The jailer handed Hang Yu's last letter to Yu Xuanji. It was a letter written in blood, written by Hang Yu to his wife and children.
After seeing this, Yu Xuanji sighed deeply and ordered the jailer to notify Hang Yu's wife to collect the body. The jailer ordered two yamen runners to notify Hang Yu's family.
After making the arrangements, Yu Xuanji and others returned to the posthouse. When there was no time to make an appointment, Yu Xuanji asked Lao Qiao to go to Hang Yu's house, which Ye Zelin was very confused about.
He said, "Hang Yu broke the law knowingly, and he deserved it, but his family is innocent. With his death, the Hang family has lost its backbone. I'm afraid the life of the orphaned and widowed wife of the Hang family will be difficult. I'll help as much as I can. It's not like I have to help every criminal. It's just that a lot of people have died recently, and I feel a little sad."
Ye Zelin didn't deny that they had been in Yuezhou for less than two months. Many people had indeed died in this case, and since everyone was a different person, they would have some thoughts and feelings, including his own. Therefore, he could understand Yu Xuanji's approach.
The next day, Yu Xuanji and others went to Luocheng. Luocheng is adjacent to Yuezhou, and it takes one or two days to drive from Yuezhou City to Luocheng.
On the day they left Yuezhou City, Zeng Zicheng, who was sent by the court to take up the post of Yuezhou Prefecture Governor, also arrived in Yuezhou City.
Luocheng.
Pavilions and towers are lined up one after another, with carved beams and painted buildings, and are magnificent and golden. This is the residence of Cai Jiedushi in Luocheng. Its luxury and grandeur are even greater than those of a prince's residence.
In a house in a courtyard, Jiedushi Cai, wearing an autumn silk shirt, was holding a rosewood brush and writing Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Lanting Collection" on white rice paper. He wrote with ease and freedom, and the strength of his writing came from his heart.
A servant in green entered, bowed, and said, "Sir, Master Bai has left. Young Master Bai is waiting outside the house."
When the governor, Cai Yuanchang, heard what the servant said, he asked the servant to invite the person in.
The servant did as he was told and brought in a young man dressed in black, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old.
This young master Bai is Bai Xingjian. He and his adoptive father were both ordered to assist Cai Yuanchang. Because the prince had something to do, he called his adoptive father back and he left today.
The reason why he stayed was, firstly, that he had not yet finished assisting Cai Yuanchang, and secondly, that his mother's belongings were lost at some point and he had to look for them.
Bai Xingjian clasped his fists and saluted, "Master Cai."
Cai Yuanchang waved his hand, and the servant understood and withdrew. He placed the red sandalwood brush in the white jade Ganoderma lucidum brushwasher and listened to Bai Xingjian say, "Master Cai, I've heard that Yu Xuanji has already headed to Luocheng. She should be here in two days. I've had someone keep an eye on her movements."
Cai Yuanchang smiled and said, "As expected, since Hang Yu is dead, Yu Xuanji will naturally come to see me."
Bai Xingjian asked, "Master Cai, do you want to set an ambush?"
Cai Yuanchang thought about it, hoping to avoid any more trouble. "You take care of this matter. I have many elite warriors in my office. There is a mountain called Qingyun Mountain in Luocheng. It is a bandit mountain. There are many vicious and violent bandits entrenched there. You kill them and send their bodies to Qingyun Mountain. The rest is left to me."
Bai Xingjian nodded and walked out.
Not long after Bai Xingjian left, Cai Yuanchang's confidant He Youdao walked in.
He Youdao is about the same age as Cai Yuanchang. They met in Beiling when they were both in the Beiling army. Later, the commander-in-chief rebelled and Cai Yuanchang was promoted for his merits. He Youdao then followed Cai Yuanchang as his staff member, and it has been more than ten years now.
He already knew Cai Yuanchang's plan and had no complaints about it. He was only dissatisfied with Bai Xingjian himself. He said, "Sir, aren't you afraid that Young Master Bai will fail again? Last time, it was because of his carelessness that Yu Xuanji escaped."
Cai Yuanchang ordered, "Master Bai is of great use to the master. The fate of the descendants of the Plum Blossom family and the whereabouts of the treasure all depend on him. Young Master Bai is also Master Bai's adopted son. If anything happens to him, Master Bai will be held accountable. Instruct those assassins to kill Yu Xuanji and the others with all their might, and also to protect Young Master Bai's safety."
He Youdao received the order and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sir, does the young general of the Ye Mansion also need to do the same?"
He made a gesture of wiping his neck.
Cai Yuanchang said calmly, "The Ye family holds military power. Ye Zelin is a young man with considerable achievements, and he is deeply favored by the emperor. Although the title of General Xuanwu is a nominal one, the emperor will use him sooner or later. The Ye family may become the master's greatest enemy in the future. Even if we don't take action now, the master will take action sooner or later. He threw himself on the door without caring about his own life, so what does it have to do with me? Once Master Xiaobai sends the bodies of Yu Xuanji and others to Qingyun Mountain, you will immediately lead your men to attack Qingyun Mountain. It is not safe for them to watch over that batch of silver, so it must be transported away from Luocheng as soon as possible."
He Youdao understood that Cai Yuanchang was killing two birds with one stone. After Bai Xingjian sent the bodies of Yu Xuanji and others to Qingyun Mountain, he would immediately use the excuse that the bandits had massacred court officials to attack Qingyun Mountain and wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop. Only in this way could he solve the problem once and for all.
When it comes to the bandits in Qingyun Mountain, He Youdao knows them all.
Five or six years ago, a group of bandits arrived and established themselves in Qingyun Mountain. The leader of the bandits was a woman named Sai Yuhuan, who was born with supernatural powers, highly skilled in martial arts, and was fierce and vicious. All the bandits under her command were masters who could fight and resist.
Over the years, the Jiedushi had collaborated extensively with Sai Yuhuan, even the 100,000 taels of silver shipped from Yuezhou Prefecture was guarded by Sai Yuhuan. However, Yu Xuanji's investigation was too strict. Once Yu Xuanji arrived in Luocheng, she would definitely find the whereabouts of the 100,000 taels of silver. Therefore, the safest solution was to kill Yu Xuanji and the Qingyun Mountain bandits.
If they wanted to kill Yu Xuanji, it naturally couldn't be their people who did it. It would be best if Yu Xuanji died in an "accident". Only in this way would the adults not be suspected.
He Youdao retreated, and Cai Yuanchang picked up the rosewood brush, dipped the ink, and continued to paint on the rice paper. He looked calm and composed, with a strange curve on his lips.
Qingyun Mountain is located to the east of Luocheng. It refers to a group of mountains. There are dense jungles here and no villages. Because of the bandits entrenched there, no one is interested in it.
In a canyon of Qingyun Mountain, a stone wall rises from the ground and connects to the mountainside. Above the arched stone gate are carved three large characters: "Bandit Village".
This is indeed a bandit camp.
Behind the stone wall was a flat area with many houses and interconnected paths. Groups of women were busy working, and five or six boys and girls were chasing and playing around. It could be considered a place with people living there.
There are more than ten miles of Qingyun Mountain, and this is the only place with people living here. However, they are not ordinary people, but bandits.
These busy women and playful children are probably relatives of the bandits.
The clean, azure sky, a few white clouds as radiant as jade, a little boy in a crab-shell green shirt with two small horns tied around his neck, watched the white dove fly over the stone wall and land on the wooden stake amid his childish laughter:
"It's the pigeons. The pigeons are back. The pigeons are back from foraging. I want to tell mother! Mother, mother, the pigeons are back, mother, mother..."
He ran into the Dayi Hall with his short legs, but just as he reached the door, he was grabbed by the collar by someone coming out.
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