Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 767 Meeting
early morning.

The pitch-black imperial carriage passed through the imperial city, accompanied by 2,800 armored guards. All the officials of the Southern Court witnessed this scene. Hearing the commotion, the officials in green and red robes lifted the curtains and came out, and then each of them remained silent.

For the first time in many years, apart from the Imperial Guards, a second type of armor color has appeared here.

Officials were much more perceptive than ordinary people. Some knew in advance that this person was going to Beijing, while others did not. But after the initial shock, they quickly learned the identity of the person in the long queue, and were shocked again.

There is no such armor in the Central Plains, nor in the South. It is jet black in color and only stands out brightly on snowy and icy ground. It is heavy and menacing, more than twice as thick as ordinary armor, and sharp and terrifying, with many edges and claws.

This armor wouldn't be very convenient for fighting humans, but it would make the armored warrior like a heavy hedgehog, making it difficult for something larger to attack or kill him.

The first type of armor in northern Xinjiang.

The long dragon paid no heed to their intentions. It passed through the imperial city in a heavy and silent manner, and then lined up below the city gate, forming a forest of sharp halberds. The mountain-like chariot stopped, and a figure stepped down from it.

The officials looked at each other. Normally, one should pay respects to a prince, but the Prince of Yan did not even glance back at the Southern Palace. He stood in front of the carriage, looked up at the palace gate for a while, and then walked straight in without anyone by his side.

Then a wooden voice rang out from among the various offices of the Southern Government: "We are busy with official business, everyone go back to work."

Everyone was startled. Upon seeing Yuan Zhao in his purple robes, they quickly bowed and turned to return to their office.

Yongbei has a cold and ruthless face.

But unlike Qu Xin or Yan Feiqing, his coldness was intense, as if it could freeze every pair of eyes that looked at him. The ends of his eyebrows slanted upwards, giving off a fierce and cruel aura. In other aspects, he was very similar to Yong Ji, with a deep and cold face, only more weathered and mature.

He was dressed in the crown of the Prince of Yan, with a sword at his side, and was meticulous in every detail. When he entered the palace gate, the chief eunuch was already waiting for him at the gate.

There were many eunuchs and palace maids lined up.

Yongbei didn't look at anything, nor did he hear what the eunuch was saying while bowing his head in front of him. He stood in front of the palace gate, looked up at several familiar directions, and saw that most of the places had changed. The flowers and plants in spring had changed color and variety, and he wondered whose taste they were now.

Perhaps it's that woman from the Li family.

"...Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, may proceed first—"

Yongbei raised his hand and pushed him away, then stepped forward with his hand on his sword. The chief eunuch stopped speaking abruptly, and all the eunuchs stiffened, their heads bowed, not daring to look up.

Since learning the night before that the imperial procession was approaching the capital, Her Majesty the Empress had been making urgent preparations for almost a day and a night without sleep, and everyone in the Imperial Household Department was working non-stop.

Indeed, there was no precedent for this in the current dynasty. At least after Li Congfeng ascended the throne, this only non-royal prince of the Tang Dynasty had never entered the capital. She did not expect him to arrive suddenly at this time.

Searching through the system of rites and tracing ancestral precedents is a sensitive matter, and every detail must be carefully considered. In fact, the most reliable reference should be the precedent from twenty-three years ago, when that woman was still alive. At that time, the Prince of Yan did not hesitate to visit the capital, and the daily records show that he visited eight times.

But she was indeed a wild woman. The king, who was not of the same surname, entered the palace to meet the emperor several times, but almost no precedents were set. Most of the time, there was not even a noteworthy welcome. Many times, she herself was not in the palace.

Li Congfeng spent a day and a night filling in the gap, ensuring that every process was proper and appropriate, and that every arrangement had a written basis.

When he was bestowed the title of emperor, he was granted the privilege of wearing a sword and shoes in the palace and being exempt from bowing when entering the court. Knowing the emperor's fearsome reputation, Li Congfeng tried his best to avoid any details that might offend him and to maintain the dignity of the Linxue imperial family.

Having ascended to the position of Empress at the age of twenty, she remained unchallenged in the harem for several years. The eldest son of the Li family was always the most capable and insightful in the palace.

This morning she sent an official to deliver the audience procedure to the Prince's carriage by express horse, but there has been no reply.

Only now should we understand what the King of Yan meant.

He completely ignored all of this.

Yongbei pressed his sword forward, leaving Danfeng Gate behind. As he left the shadow of the majestic city gate, he looked back and gazed at a section of the parapet for a while.

Then he turned around, still with that fierce and cold face. In front of him was an extremely vast and awe-inspiring open space. This was the court where the ministers held court, and also the battlefield where the two armies fought their last battle on the last day of the emperor's life. Yongbei seemed to smell some rust and hear some fighting.

He looked up, and at the far end of that stretch, a golden palace stood, the white light of dawn just beginning to illuminate its back.

He walked straight ahead, staring at the palace. Naturally, no one dared to stop him. He saw no one else; his figure was the only one passing through the entire square.

As he ascended the Dragon Tail Path, another eunuch, trembling slightly, presented him with ceremonial regalia. He waved his hand expressionlessly. Bowing his head, he climbed the steps. Arriving at this palace felt like arriving at a familiar place. Yong Bei even remembered which step he had stepped on when he leaped down from the top of Danfeng Gate twenty-seven years ago.

It has long been repaired without leaving any trace, and the years have polished it into a new old appearance.

At this moment, Yongbei realized what that elusive yet ever-present feeling was—a cold, deathly stillness pervaded the palace.

He did not stop, but went straight to the top and entered Hanyuan Hall, ignoring the eunuchs' ritual of washing his hands and face.

It was all part of the deathly silence.

Then he passed through Hanyuan Hall, Xuanzheng Gate, and straight through the Central Courtyard, then entered Xuanzheng Hall again, and passed Zichen Gate... He did not slow down his pace even slightly from beginning to end.

This silent march should have caused some panic; the imperial guards should have stood guard, and the chief eunuch should have warned and reprimanded them. But when everyone realized that the emperor was not sitting in the Xuanzheng Hall to receive the emperor as required by custom, they did not know what to do.

All matters concerning the inner palace should be addressed to the Empress, but upon hearing this, the Empress could only purse her lips tightly.

Yongbei ascended the Zichen Hall expressionlessly, then passed through it and went to a quiet, deserted garden.

The colors and varieties of flowers here finally became familiar to Yongbei; daffodils carpeted the pond, their fragrance wafting across the banks. On the tender green grass of spring, a man in a yellow robe sat before a table.

He wasn't dressed formally, nor had he bathed; his hair was casually tied up, and he was barefoot. A pot of wine sat on the table. He looked down at a green flute in his hand.

There was no one around.

Yongbei neither looked at the flowers nor the wine. He drew his sword and stepped forward until he was within a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) of the ground.

Then he lowered his head, knelt heavily on both knees, touched his head to the ground, and bowed before the wooden table: "This humble general, Yongbei, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Li Yao raised his head and said gently, "Rise, Yong."

Yongbei straightened up, but his knees remained on the ground. He gazed at the clean face opposite him for a long time before whispering, "Your Majesty, it's been a long time."

“Qingju once said that there is a kind of ghost that is bound by an obsession and can never leave a certain place. I will not leave the capital, and you will not leave the northern frontier. We are both earthbound spirits of the Tang Dynasty.” This old minister, who had probably been in office for ten years, had never seen the Tang emperor smile so gently. He placed the flute on the table and said, “Please sit down.”

Yongbei stood up from the ground, ignoring the mud on his knees, and sat cross-legged in front of the table. Then he picked up the wine pot and poured wine for both of them.

Li Yao seemed to be looking up at the willow branches: "How is the Northern Wilderness these days?"

"It's still the same."

"Is there not a single day when you don't want to go south?" "Not a single day when I don't want to go south. And every day I'm even more insane." Yongbei said, "Last month I reported that the spirit of the Nine Phoenixes appeared in the northern sky, and the one who would succeed to the throne was the new Wolf Lord. This has now been confirmed. That twenty-four-year-old wolf cub has become the priest of the Wild God."

"Every generation of the Wildlings has its heroes. How well has the tribe recovered?"

“They reproduce like rats.” Yongbei said, “That year, the army’s advance reached 900 li outside the city of Bayi, and the slaughter was wiped out. For ten years, I have been able to explore and cultivate the northern wilderness. However, now, spies and informants are disappearing one by one, and caravans can no longer reach 800 li outside the Great Wall... The fog has returned.”

“They are building up a new southward movement, I can smell it,” he said.

“Before that, I will personally lead one more campaign.” Li Yao picked up his cup, drank the wine in one gulp, and put it back on the table.

Yongbei also drank it all in one gulp without saying a word.

Li Yao turned his head to look at the pond: "Yong. Twenty-seven years ago, we had a banquet here. There were four of us at the table: you, me, Qingju, and Wujin. At that time, the tyrannical emperor was beheaded, and the country was waiting to be restored. Our hands were still stained with blood. We drank heartily and were extremely happy."

"During that time, we conquered the northern wilderness once. Twenty-four years later, we drank together again. Of the three of us at the table, only you, me, and Qingju remained. Now that we're middle-aged, we know there are things we can't do. We argued and parted on bad terms."

"Thirty years have passed in a flash, and it is rare for us to gather here again. It is only the two of us now. Sitting alone at the desk, how can we talk about happiness? Yong, the world is ever-changing, and those in power rarely have an old age. I hope you will take care of your health and live a long life."

Yong Bei's fierce eyebrows furrowed, his cheeks trembled a few times, and finally he took a step back, knelt on the ground, and sobbed, "Your Majesty, take care!"

Li Yao nodded and looked down at Bi Xiao: "Li Jian has been at the Immortal Terrace all along. Go and take care of whatever you need to do. No matter what happens, you might as well stay a little longer and leave after April."

"Your subject will obey your command."

Yongbei stood up from the ground with his head down. His knees, sleeves, forehead, and hair were covered in mud, and tears stained his temples. He walked backwards away from the garden with his head down.

Li Yao sat at the table, pouring himself a drink and slowly finishing the pot of wine.

Sometimes he would look at the pond flowers, sometimes he would gaze at the ripples on the water. As dawn broke, the flowers and leaves in the garden were gradually washed back to their original colors. After drinking, Li Yao smoothed his hair, closed his eyes, and gently placed the jade flute to his lips.

……

……

As darkness turned to gray, and then to light, Pei Ye received a message from the Immortal Platform, asking him to go there to confirm an official document jointly signed by various government departments, ordering the arrest of the ringleader.

Without any delay, Pei Ye summoned a carriage, picked up his sword, and took his cat with him as he left the Sword Academy.

The Immortal Terrace was filled with the figures of Yu Jian in the early morning. Pei Ye was now one of the few crane inspectors whose identity was not concealed. Although his reputation had not yet spread outside, many people in the terrace had already spoken of him by word of mouth. When they saw this young figure, they would often bow and greet him.

Pei Ye returned the gift quickly and perfunctorily today. He went straight up to the west tower and arrived at the Vice Minister's room.

"Hello, Inspector Pei He."

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

“There’s nothing complicated. Prosecutor Pei He is in charge of this case and is also a frontline arresting officer. Before issuing the warrant, please have Prosecutor Pei He take a look and sign the warrant.”

Zhang Siche pushed a stack of papers in front of Pei Ye. Pei Ye unfolded them and saw that there were many handwritings and seals on them, including those from the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Personnel, and even the Grain Transport Commission.

Pei Ye glanced at the fine, small characters and saw that it connected the Taiping Canal Gang to the Illusion Tower, then to the palace and the Eight Rivers, clarifying the entire network of the Mirage City. Then, it irrefutably linked the assassination of the Empress and the assassination of Jinyang. Finally, it demanded the arrest of the Mirage City's leader, using very strong wording.

Then his gaze fell on the leader's name, the two characters "Yong Ji" clearly visible.

Pei Ye signed his name and stamped the document, then looked up at Zhang Siche.

Is it being sent today?

"We need to be able to release it today. But it depends on the platform owner's wishes."

"What's the meaning."

"Does Pei Hejian know that the Prince of Yan's carriage arrived in the capital yesterday?"

"I ran into them."

“This morning, news came that he left the palace, boarded a carriage, and returned to the Prince of Yan’s residence,” Zhang Siche said. “A quarter of an hour later, Yong Ji, whom we couldn’t find anywhere, appeared and entered the residence.”

Pei Ye squinted.

Zhang Siche put away the documents: "The evidence against the leader of Mirage City is irrefutable, and we have basically completed the cleanup. However, whether the leader of Mirage City is Yong Ji is a more difficult question."

Pei Ye nodded, indicating her understanding.

Of course it was Yong Ji. He saw Yong Ji with his own eyes, and many people knew it was Yong Ji. But to prosecute the Prince of Yan's heir, ordinary evidence is not enough.

Xianrentai took the Mirage City and wanted to identify the leader, so they could write a confession even without one, and fabricate evidence even without one. This method could bring down many people, but it was not enough to execute the Crown Prince of Yan.

However, this link already exists, and it is certainly substantial enough—that is, General Zen's testimony.

Everyone recognized General Chan's name. He was one of the Six Pillars of the Northern Wilderness. As the number two figure in Mirage City, he was being hunted down. If he were to reveal that the leader was Yong Ji, it would be enough to condemn the prince to death.

The problem is that General Chan was willing to die to save Yongji's life, so why is he now insisting on a death sentence?

The push and pull process remains to be seen, and the outcome is yet to be determined.

“Three quarters of an hour ago, this Prince Yan left the Prince Yan’s residence again, and his carriage headed northwest. We followed him for a while and confirmed that he went to Ci’en Temple,” Zhang Siche said. “The abbot has already gone there. He left a letter asking Pei Hejian to come to the Observatory.”

Pei Ye nodded and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Understood."

He turned and left.

The observatory was as it always was, except that Li Jian was no longer there. Pei Ye walked to the front of the platform and saw a note left behind.

Only two words from a casual note: "And dream."

The moment Pei Ye saw those two words, his soul felt lighter, and the world around him seemed to be veiled and then drawn back, with clear, melodious fairy music in his ears.

Pei Ye spread its wings, perched on a branch, and scanned the remaining seats, finding them all empty. A fluttering sound came from the side; it was the [Great Li] whose black, jade-like eyes were looking over.

(End of this chapter)