Chapter 77: Changes
Zhao Yuxi was beaten so badly that his handsome face was completely disfigured. Although he was cunning, he was not a genius, so he naturally did not have a photographic memory. Even if he made up a story, he could not remember a book of sword manuals, not to mention that he was seriously injured and had been in a trance for a long time, so how could he make up something?
Zhao Yuxi was forced to copy the Goddess Sword Secret Method over and over again. Not only that, he had to write it backwards. After writing it, he had to explain the meaning word by word and randomly pick out the next sentence. If he couldn't connect the two, he would be beaten again.
Zhao Yuxi collapsed and grabbed his head, at one point he was so desperate that he wanted to die.
“This one should be real.”
Outside the dungeon door, Shang Junnian took off the green-faced, fang-toothed ghost mask on his face. Perhaps it was because the mask was too scary, it formed a sharp contrast with his cold and evil face, which was extremely visually impactful.
Lu Yan flipped through the thick stack of papers in his hand and said, "The moves are consistent and there is no slack in the flow. It is probably true. I will go to the palace and hand it over to my father later."
Shang Junnian always felt that Lu Yan seemed a little too anxious about this matter, but he didn't care too much: "What about Zhao Yuxi?"
Lu Yan put the secret technique into his sleeve and said with a half-smile, "You can do whatever you want with him. Even if he is only a pile of bones left, I will find a way to make things right and keep you safe."
If Zhao Yuxi died, Emperor Wu Yun would have no sons to use, and Zhao Yuzhang would be the crown prince for sure. Lu Yan didn't mind lending them a helping hand.
Shang Junnian raised his eyes to look at Lu Yan, his lips curled slightly, but he said something chilling: "What if I want him to die?"
Lu Yan said in a low voice: "Then he can't live."
…
The sound of horse hooves swept across Zhuque Street. Just as soldiers all over the city were searching for the assassin and the whereabouts of Zhao Yuxi and others, Lu Yan hurried into the palace with a group of people.
At that time, a group of ministers had already knelt in front of the Wannian Palace, including many old ministers from Wu Yun who had accompanied the Emperor. They were all begging the Emperor to catch the murderer. When Lu Yan stepped into the hall, they all looked at him with hidden fear.
Everyone knew that Lu Yan and Zhao Yuxi had a conflict last night. Then the posthouse was attacked and Zhao Yuxi disappeared. It is no exaggeration to say that the entire royal capital, including the emperor, suspected that Lu Yan was responsible.
A bunch of people gathered in front of the Wannian Palace today, all wanting the emperor to severely punish Lu Yan and search Fengling Palace.
"Third brother, you came at the right time. The envoy's inn was attacked last night and Prince Yuxi disappeared for no reason. Have you heard about it?"
The emperor always had a face that showed no emotion. He was not angry when he saw Lu Yan, but instead ordered someone to give him a seat. Unexpectedly, Lu Yan knelt on the ground with a plop, his eyes red, and he looked extremely heartbroken: "Father! Please help me, your son!"
The Emperor lifted his eyelids, his temples throbbing with pain: "What injustice have you suffered?"
Lu Yan squeezed out two tears and cried, "Last night, those assassins not only kidnapped Prince Yuxi, but also kidnapped two beauties from my mansion. I beg you, father, to track down those assassins and rescue them as soon as possible!"
Someone nearby snorted coldly: "I'm afraid it's just a thief crying thief!"
Lu Yan turned his head and looked at the Wu Yun envoy who was speaking, his eyes widened and he said, "You old man, what do you mean by that? Did I send someone to kidnap them?!"
The old minister said coldly: "Why did the beauty in your house go to the inn where the prince was staying in the middle of the night for no reason? I'm afraid only you know the reason! If anything happens to Prince Yuxi, we will definitely not let it go!"
Lu Yan sneered and asked, "What do you mean by beauties in my palace? One of those two beauties is the prince you Wu Yun sent as a hostage, and the other is a minister you Wu Yun sent as a hostage. They want to reconcile with Prince Yu Xi. Can I still stop them?"
"you!"
Just as the people in the hall were arguing endlessly, a young general in armor suddenly ran in in a hurry, knelt on one knee and reported to the emperor: "Report! Longquan Division was ordered to track down the whereabouts of Prince Yuxi, and finally found traces of him in the suburbs of Beijing!"
The emperor suddenly raised his eyelids and asked, "Is he all right?"
The young general clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, Crown Prince Yuxi suffered minor injuries, but his life is not in serious danger. Crown Prince Yuzhang and Prime Minister Shang were also found by the stream a few miles away, but they are unconscious and have been sent back to the palace for treatment."
Lu Yan frowned when he heard this. According to the original plan, the people from Longquansi should have found Zhao Yuxi's body. How come he was still alive? Did Shang Junnian not take any action?
The emperor hummed solemnly, "Order the imperial physician to treat him with all his heart. Report back to me when he wakes up."
"Yes!"
After the young general left, the Wu Yun envoys also found excuses to leave the hall, anxious to check on Zhao Yuxi's condition. Only Lu Yan was left kneeling alone in the hall.
The emperor ordered the palace door to be closed, then he walked up to Lu Yan with his hands behind his back and asked in an emotionless voice, "Where are the things?"
Lu Yan was stunned: "Ah? What is it?"
The Emperor couldn't stand his pretentious attitude, and frowned: "Don't tell me that you kidnapped Zhao Yuxi and imprisoned him in the dungeon, and didn't get anything out of him after a night. If that's true, I'll have to consider the whereabouts of the half Blood Toad Pill."
Lu Yan then smiled and said, "Nothing can be hidden from Father."
Before he finished speaking, he pulled out the two compiled sword manuals from his arms and handed them to the emperor respectfully: "Father, the sword sect skills of Dongli and Wuyun are all listed above. I have checked them carefully and confirmed that they are correct. It's just that Tianshui's is still missing..."
The Emperor took the two volumes of sword manuals and flipped through a few pages. "The Tianshui Sword Manual has been donated by Xuan Hong. This saves you a lot of trouble. I gave you half a Blood Toad Pill for free."
Lu Yan's pupils shrank slightly when he heard this: "Xuan Hong? How could he offer the sword manual for no reason?"
The Emperor looked at Lu Yan deeply and said, "Of course, it's to exchange for a hostage to return to the country. Do you think I should agree to it?"
“…”
The Emperor's words clearly had a deeper meaning. Judging from what he had just said, he had already secretly received Xuan Hong's sword manual, which meant that he had agreed to the other party's request. But now he suddenly asked Lu Yan whether he should agree...
Lu Yan thought for a moment before saying, "Tianshui is no threat to the immortals, and a gentleman's word is worth a thousand gold, so it's okay to let him go."
The Emperor handed the sword manual to Eunuch She, looked at Lu Yan and shook his head slightly, and said with a sigh: "Woman's kindness."
A woman's kindness...
Lu Yan was still pondering the meaning of these words until he left the palace and returned home. The Emperor accused him of being soft-hearted. Did he really intend to take the things and not let Gongsun Wuyou and the others go back?
For the first time, Lu Yan felt that the position of emperor was not something that ordinary people could hold, and that one had to be ruthless and cruel. He thought of the half blood toad pill in his arms, so he could only put these things aside for the time being and quickly went to the backyard to find Shang Junnian.
Longquansi found Zhao Yuxi and his group in the suburbs, but unfortunately Zhao Yuxi was seriously injured and has been unconscious until now. They could only question Shang Junnian and his group to try to find some clues about the assassin.
Shang Junnian had some scratches on his face, which he said were caused by accidentally falling down the hillside: "The assassins seemed to have someone else as their target, so they didn't do anything to me. After daybreak, they blindfolded me and threw me to the outskirts of the city."
Shang Junnian was sitting on the bed, wearing a white shirt. There were several bright red blood scabs on his face, which were particularly obvious on his fair skin. He coughed a few times and looked weak, which made it difficult for the person who was asking questions to continue.
He Jianshuang stood beside the bed, silently clutching the sword at her waist, feeling that this matter was not that simple: "Of the three of you who were captured, only Crown Prince Yuxi was the most seriously injured. Isn't that a little unreasonable?"
Shang Junnian closed his eyes and said calmly, "The assassins wanted to force me to learn the secret of the Goddess Sword. I have never learned it, and neither has Prince Yuzhang. They could only torture Prince Yuxi severely, so he was the most seriously injured. Is there anything unreasonable about that?"
These words were exactly the same as Zhao Yuzhang's. Even though He Jianshuang had doubts in her heart, she couldn't find any loopholes, and she couldn't help feeling frustrated.
Lu Yan happened to walk into the inner room and asked with interest, "What's the wind that brought Envoy He here today?"
He Jianshuang turned around and found that it was Lu Yan. He immediately clasped his fists and bowed, "It turns out that you are His Majesty, Prince Fengling. I am here to investigate the assassination attempt at the post station on your majesty's orders, so I have come to question you."
Maybe it was because of Lu Yan's help during the martial arts competition before the banquet yesterday, but He Jianshuang was very polite.
Lu Yan nodded: "So that's the case. However, I see that they are seriously injured. I'm afraid it would be inconvenient to ask them questions at this time. Envoy He, why don't you come back another day?"
He Jianshuang hesitated for a moment after hearing this, then clasped his fists and said, "Then I will take my leave first. I am sorry for disturbing you today, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Lu Yan returned the greeting: "Goodbye, Envoy He Zheng. I will not see you off."
The people from Longquansi were always difficult to deal with, but at this moment they retreated completely like the tide, which showed that He Jianshuang gave Lu Yan a lot of face.
Shang Junnian saw the door close, and then asked, "How is it, the Emperor didn't blame you for what happened last night?"
Lu Yan lifted his robe and sat down beside the bed, shaking his head. "My father didn't say anything, he just asked me where I learned swordsmanship. I made up a few words, and although he didn't believe me, he didn't ask any more questions. But Zhao Yuxi... why is he still alive?"
Shang Junnian met Lu Yan's gaze and said lightly, "If he dies, Wu Yun will definitely investigate. I thought about it and decided not to bother with this matter."
It was certainly a good thing that Zhao Yuxi died, as he could better support Zhao Yuzhang to ascend the throne, but that would inevitably bring trouble to Lu Yan, so Shang Junnian hesitated for a long time in the suburbs, and finally did not take action to end Zhao Yuxi's life.
Suddenly, he felt a warm touch on his cheek. Shang Junnian looked up subconsciously, but was caught off guard by Lu Yan's smiling eyes: "Why didn't I realize that the Prime Minister was so considerate before? But if you let Zhao Yuxi go, will he say something he shouldn't say?"
Shang Junnian was inexplicably shuddered by the heat of the other person's palm, and tilted his head unconsciously: "Don't worry, Zhao Yuxi won't say a word to anyone. He is a cowardly person. If people knew that he leaked the Goddess Sword Secret Method, he would be blamed for it."
Lu Yan touched the wound on Shang Junnian's cheek, just like seeing a flaw in a beautiful jade, and sighed: "It's hard for you to deliberately create so many injuries to deceive He Jianshuang."
He suddenly remembered something and took out a brocade box from his pocket and handed it to Shang Junnian: "Take this medicine. It will be good for your injury."
It was that half of the unknown red pill again.
Shang Junnian was stunned when he saw this, and his suspicion grew even stronger: "Where did this medicine come from?"
“…”
Lu Yan paused, then smiled and said, "Everything in this palace was gifted by my father, and this medicine was naturally also gifted by my father."
Shang Junnian took the medicine box and saw a seal on it, indicating that it was a treasure registered in the imperial palace. He rubbed his fingertips slowly on the bottom of the box and found a line of uneven characters. He carefully identified the outline and three vague words quietly emerged in his mind:
Blood……
toad……
pill……
Shang Junnian's eyes suddenly opened: It was the Tianshui treasure, the Blood Toad Pill? !
"This item is the most precious treasure in the world. It is said to be able to bring back the dead. How could the Emperor give it to you for no reason?!"
Shang Junnian grabbed Lu Yan's wrist, his voice unable to conceal his shock. He remembered that the other party had rushed into the palace today to present his inner skills to the emperor, and when he came back, he had this half pill in his hand. An incredible guess emerged in his mind: "You agreed to let the emperor learn the inner skills of the Sword Sect just for this half pill?"
As soon as he finished speaking, it seemed as if a place in his heart had quietly collapsed, and something was seeping into the cracks, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Lu Yan didn't expect Shang Junnian to be able to guess this, and he was stunned for a moment. He came to his senses and took a cup of tea from the low table beside the bed: "You are too weak and your meridians are damaged. The imperial physician said that the Blood Toad Pill has miraculous effects. My father happened to have one in the treasury, so I asked him to give it to me."
He spoke lightly and did not mention anything else.
Shang Junnian stared at Lu Yan motionlessly, as if he wanted to know what he was thinking in his heart. After a while, he said in a hoarse voice: "This thing is a treasure. Although the emperor loves you, he will not give it away lightly..."
He paused and said, "Lu Yan, my life is not worth that much."
This was the first time Shang Junnian called him by his full name.
"I have lost my position as prime minister and I have no power in the sword sect. Even if I help you, it will be a drop in the bucket. It is not worth it for you to try every possible means to get those sword manuals in exchange for my life."
Some people say that the lowest thing in the world is dust.
But Shang Junnian knew that the cheapest thing in this world is human life, and the most difficult thing is to survive.
King Wuyun once regarded him as a loyal minister, but then he treated him like a worthless grass and sent him to the fairyland. Without power, he was like a dog locked up in a dungeon, with his collarbone pierced or his martial arts abandoned. All his past achievements seemed to have dissipated like smoke and were insignificant in the face of the country.
For countless days and nights, he was in so much pain that he could not sleep all night, but he was filled with tremendous hatred, which supported him to keep alive and did not want to die easily.
How could his life be worth Lu Yan's efforts to learn swordsmanship, and how could it be worth this elixir that is hard to find in the world? !
Shang Junnian couldn't help but clench his fingertips. His eyes were bloodshot and his chest was heaving, as if he was trapped in a nightmare. Suddenly, Lu Yan's whisper came to his ears, and his cheek was gently wiped with the fingertips: "Don't cry..."
Shang Junnian was stunned. Was he crying?
Lu Yan kissed him lightly: "Medicine is used to save lives. No matter how precious it is, if it can't save lives, it is just a bead covered in dust in the warehouse."
"Who said your life is worthless? I think it is worth a thousand times..."
No matter how many times he recalled that sentence, Shang Junnian felt that it was one of the few warmth in his life, without any calculation of interests. He even thought about how to help this man take the highest position and how to be his minister in front of the palace for life, but he didn't expect the change to come so quickly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com