…………
Night brought wind and rain, dawn brought smoke; spring's beauty faded into dust, the years flowed by.
The "Fragrant Sea and Compassionate Clouds" on the shore of Slender West Lake is famous for its spring scenery, and now the fallen petals cover the ground, creating a unique late spring atmosphere. However, Prefect Liu has no heart to appreciate the scenery at this moment. He stands listlessly in the Peach Blossom Pond Pavilion, his swollen face showing the fatigue of not having slept all night.
It's pitiful that he was over sixty years old and still had to accompany the emperor, a journey that terrified him and nearly cost him his life.
As I thought about it, my eyelids began to droop.
Are you tired?
Upon hearing those three words, he was instantly energized and knelt down. "Your subject dares not."
"Dare not?" The person seated sneered, tossing down several secret reports. "You've been on friendly terms with people in the martial arts world all these years, what is there that you wouldn't dare to do?"
The scattered documents were filled with details of the benefits he had received from Jade Sword Manor over the years, each item clearly and explicitly listed, down to the exact number of beads and the amount of silver. The sight of it made him break out in a cold sweat.
"It's just an ordinary wedding, yet it has attracted numerous guests from all over the world. Many of the items used in the wedding ceremony are taboo. A seven-tailed phoenix crown? Hmph! When Consort Hui entered the palace, she only had seven tails." With a sneer, the person continued reading, "On the night of the wedding, a wealthy merchant was kidnapped by Shangguan Yi."
Seeing that the emperor was deep in thought, the attendant beside him whispered a reminder, "It is the Jinling Shangguan Mansion that generously funded His Majesty three years ago."
Emperor Shengde's face turned slightly pale: "He's also trying to curry favor with Jade Sword Manor?"
"As far as I know, the reason why the Shangguan family is involved in the Jianghu is because of their relatives, which is also related to Your Majesty."
"oh?"
"In the early years, the Shangguan family, for business reasons, married their eldest daughter to the owner of Qiyang Manor."
"Qiyang? Is that Aunt Jingci's maternal home?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The late Princess Jingci was the person His Majesty respected most, and His Majesty's expression softened when she was mentioned.
"Master Xiao died of illness not long after his marriage, and his wife also passed away the year after giving birth to their posthumous child. After that, the young master was sent to be cared for by the eldest princess."
Emperor Saint-De's eyes flashed, as if he had remembered something.
"In the thirteenth year of Yuan Ning, the eldest princess passed away, and this young master was sent to the Shangguan family in Jinling. Although the Shangguan family was in dire straits at the time due to the death of the head of the family, the newly appointed head of the family, the thirteen-year-old Shangguan young master, resolutely decided to raise his nephew who was only two years younger than him."
He remembered that at his aunt's memorial service, someone had indeed made fun of the two "baby uncle and nephew".
"Qiyang Manor is a renowned martial arts institution. In order to help his nephew establish himself in the martial arts world, Young Master Shangguan has spent a great deal of money over the years, which is why Qiyang has managed to squeeze into the ranks of the Four Young Masters of the Martial Arts World."
Emperor Shengde pondered for a moment, then glanced at him lightly: "You seem to care."
Knowing his suspicious nature, the Attendant-in-Ordinary bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty's command is my duty."
Remembering the secret edict he had given Ji Junze before leaving the capital, ordering him to thoroughly investigate the martial arts world, Emperor Shengde's expression softened. "Which one was Shangguan in the hall last night?" he asked, glancing at the person on the ground.
"Reporting...reporting to Your Majesty, Shangguan Yi was not there at the time." Covered in cold sweat, Prefect Liu trembled uncontrollably. The emperor was slightly suspicious, and he hurriedly added, "He went to clean up the mess for Prince Qiyang."
Emperor Saint-De raised an eyebrow.
"Young Master Qiyang is fond of romance. He has only been in Jiangdu for a few days and has already incurred several romantic debts. He even stole a kiss from the governor's outer residence."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Prefect Liu was unsure whether it was appropriate to speak of His Majesty's distant relatives in this way, so he could only bow even lower.
A moment later, a soft laugh was heard from above. "This uncle and nephew are quite a good match, one squanders money and the other causes trouble. If all the people in the martial arts world could be as worry-free as me."
He heard it clearly but couldn't understand it; His Majesty's tone was clearly disdainful yet also praising. Prefect Liu was completely bewildered and felt even more that the Emperor's intentions were unfathomable.
"As for this Jade Sword Manor, the leader of the martial arts alliance? I think he wants to be the overlord of the world!"
With a slam of his hand on the table, Prefect Liu felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest. Once his senses returned, his old eyes focused, and he saw a pair of yellow boots right before his eyes.
"Liu Zhaotong".
"Your Majesty is here..."
"Were you a subject of the late Emperor, or a subject of mine?"
His old eyes trembled, and he kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty, I would gladly die for you."
This was an emperor who would not tolerate even a speck of dust in his eyes, not even the former emperor. To make an example of one and warn a hundred, to eliminate the influence of the previous emperor's reign, a strike had to be made. Now it seemed that this strike was destined to be aimed at the martial world.
Therefore, regardless of whether Wei Baizhong can resolve this matter in three days, Jade Sword Manor will have no future.
"Death is unnecessary." A faint scent of ambergris enveloped the area. "As long as you retrieve what belongs to me from the thieves, you can atone for your crime."
Under heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are his subjects. Whether it be secret treasures or the martial world, all belong to the current emperor.
Thinking of this, Liu Zhaotong made a last effort to kowtow.
"I obey the order."
Volume One, Chapter Eleven
As dawn broke, a misty rain shrouded the Shangguan Villa in the south of the city. A figure in apricot robes leaped down from the third-floor pavilion, leaving no trace of their footsteps. The person gracefully traversed the winding, secluded corridors, just a few steps from the inner courtyard wall. But then, their foot slipped, and the image of a dashing, composed young gentleman vanished.
"Uncle... Uncle." After regaining his senses, Xiao Kuang stammered as he looked at the person in the pavilion.
The people in the pavilion admired the flowers and scenery, seemingly oblivious to everything else, while the chirping of birds on the branches made the surroundings even more tranquil.
"Uncle, you're up very early." Xiao Kuang chuckled dryly, shifting his feet slightly.