New and dark light years

Chapter 416 Breaking Through the Meridian Gate and Entering the Palace to Protect the Emperor

The Crown Prince has a very handsome appearance. Compared to the Second Prince Zhu Heng, he is more rugged and less effeminate.

When he referred to himself as 'I'm alone,' he exuded a strong sense of confidence, his chin slightly raised.

Li Lin smiled and said, "This humble official is extremely grateful."

After saying this, he bowed slightly and left.

The crown prince stared at Li Lin's retreating figure for a long time.

Then he turned to Zhu Huan beside him and asked, "I heard you were attacked by thugs last night, but you seem to be fine. It seems to be just rumors."

"The capital is very safe, with yamen runners everywhere. How could there be a riot?" Zhu Huan laughed and said, "Brother must have misheard."

Zhu Huan didn't seem to care. He nodded and said, "I don't know what's going on with Father in the palace. If the gates aren't opened by noon, I will have them forcibly opened."

"This is not good."

The Crown Prince snorted: "That evil thing was causing trouble again last night, and this time it was even targeting Father Emperor. Its hatred for our Zhu family won't be so easily settled."

Zhu Huan pondered for a moment and said, "Since the Crown Prince has made his decision, then this humble subject will naturally obey."

"Yes, I'm relieved to hear that." The crown prince smiled and turned to leave.

Zhu Huan lowered his eyes, his hands clenched slightly, then suddenly released, appearing quite relaxed.

At this moment, Li Lin was back in front of the palace gate, looking at the towering red city walls.

On the city walls stood the Imperial Guards, ready for battle.

There were a large number of archers on the platform, and the atmosphere looked quite tense.

Moreover, Li Lin could feel a chill rising from the palace.

This chill is something only a Spirit Hunter could sense.

Just then, someone else walked over and said with a smile, "Commander Li, let's get acquainted."

The person opposite me was a gentle middle-aged man.

Li Lin clasped his hands in greeting and asked, "May I ask your name, sir?"

The other party's official robes were adorned with peacock patterns.

This is the mark of a third-rank civil official.

The middle-aged man cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "My surname is Jiang, and my given name is Yan. My son is the county magistrate of Yulin County, and it is thanks to your help that he has been able to establish himself there."

"So it's Uncle Jiang." Li Lin said with a smile, "I should be thanking you. I've troubled the Jiang family with many things."

"No need to say that." Jiang Yan waved her hand gently. "You are Li'er's friend, so these things are only natural. But could you make the Youth Preservation Pill a little cheaper?"

Li Lin smiled and said, "Since Uncle Jiang has spoken up, let's make it even cheaper. I'll discuss this with Yun Shu when I get back to Yulin County."

Yunshu was Jiang Jili's courtesy name.

"Give me a larger share," Jiang Jili said with a smile. "I can give you my eldest daughter."

"Yunshu mentioned this to me, but it's unnecessary," Li Lin said with a wry smile. "We already have four wives at home; we can't handle any more."

Jiang Yan laughed heartily: "Young people must be brave and enterprising. You can't say you can't handle it. Back in my day... well, let's not talk about it."

Just as Li Lin was about to speak, another middle-aged man walked over.

"What are you two talking about that makes you seem so happy?"

Li Lin looked at the other person and asked, "May I ask your surname, Shangguan?"

Jiang Jili was somewhat surprised: "You two should know each other."

This person's official robes also featured a peacock pattern.

"Huang Feng, Minister of Personnel."

Li Lin gave a slight "oh," then calmly bowed and said, "This humble official greets Minister Huang."

When Jiang Jili saw this scene, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Huang Feng also sensed that Li Lin's attitude was very distant, but he didn't care much and said, "Lin'er, as the son-in-law of the Huang family, there are some things you need to pay attention to."

Li Lin asked, "Please enlighten me."

"Figure it out yourself." Huang Feng lightly flicked his right sleeve, appearing quite debonair.

Li Lin smiled and said, "I am just a martial artist, not very shrewd, and not good at this kind of guessing game."

Jiang Yan almost burst out laughing, but she had to hold it in.

Huang Feng sighed softly, looking like he was having a headache because of his younger family member's rebellious behavior: "Lin'er, this isn't home. There are some things you really can't say carelessly. It's easy to offend people."

Li Lin asked, "Did I offend you, Second Uncle?"

Huang Feng's expression froze.

Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Huang Feng felt his face was turning pale and turned to leave.

Li Lin watched Huang Feng's retreating figure and shook his head slightly.

"My dear nephew, you dislike Minister Huang?"

Li Lin said, "It's not that, it's just that I don't like being lectured by people who come up to me for no reason."

Jiang Yan nodded; he roughly understood Li Lin's temperament.

At this time, the sky began to lighten, indicating that the time for court had passed, but the Meridian Gate was still not open.

Many officials, both high and low-ranking, had gathered here, and quite a few were sizing up Li Lin.

After all, he was a complete stranger.

There are few fools here, and many people have guessed Li Lin's identity.

Jiang Yan looked into the distance and said, "Nephew, I have something to discuss with a friend. If you're bored here, you can also chat with some young people. Making a wide circle of friends is always a good thing."

"I've learned a lot!" Li Lin clasped his hands in a fist salute.

After Jiang Yan left, Li Lin did not try to befriend any young talents, but continued to observe the palace.

Because he could feel that the chilling cold was intensifying.

Li Lin frowned.

At this moment, a middle-aged man walked over. He had a very nice goatee and was dressed in a black military officer's uniform.

"You must have felt it too, that chill!" Li Lin turned his head and asked, "May I ask who Your Excellency is?"

"Yue Zhong, Chief of the Demon Extermination Bureau and concurrently Military Governor."

"So it's Governor Yue." Li Lin clasped his hands in a fist and smiled. "You used to be my superior."

"Hahahaha!" Yue Zhongren was a very burly man. He patted Li Lin on the shoulder and said, "Not bad, young man. You've really made our Demon Extermination Division proud."

A hunter of spirits has actually managed to stand out from the crowd, first becoming a county magistrate, then a general commander and garrison commander, and now he is even more likely to become a military governor, on par with himself.

This period of time is only two or three years, although Li Lin is now suspected of being a scapegoat.

But in any case, you have to have the ability first before you have the right to take the blame.

"I live in the south of the city. You can find out by asking around there. Come visit me sometime."

After speaking, Yue Zhong left.

Then people kept coming up to talk to Li Lin, get to know him, and then turn around and leave.

Officials in the capital, regardless of rank, are all very shrewd.

As long as there is no real conflict with Li Lin, it's good to make an impression first, in case you need his help in the future.
At this point, conversation can play its proper role.

Li Lin spoke with no fewer than twenty people, and soon it was noon.

The sun was already high in the sky, and there were no trees in front of the palace, for fear that assassins might be hiding there.

Therefore, there is no shade here.

Many people couldn't stand the sun, especially the elderly.

Li Lin didn't care. He possessed spiritual energy, so the direct sunlight had almost no effect on him.

Many martial artists, or men with good physiques, are unaffected.

However, a man suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Then someone shouted, "Fang Chengzhi has fainted from heatstroke."

Li Lin looked over and saw that Fang Fengyi had collapsed.

He had blended into the crowd before, and Li Lin hadn't noticed him at all.

After all, there were too many officials gathered in front of the palace.

He was about to go forward to check on the situation when he found that several people who knew Fang Fengyi had pulled him up and led him to find some shade elsewhere.

Li Lin then stopped in his tracks.

At that moment, the crown prince stood in front of the palace gate.

The black robes were exceptionally conspicuous.

"Please come forward, gentlemen. I have important matters to discuss with you."

All the court officials moved closer.

"Ministers... I'm sure you've all heard about what happened last night. Six hours have passed since the incident in the palace, and there's still no news coming from the palace. I'm very worried about my father's safety."

At this point, the prince's gaze swept over everyone, as if he were memorizing the expression on each face.

"I will force open the palace gates."

Everyone was shocked by these words.

Generally speaking, forcibly opening the palace gates was almost equivalent to treason.

Moreover, the Crown Prince... is essentially in competition with the Emperor.

Li Lin nodded slightly.

The crown prince is quite decisive in his actions.

He also believed that they couldn't just wait outside; they had to go in and check the situation.

"Can……"

Just as an old minister was about to offer some advice, the crown prince interrupted him.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," the Crown Prince said. "I am merely informing you all of what I am about to do, so that you may be mentally prepared."

After saying that, he gestured to a man who looked like a military officer next to him.

No one knows where the man pulled out a small horn, but he immediately started blowing it.

The dull groan carried far.

Before long, a black-armored army slowly approached, marching in almost perfect unison.

In the middle of the army, there was even a siege engine being pushed around.

The officials discussed amongst themselves, then parted to let the large army in black approach.

Li Lin also stepped aside. He secretly calculated in his mind that this armored imperial guard had five hundred men, including swordsmen, shieldmen, spearmen, and archers.

But no cavalry were seen.

Li Lin watched for a while, his face expressionless, but he felt that the combat strength of this Imperial Guard was probably quite average.

Although the other side appeared to be marching in perfect unison, seemingly with an air of strict discipline, Li Lin knew that these people... were not up to the task.

His medical skills were quite good; at a glance, he could see that these people's faces all had two words written on them.

Kidney deficiency.

People with kidney deficiency are useless in any sexual activity.

At this moment, another person appeared beside him, none other than Yue Zhong from the Demon Extermination Bureau.

"Commander Li, what do you think of the Imperial Guards' imposing presence?"

"Very good. If they were deployed outside, they would definitely be elite troops." Li Lin praised insincerely.

Yue Zhong smiled enigmatically: "These are elite troops and fierce generals. It would be a great pity not to send them to the north to defend against foreign enemies."

Li Lin looked at the other person, Yue Zhong, who seemed to... not think much of the Crown Prince.

At this moment, the Imperial Guards had arrived at the palace gates.

The Imperial Guards stopped, motionless, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

The Crown Prince looked at the crowd around him and then said, "His Majesty's safety in the palace is unknown. If we delay any longer, something unforeseen may happen. Soldiers, listen to my command: break down the Meridian Gate and enter the palace to protect His Majesty."

(End of this chapter)