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Глава 102

Ye Zhang frowned, "That's just a rumor..."

"My lord, there's no need to be alarmed. Since it's just a rumor, it will spread and dissipate just as quickly," Xiao Xiao chuckled. "However, as far as I know, the East Sea has always coveted the 'Nine Emperors' Divine Artifacts'..."

The moment those four words were uttered, Ye Zhang's expression changed.

"To be honest, sir, the reason the court is suppressing the East Sea, the reason I've been pursued by the court, and the reason you were attacked by the East Sea yesterday are probably the same. However, this reason is a huge secret and cannot be revealed to the world. Now, sir, can you bear to see me die in the city because of a 'trumped-up crime'?" Xiao finished speaking and waited for Ye Zhang's reaction.

Ye Zhang said, "Since you've told me about this, aren't you afraid of me, sir..."

Xiao Xiao laughed, "Since Lord Ye is attending the meeting alone, he certainly won't arrest me, right?"

Ye Zhang laughed, picked up the wine in front of him, and drank it all in one gulp. "Lady Zuo truly has the air of a great hero." Then, he sighed, "It's just a pity that I am an official of the imperial court. Since you have offended the court, I have no reason to let you leave the city. Tonight, I will treat this as a chance encounter with an old friend and have a few drinks. I will take my leave now."

Ye Zhang put down his wine glass, stood up, and turned to leave.

Just then, the door opened. Yin Xiao and Li Si walked in, their faces beaming with smiles. But their aura was intimidating.

Ye Zhang frowned upon seeing this.

Li Si smiled and said, "Lord Ye, now that you're here, why the rush to leave? How about I sing you a song to enhance the drinking experience?"

Ye Zhang sized her up and said, "'Ghost matchmaker' is a joke, I can't accept that title."

Li Si smiled charmingly, "My lord, my servant and that bandit are not heroes. Your courage in coming alone is commendable. Since you refuse to hand over the warrant, we have no choice but to kidnap you."

Ye Zhang was not afraid at all and said, "Even if I die today, I will not submit to you traitors."

Li Si had planned from the start: to use personal connections to ask Ye Zhang for the warrant, and if Ye Zhang refused, to use force to coerce him. Although it was part of the plan, having reached this point, Xiao Xiao still felt somewhat helpless, yet also relieved. The world is the same everywhere; there are good people and bad people. Even in officialdom, aren't there upright and righteous officials like this? But... it seems her current stance has become that of the bad guy... Hmm... should she be happy?

Sigh, no matter what, Ye Zhang did save her, and it wouldn't be right to let Li Si and Yin Xiao kidnap him. However, Ye Zhang is upright and honest, and it would be even more difficult to change his mind...

Xiao Xiao looked at the tense situation in front of her, pondered deeply, and then laughed.

"Lord Ye, may I ask if you and my master are old acquaintances?" Xiao Xiao walked up to Ye Zhang and asked.

Ye Zhang frowned. "May I ask who your master is?"

Xiao Xiao smiled slightly, "The Ghost Master 'Han Qing'."

No one expected her to say those words at that moment. Li Si and Yin Xiao were both shocked and unable to respond.

Ye Zhang looked at Xiao Xiao and asked, "Are you a disciple of the 'Ghost Master'?"

She nodded slightly. "Exactly."

Ye Zhang frowned, "My master and I are only nodding acquaintances, we are not familiar with each other..."

“My lord…” Xiao Xiao smiled, “I meant no harm. I once saw the wanted poster for Wen Su, the Twin Blades of Chongyin, in your study. At the time, I was curious why, with so many wanted criminals, you placed this particular poster on your desk and took it so seriously. After last night, I began to guess… Wen Su from the East Sea looks very similar to my master, and last night he was dressed in a Taoist cloud robe. My lord was also a former subordinate of Yue Fei, which inevitably reminds me of several bizarre murder cases in the court… I have long suspected that this was Wen Su impersonating my master.” As Xiao Xiao spoke, her heart was filled with sorrow, and her tone became slightly lower.

Ye Zhang looked even more surprised when he heard these words.

Xiao Xiao continued, "Last night, seeing you lead troops to besiege Wen Su, you must have seen through his scheme. If you weren't familiar with my master, how could you have seen through it?"

After listening, Ye Zhang pondered for a moment and asked, "Are you really Han Qing's disciple?"

Xiao nodded slightly. "If not, how could I know the secret of the 'Nine Emperors' Divine Artifacts'?... It's just a pity that my master made countless enemies when he was young and impetuous. In order to protect the secret, I have never dared to mention my master's name since I started wandering the martial world. Do you think I would lie about such a thing? If you still don't believe me, you can go back to the manor and ask Young Master Lian for confirmation."

Ye Zhang finally believed him. "I never imagined he could teach a disciple like you! Where is he now?"

Xiao Xiao lowered her eyes slightly, "My master has already passed away."

This was the first time she had said this, and even Yin Xiao and Li Si were shocked.

"He's dead?" Silver Owl shouted. "Impossible! How did he die?"

After much deliberation, Xiao Xiao shook her head. "I've also been searching for the murderer who killed my master... My master was burdened by the 'Nine Emperors' Divine Weapons' his entire life, and his only wish was to stop these weapons from harming the world. I'm unworthy, and I've never been able to fulfill my master's wish. Now, the Divine Firmament has returned to the court, and the court is waging war to obtain the divine weapons. If my master's spirit is watching from heaven, I'm afraid..."

Xiao Xiao pulled at the cloth while watching Ye Zhang's expression.

Ye Zhang's expression was slightly sorrowful, as if he were heartbroken. He sighed deeply and said, "I never imagined that our parting back then would be our last. Brother Han's intentions were so good, but I only regret that I am too weak and powerless to help him!"

"..." Xiao Xiao hadn't expected Ye Zhang to be so emotional, and she couldn't continue the conversation for a moment.

"Rest assured, heroine, even so, I will never let you fall into the hands of Shenxiao!" Ye Zhang said sternly, "However... I have a request."

“Please speak, sir,” Xiao Xiao immediately replied.

"Please take my daughter with you when you leave."

Xiao Xiao was a little surprised, "Miss Zhihui?"

“That’s right…” Ye Zhang smiled gently and said, “Zhihui is my only daughter. Given the current situation, it would only add to the danger if I kept her by my side. I would like to ask the heroine to send her somewhere.”

"Where to?" Xiao Xiao asked.

Ye Zhang thought for a moment and said, "That place is remote. I will draw up a map and then discuss it with you all. It is not appropriate to rush out of the city. I will go back first to make arrangements for you. Once everything is in order, I will send someone to inform you."

"Wait!" Silver Owl stepped forward and said, "Words are no proof. If you leave like this, who knows if you'll betray us?!"

Ye Zhang reached into his robes and took out a warrant, saying, "This is the warrant to leave the city. I'll give it to you all now. If you don't trust me, you can leave the city on your own. However, martial law is in effect now, and even if you have the warrant, you'll still be questioned. So be careful."

After Ye Zhang finished speaking, he stepped out.

She let out a small sigh of relief and smiled.

"Miss Zuo!" Li Si laughed, putting her arm around her shoulder. "You are indeed eloquent and quick-witted, I admire you greatly! You truly won without shedding a drop of blood!"

"No, no..." Xiao Xiao hurriedly replied.

Yin Xiao frowned and asked, "Girl, you said the 'Ghost Master' is dead... is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Li Si stopped teasing and looked at Xiao Xiao seriously.

A bitter feeling welled up inside her, and she nodded.

"Who is it?! Who in the world can kill him?!" Silver Owl exclaimed excitedly.

Xiao Xiao remained silent for a long time, then looked up and answered seriously, "My master... well, he didn't tell me anything..."

Yin Xiao and Li Si looked at each other, knowing they wouldn't get any results, so they had no choice but to give up.

...

...This is the dividing line indicating that Lian Zhao has embarked on the irreversible path of cunning and ruthlessness = =+...

After returning to the mansion, Ye Zhang went straight to his room to rest.

A servant of the Lian family stood in the shadows. Seeing that Ye Zhang had turned off the light, he quickly left and went to Lian Zhao's room.

"Young master, Lord Ye has returned."

Lian Zhao raised his cup of tea, took a sip, and asked, "How is it?"

"Lord Ye went to 'Liuyun Pavilion,' sat for a short while, and then came out. He's resting now," the servant replied.

Lian Zhao looked down at the letter in his hand. This was a copy of the letter from Ye Zhang's room. The letter described how Ye Zhang had once taken in a girl who had been separated from her family. After leaving, the girl encountered unforeseen circumstances and ended up in prostitution. She had written this letter seeking Ye Zhang's help. As the letter stated, the girl was at "Liuyun Pavilion," and Ye Zhang had indeed gone to "Liuyun Pavilion," so it seemed to be true. But what puzzled him was that the letter didn't mention her name, only describing the incident of taking her in in great detail: the scorching June sun, her weeping on the ground, her hunger, and the young lady's pity...

He racked his brains for a moment, but couldn't come up with anything, so he said, "Okay, that's all. Go and rest." Lian Zhao nodded in response.

"Yes, young master."

Just as the guards were about to leave, Lian Zhao remembered something and called out, "Wait."

The guard stopped upon hearing this. "Is there anything else you need, young master?"

"Have all the stolen goods from Donghai been delivered?"

The servant answered truthfully, "They've all been transported back. They're currently stored in the government warehouse."

Lian Zhao nodded. "That's good. It's alright now."

The family general has left.

Lian Zhao then got up and looked at the sky.

Speaking of her belongings, what are they?

...

omnipresent

The appearance of the three-stringed female warrior in an unnamed small town was unprecedented news for the region. However, in the following days, apart from rumors of a robbery at the government warehouse, everything remained calm. Many speculated that the three-stringed female warrior had likely already left. The discussions about her gradually subsided amidst this calm.

After a few days of boredom, the people in the city suddenly had a new topic of conversation.

Now, it is said that Ye Zhang, the prefect of this city, once rescued a young woman. The woman's background was pitiful; her family was impoverished, her parents were ill, and to pay off debts, she had been forced into prostitution, working in the brothel. A few days ago, her parents fell critically ill, but due to her indenture, she could not return home. Learning that Ye Zhang was the prefect, she wrote to him for help. Prefect Ye, a kind and compassionate man, immediately made arrangements. He not only redeemed the woman from the "Liuyun Pavilion" brothel but also promptly prepared carriages and horses to send her home.

Early in the morning, the people of the city gathered at the city gate to watch the excitement.

Ye Zhang was usually an honest and upright official, but today he put on quite a show. Two carriages were prepared, each drawn by two horses. One carried passengers, and the other carried luggage. In addition to the coachmen, there were three attendants and two maids accompanying him.

Those in the know came forward to explain. It turned out that the girl had lied to her parents earlier. Instead of mentioning that she had fallen into prostitution, she claimed that she had married into a wealthy family. Now that her parents were critically ill, she had no choice but to continue the lie.

Upon hearing this, the people were immediately moved and no one questioned Ye Zhang's actions anymore.

Lian Zhao naturally received the news, and Ye Zhang also reported the matter, submitting the household registration documents of the people who left the city. The paperwork was complete and flawless. Lian Zhao also knew about the "Liuyun Pavilion" incident, and this matter seemed logical and reasonable. The only thing that puzzled him was that Ye Zhang had his daughter accompany him out of the city, saying it was to visit an old friend on his behalf, as a matter of courtesy. Although Lian Zhao felt that such "courtesy" was a bit excessive, everyone has different ways of doing things. Thus, the matter of leaving the city was settled.

However, the necessary paperwork was always required. Lian Zhao and his men had been stationed at the city gate early on to inspect the items on the carriage.

When Ye Zhang saw him, he smiled apologetically, "My dear nephew, you've gone to so much trouble."

Lian Zhao smiled and said, "Uncle, you are the prefect. It is Lian Zhao who is being disrespectful."

Ye Zhang shook his head, "Not at all. At this critical juncture, it's truly shameful for me to be sending someone out of the city. But matters of life and death are of utmost importance, and there's no time to delay..."

Lian Zhao nodded, "Uncle is absolutely right."

While the two were talking, the guards had already searched the carriage thoroughly and compared the names of the people leaving the city with the household registration records. After confirming that everything was correct, they reported to Lian Zhao.

Upon hearing this, Lian Zhao raised his eyes and looked at the group of people leaving the city.

Upon exiting the city for inspection, everyone disembarked from the carriage. There stood the rumored prostitute standing beside the carriage, arm in arm with Ye Zhang's only daughter.

The woman wore a lotus-colored silk robe and a light purple gauze skirt, adorned with ribbons and tassels, making her exceptionally beautiful. Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with three glass hairpins, giving her an air of untouched worldliness. Her makeup was meticulous, the powder applied evenly, highlighting her eyebrows like distant mountains, her eyes like spring water, her cheeks delicate, and her lips cherry-red—truly alluring. With makeup on, her age was impossible to discern. Judging from her figure, she was no more than eighteen.

When the girl saw someone looking at her, she lowered her head, seemingly out of shyness.

After the inspection was complete, she hurriedly boarded the carriage, but accidentally stepped on the hem of her skirt, causing her to stumble and nearly fall. In a flash, she lightly touched the ground with her left foot, slightly shifting her body to regain her balance. She let out a soft sigh, raised an eyebrow, and smiled.

In that instant, Lian Zhao suddenly felt that the person in front of him seemed familiar. A subtle smugness, hidden behind her caution, shone brightly in her eyes. That was how she looked when she smiled.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, he was startled, and his thoughts instantly became chaotic.

Could it be...?