Sincerity is like a god
Even if that officer had twenty times the courage, with the richest man in Dayan, "King of Ten Thousand Fragrances," Gongye Fusu, who could come and go from the palace without hindrance for years, right there in front of him, how could he dare to extort him?
At this moment, he also realized that it was probably because he was a new official and had come to urge the order for the sea capture. The Yunmeng garrison commander was afraid that he would keep urging him and did not want to pay him any money. So he pointed to the Gongye family's wealthy and powerful caravan and gave him a chance to make money. Little did he know that Gongye Fusu himself was sitting in the caravan.
Having figured this out, he inwardly cursed the Yunmeng garrison commander for his cleverness, which had only added to his troubles. Such extortionate behavior, falling into the eyes of the dignified King of Wanxiang of the Gongye family, was nothing short of courting death. It should be known that although Gongye Fusu was not an official, he was far more powerful than many high-ranking officials. With just a casual remark to His Majesty, ten heads wouldn't be enough to be chopped off for this lowly military officer.
The officer was immediately filled with shame and knelt down before Gongye Fusu's carriage, saying, "I am new to this area and have only dared to stop your carriage because I was falsely accused and framed. Otherwise, even if you gave me the courage, I would not have dared to come. I beg you, my lord, to be magnanimous and forgive me."
At the time, outside Yunmeng City, only one soldier actually saw A Qiu and Bai Shi in the carriage; the others, including the garrison commander, must have only heard rumors. Gongye Fusu now insists it's a deliberate frame-up, and when the officer questions him again, he can't find any flaws. After all, only one person saw A Qiu; who can testify for him? He explains that he didn't have such intentions, but who can prove he wasn't mistaken?
Having achieved his goal, Gongye Fusu no longer pressed the matter. He calmly said, "In short, have you checked whether there are any wanted criminals in my caravan? Once you have, I will set off."
Seeing that he was no longer pursuing the matter and wanted to set off directly, the officer realized that this was a blessing in disguise. He dared not stop him and hurriedly shouted, "Open the city gates quickly and let the convoy pass! Anyone who tries to stop us along the way will be killed without mercy!" The local gate guards knew that they had encountered a distinguished person and dared not confront him directly. They quickly opened the gates and let the convoy pass.
The officer watched as Gongye Fusu's carriage passed by, thought for a moment, then spurred his horse to catch up. He took out a token from his pocket, handed it to the steward of the Gongye family, and said with a fawning smile, "I was blind and offended the master. This token was issued by the commander-in-chief and will allow you to travel freely along the way. I hope the master will not hold this against me and will accept it."
The steward glanced at him, then tucked the token into his sleeve, saying with a half-smile, "My master is magnanimous and won't hold a grudge over such a small matter. General, rest assured."
Listening from inside the carriage, A Qiu knew that there would be no further obstacles on their journey to Jianzhang. She sincerely said, "We have truly been fortunate to have had the help of Young Master Fusu along the way."
Gongye Fusu smiled and said, "The disciples of Guigu have been working tirelessly for the world, and it is our duty as the Gongye family to help them."
Ah Qiu said solemnly, "In that case, Ah Qiu has a request."
Gongye Fusu said, "Please speak, young lady."
A Qiu said, "Although I appreciate your kindness, young master, please allow me to disembark before entering Jianzhang City and enter the city in my true form. How can a disciple of Guigu return to the capital secretly, like a thief? Wouldn't that tarnish my master's reputation? Moreover, I want to use this opportunity to force the capital to give me a public stance. Even if they no longer need the Guigu lineage, they still need to give me a public explanation."
She said in a deep voice, "Everyone knows that the Great Yan Empire is where it is today because of Master's great contributions. Even if Master doesn't care about his posthumous reputation, he shouldn't be secretly wanted like a wanted criminal and forced to leave the center of power by others."
Gongye Fusu breathed a sigh of relief and agreed, "Good."
Young Master Gu Yi could retire or take a glorious retirement, but he could never be discarded as a pawn, because that was not the case at all.
After a day and a night of riding, A Qiu looked out of the carriage window and could see the majestic city gate of Jianzhang City, which was dozens of feet high. The Lishui River, as the moat, meandered around the city, creating a scene where the magnificent and precipitous scenery was complemented by the gentle and tranquil atmosphere.
At this moment, A Qiu had also regained her original beautiful appearance. She held "Louyue" in her arms, her expression calm and solemn.
She was well aware of what she would face upon joining Jianzhang.
The difficulties and dangers they faced were even greater than when they protected Li Chongyu, breaking through three passes from the palace and fighting their way out.
The difference lies in the fact that Li Chongyu, as the commander-in-chief of the Shuofang Army, still enjoys considerable influence throughout the land, so she is not entirely without allies. At least Shangguan Yuqi, Gongyi Xiu, and others have done their utmost to assist her, both in public and private matters. In addition, she has the thirteen shadow warriors of Lanling Hall at her disposal.
Now, she has been expelled from Lanling Hall. Even if Gongyi Xiu and Mo Yimingyue still cherish their personal friendship, they will not openly help her, and she has no right to command the Thirteen Shadows anymore. The same applies to her acquaintances in the court. Even though Shangguan Yuqi and Fan Liancheng have some connection with her, now that the powerful families of the Southern Dynasty have completely withdrawn their support and are no longer accepting Gu Yi, it is difficult for them to do anything for her.
Ah Qiu finally tasted the bitterness that Gu Yi had experienced back then: being all alone.
She turned to Bai Shi with an apologetic smile: "I originally thought that as my master's successor, I would be able to help Miss Bai investigate the affairs of your two elders, but it seems that I am unable to help. I am truly sorry."
The two great sorcerers of the Zhuyou Sect, Qi Luo and Qi Shang, had already been taken away by envoys from the capital, as Xiao Yu had stated. Given Gu Yi's status, a single order would be enough to expose anyone in the capital. However, things didn't go as planned. A Qiu herself had become a half-wanted criminal, making it impossible for her to help Bai Shi investigate. Given the vastness of the capital and the numerous government departments, finding Bai Shi, an orphan, was like searching for a needle in a haystack—utterly futile.
Bai Shi remained calm and smiled, "It's alright. I still have some painting skills to rely on. With these skills, I'm sure I can establish myself in the capital. Then I'll assess the situation and seize opportunities as they arise. Your own affairs are of paramount importance and require your full attention. If there's anything Bai Shi can do to help, just let me know."
A Qiu felt a touch of emotion. People like Bai Shi, who were free-spirited and unskilled in martial arts, had no family or sect burdens behind them, making it easy for them to stand by her side and promise to help her at any time. On the other hand, people like Shangguan Yuqi and Gongyi Xiu were either constrained by sect power or family background, and could no longer freely associate with her at this moment.
Gongye Fusu lifted the curtain and entered, saying casually, "As an outsider of the Wu clan, the Gongye family will naturally do its best to help the Zhuyou Sect investigate. This small matter is within our capabilities, so you two can rest assured."
With Gongye Fusu's promise, A Qiu felt much more at ease. After all, Bai Shi was someone she had promised to help and had accompanied her all the way, and she didn't know martial arts. To part ways with her like this still made her somewhat uneasy.
She suddenly remembered something and casually asked, "Miss Bai, why did the people in the capital take away our two elders? Do you have any idea why?"
If you know who you offended or what the offense was, it will be easier to investigate by following the clues.
Bai Shi hesitated for a moment before saying, "I didn't want to say it, not because I don't trust you two, but because the scourge of witchcraft has always involved the court and the harem. If it is discovered that you two are also involved, it will probably only do you harm and not benefit you."
Upon hearing the words "the calamity of witchcraft," A Qiu was also taken aback. As Bai Shi had said, this matter had always been a palace secret, and knowing it would bring her no benefit. However, A Qiu already carried the burden of Gu Yi's origins, so she wasn't afraid of adding another secret. The Gongye family had always been responsible for concocting secret medicines like the "Tethering Powder" for the royal family, so they weren't afraid either. Both of them said, "Miss Bai, please speak freely; we know what we're doing."
Bai Shi sighed and said, "I only heard about this matter vaguely from my master. My master and senior master were siblings, both from the Wu region. For many years, they lived in seclusion in a shrine, praying for rain and warding off plagues for the people, and performing purification rituals. They were quite famous in the area. Later, when the world was in chaos at the end of the Huan dynasty, my master and senior master were summoned to the palace to divine and communicate with the spirits for the last emperor, praying for the fate of the country."
At this point, A-Qiu asked curiously, "Excuse my frankness, but when I first heard about these witchcraft practices, I always thought they were just tricks by sorcerers. Miss Bai has just answered my question: Are these rain-praying, plague-expelling, and purification rituals really effective? And do ghosts and gods really exist in this world?"
Upon mentioning matters concerning their sect, Bai Shi immediately became solemn and said, "Confucius said: 'Respect the spirits and gods, but keep them at a distance.' Spirits and gods certainly exist, but they are not people that ordinary people can get close to. Those who can get close to and serve them are called shamans. And all kinds of shamanic arts have their uses, but their use without deceiving people is mainly to cleanse people's hearts with rituals, so that people can be upright and sincere, and naturally, diseases and evil will be avoided."
A Qiu had seen Bai Shi's spirit-gathering array and knew that what he said was true. She keenly caught the flaw in Bai Shi's words and asked, "Then how is it used to deceive people?"
Bai Shi smiled bitterly: "The lineages of witchcraft vary greatly and are difficult to regulate one by one, so the quality of those who follow them is uneven. The main problem is that witchcraft involves the technique of summoning spirits to possess people, and the spirits that possess people come from different backgrounds and are not all righteous. Some people with greedy hearts will be misled by them, only seeking profit, and eventually become mentally confused or even go mad. This is often the case for witchcraft practitioners at the bottom of the social hierarchy. As for those at the top, if they participate in political struggles, they are also prone to making false claims about ghosts and gods and abusing their magic."
Gongye Fusu pondered deeply and said, "At its root, whether it is Buddhism or Taoism, the most important thing is the purity of the believers' faith. However, witchcraft often focuses on magic, but does not strictly require precepts and beliefs. In addition, after practicing the art of summoning spirits, each spirit possesses a different body and has its own methods. There are no unified precepts and beliefs, so no one submits to anyone else. Many people take advantage of the situation for profit, and chaos ensues."
A-Qiu asked, "Are Miss Bai's two elders, and Miss Bai herself, also like this?"
Bai Shi gently shook her head and said, "My master never taught me how to summon spirits to possess my body, so in terms of combat magic, I only have my own power, which is extremely weak. As far as I know, neither my master nor my senior uncle practice this art, so in terms of combat magic, our sect is one of the weakest among the sorcerers. What my master taught me to cultivate was mainly the mind."
A-Qiu asked blankly, "Heart?"
Bai Shi nodded and said, "Only sincerity can move the gods; this is the way to use the heart. Therefore, although my master and senior uncle were not good at talismans, healing, divination, and other arts that require spirit possession, they were very effective in praying for rain and performing purification rituals in the Jiangnan area back then, and were therefore extremely famous in the government."
Gongye Fusu exclaimed, “Sincerity is divine; this is the true saint of our Wu Clan. One who can move heaven and earth will not be distracted by trivial matters.”
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