This is a human error.
The group fell silent. His Majesty was their Majesty, but he was also Yun'an's father.
“If that happens, none of us will have a way back,” Tang Qi said, breaking the silence.
"Once you've taken the first step, don't regret it." Ye Qian looked at him and said, "We're no longer teenagers; we don't have that much time to wallow in self-pity."
"You really are like an old fogey," Tang Qi said, pouting at him. "Who says we're not young anymore? Even if I live another twenty years, I'll still be young!"
Ye Qian looked at him and smiled helplessly, while Shen Zhiqing also covered his mouth and laughed.
"However, how did you manage to lure Shaoqing here?" Ye Qian asked him again after he had finished laughing.
"Hey, watch your wording. What do you mean by 'abduct'? And why is it me abducting him, not him abducting me?"
Ye Qian pursed his lips, his face full of disbelief.
"Wasn't he supposed to be going to Sishou to take up his post? Why did he come to Jinshou with you?" Shen Zhiqing asked.
"How did you know?" Tang Qi was taken aback.
"I also know that he sent someone to impersonate him to take up his post in Sishou."
Tang Qi looked shocked: "He's been discovered?"
Shen Zhiqing smiled and said, "Don't worry, it just so happens that the person he sent out also came to guard the four palaces because of His Majesty's decree, so everything is just right."
Before Tang Qi could react, the door was suddenly flung open again. Tang Qi glanced at the doorway, her expression changing as she said indignantly, "Hu Xingche, when are you going to learn how to knock?"
Hu Xingche scratched his head at the door, but before he could speak, Lu Juezhen suddenly jumped out from behind him with a look of utter despair, exclaiming, "Brother Zhengye! Something terrible has happened!"
Tang Qi frowned as he listened to Lu Juezhen's urgent message: "Someone has issued a challenge to us!"
"A challenge?!"
Three voices rang out in unison. Hu Xingche stepped closer and showed Tang Qi what he was holding: "Boss, look, this is it. When Lu Juezhen and I came back, someone suddenly shot an arrow at us. This is the note tied to the arrowhead."
Tang Qi took the paper from Hu Xingche and glanced at it:
Tomorrow at noon, at the top of Centipede Mountain. No waiting for those who are late.
He stroked the writing on it and said, "It's a letter written in blood."
“Blood, blood, blood... a blood letter?!” Lu Juezhen was horrified.
Hu Xingche glanced at him with a hint of disdain and said, "You can't even see such obvious red writing?" To his surprise, Hu Xingche's words did not make Lu Juezhen feel ashamed, but instead made him retort indignantly, "How could I have imagined that someone would write a letter in blood for no reason? I thought it was cinnabar. But whose blood is this, and why would they write such a strange sentence for us?"
"General Wu's."
"What?!" Lu Juezhen's jaw, which he had just closed, was forced open again. His face was full of shock: "Why did he write a letter in blood for us?!"
Hu Xingche couldn't stand him anymore and punched him on the head, cursing, "If you're stupid, talk less, or you'll really be mistaken for an idiot."
Lu Juezhen covered her head and said aggrievedly, "What did I do this time?"
"Someone wrote this letter to us with General Wu's blood, and the purpose, of course, was to invite us to a banquet."
"Then, then, then! Does that mean General Wu is in great danger right now?!"
Tang Qi glanced at him calmly and said, "On the contrary, this means he is safe now, at least until tomorrow those people will not harm him."
Lu Juezhen seemed to understand but not quite. Ye Qian, who was standing next to him, took the paper from Tang Qi's hand, glanced at it, and said, "Centipede Mountain? I know this place. It's an old mountain near Si Shou."
“That place is not a good place to go. People often die in accidents while going into the mountains,” Shen Zhiqing added from the side.
"Moreover, since they are the ones who hosted the banquet, they will definitely seize the opportunity on the mountain first. Going there will only increase the danger, which will not be easy for us."
Tang Qi nodded in agreement, smiled, and said, "Looks like it's another trap."
"How much support do we have?" Tang Qi asked.
Ye Qian shook his head: "Not many, just some of General Wu's remaining soldiers."
"Where is Ye An? Is Ye An here?" Tang Qi asked anxiously.
“He’s not here. Even if we send a message to him now, it will take at least two days for it to arrive.” Ye Qian frowned, seemingly also finding the situation troublesome.
"What if we need to mobilize troops?"
"We can't mobilize troops."
Just then, Cheng Junshi's voice rang out from the doorway. Tang Qi's eyes lit up instantly, and he called out to him with a smile, "Cheng Wang!"
Cheng Junshi nodded. Although his lips were still pale, he was much better than before. As soon as Lu Juezhen saw Cheng Junshi, he immediately went up to him and called him "Master" repeatedly.
"How are you feeling?" Tang Qi asked after he sat down closer.
"Hmph," the old man leaning against the door stroked his beard, squinted, and sneered, "What could possibly happen to him? With me here, it's hard for him to die. Instead of worrying about him, you should worry about this old bone of mine first. You're all lying here comfortably, while I've been saving this person and that person, and I haven't even had a chance to rest yet!"
"And that Centipede Mountain, I'm warning you, not a single one of you, go there. I didn't go there with all the effort I put into saving you. If you're so reckless, Xiao Qing'er, don't ever come near me again. I find it an eyesore." The old doctor swept his gaze across the room, his heart filled with resentment, his lips pursed so much they could hang a gourd.
I swear to God.
There were so many people, big and small, men and women, yet not a single one cared about this old man. They didn't even value his hard work. He had just settled down when he was about to die again. A few old bones like his couldn't withstand their torment.
Just as Shen Zhiqing was about to stand up, he saw Lu Juezhen in front of him suddenly cover his mouth and point at Yao Lao with trembling fingers, saying, "God... God... Immortal!"
"You're a deity! I've seen you in picture books! All the deities in picture books look like you!" Lu Juezhen rushed to the old medicine master, first stroking his beard, then flicking the magic gourd tied to his waist, and said with a cheerful expression, "You must be the medicine master in the picture books who can cure all diseases!"
Lu Juezhen practically pressed himself against the old man, pressing down with both hands to massage him, coaxing him as he said, "How's it going, Grandpa Immortal? Do you think my strength is alright?"
"Hmph, you're such a good kid... Oh right, right here, a little harder, yes, yes, just like that."
Just moments ago, Yao Lao had been looking angry, but Lu Juezhen's words made him blush and look quite happy. He even chuckled repeatedly. Lu Juezhen took his arm and tried to lead him to the side, and before leaving, she winked at Tang Qi and the others.
He's a pro at coaxing people!
After a flurry of activity, the group was still reeling from the shock long after the door was closed.
Tang Qi, still staring at Cheng Junshi with his mouth agape, said, "Your beloved disciple is quite something."
Cheng Junshi was also stunned: "He...he has always been so likable."
"Alright, let's get back to business. Why can't we mobilize troops?" Tang Qi finally became serious again. Cheng Junshi didn't speak, but just looked at the person who had just come in with him.
"Speak."
All eyes fell on him at the same time, and Zhui Feng slowly spoke: "The county government will not send troops."
"If we don't request troops from the county government, but instead report to His Majesty and request troops from outside the county?" Tang Qi continued to ask.
Zhui Feng shook his head again: "It's impossible to transfer troops from outside. Any troops that can arrive before tomorrow are all under the surveillance of Jinan. I encountered a bandit attack on my way to Jinning. Before I even arrived in Jinning, the people I was with had already been taken into custody."
Tang Qi's gaze shifted to Cheng Junshi, who slowly spoke: "His name is Zhuifeng. He was my subordinate when I served in the Criminal Law Department. This time, I asked him to impersonate me and go to Jinning to take up my post."
"So you came to Sishou because of... His Majesty?"
Zhui Feng handed over a piece of paper and then said, "In fact, His Majesty sent a secret letter shortly after we set off."
Cheng Junshi took the paper with a surprised expression; he was unaware of these matters.
"The letter states that if you encounter any intractable problems after taking up your post in Jinning, you may turn your horse around and go to Sishou."
"So His Majesty already knew about the situation in Jinan?" Tang Qi asked.
"His Majesty is not blind; he is naturally aware of the situation in Jinan." Cheng Junshi passed the paper out and then turned to Zhuifeng, asking, "When did you transfer to Sishou? Was your journey safe?"
Zhui Feng slowly explained, "They have taken control of our people. His Majesty gave you a gold medal along with the secret letter."
Tang Qi suddenly realized and looked at Cheng Junshi, saying, "No wonder he was able to transfer to the Fourth Guard safely. Although that group of people had the guts to attack officials appointed by the court, they absolutely did not have the guts to directly defy the imperial edict. After all, if an official dies, a reason can be made up to cover it up, but defying the imperial edict is a sure thing to be considered treason."
"What do those people want to do by kidnapping General Wu?" Hu Xingche asked疑惑地.
After he and Lu Juezhen rescued Tang Qi and Cheng Junshi, they rushed to the cave with the intention of collecting the bodies. However, they did not expect that not only did they not find Wu Shunyi, but the cave was also deserted. Apart from some corpses, there was no trace of the living.
“Most of the time, someone wants you dead because you’ve touched their interests.” Tang Qi looked at him and smiled. “It’s quite obvious that we are the ones who have touched their interests.”
Cheng Junshi then added, "Their capture of General Wu and their use of him as bait to force us into Centipede Mountain is nothing more than an attempt to use General Wu to negotiate with us."
"But what do they want us to do? Not open the granaries to distribute grain, or not interfere in the affairs of the Jinan bureaucrats?"
“If I were them, these two wouldn’t be a choice.” Tang Qi’s eyes dimmed.
"What do you mean?" Ye Qian asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"They control Jinnan because of their control over the people. Now that the region is suffering from a severe drought, whoever has grain in their hands has a natural power to control the people. Your arrival here to open the granary will inevitably threaten their control over the people, which is detrimental to their control over the entire Jinnan. So naturally, they will use this as a threat." Tang Qi paused and then continued, "As for us, the road we are taking to Jinshou is the official road. That inn is located on the official road, so it's obvious who their target is."
"Now I finally understand why most of the officials who were sent to Qingdao died on the way. Jinan is a monster that eats people."
“The people of Jinan are evil. They eat human flesh and spit out human bones. They have no conscience.” Hu Xingche suddenly spoke up.
Tang Qi and the others were shocked by Hu Xingche's words. All their eyes turned to him. Hu Xingche had a cold face, his eyes were full of resentment, and he even clenched his fists: "My home was destroyed by the people of Jinnan."
Hearing Hu Xingche's voice, Tang Qi suddenly remembered the conversation he overheard between Wu Shunyi and Deng Ning at the Deng residence that day.
"If people from Jinan want to become officials, they have to be the sword of sin, the bloodstained blade. Don't you all think so?"
"No," Tang Qi suddenly said, "This is the fault of the person in question, not the fault of Jin Nan."
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