Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 129 A lonely moon illuminates my troubled heart
Wuzhan chose this house because of its unique location. It is far away from the downtown area, convenient for travel, and not easy to be monitored. In case of emergency, he can also escape along the Wei River. As for the strange things that happened in this house, he did not take it to heart. One day the truth will come out. And Gaosheng is far from being as simple as a teacher.

Wuzhan and Gaosheng first went back to Juxian Pavilion to bid farewell to Fusu, and then returned to Meng Mansion and asked Jin Xingzi to go to Xianghe Pawnshop with Gaosheng. They bought the house with only thirty gold coins. After returning to Meng Mansion, Gaosheng made a budget for the cost of repairing the house, and it turned out to cost two hundred gold coins. Wuzhan had to ask Jin Xingzi to take a few pieces of jewelry to the pawnshop again, and exchanged them for gold coins and gave them to Gaosheng. Gaosheng left Meng Mansion with a bag of gold coins, and hired strong men, stonemasons, carpenters, gardeners, and bought stones, wood, dyes, etc.

As the sun was setting, Wuzhan took a short rest, then picked up a pen and wrote a letter on a piece of silk. He wrapped the "Secret of Immortality" in it and asked Lingkongzi to go to Mount Emei immediately to hand it to Qin Moyao personally, and then go to Mount Kunlun to look for Wanjiao's trace.

Meng Yi came back from the palace and brought back the imperial physician Song. After taking the pulse for a long time, he said with a puzzled look, "Your pulse is too strange. Forgive me for being frank. With such a weak pulse, ordinary people would never survive. But you are able to survive with this pulse. This is unprecedented. Human beings are the virtue of heaven and earth, the intersection of yin and yang, the meeting of ghosts and gods, and the elegance of the five elements. The true qi in your body is extremely weak, which is rare. I suspect that there is a substance hidden in your body, which is not qi, pulse, blood, or flesh. It is imperceptible. If it were not for it to support your body, I am afraid you would be dead."

Wuzhan was amazed at Song Imperial Physician's inference when he heard this, and said softly, "So, I won't die for the time being."

"It's hard to say. This is just my guess. I am not an expert in medicine and I am unable to treat your illness. I am very ashamed."

Meng Yi sent Dr. Song away, and returned to the room. Looking at Wuzhan who was calm, he comforted him, "Don't worry, my dear brother. Although Dr. Song cannot cure the disease, there are doctors in the world who are better than him. I will definitely find him to cure your disease."

"I know my illness best. There are few people in the world who can be better than Dr. Song in medical skills. Don't worry about me in the future." Then he said, "I didn't have time to tell you just now that I bought a house by the Wei River. I will move in when it's ready."

Meng Yi said unhappily, "Did my second brother treat you unfairly, or do you think this Meng Mansion is too small?"

Wuzhan said hurriedly, "Don't blame me, second brother. I am now an official in the court with a salary of ten thousand stones. I can't stay in the Meng Mansion. Besides, I am used to being idle. I am not used to it here. It is very inconvenient to travel. And my two bad disciples don't know etiquette. After a long time, they will definitely cause trouble. I moved out, not to Xianyang City. If you want to see me, you can ride a fast horse and arrive in a moment. Why do you have to make things difficult for me?"

After hearing what Wuzhan said, Meng Yi also felt that it was indeed inappropriate to keep Wuzhan at home. He was like a guest kept by an aristocrat. Wuzhan was a counselor and a great minister. He should have his own mansion. Moreover, with his talents, he would be used by His Majesty in the future. If he did so, he would bury him. Thinking of this, he stopped trying to dissuade him. "Second brother is confused. You will pay for my mansion."

Wuzhan said, "Thank you for your kindness, second brother. My master left me some money before he died. I can buy that house. Besides, I am receiving a salary from the Qin Dynasty, so I have no shortage of money."

"No, since you've decided to move out, I have to pay for it, otherwise I'll feel bad!"

Wuzhan knew that Meng Yi's kindness could not be refused, so he could only accept it and change the subject, asking: "Your Majesty has been emperor for a year. The eldest prince is both virtuous and talented, and he is good at governing. Why didn't Your Majesty make him the crown prince earlier?"

Meng Yi sighed and said, "Don't suggest this to your majesty, or you will be killed. Since the rebellion of Lao Ai, your majesty has been frightened by him. What he fears most is death, so he asked Xu Shi to seek the method of immortality for your majesty. Your majesty is the only emperor in history. You want to rule for thousands of years, and you don't need to establish a crown prince. If someone suggests this, it means that person hopes that your majesty will die early, and your majesty will be furious. This is the thing that your majesty can't bear the most. Moreover, you were deceived by Xu Shi and followed his advice. You spent a lot of money and manpower to build the underground palace, which was a waste of money and labor, and it was three times more than the cost of the army. The motley crowd recruited by Xu Shi each had unique skills and high cultivation. The court officials dared not speak out against them. My dear brother, if you have a strategy, you must eradicate those evil ways that are harming the country and the people."

"To be honest, I met a Taoist priest when I left the palace today. He was the murderer who killed my master. I was wondering how he could enter the palace so easily." Wuzhan knew that Meng Yi would know about this sooner or later, so it was better to tell him as soon as possible.

"Dao Xuan?"

"Qingyang."

"My dear brother, you have to be careful. In my opinion, it is safer for you to stay here. At least I can protect you."

"If he wants to kill me, he can do it anywhere. I'm not going out. Don't worry, my apprentice can handle him. I just hope that Second Brother won't tell anyone about this. As for dealing with those demons, we need to slowly look for opportunities and don't touch them easily, otherwise we will get into trouble."

"I am in charge of the affairs of the palace. If they want to see His Majesty, they have to go through me. I will find an opportunity." Meng Yi suddenly remembered something and asked, "Where did you go with Bixia Yuanjun? How did you stop the breach?"

"Why did you think of asking about this, second brother?" Wuzhan suddenly felt that this matter was difficult to explain clearly, or rather, difficult to fabricate.

"I was outside His Majesty's study and heard them mention Yuan Jun. They suspected that she had the 'Xi Ran' in her hands."

Wuzhan was shocked when he heard this. As expected, after they discovered that Xirang was fake and saw that the breach in the Yellow River had been blocked, they would definitely suspect that Yuanjun used Xirang. If this happened, Yuanjun would be in big trouble.

"Yuan Jun took me away from my second brother, presumably because he wanted to get rid of me. Perhaps because he saw that I was weak and would not live for a few more days, he softened his heart and did not kill me. In the end, he let me go. I only know that he went to a valley. Whether she blocked the breach or not, I don't know."

Apart from Yuanjun, the only people who saw Wuzhan in the seal were the two dead evil gods. As long as Yuanjun didn't say anything, no one would know. As for the matter of blocking the Yellow River from bursting, Yuanjun could only justify it himself.

Wuzhan asked, "Besides these, what else did you hear, second brother?"

Meng Yi recalled: "His Majesty was discussing matters in the study. No one was allowed to enter without oral instructions. I could only hear a few words from outside. However, the Xirang seemed to be very important for them to build the underground palace. Daoxuan wanted to take people to Mount Tai to inquire. His Majesty was still hesitant and did not want to disrespect Yuan Jun for this."

"Your Majesty is a saintly monarch who values ​​friendship and loyalty." Wuzhan said softly, "If you want to deal with those evil Taoists, you need to understand the inside story of how they built the underground palace. Although my second brother is in the palace to protect Your Majesty, he still knows too little. Who is serving Your Majesty when he discusses matters on weekdays?"

"Among the eunuchs, your majesty trusts Zhao Gao the most."

"What is Zhao Gao's origin?"

"It is said that Zhao Gao is a distant relative of your majesty's royal family. He has been in the palace for many years. Because of his good handwriting and his memory, he is appreciated by your majesty. He is loyal to your majesty. It is too difficult to get any news from him. If you are not careful, it may reach your majesty's ears, which will be bad." Wuzhan smiled and said, "How can I meet him?"

"It is not difficult for you to meet him alone. He goes out of the palace to visit relatives every half a month. He registers when he comes in and out and will be back in about two hours. Tomorrow should be the time for him to visit relatives."

"I want to meet him tomorrow."

"Be careful, my dear brother. He is very alert."

"Don't worry, second brother. I just want to meet you once." Wuzhan sat down again and wrote down the names and quantities of 18 kinds of herbs, including Blood Chuanxiong, Purple Blood Ganoderma, Blood Clotting Grass, Blood Ginseng, and Red Blood Dragon Vine, on a piece of silk. He handed it to Meng Yi and said, "The first four of these herbs are very precious. Second brother, please ask someone to go to the city's medicine shop tomorrow to see if they can be purchased."

Meng Yi knew that Wuzhan was a good doctor, and thought that this was the medicine he prescribed for him, so he didn't ask any questions. He took the prescription and told his servants to get it done.

……

After Meng Yi left, Wuzhan sat quietly in the chair, looking at the lonely moon outside the window, his thoughts in a mess. Everyone in the court was not simple. If he said something inappropriate, they would hold on to him and he would be walking on thin ice.

The enemy that he didn't want to see so soon finally appeared today. He could come to assassinate him at any time. Wuzhan knew him best and needed to be on guard at all times.

If they couldn't get the Xirang, they would definitely target Bixia Yuanjun. Wuzhan had thought of this when he sent them away.

Although this trouble may have nothing to do with me, I don't want her to be threatened. Those people can do anything to achieve their goals.

And Princess Yu, why did she choose to come to Xianyang? Was she worried? Or did she choose someone and prepare to assassinate him?

For some reason, the scene of him reaching out to help her on the boat in Jiujiang always lingers in his mind. The pity in his heart would make him give up everything, perhaps because they had the same fate.

……

On the morning of the second day, Wuzhan, dressed in a black official uniform, followed Meng Yi into the Imperial Household Department, where he and a dozen ministers sorted out memorials and documents for His Majesty to review. They then passed on the reviewed memorials or kept them in different categories.

Near noon, Meng Yi called Wuzhan out and told him that Zhao Gao had left the palace. After hearing this, Wuzhan left the palace, sat in the carriage with Jin Xingzi, and secretly followed Zhao Gao's carriage.

Zhao Gao's carriage turned left and right in Xianyang City, and finally stopped in front of a remote house. Zhao Gao got off the carriage and just entered the house when a servant came forward and said, "My lord, you are back!"

As Zhao Gao walked, he asked in his unique thin voice, "How is my mother?"

The servant replied, "I am fine. I was talking about it this morning. The master will come back to visit today!"

As soon as Zhao Gao entered the house, he saw his gray-haired, blind mother sitting on a chair and shouted, "Mother, I'm back to see you!"

"Well, I heard it. Let me touch it and see if it has changed!" The old man stretched out his hands and said in a grave voice.

Zhao Gao knelt in front of his mother, held her black-spotted hands with both hands, and pressed them against his own face, saying, "I haven't seen you for only half a month, how could you have changed?"

The old woman sighed, "Alas!... Such a good child, but he was ruined..." As she spoke, tears flowed down her face. "My family is also a royal family. Now that the family line has been passed down to you, the incense will be cut off. I am sorry to our ancestors!"

Tears streamed down Zhao Gao's delicate face. "It's better this way. It saves our family from being slaves for generations."

"Hurry up and try the walnut cakes Cui Lian brought you this morning."

Zhao Gao stood up and saw a plate of exquisite pastries on the table. His heart warmed. He picked up a small piece with his orchid finger and put it into his mouth, savoring the sweet taste.

"Cui Lian is already over 20 years old, and she still misses you. She often comes to accompany me. What a pity. They are such a good couple. You should go meet her and let her give up this thought. Don't let her down again."

Zhao Gao started sobbing before he even swallowed the small piece of walnut cake he had put into his mouth.

……

(End of this chapter)