Chapter 204 The Truth Comes to Light
"Wu Mei, do you think this tiger talisman is real?"
There were only Zhao Kang and Wu Mei in the silent hall. On the table in front of them lay a bright yellow brocade box. Inside the brocade box was a tiger-shaped token made of special material and engraved with runes. Under the light of the candles, it exuded an ancient glow and a faint scent of war.
The tiger talisman has always been divided into two parts, one half is held by the commander-in-chief and the other half is held by the monarch. However, since the reign of the previous emperor, the military power of Beishu has been lost. The tiger talisman of the Fuyuan Army has remained in the Mansion of the Duke of Zhenguo, and the eagle talisman of the Qianjiying has remained in the hands of Huo Lang. Zhao Kang has never seen this legendary thing since he was born.
The military token is a national treasure. No one except the commander-in-chief and the king can take it. Although Wumei had glimpsed it from a distance a few times before, he could not see it clearly. He hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, it should be true. I don't think the Duke of Zhenguo would dare to play any tricks."
The Wei family had a very good reputation in the past and left an impression of being loyal and honest, so none of them doubted the authenticity of the military token. However, they did not know that even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered, and how could Wei Tan be a fool with a sincere heart?
Zhao Kang clutched the military token tightly, his expression unable to conceal his joy. He walked back and forth in front of the dragon chair, lowering his voice and saying excitedly: "Wu Mei, Wu Mei, I finally got the tiger token back. With this thing, I have the bargaining chip to fight against the Regent King. The country can finally return to the hands of my Zhao family!"
"No! If you are ready, summon Xin Poyue to the palace immediately and have him bring the other half of the military token to verify with me!"
After Wei Tan handed over the military token, the position of chief commander was taken over by the former deputy commander Xin Po Yue. He received an urgent summons and brought the military token to the palace for a secret audience. As a result, he heard that Zhao Kang ordered him to hand over the military token. His mind was in a state of confusion, but he replied respectfully:
"Your Majesty, I am sorry for the offense."
Xin Po Yue Yujie took two steps forward, reached out to take Zhao Kang's tiger talisman, then took out the other half of the tiger talisman in his arms and slowly put them together. The gap closed and the two tiger talismans became one in full view of everyone. It was indeed real.
"Your Majesty, this talisman can be attached."
Zhao Kang was overjoyed when he heard this, and he said "good" several times in succession: "Xin Poyue, if you do your job well, I will definitely not let you down!"
In fact, it would be best if this position was held by one of Zhao Kang's own people, but Zhao Kang currently had no available talent under his command. It would be difficult for a random person to win the support of the army if he was transferred there. Besides, Xin Poyue had not made any mistakes, so there was no excuse to demote him. After much deliberation, he could only keep the position as it was.
Now that the Wei family has fallen, if he were smarter, he would know who his true master is.
Xin Poyue knelt down and kowtowed without hesitation: "I am willing to go through fire and water for your majesty, and I will never give up even if I die!"
Today happened to be a sunny day, and the snow had melted, heralding the end of winter. When Xin Poyue left the hall, he slowly exhaled, touched the half tiger talisman in his arms, and his eyes were full of coldness:
He only said that the tiger talisman would fit, but he did not say that the tiger talisman was real. The emperor killed tens of thousands of brothers in Guiyan Pass. Did he really think that he could easily overturn it?
There are tens of thousands of soldiers in the Fuyuan Army. Without Prince Wei, they will naturally be the ones to settle this bloody account!
During the days when Huo Lang was away from Beijing, Lu Yan had stayed in the underground palace and had never set foot in the outside world. He secretly calculated the time and estimated that Huo Lang would be back in the next two days. He summoned the mute slave Lan Yin and handed her a piece of paper:
"Think of a way to spread the news outside the palace. It would be best if everyone knows about it. Can it be done within two days?"
The dumb slave gestured with his hands, his face showing worry: [Kyoto is too big, I am worried that I won’t have enough time. ]
The underground palace was dark, no matter how many candles were lit, they could not illuminate the room. Lu Yan replaced it with a new candle, and the slightly warm candlelight illuminated his profile like warm jade, but his eyes were dark, like an elusive shadow. He chuckled and sighed softly:
"Silly girl, you have stayed here for too long. How big is Kyoto? Throwing a few dimes to the beggars will spread such amazing romantic stories all over Kyoto in no time..."
He paused for a moment before admonishing, "Be careful not to let anyone find out... The Regent's cousin is just like him, she is not a pushover."
When he said the last sentence, Lu Yan smiled inexplicably. He might have thought of someone, and there was finally a little light in his eyes.
It's chilly in spring. Although the snow has stopped, the weather is still freezing cold.
Huo Yan went out with her servants early in the morning, planning to go to the silk shop to pick out some fashionable fabrics to make new clothes. She was dressed in a bright red riding suit, a whip at her waist, her hair in a ponytail, and a hibiscus jade crown. Anyone who saw her would have to say that she looked heroic.
Huo Yan felt bored without anyone to accompany her. She got on her horse and complained to her maid, "The prince used to come back in just seven or eight days after inspecting the manors below. Why is he taking so long this time?"
Her maid was also dressed neatly. She climbed onto another horse and said with a smile, "Don't worry. The prince sent a servant to tell you last night that you could return home today. But you were still asleep at that time, so I took the initiative to send him away."
Huo Yan turned around and pinched her nose: "Good girl, you finally know how to act like the princess. Who cares when he comes back? Let's just have fun!"
Having said so, she was visibly delighted, and she waved her whip and led her servants directly to the Qisuan Manor. However, she didn't know if it was an illusion, but many people on the roadside were staring at her, pointing and talking, as if there was some unspeakable secret.
Huo Yan frowned and pulled the reins, feeling strange in her heart, but she didn't think much about it, just thinking that her red dress was too eye-catching. She got off the horse and went straight into the Qisu Manor with her maid. When the shopkeeper saw Huo Yan coming, he was stunned at first, but then he reacted and hurried to greet her:
"It turns out to be the princess. If you want to buy some fabric, just call me and I can have it delivered to your house. Why did you come here in person?"
Huo Yan was a little absent-minded. She lifted the hem of her skirt and walked to the second floor as if she knew the way there: "I just came here to take a look. If you have any fashionable fabrics, just send them upstairs."
The shopkeeper stammered in response, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. However, when he saw Huo Yan's receding back, he swallowed his words back.
The second floor was a place for entertaining distinguished guests, and often dukes and ladies came to drink tea and chat. When Huo Yan went upstairs, she happened to see the Lord of Shaoyang County and the daughter of General Dingyuan sitting together and chatting. She was about to go up and say hello, but she heard their low voices and her footsteps immediately stopped where they were:
"This Lin'an County Prince usually looks honest, and I never thought he would do such a thing. Now, Gongsun's descendants took the concubine's body directly to the capital to file a complaint. I heard that she was chopped into pieces and died a miserable death."
"As the saying goes, a barking dog bites. The Prince of Lin'an is really ungrateful. He can't even have children, but the Princess of Lin'an doesn't dislike him. He even dares to keep a concubine outside. He deserves to be cuckolded. No one in the Huo family is easy to mess with. Even if the emperor lets him go, the Princess of Lin'an won't let him off easily."
"In my opinion, it doesn't matter what the emperor says. What matters is how the regent expresses his opinion. If he says 'die', who dares to let the prince of Lin'an live?"
The two of them were chatting and laughing, and they didn't notice Huo Yan with an ugly face around the corner. The maid behind them was so scared that she didn't dare to breathe. She saw Huo Yan's body swaying and seemed to fall down, so she quickly reached out to support him and said in a low voice, "Princess..."
Before she finished speaking, Huo Yan suddenly shook off the hand of the maid, turned around and rushed out of the Qisuan Manor. She was like a burning flame, ignoring the strange looks of the crowd, she jumped on her horse and rushed directly towards the direction of the palace, her pretty face frosty, as if she wanted to eat someone.
“Drive!”
There will definitely be bloodshed in the court today.
There was always a sense of impending storm hanging over the imperial city, but today there was also a stench of corpses.
Zhao Kang sat in a high position with an extremely ugly expression on his face. He had never wanted to tear Huo Lang to pieces alive so much before. The last time he had this feeling was when he was forced by the opponent to stab Jingyang King Zhao Qin to death with a sword. Now it was his cousin's turn.
At this time, Gongsun Mo had changed into a clean long gown. He stood in the hall holding a folding fan. He looked like a respectable and suave young man, but he was parading through the streets carrying a half-rotten female corpse on his back so early in the morning. In the eyes of others, he looked like a madman.
"Your Majesty, this girl's name is Lu Liu'er, and she is the concubine of the Prince of Lin'an. Because she was suspected of having an affair and getting pregnant, the Prince of Lin'an ordered his servants to chop her into pieces and throw her body in the wilderness, and I happened to see it."
"As the saying goes, if a prince breaks the law, he is guilty of the same crime as a commoner. I have followed the family motto of my ancestors to redress injustice, so I cannot sit idly by. Therefore, I have used a secret method to preserve her body from decaying. I have traveled thousands of miles to the capital to see His Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will redress her injustice."
Gongsun Mo spoke eloquently, and his words sounded better than singing. Zhao Kang slowly exhaled, and said with a stiff smile: "Mr. Mo, since you said that the woman was killed by the servants ordered by the Prince of Lin'an, do you have any evidence? You can't slander a royal relative with empty words."
Zhao Kang gritted his teeth in his heart. It was just a concubine who died, but Gongsun Mo came all the way to the capital to file a complaint. It was really a waste of money. However, the other party was holding the "Fan of Injustice" given by the previous emperor, and it was brought into the palace by Huo Lang. Zhao Kang had no choice but to take the case.
"Since you want to know the truth, you can ask the Prince of Lin'an to come and confront him. If it is true, I think His Majesty will not tolerate it."
Huo Lang sat aside calmly, watching the excitement. He ignored the somewhat decayed female corpse in the middle of the hall, and his eyes fell on the man in the dragon robe sitting high up. His eyes were deep and smiling, like a beast locking onto its prey, examining him inch by inch, staring at Zhao Kang until he broke out in a cold sweat.
Different.
It is indeed different...
If Lu Yan is an unfathomable cold pond, then Zhao Kang is at best a pool of water. When the sun shines on it, it is so shallow and simple that it makes people laugh. It is easy to tell what he is thinking at a glance.
Of course, this is just a feeling and cannot be used as evidence.
Huo Lang was still trying to find something more convincing. He stared at Zhao Kang, and suddenly remembered the day when he and Lu Yan were lying in bed together. The other person had a cinnabar mole on his waist, which was particularly dazzling against his white jade-like skin, and there was a strange curve at the corner of his lips.
Zhao Kang didn't know why Huo Lang was staring at him with a creepy smile. He just felt as if there were countless nails growing under his buttocks. It was uncomfortable to sit down. His thick winter clothes were soaked with cold sweat. "Since... if that's the case, then let's do as the Regent said and summon the Prince of Lin'an to the palace."
Wu Mei followed suit and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Prince of Lin'an is not in the capital now. I'm afraid..."
Zhao Kang was delighted when he heard this, but before he could be happy, Huo Lang suddenly said, "No problem. I happened to meet the Prince of Lin'an at the city gate today. I thought he had to see the emperor anyway, so I took the initiative to bring him into the palace."
Huo Langyu snapped his fingers, and two guards immediately brought up a handsome man tied up in heavy clothes outside the hall. It was the Prince of Lin'an!
Zhao Kang was shocked and angry when he saw this. Was Huo Lang trying to force him to become a lonely man? Killing an uncle was not enough, and now he had to add a cousin: "Prince Regent, the Prince of Lin'an is a royal title, how can you treat him like this?!"
Huo Lang curled his lips slightly and said, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. I am just trying to save you some trouble. Since you can't stand it, just untie me, Prince."
As soon as he glanced over, his personal guards immediately stepped forward to untie the ropes on the Prince of Lin'an. Zhao Tai knelt in the hall, and was able to maintain his composure. He knelt down and saluted to Zhao Kang: "Your Majesty, your humble servant has seen you."
Zhao Kang said, "Prince Lin'an, I believe you have heard what Master Mo said. Do you recognize the female corpse in the hall?"
Zhao Tai glanced at the female corpse coldly, as if he felt it was dirty, and then withdrew his gaze in disgust: "Your Majesty, this woman's name is Luliu, she was a maid I bought a few years ago. Because of her misbehavior, she was sent to work on a farm in the countryside. As for why she died, I don't know the reason. I hope Your Majesty will investigate it clearly."
Zhao Tai would never admit that he had kept a concubine behind Huo Yan's back. He spoke vaguely, evaded the main point, and was as slippery as a fox.
Gongsun Mo Rao waved his folding fan with interest: "Oh? So the prince and the maid had no private relationship?"
Zhao Tai sneered: "What a joke! I can have any kind of woman I want, why would I want to be attracted by a maid?"
Gongsun Mochu stepped forward and said with a smile: "Prince, you should know that people leave their names behind, and wild geese leave their voices behind. Everything you do will leave traces, and it is not just what you say. "
He pulled out a stack of papers from his bosom and shook them. It was obvious that he had prepared them well. He counted them one by one: "This is the land you bought for Lvliu in the countryside. Her name is written on it. These are the deeds of the servants who served Lvliu. The last few are testimonies from nearby villagers. They can all prove that you, the prince, often go in and out of Lvliu's house for more than two years, and you are very attentive. On the night of the incident, you had a quarrel with Lvliu. The servants guarding the outer courtyard faintly heard a woman crying in the house, and then several of your servants came out carrying a sack..."
Gongsun Mo said this, folded up his folding fan, and asked in surprise, "The sack can't be filled with big watermelons, right?"
With every word he said, Zhao Tai's face turned paler, and his kneeling body was swaying as if he was about to fall. Pian Gong Sun Mo even knocked on the female corpse next to him with his fan, and the white cloth fell off, revealing a rotten and miserable face, with cloudy and blurred eyes that were still open in death, staring at Zhao Tai's direction.
Zhao Tai was furious when he saw this. He pushed Gongsun Mo away and immediately knelt down a few steps to Zhao Kang and said, "Your Majesty, this man is talking nonsense in the court and arbitrarily attacking the royal family. He deserves death. Please help me!"
Zhao Kang glanced at Huo Lang, who was standing still like a mountain, and opened his mouth, but dared not say anything.
Gongsun Mo sighed, "Prince, how can this be considered as groundless accusation? I have all the evidence, and the servant who served Lvliu also said that you gave her the family heirloom Bi Liuzhu. Is it true or not?"
"Nonsense! The Bi Liuzhu is naturally in the hands of my first wife, how could it fall into the hands of a lowly maid?"
Zhao Tai was already panicking, and his mind was full of thoughts of not being able to admit it, otherwise if Huo Yan found out, he might be stabbed to death with a sword.
Gongsun Mo immediately became interested. He turned his wrist and pulled out a green bead from his pocket. It was crystal clear and beautiful. It was Zhao Tai's heirloom. "Oh? How could this be? When I was performing an autopsy on Lu Liu'er, I happened to find a green jade bead in her belly. Could there be two more in the world?"
That night, Zhao Tai and Lu Liu had an argument. In desperation, Lu Liu took the Bi Liu Pearl and said that she was going to find Huo Yan to have a fight with her. Zhao Tai rushed to snatch it, but Lu Liu swallowed the pearl directly. Zhao Tai strangled her to death but she didn't spit it out.
Later, although Zhao Tai ordered his servants to cut the green willow into pieces to retrieve the pearl, no ordinary person would dare to do such a bloody thing. In addition, it was a dark and windy night, so the servants hurriedly chopped a few pieces and lied that they couldn't find it, and then they let the matter go.
When Zhao Tai saw the bead in Gongsun Mo's hand, he was immediately frightened and tried to snatch it: "Give it back to me!"
However, before he could snatch it away, the tightly closed palace door was suddenly kicked open, and he saw a woman in a red riding costume standing outside. He couldn't see her face because of the backlight. When she slowly approached and revealed a pretty face, he recognized her identity.
Huo Lang picked up the teacup and skimmed off the foam, with a nonchalant attitude, as if Zhao Tai was a dead man:
"Third cousin, you came at the right time. Do you have the Bi Liuzhu?"
Huo Yan clenched his hands tightly in his sleeves, staring coldly at the frightened Zhao Tai with his foxy eyes, and laughed sarcastically: "I think my sister is immoral and unworthy of the Zhao family's Bi Liuzhu. She would rather give it to a prostitute who redeemed herself from a brothel in private than give it to me. Zhao Tai, if you really like that woman, you can just tell me directly. Do you think I will still occupy your position as a mere county princess?!"
She spoke harshly, hating herself for being blind to marry Zhao Tai. Zhao Tai was also frightened and crawled forward to hug her legs and said, "Sister Yan! Sister Yan! Listen to my explanation. These are all slanders he made against me. It has nothing to do with me!"
Gongsun Mo spread his hands and pointed at the female corpse on the ground, indicating that he was innocent.
Huo Yan lowered his eyes and stared at Zhao Tai, gritting his teeth and saying word by word: "Zhao Tai, if you admit this today, I, Huo Yan, will admire you a little. Let me ask you again, did you do this?!"
She was a fierce and aggressive person, and she was very powerful in the mansion. Zhao Tai was frightened by Huo Yan and immediately spilled the truth, crying: "Sister Yan! Please save me, I will definitely change in the future. I just want a child, I just want a child..."
Huo Yan said nothing, closed his eyes, and felt a blackness in front of his eyes.
She recalled meeting Zhao Tai when she was young. Although he was a royal relative, he was pitifully timid, delicate and fair-skinned. He would cry like a rabbit from time to time and was always bullied by other children.
He took him to play when he was young and protected him when he grew up. Otherwise, the regent was autocratic and the emperor was jealous of the royal family. How could he, a small prince, gain a foothold in the turbulent Kyoto?
As the daughter of the Huo family, there were countless suitors for her hand in marriage, but Zhao Tai was not even on the list. When he heard about his marriage proposal, he knelt in front of the Huo family's door all night regardless of his status as a prince, just to beg for his hand in marriage. He was shivering in the rain and refused to leave.
What did he say then?
He said...
Sister Yan, I know that I am not good at either literature or martial arts, and I am not worthy of you, but I love you, and I will never be willing to give it my all if I don't try this time.
My father and mother died early, and no one was willing to make the decision for me, so I had no choice but to propose marriage myself. Whether you marry me or not, I will protect you well in the future to repay you for protecting me in the past.
Huo Yan couldn't bear it, so she cried and begged her parents, and only then did this marriage happen. On the wedding day, Zhao Tai promised her that they would be together for the rest of their lives and entrusted her with financial support and never taking a concubine. She was once a well-known figure in the capital, but how did it become like this now?
Huo Yan shook her head stiffly. She couldn’t figure it out, she couldn’t figure it out…
Huo Yan staggered back two steps and walked out in a daze, wanting to leave here as soon as possible. The stench of the corpse was too strong, so strong that she wanted to vomit...
"Sister Yan! Sister Yan!"
Zhao Tai crawled after her, crying: "Sister Yan, please don't abandon me, don't ignore me. My father and mother are dead, and you are the only relative I have. You can beat me or scold me, but please don't abandon me..."
He grabbed Huo Yan's sleeve and refused to let go. The woman in front of him finally paused and turned to look at him.
Zhao Tai thought Huo Yan had finally softened his heart, and a hint of joy appeared on his face. However, before he could be happy, he suddenly felt a pain in his heart the next moment, as the dagger in Huo Yan's hand pierced his heart.
"puff--!"
Blood spurted out, but Huo Yan didn't even blink. His black and white eyes stared at Zhao Tai, with regret, tears, but more of hatred.
Zhao Tai was stunned and managed to utter two words with difficulty: "Sister Yan..."
Why kill him?
Huo Yan was not only ruthless, but stabbed the dagger a little deeper. Her eyes were red, and with the determination inherited from the Huo family, she whispered word by word: "Zhao Tai, you have ruined my life..."
If you can't do it, why did you ask for marriage in the first place?
If she had not married Zhao Tai and chosen another good husband, she would probably be living a happy life with children around her.
"I said on our wedding day that if you break your vows, you'll die!"
Huo Yanyu suddenly pulled out the dagger, and Zhao Tai fell to the ground in full view of everyone. His eyes were dull, his ears were buzzing, and the shouts and scolds of others turned into a noisy movement. The only thing in his sight was the red clothes, which was dazzling and eye-catching.
"Yan, sister..."
Zhao Tai moved his lips silently, as if he wanted to grab the corner of her clothes, but he had no strength left. His head tilted and he died.
Zhao Kang was so shocked when he saw his cousin being stabbed that he slammed the table in anger: "Huo Yan! You are so brave that you dare to go ahead and assassinate the prince! What are you doing standing there? Why don't you call the imperial physician quickly? Go now!!"
However, no one in the hall paid any attention to him. The guards outside heard the commotion and wanted to go in, but were blocked outside by Huo Lang's Thousand Machine Camp.
Gongsun Mo kindly said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Lin'an has already flown away on a crane to the west. I'm afraid even the Golden Immortal can't save him."
Wu Mei secretly tugged at Zhao Kang's sleeve, signaling him not to confront Huo Lang. However, Zhao Kang was already furious, and he turned the things on the table into a mess: "You Huo family members are so bold! First you forced me to kill my uncle, and now you killed the Prince of Lin'an right under my nose. Do you want to rebel?!"
Huo Yan glared at Zhao Kang coldly, resisting the nausea in her stomach, and threw the dagger away: "I killed him, it has nothing to do with others. Your Majesty, whatever punishment you want, I will do whatever you like!"
Huo Lang finally stopped drinking tea after hearing this. His slender fingertips slowly stroked the delicate flower and bird patterns on the tea lid. Although his attitude was indifferent, no one dared to disobey him. It seemed that he just regarded this matter as a prank by his younger sister. He lowered his eyes and said lazily, "Well, killing a treacherous man is not a big deal. Carry the body back home. I will give an explanation to His Majesty."
Huo Yan looked at Huo Lang hesitantly, worried about causing trouble for him: "Cousin..."
Huo Lang curled his lips slightly, stood up and patted Huo Yan's shoulder. He sniffed the strong smell of blood in the air and felt a little happy for the first time. He felt that this sister was particularly like himself. His voice was low and cold:
"Good kill."
Negative people should not live.
It was a bargain for Zhao Tai to be stabbed once. If it were Huo Lang, he would have chopped the man up and fed him to the dogs.
Guards came in and carried the two bodies out of the hall. Huo Yan also retreated, burned incense and set up a stove. The faint aroma of ambergris could not cover up the bloody smell and corpse stench in the air.
The palace gate was closed, and now only Zhao Kang, Wumei, Gongsun Mo, Huo Lang, and several masters from the Thousand Machine Camp were left.
Zhao Kang sat down on the dragon chair with a pale face, tightly grasping Wumei's sleeve and said boldly: "Regent, you...what do you want to do?!"
Huo Lang smiled dangerously, and his deep voice was like a drum beating in his heart: "Your Majesty, what are you afraid of? I will not take your life."
He made a gesture after he finished speaking, and the masters of the Thousand Machine Camp immediately stepped forward and brought Zhao Kang over. Wumei was furious and wanted to attack, but was suppressed by Huo Lang's words:
"Old eunuch, no matter how powerful you are, you can't be ten on your own. If you behave yourself today, no one will bleed. If you don't behave yourself, you'll have to be careful of your master's life."
Huo Langyu sat back down, his chin propped up lazily. Seeing Zhao Kang shaking with fear, he suddenly felt disgusted and said coldly:
"What are you standing there for? Do you want me to do it myself?!"
Upon hearing this, the masters of the Thousand Machine Camp said "Excuse me" and stripped Zhao Kang's dragon robe off with a "swish", leaving him naked except for a pair of shorts.
Zhao Kang cried out in shock: "Huo Lang, you are so outrageous!"
He had heard from Wu Mei a long time ago that Huo Lang had a habit of cutting off sleeves and often took advantage of Lu Yan. Was he going to force himself on him today?
Huo Lang walked up to Zhao Kang, lifted his robe and squatted down. He glanced at the other person's body that looked like a white chicken, sneered in his heart, and saw that Zhao Kang's waist was smooth and there was no cinnabar mole at all. Finally, he confirmed that the other person had a substitute.
Huo Lang stood up straight and exhaled slowly. His eyes were sinister and he asked in an unmistakable tone, "Where are the others?"
Zhao Kang was stunned: "Who?"
Huo Lang kicked Zhao Kang directly, and his entire body was extremely impatient. His voice was cold:
"You sick bastard, where is that dog emperor?!"
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