"They say it's no place for humans to live. As soon as it gets dark, it's swarming with mosquitoes and other insects, and snakes and ants crawl all over you at night."
“The vegetation there grows very aggressively. The weeds you pulled out yesterday have already grown back in a couple of days. If you leave them unattended for a while, they can grow taller than a person. You simply can’t clear a path.”
Wu Cheng shook his head after hearing his words: "There's no other way, there's no way out."
"Officer Wang must die. I must get justice for my wife and the child in her womb."
Li Chang'an looked at him and said, "I'll give you a way out. Are you willing to take it?"
"Haha, I appreciate your kindness, sir. You've treated me to a meal and let me rest. This favor is something I will remember for the rest of my life."
Wu Cheng cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "If I trouble you any further, sir, I would be ungrateful."
"After all, this matter, to put it bluntly, is going against the imperial court. Your Excellency should not get involved in it."
"Haha, I'm not really involved."
Li Chang'an looked at him and said with a smile, "I just think that watching you eat makes me want to eat more. It makes me want to keep you by my side so that when I can't eat anymore, watching you eat will make me eat a couple more bowls."
"Here's what we'll do: you stay at the restaurant for a few days to rest and recuperate. After some time, I'll get the justice you want for you."
Wu Cheng looked at him and nodded: "Alright, I trust you, sir."
"Knock knock knock!"
Just as Li Chang'an and the others were preparing to go back to their rooms to sleep, a knock came at the door.
Upon hearing this voice, Zhang Sanfeng and Zhang Zhiwei immediately became alert.
They stared at the gate of Fenghe Tower, their expressions somewhat solemn.
Being able to see in all directions and hear from all sides is something that martial arts practitioners must learn.
Having cultivated to the level of Zhang Sanfeng, one would already be able to sense even the slightest movement of the wind or grass nearby.
Today, due to the murder, all the customers at Fenghe Restaurant have fled, leaving only Manager Lü and a few waiters inside.
These people had long since gone to sleep, and in such quiet circumstances, he didn't even notice that someone had appeared at the entrance of Fenghe Tower.
"Who's there? The restaurant is not accepting guests tonight. Please go somewhere else."
Manager Lü stepped out from behind the counter and spoke through the door panel.
"Yang Zhi, the governor of Jiangnan, please open the door, shopkeeper."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the restaurant paused for a moment, and Wu Cheng stood there stunned.
He thought that his act of killing the constables in the street had alarmed the governor of Jiangnan.
"Don't worry, it's not looking for you. A mere constable wouldn't bother this governor."
Li Chang'an spoke to him, and then instructed Manager Lü to open the door.
He also wanted to meet this local tyrant who held absolute power in Jiangnan.
After the door was opened, a man in black robes appeared at the entrance of Fenghe Tower. He was completely covered from head to toe, with only his eyes showing.
Yang Zhi walked in, removed the black cloth from his face, revealing a handsome face.
Li Chang'an was somewhat surprised when he saw this face. He had thought that this governor, who had been in charge of Jiangnan for more than ten years, was an old man in his sixties. He did not expect that he looked to be about the same age as Zhao Hu.
"Yang Zhi, the governor of Jiangnan, has met Zhang Zhenren of Wudang and the headmaster of Wudang."
Yang Zhi bowed to Zhang Sanfeng and Zhang Zhiwei, and finally looked at Li Chang'an.
Taking a deep breath, he said, "Yang Zhi greets Your Highness. Your Highness's presence is an honor, and I have failed to greet you properly."
Upon hearing the words "Your Highness," Wu Cheng and Manager Lü were stunned for a moment, then their eyes gleamed.
In the entire Ming Dynasty, there were only two princes: Meng Sanguan, the Prince of Lingnan, and Li Chang'an, the Regent.
Meng Sanguan needed to guard the frontier and could not leave Lingnan at will.
So, there's only one person who could appear in Jiangnan and be called a prince.
"Oh, Lord Yang, you are so kind as to visit me so late at night. I am flattered."
Li Chang'an remained calm and asked, "Lord Yang's late-night visit cannot truly be just to pay his respects to me, can it?"
Yang Zhi smiled and said, "Your Highness is too kind. However, I do sometimes report to Your Highness. How about we have a private chat?"
"good!"
Li Chang'an waved his hand, and everyone else withdrew. Zhang Zhiwei saw that Zhang Sanfeng did not move, so he also stayed.
Yang Zhi looked at the two masters and disciples, smiling without saying a word.
"Master Zhang, you may also step down."
"Your Highness, be careful, something's not right with this Lord Yang."
Zhang Sanfeng frowned, feeling that Yang Zhi exuded an air of evil.
Li Chang'an waved his hand: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
After everyone had left, he said, "Now it's just the two of us. If you have something to say, just say it."
Yang Zhi took off his black robe, revealing the official robes underneath: "Your Highness, is your incognito visit to Jiangnan this time for the sake of the dragon vein?"
"It seems that Lord Yang has been entrenched in Jiangnan for so many years and knows quite a lot."
Li Chang'an neither denied nor admitted it, his face remaining calm and composed, leaving Yang Zhi somewhat puzzled as to what this prince was thinking.
After thinking for a while, Yang Zhi continued, "The matter of the dragon vein is something that all the big shots in the martial arts world have known for a long time; it's not a big secret."
"I have served as the governor of Jiangnan for more than ten years. If I didn't know this, wouldn't I be a mere figurehead?"
Li Chang'an looked at him without saying a word. This Lord Yang had been testing him ever since he came in, trying to get information out of him.
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