The Emperor bestowed upon Yan Chasan the title of Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and specially ordered him to inspect Xiangyang. Among those who accompanied him were Mr. Gongsun, Bai Yutang, and Jiang Ping. Yan Liang volunteered to go after discussing with Yan Chasan and Lord Bao following the Emperor's decree.
Logically, after Pang Yu was exonerated, Yan Liang had no further connection with the government, so it didn't matter whether he stayed or left. However, Yan Liang was very concerned about the matter of the Prince of Xiangyang, and his reasons were quite reasonable and hard to refute.
"Now that I am involved, as a citizen of the Great Song Dynasty, I have no choice but to take responsibility. The Prince of Xiangyang is cruel and inhumane, and the thought of the people in the Jingxiang region suffering so much at his hands makes my heart ache."
Yan Liang spoke with righteous indignation, his brows furrowed slightly as he spoke, his expression filled with worry.
No one could refute his good intentions, and besides, one more or one less wouldn't make a difference. Since Yan Liang insisted on this, Lord Bao and Yan Chasan had no choice but to agree.
After making their preparations, the group set off. Yan Chasan returned to the capital for only a few days before leaving again. Yan Liang admired him greatly, secretly guessing that the emperor valued Yan Chasan so highly because of his youth, good health, and passionate spirit.
Bai Yutang was utterly perplexed by Yan Liang's decision to go to Xiangyang, and after hearing his seemingly legitimate reasons, he found it impossible to refute. Although Yan Liang was usually unreliable, Bai Yutang could tell that he was indeed that kind of person. But he still felt that something was amiss, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
Bai Yutang asked him bluntly, "Is there anything you're hiding from me?"
Yan Liang was astonished: "Why do you say that? I've been completely honest with you, Master Bai, so of course I haven't. What you're saying is utterly heartless."
Bai Yutang suspected that this person was insulting him, and he had evidence.
"You're good at fortune telling, aren't you? Have you predicted what will happen on this trip to Xiangyang?" Bai Yutang didn't want to pay attention to his words and changed the subject.
Yan Liang did some calculations and said, "I have calculated that this trip to Xiangyang will be very fruitful, the King of Xiangyang will be executed, and everyone will be happy."
Bai Yutang saw that he really did it casually by counting on his fingers, and once again felt that this person was talking nonsense.
Bai Yutang: "Who taught you your fortune-telling skills? I think you're different from ordinary fortune tellers."
Yan Liang: "Don't ask. It's a secret that can't be revealed. He's exceptionally gifted."
Bai Yutang scoffed at his inexplicable self-confidence and pretentious airs, and didn't ask any more questions.
The journey from Bianliang to Xiangyang was long, and the group traveled for several days before finally arriving in Xiangyang. Upon assuming office, Yan Chasan was met with a deluge of accusations against the Prince of Xiangyang: seizing land, bullying the weak and oppressing the good, abducting women, and so on. The entire Jingzhou and Xiangyang region was under his control, and even the families of former Jingzhou and Xiangyang officials, having lost their heads of household, complained to Yan Chasan.
After Yan Chasan and Mr. Gongsun settled everyone in, their conversation was overheard by a spy of the Prince of Xiangyang, who returned to report to the prince. The Prince of Xiangyang was furious, secretly vowing that when he became emperor, he would make Bao Heizi and his followers pay. At the same time, he ordered his men to strengthen defenses and sent more people to guard Chongxiao Tower.
The Prince of Xiangyang was not worried about Zhao Lu, who was trapped in the capital. Zhao Lu was nearing thirty, and the conflict between him and his father had intensified. The Prince of Xiangyang had sent Zhao Lu to the palace with the idea of establishing himself as emperor after Emperor Zhenzong's death, while Zhao Lu was unwilling to miss out on the throne. Since both of them wanted to be emperor, it was natural for them to have conflicts.
The Prince of Xiangyang believed he was still as capable as ever, and that if he became emperor, he wouldn't have to worry about having no successor, as he wouldn't need someone like Zhao Lu. Now that Zhao Lu had been captured, he wasn't nervous, but rather felt a sense of relief at having eliminated a major threat, and he had already begun to imagine the grandeur of his future reign as emperor.
Shen Miao is right. The Prince of Xiangyang is a fool, and so is his heir. They not only plotted a rebellion, but also caused internal strife.
When Yan Liang learned of the Prince of Xiangyang's rebellion, he was reminded of the Prince of Nan's rebellion in the previous world. At least the Prince of Nan was wholeheartedly committed to making his son emperor, and his resources were quite good; the Prince of Xiangyang, on the other hand, was embroiled in internal strife with his son, and his resources were poor.
Yan Chasan and Mr. Gongsun were busy with official business, so they could only send people to secretly inquire about the situation. Several groups of people acted separately.
Bai Yutang, accustomed to working alone, was adept at gathering information and knew his way around it. Yan Liang, on the other hand, focused on the lives of ordinary people, starting with his profession and attracting some customers with his signboard offering five coins for a divination. He then pieced together a rough picture of the Prince of Xiangyang's situation in the area.
The Song Dynasty implemented a policy of strengthening the central government and weakening local power, governing the military with civil administration. As for the number of soldiers the Prince of Xiangyang commanded, he didn't actually have many. However, he recruited many江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) people to serve him, and the common people were terrified of them. These people acted as accomplices to evil, engaging in acts of bullying and oppressing men and women.
The Prince of Xiangyang hid the incriminating oath in Chongxiao Tower and took strict precautions. All the craftsmen who built Chongxiao Tower were killed after its completion. Although the Prince of Xiangyang acted in secrecy, the disappearance of so many people, all of whom were craftsmen summoned by him, was known to the people, but they were afraid of his power and dared not report it.
Yan Liang heard a few stories about the Prince of Xiangyang's atrocities, and the more he heard, the more he wanted to send the Prince of Xiangyang to his death as soon as possible. Bai Yutang felt the same way. He learned that there was an Eight Trigrams Copper Net Array inside Chongxiao Tower, full of traps and mechanisms. Since he was proficient in mechanisms, he thought about going inside Chongxiao Tower to explore.
Yan Liang couldn't sleep all night, writing and drawing by candlelight for half the night. As dawn broke, he extinguished the candle. A dark figure flashed past the door. Yan Liang pushed the door open and saw Bai Yutang standing in the courtyard, dressed in black, only his bright, star-like eyes visible.
Yan Liang asked, "Did you go out to sneak some food?"
Bai Yutang was about to pull off his face mask when he heard this and glared at him, saying, "Can't you say something nice?"
Yan Liang asked in agreement, "May I ask where the wise and mighty Fifth Master Bai went this morning?"
Bai Yutang hadn't slept all night, but he was in high spirits and stopped interrupting him, recounting his nighttime raid on Chongxiao Tower.
"I arrived a bit late, and there wasn't enough time. I only had time to look around from the outside." Bai Yutang thought of the people outside Chongxiao Tower and chuckled. He was laughing at the Prince of Xiangyang. "He really is obsessed with becoming emperor."
"That's right, they're even planning to go further and frame the Imperial Envoy." Yan Liang silently added in his mind.
A few days later, the Prince of Xiangyang sent men to steal Yan Chasan's seal. Yan Liang was prepared and notified everyone in advance, and the two men who used the feint attack were caught.
Gongsun played the good cop and Yan Liang the bad cop, coaxing the two men into revealing the Prince of Xiangyang's scheme. The two men knew nothing about mechanisms and could only explain how to enter Chongxiao Tower; when it came to the internal mechanisms, they stammered and couldn't utter a single word.
Bai Yutang was arrogant and thought that he had gone at the wrong time before. Now that he was going earlier, he would definitely be able to enter and break the Bagua Copper Net Formation and take out the Alliance List.
Yan Liang glanced at Bai Yutang's confident smile and sighed inwardly.
Bai Yutang acted immediately. Once he produced the alliance list and the charges against the Prince of Xiangyang, the matter would be settled. No matter how the Prince of Xiangyang tried to argue or how eloquent he was, he would be powerless to change the situation, as the evidence was irrefutable.
As evening approached, Bai Yutang prepared to depart for Xiangyang Prefecture. If Yan Chasan and Mr. Gongsun had known, they would have stopped him, so he did not inform either of them.
Yan Liang appeared silently as he landed over the wall, smiling kindly: "Hey, take me there."
Bai Yutang: "..."
Bai Yutang thought to himself that he shouldn't have stopped when he heard the noise; he should have stomped on it hard.
"You don't happen to be an expert in mechanical arts, do you?" Bai Yutang carried Yan Liang toward Chongxiao Tower, his movements graceful and swift as he rose and fell between the rooftops, all the while asking questions.
Yan Liang reached out and brushed the hair that had blown into his mouth by the wind, saying, "I don't understand, but I can tell fortunes. Taking me there won't be a loss."
Bai Yutang thought to himself that he shouldn't have asked that question.
Because no matter what it is, Yan Liang can always bring up fortune-telling.
The two stopped talking and remained silent all the way to Chongxiao Tower. Avoiding the patrolling guards, Yan Bai and his companion sneaked inside.
Yan Liang was cautious, as was Bai Yutang, but the reasons for their caution differed.
Yan Liang couldn't stop Bai Yutang from entering Chongxiao Tower, so he could only accompany him.
Bai Yutang had only one purpose for this trip: to obtain the Alliance List Orchid Manual; Yan Liang's purpose was to ensure that Bai Yutang could return safely after obtaining the Alliance List Orchid Manual.
The Chongxiao Tower is filled with intricate mechanisms arranged according to the trigrams Qian, Kan, Liang, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui, with winding entrances that seem to lead nowhere.
Bai Yutang led the way, and Yan Liang watched his back and called out to him softly.
"Brother Bai."
Bai Yutang was deep in thought, his brows furrowed, pondering the various traps within Chongxiao Tower that even he couldn't decipher. Upon hearing this shout, he turned to look at Yan Liang, his brows slightly furrowed.
"What is it?"
Yan Liang took a few steps back, pointed to the window he had just passed, took out a dagger from his sleeve, inserted it through the crack in the window, and slowly removed the window. Inside was a small compartment, with a small brocade box hanging from the central beam by a thread.
Bai Yutang watched Yan Liang's series of actions, his heart racing. When he saw the brocade box clearly, his eyes widened slightly. To be protected like this in Chongxiao Tower, it must be the Alliance Leader Lanpu.
"How did you know..." He stopped asking as soon as he got the question out; there was no point in saying more now. Now that they had found the covenant, the most important thing was to leave this place as soon as possible. "Be careful, take the covenant and let's go together."
Yan Liang's expression was peculiar, and he laughed, causing Bai Yutang's heart to tighten.
"I've done some quick calculations, and this place is full of ingenious traps. If we want to take the alliance document, we'll definitely trigger the traps."
As Yan Liang spoke, he reached for the brocade box and pulled it down. The rolling board flipped, revealing a sharp blade underneath. Bai Yutang watched as Yan Liang fell straight down and disappeared before his eyes.
The brocade box was thrown at his face, and Bai Yutang hurriedly caught it. Looking at the empty space in front of him, and hearing the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh, Bai Yutang was unusually bewildered.
It was only for a moment...
what happened?
The mechanism was triggered, and a commotion erupted outside the building. Someone shouted for arrows to be fired, and a rain of arrows immediately fell.
"Brother Bai, let's go..."
Yan Liang's voice came from below, weak and feeble, "I prefer cremation to burial..."
As the people outside approached, Bai Yutang began to resent his current powerlessness.
Yan Liang closed his eyes, his breathing gradually weakening.
Bai Yutang has already left Chongxiao Tower. Even though he is sad, he can still distinguish between good and bad.
Rather than being captured together, it would be better to take the alliance document back and capture the Prince of Xiangyang quickly.
I really don't want to die.
With these final thoughts, Yan Liang's consciousness sank into darkness.
Author's Note: Okay—this story is over.
I just realized and corrected the time setting was wrong, lol.
I've been busy with train-related matters and haven't had a chance to look at it.
It's already the second day.
[Groundhog Scream]
I'll still update today!
[Added after completion: The side stories for the first two worlds are in chapter 51, the chapter marked as side story _(:з」∠)_]
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2020-01-07 23:00:27 and 2020-01-09 00:04:14!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Yue Zhaoxuan (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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