Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

Yuanjue sat in his usual sedan chair, exited the temple through the back door, and then boarded a carriage to head straight for his private residence.

Daytime is for work, nighttime is for life.

As darkness fell, the moonlight, especially bright and clear after the rain that had fallen during the day, illuminated the city of Xiangzhou.

At midnight, Li You appeared in front of the private residence of the monk Yuanjue.

The house was very grand, with a plaque that read "Liu Mansion" and lanterns hanging outside that also bore the character "Liu".

From the plaques to the lanterns on the house, anyone passing by would assume that a wealthy family surnamed Liu lived there.

These superficial things are naturally Yuanjue's means of deceiving people.

Li You assigned 450 of Huang Chao's soldiers to this location.

Another 150 people, led by Jing Song, have already infiltrated Yunju Temple.

The agreed-upon time for taking action was two hours later, specifically the Yin hour, which is when people are in their deepest sleep.

In preparation for the night's operation, Li You gave the order early on, telling the soldiers to sleep all day.

He did the same thing himself, so now he's full of energy and not sleepy at all.

Gao Shun and Zhou Chuji rushed over from the darkness.

"how?"

"Everything has been arranged. That official surnamed Luo has gone back to rest and did not come here."

"Very good. Tell the soldiers to be on high alert and to make their move when the time is right."

"promise!"

The waiting time was a bit boring, and Li You couldn't help but think how great it would be to have a phone to play games right now.

Finally, it's the hour of Yin!

Huang Chao's army had already figured out all the exits of "Liu's Mansion", including the secret doors. Now they swarmed in, from the inside out, and no one could escape.

The noise outside startled Yuanjue, who suddenly woke up and pushed away his concubine's arm.

As soon as he stepped onto the ground, several people carrying torches rushed in and appeared in front of Yuanjue.

Yuanjue recognized the one leading the group.

"Huang Jin?"

"Yuanjue, we meet again."

"What...what are you going to do?"

"Hehe, I, Huang, am here tonight to perform a ritual for you on behalf of Buddha. Arrest me!"

……

Li You strolled into Yuanjue's bedroom.

The interior decoration was luxurious, the antique furnishings were priceless, and the two concubines were beauties chosen from among hundreds.

Li You casually picked up a bronze incense burner from the shelf, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be quite heavy.

He then found a stool to sit on, and Yuanjue was brought before him.

"Yuanjue, we've finally met."

"You, you are Huang Jin's owner?"

"Huang Jin? His name isn't Huang Jin, it's Zhou Chuji, an officer in my Huang Chao army."

"Huang Chao's army?"

"Ah, it doesn't matter if you know this name, anyway, your life is only going to last a few days."

"What...what exactly are you going to do?"

"Of course, it's to rid Xiangzhou City of this scourge. Don't you know how many crimes you've committed over the years?"

"...Was it Luo Yuyang? Did he send you? I gave them so much money, and they still want to kill me, these greedy insects!"

"That's right, it was Luo Dianli who sent me. He thinks you're giving him too little."

Monk Yuanjue was startled, but then immediately realized what was happening.

"No, you're bluffing me! You're not Luo Yuyang's man, who are you?!"

Just as Li You was about to speak, he heard a deafening cry coming from outside the door.

Gao Shun suddenly rushed in: "My lord!"

"What's wrong?"

"We found a cellar where more than thirty beautiful women were being held."

Li You glanced at Monk Yuanjue, then walked out.

But then they saw a group of women dressed in plain clothes, who had just been rescued, gathered together.

Some of them were crying and shouting, some were at a loss, and several kept kowtowing to Huang Chao's soldiers.

"Take them into the room and tell them to stop crying and shouting."

"promise!"

Once inside, the group of poor women calmed down a little.

One of the bolder ones looked up and thought Li You seemed to be the leader, so he walked over.

"Young master, are you from the government?"

Li You paused for a moment, then said, "I guess so. How did you end up being locked up here?"

The woman said, "My lord, we were all kidnapped and tricked here. We're going to be sold alive by that evil monk soon. If it weren't for you..."

Upon hearing the woman's accusations, Li You couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The slave trade in the Tang Dynasty was truly rampant.

However, considering the monk Yuanjue's greed and ruthlessness, it's not surprising to find such behavior in his residence.

"Are you all local people from Xiangzhou?"

Upon hearing Li You's question, the woman hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'm not. I'm from Huangzhou. Besides me, there are others who were kidnapped from Suizhou, Jingzhou, and Guangzhou. These women from other places make up a small portion of the group. The rest are all from Xiangzhou."

The woman spoke clearly, and Li You couldn't help but think more highly of her.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Yan Jiu."

"Please tell them that since we've rescued everyone, we'll take them home, and tell them not to cry or scream."

Yan Jiu nodded in agreement, then returned to her sisters' side and whispered words of comfort to them.

……

Li You returned.

Yuanjue was being held captive, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out a way to escape.

"My esteemed benefactor, there is no rope in the world that cannot be untied. I do not know how I have offended you, and I beg your forgiveness!"

"Take all the wealth and beauties in my manor; you'll have more than enough to enjoy for the rest of your life!"

"I only beg you to spare my life; I still have some other assets..."

Li You didn't speak, but stared at Yuanjue for a long time, which made the latter break out in a cold sweat.

"…Benefactor, please…please say something!"

"I've heard that your counter business is very successful."

"Does the young master also want to do it?"

"Running a money exchange business requires a large amount of capital. I will take away the assets in your three mansions myself. If you want to live, tell me where your capital is."

"You...you call yourself 'this king,' are you perhaps a prince from Chang'an?"

"Yuanjue, I am asking you a question. Answer my question directly. Don't try to play tricks on me!"

"If Your Majesty wishes to use money, this old monk will simply offer it to you; why go to such lengths?"

Li You picked up the bronze incense burner and slammed it heavily on the table.

The soldiers holding Yuanjue understood and used too much force, causing Yuanjue to wince in pain.

"I'll talk, I'll talk!"

Li You put down the bronze furnace in his hand.

"Where?"

"In...the temple, in the shrine where I reside, there is a cellar!"

"The cellar? How do we get in? Where's the key?"

"The key is in the possession of my disciple, Huizhen..."

Li You summoned the soldiers, gave them a few instructions, and told them to go to Yunju Temple to inform Jing Song.

"What is your relationship with Luo Yuyang, who works in the governor's mansion?"

"Luo Yuyang, do you know him?"

Li You picked up the bronze furnace again.

Seeing this, Yuanjue quickly said, "Luo Yuyang manages the public funds of Xiangzhou. He asked me to lend money in conjunction with him, and the proceeds are to be used to pay the salaries of all the officials in Xiangzhou!"

"What? What is public office capital? What does this have to do with the salaries of officials in Xiangzhou?"