Catching Monsters

Chapter 448 North and South Post Stations

Jiang Yun wasn't surprised by Li Wangxin's reaction; it was obvious that Li Wangxin also vaguely knew something about the Holy Tomb.

After giving his instructions, Li Wangxin said to Jiang Yun, "Alright, don't just sit around. No matter what, we have to find a way to capture Tuoba Anyi."

Then, Li Wangxin also became somewhat uneasy. He put his hands behind his back and reminded Jiang Yun, "Jiang Yun, I know that you and Tuoba Anyi are sworn brothers..."

"At worst..."

Li Wangxin paused, stared at Jiang Yun, and said in a deep voice, "You also need to take back what he has, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun was stunned and quickly explained, "Lord Li, it seems that you may have some misunderstanding about the relationship between me and Tuoba Anyi."

“Alright, this concerns the Sacred Tomb, so it is a major matter.” Li Wangxin then paused and reminded Jiang Yun, “Also, don’t let too many people know about the Sacred Tomb. You know the answer in your own heart.”

"I understand."

After leaving the Northern Garrison Command, Jiang Yun also took a transfer order for 500 men from the Northern Garrison Command. He first found Qi Da and handed the order to him.

Then Zidane was put in charge of making the arrangements.

At the same time, Li Wangxin rushed back to the palace without stopping.

When Li Wangxin arrived at the door of the Imperial Study, he happened to see Feng Yu standing outside. He was slightly puzzled and went up to him, saying, "Eunuch Feng, please go in and inform His Majesty that I have something important to discuss with him."

Feng Yu frowned and said in a low voice, "Let's talk about it later. His Majesty has important matters to attend to inside."

Seeing Feng Yu's strange expression, Li Wangxin's expression changed slightly, and he asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"His Majesty is not in a good mood." Feng Yu took a deep breath and did not say anything more.

Meanwhile, inside the imperial study, Xiao Yuzheng, dressed in a dragon robe, sat in a chair, but his complexion looked rather off.

Beside him, Mr. Ye Xiuyuan, dressed in a simple plain shirt, sat down.

The two had been chatting for almost an hour, covering everything from astronomy and geography to historical anecdotes.

At this moment, Xiao Yuzheng slowly said, "Mr. Ye, you are knowledgeable in astronomy and history. I have a question that I have been wanting to ask you. I hope you can give me some advice?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiuyuan thought to himself, "His Majesty has finally gotten down to business. He's been chatting with me here for almost an hour, but we still haven't gotten to the point."

Ye Xiuyuan said slowly, "I am willing to hear the details. If it can relieve His Majesty's worries, that would be the best."

"My two princes, in your opinion, which one is more suitable to be the crown prince?" Xiao Yuzheng asked in a deep voice.

Why is Xiao Yuzheng still unable to appoint a crown prince?

The main reason is that his three sons are all somewhat special.

Of course, the Eighth Prince was still quite young, and his relationship with both the civil and military factions in the court was not very good.

The Eighth Prince is definitely out of the question.

And the eldest prince, the fourth prince...

The eldest prince has the strong support of the civil service, and there has been a long-standing tradition of primogeniture.

The key issue is that the fourth prince has the support of military generals and nobles.

If the position of crown prince is forcibly handed over to the eldest prince.

It was fine when I was still alive.

If he dies.

I still vividly remember how I rose to power.

And the key issue is...

According to the information Xiao Yuzheng possessed, the fourth prince, Xiao Jingfu, was already secretly contacting some officials and forming cliques for personal gain.

Logically speaking, this has crossed Xiao Yuzheng's bottom line and he should definitely be severely punished.

But the eldest prince was no better off. He was also actively contacting important officials in the capital and even secretly sending letters to various princes and provincial governors.

As their health deteriorated, their desire for each other intensified.

This problem, like a hot potato, was thrown into Ye Xiuyuan's hands.

However, Ye Xiuyuan smiled and replied calmly, "Your Majesty, such an important question is one I should answer..."

Xiao Yuzheng knew that Ye Xiuyuan was aware of the sensitivity of this matter, so he interrupted his preamble: "Mr. Ye, please speak freely. In the capital, you have no dealings with either civil officials or military generals."

"Your judgment is the most accurate."

Ye Xiuyuan opened his mouth slightly, but found it difficult to speak...

Seeing this, Xiao Yuzheng asked in a deep voice, "Mr. Ye, is there something else you're worried about?"

"I wouldn't say I have any concerns..." Ye Xiuyuan said slowly, "It's just..."

At least in Ye Xiuyuan's eyes, neither the eldest prince nor the fourth prince, in terms of personality and temperament, would be a qualified emperor...

But how could you say such a thing in front of Xiao Yuzheng?

Therefore, we can only use a more tactful and emotionally intelligent way of saying it.

"In my opinion, the First Prince and the Fourth Prince are far inferior to His Majesty... Neither of them can match even half of His Majesty's abilities..."

"Therefore, I am unable to make a better judgment."

Hearing Ye Xiuyuan's words, Xiao Yuzheng sighed deeply: "How could I not know this? But to demand that they meet the standards of a ruler who has worked so hard and encouraged them, a standard that is too harsh."

Ye Xiuyuan: "..."

After pondering for a moment, Ye Xiuyuan said, "If I were to make a recommendation, it would be His Highness the Fourth Prince."

"At least with the support of military officers and nobles, there shouldn't be any major trouble."

After listening, Xiao Yuzheng also fell into deep thought.

Ye Xiuyuan slowly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, please take some rest..."

Xiao Yuzheng quickly got up to see Ye Xiuyuan out.

Ye Xiuyuan is a man of great talent. His previous proposals for merging land and poll taxes have been implemented at the local level for some time.

Of course, there is enormous resistance at the lower levels, and only a few regions are able to forcefully push forward with it.

However, in the areas where the policy was implemented, taxes increased by 20% to 30% compared to before. Xiao Yuzheng knew that his time was running out, and if he wanted to promote it nationwide, he could only rely on the next monarch to use forceful measures.

After personally seeing Ye Xiuyuan off, Feng Yu and Li Wangxin, who were waiting outside, entered the Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report." After entering the study, Li Wangxin glanced around and said in a deep voice, "Bai Ying is here too, right?"

From a chair placed in the empty corner, came the voice of a white figure: "Nonsense."

Li Wangxin took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, the map of the Holy Tomb has appeared."

"A map of the Holy Tomb." Upon hearing this news, Xiao Yuzheng slowly narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Li Wangxin, and said slowly, "Is the information accurate?"

"kindness."

Xiao Yuzheng closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and said to Bai Ying, "Have Eunuch Feng send someone to the three southwestern provinces."

"The Imperial Seal of the State must be retrieved as soon as possible!"

Why has Xiao Yuzheng been so concerned about the Imperial Seal of the State?

He even went so far as to leave his elder brother's soul behind and torment him for nearly thirty years, interrogating him about the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal of the State.
Because that is the thing that can lead to the Holy Tomb!
……

Jiang Yun finally had some free time and returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to rest.

All the servants and maids from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion have died. Xu Xiaogang specially selected some old soldiers from the Zhenchi Army who were not young, unmarried, or disabled, and sent them back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to live out their old age.

In addition, he bought some clever and quick-witted maids in the capital.

However, as soon as Jiang Yun returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, he was stopped by someone. It was Xu Suwen who heard the news and brought him inside.

On the way, Xu Suwen turned around with a smile and said, "Look at you, how long has it been since you came home? Now the new servants at home don't even recognize you."

"Tell me about yourself, lately whenever you leave the capital, you never give me any definite news."

I don't know if the several new clothes I made for you will fit.

He then led Jiang Yun to his courtyard, and from the cabinet in the room, he took out several sets of clothes that he had carefully stored and folded, and handed them to Jiang Yun to see.

The colors of these clothes are all rather subdued, but the fabrics used are all top-quality.

Jiang Yun reached out and touched it, then said with a smile, "It shouldn't be too different. I'll try it first."

As she spoke, Jiang Yun took the clothes and went inside, while Xu Suwen stood outside and said to Jiang Yun through the wall, "Recently, the Confucian scholars from the academy even came to our Duke's mansion to praise Qiaoqiao for being clever and quick-witted, even more intelligent than many of the students who specialize in studying at their academy."

"My mother is considering whether to invite a great scholar to take Qiaoqiao as his disciple..."

Jiang Yun, who was trying on clothes inside, pushed open the door. To be honest, after changing into a brand new set of clothes, the fierce and menacing aura of the Imperial Guards disappeared quite a bit.

Instead, he looked like a handsome young master, only his hair was a bit messy and he hadn't had time to comb it.

"It fits fairly well, right? Quick, try on the rest." Xu Suwen said.

Jiang Yun turned around to change her clothes and said, "The academy is just praising Qiaoqiao because of the Duke's mansion, don't take it seriously..."

"If a great Confucian scholar were to take Qiaoqiao as his apprentice, I wonder how much money he would have to give her."

Xu Suwen, leaning against the wall, rolled her eyes at Jiang Yun through the wall: "The great Confucian scholars of the academy all have extraordinary minds. You can't fathom their level with your own thoughts. You can't buy them off with money."

Jiang Yun pushed open the door and changed his clothes again: "I am also a third-rank Grand Celestial Master, have you forgotten? I will take anyone who spends tens of thousands of taels of silver as my disciple."

“You’re a greedy wretch,” Xu Suwen chuckled, then added, “But Qiaoqiao’s presence at the academy isn’t entirely due to the Duke’s mansion’s influence.”

“You are now the Commander of the Eastern Garrison, and she is the sister of the Commander of the Eastern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In the entire academy, you can count the number of students who dare to offend her on one hand.”

"By the way, are you not busy? My mother often talks about how she hasn't seen you in a long time." Xu Suwen said, her face slightly flushed.

Tao Yuelan was getting on in years, and she was thinking that since the war was going well at the front, she would arrange the wedding of Jiang Yun and Xu Suwen when Xu Xiaogang returned victorious from the front.

It's a double happiness.

However, we definitely need to ask Jiang Yun's opinion on this matter.

If Jiang Yun were still just a junior officer or captain in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, their Duke's Mansion could have decided on his own.

Although Jiang Yun is still somewhat unaware of it, he is now considered a powerful and influential figure in the capital.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun replied, "Later? Sure."

"Besides, my mother wants us to finalize our marriage arrangements as soon as possible," Xu Suwen said.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun smiled and said, "Okay, that's a good thing."

"However, I must first ask the Three Pure Ones..."

Taoist sects do not restrict their disciples from getting married, but there are some special rules before marriage.

Unlike ordinary people, a Taoist's wedding must be held in the Sanqing Temple and witnessed by the Three Pure Ones.

Furthermore, they also have the awareness of offering incense to gods, worshiping heaven and earth deities, ancestors, and Taoist spirits.

It is much more complicated than the traditional wedding in the Zhou Kingdom.

Of course, Jiang Yun was familiar with all these rituals and procedures.

In his previous life, he was a celestial master and officiated at his fellow disciples' weddings quite a few times.

……

On an official road running from south to north in the Zhou Kingdom, a small caravan was traveling along the uneven road.

This caravan, consisting of ten wagons, was transporting a large quantity of silk northward.

At this time, the caravan was about to pass through a post station called Nanbeiyi.

As its name suggests, this post station was located in the central part of the Zhou Kingdom, and most caravans traveling from south to north would pass through here.

After passing through here, you will officially be moving from the south to the north.

This post station was far larger than any ordinary small post station.

It resembled a miniature town, with more than twenty houses and residences lining both sides of the official road. Most caravans would undergo routine checks here when passing through.

Inside one of the caravan's carriages, Tuoba Anyi was resting with his eyes closed when he suddenly stopped. The driver rushed in and whispered, "Chief, someone ahead wants to check us."

(End of this chapter)