Chapter 112 Theft
Tian Mu felt something was very wrong lately. He spent a lot of money to pull strings and finally managed to get his former subordinate back, but another subordinate fell into the trap. To make matters worse, this time it was the most troublesome Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhang Cheng, who reported him. This man didn't understand the interpersonal relationships among the powerful and wealthy—you protect me, I'll let you off the hook.
He's a genuine rude and reckless brute!
What are you talking about, the truth and justice? If he gets any dirt on them, they'll suffer heavy losses.
The important thing is that he's a tough nut to crack.
Ordinary hotheads have long been ousted from the court by them, so who would dare to offend them?
Unfortunately, they couldn't make a move, at least not against Zhang Cheng right now.
Because the person sitting at the head of the table appreciated him, and Zhang Cheng had used this as leverage against him in the previous witchcraft incident, their group attacked him, trying to oust him from the position, but they failed.
Although the eldest princess spoke up to protect him, the person who made the final decision followed the eldest princess's lead and praised Zhang Cheng for upholding his principles and having keen insight. Only then did the others realize that they had gone down the wrong path.
Everyone avoided the limelight and rested for a while.
In subsequent conflicts with them, the emperor mostly protected Zhang Cheng, which made them realize that it was not advisable to harm him again.
He said that this child must not be kept, otherwise they would suffer a backlash.
Unfortunately, his men were caught red-handed killing someone in the street, and then, by sheer coincidence, Zhang the Madman happened to be passing by and saw it!
How can everyone be so morally upright? Always ready to help those in need?!
What an inflexible fool! He wouldn't even accept a thousand taels of gold if offered to him for free!
And that Minister of Justice is no pushover either; he's slippery and takes plenty of money but does absolutely nothing.
...The worst part is that a couple of days ago he tried to impress his wife in bed, but his manhood wouldn't budge, making him lose face. Last night he tried his concubine, but he still couldn't get an erection. The stupid concubine even dared to say that there was something wrong with his body. He can't handle his wife from a prestigious family, so how could he not handle a concubine with no support?
When the concubine breathed her last in his hands, Tian Mu casually waved his hand and told Tian Ba to dispose of the body.
After his anger subsided and he calmed down, panic and fear slowly crept up his spine. Would he become impotent?
The local physician couldn't find anything wrong and was at a loss.
What is the difference between a man who cannot get an erection and a eunuch in the imperial harem?
These past two days, Tian Mu has been filled with fear and apprehension. If his colleagues find out about this, he doesn't know how they will slander him behind his back.
Things took a turn for the better this morning. He saw his new, beautiful wife and husband leaving the house next door. To his excitement, as soon as he got close to Madam Zhen, a surge of heat rose in his lower abdomen, and even his stagnant manhood felt a strange urge.
The closer he got, the more excited the creature became. He gave a greeting and then hurried back to his residence.
He wanted to see if his former glory had returned.
Shang Yuji had dark circles under her eyes. If it weren't for the fact that she had to catch up with Tian Mu's morning court session, she wouldn't have stayed up all night and then crawled out of bed in such a disheveled state today.
It's all that damned Tian's fault, but he should have received their gifts by now, right?
Once he returns and tests the waters, he discovers that he can only react to Zhen Qiushui. He wonders how long his macho pride can keep him in check. Fear and desire intertwine, and he fears that in order to prove his continued power, he might hastily abduct Zhen Qiushui without cleaning up his mess, thus giving them an opportunity to find fault.
She had made up her mind; she would blame all the sleep she hadn't gotten today on him.
The reason she targeted Tian Mu so much, besides wanting to save people and help the princess weaken the opposing forces, was that Tian Mu's behavior was truly disgusting.
Although the original plot of the restricted text cannot be taken literally, its description of the characters' personalities is not much different.
Princes and grandsons of emperors, generals and prime ministers... Tian Mu occupies the role of a general.
Using love to beautify imprisonment and humiliation is like how all poisons become non-poison when coated with sweet icing.
In fact, poison is poison from beginning to end, and torture is torture; no amount of concealment can hide their true nature.
He uses sweet words to embellish his vicious thoughts because he himself knows that what he is doing is a ruthless and shameful act.
They are all show and no substance, hypocrites.
Staying up late and waking up early to see people she disliked made Shang Yuji quite irritable. She grabbed Jiang Xi and strode towards the busiest street: "Come on, let's buy whatever we want. I'm paying today!"
"Thank you, Changtian."
After indulging in a shopping spree, Shang Yuji's annoyance gradually dissipated. She carried a new pastry box from the Youyun Chamber of Commerce, filled with exquisite and delicate pastries. She took one out and fed it to Jiang Xi, whose hands were covered with pastries. She also ate one herself, and both of them praised it as delicious.
Although many people have speculated about who owns the Youyun Chamber of Commerce, and even Zhou Ao wanted to get in touch with the owner of the Chamber of Commerce, the answer is actually quite simple. Of course, if he ever found out, he would probably deny it to deceive himself.
After all, the owner of the Youyun Chamber of Commerce, whom he wanted to cooperate with, was the eldest princess whom he was wary of.
—The "Yun" in Youyun Chamber of Commerce is the same "Yun" as in Zhou Dynasty Yun.
Passing by Fulai Inn, I felt a sense of relief, like seeing an old friend.
Shang Yuji looked up and saw that it was indeed the Fulai Inn in the capital. Not only did it occupy a prime location, but it also seemed to have no restraint in occupying space. Compared with the shops next to it, it was both extravagant and impressive, demonstrating the considerable strength of the Wanshang Alliance.
?
There seems to be a familiar figure.
Shang Yuji stopped walking, craned her neck and squinted, and looked closely. The figure sneaking around in the corner of the hall was none other than Elder Yi.
Speaking of which, Elder Yi has an old friend in the capital. It should be that down-on-his-luck scholar across the way, wearing clothes with many patches, his clothes looking like they were pieced together from countless pieces of cloth of different colors, prioritizing practicality over aesthetics.
They didn't plan to get involved, mainly because their furtive behavior suggested they didn't want to be recognized by acquaintances.
Shang Yuji continued to lead the way, carrying the food box. As expected of the bustling and prosperous Tai'an Street, the central axis of the capital city of Da'an, connecting to the main gate of the imperial city, Chengming Gate, in the north, it was said:
A road leading to heaven leads directly to the Emperor's Hall.
This refers to Tai'an Avenue, which leads directly to the imperial city.
...Hearing that it was named after the wish for national peace and prosperity, and thinking about the possible countdown to the country's demise, she couldn't help but sigh, "Da'an really does choose names based on what it lacks most."
Shang Yuji looked up and could see the majestic and solemn imperial city in the distance, with its towering buildings.
Hey, Princess, there's a road to heaven, would you like to take it?
Cough, she absolutely had no idea of fighting her way down Tai'an Street to the main gate of the imperial city, and then all the way into the palace.
No.
Otherwise, it would be a disservice to the high expectations that everyone has placed on Tai'an Avenue.
Seizing power is easy, but Tai'an Street has many more things to consider. The mere matter of changing its name is enough to cause Tai'an Street a lot of trouble.
Worried that Jiang Xi, who was carrying the fabric behind her, would be pushed away, Shang Yuji freed one hand to hold his.
Finally emerging from the crowded throng, Shang Yuji gasped for breath.
?
Why do the people in front of me look so familiar?
Aren't these Senior Yi and the unknown middle-aged man who were just at Fulai Inn?
When did I get ahead of them?
The two seemed to be waiting for someone... but probably not them. Shang Yuji gestured for Jiang Xi to take a detour so as not to disturb the two seniors.
After walking a few steps, Yi Sha waved to them.
Okay, looks like they're waiting for them.
Senior Yi smiled frankly and patted Jiang Xiqu's arm: "The disciple I told you about!"
The middle-aged man held a pen and paper, seemingly writing something down.
Senior Yi patted Shang Yuji again: "They are a couple."
Perhaps because they had too many real names, aliases, and nicknames, and because everyone was still in a period of mutual confidentiality and the confidentiality agreement had not expired, Senior Yi didn't know how to introduce them for a moment.
But that didn't stop the middle-aged man's eyes from shining. The pen in his hand even left afterimages as he muttered to himself, "The size difference is huge. The shorter one is the husband, and the one who bears the weight is the tall and thin wife... Hehe, such a contrast in size, how wonderful, how wonderful..."
Shang Yuji was nearby and even overheard some strange phrases: "small to big," "wife's back pressure... can't take it, hehe..."
"...?" Senior Yi Sha, are you just saying and writing serious things?
She strongly suspected that the two of them had become the subject of each other's research.
Senior Yi, showing no favoritism, also introduced the other party: "The Beggars' Sect, Tang Xiliu, is well-informed. If there's anything you want to know, you can go to Fulai Inn and ask him to investigate."
Tangxi?
Shang Yuji's expression was now complicated. Her friend who had sent the original "surprise" message also had the surname Tang Xi...
I suddenly began to doubt what this senior had written down on paper.
"Don't judge your seniors with prejudice or preconceived notions," Shang Yuji smiled and said, "Hello, senior."
Jiang Xi repeated the sentence after her.
Tang Xiliu hurriedly looked up from the paper, responded to the two, and then read out some important remarks.
...Senior Yi, this Senior Tangxi doesn't seem very reliable.
Yi Sha was used to him, and after exchanging a few more words with him, she said, "We are temporarily staying in the Jia Mansion, which is located on the far east side of the city. You can come to us if you need anything."
Hearing that his regular customer was leaving, Tang Xiliu responded with a few words, then suddenly stopped writing: "Wait a minute, I almost forgot. Your sect leader ordered all Seven Star Sect disciples that Mo Wuhen's body had been stolen. If any Seven Star Sect disciple sees it, do not act rashly, but report to the sect immediately. The sect will send someone to retrieve it. I suppose you were one of the main forces in retrieving it. By the way, have you found it...?"
"What did you say?!" Yi Sha's relaxed expression from just meeting his old friend vanished completely. "Why did you only tell me something so important now?!"
Mo Wuhen, that wicked creature who betrayed the Seven Stars Sect, murdered the former sect leader, and was captured by the Moon Pearl to exchange for the sect's thousand-year lotus seed!
"Go back and tell me in detail." Overwhelmed by the news, Yi Sha also realized that the streets and alleys were crowded and noisy, not a good place to talk.
Tang Xiliu's front was grabbed forcefully by Yi Sha. He didn't even care about paper and pen, and begged for mercy repeatedly: "Hero, my hero Yi, let's talk this out. Please let go of my clothes. I don't have enough money in my entire possessions to buy a new set of clothes..."
“If you had told me about this beforehand, I wouldn’t have held it against you,” Yi Sha said, shaking off his collar and frowning.
"You can't say that, can you? I didn't know you didn't know either. There was a secret message exchanged within your sect, so you should have known about it."
Yi Sha realized why she hadn't received the message immediately. If nothing unexpected had happened, the incident must have occurred while she was in Yangzhou. Therefore, the sect assumed she was still in Yangzhou and sent the secret letter there. However, since she had changed locations, the secret letter could only arrive in Yangzhou and find nothing.
She was in a hurry and overlooked this possibility.
The four hurried back to the Jia residence. Shang Yuji was waiting for them outside the Tian residence, but Tian Mu, who had been posing for a long time, didn't have time to pay attention to her and rushed into the residence.
Tang Xiliu felt sorry for the torn collar. It hadn't been long since he had patched the clothes, and now it was torn again. He wondered what the sewing aunt in the gang would say to him!
Jiang Xi, who had been carrying fabric all the way without stopping, saw his distress over the clothes and asked softly, "I... I have a new dress at home that is a little too big for my husband. If you don't mind, please take it."
"As for what you're wearing, I know some mending skills. If you trust me, senior, please let me give it a try?"
"!" The lady's words were like heavenly music to him, and he said gratefully, "Madam, you are truly a kind and compassionate lady. I thank you!"
"Of course, it would be even better if you called me Tangxi Langjun."
His surname is Tangxi, not Tang. Although his friends know his surname, they always deliberately call him Tang Langjun. What a pair of bad friends!
"Senior Tangxi, there's no need to thank me. My master was a bit impatient. Please don't blame my master."
Tang Xiliu suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Could it be that he had subconsciously accepted the playful remarks of his friends, which made it difficult for him to adapt to the sudden appearance of a well-behaved and polite child speaking to him?
He muttered to himself, "How come the God of Slaughter managed to train such a good disciple?"
"Hey, you surnamed Tang! I can hear you!"
"Oh, I'm just praising how well you teach!"
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