Minglong

Chapter 171 A letter from home is worth ten thousand dollars

into the night.

The imperial city was brightly lit, and carriages and horses were constantly heading to the palace on the main street. The sound of hooves and wheels was constant, but there was almost no sound of conversation.

Xie Jinhuan stood outside the palace gate, holding an oil-paper umbrella. He understood the scene. When he was born, Emperor Qian had already ascended the throne. For more than ten years, this had been the case every day. Now that the emperor had suddenly passed away, it really gave people the feeling that an era had come to an end.

After Bing Tuotuo took a bath in the afternoon, knowing that the transition between the old and new leaders might cause some turmoil, he rushed back to the Prince's Mansion. As a result, he happened to run into the convoy of Princess Changning and the Crown Prince, who were heading towards the palace.

Although he was granted the title of Marquis of Danyang, his position as a halberd bearer was not revoked. He followed her directly to the capital, and before they could even exchange a word, the princess had already entered the palace.

After waiting for half a day, the rain intensified instead of decreasing, and Liu Qingzhi and the others who had come with them stood near the carriage waiting.

Steward Hou was Dan Wang's bodyguard in his youth, and had actually known Emperor Qian since childhood. Unusually, he didn't spout nonsense at this moment, but instead stroked his chin and mustache, gazing thoughtfully at the palace, pondering—if the emperor dies and the crown prince succeeds, then if the crown prince dies, wouldn't that mean…

Of course, this was just Xie Jinhuan's wild guess. Butler Hou's soul was injured during the witchcraft turmoil, so it's possible that all sorts of bizarre ideas came to mind.

Linghu Qingmo, as the princess's best friend, also accompanied her. Because she did not dare to be too intimate with men in public, she simply stood on the other side of the carriage, flipping through a booklet in her hand.

It had been almost half a month since they last met, and Mo Mo had even changed her outfit. It was a reward from the court for the He family's rebellion. The top was white, embroidered with some cloud patterns. The fabric was soft yet textured, and it should be a 'cloth armor' with considerable defensive capabilities.

The skirt is similar to a horse-face skirt, with a wide hem and embroidered with metallic unicorn patterns. Paired with her already tall figure, she looks heroic and dashing, hmm... a female imperial guard?
Or perhaps she's the icy goddess constable of the Six Doors.

The Goddess Detective was defeated...

Xie Jinhuan felt deep sympathy for the death of Emperor Qian, but his servant, Xiao Baima, had all died at Sanchagang in Weizhou, and the father and son had almost died suddenly. This made it difficult for him to feel grateful to the court. He was just standing here waiting for his kind landlady.

Seeing the dashing female constable Mo Mo secretly looking at something, Xie Jinhuan slowly walked up to her with an umbrella, and secretly glanced at her. He could see that the booklet recorded several newly discovered mummies in other counties. The yamen suspected that they were the work of remnants of the Underworld God Cult, but no clues had been found yet.

Tick ​​tock~
Noticing the soft sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella approaching, Linghu Qingmo raised her eyes and saw her boyfriend getting closer. She glanced around, then her cold, beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, as if to say:

What are you doing coming over here?
What if someone sees this? What if this is an inappropriate situation?

……

Xie Jinhuan was just bored. Seeing Mo Mo's timid and hesitant expression, he leaned closer to her ear and said:

"The dress is so pretty."

"?"

Linghu Qingmo shifted to the side, picked up the booklet and continued looking at it, ignoring him.

But after only a few glances, he noticed a hand reaching out in front of the booklet, holding a white jade tassel hairpin!
The jade hairpin was long and slender, with a soft, white texture and delicate tassels. Although it wasn't particularly ornate, it exuded a cool, ethereal quality that perfectly suited her temperament...

?

Linghu Qingmo blinked, quickly took the hairpin and put it in his pocket, glancing around furtively.

"Why did you buy these? I don't usually wear jewelry, so I don't need them."

"I rushed back to Danyang yesterday to buy this for you. Do you like it?"

"..."

Linghu Qingmo has been spending the last few days with the seemingly useless, sleepy older sister. Whenever she can't win an argument, she flaunts a peony hairpin in front of her, which is quite unsettling. How could he not like the hairpin? He even wants to wear it to the Lin family right now…

"Hmm...not bad. Don't buy it next time. Even if you get a title and have a lot of wealth, you should use the money for cultivation."

"I like you, aren't you going to show it?"

"?"

Linghu Qingmo wanted to express her feelings, but with countless carriages and horses parked around her, and guards and drivers on either side, she couldn't very well pretend not to be angry and let her boyfriend kiss her, could she?
Xie Jinhuan didn't say what it was, but crawled under Mo Mo's umbrella, his eyes serious.

What's the situation with this case?

Seeing that it was about official business, Linghu Qingmo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the booklet, and began to carefully read it:

"Several new mummified corpses have appeared in the Taoist territory. The Imperial Observatory is assisting the government in the investigation, but they can only tell that the murderer's cultivation level is not high. They are also unsure whether the murderer is a remnant of the He family or a newly arrived demon bandit..."

As they were talking, her aloof boyfriend, under the cover of the carriage, subtly moved his hand behind her waist and touched her skirt...

? !
Linghu Qingmo moved his hand to Xie Jinhuan's lower back and twisted his waist forcefully:

"Let go! Say 'Don't be angry,' or you'll face the consequences!"

After Xie Jinhuan's physical enhancement level increased, his resistance also improved accordingly. He was no longer bothered by this minor domestic violence. He carefully examined the case file information and found that there was a lot of information, and it was also soft...

"you……"

Linghu Qingmo blushed, but dared not beat her boyfriend in public. She could only quietly press her hand down, resulting in their fingers intertwined, and they stood hand-in-hand beside the carriage. Linghu Qingmo tried to pull her hand away, but found she couldn't. Helpless, she could only let him hold her hand, pretending to be calm as she continued recounting the case…

After waiting for half an hour, the court officials and dignitaries who had entered the palace began to return one after another.

Linghu Qingmo quickly withdrew his hand to avoid being noticed by passing dignitaries and retainers.

Xie Jinhuan observed from the side and noticed that among the people who came out were many eminent figures from various religions and foreign envoys.

Guo Ziyan, an envoy from the Northern Zhou Dynasty, was walking by not far away, chatting with his accompanying priests with his hands behind his back.

Xie Jinhuan was just wondering how to contact the Northern Zhou, and seeing the Northern Zhou Empress Dowager's uncle, he naturally couldn't miss the opportunity. After a quick look around and seeing that there weren't many people around, he excused himself to use the restroom, moved to a secluded spot, and then emerged from the stable between the two carriages. As if by chance, he went up to greet them:
"Lord Guo? You've come too?"

"Ah~"

Guo Ziyan had already spotted Xie Jinhuan, which was why he deliberately walked towards a secluded spot. He wasn't surprised at all, stroking his beard with a sigh.

"Emperor Qian reigned for twenty years. As an outsider, I cannot presume to comment on his achievements. However, the Southern Dynasty was indeed peaceful and prosperous, with countless talented individuals like 'Young Master Xie' under his command. He truly deserves to be called a wise ruler. His death in his prime is something our Empress Dowager must regret..."

The way he pronounced "Young Master Xie" and "Empress Dowager" was quite pronounced.

Xie Jinhuan could tell from the slightly sarcastic tone that Guo Ziyan knew something, but he didn't say it outright. Instead, he probed:

"I can't call myself a genius. My achievements today are inseparable from the help of my 'former benefactors'..."

Guo Ziyan nodded slightly, indicating that they both understood each other perfectly.

Guo Ziyan was initially unaware of Xie Jinhuan's situation; it was only after Xie Jinhuan gained fame in Huaijiang Bay that he sent intelligence to Yanjing.

As a result, the Empress Dowager replied, informing him that Xie Wen was now serving as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Justice in Yanjing, and also mentioned that he had some past relationship with Xie Jinhuan, asking him to give Xie Jinhuan a letter.

Because of communication delays between the two locations, the banquet at Qian Palace had already ended by the time he received the message!

Guo Ziyan couldn't figure out why the talented man from the enemy state, who had berated him like a grandson, was an official in Yanjing.

They couldn't understand what past relationship the Empress Dowager had with this incomparably handsome young man.

Xie Jinhuan clearly regarded him as an enemy, and he couldn't very well try to win her over.

Therefore, he could only make up some completely unbelievable rumors on the spot and spread them so that Xie Jinhuan would come to apologize to him!

The Guo family was able to rise to prominence because of the merits their ancestors made in protecting the country during the chaos of the witchcraft cult, and four empresses were produced within a hundred years.

However, after three hundred years of rule, the Northern Zhou Dynasty was nearing the end of its life, and various chaotic phenomena emerged. Since the death of the previous emperor, the three-year-old child emperor had ascended the throne. Although the Northern Zhou was quite powerful, it was already showing signs of national destruction, with power slipping away, regional warlords establishing their own regimes, and princes plotting their own rebellion.

At this time, the eldest daughter of the Guo family returned, claiming to be the legitimate daughter of the Guo family. Guo Ziyan had no idea where she came from, but the head of the family accepted her.

Then, relying on her connections in the court, this woman ascended to the position of Empress Dowager under the pretext of "the younger sister supporting the orphan of her elder sister" and began to rule from behind the curtain.

Next came the bloodbath in Yanjing, the pacification of the princes, and the sweeping of the northern deserts. Over the years, the internal affairs were thoroughly cleansed, and the grassland royal court was terrified at the mere mention of his name. The only external enemy left was the Southern Dynasty, which, to be honest, was also on high alert.

Such a ruthless queen would never fall for a wild boy like Xie Jinhuan. No one would believe the rumors if they were spread, and with the Empress Dowager's domineering personality, she wouldn't care about such gossip.

But Xie Jinhuan was reported for having an affair with the Empress Dowager of Northern Zhou. Feeling guilty, he must be anxious, right? After all, his father is in Northern Zhou's hands!
Hey! Guess what happened next?

Xie Jinhuan's reaction was incredibly unwavering, as if his father didn't exist. He continued to help the Southern Dynasty slay demons and monsters, even leading people to besiege the Sifang Pavilion, achieving unparalleled merit, and being granted a noble title. He was just short of leading troops to launch a northern expedition.

Guo Ziyan had no idea what Xie Jinhuan meant. Xie Jinhuan was extremely busy and would fall asleep as soon as he finished, so they were only meeting now!
Seeing Xie Jinhuan take the initiative to approach him, his arrogant demeanor from the banquet at Qian Palace was gone, and he even brought up their past relationship, Guo Ziyan knew that this boy understood something!

Surrounded by many eyes and ears, Guo Ziyan said nothing. He slipped a letter from his sleeve, quietly handed it to Xie Jinhuan, then took his leave, led his team away, and boarded his carriage.

After confirming that no one was paying attention, Xie Jinhuan discreetly approached the carriages, opened the well-sealed letter, and glanced at it:

Xiao Deng! It's good that you're alive. Your father is living a comfortable life here, he's a high-ranking official...

The Empress Dowager is a true saint. She told you not to be afraid, and that if you were to return after mastering your skills, she would definitely keep her promise; otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to come back alive...

How's your Uncle Fei doing? Come on over, bring that old rascal along too, and Da Biaozi too. Dad finally got to be a fifth-rank official, but it's a shame there's no one to drink and brag with…

I heard that Bird Deng has grown up. Is it still all dark and eating whatever it catches...?

Has Princess Changning taken a liking to you? You've got some ambition, kid! Come over here and let your father pay his respects...

Have you met the leader of Zihui Mountain? She's your 'dream wife,' I heard she's still unmarried. Now that you've grown up, you'd better seize the opportunity...

……

(End of this chapter)