Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 143: Blessing or Disaster

When Wuzhan and Jin Xingzi returned to the mansion, Gaosheng was very conscious and had left with two strong men. Suqi, Suyan and other four maids were already frightened, and when they heard the noise and fire behind the courtyard, they hid in the house and did not sleep all night. The rest of the servants and strong men stayed in the courtyard of the mansion and did not dare to jump over the high wall to check late at night.

At noon, Miaoxin came to the hall wearing a neat lace cross-collar skirt. She supervised Wuzhan to take the pill and observed his pulse. However, her cheeks were still flushed and she was shy and did not dare to look Wuzhan in the face.

Wuzhan explained to Miaoxin that although Jinxingzi was a monster, his nature was not bad, so he taught him Taoism and guided him to do good.

Miao Xin seemed confused when she heard this. She didn't expect that after coming down the mountain this time, she would reach the realm of a wandering immortal overnight. This was a realm that she might not be able to reach even if she practiced on the mountain for another ten years. Moreover, she had fused the divine fire into her body. As long as she slowly studied and used it in the future, it would become a magical weapon that could be used at any time.

After this incident, she felt more than just gratitude and trust towards Wuzhan. A feeling she had never thought of before also began to emerge in her heart. This was completely contrary to the Master's teachings, and it made her afraid and panic.

After completing the observation, I felt even more heartbroken because Wuzhan's pulse showed no improvement and was as silent as yesterday.

……

When Miaoxin left the hall and returned to the house, she met Gongsun Yu and Luoyan who came to see Xiang Liang in the courtyard. Luoyan sensed the strong true energy and couldn't help but tremble in her heart. She stopped and glanced at Miaoxin.

Gongsun Yu was confused and looked behind Miaoxin. She didn't know why a beautiful Taoist nun appeared in Wuzhan's mansion, so she thought she was Wuzhan's fellow disciple.

The house where Xiang Liang lived was to the west of Wuzhan. Wuzhan had ordered that no one was allowed to enter. After a few days of recuperation and Wuzhan's treatment, his health had almost recovered and he could leave the city at any time.

Wuzhan and Xiang Liang were both from famous families. In their spare time, they often analyzed the current situation together and discussed how to restore the monarchy. They became close friends.

Several people agreed to send Xiang Liang out of the city to Kuaiji tomorrow to buy land, store grain, recruit soldiers, develop secretly and wait for the opportunity. However, Gongsun Yu was determined to stay in Xianyang, and Wuzhan and Xiang Liang could not persuade him.

Just as they were discussing how to leave the city, Fusu suddenly broke in looking for Wuzhan. Fusu had seen Xiang Liang at the execution ground, but he didn't know whether he could recognize him. Xiang Liang hurriedly turned his face away and pretended to be a servant and left.

Luo Yan's hand was already on the hilt of the sword. As long as Fusu recognized him, he would take action immediately. However, Fusu was shocked when he saw Gongsun Yu. He could not take his eyes off him and stood there for a long time. For a while, he could not hear anything.

Wuzhan asked several times before Fusu slowly turned his eyes away and asked Wuzhan: "Brother Zhan, whose daughter is this?"

Gongsun Yu bowed slightly and said, "My daughter Yu'er is in the Qingya Pavilion. I came here today to play the zither for you. I am about to leave now!"

"Qingya Pavilion, are you the Miss Yu'er who has become famous in Xianyang recently?" Fusu asked in surprise.

"Don't believe in this rumor, young master!"

"I've heard that your piano skills are so amazing that I can't eat or drink for three days. I've always wanted to find an opportunity to listen to you in person. Today I'm lucky enough to meet you. Can you play a piece for me?"

Wuzhan hurriedly introduced: "This is the eldest prince, Prince Fusu!"

After hearing this, Gongsun Yu was suddenly stunned, then lowered her head, knelt down and said, "My little girl is blind and did not recognize you. I hope the eldest prince will forgive me!"

Wuzhan quickly winked at Luoyan, telling her not to act rashly, and only then did Luoyan not draw her sword.

Fusu smiled and said, "Miss Yu, there is no need to be polite. Please stand up quickly!"

Gongsun Yu stood up and said softly, "Since the eldest prince wants to hear it, then I can only perform my ugly act!"

Wuzhan took out the 'Luanming' and gave it to Gongsun Yu. Gongsun Yu sat dignifiedly in the study, lowered his brows and plucked the strings.

The sound of the zither was so melodious that Fusu was intoxicated by it. Seeing Gongsun Yu's stunning beauty, he could no longer control himself. Wuzhe, who was sitting next to Fusu, could see it clearly and didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse.

After the song was finished, Fusu was in a trance for a while, and said infatuatedly: "Listening to Miss Yu's piano music is like ascending to the heavenly palace and floating in the sea of ​​clouds. It is soul-stirring and refreshing. Miss Yu's piano skills are indeed well-deserved!"

Gongsun Yu stood up slowly and bowed, saying: "Your Highness, thank you for your praise. How could I have such great ability? Since Your Highness and the adults have important matters to discuss, I will not disturb you any more. I'm taking my leave!" She was about to say goodbye and leave.

"Miss Yu, please stay. I wonder if I can hear your beautiful piano music again in the future?" Fusu asked with a pounding heart.

Gongsun Yu hesitated for a moment, then turned around and said softly: "If the eldest prince comes to Qingya Pavilion, he will naturally be able to hear my daughter's piano playing!" After that, she walked away with lotus steps.

Fusu looked out the window for a long time, until he could no longer see the beautiful figure. Wuzhan then asked, "Prince, what do you want to see me for?"

Fusu then remembered the purpose of looking for Wuzhan, and sat back on the chair, saying: "My father asked me to bring you the official seal and fifty guards. This is the official seal, and the guards are waiting outside the door. I will send them!" As he said that, he took out the tiger-head jade seal from his sleeve and handed it to Wuzhan. Wuzhan took the official seal and thanked him: "Thank you for coming here in person, my eldest prince!"

"Brother Zhan has made great contributions to our Great Qin. What's the big deal about running errands? I have one more thing to ask you. Where do you want to open a government?"

"Your Majesty has granted me the position of Special Censor. My duty is to monitor public opinion and eradicate the remnants of the restoration. However, this duty does confuse me. I don't know whether it should be under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court or the Imperial Censorate. Moreover, the incidents I handle are also quite special. It is an idle position when nothing happens. I can only investigate and supervise after an incident occurs. There is no fixed time and place. Therefore, there is no need to set up another court. If there is something to be done, I will go to the Supreme Court first."

"That's good, I'll go back and report to my father!" Then he asked, "How did my brother get to know Miss Yu?"

"I also heard that she is an excellent pianist, so I asked her to teach me."

"I heard that she is extremely beautiful and never meets anyone casually. I never thought that I would meet her by chance in my brother's mansion today. It really is true that seeing is believing!" Fusu sighed.

"Could it be that the eldest prince fell in love with Miss Yu after just one look at her?" Wuzhan asked, looking at Fusu's face.

"I'm afraid they have no intention of doing so. Besides, my father will never grant my approval!" After saying this, he even forgot to say goodbye and left with a heavy heart.

Wuzhan looked at Fusu's departing back, feeling a sense of desolation in his heart, and then smiled bitterly to himself: "Why bother to care!"

……

It rained heavily that night, and there was a strong wind without thunder. It did not stop all night. In the morning, the maids in the mansion saw petals falling outside the window all over the yard, which made them feel heartbroken.

Before he finished breakfast, a fast horse came with news that the Chief Justice Yao Jia asked Wuzhan to go to Lantian immediately, saying that a major case had occurred and Wuzhan was needed to investigate the scene. Upon hearing this, Wuzhan rode fast horses with Jin Xingzi and the guards. Miaoxin naturally followed him and secretly took Xiang Liang out of the city with him.

After secretly bidding farewell to Xiang Liang, Wuzhan rode at full speed and caught up with Yao Jia and Feng Jie who were ahead halfway. Yao Jia then briefly narrated the incident to Wuzhan.

Last night, the mercury that was being transported to Mount Li was attacked in Lantian, and thousands of kilograms of mercury were lost on the ground. Yao Jia suspected that it was the remnants of the Six Kingdoms restoration, so he coordinated with Wuzhan to investigate.

The incident happened between two steep mountains. The valley was not very long and narrow. When you walked into the valley, you could see eight big characters written in mercury on the cliff: "Exorbitant taxes and heavy levies, people resent God's anger". Each character was written in a strong and powerful way. Ordinary people would never climb up to write on a stone wall that was more than ten meters high.

Soldiers who had died tragically could be seen everywhere, their blood had been washed away by the heavy rain. The wooden barrel carts loaded with mercury were completely destroyed and in a mess. The mercury formed a long winding dragon along the road, shining with silver light. When the surviving escort soldiers saw Yao Jia and others arriving, they hurriedly knelt beside the muddy road, waiting for questioning in fear. They were all guilty of the death penalty for losing so much mercury.

Yao Jia called the captain Jiang Xin, who was ordered to report back to Xianyang, and asked him, "Tell us in detail what happened last night!"

Jiang Xin knelt on the ground and narrated in panic, "It rained heavily last night. Dong Zhong and I were afraid that the river would flood and the carriages would be blocked, and we would miss the deadline. We thought that we were familiar with this section of the road and would reach Mount Li in less than half a day. It would not be too late to rest after delivering the mercury. So we traveled at night in the rain. When we passed the mouth of the valley, the rain got heavier and heavier. A strong wind blew in the valley. The horse lanterns were extinguished and we could not see the road. We had to stop by the roadside to avoid the rain. After about an hour, when the rain subsided a little, we continued on our way." As he said this, he turned around and pointed to the road behind him and said, "When we got to that position, we heard a rumbling sound ahead. Our "I thought it was the roar of a distant mountain and didn't pay much attention to it at first, but the sound became louder and louder, and the whole valley roared with it, just like a mountain torrent pushing towards us. We couldn't see anything at the time, so we hurriedly ordered to retreat, but before we could retreat, something terrible happened!" As he spoke, his face turned pale and his pupils dilated, as if what happened last night was happening again in front of him. He trembled and said, "We saw a group of green cavalry rushing towards us. They are definitely not people. They are undead, skeletons in armor, and even the horses are just skeletons. The horses' hooves don't touch the ground, but fly on the ground, flashing glowing will-o'-the-wisp fire."

"How dare you spread lies and shirk your responsibility!" Yao Jia shouted angrily.

"Sir, what I said is absolutely true. We soldiers have witnessed it with our own eyes. You can interrogate me one by one. If I say anything wrong, you can cut me into pieces!"

After Jiang Xin finished speaking, the soldiers kneeling on the ground shouted, "Sir, we saw it with our own eyes, and we are not lying!"

Yao Jia said in a deep voice: "Keep talking!"

"Those skeleton cavalrymen didn't make a sound. They held long spears and lances and killed anyone they saw. They chopped down any chariots they saw. We couldn't resist them at all. Ten thousand kilograms of mercury were destroyed in an instant!"

Yao Jia asked coldly: "Did you fight to the death?"

"We were... scared out of our wits at that time. Before we could resist, those undead spirits rushed over. I deserve to die!" Jiang Xin knelt on the ground and said in shame.

"How were the words on the cliff written?"

"Among the skeleton cavalry, there was a mighty leader wearing a silver helmet and silver armor. He was emitting light all over his body and was particularly conspicuous. He held a long halberd and chopped the stone cliff with a flash of lightning, flattening the cliff. Then he picked up a bucket of mercury, flew up out of thin air, and wrote those eight words, Sir, that person... Dong Zhong said that person is... Wu'an Jun... Bai Qi!"

Yao Jia and Feng Jie were immediately horrified and stared at the handwriting on the cliff. "Impossible! Someone must have imitated his handwriting!"

The captain of a thousand men, Dong Zhong, who was over sixty years old, knelt down and shouted, "Sir, although I am old, my eyes are not blurry. I once fought with him in the Battle of Changping, and I will never forget it. The armor he wore and the weapon in his hand were correct. Moreover, he glanced at me when he left last night."

Wuzhan then asked calmly, "Did you see his eyes?"

(End of this chapter)