Feng Chen cleverly expressed his true feelings, and the Imperial Household offered sacrifices to his wife and daughter.
After a while, Shen Shaobai hurried to the door of the Chamber of Commerce, took out the token, and said breathlessly, "Your boss Feng Liunian is here. You said Shen Shaobai is visiting, so ask him to come out and have a chat."
The shopkeeper took the token and walked to the backyard and said, "Boss, Master Shen invites you to have a chat."
"Oh, then just say I'm not here and I'm going to Luoyang." Feng Liunian said
“Yes,” the shopkeeper came out and told Shen Shaobai, “The boss went to Luoyang for business not long ago.”
"What a playboy he is. He asked me to come to the Chamber of Commerce to find him before, but now he is enjoying himself." After saying that, he picked up the kettle and drank the water.
"Master, where are we going later?" Shen Erdao
"Let's go to Huaichunlou. I'm so angry." Shen Shaobai said
The shopkeeper returned to the backyard and said, "Boss, Master Shen is gone."
"Well, did he say anything?" Feng Liunian asked
"He said... he said he wanted to go to Huaichunlou." said the shopkeeper.
"What? He really said that." Feng Liunian asked back with gritted teeth.
"Of course," the shopkeeper replied, and Feng Liunian left with a flick of his sleeves.
"What's wrong with this boss?" The shopkeeper was completely confused.
Shen Shaobai came out of the Chamber of Commerce, full of anger and unable to find an outlet. Suddenly, someone grabbed his hand. When he turned around, he saw Feng Liunian. The moment he saw him, his emotions erupted like a volcano.
"Isn't this Mr. Feng? Why are you here arguing instead of enjoying yourself in Luoyang?" Shen Shaobai said sarcastically
"I just returned to Chang'an, and the shopkeeper told me that you came to look for me, so I hurried out to chase you." Feng Liunian said
"Are you serious?" Shen Shaobai asked back
"That's natural, truer than real gold." Feng Liunian swore
"Okay, then I'll believe you this time. If you dare to lie, I'll make you pay for it." Shen Shaobai warned
"By the way, why did you come to look for me?" Feng Liunian said
"Because... because..." Shen Shaobai thought to himself, "You're such a jerk, you better think about it." "Because Huaichunlou has just had some good wine, and I'm going to invite you over."
"Is it really like that? Is there no other reason?" Feng Liunian asked back.
"Of course, don't you believe it? If you don't believe it, you can go with me to find out." Shen Shaobai pretended to be calm and said
"I believe what you said." Feng Liunian said
"That's good, let's go." Shen Shaobai said and left. In an instant, a woman grabbed his arm and said, "Please, save me." After that, she fainted on the ground.
Everyone rescued her and brought her back to the Merchant Alliance. The woman opened her eyes in a daze and was about to kneel down to worship Shen Shaobai when she saw him. Feng Liunian stopped her and said, "Please, Master Shen, go and save my mother."
Shen Shaobai asked doubtfully, “Do you recognize me?”
"You are Shen Shaobai, the son of Prime Minister Shen. I met you once before at a banquet. I hope Mr. Shen can save my mother." The woman said
"What happened to you? Please tell me in detail." Feng Liunian said
"A few days ago, my mother and I went to the Baiyun Temple on Beimang Mountain to burn incense. Unfortunately, we encountered robbers on the way. The servants and maids were robbed and killed by the robbers. Even my mother was captured by them. My personal maid was also killed when she tried to save me. I fell off a cliff, but my fate was not to die. I fell on the cliff and fell on a tree. I happened to meet Master Shen and asked him to save my mother." The woman said
"Okay, I will ask the county lieutenant to dispatch troops to rescue your mother." Shen Shaobai said
"What's the girl's name? Please let us inform her relatives. After all, we are all men and we are afraid of damaging her reputation." Feng Liunian said
"No... there's no need to trouble you, sir." After saying that, he lay down to rest.
Outside the house, "I have asked Shen Er to inform Lin Yan and Yan Zhou. It won't be difficult to find her mother." Shen Shaobai said to Feng Liunian
"You, you have no sense of defense at all. I think this girl has hidden a lot. It's not as simple as we know." Feng Liunian said
"Oh, then what did Master Feng see?" Shen Shaobai said
"First, she said she met you once at a banquet and knew your identity. Moreover, she is a woman, so she must be the daughter of an official. Secondly, when encountering a robbery, besides reporting to the police, the next step is to inform the family. But when I probed her, I always felt that she was trying to evade the attack." Feng Liunian said
"Hey, I see your analysis is very logical, and you seem a bit like Yan Zhou." Shen Shaobai joked
"Stop messing around, I'm talking to you seriously." Feng Liunian said in person
"Don't worry, I have my own plans. I saw that the patterns on her clothes are the style of the Imperial Household's Mansion. She might be the daughter of Imperial Household Zhao." Shen Shaobai said
After a while, Pei Linyan and Gu Yanzhou came to the Chamber of Commerce. The four of them met and discussed. "Let me meet her and confirm whether she is the daughter of Zhao Taifu." Pei Linyan said
"Why, are you familiar with her?" Feng Liunian asked
Shen Shaobai winked at him and reminded him, "Don't ask."
"She met me before, but I don't have any feelings for her, I swear." Pei Linyan explained to Gu Yanzhou
"Nothing, it's over now, there's no need to bring it up again, let's meet together." Gu Yanzhou said gently
When they arrived at the house, Zhao Dan knew she could no longer hide the truth when she saw Pei Linyan, so she said, "My name is Zhao Dan, the daughter of the Imperial Household. I suspect that what happened today is related to my father."
"Why are you so sure?" Gu Yanzhou asked
"Because I suspect my father has defected to the Changsheng Sect and offered my mother and me as sacrifices to the leader." Zhao Dan said
"Is there any evidence to prove what you said is true?" Pei Linyan said
"Since last month, I've seen my father worshipping the Changsheng Sect at night, and sometimes strange people come to our house. The night before the incense ceremony, I heard sacrificial rituals and offerings. I thought I heard it wrong, but I didn't expect it to put my mother in such a dangerous situation. I hope you can draw your swords and help me rescue my mother." Zhao Dan said
"Before I came here, I sent soldiers to search for them. I believe there will be news soon." Pei Linyan said
"Master, we went to search but didn't find any clues." Pei San came in and said
"How could this be? What should we do?" Zhao Dan asked
"It seems that the only way to find out whether Imperial Servant Zhao has colluded with the Changsheng Cult and find out where your mother is." Gu Yanzhou said
"Zhao Taifu knows me and Shaobai, and Pei Sanchen and Er are also familiar with each other. He only doesn't know Yanzhou and Liunian." Pei Linyan said
"Nothing, then Yan Zhou and I will act as the rescuers of Miss Zhao and sneak into the Imperial Household's Mansion to find out the truth." Feng Liunian said
After a while, two men and a woman arrived at the Imperial Household's residence. They were Gu Yanzhou, Feng Liunian, and Zhao Dan. They went to look for evidence separately, but unfortunately, they found nothing. The three of them decided that they could only obtain evidence by deceiving the Imperial Household.
When Imperial Household Officer Zhao returned home, he saw Zhao Dan and two other men sitting in front of the hall. He wondered, "Could it be that they failed?" He walked inside and asked, "Dan'er, why did you come home only today? What happened? A few days ago, I saw you two hadn't returned yet, so I sent servants to look for you, but to no avail. Where is your mother now?"
"A few days ago, my daughter and mother were on their way to burn incense when they encountered the Immortality Cult. They robbed and killed the servants and maids, and also took my mother away. I barely escaped death, but was fortunately saved by Pei Linyan and Shen Shaobai. I finally had the opportunity to return home and reunite with my father. But when I was home, I found letters of conspiracy between my father and the Immortality Cult. It turned out that my father wanted to sacrifice my mother and me to the Immortality Cult. Why did you do this, father?" Zhao Dan asked.
"Dan'er, why do you say that? There must be some misunderstanding. Let me explain." said Zhao Taifu.
"Oh, father, do you have any explanation?" Zhao Dan asked
"That's nonsense! Someone must be trying to sow discord between us father and daughter. Don't be fooled. The most urgent thing is to find your mother as soon as possible and ensure her safety." said Zhao Taifu.
"Father, I saw you conspiring with the Changsheng Cult that night, and I also got your correspondence. Do you have anything else to say?" Zhao Dan asked.
"Oh, then I won't pretend anymore. Since the three of you already know, I can't let you stay." said Zhao Taifu.
"Why are you so heartless? We are your wife and daughter. Our blood is thicker than water. How can you be so cruel?" Zhao Dan said
"The Emperor of Zhou sought immortality by going to Kunlun Mountain to search for the Queen Mother of the West; the First Emperor of Qin, hoping for immortality, sent Xu Fu to search for Penglai. They both spent their entire lives fearlessly, exhausting their time and energy. How difficult is it for me to offer my wife and daughter? As long as I can achieve immortality, everything in the world will be within my reach: power, money, and endless lives." Zhao Taifu said madly.
"Since you know that the Zhou Emperor and Qin Shi Huang spent a lot of manpower but failed to achieve their goals, you know that immortality is just a fantasy and everything is in vain." Gu Yanzhou said
"Besides, even if you sacrifice your wife and daughter, who can guarantee success?" Feng Liunian asked
"Of course it will succeed. I have personally seen the leader revive the dead and turn bones into flesh and bones. If he has such means, what he said must be true. Well, I won't waste time talking to you. Come and capture these three people immediately and kill them on the spot." said Zhao Taifu.
At a command, the servants in the mansion were about to rush forward. In an instant, the door was kicked open and "Who dares?" was heard. Pei Linyandao and Shen Shaobai came in with Pei San, Shen Er, Banjin and Balian.
After a fight, seeing that the situation was not good, Emperor Taifu Zhao sneaked away. Gu Yanzhou and Feng Liunian followed him, only to see Emperor Taifu Zhao come to an old house.
Three people in the house were talking. "Why are you here?" a man asked.
"Hei elder, what we did has been known to others. The county government is coming to my house to arrest people. Let's go quickly." said Zhao Taifu.
"Since the county government is here to arrest you, how did you escape?" a woman asked
"Elder Bai, I took advantage of the situation and sneaked out." said Zhao Taifu
"Really? Gu Yanzhou is extremely cunning and as smart as a demon. If it weren't for the leader's clever manipulation, we would have been exposed long ago. Now is a critical moment, we must not take it lightly, and everything must be based on the leader's plan." Elder Bai said
In an instant, the door was kicked open, and Gu Yanzhou and Feng Liunian were seen standing at the door, followed by Pei Linyan, Shen Shaobai and others.
"You can't escape even if you have wings. Confess your crime and accept the punishment, so that I can leave you with a whole body." Feng Liunian said
The house was surrounded and there was no possibility of escape. The black and white elders looked at each other, and the white elder slit the throat of Zhao Taifu with a knife. He died immediately, his eyes full of unwillingness.
Before anyone could react, Elder Black and White collapsed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices. Pei Linyan opened their mouths and checked and said, "He committed suicide by taking poison." The body of Madam Zhao was found in the old house. She had hanged herself because of humiliation.
Everyone gathered in the Merchant Alliance. "Do you still remember what Elder Bai said?" Gu Yanzhou said.
"You mean, she said that if it weren't for the leader's clever operation, we would have been exposed long ago. Is there anything wrong with this statement?" Shen Shaobai said
"The Immortality Cult is a huge organization with elusive whereabouts and great ambitions. I'm afraid there will be endless trouble in the future. Moreover, they are ruthless in their pursuit of immortality. If they fail to achieve their goal, they will do anything. We must be careful and vigilant." Pei Linyan said
"So do you think there are really people who can achieve immortality?" Shen Shaobai asked
"Of course not. If there really is a secret to immortality, and it is based on human desires, then the poor will surely become rich from generation to generation; the rich will surely seize power; and those in power will surely conquer. Is it really immortality? It is nothing more than an endless extension of desire. It is just a desire that cannot be obtained." Feng Liunian said
"Brother Feng is absolutely right. It's nothing more than putting one's own selfishness above everyone else. For those who don't achieve their goals, everything is just a tool. You just said you couldn't get what you wanted? And they said the previous few times, and then compared the recent cases: the baby in the Taichang family represents the suffering of life; the Guanglu Xun represents the suffering of old age; the Weiwei represents the suffering of illness." Gu Yanzhou said
"The Chief of the Imperial Clan represents the suffering of death; the Grand Herald represents the separation of loved ones; the Court of Justice represents the resentment of those who hate them; and the Imperial Household represents the inability to obtain what they desire. So why does the Changsheng Sect kill people according to the eight sufferings of life? What exactly do they seek?" Pei Linyan asked.
"Among the eight sufferings, there is also the Aggregate of Non-attachment. Does that mean they want to kill another person?" Shen Shaobai asked
"Who could this person be?" Feng Liunian asked
"You found that there were no victims among the Nine Ministers." Pei Linyan said
"Yes, then the next victim will be the Minister of Agriculture or the Minister of the Treasury." Shen Shaobai said
"That's possible. Now let's split up. I'll go to the Minister of Agriculture's Mansion with Lin Yan, Pei San, and Ban Jin. Brother Feng, Shao Bai, Chen Er, and Ba Liang will go to the Minister of the Interior. If you have any questions, we'll meet with the Chamber of Commerce." Gu Yanzhou said. Everyone took action.
A chill wind blew through the darkness, and bells began to ring. Silently, something greater and unknown was about to arrive...
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