Catching Monsters

Chapter 304 You just have a cold face
"Brother Jiang, you don't seem very satisfied with this news?" Yang Liunian asked, staring at Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun said in a deep voice, "This doesn't sound good."

“What’s wrong?” Yang Liunian asked with some confusion, “So many nobles and military generals have come forward, along with the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion. Even Madam Tao Yuelan went to the imperial court and mentioned that the old Duke of Zhenguo, Xu Dingwu, was protecting you.”

"Isn't this nice?"

Jiang Yun remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Yes, with so many military generals and the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion involved, His Majesty still hasn't agreed to release me. This shows that His Majesty also approves of killing me to quell the anger of the Demon Kingdom."

These words left Yang Liunian speechless, unsure how to comfort Jiang Yun. He simply patted Jiang Yun's shoulder and said, "Don't worry too much. If all else fails, don't forget there's still a tunnel."

Running away is the worst possible option.

Jiang Yun certainly wouldn't choose this path easily, but how can they break the deadlock now?

Qin Shujian suggested in a low voice, "Master, isn't Ao Yu also from the Demon Kingdom? What if she steps in to protect you?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun's eyes flashed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Go back to the Sanqing Temple and bring Ao Yu to the Imperial Prison immediately. I have something to say to her."

"Alright." Qin Shujian knew that this matter was of great importance and dared not delay. He quickly turned around and left, heading towards the Sanqing Temple.

……

It was morning, outside the outer city of the capital, outside the courtyard where Ye Xiuyuan lived, Xiao Yuzheng, dressed in casual clothes, followed by Feng Yu, arrived at the gate.

Feng Yu knocked on the door, then pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in with Xiao Yuzheng.

Ye Xiuyuan was planting many fruits and vegetables in the yard. He was carrying water and wearing a straw hat. He looked no different from an ordinary old farmer in the countryside.

It seemed somewhat out of place in this bustling capital city.

Hearing the noise, Ye Xiuyuan turned to look at Xiao Yuzheng and Feng Yu and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you go to the pavilion in the bamboo forest and rest for a while? I'll come over after I've finished these things."

Within the capital, the only person who could make Xiao Yuzheng wait like this is probably Ye Xiuyuan.

Xiao Yuzheng did not show any anger on his face. Instead, he smiled and nodded, then led Feng Yu to the pavilion to rest, watching Ye Xiuyuan working diligently with his head down.

After working for a long time, Ye Xiuyuan, drenched in sweat, sat down opposite Xiao Yuzheng, holding a straw hat and fanning himself. "Your Majesty, I've kept you waiting. Farm work is different from other tasks. As the weather gets hotter, we need to fertilize and water the crops. This cannot be delayed, or the harvest will be poor."

Xiao Yuzheng smiled and nodded, without any intention of blaming him. Instead, he said, "Mr. Ye has come to the capital and has no shortage of food and clothing, yet he is so dedicated to his work. My ministers should really learn from him."

Ye Xiuyuan waved his hand modestly: "Hey, what's there to learn? They're all concerned with national affairs, how could they bother with such trivial matters?"

He then asked, "Your Majesty, has Your Majesty come here because there is news of the meteorite?"

Xiao Yuzheng smiled faintly and said, "That meteorite should be auctioned tomorrow night. Mr. Ye doesn't need to worry about that. Within the capital, no one can take away what I want."

"I've come here for another matter. You must have heard about the commotion in the inner city yesterday?"

"The dragon's roar last night?" Ye Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Xiao Yuzheng took a deep breath and slowly recounted the whole matter. After he finished speaking, he said, "I am also very hesitant about this matter."

“Killing Jiang Yun would be impossible to explain to the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion. Besides, Jiang Yun killed Ao Qing, which can be considered as having a reason.”

"But if we release Jiang Yun like this, how will I decide what to do when the Demon Kingdom has to explain itself? If this matter is not resolved quickly, I will be unable to eat or sleep in peace."

"Eat some melon, eat some melon, I grew them myself." Upon hearing this, Ye Xiuyuan turned around and took out two cucumbers from inside the house, placing them in front of Xiao Yuzheng: "These cucumbers are slightly sour and bitter at first, but after a few more bites, you can taste their sweetness."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Ye means that although this matter seems difficult to handle, it could also be extremely beneficial if handled well?"

Ye Xiuyuan was taken aback: "Did I say that? Your Majesty, this is typical intellectual thinking. You like to analyze everything."

"Of course, as the Emperor of Zhou, it is only natural that you have many concerns."

"But for ordinary people like me, things are much simpler."

"Why don't we figure out what the Demon Kingdom's attitude is before deciding how to deal with Jiang Yun?"

"If the Demon Kingdom doesn't care much about Ao Qing's death, then we'll go along with the Duke of Zhenguo's wishes and release Jiang Yun."

"If the demon kingdom is particularly angry about Ao Qing's death, and even sends demon soldiers to attack, then kill Jiang Yun."

"It's such a simple thing, but you guys always complicate simple things."

Standing behind Xiao Yuzheng, Feng Yu forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty is busy with many affairs every day, and they are all of great importance. That's why you have developed the good habit of planning carefully before acting."

However, Xiao Yuzheng shook his head slightly and quickly stood up, saying, "Feng Yu, return to the palace immediately and summon Hu Zhifeng from the Demon Kingdom."

"I want to ask what the Demon Kingdom's attitude is."

"Yes."

Watching the two turn and leave in a hurry, Ye Xiuyuan couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, you can still have some melon before you go..."

……

In the imperial prison.

Ao Yu was sitting across from Jiang Yun, eating the meat bun that Qin Shujian had bought for her. "Is it good?"

Ao Yu stuffed a meat bun into his mouth and nodded repeatedly, "Delicious."

Jiang Yun looked at Qin Shujian outside the prison and said, "Go buy two more baskets of steamed buns for Ao Yu."

"Okay, Master." Upon seeing this, Qin Shujian immediately went to buy it as ordered.

"Eat while you listen to me," Jiang Yun said slowly, taking a deep breath. "Miss Ao, didn't you lose your memory? Have you been very curious about your identity?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Yu paused for a moment while eating her steamed bun, then looked up and asked, "Yeah, I asked you before, but you said you didn't know what I did..."

Ao Yu was naturally curious about her own identity and had asked Jiang Yun about it many times.

However, Jiang Yun, in the past, could never have told the truth...

But given the current situation, not saying anything is not an option.

Jiang Yun smiled and said in a deep voice, "Miss Ao, I've treated you pretty well, haven't I? Look, after you lost your memory, I let you stay at the Sanqing Temple and even bought you a lot of food..."

"It's alright." Ao Yu stared at Jiang Yun warily and asked, "What do you want to do?"

“That’s right, you are actually a demon…” Jiang Yun said in a deep voice, “and your identity is not ordinary. You are the daughter of the Demon Emperor of the Eastern Demon Kingdom.”

Upon hearing these words, Ao Yu's steamed bun suddenly lost its appeal and fell to the ground.

Jiang Yun continued, "The demonic dragon that came before and tried to kill you was named Ao Qing. I don't know what conflict you had, but I killed him..."

"at the moment……"

Listening to Jiang Yun's incessant chatter, Ao Yu found his talk about the Eastern Demon Kingdom and his own dragon status incredibly novel.

After listening, Ao Yu nodded and said, "I understand. You want me to go to the palace, find His Majesty the Emperor, and, in the name of the Eastern Demon Kingdom, say that you will not be held responsible for killing Ao Qing."

Jiang Yun nodded repeatedly: "That's right, Miss Ao really understands things very quickly."

Upon hearing this, Ao Yu frowned and couldn't help but ask, "But I don't remember anything. What if your Emperor asks me and I give myself away?"

"It's okay, just keep a straight face and keep your words brief..."

"I'll have Xu Suwen accompany you later..."

……

Inside the imperial study, Feng Yu stood beside Xiao Yuzheng, paying close attention.

Inside the room, Hu Zhifeng was sitting opposite Xiao Yuzheng, his expression unfriendly.

Although Feng Yu is far stronger than Hu Zhifeng, at such close range, if this fellow were to suddenly make a move, there is still a possibility that he could injure His Majesty.

Feng Yu had no choice but to stare intently at the other person.

Xiao Yuzheng looked much more relaxed. He smiled and said, "Mr. Hu, you have come all the way from the Demon Kingdom. It must have been a long and bumpy journey. I should have met you long ago, but I have been too busy to find the time."

Hu Zhifeng spoke slowly and coldly, “Your Majesty, we demons don’t like to beat around the bush; we prefer to be direct.”

"Your Embroidered Uniform Guard killed Lord Ao Qing without cause. I have already sent word back to the Demon Kingdom about this matter."

"Your Zhou Kingdom court must give an explanation to His Majesty the Demon Emperor."

Hearing Hu Zhifeng's words, Xiao Yuzheng's smile remained unchanged. He personally got up to pour him a cup of tea and said slowly, "Mr. Hu, please don't be angry. There must be some misunderstanding in this matter."

"What misunderstanding could there be?" Hu Zhifeng said aggressively, "Lord Ao Qing is just a little unruly, but not a bad person at heart. Although he attacked the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, he did not harm Madam Tao or Xu Suwen of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

"It was just killing some servants and men."

"Just because of this, he was cruelly murdered by your Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Xiao Yuzheng, still with a slight smile, said, "Lord Hu, do you think there's any room for negotiation on this matter?"

Hu Zhifeng was silent for a moment before speaking in a much gentler tone: "In my opinion, we need to hand over the real culprit who killed Lord Ao Qing and let our demon kingdom deal with him."

"Secondly, this alone is probably not enough to quell the Demon Emperor's anger. We must also compensate the Demon Emperor for the meteorite in the capital..."

"I'll try to mediate for you again; perhaps His Majesty the Demon Emperor can calm down."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng fell silent...

He did not answer Hu Zhifeng's question.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door of the Imperial Study, and soon a eunuch entered.

"Speak, what is it?" Feng Yu asked.

The eunuch respectfully reported, "Xu Suwen from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has arrived, accompanied by a woman. She claims that the woman's name is Ao Yu, a high-ranking figure from the Demon Kingdom, who has come to handle this matter on behalf of the Demon Kingdom..."

(End of this chapter)