Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 594 Marquis Qingyang, have you ever met Wang Mengxi?
The Prefectural Governor's Office of Donghan County.

In the backyard, Liu Peiyuan, the acting prefect, and Zhao Defang, the prefectural assistant, sat facing each other.

In the front hall, the guests were making a great commotion. Familiar officials of Donghan County, heads of aristocratic families, and leaders of major martial arts sects were all gathered around the newly appointed garrison commander of Donghan County, Marquis Zhang Yuan of Qingyang.

The acting prefect Liu Peiyuan and the prefectural assistant Zhao Defang also accompanied the Marquis of Qingyang, warmly receiving the guests, and for a time the host and guests were all happy.

"This is the Marquis of Qingyang, this is the method of the Zhen Tian Division..." Zhao Defang looked up, a hint of emotion on his face.

“If Marquis Qingyang wanted to kill you or me, he could do so without anyone noticing.” Liu Peiyuan shook his head, his face showing dejection.

Liu Peiyuan was no man without ability; he rose step by step from a seventh-rank county magistrate to the head of a prefecture.

Unfortunately, this is the Eastern Territory.

In the end, Liu Peiyuan succumbed to the allure of power and wealth, losing himself in the process.

Just now, when he was about to abandon everything and quietly leave Donghan County, he was stopped by the people of Qingyang Marquis.

He had no choice but to mount his horse and, together with the officials of Donghan County and the heads of aristocratic families, gallop out of the city, welcoming the Marquis of Qingyang into the city with a smile on his face.

Then, he watched the fake Liu Peiyuan chatting and laughing in the front hall, while he and Zhao Defang sat there.

Turning to look at Zhao Defang, Liu Peiyuan suddenly smiled: "Actually, I should thank Marquis Qingyang. Otherwise, I, Liu Peiyuan, would already be a dead soul under your brother Zhao's sword, wouldn't I?"

The master of Tingyu Tower is a martial arts grandmaster at the Dragon Elephant Realm, skilled in both Confucianism and martial arts. If it weren't for the people from the Zhen Tian Division revealing Zhao Defang's identity, Liu Peiyuan would never have imagined that this Prefect of Donghan County was hiding his true identity so deeply.

The Tingyu Tower, an obscure name in the martial arts world, is actually an assassin organization that spans the borders of four countries.

The Prefect of Donghan County, a fourth-rank official in the Qin Dynasty, was actually the leader of an assassin organization.

A moment later, Zhang Yuan, the Marquis of Qingyang, dressed in a black robe with a qilin design, walked into the back hall with his hands behind his back.

Behind Zhang Yuan, two figures dressed in the robes of fourth-rank officials were clearly Liu Peiyuan and Zhao Defang.

Zhang Yuan walked to the table and sat down, saying calmly, "Just now in the front hall, Lord Liu agreed to my request to stay and continue serving as the Prefectural Magistrate of Donghan County."

“As for you, Prefect Zhao,” Zhang Yuan looked at Zhao Defang, “you have accepted the post of governor arranged by me.”

"There is a file in the Black Ice Tower that records the crimes of Donghan County officials buying and selling official positions, abusing their power for personal gain, as well as the crimes of powerful families who tyrannically seized local lands."

Did the person in the front hall agree?
Liu Peiyuan glanced at the fake Liu Peiyuan who looked so real, and lowered his head slightly.

Even he himself didn't know who was real and who was fake at this point.

With his gaze fixed on the front hall, Zhang Yuan spoke calmly, "My lords, will you two walk out through this door, or will they?"

Looking at the two people behind Zhang Yuan, Liu Peiyuan and Zhao Defang exchanged a glance.

Such a method, which not only changes one's appearance but also perfectly alters one's aura, is probably only possessed by the Zhen Tian Division.

In other words, if they do not submit to Marquis Qingyang today, then these two will be the ones to leave this place.

Zhao Defang straightened his clothes and bowed to Zhang Yuan: "Lord Qingyang, rest assured, Zhao Defang will do his utmost to cleanse the officialdom of Donghan County of powerful families for you."

Liu Peiyuan's expression changed slightly as he bowed to Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan chuckled and nodded, stood up, and walked out of the back hall. Zhao Defang, one of the two figures behind him, suddenly turned around and looked at Liu Peiyuan.

“Brother Liu, from now on we will still serve under the Marquis.” Zhao Defang bowed deeply to Liu Peiyuan. “I hope you will not hold today’s disagreement against us.”

"Zhao Defang hereby guarantees that from today onwards, he will never again plot against Brother Liu."

Liu Peiyuan was startled and stared blankly up at the sky.

Beside him, Zhao Defang, who had been accompanying him in the back hall, had now transformed into the faceless commander of the Shadow Guard and walked straight out of the back hall with another member of the Shadow Division.

"Brother Liu, don't you understand? This is what makes Marquis Qingyang so terrifying."

Zhao Defang looked at Liu Peiyuan and said in a low voice, "For example, right now, neither of us dares to believe whether the other party's identity is real or fake."

“From now on, if our actions fail to satisfy Marquis Qingyang, we can die quietly without anyone knowing.” Liu Peiyuan nodded, his palms sweating profusely.

Just as Zhao Defang in front of him said, he no longer knew whether the Zhao Defang in front of him was the real Zhao Defang.

The methods of the Marquis of Qingyang are truly terrifying.

In the side garden of the prefectural government, in front of the wing room, Young Master Tao looked at Zhang Yuan with curiosity.

"Given your methods, you prefer to be straightforward, so why did you spare Liu Peiyuan and Zhao Defang's lives this time?"

"For their crimes, they deserve to die ten times over."

Young Master Tao arrived in Donghan County ahead of time, and the evidence he had gathered against Liu Peiyuan and Zhao Defang was quite substantial.

Looking at the pond in the garden, Zhang Yuan said, "Wang Qinian sent me a message saying that Zhao Xun, who founded Tingyu Tower, has a background with the Shadow Division."

"Furthermore, for the officials and aristocratic families of Donghan County, the fact that Liu Peiyuan and Zhao Defang are still alive is what keeps them up at night."

Young Master Tao was slightly taken aback, then nodded gently.

It wasn't just the three kingdoms of Qi, Zhao, and Wei that longed for chaos in the eastern border.

————————————————————

The Eastern Han County is in chaos.

On the second day after the Marquis of Qingyang was ordered to take charge of Donghan County, Liu Peiyuan, the former acting prefect and current Sima of Donghan County, led 800 Black Riders of the Black Ice Guard to arrest the heads of nine prominent families in the county, including the Tu, Sun, and Guo families. He also mobilized 8,000 border troops and patrol guards and sealed off the three prefectures.

On the other side, Prefect Zhao Defang, carrying evidence of corruption by officials of the River Conservancy Office, led a thousand guards straight to the Jiuchuan River, where all the officials of the River Conservancy Office were imprisoned.

As soon as the government took action, more than thirty aristocratic families, led by the Lu family of Donghan County, began to relinquish their farmland, mines, and medicinal herbs. Other aristocratic families that could not follow suit severed ties with them.

Dongyun Pavilion and dozens of other martial arts sects handed over hundreds of spies and agents from the three kingdoms of Eastern Wei, Qi, and Zhao to the county government's military garrison.

More than fifty battalions of border troops stationed in Donghan County actively cooperated with the county government, carried out internal training, and assembled a large army to block the border.

Donghan County has become unfamiliar to its people.

The city of Donghan County, the Donggu Tower.

On the third floor of the pavilion, a middle-aged scholar dressed in a blue Confucian robe looked out the window with curiosity on his face.

"Teacher, this Marquis of Qingyang clearly didn't do anything after arriving in the county seat, so why has Donghan County changed so much?"

Upon hearing his words, the elderly man, with white hair and beard and dressed in a moon-white scholar's robe, sat by the window and chuckled.

"He didn't do much himself, but he had people working for him."

"Liu Peiyuan and Zhao Defang have both been in Donghan County for many years, and they are in cahoots with the powerful families and officials. Everyone knows them inside and out."

"Compared to the ruthless cruelty of the Marquis of Qingyang, the officials and powerful families of Donghan County are actually more afraid of Liu Peiyuan and Zhao Defang's betrayal..."

People who betray their own kind are more insane and ruthless than outsiders.

The middle-aged scholar nodded and said in a low voice, "I only thought this Marquis of Qingyang was decisive in killing, but I didn't expect him to be so cunning in politics..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but looked up towards the doorway.

At the entrance, Zhang Yuan, dressed in a black martial arts robe with the Autumn Cold Blade at his waist, walked in with his hands behind his back.

"Sir, it's those two. They came in and immediately asked for a private room by the window. They were talking suspiciously, with a strong Qi accent. They're probably not good people. The manager told me to go to the yamen to report them to the authorities right away..." Behind Zhang Yuan followed a waiter with an indignant expression.

Zhang Yuan's gaze fell on the white-robed old man. He raised his hand to stop the waiter from speaking and said loudly, "Grandmaster Yao Baiyue of Caiwei Academy has come to Donghan County in person. It should be I who host a banquet to invite him."

The old man chuckled and turned to look at Zhang Yuan, saying softly, "Lord Qingyang, have you met Wang Mengxi?"

(End of this chapter)