Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1322 The Emperor is Coming

The knife coin is simple and ancient. The country that used this currency has long disappeared in history. Now the one in Lu Ning's hand has been refined into a magic weapon.

Cheng Zhiyi was lying on the ground, foam coming out of his mouth, his eyes closed, and his expression was very painful. Lu Ning tossed the knife coin in her hand, and then a thought arose. Before she could figure out the meaning of this thought, the whispering returned to her mind.

"You finally made someone crazy? It turns out that demons don't give things for free." Lu Ning pressed his temple and adjusted to the demon's vision again. "You'd better stay in my mind and don't harm others."

Then, she quietly left Changqing Building, leaving behind Cheng Zhiyi who had fainted. This person might never wake up again, but even if he did, Lu Ning didn't care.

In the second-floor wing high up in the theater, reserved for people of status and position, Qiu Suying picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"The owner of Changqinglou is a very thoughtful person. He is able to use the money he earns to improve the experience of every guest. Maybe other places are still lacking, but the experience of listening to opera here is indeed the best in Xingyin City."

"Young Master, Cheng Zhiyi... was defeated, and the treasure you refined was also taken away." The old woman sat opposite Qiu Suying and said in fear and trepidation, "Do you need me to take action to take the treasure back..."

"No need." Qiu Suying smiled, although there was obviously no emotion in that smile.

"Young Master, I am not doing my job well."

"No, the people you picked are all suitable. Although Cheng Zhiyi's failure was not unexpected, it does not affect anything. Giving the power of life and death to others can also test its effectiveness."

"Yes Yes……"

"Did the person who got the 'Fourth Kneeling' bring it with him? His test should be basically over."

The mother-in-law quickly got up and opened the door of the wing room. The strong man was holding Erlong outside the door, and when he saw the mother-in-law open the door, he threw the man into the room.

"Young Master, I have brought the person with me."

"What did he do?" Qiu Suying asked.

"He pretended to be sick in the cell and tricked the prison boss into coming over. He killed him with the fourth kowtow. After taking the key, he killed the remaining jailers guarding the cell. When no one was around, I found him and caught him." The sturdy man said in a muffled voice, "The kid was even going to kowtow to me on the way. Luckily I carried him."

"Young Master? Are you the Young Master? I was wrong. I shouldn't have acted recklessly. I was just feeling proud for a moment. Please let me go! As long as..."

"The kowtow time cannot be too long, and the target cannot be changed during the four kowtows. The distance cannot exceed ten feet, and it cannot be used on multiple people at the same time. After four kowtows, the target's soul will leave the body, and if it cannot return to the body within one day, it will become a dead soul." Qiu Suying shook the cup gently and said slowly.

Erlong was already sweating coldly. These were the results of his testing of the "Fourth Kowtow" in the past two days. He originally thought that he needed to report it himself, but it seems that there is no need at all?
"That's all it can do...a failed tool won't be of much use," Qiu Suying said.

"Don't say that. I have never seen anything so powerful. You are so powerful. I am willing to serve you even if I have to work like a slave..."

As Erlong spoke, he bent down and knocked his head to the ground.

However, he did not notice that the old woman and the strong man had not paid any attention to his actions since they entered the house.

These people also have their moments of slacking off!

Erlong turned his head slightly away, preparing to kowtow again, when he suddenly heard Qiu Suying say, "Erlong?"

"Uh, you..." Erlong looked up flatteringly, and then saw Qiu Suying's half-smile, and suddenly a bad feeling arose in his heart.

He hurriedly tried to kowtow again, but found that his head could not go down any further. A huge force was pinching his head. Severe pain came from his head and neck. He wanted to scream, but he had no chance to make any sound.

A skull rolled to the corner of the wall, and the ground began to soften, absorbing the blood spurting out of Erlong's neck. The mother-in-law knocked the ground rhythmically with her crutch, while the strong man walked forward, pulled out a knife, cut open Erlong's abdominal cavity, and dug out a copper coin.

"He thought of swallowing it to preserve it. He is a thoughtful man. Unfortunately, his character and wisdom have reached their limits, just like the 'Fourth Kowtow'." Qiu Suying reached out and opened the window. Through the window, he could see the stage outside.

"Let's get back to the topic at the beginning." He continued, "Evergreen Tower has arranged this place into its current appearance. Although it is no longer a place for listening to operas, it has also escaped the strong impact of the city lockdown and other situations on ordinary opera houses and troupes. Just look at the fact that it is still crowded today, which shows its success."

The mother-in-law and the strong man didn't know why Qiu Suying said this. Although they understood drama, they could see that Qiu Suying's purpose was not this.

"How many people here think the exact opposite of what they say?"

=
At this time, in a faraway place, a large team was passing along the mountain road. Their journey for today was nearing its end. At the foot of the mountain, there was an inn for resting.

Four majestic white horses pulled a luxurious carriage. The curtain of the carriage was slightly lifted, and a graceful man sat in the carriage. His eyes were slightly closed and his back was straight. Compared to his current position, he looked exceptionally young.

The emperor, Dong Zai.

To this day, Dong Zai has been on the throne for nine years, but he has never left the capital since he took the throne. Therefore, officials and civilians outside the capital have never seen the current emperor. Since Dong Zai took the throne, he has neither made any earth-shattering moves nor made any policy changes, as if everything has been inherited from the previous emperor.

So, were the official documents approved on a daily basis in the capital city Dong Zai’s thoughts or the thoughts of the various ministers?
Or, some literati would point out more sharply - does the current emperor still hold real power?
When the moon rose above the horizon, Dong Zai opened his eyes.

"Superintendent."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

A feminine voice responded, and then a man in purple palace clothes rode his horse to the carriage. If there is one person who is the most powerful around the emperor now, it is Cao Yuanen, Cao Zongguan.

"How long will it take to reach the inn?"

"We will be there in just a moment. Are you tired? Your Majesty, please be patient for a moment. The mountain road is difficult to travel. If you hurry them, something bad may happen."

Dong Zai glanced at Cao Yuanen and asked, "It should be three days' journey from here to Xingyin."

"Yes, Your Majesty. If we continue to travel at full speed, we will reach Xingyin in three days."

"Grand Eunuch, I'm afraid that Xingyin City is now under reorganization by my personal visit. However, it is probably not to my liking," said Dong Zai.

"Your Majesty, since I am the official appointed by you, I will definitely live up to your grace..."

"Since I appointed him as such, I naturally know his abilities. The governor of Xingyin is in charge of a county, and he was promoted to this position because there is no one in the court who can do it."

"Your Majesty, all the civil and military officials are present in the court. How can you say that there is no one in the court?"

A complicated smile appeared on Dong Zai's face.

"Prime Minister Yuan could have retired three years ago, but I visited him several times and begged him to stay. Do you think, Grand Eunuch, that I don't want Prime Minister Yuan to return home and hand over power to me?" Cao Yuanen didn't dare to speak.

"It's because among all the officials, there is not a single one who is qualified to serve in the government. Since the founding of the Wei Dynasty, there has never been such a shortage of talents. I have been in office for nine years and have held three special examinations. After the selection, there are only a few talents that can be used. How long will it take for them to become people who are truly capable of taking on important tasks? During this period, how many of them have gone astray and must be eliminated by me personally?"

"Your Majesty has been working hard."

"Sir, tell me the truth. What kind of Xingyin will the governor of Xingyin present to me? I don't believe the officials who went there first."

Cao Yuanen lowered his head, trying to figure out what Dong Zai meant.

He was not the only one around the emperor. I'm afraid the emperor already had the answer to this question in his mind. Why was he asking a general manager now? He was not going to punish him because his power had become more and more prominent in recent days?

Although Cao Yuanen held a high position in the inner court, he still did not dare to have any disloyalty to the emperor. Dong Zai was young and ignorant when he first ascended the throne. The current emperor already had the appearance of a true emperor, but... he was facing a country with leaks on all sides.

"I... don't know."

He was just a general manager and should not know those things unless the emperor asked him to know.

Dong Zai said nothing more. He waved his sleeves and let Cao Yuanen leave.

=
When another cold day came, Lu Ning opened the window and for a moment doubted whether she was still in Xingyin City.

The ears were filled with the hustle and bustle of voices, the sounds of hawking on the street, the crowing of chickens and barking of dogs, the calls for workers to be recruited, and the occasional shouts of children playing.

It was as if the cold and desolate Xingyin City a few days ago was just a dream, but when I woke up today, it became the reality.

When she walked out of the door, she saw people coming and going on the street, and the hustle and bustle of traffic. Against the backdrop of the bustling crowd, the cold of winter seemed to have receded.

"Girl, today is the market, it's a good time to go shopping and see the beautiful scenery in Xingyin City." The innkeeper said with a smile.

"Shopkeeper, this..."

"The governor has specially ordered that everything will be back to normal from today onwards. The folks have been cooped up at home for a long time and can finally get some fresh air." The shopkeeper pointed to a notice posted outside the store. "In addition, the emperor will be here in two days. I heard there will be a ceremony. I have lived to such an old age, but I have never seen what a ceremony is like."

Dharma Assembly - probably refers to the water and land Dharma Assembly of the Wei State.

Unlike other water and land ceremonies, the water and land ceremonies of the Wei Dynasty can be roughly compared to modern comprehensive sports games, except that the contents of the competitions vary. From forty-six items in the early days of the Wei Dynasty to as many as one hundred and twenty-eight items in its heyday, they covered everything from civil and military affairs to strange and magical skills.

However, as soon as you hear it, you know that this will also cost a lot of money to accomplish. The fact that the prefect of Xingyin dared to do this must be due to the support of officials in the capital.

"Then I'll take a walk around." Lu Ning smiled at the shopkeeper and walked out of the inn.

Yesterday, the archer and Han Younian both came back, bringing both good and bad news.

The good news came from Han Younian, who had waited patiently in the Demon Suppression Division until Ning Ke and Lin Xiyin returned, and handed over Lu Ning's letter. The two opened the letter and passed it around, and asked Han Younian to bring back a message, asking Lu Ning to go to the Demon Suppression Division to find Lin Xiyin this afternoon.

The bad news came from the archer. He did find out who the main officials were at yesterday's lunch, but according to the list given by Lu Qingxu, most of them were civilians like Lu Ning who could not cooperate well.

Fame, wealth and power are attractive to people. These officials may have some abilities, but it is difficult for these abilities to be used in a way that is useful to Lu Ning - this is how Lu Qingxu was dismissed from office.

However, Lu Qingxu probably didn't expect that Lu Ning's trip out would have allowed him to ignore the power in the hands of some officials.

Lu Ning heard someone following her out from behind, and when she turned around, she saw it was Han Younian.

"Mr. Han."

"I thought I was still asleep." Han Younian looked outside and smiled bitterly, "How could Xingyin City become like this overnight?"

"Yes, overnight." Lu Ning nodded, "People just listened to the government's call? Just an official document, everyone left their homes? This... is too unbelievable."

"Miss Lu, I got some news and I need to confirm it."

"Is there any danger?"

"Now, I dare not make a conclusion." Han Younian smiled bitterly, "Unless we leave Xingyin City, I am afraid there will be no peace."

"That's right."

"The mountains remain green and the rivers flow forever. I'll meet you someday and reminisce about the past with Miss Lu." Han Younian clasped his fists and then walked along the road, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

Lu Ning walked towards the old palace.

Since the emperor is about to arrive, the renovation of the old palace must have been completed. Lu Ning plans to go there to take a look at this time, in case the emperor comes and cannot get close at all.

Just as she had this thought, a rickshaw stopped in front of her.

"Miss, would you like to take a ride?" The driver was wearing a cotton-padded jacket with his hands in his pockets and spoke in a very loud voice. Lu Ning was so shocked by the driver who suddenly appeared that she was stunned for a moment.

The driver used his fingers to lift his hat a little, revealing a bearded face.

"Zhao..."

"Shhh."

Zhao Yuqiao quickly put his finger on his lips and then raised his voice again, "Where to? If you are the first one to pull it today, I will give you half the price!"

Lu Ning stepped into Zhao Yuqiao's car and said, "Let's go to the old palace. The road is slippery, so don't go too fast."

"Okay!" Zhao Yuqiao responded loudly, then got in the car and headed into a road with few people.

"Mr. Zhao?" Lu Ning asked immediately when there were almost no people around.

"The situation is urgent. I have to find at least one person to connect with. Although you are not the most perfect, I can't contact the other two." Zhao Yuqiao rubbed his beard, "This damn Xingyin City, if we are not careful, we will all be implicated."