Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 141 Behead him!

Julu, Quyang.

The city gate was open, and noisy noises could be heard coming from inside.

The violent sound of horse hooves made the whole city tremble uncontrollably, and screams, pleas for mercy, and crying were heard from time to time.

The combination of many voices made the people of Quyang tremble with fear.

The green lion raised its four hooves, and at that moment, it seemed to be flying. Liu Taozi on the horse bent down, and the long sword in his hand flashed with a cold light.

Time seemed to freeze.

The scholar's eyes widened in fear and he slowly raised the sword in his hand.

Liu Taozi stared coldly at the scholar in front of him, and the sword in his hand slowly moved towards his neck.

Hua Ting's sword hit the opponent's neck, and then he moved his body little by little. Blood beads flew up and sprinkled around. Hua Ting seemed to be constantly changing his trajectory.

The Hua Ting sword chopped out from the other side of the neck, splashing some blood.

The head slowly flew up.

It seemed like just a moment.

The green lion leaped up and landed quickly, with only a flash of cold light being seen.

Liu Taozi had already ridden his horse to the other end, and the headless corpse fell down with a bang.

Liu Taozi wiped the blood off the sword and looked straight ahead.

Gao Yanzong stared in that direction in amazement, and found that Liu Taozi was looking at him. He quickly smiled kindly and rode his horse quickly over. There were several heads hanging on both sides of his horse.

This is an alley where knights can be seen charging with spears on both sides, while people are fleeing in a hurry or begging for mercy loudly.

Gao Yanzong seemed tired. He panted, untied the water bag, took a big mouthful, and then handed it to Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi shook her head.

Gao Yanzong looked at the situation around him and grinned, "See if these bastards dare to rebel again!!"

"I ordered a thorough investigation throughout the state, and the whole state obeyed, except for these people!"

"Now, no one in Dingzhou dares to oppose me!"

Gao Yanzong was quite proud. His eyes on his small round face were narrowed into lines and his eyeballs could not be seen at all.

"I just don't dare to do it openly."

Gao Yanzong was stunned. He asked in astonishment: "Why, do they still dare to oppose it secretly?"

"We have killed so many people. Aren't they afraid?"

Liu Taozi didn't say anything.

At this moment, two knights came running from a distance. They threw one of them in front of Gao Yanzong and said, "Your Majesty, this man sneaked to the city gate to peek and was captured by us."

The man quickly raised his head and cried out, "My lord! It's me! It's me!"

Gao Yanzong looked at him for a moment and said, "You look familiar to me."

"I am Zhou Xizi, the state clerk!"

"Ok?"

"You whipped me before."

"Oh, I remember now! Zhou Xizi!"

"What are you doing here?"

Hearing Gao Yanzong's question, Zhou Xizi hurriedly said, "It was Lu Beijia who asked me to come. He asked me to tell the king to take Liu Taozi and others back to Zhending quickly. I heard that the court sent an angel to summon the king and Liu Gong."

Gao Yanzong was overjoyed and looked at Liu Taozi standing beside him, "This must be a reward for me!"

Liu Taozi stared at Zhou Xizi in front of her, but saw a half-smile on his face.

Liu Taozi nodded, "That must be the case."

Gao Yanzong looked around and said, "Sound the horn! Retreat!"

“We’re going back to Zhending!!”

Anping County.

Prefect Lu sat in the house, frowning, looking at Lu Zhuangzhi in front of him, hesitant and silent.

Lu Zhuangzhi advised: "Brother, don't hesitate any longer, this is a great thing!"

"If you can do it, you and I will become famous all over the world immediately."

Governor Lu looked at the enthusiastic Lu Zhuangzhi and asked suspiciously, "Brother, you are usually very steady, why are you so impatient today?"

"No matter what, Prince Ande is a royal family member. As for Liu Taozi, I'm afraid he is also very important."

"Now you say you want to reprimand him, criticize him, and report his crimes to the angels. Aren't you afraid that King Ande will kill you on the spot? Aren't you afraid of angering the people behind them?"

Lu Zhuangzhi hesitated for a moment, then said: "Brother, it is like this, we have received a definite letter, the angel came this time to dismiss and arrest these two people, and even sent Han warriors to protect them. Doesn't this explain the situation?"

"If you do something without knowing the consequences, it is reckless. But now that you know the consequences, if you still can't make a decision that is beneficial to you, then you are a fool!"

Hearing this, Governor Lu frowned again, "Even if you want to punish someone, you shouldn't be involved in this matter."

"My dear brother, please listen to my advice and don't do this. Instead, you should speak up and apologize for the king. You must not offend so many nobles for the sake of temporary benefits."

Lu Zhuangzhi pursed his lips, said nothing more, stood up, saluted him, and left.

Looking at his cousin with an unhappy expression, Prefect Lu sighed again. He was so anxious that he was afraid something big was going to happen.

Lu Zhuangzhi walked out from here, but his face was extremely unhappy. He frowned and his eyes were deep. There were a few clerks waiting in front. When they saw him coming out, they hurriedly asked: "Lu Beijia, are you going to Cui's house?"

Lu Zhuangzhi didn't say anything.

He turned his head to look at the huge mansion in front of him, then clenched his fists. This opportunity is nothing to you, but for me, it is the only one and I must not miss it.

"No need, let's go to the next county!"

Lu Zhuangzhi got into the car.

The carriage quickly left here and galloped towards Raoyang.

The whole Dingzhou became lively at this moment. Minor officials and servants rode their horses back and forth, and different people got on the carriages and hurried towards Zhending.

A huge storm is slowly taking shape in Zhending.

The group walked unsteadily on the official road. Yan Zifei stuck his head out several times and wanted to speak, but the knights around him simply ignored him.

Yan Zifei was a little angry, but didn't dare to say anything more.

The clerk at the side smiled and rode forward, "Lord Yan, do you want a urine bucket?!"

Yan Zifei glared at him, "Vulgar!"

The clerk lowered his head hastily, "Yes, yes, a vulgar and lowly person."

Yan Zifei asked helplessly: "How long will it take to get to Zhending?"

"It's almost there, it's almost there, it will be there soon."

"I'm tired of hearing this! Just tell me how many days it will take to get to Zhending!"

The clerk pointed to the distance and said, "We will get there today. After we pass the high slope in front of us, we will see the Zhending city wall."

Yan Zifei was very happy when he heard this. He rubbed his forehead and said, "Great, we are finally here. This official road is really difficult to walk on. When I return to the court, I will definitely report to His Majesty and ask him to renovate the official roads in various places. It is not suitable for people to walk on this road."

The clerk nodded repeatedly and did not dare to refute.

Yan Zifei said a few words to him and then put her head back into the car.

In front and behind him was a large group of knights wearing strange masks. These people were in neat formation, protecting the carriage in the middle, with three people in a row, forming a long team.

You can't see their expressions under the masks, but you can see their cold eyes when they look around.

When we passed the high slope ahead, we could indeed see the Zhending city wall looming.

When the group approached the city, they saw a huge crowd of people gathered at the city gate, all eagerly waiting.

Seeing them, Lu Zhuangzhi was overjoyed and shouted: "Angels are coming! Get ready!!"

They showed the highest courtesy.

Gao Yanzong stood at the front of the crowd, looking at the excited expressions on both sides, he could not help but frowning, feeling a little unhappy, but he did not show it, secretly thinking that he would settle the score after the angel left.

But then, Gao Yanzong saw those masked knights and he was immediately shocked.

"Baibaoying?!"

He looked at it for a moment and said, "No, the feathers on the helmet are different. It's the Warrior Camp."

King Ande suddenly began to tremble, and he looked at Liu Taozi beside him in panic.

"Brother, something is wrong. Why are the Warriors Battalion here? The Warriors Battalion is used to do evil things. Their leader specifically targets members of the royal family."

At this moment, Liu Taozi who was standing beside him was also a little surprised. He was looking at the tall masked knight who was leading the group. The masked knight also seemed to be looking at him, and the two looked at each other.

Yan Zifei walked out of the carriage, holding a staff, and looked at everyone. At this moment, Gao Yanzong didn't care about the Warrior Camp anymore, and hurriedly led everyone to pay homage.

Seeing everyone bowing before him in unison, Yan Zifei could hardly hide his joy. He didn't like traveling, but he liked observing festivals very much. This was his first time observing festivals, and it really felt great!

"Get up."

He spoke, and everyone stood up.

Before Gao Yanzong could say anything, Lu Zhuangzhi walked up to Yan Zifei and said, "I am Lu Zhuangzhi, the deputy governor of Dingzhou, and I am here to meet Lord Yan!"

Yan Zifei was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "Ah, it turns out that you are Dr. Lu's son! I have some friendship with your father."

"Yes, when I learned that Lord Yan was coming, I summoned many officials from Dingzhou."

Lu Zhuangzhi smiled and lowered his head, and Feng Xun also hurried forward to greet him.

"Oh! He is Lord Feng's younger brother! We are old friends!"

The three of them were chatting at this moment, and Gao Yanzong was left aside. Gao Yanzong's face changed drastically, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes. He threw the Warrior Camp behind his mind, stepped forward, pushed the two people away, and grabbed Yan Zifei's arm, "Then do you have any friendship with my family?!"

Yan Zi felt pain in her arm and her eyes were full of surprise.

This guy is really strong.

But before he could open his mouth, the warriors beside him suddenly jumped off their horses and surrounded Gao Yanzong. Gao Yanzong looked at Yan Zifei fiercely and prepared to make a one-for-one exchange.

Although it was a serious crime for the princes to violate the staff, Yan Zifei did not dare to order the warriors to pull him away.

These Xianbei people have always been barbaric and do things in an extreme way. If they are not careful, they will drag themselves to death.

He quickly forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, my brother married Princess Huaiyang, so how can he not be considered as a relative of yours?"

Only then did Gao Yanzong let go of his arm.

The people behind him saw this scene and were all speechless.

The group walked towards the city, but Lu Zhuangzhi and Feng Xun walked beside the angel and kept a distance from Gao Yanzong.

Gao Yanzong was riding on a horse, watching this scene, his eyes almost bursting with fire.

He looked at Liu Taozi standing beside him and said, "Brother, I should have listened to you and driven all these people away. I regret trusting the Han people so easily!"

“I am also Han Chinese.”

"I shouldn't have trusted the villain so easily!"

Liu Taozi was speechless this time.

Yao Xiong and Kou Liu followed behind Liu Taozi. They looked at the situation in the distance. Yao Xiong suddenly said, "Brother, I feel something is wrong. Are these people coming for us?"

"Should we send someone to inform Tian Zili and ask him to bring people over?"

Liu Taozi shook her head slightly.

The group entered the city and arrived at the provincial government office.

Yan Zifei held the scepter and sat on the throne. Even King Ande had to sit beside him.

The warriors took over the defense of this place, and both inside and outside were filled with these soldiers who were armed to the teeth and looked ready to take action.

There were a lot of people in the hall. In addition to the officials from the state, there were also officials from the counties and even some scholars and Confucian scholars who had sneaked in. These people occupied the entire inner room. They looked fiercely at King Ande and Liu Taozi who was sitting next to him, most of whom had unfriendly eyes.

Yan Zifei cleared his throat and said, "This time, I was ordered to come to Dingzhou to investigate everything."

Lu Zhuangzhi immediately stood up, his expression excited, and quickly walked to Yan Zifei, bowing to him, "Lord Yan! Many things have happened in this place, and I want to report to you!!"

Yan Zifei was stunned. "Go on."

Lu Zhuangzhi looked at King Ande, bowed to him, and then said: "Your Majesty, please don't think that I am disloyal. It's just that I have advised you many times, but you never listened and just listened to the slander of that Liu Taozi!"

He looked at Yan Zifei again and said loudly: "Mr. Yan, you don't know that after the king took office as the governor, although he was a little erratic and unruly, he never did anything that would harm the local area. He has always been in the palace and the government affairs have been clear and fair. Since the arrival of Liu Taozi, everything has changed! ”

Lu Zhuangzhi pointed at Liu Taozi, looking quite excited.

The people around started to curse.

For a moment, Liu Taozi seemed to be the target of thousands of criticisms.

Yao Xiong and Kou Liu, who were standing behind them, put their hands on the hilts of the knives angrily, but Liu Taozi raised his hand and signaled them to put it down.

Lu Zhuangzhi cursed: "The angel is here, do you still dare to commit murder?!"

"You cruel official, when you came to Boling, you first massacred the Cui family. The Cui family has been virtuous for generations, and their morality is known to everyone in the world. Yet you led your troops to slaughter the entire family!!"

Lu Zhuangzhi raised his head, tears falling continuously.

"Killing the first wife was not enough, you also attacked the second wife. The great Cui family was destroyed by you. You also imprisoned Mr. Cui! You indulged your servants, killed county officials, and persuaded the king to lead the army to kill innocent people."

Not far away, there was a sudden cry. Those were all people with the surname Cui.

Feng Xun saw that he had almost finished speaking, so he quickly stood up and said, "Lord Yan, and the Liu family in Raoyang!"

"A family of Confucianism was harmed by Prince Ande and Liu Taozi. Liu Taozi even instigated Prince Ande to use animals to trample on the plaques written by Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Wenxiang of the previous dynasty!!"

"Of all the Confucian scholars in Raoyang, more than 400 in number, not a single one survived!"

Lu Zhuangzhi continued, "And the Qi family in Anguo!"

"The Sun family of Shenze!"

"The Wang family of Jiumen!"

"The Murong family of Xindu!"

The masked knight standing behind Yan Zifei trembled slightly and seemed to glance at Liu Taozi.

As the two men made their accusations one by one, cries of pain were heard from the surroundings.

The two men gathered many of the victims here and brought them together.

The two of them talked more and more and couldn't stop at all. Their words became more and more intense. They cried and yelled at times, and their emotions were very unstable.

Yan Zifei opened her eyes wide and just listened to their words.

The more he listened, the angrier he became, and the look he gave Liu Taozi became increasingly fierce.

However, Liu Taozi's expression remained calm. He looked at the scene in front of him indifferently without saying a word.

Gao Yanzong's face was filled with rage, and he almost rushed out and beat the two men to death.

I don't know how long they talked, but they finally stopped. Lu Zhuangzhi pointed at the crying people and said to Yan Zifei, "Lord Yan can ask everyone here at will. Everyone who came here today has been bullied and harmed by Liu Taozi!"

He looked at Gao Yanzong again, "Including the king, he was actually harmed by Liu Taozi. He is not a cruel person, it was Liu Taozi who instigated him."

"Mr. Yan can ask."

Yan Zifei looked at the people in front of her. As expected, these people all had great grievances. They appeared one by one, pointing at Liu Taozi, accusing him of crimes, and crying their hearts out.

"He. He. Killed more than twenty people in my family."

One of them could not speak clearly and fainted from crying.

Yan Zifei had a stern face, and his expression was very unsightly. He waved his hand and said, "Alright! No need to say anything more!"

He stood up and slowly walked in front of Liu Taozi. He lowered his head and his face was extremely serious.

"How could you be so vicious! Don't you feel ashamed when facing the rebuke from the wise men?"

Liu Taozi looked at the person in front of her.

"I don't know."

Yan Zi laughed out loud, "Okay, okay, you didn't know. I'll let you know today!"

Gao Yanzong stood up suddenly and said, "If you dare to touch him, I will never forgive you!"

Yan Zifei glanced at him and said, "You have committed so many murders. Do you think you can get away with it? Instead of worrying about others, why not worry about yourself?"

Yan Zifei returned to his seat but did not sit down. He pointed at Liu Taozi and shouted, "Criminal Liu Taozi!!"

"As a county lieutenant, you not only failed to protect the city and the people, but also indulged your subordinates, killing innocent people indiscriminately and committing countless bloody crimes!"

"You still don't repent even now. It shows that you are a cold-blooded and heartless villain!"

"Today, I hold the emperor's seal and inspect the affairs of Dingzhou. I know of your evil deeds and sentence you to death!!!"

"Someone, take down this man's head! Hang it at the east gate!"

"Pfft!!!"

The sharp knife flashed by.

Yan Zifei still maintained the posture of pointing at Liu Taozi.

But his head flew high.

Then it rolled all the way down to Lu Zhuangzhi's front.

Lu Zhuangzhi lowered his head and happened to look at the head.

(End of this chapter)