Minglong

Chapter 253 The speaker may not have meant anything by it, but the listener may have taken it to heart.

At noon, the group boarded carriages and left the Taichang Temple office.

As the landlady, Zhao Ling had originally planned to use her status to support Xie Jinhuan and prevent Lü Yan from taking advantage of his home turf to make things difficult for him. However, she was completely useless from beginning to end, and now she could only sigh:
"Although Chen Chi is not well-known among the major sect leaders, he is quite fair in his dealings and lives up to his reputation as the leader of the righteous path in Northern Zhou."

The fair-skinned and beautiful Da Duoduo sat with Xie Jinhuan by the window, helping him massage his shoulders and back.

"It's all thanks to Young Master Xie's strong reputation. If it were anyone else, no one would believe that Lü Yan had any connection with the evil Taoists; but if Young Master Xie said this, I reckon even Lü Yan himself would have to think about it secretly..."

"Too."

Zhao Ling leaned against the small couch, her legs bent, resting her cheek on her hand, and asked curiously:
"Does Lü Yanzhen really have connections with the sorcerer?"

Xie Jinhuan was also pondering this matter, and shook his head at the suggestion:
"So many coincidences have happened in Lishan in a row. Ninety-nine percent of the time, someone is behind it. But judging from Lü Yan's reaction of being so focused on the family heirloom, it doesn't seem like he has anything to do with the evil Taoists. I guess he was tricked by someone with all the power behind the scenes using some method."

Zhao Ling nodded slightly and sighed softly:

"My father sent me here to check on the situation at the top of the Northern Zhou court and whether Empress Dowager Guo will send troops. It seems that the Northern Zhou is secretly more chaotic than the Great Qian Dynasty. Empress Dowager Guo is overwhelmed by the evil sects' instigation and the court's factional strife, and she certainly can't wage war for the next three to five years; she can't afford to lose. You're investigating the evil sects in the Northern Zhou, but don't go too far. Just do a token effort. If you truly eradicate the evil sects and eliminate the traitors in the court, Empress Dowager Guo will act freely, and the pressure will fall on us..."

Zhao Ling's words made a lot of sense. After all, what did the chaos in Northern Zhou have to do with the Great Qian?

The internal situation of the Great Qian Dynasty is still unstable, and everyone is hoping that something big will happen to Empress Dowager Guo, so that the new emperor will have more time to adapt.

However, Xie Jinhuan was caught in a dilemma, torn between two equally important parties. It was certainly inappropriate for Empress Dowager Guo to wage war against the Southern Dynasty, but it was even more inappropriate not to help share the burden. After some thought, he said:

"Hmm... The internal conflicts of Northern Zhou stem from the fact that after three hundred years of its founding, powerful families and clans have monopolized the channels of upward mobility, leaving the common people with no hope and no respect for the Xiao family of Northern Zhou. If the situation cannot be controlled, Empress Dowager Guo may take a risky move and use external conflict to divert attention from internal conflicts, so it is not acceptable to let the situation in the north continue to deteriorate."

Zhao Ling thought about it carefully and asked:
"So you mean we should wholeheartedly help Empress Dowager Guo solve her problems? To quell external threats, we must first secure internal stability. If you truly help her stabilize the internal situation..."

"Eh."

Xie Jinhuan waved his hand: "I am just a martial artist. At most, I can catch a few bandits. How can I change the deep-rooted problems of Northern Zhou? These things should be done step by step. Let's solve the problem of Lishan first."

Zhao Ling nodded, and without interfering with Xie Jinhuan's own judgment, changed the subject:
"By the way, tomorrow the Northern Zhou will be holding a sacrificial ceremony at the Temple of Heaven and Earth, inviting envoys from various countries to observe. It's a grand spectacle to showcase the historical heritage of the Northern Zhou. However, envoys from the Western Regions and the northern deserts will also be there. You have exceptional insight, so come with me tomorrow and see if you can read between the lines and figure out the current attitudes of these small border countries."

"Row……"

……

As the two chatted, the caravan had not gone far when the sound of horses' hooves came from the street behind them.

Hoof-tapping hoof-tapping...

Then, the lively voice of a young girl came from outside:
"Young Master Xie? Young Master Xie?"

Zhao Ling glanced out the car window and saw that the person who had come in was the little girl with the braided hair who had been sitting in the council chamber earlier. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Is this another female confidante you just flirted with? She seems pretty bold."

"No, it's Chief Constable Jiang, who's in charge of this case."

Xie Jinhuan looked outside and saw that Shen Cang was also there. He guessed that Shen Cang wanted to discuss something with him, the 'advisor', so he took his leave and got off the carriage.

……

On the street.

Jiang Xian was still wearing her blue constable's robe, but now she had a phoenix-shaped dagger at her waist, signifying her status as a member of the Empress's personal guard. Because Empress Dowager Guo had promised her that if Xie Jinhuan's case was solved, she would become her right-hand woman, she was highly motivated. At this moment, she stood on tiptoe, watching the carriage in the center of the procession, waiting for Xie Jinhuan to emerge.

Shen Cang was not informed by his superiors yesterday, and today he was suddenly appointed as the chief investigator to investigate the whole story of the Lishan conflict. He was very surprised and under great pressure.

After all, the idea that "the demonic cultivator set up a trap" was Xie Jinhuan's one-sided speculation, and there was no clue or evidence to prove it.

What Shen Cang had to do was to uncover the person who orchestrated the scheme within a month, without any prior knowledge or direction.

But what kind of extraordinary skills must someone possess to orchestrate Xie Jinhuan's scheme and manipulate Lü Yan and Li Huaichuan into acting as pawns?

Wouldn't this just let Benboerba eliminate Tang Sanzang and his disciples...?

Shen Cang naturally didn't have the ability, but since he was assigned to investigate by his superiors, he couldn't refuse and could only place all his hopes on Xie Jinhuan and Jiang Xiaobiao.

After waiting for a moment, seeing Xie Jinhuan approach, Shen Cang quickly stepped forward and got straight to the point:

"I also believe that Young Master Xie has been tricked by the demons, but we currently have no clue where to start. I wonder how Young Master Xie plans to investigate?"

Xie Jinhuan actually couldn't figure out who these people who had set him up were. He thought for a moment and realized:
“This group of people is incredibly powerful and left no evidence. The only way to investigate is to start with the demon bandits who left marks in the mine. The handwriting left by those demon bandits might be fake, but their activities of collecting soul essences a few days ago are true, and this kind of thing has been happening frequently in recent years…” Shen Cang frowned and said, “This group calls themselves the ‘Red Witch Cult’, and they have indeed committed crimes frequently in recent years, but after years of investigation by various government departments, they have only found that they are related to a nobleman in the capital, and all the clues point to… Alas… This must be a frame-up by the demon bandits, and the government departments have not made any progress so far.”

Xie Jinhuan had already heard from the Empress Dowager yesterday that the yamen was not making no progress, but all the clues pointed to Empress Dowager Guo and even the Guo family. The yamen was investigating with great anxiety, fearing that they would not find any problems, and also fearing that they might find something really serious.

Empress Dowager Guo knew that this was a case of someone spreading rumors and framing others, but there were too many traitors in the Northern Zhou, and she couldn't figure out who was driving this group.

Xie Jinhuan knew that Empress Dowager Guo couldn't possibly be related to the Red Witch Cult. Since it was a smear campaign, it was impossible to leave no trace. He wanted to suggest investigating first, but Jiang Xian, standing beside him, went straight to the point:
"Young Master Xie said at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices that Senior Lü might have been used by a demonic cultivator. If we can find out how Senior Lü got to Lizhou, we can follow the clues and find out who's behind it all."

Xie Jinhuan shook his head: "It's not that simple. Lü Yan was probably misled without his knowledge. If he doesn't realize the problem and tell the truth, it will be difficult for us to find out why he was in Lizhou that day. We can only start from other places."

Shen Cang nodded in agreement: "Yes, if it were an ordinary person, we could use some underhanded tactics, secretly put them in a sack, tie them up, and torture them to get the truth out of them. But we can't do that with Elder Lü. Putting aside his status and official position, his level of skill alone is beyond our reach. Let's start by investigating the Red Witch Cult."

Jiang Xian blinked her big eyes, her pupils shifting slightly as if she were lost in thought, and she didn't reply.

Seeing that the two were eager to resolve the matter, Xie Jinhuan, as a key person involved in the case, couldn't just think about returning to Jinhuan. So he followed the two to the Criminal Investigation Department to review the detailed files on the Red Witch Cult's activities in recent years...
-
On the other side, the Princess's residence.

Lin Wanyi was indeed a little tired last night. After Xie Jinhuan left, she fell asleep again. She thought Zisu would come and wake her up, but Zisu was quite sensible. When she saw Xie Jinhuan, she consciously did not come to disturb her aunt's rest.

As a result, Lin Wanyi slept until the sun was high in the sky. Before she had naturally woken up, she heard the door quietly open and footsteps approaching from afar.

squeak~
stomping on...

Lin Wanyi thought Zisu had come to call her for dinner, and replied with narrowed eyes:
"You eat first, I'll get up right away..."

The visitor did not respond, but instead sat down by the bed, pulled the winter quilt down a little to reveal her face, and a soft voice followed:

"Everyone in the Princess's residence is up, but you're still sleeping soundly. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by outsiders?"

"?"

Lin Wanyi's tired expression stiffened. She opened her eyes and looked around, only to see a large-eyed woman in a dark blue dress sitting on the edge of the bed. Her long, black hair was tied up with a bow hair clip. She had a dignified and gentle demeanor, looking like an older sister waking her younger sister up early in the morning...

"Master?"

Lin Wanyi was startled, and quickly sat up, only to find that she was still wearing a bright purple lace lingerie outfit. Her face flushed, and she pulled the covers up to cover herself.
"Master, what brings you here?"

Bu Yuehua probably thought the clothes were quite pretty, and even lifted the blanket to take a peek:

"I was bored and came to check on you."

As a doctor, Lin Wanyi could tell that Bu Yuehua's complexion was not good, so she immediately took her wrist to feel her pulse:
"I wanted to go find you yesterday, and I even asked Xie Jinhuan, but Xie Jinhuan didn't know your identity or where you live..."

Bu Yuehua blinked and asked:

How did Xie Jinhuan introduce me?

"?"

Although Lin Wanyi didn't have much experience in the underworld, her years of contact with ladies and young women had given her a keen sense of matters of love and romance.

Seeing that her master suddenly seemed curious about Xie Jinhuan's opinion, Lin Wanyi blinked, pondered for a moment, and then shook her head, saying:
“Master pretended to be a female knight-errant of the Qingming Sword Manor. Xie Jinhuan didn’t know your identity. You were a lone man and woman traveling all over the country and even went through hardships together. He… he just told me the truth and didn’t hide anything from me…”

A complex expression flickered across his face as he spoke.

? !
When Bu Yuehua saw this, she was slightly shocked. Her first thought was that Xie Jinhuan was telling everyone, including Wanyi about her showing Xuezi the child.

She wanted to explain that it was an expedient measure taken in an emergency, but as an old-fashioned vixen, she was still on guard. After thinking for a moment, she secretly observed Wanyi's expression:

"He and I went to the Southern Frontier to search for treasure, and then we ran into Lü Yan on our way back. There's nothing to hide. As for not revealing our identities to him, that's a long story, you'll find out later. You're not getting the wrong idea, are you?"

Lin Wanyi didn't mean anything by it, but her master had been hiding his identity and presenting himself as a beautiful, single, and chivalrous woman. He had spent so much time with Xie Jinhuan, sharing hardships and joys. How could something not happen to him?

However, judging from her master's appearance, he didn't seem guilty, so she didn't bring up these matters of rebelling against the Heavenly Gang. She simply said:
"How could I have misunderstood? Xie Jinhuan was unaware of your identity and acted recklessly, but how could Master be so reckless? In matters of the heart, it takes two to tango..."

"..."

Bu Yuehua felt that if the conversation continued, she would be exposed before the flirtatious Taoist nun, so she shook her head and interrupted the topic:
“You’re not a child anymore. You should focus your mind on cultivation and stop thinking about these trivial things all day. It’s getting late, so get up and have something to eat. I’m going back now. If you need anything, come find me in Parrot Lane.”

Seeing this, Lin Wanyi stopped talking nonsense. After watching her graceful teacher leave, she quickly packed up...
-
I meant to post it for free, but I clicked the wrong button. There's another chapter or two coming this afternoon!

(End of this chapter)