Chapter 178
Although I'm going back to Nanhua, I still need to find out more about the situation at Zhao Ziyuan's place.
So after discussing it with Mr. Wu, they decided on a route.
This time, however, Fu Mingyi and Xiao Qing could no longer travel together.
Fu Mingyi set off first to return to Nanhua, while Xiao Qing and Mr. Wu went to Feng County to find Zhao Ziyuan.
Although Xiao Qing knew that this arrangement made sense, she was still uneasy.
She came out with Fu Mingyi, but now she has to face and deal with this matter alone.
She wasn't confident that she could handle these things well.
Fu Mingyi saw through Xiao Qing's thoughts, so he gave Mr. Wu a wink, and Mr. Wu consciously walked out, leaving the two of them alone.
"Your Majesty," Fu Mingyi said, looking at her gently.
Xiao Qing raised her head, her expression somewhat unnatural.
"It was my fault to send Your Majesty to Phoenix Perch Gorge alone."
Xiao Qing shook his head, "This is indeed the best way. News of Phoenix Perch Gorge has already reached Nanhua. If you don't go back, there's no guarantee that something won't go wrong. Zhao Youchen will probably be in a difficult position to deal with."
She didn't know whether she was comforting Fu Mingyi or convincing herself.
It's unbelievable that things have developed to this point and this is how it's arranged.
She herself wasn't at ease with it, yet Fu Mingyi was?
"His Majesty seems very uneasy."
Xiao Qing forced a smile.
"That's normal. I've never dealt with something like this before, and I'm afraid... I'll mess it up."
Fu Mingyi smiled and said, "It's not that serious. We just need to check what the so-called elite troops he's hiding in Fengqi Gorge are all about. That way, when His Majesty returns to court and faces the ministers' questions, he won't be flustered."
Xiao Qing nodded, "Of course I know that principle. But..." It's not an easy thing to do, is it?
Seeing her conflicted expression, Fu Mingyi said, "If it's a security issue, Mr. Wu will accompany you the whole way, and there will also be secret guards. If Your Majesty is still worried that you can't handle it..."
He smiled and said, “Back then, when I went to Ping’an City, Your Majesty faced the court officials alone and had to deal with matters such as the placement of military officers. At that time, Your Majesty had not yet received instruction from the Imperial Academy and did not have the same understanding of the Great Xiao and the court as you do now. But Your Majesty did a very good job.”
Xiao Qing recalled those unbearable days.
Fu Mingyi didn't return for a long time, and she tried her best to hold on, and in the end, she actually managed to pull through.
Xiao Qing smiled too. "That's different. Back then, I only felt that there were many dangers and my life was in danger, but I have lived a good life these past few years."
Fu Mingyi patted her shoulder, "Your Majesty, I believe in you. Whatever the final outcome, I will wait for Your Majesty's safe return in Nanhua."
Xiao Qing looked up into his eyes, and felt a little more confident because of his trust.
Let's talk about the situation at Fengqi Gorge.
Zhao Ziyuan wasn't stupid; having obtained the Dragon Talisman, he knew this matter wasn't over. As long as he remained at Phoenix Perch Gorge, someone would definitely come looking for him.
Seeing that Zhao Ziyuan was not leaving, Feng Zhengmin also did not leave.
Originally, this matter could have been handled by simply sending someone to guard it, but he was angry and his temper flared up, so he actually sat down on the mountaintop opposite Zhao Ziyuan and insisted on guarding it himself.
He hadn't expected that they would stay on the mountaintop day after day, and Zhao Youchen showed no sign of leaving.
If we don't leave, we still need to eat and sleep.
Zhao Ziyuan was a veteran of the battlefield. The situation on the battlefield was ever-changing, and Zhao Ziyuan had always eaten and slept alongside the soldiers, so he had experienced hardship. Therefore, even without food, drink, or sleep, he could endure longer than Feng Zhengmin, a civil official who had never been to the battlefield.
However, Feng Zhengmin got stuck on this one point and was holding back his anger, so he actually persevered.
As things progressed, the officials of both the state government and the state army naturally became unwilling.
It was Feng Zhengmin's subordinates who came to persuade him, their meaning was very clear: either stop wasting time, or deal with Zhao Ziyuan on the spot.
Feng Zhengmin glared at him irritably, thinking: What should we do? This person is holding half a dragon talisman.
He believed that Zhao Ziyuan wouldn't dare to use a fake dragon talisman to deceive people.
As for telling him to stop wasting time, that's even less likely to work.
Zhao Ziyuan didn't leave; it seemed he intended to stay and guard the place indefinitely. So why should he leave?
He wanted to see what Zhao Ziyuan was up to.
Seeing Feng Zhengmin staring intently at him, Zhao Ziyuan smiled helplessly.
"Hey Lao Feng, I know you're always petty. So, I'll let it go for the fact that you reported me. Go do whatever you need to do. Why are you wasting your time here with me?"
Feng Zhengmin glared at him, his anger rising. "I'll complain about you? Hmph, you know the situation in Yingzhou perfectly well. If I don't complain, where will I fill the tax evasion vacancies in Yingzhou? You make it sound so easy, you only care about your soldiers, training them every day, ignoring all other affairs. I'm asking you, is this the time for war? You've spent all your money on these things, and you still... you still..."
Zhao Ziyuan quickly raised the dragon talisman, "Old Feng, you must be careful what you say, very careful!"
Feng Zhengmin was so angry that he didn't even want to look at him.
At this moment, his subordinates sent someone to bring food and water, which they respectfully presented to him personally.
Zhao Ziyuan, envious, quickly exclaimed, "Hey Lao Feng, you have food and drink, you can't forget about your brother! If you starve me to death, how will you explain this dragon talisman, how will you explain to the Emperor..."
He spoke with such seriousness that Feng Zhengmin, exasperated, asked irritably, "Should I bring you another bed? Are you going to take a nap while you're sitting here like this?"
Zhao Ziyuan nodded: "Old Feng is indeed the most thorough and thoughtful person."
Feng Zhengmin rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay him any attention.
As things continued to develop, the two of them eventually set up makeshift tents with the help of their subordinates. Each of them had subordinates pass on documents that needed to be processed, and there were also people guarding the outside of the tents.
Once, Zhao Ziyuan glanced at Feng Zhengmin, who was reviewing documents in the opposite tent, from the tent doorway and couldn't help but sigh.
That old man is really stubborn.
If he keeps guarding like this, how will the person he's waiting for ever come looking for him?
He thought for a moment and then beckoned to his subordinates.
"How's the investigation going with those men in black from last time?"
"We've searched through almost all of Feng County and the surrounding counties, but we haven't found a single one."
Zhao Ziyuan frowned. "Have you found that Li Qinghe?"
The subordinate shook his head, "I am ashamed."
Zhao Ziyuan shook her head at him, recalling the events of that time. "It's normal that we can't find him. It's my fault for trusting Li Qinghe's identity so easily. However, it's also possible that his identity is real, but he's now a江湖人 (jianghu person, a member of the martial arts world), no longer the same person he was during the Battle of Jinshui..."
He turned his gaze, "People in the martial arts world..." He wondered if he had missed some important information.
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