Chapter 127 6 Entering the Palace
Chapter 127 Sixth Visit to the Palace
In a quiet alley.
As officials from the imperial court flocked in, the place suddenly became lively and crowded.
Because of the perspective, Haitang, who rushed to the rescue, first saw a carriage that had fallen over and lay flat on the ground.
Then came Zhao Duan, who was standing in the alley, and Jin Jian, who had a lower presence next to him.
As for the dead swordsman, he was blocked by the two men behind him and was in a blind spot.
"Why are you here?" Zhao Duan was stunned.
He was surprised by the appearance of his two colleagues, and also shocked by the word "rebel" from their mouths.
Haitang looked him up and down and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was not injured.
His gaze shifted to the young priestess again, and he was slightly stunned.
In an instant, he completed a series of brain supplements, seemed to understand something, and bowed:
"Meet Priest Jin Jian."
Then he explained:
"We have received news that the new leader of the Kuangfu Society has entered the city..."
She spoke quickly and concisely to describe what had happened.
Zhang Han nodded and said:
"We just saw a faint green gas rising from a distance, which disappeared in an instant. We were still confused and wondered if the rebels had sent a sorcerer to harm you.
At the moment, could it be that the Golden Sword Priest took action?"
The two were somewhat confused about the current situation.
As he spoke, he was looking around vigilantly, as if looking for signs of a battle.
Immediately, he noticed without surprise that there seemed to be a figure behind Zhao Duan, and immediately shouted:
"Who's there?"
While speaking, he had already assumed an attacking posture.
"...Don't be nervous, he's already dead." Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then reluctantly stepped aside and introduced:
"This is the person who blocked my way and tried to assassinate me. Well, I have killed him."
Killed by me...Killed by me...
Zhao Duan's light words reached the ears of the two, making them stunned at first.
When I saw clearly the body, it was kneeling on one knee, leaning on the sword with his hand, and his eyes closed as if he was in a deep sleep.
The expression on his face turned into disbelief.
"Gao Li!"
The two of them almost spoke in unison, connecting the appearance of the person in front of them with the portrait in the file.
Especially the iconic frost sword, which clearly revealed the identity of the corpse:
Fang Fu had just arrived in the capital a few days ago. Zhuang Xiaocheng's successor, the new branch leader of the Kuangfu Society, was also a talented swordsman who had entered the divine realm decades ago.
Just a short while ago, they were in the Peony Hall, seriously discussing how to deal with Gao Li.
How to gather the strength of the nine halls to jointly meet the challenges.
But at this moment, Zhao Duan said that the new helmsman had been killed by him.
"Is he really Gao Li?"
The heroic female inspector with long legs, thin waist and high ponytail murmured to herself.
Zhang Han stepped forward, confirmed it, and said in a complicated tone:
"That should be correct. He is indeed dead."
He raised his hand, touched the blood on his chest, and said blankly:
"Is it a knife wound? But this wound seems wrong... It's not fatal, could it be the soul..."
Zhao Duan cleared his throat and said:
"He was indeed killed by magic."
There is no way, this thing cannot be concealed. At the same time, I feel conflicted and don’t know how to explain this.
A divine talisman could actually be so powerful.
Zhao Duan was almost certain.
The old man who had repeatedly tried to poach me and take me as his apprentice was definitely a cultivator in the "worldly" realm.
Otherwise, even if an ordinary priest in the Divine Chapter Realm had such a hidden talisman, he would not be wealthy enough to give it away casually, right?
He was an official appointed by the imperial court and a member of the royal family, but he had an affair with a high-ranking priest...
It's easy to say but it doesn't sound good.
At this time, Jin Jian next to him suddenly spoke:
"It depends on the 'Divine Commandment Talisman' from my Tianshi Mansion."
Seeing the three people looking at her, she lied without changing her expression:
"I gave it to him for self-defense."
what?
When did you send it... Zhao Duan was stunned for less than a second, then smiled and nodded:
"That's right. Last time I asked Priest Jin Jian to protect me, we became friends. I have provoked too many enemies recently, and with what happened to Marquis Xia Jiang yesterday, I asked her for help."
Perfect excuse!
When he said this, Zhao Duan suddenly understood why the golden tablet appeared here.
It must be that old official who was good at fortune-telling. He sensed that he was in trouble today, so he informed Jin Jian and asked her to come over.
In this way, if we just say that the talisman was given to him by Jin Jian, everything will make sense.
As for the reasons, there are also ready-made
——In the last incident at Prince Jing’s Mansion, the middle-aged sorcerer who was captured happened to be a priest who defected from the Tianshi Mansion.
In other words, in that case, Zhao Duan accidentally helped the Tianshi Mansion capture the traitor.
This is no secret, many people know about it.
It was reasonable for Priest Jin Jian to help Zhao Duan privately as a reward for his gratitude.
Anyway, as a disciple of the old Taoist priest, she is wealthy and has no shortage of money.
"Is that so..."
Zhang Han and Haitang looked at each other, with realization on their faces.
At the same time, he couldn't hide his surprise.
They didn't expect that Zhao Duan was actually friends with Tianshi's disciples, and that he had such a great influence that he could invite them.
When did the arrogant priest ever look down upon the notorious pretty boy?
"Well, this was quite dangerous, but fortunately it was the enemy who died in the end, not me."
Zhao Duan spoke seriously:
"Thank you both for coming to rescue me. This is a serious matter. I am about to go to the palace and report it now. Please help me bring back the body. In addition, I suspect there may be rebels hiding nearby..."
Zhang Han and Haitang looked at each other and said at the same time:
"Don't worry, Zhao Jisi, leave this to us."
Zhao Duan nodded and thanked him, then looked at the golden scroll. But he saw the young priestess raised her hand and yawned, her figure slowly fading away:
"I'm leaving now. If you have anything, just come to Tianshi Mansion to find me."
What a night owl, he's so sleepy... Zhao Duan shook his head.
He borrowed a horse from an official, spurred the horse and galloped towards the palace.
"I hope it didn't take too long..."
……
……
Imperial Palace, outside the Meridian Gate.
The sun has risen high in the sky, the sky is bright, and it is time to end today's morning court.
A large group of officials walked out one after another on the white jade steps carved with dragons and phoenixes.
The atmosphere is strange.
Many eyes fell on the officials from the Dali Temple. Zhou Cheng, who had deep "chuan" wrinkles on his brow, had a gloomy face. He left angrily without saying a word.
Didn't make any stops.
Everyone could see that the Dali Temple Minister was in a bad mood, and no one wanted to offend him.
Ma Yan was among the last group to walk out of the Golden Palace.
There was not even a single minister close to him.
This shows how poor his popularity is.
When he was alone in front of the Meridian Gate, he suddenly looked up and gazed into the distance.
Outside the Meridian Gate, outside the gate of the Imperial City, a horse was galloping against the current!
When they arrived in front of the city gate, the black shadow on the horse turned over and approached at a very fast pace.
The deep red palace walls, the golden sunlight, and the inky black human figures form a very artistic landscape.
"Why are you here?"
Ma Yan stopped and a look of surprise appeared on his tall and cold face.
Zhao Duan was exhausted after riding his horse all the way. He was panting and said with a smile:
"May I ask, Senior Brother, what was the result? On my way here, I saw Zhou Cheng's face was livid and he ignored me. I guess he got humiliated."
Upon hearing this, Ma Yan's mouth corners slightly raised and he briefly recounted what happened in the court.
That is to say, I broke into the Dali Temple and beat someone up... and everything is fine?
Zhao Duan found it quite interesting and asked curiously:
"Where is Xia Jianghou?"
Ma Yan said calmly: "The crime is extremely heinous and he must be executed immediately."
So cruel... Zhao Duan was greatly surprised.
But when he learned of the crimes he had committed, he shook his head, thinking that such a man deserved to die a hundred times.
"Then what will be the outcome for Princess Yunyang..."
He finally asked the question that concerned him most.
Ma Yan glanced at him and said:
"You came just in time. When I came out, His Majesty told me to find you in the palace and give you a private talk."
Although Princess Yunyang instigated the case of Marquis Xiajiang, there was a lack of evidence after all.
And since it involves the royal face, it was not mentioned on the spot, which is not surprising.
But the empress will definitely give him a punishment.
"Your Majesty is looking for me?"
Zhao Duan thought to himself, what a coincidence, all these things happened at the same time, and immediately said with a smile:
"I'll be there right away. I just happen to have an important matter to report to His Majesty."
The palace is far away from the assassination site.
In addition, the effect of the divine talisman was obscured by the "Taixu Scroll".
The blue cloud that briefly gathered caused a commotion limited to that block.
Therefore, no one in the Golden Palace knew about this matter yet.
Ma Yan asked doubtfully, "Big deal?"
……
……
Royal study room.
After the court was dismissed, Queen Dayu first took off her dragon robe and removed the pearl curtain with the help of the palace maids.
After changing into white uniform, he went to the imperial study as usual to review the accumulated memorials.
The "female prime minister", wearing a female official robe, a wingless black gauze, and plum blossom makeup on her forehead, has been waiting for a long time with a very "neutral beauty".
"Your Majesty, the secret report just sent by the Shadow Guard has been placed at the top."
Mo Chou strictly performed the duties of "female secretary".
Xu Zhenguan, who had just finished the morning court and felt a little tired, perked up when he heard the word "shadow guard".
She took lotus steps and walked behind the table.
Leaning back on a golden nanmu chair covered with silk cushions.
With her slender white fingers, she picked up the "secret memorial" from the top of the pile of memorials.
Everyone in the world knows that the Imperial Court is a knife in the hands of the empress.
But only a few people know that the emperors of Dayu of all generations have a dagger hidden in the dark.
It is a secret spy organization under the "Royal Worship" system that is only loyal to the emperor, named "Shadow Guard".
This was different from the imperial yamen that was stationed in the capital and mainly monitored court officials. Whenever there was a major case, people were sent on business trips to the nine provinces and eighteen prefectures.
The Shadow Guards are spread throughout Dayu and all major prefectures except the capital.
All members are hiding in the dark and exist as secret agents.
With the help of "secret letters", important information from all over the country was presented to the empress.
"Sub-helmsman?"
Xu Zhenguan opened the secret letter, his beautiful eyes swept over the words, his slender black eyebrows slightly frowned, and he said in a cold voice:
"Zhuang Xiaocheng left, and Gao Li was pushed in. These remnants of the gutter are really restless. It seems... I am too kind to them."
This secret memorial contained the news that Gao Li had replaced Zhuang Xiaocheng and secretly sneaked into the capital to serve as the "branch leader".
(End of this chapter)