Ouchi Taming the Cat, starting with the Ten Tiger Forms!

Chapter 586: Tai Sui

Li Xuan came to a small courtyard in the Imperial Household Department, where he met Chen Tan.

When Chen Tan learned that Zhu Wufeng had died, he was so happy.

Without saying a word, he followed Li Xuan's instructions and wrote a personal letter to Yang Wanli, informing him of the results of the action and also reporting that he was safe.

After finishing the letter, Chen Tan did not forget to ask:

"Manager Shang, now that Zhu Wufeng is dead, I'm afraid the Zheng Palace will not let it go. Can the Money Gang withstand this wrath?"

Li Xuan knew that Chen Tan was worried that his brother would be blamed.

When Manager Shang saw that he took the initiative to ask about this matter, he smiled slightly and looked at Li Xuan.

Then, he said, "Boss Chen, your concerns are not without reason."

"So, we are going to let you, the 'dead man', take the blame?"

"Ah?" Chen Tan immediately looked confused.

He knew clearly that if the royal family had any ill will towards him, he would never have survived to this day.

But what Manager Shang said really left him confused.

Seeing Chen Tan's expression, Manager Shang did not keep him in suspense and said clearly:

"We intend to pin the death of Takegomine on you."

As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Tan's expression suddenly turned ugly.

"Of course, Boss Chen, don't worry too much. We will certainly not harm you."

"We can have two versions of Zhu Wufeng's death."

"First, you survived the prison of the Ministry of Justice, and you hired a master to take revenge on me and killed Zhu Wufeng."

"Second, you are indeed dead, but the arrangements you left behind before you died still allowed you to complete your revenge."

"No matter which one you choose, we will arrange a new identity for you so that Boss Chen can start a new life."

Chen Tan was relieved by what Manager Shang said. It would be good if they didn't use him up and then throw him out to die.

He used to deal with big shots in the capital frequently, and he knew best how cold-blooded and ruthless these people were.

Especially since he is now caught between the two most powerful figures in the Daxing Dynasty.

Even if he was abandoned after being used, Chen Tan would not be too surprised.

This is also the reason why he tried so hard to take back the initiative of the Money Gang instead of actively side with any party.

If he had not been forced into a desperate situation, he would not have stayed in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and cooperated with them as much as possible.

Chen Tan considered what Manager Shang had suggested, not knowing what choice to make.

From the standpoint of Li Xuan and others, they naturally want Chen Tan to continue to "live", so that many things can be done in the name of Chen Tan in the future, and other related forces can be removed.

But from Chen Tan's point of view, "dying" directly is undoubtedly the best choice. This way, his second half of life will be more peaceful, or at least there will be more possibilities for a peaceful life.

Chen Tan didn't think about it for too long. Finally, he sighed and said:

"I'd better choose one."

Chen Tan knew very well that if a person wanted to survive, he had to have value to be used.

If the second method is chosen, the difference between real death and fake death is actually not that big. If something really happens one day, Chen Tan will probably have to make the fake death real.

It seemed that Manager Shang gave him two choices, but there was actually only one choice.

Manager Shang nodded, not surprised by Chen Tan's choice.

"Okay, Boss Chen, we will do as you wish."

"Don't worry, once the storm outside has died down, you can leave here and get an identity in the Red Scarf Team to operate outside."

"Once the factors threatening your safety are completely resolved, you will be free to roam the world as you please."

Chen Tan smiled bitterly, and naturally understood the meaning of Shang Zongguan's words. He bowed and said:

"Manager Shang, Chen is also looking forward to that day."

After making this clear, Monk Chief Li Xuan left the small courtyard where Chen Tan was temporarily staying.

On the way back, Li Xuan couldn't help but ask:

"Are you being too harsh on him, meow?"

Li Xuan felt that they were clearly helping Chen Tan and making the most suitable decision for him based on his standpoint, but the way Manager Shang had communicated just now was actually a bit ruthless.

Li Xuan naturally also realized that the multiple-choice question just now was actually a dangerous situation.

That is not a multiple-choice question, but a true or false judgment question.

"Ah Xuan, be a villain first and a gentleman later."

"If we truly treat each other sincerely, we will be able to see each other's true colors over time."

"Chen Tan is a smart man, and he is also a seasoned man who has been in the underworld for many years."

"People in this world are just like you cats. Some cats are well-behaved and sensible, just like Xuan. They know that if you treat me well, I will treat you well too."

As Manager Shang spoke, he touched Li Xuan's head.

"But more cats need to be tamed. Otherwise, even if you are nice to them, they will think you are afraid of them and think they are the king."

"Stray cats need to be tamed more because they are used to the rule of the jungle."

After Manager Shang finished speaking, he waved to Li Xuan and turned to leave.

"Go and deliver the letter quickly. Come to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to find me if you have anything else."

Li Xuan sighed as he watched Manager Shang walk away leisurely.

It would be too difficult for him to guess people's hearts and lives all the time like Manager Shang.

But Li Xuan also knew that this was the responsibility of General Manager Shang.

Li Xuan couldn't say that he was very familiar with Chen Tan and Yang Wanli. He had just met them a few times and they came together because of the current situation.

Speaking of which, Li Xuan actually disliked Yang Wanli at first, because he was very close to the Fourth Prince at that time. In addition, the Jinqian Gang was rampant in Xishi at that time, so he had no good impression of him.

Who would have thought that they could now be teammates on the same front.

Li Xuan's idea is relatively simple. He just hopes to have many friends in this world, and preferably no enemies at all.

So even though he is wary of people, in his heart he hopes that everyone can become friends and he has good intentions first.

Perhaps Manager Shang also saw through Li Xuan's thoughts, which is why he reminded him.

"Ugh."

Li Xuan shook his head, didn't think any more, and hurried out of the palace to deliver the letter.

When he arrived at the headquarters of the Jinqian Gang, he happened to meet Yang Wanli wandering in the yard.

This guy seems a little anxious today.

Li Xuan did not show up immediately, but instead looked around first. After making sure that there were no spies watching Yang Wanli, he jumped into the yard.

Yang Wanli noticed a black shadow appeared silently in front of him, which frightened him immediately.

This kid has done a lot of bad things recently, so naturally he is afraid of ghosts knocking on the door.

But when Yang Wanli saw clearly that it was Li Xuan, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He was still deeply impressed by Princess Ankang's cat.

Li Xuan didn't waste any time. He swung his tail, stuffed a letter into his hand, and disappeared from Yang Wanli's sight.

The speed was so fast that Yang Wanli felt a flash before his eyes.

If there wasn't a letter in his hand, he would have thought it was an illusion.

Yang Wanli quietly put the letter away, then hurried back to his room, closed the doors and windows, and read the contents of the letter. Seeing the handwriting on the letter, Yang Wanli couldn't help but feel excited.

He had been looking at Chen Tan's handwriting for decades, so he could naturally recognize it at a glance.

When Yang Wanli saw the letter saying Zhu Wufeng was dead, he was so excited that he almost cheered out loud.

He failed to convince Zhu Wufeng in the past two days, and has been feeling extremely anxious ever since.

There are not many opportunities like this. If you waste them, you don’t know when the next one will come.

Yang Wanli originally thought that Zhu Wufeng had not been fooled, but he did not expect that this old man would say one thing in front of him and another behind his back. He said he would not go, but ended up acting privately and lost his life.

"You old thing, you have come to this day!"

After Yang Wanli finished reading the letter and confirmed that there was no other cryptic information in it, he immediately burned the letter.

Seeing the ashes of the letter merge into the charcoal ashes in the brazier, Yang Wanli felt relieved.

He didn't care about anything else and went straight to bed to have a good sleep.

……

But as the saying goes, some are happy while others are sad.

While Yang Wanli was sleeping soundly, there was chaos in Prince Zheng's mansion.

"Your Highness, Elder Zhu and the five secret guards who assisted him are missing."

King Zheng frowned after listening to the report from his secret guards.

"Where was their last whereabouts?"

"Yesterday, Elder Zhu left the small courtyard where he was staying temporarily and headed out of the city. He was probably going to deal with the two fourth-rank masters of the Red Scarf Team. The five secret guards followed the orders of His Highness and assisted Elder Zhu in secret."

"But after they left the city, they quickly disappeared, and there were no more witnesses."

"Someone heard a tiger roaring in the mountains near the Cross Hill. We went in to search, but didn't find any useful clues."

"Someone at the Cross Hill Inn claimed that the Red Scarf Team went into the mountains to collect herbs and encountered a vicious tiger blocking their way. After killing the tiger, they took the herbs back to save lives."

"But according to the information from the Red Scarf Team, the fourth-rank expert who went to collect herbs said that he did not encounter any evil tigers and the process of collecting herbs went smoothly, so they returned to the capital early."

"Master Zhu and the five secret guards who were supposed to kill them have disappeared without a trace."

The secret guard's report was quite detailed, but these were all information deliberately released by Li Xuan and the two general managers, and they could not piece together the real truth from them.

"Have you confirmed that there is no sign of the Five Elements Reincarnation around you?"

King Zheng confirmed.

"Your Highness, we have searched the area fifty miles around the Cross Slope, but still have not found any relevant anomalies."

King Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief after receiving such a reply.

"Continue to expand the scope of the search. Elder Zhu will not leave the capital without a reason, and the five secret guards will not violate the rules."

The secret guards of Prince Zheng's Palace have clear rules. They must report before going on a mission. Even if an emergency situation occurs, they will find a way to leave a mark and will never lose contact for no reason.

It can be seen that Zhu Lao and the five secret guards must have encountered trouble.

However, even Prince Zheng found it hard to imagine who in the capital would dare to attack the offerings of Prince Zheng's Palace.

With Zhu Wufeng's strength, he would never surrender obediently, but there was no trace left at the scene, which was really strange.

"You must find that person back for me!"

King Zheng rubbed his eyebrows and felt a little headache.

For some reason, things have been going wrong recently, as if something had happened. Even with the self-control of King Zheng, he couldn't help but wonder if he had offended some god.

The secret guards knew that they were to blame for this matter, so they naturally did not dare to be careless and wanted to immediately make amends for their crimes.

"Yes, Your Highness."

After receiving the order, the secret guard disappeared from King Zheng's sight.

But the next moment, another new secret guard appeared in front of King Zheng.

"Your Highness, Cheng Che of Fuhu Temple and Master Cheng Hai have been visiting Master Shan Liao of Chongfu Temple frequently in recent days."

"Master Shanliao seems to be interested in intervening in the affairs of the two temples."

King Zheng was still rubbing his brows, without even opening his eyes, and asked:
"How long have these monks from Fuhu Temple been in the capital?"

"Your Highness, it has been forty-three days."

"It seems that they want to celebrate the New Year in the capital." King Zheng sneered after getting the reply.

Then, King Zheng's voice became extremely cold:

"Notify the people in Jiangnan Road to destroy Fuhu Temple."

"For those in the capital, let them live a little longer and kill them on the way back."

"Yes, Your Highness." The secret guard accepted the order without any emotion.

It seemed as if the order issued by King Zheng was just to let them kill chickens and cows, rather than a temple that was quite famous in Buddhism.

But after receiving the order, the secret guard did not leave immediately, but continued:

"Your Highness, Master Zhu is not here, the Money Gang is over there..."

"We are short of manpower at the moment, so let's not worry about it for now. Zhu Wufeng has already ordered the branch of the Money Gang to start collecting money. These useless people in the main branch can hold on for a while longer, as long as they don't get wiped out by the Red Scarf Team."

"Let's see what other tricks my nephew has."

When Prince Zheng talked about Emperor Yongyuan, he couldn't help but smile, but there was mostly disdain and contempt in his smile.

"I've been keeping an eye on the monks at Fuhu Temple in the capital recently. If they dare to talk nonsense, I'll make them shut up immediately and forever."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After asking for instructions on all matters, the secret guard disappeared from King Zheng's sight.

Prince Zheng’s daily affairs were no less than Emperor Yongyuan’s.

After all, as a rebel, he always has to do more preparatory work.

After King Zheng felt his headache eased a little, he slowly opened his eyes again.

He looked at the snow falling outside the door again and couldn't help but sigh:
“Just hope for a smooth next year.”

……

After Li Xuan delivered the letter, he had a rare moment of free time, so he returned to Jingyang Palace to accompany the two maids and see if the little ones in the backyard were getting along well.

It just so happened that he had just recently been promoted to the fourth level, and the qualitative change of his true energy had not yet completely calmed down. He spent a few days at home cultivating his body and mind, which could help consolidate his new realm.

After his realm was stabilized, Li Xuan went to Qianxing Pavilion to ask Master Ye for a few fourth-grade martial arts techniques to practice.

Although these skills have little effect on boosting his Yin and Yang Qi, they can help Li Xuan deepen his understanding of the Five Elements and also provide him with more means of killing enemies and protecting himself, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

But just when Li Xuan was accompanying Princess Ankang in the backyard to fiddle with the formation she had learned from the tree, Yu'er hurried over.

"Your Highness, A Xuan."

"Butler Zhao is here, and he brought some delicious food!"

When Li Xuan and Princess Ankang heard that there was something delicious, they stretched their necks immediately, with a piece of white snow on their heads, and asked in unison:

"What's delicious (meow)?"

Yu'er couldn't help but smile when she saw the man and the cat. She stepped forward and patted the snow off their heads, then answered:
"It's that Arctic clam from last time."

"It's just that this time, Manager Zhao brought that annoying imperial chef with him again."

Li Xuan and Princess Ankang immediately understood that Yu'er was talking about Zhuge Fang, the head chef of the imperial kitchen.

This person wanted to taste Li Xuan before, and Yu'er has always hated him.

(End of this chapter)