The yamen runner looked at the girl in front of him in surprise, wearing a black gauze hat. For a moment, he ignored the scene at the door and stepped forward, shouting angrily, "Who are you? Why did you come out from inside?!"
The one who came out at this moment was the younger sister in a tight-fitting outfit with her long hair tied up high. She didn't even look at the yamen runners, but walked straight to Xie Xuanzhao. Seeing Liu Qinglan next to her, she paused.
Xie Xuanzhao indicated that it was nothing and told her to talk.
My sister then took off her veil and said in a cold voice, "Miss, I have already persuaded Magistrate Ma to open the granaries and release the grain and herbs. He is in the hall right now."
Xie Xuanzhao nodded, then looked at the guarded yamen runners. "The Imperial Master heard about the plague in Qingfeng Town and sent us here to investigate. County Magistrate Ma has now handed over full authority to us. You must immediately proceed to the center of town, set up tents, apply pesticides, and maintain order. If anything goes wrong, the entire yamen will be held accountable, and no one will escape."
Looking at the solemn-looking guards in front of them, the yamen runners dared not question or resist. When they heard that they were sent by the extremely powerful Imperial Master, who was the Emperor's uncle and the new head of the Xie family, they knew he was someone they must not offend. So they immediately went about their business in a hurry.
After they all left, Liu Qinglan excitedly waved his fist and said, "I really tricked them, hey~"
Xie Xuanzhao pressed her little fist in amusement. "Don't get too excited. Let's go in and take a look at the situation first." She looked at her sister again. "You go over there and supervise them to prevent any mistakes."
"Yes, miss." The younger sister nodded in agreement, then she climbed up the tree in a handsome manner, stepped on the branches and jumped onto the eaves, then went all the way over.
Liu Qinglan stood on tiptoe and watched with great interest. "It turns out that she, like our Feifei, also likes to climb trees and walk on eaves."
"It seems that you have done a lot of things that are beyond your control in the palace." Xie Xuanzhao said quietly from the side.
"Of course, on my first day..." Liu Qinglan immediately came back to his senses, with a flattering smile on his face, "No, that's not the case~"
Xie Xuanzhao looked at her like this and couldn't help but reach out and touch her nose. "Naughty! Forget it. I'll deal with you when we get back to the palace. Let's get down to business first."
"Yeah, it's more important to do the real thing." Liu Qinglan agreed seriously.
The yamen runners weren't treacherous, they were just following their superiors' orders. So when they came to set up the shed and apply the pesticides, they didn't dare to be negligent and worked quite seriously.
My sister sat cross-legged on the eaves, watching the orderly scene below. Then she had time to ask the black egg in her pocket, "Why do I feel that this plague aura is exactly the same as yours?"
"..." Although Heidan didn't want to admit it, he was a good boy and could only tell the truth, "Because we are all evil spirits, born from the Demon Realm."
"Demon Realm?" My sister felt that her knowledge had been refreshed again.
"There are demons and spirits, so naturally there are also devils and immortals," Heidan said as a matter of course. "It's just that after the great war between gods and demons ten thousand years ago, everyone agreed to keep to their own territories and not interfere with each other, so there's basically no interaction anymore."
"It's very complicated." My sister feels that this demon world is more complicated than the human world.
"It's not complicated. The Demon Realm was destroyed, and our young master disappeared. According to the hexagrams, she was in the human world, so we took root there. After thousands of years, we finally succeeded. That's how we grew up in the human world."
"Young Master?" My sister was curious. "Do you have a young master in the Demon Realm?"
"Of course, but I heard that during the war between gods and demons, she was abducted by a god in the sky and her whereabouts are still unknown." Heidan was filled with emotion.
"So, are you saying that these plague energies, like you, are being used maliciously?"
Heidan jumped up and down. "That's right. We have a rule in the Demon Realm that we're not allowed to interfere in human affairs. We have to come and go without a trace. Now they're actually defying the rules and endangering the human world. It's obvious they're being used."
In the yamen, Xie Xuanzhao untied the long whip wrapped around his wrist, put one foot on the chair, and looked at County Magistrate Ma who was tied to the table leg in front of him.
Magistrate Ma looked nothing like a horse, but rather like a fat pig, with a fat head, big ears, and a round belly. He was so frightened that he was incoherent and trembling with fear.
"I... I was just following orders. It was Governor Gu who came up with the idea. It has nothing to do with me~"
Xie Xuanzhao slowly stroked the long whip in his hand. "Deliberately releasing evil spirits and causing countless wronged souls, is this a sacrifice to heaven or a rebellion against heaven?"
"...How dare I do such a thing!"
Xie Xuanzhao sneered, "You can explain these things in prison."
While he was interrogating, he heard footsteps outside.
Liu Qinglan had already dispersed her army of insects and ants, so when the real palace guards arrived, there was no sense of incongruity.
Xie Xuanzhao and Liu Qinglan went out to greet them. Leading the way was the captain of the Xie family army. Seeing that it was their eldest daughter, they tacitly did not expose anything. Instead, they stepped forward and saluted respectfully, "We are here to investigate on the orders of His Majesty."
Xie Xuanzhao nodded, "I'll leave this to you guys."
"yes."
The troops filed in in an orderly manner. Xie Xuanzhao then turned around and said to Liu Qinglan, "There's nothing for us to do here. Let's go say goodbye to your master and then go back."
Liu Qinglan pulled her sleeve and whispered, "I feel like something is wrong."
"What's wrong?" Xie Xuanzhao couldn't help but lean over and get closer to her when he saw her speaking so mysteriously.
Liu Qinglan pulled her sleeve and walked forward, "We can talk while we walk."
After leaving the government office, Liu Qinglan looked around and said worriedly, "The rain has stopped."
A ray of sunlight faintly appeared through the dark clouds in the sky, as if a jewel that had been sealed in the dust for a long time was suddenly opened one day, and the bright light shining through was eye-catching.
Xie Xuanzhao then realized what was wrong with what she said, "Did someone tip off the others, causing these evil plague spirits to retreat?"
"I feel like they've completed their mission, so they're leaving. It seems we're still a step too late." Liu Qinglan felt a little uneasy. "Perhaps Master knows better. Sister Beauty, let's go over there and take a look at the situation."
Huai Dan was busy distributing herbs from the warehouse with the yamen runners. He stepped out of his busy schedule and learned that the court had sent people to deal with the problem. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The damage already done cannot be undone, but we'll make up for it as much as we can now. I was so busy that I didn't even notice when these evil spirits retreated."
Xie Xuanzhao pondered for a moment and asked, "Sir, do you know where these evil spirits are?"
"It should go to those who use them."
Liu Qinglan and Xie Xuanzhao looked at each other. Could it be Lin Yulang? Lin Yulang was on his way back to the palace at this time.
"Oh no, I'm afraid the emperor is in danger." Xie Xuanzhao pursed his lips. This Lin Yulang is really going to rebel against the heaven.
Although she and the emperor had always been at odds, they did not have any major grudges. Moreover, if something happened to the ruler of a country suddenly, it would not only cause turmoil in the court, but also in the people of the world.
This matter is not as simple as just a plague.
"Qinglan, let's go back quickly, maybe we can stop one or two more."
After hastily bidding farewell to Huai Dan, Xie Xuanzhao and Liu Qinglan hurried back to Huai Dan's residence and led the horse out.
On the way, I met my younger sister, who was in a hurry and said, "Miss, the evil spirit seems to be heading towards the palace."
"I understand. You continue to stay here to supervise. Once the guards have dealt with the matter, you can return with them to prevent any accidents." After Xie Xuanzhao gave his orders, he whipped the horse and galloped away.
Liu Qinglan had already returned to his original form, curled up in her arms.
She listened to the Beauty Queen's heartbeat and felt that she was very nervous and panicked at the moment.
Liu Qinglan couldn't help but stretch out his little paws to help her stroke her chest.
Xie Xuanzhao freed a hand to smooth her fur, calming his breath before speaking, "The Emperor and I are from the same clan. His mother, the Empress Dowager, is also a daughter of the Xie family, my aunt. Unfortunately, he died in childhood. Because the late Emperor disliked him and favored the Imperial Concubine, the Xie family suggested that he be raised in his maternal grandfather's home, away from the Imperial Concubine's influence. In the end, with the combined efforts of the Xie family, he successfully ascended the throne. To consolidate his power, I married into the Eastern Palace. Perhaps because of me, the Emperor gradually grew suspicious of the Xie family. If it weren't for my brother's intervention, the situation would have been difficult to maintain. I grew up with the Emperor and know that he wasn't a bad person, just indecisive and lusty. If he were to die tragically at the hands of a male favorite, it would be too tragic."
Liu Qinglan had no idea there were so many reasons behind this, and now she's beginning to understand the relationship between the imperial family and the Xie family. "The Emperor picked me up from the mountains and forests. He brought me into the mortal world to deal with my sister, the Empress. But he didn't ask me to do anything immoral; he thought it was more like a child's prank. I didn't do what he asked, yet I received so many benefits from him. Now that I think about it, I feel really sorry for him."
Xie Xuanzhao patted her little head. "Little fool, he brought you into the palace not out of true good for you, but just to use you as a shield. Now that he's in danger, we've done our best and there's no need to feel guilty."
"So that's how it is." Liu Qinglan felt much better all of a sudden. "Okay, we'll do our best."
Last night, the head of the Xie family gave the emperor a serious persuasion, and the emperor finally made up his mind to personally deal with the scourge of Lin Yulang.
But he suddenly thought that Lin Yulang had been with him for many years, and it would be too cruel to order his execution, which would also chill the hearts of the beautiful men around him. So he urgently summoned Lin Yulang in the second half of the night.
The head of the Xie family sat at the carriage window, looking at Lin Yulang getting on the imperial sedan chair with an indifferent expression. He knew that things might have changed again, so he could only sigh helplessly.
The emperor was indeed a soft-hearted and indecisive person. Lin Yulang, sensing his murderous intent, immediately humbled himself, kneeling at his knees and whispering for mercy. He then offered gentle and understanding entreaties, until the emperor finally softened completely, undressed, and spent the night with her.
When he woke up the next day, the emperor was holding the handsome young man and had no intention of killing him.
Patriarch Xie gathered his sleeves and looked at Lin Yulang, who was getting off the imperial sedan chair with a cheerful look on his face, with a calm face. He thought to himself: I underestimated Lin Yulang's influence. It seems that I need to be more cautious in the future.
The author has something to say: Patriarch Xie: There is nothing we can do to help this incompetent emperor.
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