On the second day after the spirit hunt ended, the story of Xia Xiao and Shu Shuang spread like a heroic deed.

As the city lord, Yang Zhen was the first person in Longgang to know about this. He asked Xiao Liu to find Xia Jinghong and told him. Xia Jinghong was extremely calm, which was beyond Yang Zhen's expectations.

"Thank you for your concern, City Lord."

All of this was within Xia Jinghong's expectations. Xia Xiao must have had a lot of things to do when he went to Rongcheng, but this was nothing. And if the news could spread, it meant that nothing was wrong.

It was noon at this time, Xia Jinghong invited:

"My wife and children made some cakes and stewed some chicken soup. Would you like to go and try some?"

Yang Zhen smiled and recalled the pastries that Xia Jinghong had sent him last time. It was indeed somewhat memorable.

"Then I'd rather obey you than be disrespectful."

"Your Excellency has been thinking about the people and working hard day and night. I admire you. There is no need to be so polite."

When Yang Zhen heard the word "sir", he became serious. He couldn't bear such a big hat.

"General Xia, I said last time that we are all loyal and dedicated to the dynasty. If you don't mind, you can just call me brother."

Yang Zhen has always disliked the Jianghu way of thinking, where officials are officials, people are people, people support officials, and officials work for people. But Xia Jinghong's family was really wronged, and they were so ruthless that they deserved an exception. Xia Jinghong was not polite, and the general's style and heroic spirit in his bones made him agree.

The two of them walked together towards the mass grave. Along the way, Yang Zhen asked some questions about military management, and Xia Jinghong answered them one by one.

By evening, Xia Xiao's story had spread even further. Porters, merchants, family letters and casual conversations all made it quickly go eastward to the imperial capital.

The Great Xia Dynasty is not the largest country in the Great Wilderness World? But this imperial capital named Zhenxun perfectly illustrates what grandeur means. Rather than saying it is like an imperial capital, it is more like a frontier stronghold, because it is as solid as a rock, without the slightest appearance of a noble place, but rather magnificent and solemn. The heavy red walls defend the dignity of the dynasty and show the cautious consciousness of the people of the Great Xia. If one day the Great Xia is defeated, even if it is surrounded by enemies, it can still fight to the death.

The young man in charge of collecting intelligence on Xia Xiao stood on the city wall west of the imperial capital, with his hands raised to the sky, and a carrier pigeon was coming.

This majestic imperial city has an agency specifically responsible for collecting information, but matters concerning Xia Xiao are the responsibility of His Majesty himself, and no one else is allowed to interfere.

The man took the letter off the pigeon's leg, raised his arm, and the pigeon flew across the sky, taking in the entire imposing Yinxun. The man then disappeared on the city wall, rode his horse through the crowd, and headed for the palace.

The palace gate was spacious and grand, and only military generals and ministers could enter directly. People like men who were simply dressed could only go through the inconspicuous side door. But he had the emperor's token on his waist, so he went directly through the moat and entered the gate. There was no turning, and his vision was not blocked by the high walls and eaves that he usually saw.

When they arrived at a place, the man abandoned his horse. After the young eunuch led it, the man went to the imperial study in the blink of an eye.

In addition to handling state affairs every day, His Majesty spends the most time in the Imperial Study. No one disturbs him here, and no matter what he does, he practices calligraphy and cultivates his character. At this time, the man broke in, causing the eunuchs and guards at the door to panic. If the emperor gets angry, wouldn't he lose his life?

The eunuch tried his best to hold the man back, and the guard drew his sword and was about to use force. But the emperor just said a simple sentence to resolve the man's crisis.

"Stand back."

It is said that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. After years of serving, the guards and eunuchs all knew how to read the emperor's expressions. When they knew that the words were directed at them, they immediately backed off.

The man who stepped into the imperial study had a chivalrous look. His eyes under his sword-like brows saw the emperor in front of him, but he did not kneel down, but only saluted.

"Your Highness."

At the table, the eunuch was sharpening his inkstone. His Majesty came forward, said no need to be polite, and then asked:

"What's the news?"

The man must have come here for something, and his anxiety made the emperor even more curious about Xia Xiao's movements.

The emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty was a young man in his early twenties, with the dignity of an emperor on his face. The young eagle, born and raised in an ivory tower, flew slower than others, but his eyes were full of wisdom, showing that he was extremely smart.

The man presented two small bamboo tubes with both hands. The emperor couldn't wait to open them. After reading them, he laughed a few times.

"Fei Lian, you are so lucky. The news came back so quickly that it has already caught up with Fei Que Pavilion, which is responsible for receiving news from all over the world."

Fei Lian was the man's name. After hearing this, he bowed with a respectful attitude.

"Fei Lian will do his best to fulfill His Majesty's orders."

"You are a man of the underworld, not a minister of the dynasty. You don't need to be so polite."

The emperor had already said this, but Fei Lian was also a citizen of the Great Xia Dynasty, so how could he be disrespectful to the emperor?

"There are still two months until the local competition. Before then, I'd like to trouble you to pay more attention."

"There are people I, Fei Lian, know all over the country who will definitely serve His Majesty!"

"Thanks for your hard work."

Fei Lian was flattered by His Majesty's words of hard work, but his face was cold and he said:

"If there is nothing else, Fei Lian will withdraw first."

"Be careful where you go, don't let others see you!"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty."

Fei Lian walked out of the door, raised his lips, and disappeared immediately. Even if someone had seen him, they would not know who he was. They only knew that there was a missing capable person beside the emperor.

The door of the imperial study was closed again. The old father-in-law said in a sarcastic tone, but loyally:

"Your Majesty is truly wise to recruit such a capable person. The National Elders' Institute will definitely not dare to look down on you again."

Sitting back at the table, the emperor's eyes were as dark as ink, dark enough to evoke hatred. Because of his lack of experience, the National Elders Council always wanted to undermine his power and take over Daxia. But he was the emperor, and it was his duty to govern Daxia well. No one could replace him, let alone drive him!

"Back then, Xia Xiao's identity as a person who came from afar attracted the attention of the entire National Elders Council, and he was exiled to the border area. Now that he has become a disciple of the Emperor of the First Church, the National Elders Council will definitely take action again."

"Your Majesty, I have said before that this Council of Elders is a playboy, and there are all kinds of people among them. I don't know what kind of evil wind they are playing. You took the initiative. Even if Xia Xiao disobeyed the order and did not return, you have expressed your feelings. And not pursuing his disobedience also shows your magnanimity. Since Xia Xiao is a talented person, he will naturally understand and will not socialize with the Council of Elders, let alone help the Council of Elders to oppose you. If he can't understand, it's better not to have this person, and he will not become a great man."

My father-in-law has been with dragons all his life, so he has some dragon spirit in him. He also has a broad vision and is very knowledgeable when it comes to analysis.

"With Eunuch Mu by my side, I can sit firmly on the throne."

Eunuch Mu smiled, his old face was as red as a liar, and said sincerely:

"It is my honor to assist three generations of kings."

"Then how do you think the Zhu family should deal with it?"

The emperor suddenly mentioned the Zhu family, so the previous letter must be related to the Zhu family. They must be making things difficult for Xia Xiao again.

"I feel that the Zhu family cannot handle it for the time being."

"As a third-rank general of Yunhui, the Zhu family has indeed made great contributions, but with this official rank, they dare not be so presumptuous and openly bribe others to attack Xia Xiao!"

"What does His Majesty mean?"

In the eyes of Eunuch Mu, the emperor in his early twenties already looked like his father and grandfather. His pair of sharp eyes seemed to be able to find out everything.

"There must be someone from the National Elders' Council standing behind him. Those old guys who seem to care about the country are actually plotting to overthrow me. Since Xia Xiao can't become their pawn, he will be eliminated."

Eunuch Mu thought it made sense. It was the National Elders' Council that drove the Xia family out of the imperial capital. Given Xia Xiao's current personality, since he dared to disobey the order, he would definitely not have any contact with them. In this way, Xia Xiao is more likely to stand on their side. After all, if he wants to come back openly, he still needs the emperor's order.

"So...Wanling Valley is a perfect opportunity!"

"Yes! We need to find someone to help Xia Xiao."

Eunuch Mu asked tentatively:

"Su family?"

"Su Huan is the first choice, but she alone is definitely not enough."

"I will select the younger generation who are loyal to the dynasty later."

"Thank you for your help!"

The emperor picked up the pen and wrote his name on the paper - Si Yi!

Now the National Elders have all kinds of opinions about him, and Si Yi cannot be neglected, and no faults can be picked out by them. They said that his handwriting was poor and lacked the spirit of a king, so he practiced calligraphy hard, leaving them speechless. This was not the first time that people from the National Elders had done this. They had previously said that Si Yi had little education and was unsophisticated, and then he read poetry and books. It was during that period that Xia Xiao's affairs were neglected.

Eunuch Mu was quite satisfied with Si Yi's handwriting. Although he was not gifted, he was willing to work hard and would surely become a wise ruler in the future.

As soon as he walked out of the door, he saw a eunuch who came to report the news. After hearing the story, Eunuch Mu returned to the imperial study.

"Your Majesty, Zhu Heng requests an audience."

Si Yi did not stop writing, but his eyes moved slightly, and he said:

"Tell him we'll talk about it in court tomorrow morning!"

"yes……"

Eunuch Mu withdrew, very satisfied with what Si Yi said. He was the emperor and had the power to refuse. Talking about it in the morning court could remind those old men with ill intentions in the National Elders' Council that he was still the real emperor and that they should not openly offend him, otherwise they would not end well!

Eunuch Mu was old and slightly hunched, which was in sharp contrast to the big and strong Zhu Heng. After he conveyed Si Yi's meaning, Zhu Heng's face changed.

"Eunuch Mu, can you please let me know again? I want to be transferred from the imperial capital to the eastern coastal area to provide relief to the victims."

Although there is famine in the east, what does it have to do with you? The shrewd eunuch Mu smiled secretly, but his face showed embarrassment.

"I am just a servant. His Majesty is copying the Taiping Sutra. I cannot disturb him when he is concentrating on his meditation."

There was drama in Eunuch Mu's eyes and brows, as if the emperor was angry and it was useless for me to go.

Seeing this, Zhu Heng bowed and left in a daze. This time Zhu Da's business failed. If he didn't leave Kyoto, he would be finished when Xia Xiao came back! No matter what his reason was, Xia Xiao's identity was there!

When Xia Xiao started practicing, Zhu Heng didn't know that his master was the Emperor, otherwise he wouldn't have done so.

After punching the red wall, Zhu Heng had no choice but to go find someone from the National Elderly Home!