Detective Di Renjie: The Mysterious Dynasty

Chapter 391: The Reception
The news of Hu Yun's disastrous defeat at the shore of Hongze Lake had not yet reached Yangzhou, and the current task of the officials of the Yangzhou Governor's Office was to welcome the imperial envoy.

At the Yangzhou wharf, drums and music were playing, flags were flying, and the scene was huge and spectacular.

Yangzhou Governor Cui Liang, Chief Secretary Wu Wendeng led the officials of the state government, and Grand Canal Transport Commissioner Yang Jiuchen led the officials of the Grand Canal to line up in a casual line at the dock, without any serious look on their face.

The three of them were talking and laughing, whispering to each other, and it didn't look like they were preparing to welcome the imperial envoy at all.

Obviously, this group of people had already received accurate information that the imperial envoy Prince Yan was not on the ship at all, so there was no need to be overly solemn.

A moment later, a majestic official ship slowly moored at the dock, with the command flag waving. The ship guards acted quickly, dropping ropes, stabilizing the ship, and placing pedals. Everything was in order.

Led by Shen Tao and Xiao Bao, the imperial guards quietly disembarked from the official ship and surrounded the fleet within two miles. The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Seeing this, Yang Jiucheng couldn't help but sneer: "Haha, you're pretending to be so serious."

Upon hearing this, Cui Liang quickly coughed to remind him, and said seriously: "You still have to act well and don't let people see any flaws!"

Only then did Yang Jiuchen and Wu Wendeng calm down and wait for the "imperial envoy" to arrive.

Then, a horn sounded, and dozens of Qianniu Guards, holding high the ceremonial procession symbolizing the imperial power, slowly walked out from the second floor of the ship. The scene was solemn.

On the shore, Cui Liang, Wu Wendeng, and Yang Jiucheng led all the officials, all knelt down with their robes lifted, and shouted in unison: "I, the governor of Yangzhou, Cui Liang, the chief secretary, Wu Wendeng, and the grain transport commissioner, Yang Jiucheng, lead all the officials in the government office to respectfully greet the emperor!"

Amidst thunderous shouts, officials kowtowed one after another.

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, a young and loud voice came from the boat: "Saints and Glory!"

This sound made Cui Liang and Yang Jiuchen feel a little helpless for a moment, and they looked stunned.

The Chief Secretary Wu Wendeng reacted faster and hurriedly shouted "Long live the emperor". Cui Liang and Yang Jiuchen then reacted and hurriedly followed suit.

Zhao Ji looked down from above, scanning the mass of people kneeling below, but remained silent for the time being.

In the past, Di Renjie was always the protagonist in the Imperial Guard, but this time it was Zhao Ji himself who played the leading role. He stood on the podium and became the focus of everyone's attention.

This feeling was still very different, and he couldn't help but be slightly intoxicated for a moment.

However, Zhao Ji's brows furrowed slightly and he noticed something wrong.

This made Cui Liang, Wu Wendeng and their group very anxious.

They really don't know what the current situation is. What's going on with the imperial envoy? Is it true or false?
Could it be that the news brought by Prince Ying was wrong? Another thing, why didn't the imperial envoy continue talking?

"Where is Prince Ying Yuanqi? I am the imperial envoy who is on tour on behalf of the Emperor. I informed the governor's office last night. Why didn't he come to greet me?" Zhao Ji's questioning voice echoed above everyone's heads.

Cui Liang secretly groaned in his heart, as he had no idea why Prince Ying Yuanqi did not show up.

He must have been deceived by his own intelligence and thought that the imperial envoy would not come and did not want to make a wasted trip.

On the ship, Yuan Gui, who was among many Qianniu guards, was also sweating profusely.

Who could have expected that Zhao Ji, who had always been secretive and hidden, would suddenly appear on the ship? He didn't even know how Zhao Ji got on board.

However, ignoring the questions raised by the imperial envoy was obviously an act of great disrespect.

Cui Liang had no choice but to kneel down and walk out of the line and answer, "Your Excellency, this is the case. After receiving the imperial envoy's order last night, Prince Ying sent someone to tell me that Your Highness was on a tour of duty, and he should have gone to the dock in person to greet him."

"Unfortunately, Prince Ying has been seriously ill recently and cannot travel. I am unable to go out to greet him. I hope the Imperial Envoy will understand!"

Zhao Ji heard this and sneered, "Oh? You are seriously ill and can't leave? Is it that serious?"

Cui Liang's head was almost buried in the ground, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he answered in a trembling voice: "Yes... yes."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Gui knelt down immediately, his voice choking with sobs: "Your Highness, my father's health has been deteriorating in recent years. He originally planned to go to the capital to see the emperor in person, but his illness was difficult to recover and he could not go." "That's why you sent me to go on his behalf. If I have been disrespectful today and offended the emperor, I am willing to take the blame on my father's behalf and bear all the responsibility."

Zhao Ji turned his head and glanced at Yuan Gui coldly, sneering in his heart: "I don't believe you. Yuan Qi is too sick to move. There are not many good people in the world."

However, he did not get angry immediately, but put on a warm smile: "Well, since you are seriously ill, it is understandable."

Yuan Gui, Cui Liang and others were relieved when they heard that Zhao Ji did not pursue the matter further.

He coughed lightly, took the imperial edict from the ceremonial officer beside him, and raised his hands above his head: "The imperial edict has arrived, all officials in Yangzhou, please accept it!"

Cui Liang kowtowed quickly and once again led the Yangzhou officials in shouting "Long live the emperor!" in unison.

Zhao Ji then unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud.

After all this trouble, Cui Liang, Wu Wendeng, Yang Jiuchen and others no longer underestimated Zhao Ji. They listened to the imperial edict obediently, bowed again and stood up.

After the reading, Zhao Ji and a group of imperial envoys slowly walked down from the official ship.

Cui Liang adjusted his mentality quickly, and immediately came forward with a shameless face: "Your Highness, I have vacated the Governor's Mansion and used it as the Imperial Envoy's headquarters. Please stay here, Your Highness!"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ji waved his hand and said with a smile: "Hey, Prince Ying is a meritorious minister. He once made great contributions in suppressing Xu Jingye's rebellion! He is also an elder. Now he is ill, how can I not go to visit him?"

"Governor Cui, please lead the way!"

Cui Liang was stunned for a moment when he heard this: "This... this..."

Zhao Ji's face darkened when he saw this: "What? Is there anything wrong?"

Cui Liang quickly forced out a smile that was uglier than crying: "No, no, no, Your Highness is kind-hearted, so there is nothing wrong with that. I am just worried that Your Highness is tired from the journey. Perhaps you can take a rest first before visiting Prince Ying?"

Zhao Ji showed a subtle smile again: "I am young and strong, and I have rested enough on the boat. Moreover, His Majesty has specially ordered me to take good care of Prince Ying in Yangzhou. Now that Prince Ying is ill, I have to visit him even more!"

He didn't lie, Wu Zetian did ask him to "take care of" Yuan Qi. But the word "take care" should be put in quotation marks.

Seeing that Zhao Ji had even moved Wu Zetian out, Cui Liang dared not say anything more. He could only nod and agree helplessly: "Yes, I will arrange it right away!"

"No need to trouble you, just lead the way now!" Zhao Ji looked resolute and it seemed that he didn't want to waste even a moment.

Cui Liang secretly complained in his heart, but he could only reluctantly agree: "Yes..."
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Cui Liang led Zhao Ji and his party on horseback through the bustling crowd at the dock and headed towards Prince Ying's Palace.

Along the way, Yuan Gui followed behind Zhao Ji, acting as a personal bodyguard, with a very ugly expression on his face.

Before Zhao Ji arrived in Yangzhou, he used a little trick to catch a big handle on the father and son.

The imperial envoy arrived but they did not come to greet him. This matter could be a big deal or a small one. If we take it seriously, beating the father and son for holding a grudge against them would be the least of their worries.

What worries Yuan Gui even more is that Zhao Ji's mysterious appearance this time and his eagerness to visit Prince Ying's Mansion may have a deeper meaning, which forces him to be vigilant.

"Yuan Gui," Zhao Ji asked with concern as they walked, "What kind of disease does Prince Ying have that is so serious? If it is really impossible, I can ask the court to send an imperial physician to treat him."

Yuan Gui's heart tightened, and he carefully considered his words and answered, "These are all old injuries from the battlefield. They are deeply rooted. I have consulted many famous doctors, but they all said that they can only be recuperated, not cured. That's why my legs and feet are inconvenient."

After hearing this, Zhao Ji nodded slightly, seeming to be satisfied with Yuan Gui's answer.

The group rode their horses at a rapid speed and soon arrived in front of Prince Ying's mansion.

Unexpectedly, the famous Prince Ying's Mansion was built in a very shabby manner, lacking any royal bearing.

It looks even worse than Xue Qinglin's Pingnan Marquis Mansion in Jiangzhou. As a tyrant in Yangzhou, Yuan Qi has plundered countless money, and no one knows where it has gone.

(End of this chapter)