go rest. I have my own plans."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li Yannian breathed a sigh of relief and got up to leave.
Cheng Wu, who had been crouching on the wall, revealed himself only after Li Yannian left.
In the dimly lit room, the master and servant spoke in hushed tones. As dawn broke, Cheng Wu left the prefect's residence.
Emperor Jingcheng gave Prefect Liu some instructions. Even if he had a hundred heads, he wouldn't dare disobey the emperor's orders or reveal the emperor's whereabouts. He prepared a large amount of gold, silver, valuables, and two fine horses. That night, Emperor Jingcheng took Li Yannian out of the city and headed towards the capital.
Di Jingcheng planned to travel by water, but in the middle of the night, a lone boat was moored on the bank of the wide Jingnan Canal. Li Yannian wanted to go forward and ask, but Di Jingcheng stopped him.
The two men turned their horses around and rode off into the woods.
The night wind was cold and chilly; the September air was slightly cool. A gentle breeze brushed against their faces, and fallen leaves rustled softly. Suddenly, a group of men in black descended from the sky and surrounded them.
Di Jingcheng remained calm, his eyes cold and indifferent, with his eyes slightly closed. Li Yannian, seeing his composed demeanor, couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
"emperor!"
As soon as Li Yannian finished speaking, a group of men in black rose into the air, wielding sharp swords and attacking the two of them. Without any unnecessary words, their eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Li Yannian immediately used his martial arts to protect Di Jingcheng, and Cheng Yi and his group also suddenly appeared. Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all the dozens of men in black had fallen to the ground. The forest was filled with a strong smell of blood, mixed with the fragrance of leaves and soil.
"Your Majesty, everything has been resolved."
Di Jingcheng opened his slightly closed eyes and looked at the corpses scattered on the ground: "Did you find anything?"
"Your Majesty, I have investigated thoroughly. Our most urgent task is to return to the capital as soon as possible." Cheng Yi was wary of Li Yannian and did not tell the whole truth.
Emperor Jingcheng nodded, turned his horse around, and headed towards the canal.
The group traveled north by boat, where they encountered two more groups of men in black and were wounded. Fortunately, they managed to return to the capital after seven days.
The capital was already in chaos. Emperor Jingcheng had been missing for nearly a month, and the Nalan faction was making moves in secret. Half of the court was now under his control, and even the harem was firmly controlled by his daughter, the empress, Nalan Yun'er.
However, Emperor Jingcheng still had a certain foundation and the support of the late emperor's old ministers, so the Nalan faction did not dare to easily force the emperor to abdicate. With the emperor missing and his fate unknown, Nalan Mingyan (Prime Minister) had already sent out several waves of assassins, but all of them failed.
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