Zhou Guitong was furious and filled with hatred. He had painstakingly solved the smuggling case, which could have brought justice to the people involved. He had never imagined that Li Qingyuan, the imperial envoy, would not only refuse to listen to his explanation but also beat his own advisor to death.
This is intolerable. For the sake of his master and the two thousand people who were wrongly accused of smuggling, Zhou Guitong has to go to Beijing to seek an explanation.
A magistrate of Kui County, unable to file a complaint, had to travel to Bianjing himself to file a complaint. Let alone the common people who had grievances. This is undoubtedly the tragedy of the Song Dynasty and a stain on the life of Emperor Zhao Huan.
The carriage sped along the official road, but Zhou Guitong seemed quite relaxed. He didn't know whether this trip to Bianjing would be a blessing or a curse. If the emperor was truly wise, perhaps he could seek justice for the people and his advisor. But if the emperor sacrificed himself for personal gain, then these people would truly be buried in the sea of justice.
There are countless examples of this kind of thing in history. It is not uncommon for emperors to kill loyal ministers for their own benefit. Qinghe's investigation was decided by the emperor himself, and now he has overturned the emperor's decision. The emperor's order is wrong.
It all depended on whether the emperor would admit the injustice done to the people or cover up the truth and silence them. Zhou Guitong had no idea. But he believed that good could prevail over evil, so he just had to act with a clear conscience.
The mountains are overlapping, the official road is rarely traveled, and there are forests all around.
"Whoa!" The groom suddenly stopped.
The carriage braked suddenly, causing Zhou Guitong to almost fall down due to inertia. He put down the book in his hand and opened the curtain: "Horseman, why did you stop?"
Then he saw the stunned figure of the groom, and four men in black holding broadswords blocked his way.
Zhou Guitong was startled, but he didn't show any fear. Instead, he demanded, "Who are you? How dare you stop an imperial official in broad daylight?"
The men in black didn't answer and attacked with knives. The coachman screamed in fear, jumped off the carriage and fled. Another man in black rushed forward and chopped the coachman to death with a single blow.
This wasn't like an ordinary bandit, and Zhou Guitong was scared. Bandits usually wouldn't rob government officials. This was the Song Dynasty, and they couldn't afford to offend the government.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhou Guitong opened the sedan chair and jumped out of the carriage, starting to flee for his life.
He was a county magistrate and didn't know any martial arts. In the blink of an eye, he was caught up by four men in black and surrounded Zhou Guitong.
"You, who are you? I am the magistrate of Kui County, Qinghe Prefecture. Have you mistaken me, my dear friends?"
In the eyes of the men in black, Zhou Guitong was probably no different from a dead man. One of them said, "Sir Zhou, we know you. It's not that we have a grudge against you, but someone wants you dead. When you get down there, don't blame us brothers. If you're going to find someone, look for the one who wants you dead."
Zhou Guitong didn't ask who it was. He could easily guess who was trying to kill him. "Li Qingyuan sent you, didn't he? He wants to silence us." Zhou Guitong looked up at the sky. "It's God's will. The souls of these two thousand innocent people are destined to have no place to turn."
The men in black looked at each other. They obviously didn't expect that Zhou Guitong could guess that it was Li Qingyuan who wanted to kill him.
Several people nodded and rushed up to hack at Zhou Guitong.
"Swoosh! Swoosh!" After several sounds, a burst of rapid horse hoofbeats came from far away.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The four men in black were hit by hidden weapons, including a small stone.
The man who came was really powerful. Even from such a long distance, the stone hit his body and knocked the four men in black to the ground.
"Who is it?" The four men in black were shocked and rushed towards the man on horseback with knives in hand. These four men were quite skilled in martial arts and knew how powerful the man on horseback was. They were ready to attack together and finish him off.
The horses were getting closer and closer, and suddenly the person on the horses jumped off. It was Linghu Yunlong.
The four men in black had no time to ask any questions and rushed forward with knives in hand, their swords clashing.
The sound of "Dangdangdang..." was as dense as strings of pearls, and Linghu Yunlong was secretly surprised. He had initially thought that these four people were just bandits from the area. He had never expected that these four people were quite skilled in martial arts. He was not paying attention and was almost hit by a black-clad man nearby.
The four of them exchanged moves in unison, coordinating their attacks in perfect harmony. For a moment, they even forced Linghu Yunlong to retreat, unable to draw his sword.
Few in the world could have forced Linghu Yunlong back. It wasn't because these four men were so skilled in martial arts. It was because they coordinated their attack and defense, hiding their flaws. Furthermore, Linghu Yunlong was caught off guard. A master swordsman didn't even have a chance to draw his sword.
But Linghu Yunlong was Linghu Yunlong after all. He let out a long roar and flashed past the four people.
With a "clang" sound, the long sword was drawn out with a sound like a dragon's roar.
With the long sword in hand, the world is mine. When Linghu Yunlong drew out the long sword, the four men in black could only defend themselves.
These four men were extremely fierce. One of them was stabbed in the right shoulder, and the long sword in his hand flew out of his hand. This man was furious and shouted loudly, rushing forward.
If the opponent hugged his body, he would be unable to use his sword moves. Linghu Yunlong turned his sword and stabbed the man to death.
The remaining three attacked with desperate moves, each one a formidable blow. Linghu Yunlong roared, his sword flashing. One was stabbed in the throat, another pierced through the chest, and Linghu Yunlong spared the remaining man.
"Are you the Four Tigers of the Capital?" Linghu Yunlong guessed from their tactics, "Aren't you four following Li Qingyuan?"
He suddenly understood. Although he didn't know who Zhou Guitong was, he had guessed that he was sent by Li Qingyuan.
"Were you sent by Li Qingyuan to kill him?" Linghu Yunlong asked again.
The Four Tigers of the Capital are four brothers. They are all imperial guards. Li Qingyuan took them with him when he went to Qinghe.
The remaining man was Da Hu. The Imperial Guard numbered over 100,000 men, and these four brothers didn't recognize Linghu Yunlong. Da Hu sighed, "My skills are inferior to his. Three of my brothers have already passed away. What's the point of leaving me alone?" He then drew his sword and committed suicide.
At this time, Zhou Guitong came over and clasped his fists: "Thank you hero for saving me."
Linghu Yunlong's heart moved, and he saw that Zhou Guitong was wearing an official uniform: "Are you the county magistrate? You are Zhou Guitong!" Linghu Yunlong shouted,
Now it was Zhou Guitong's turn to be surprised: "You are a hero? I am Zhou Guitong."
Linghu Yunlong was overjoyed and revealed his identity: "It was His Majesty who mentioned it to me. It turns out that the famous Kui County Magistrate who cracked the leak case was actually you. His Majesty praised you highly."
Zhou Guitong was surprised and delighted, his eyes widening. "Your Majesty, are you really saying that? This means the two thousand people in Qinghe Prefecture are saved! Lord Linghu, this truly is a blessing from heaven!"
Linghu Yunlong smiled faintly: "Master Zhou, there is no need to go to Bianjing. Follow me to Qinghe Prefecture and meet the envoy with me!"
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