Chapter 115 Daming Mansion

Chapter 115 Daming Mansion

Chapter 115 Daming Mansion

The next morning.

After leaving the White Snake Village ruins, Jiang He returned along the same route and caught up with the convoy following the traces left on the ground.

Yesterday afternoon, the convoy had already met up with two thousand county soldiers led by the county magistrate himself.

The escort team became quite large. The county magistrate brought many of his nephews, nieces and younger generations. Although the journey to Daming Prefecture was not very far, servants, maids and even cooks were fully prepared.

"I heard that Master Bo has the strength to shoot an arrow through a target from a hundred paces away. He is truly a young hero."

The county magistrate was riding on a horse. He looked strong and powerful with sturdy arms. He did not look like the first-class Jinshi as rumored. He was the third place winner in the imperial examination in the early years of Xuanhe period and a famous scholar in Kyushu.

At this moment, the county magistrate was carrying people in a fancy sedan chair, and it was obvious that he wanted to make friends.

"Not as good as County Magistrate Zhu's photographic memory."

Jiang He clasped his fists in response. The governor of Daqian County was a fourth-rank official with an official salary of two thousand stones, which was the same rank as that of a commander-in-chief. In theory, civil officials and nobles should not be too close, but Yizhou belonged to the Anbei Governor's Office, and the King of Anbei was no different from a local emperor, so civil officials would occasionally get closer to the military group.

As for this almost excessive behavior, the court's attitude was indifference. The emperor practiced Taoism and seldom asked about the external situation. In the eyes of most people, as long as the two great masters, the eunuch in charge of the seal and the head of the Five Dou Dao, were still there, the four great governors would not be able to rebel. At the same time, once the border troubles were quelled, reforms would follow.

When County Magistrate Zhu heard Ping Luan Bo's response, his face slightly brightened.

Just then, a scout came to report.

"My Lord, the County Magistrate, the escort team of the Longan County Magistrate is already 20 miles away."

Zhu County Magistrate waved his hand and said, "On this trip, it's enough for me and the Duke. Let Long'an County Magistrate focus on suppressing the bandits. There was more than one Long'an County resident among the enemy cavalry. I speak my mind, and I wonder if I can remember this matter after meeting the prince. Let's wait and see."

Beside Magistrate Zhu, a middle-ranking warrior who served as the leader of his personal guards rode his horse and left the convoy to go twenty miles away.

Escorting the princess back to Daming Prefecture is a great opportunity to show off in front of King Anbei. It was not legitimate before, and now the convoy has been attacked. All parties are fighting desperately, and among them, County Magistrate Zhu reacts the fastest.

The convoy moved forward, and several waves of teams were repelled halfway.

In the afternoon, the majestic outline of the Jianchi Mountains gradually became clear. A large river flowed across the front, and the surging waves beat against the banks with a mighty momentum.

County Magistrate Zhu waved his whip, pointed at the river and said with a smile: "Look, my Lord, that is the world-famous Jianshui. All the villages and towns along the way are not disturbed by ghosts. In ancient times, Emperor Guangwu once pointed at Jianshui and swore an oath with his mortal enemy, swearing that he would never pursue the revenge for his brother's murder after the enemy surrendered. It turned out to be true. His mind deserves the word great."

"However, two hundred years ago, Sima also swore an oath to deceive his political enemies, but he broke the oath afterwards, making the oath infamous. This man was nearly a hundred years old, with the eyes of an eagle and the back of a wolf. He outlasted three generations of powerful rulers and eventually took over. Although he was glorious for a while, he was infamous for thousands of years, and few of his descendants lived to see the end of their days..."

Jiang He was a little surprised that the local stories and current history had a lot in common.

County Magistrate Zhu was speaking with great interest. When he accidentally turned his head to take a look, his pupils suddenly trembled, as if a chill ran down his spine into his brain. He saw a white snake coiled around the neck of the fourth-rank dark crimson uniform of the Earl of Pingluan, with its golden vertical eyes staring at him quietly, which was eerie and captivating.

What was even more terrible was that when he took a closer look, he found that Ping Luan Bo's eyes were even colder and more deadly. Even the prisoner who had killed dozens of people in the county dungeon seemed much gentler in comparison.

"What's wrong, Master Zhu?"

Jiang He was puzzled. Hasn't this guy seen a snake?

Zhu Jun Shou forced a smile and said, "Maybe I just caught a cold recently."

During the rest of the journey, Lord Zhu was quite silent.

Jiang He was happy to be alone, so he sent two cavalrymen to catch some field mice, and the little white snake swallowed them in one gulp. "It's not enough." Zhuang Ya said seriously.

"How big is your appetite?" Jiang He asked seriously.

Zhuang Ya thought for a moment and replied, "Three cows will keep you from starving for half a month."

Jiang He breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm not a big eater."

In Yizhou, a young and strong ox is worth 20 taels of silver, which is equivalent to the annual expenses of a normal family of three. However, privately killing a ox is a serious crime, and the oxen in the big restaurants are all "sick".

……

In the evening, the team arrived at the south gate of Daming Prefecture.

The ancient and mottled city walls stretch as far as the eye can see. On the walls, attics stand majestically, and large vermilion pillars are covered with gorgeous carvings. A tributary of the Jianshui River runs across, and vaguely one can see the water-town-like restaurants and dance halls in the city.

The city walls are high and the moats are deep. Daming Prefecture is the second largest city in the world, with a population of one million. Merchants and travelers from all over the world gather here. The Hangming Canal carries an endless stream of ships coming and going. Not far outside the city, the Anbei Army camp is stationed, which effectively suppresses the martial artists from breaking the law.

The convoy stopped and gongs and drums sounded at the city gate.

Boom!

The strong soldiers with red ribbons tied on their arms beat the war drums vigorously, the sound was sonorous and powerful. Hundreds of young women in light armor waved their several-meter-long sleeves with vigorous postures. With every move of their hands and feet, the long sleeves seemed to be able to destroy trees, with an astonishing power.

A middle-aged man with a dignified appearance stood in the middle of the road with his hands behind his back. Anbei King Jian Changping was over fifty years old. With his great skills and tall stature, he looked like he was in his prime. He was wearing a vermilion armor carved with a python and inlaid with gold and jade, and a long sword hung from his waist, looking very majestic.

The princess stepped down from the carriage. Compared with her father's solemn treatment, she was only wearing a simple Taoist robe and a white veil covering her face.

"Meet father, Uncle Yan, Grandmaster Hong Zhou, generals, and sirs."

Of course, the prince was not the only one who came to welcome the princess back home. The head of the Yan family, the eldest son of the prime minister, was also among them. The elegant middle-aged man nodded with a smile.

"Fuxue has achieved success in his cultivation and will inherit the title one day. Don't forget to take care of my uncle's two useless children."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the military generals were furious, or at least it seemed so. After the death of the Crown Prince, the royal palace still had power on the surface, but there were big problems inside. According to outside speculation, the four generals who had been law-abiding had some unspeakable thoughts.

The princess smiled faintly and replied politely, "Don't worry, uncle. I will become a great master, and it will be a piece of cake for me to take care of two or three people."

Patriarch Yan smiled without changing his expression. "That would be great."

The princess greeted everyone one by one, and King Anbei watched quietly. It was unprecedented for a woman to inherit the title of king. In comparison, there were precedents for controlling the court and even becoming an empress. However, this was not all wishful thinking. As long as the princess became a grandmaster, she could command an army of 160,000. The pure power was enough to break down worldly barriers.

"The Taoist master is an expert in both talismans and swordsmanship. I wonder how much the princess has learned."

A sturdy old man asked.

Princess Jian Fuxue restrained her smile and carefully estimated, "Even if it's just the talismans, it's less than 10%. The power of the Grand Master is so great that people look up to him."

The old man Hong Zhou shook his head, turned and left, as if he came here specifically just to ask this question.

(End of this chapter)