Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 332 Xu Shi Response
Ying Zheng did not ask about Taiyi's finger bone, Wuzhan had also thought about it, Xu Shi would never ask about something that would not yield any results, not to mention that the loss of such an important treasure could only show that Xiandao Academy was incompetent. However, Xu Shi would never give up on this matter, as for what would be done against him next, Wuzhan could not predict it, but he was prepared.

The reason why Wuzhan accused Xiandaoyuan in the court was to establish his prestige in front of the ministers and let them know that he was not afraid of Xiandaoyuan. In this way, those who had complaints about Xiandaoyuan would stand on his side. Since it was inevitable and there would be a war, he would just make it clear. Now that he has the qualifications, he needs to face it with a tough attitude.

After Wuzhan returned from the palace, Meng Yi brought ten boxes of jewels given by Ying Zheng, a hundred able-bodied men, and fifty palace maids. He also brought craftsmen. Wuzhan handed them the drawn drawings and asked them to expand the mansion according to the drawings.

Wuzhan was not a person who coveted money and wealth. The reason he did this was to reassure Ying Zheng. He really wanted to settle down in Xianyang, and he had a preference for it. This preference was easy for Ying Zheng to achieve. If he coveted power, Ying Zheng might not be reassured. There were many examples of people who became more successful than their masters, and their endings were not very good.

On the other hand, Zhulang hired dozens of carpenters to build another luxury ship according to the drawings drawn by Wuzhan. After it was built, he was ready to cross the sea to look for Wanjiao. This had been a concern of his, and he did not want to delay any longer.

After the servants left, Meng Yi said, "Your performance in the court today has won the admiration of many old officials. They are still discussing it after the court session. It is estimated that it will not be long before someone comes to visit you."

Wuzhan said: "If we want to overthrow Xiandaoyuan, we must win over those old officials. However, don't expect them to do anything. They have been able to gain a foothold in the court for so many years. They are very good at protecting themselves. If we don't touch their fundamental interests, they will never do anything for us."

Meng Yi smiled and said, "My dear brother, you are right. Seeing that the boys and girls gathered from all over the country have entered the Xiandao Academy, those ministers who said they would sign a petition have not taken any action. This shows that they can only talk behind the scenes and cannot do anything practical."

Wuzhan said: "This cannot be entirely blamed on them. Your Majesty still needs to consider this. After all, it is against your Majesty's wishes. Now that the troubles from the north and south have been solved, your Majesty's greatest wish is to live forever and hold the throne securely. In your Majesty's eyes, the people are no different from cattle and horses, so what does it matter if a few thousand boys and girls are missing?"

Meng Yi lamented, "Yes, I thought the world would be peaceful and there would be no more wars, and the people would settle down. I never thought they would still suffer from hard labor. If this continues, there will be complaints, and the country we fought so hard for will be shaken. Your Majesty wanted to make this country as solid as a rock, but he ignored the people's hearts. If it weren't for my return, my second brother would have lost heart."

Wuzhan said: "Desires are sometimes endless. Once you get one thing, you want that. Even gods can't do that."

Meng Yi asked, "Can you guess what Xu Shi wants to do with the three thousand boys and girls?"

Wuzhan said: "It is possible to use it for sacrifice, absorb life, refine souls, and unlock seals. It may not be to find medicine for your majesty. Recently, a Liefeng suddenly appeared. He is Xu Shi's senior brother. They know the Heavenly Court very well. I suspect there is a big man behind them. The purpose of this big man is the ultimate goal of the Immortal Dao Academy. This purpose is by no means simple. Maybe it is a huge conspiracy that has been planned for a long time."

Meng Yi exclaimed: "What a huge conspiracy!"

Wuzhan continued, "Looking at the history of the Qin State, we can find that in different periods, there are always people who come out and claim to be disciples of a certain family, fanning the flames and influencing the development of the situation. In other words, the Qin State was able to gain the world because of those people. I suspect that the people behind them are the same group of people as those behind the Xiandao Academy. They all have one thing in common, and second brother should know that they all supervised the construction of the Lishan 'Divine Weapon', and their conspiracy must be related to the 'Divine Weapon'. Perhaps the answer will be revealed when we go out to sea this time."

Meng Yi frowned and thought, "Brother, now that you mention it, it is indeed the case. The construction of Mount Li began from King Hui."

"Lishan is the head of the Qinling dragon vein, and the Qinling is the hinterland of the two rivers. It will breed great fortune. They must have chosen to build there for this fortune."

Meng Yi said: "They have been building for so many years, the luck may have been taken away by them long ago."

"That may not be the case. Great fortune will turn into rare treasures, but it will not appear in the world until the time comes."

"Brother, do you have any plan to stop them?"

Wuzhan thought for a moment and said, "I want to go out to sea with them to look for medicine and see what they are going to do."

Meng Yi said: "Mayor Xu is eager for you to die. If you follow him, you will be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth."

Wuzhan said: "You can't get a tiger cub without risking its den. Besides, someone must monitor him. Your Majesty has agreed."

……

After Meng Yi left, a newly arrived young man took the initiative to walk into the study, knelt down in front of Wuzhan and said, "I am Xiao He, and I would like to ask you to give me a job that does not require much effort."

Wuzhan put down the teacup, looked at Xiao He and said, "Oh, if you don't work hard, what can you do?"

"I have learned some arithmetic and etiquette. As long as I don't put too much effort, I can do it."

"Oh, you have learned all this, you should seek an official position. It would be a disgrace to stay in my house."

Xiao He smiled bitterly and said, "Without military merit, I won't be appreciated. It's useless to learn. I can't even fill my stomach and pay taxes. Otherwise, why would I come to do corvée labor?"

Wuzhan said: "If you want to be an official, I can recommend you."

"I dare not be an official. Taxes and corvée labor are too heavy. No one cultivates the land. The people cannot afford to pay taxes. If corvée labor and taxes are not collected enough, they will be punished. If they are not careful, they will lose their heads."

Wuzhan asked, "Aren't you afraid of losing your head in my house?"

Xiao He smiled and said, "When I first arrived, I thought the maids in the mansion were the master's wives or concubines or daughters of noble families. I have never seen maids in a mansion dressed so gorgeously. It can be seen that the master must be a virtuous king. Even if the master wants to kill me, it is I who deserves to be killed."

"You can say it, but I may not kill others, so it's hard for you to say it." Xiao He was stunned when he heard it, and said, "I don't know what you mean, sir?"

Wuzhan said, "You should know what I mean. You didn't come to my house just to fill your stomach. Judging from your accent, you should be from Pei County. The corvée conscripted there should be sent to Liaoxi, not Xianyang."

Xiao He lay on the ground, not daring to look up. His back was soaked with sweat. He said, "I am indeed from Pei County. I was caught in Xianyang for tax evasion."

"Since you dare not admit it, then I will tell you that you are the remnant of the anti-Qin rebellion. You came to my house to monitor me and may assassinate me if necessary."

Xiao He stood up, his face pale, and said in a deep voice: "Yes, since you have discovered it, there is nothing to worry about. In the eyes of Qin, you are a meritorious official who has expanded the territory, but in the eyes of the people, you are a dog official who has committed heinous crimes."

Wuzhan said: "That's not enough, continue."

Xiao He angrily cursed: "You are greedy for wealth and fame, you regard the thief as your father, you kill people without hesitation, you are insidious and cunning, is this enough? Although I can't kill you, I am not afraid of death."

Wuzhan patted Xiao He on the shoulder and said, "Good, you have guts and courage. It should be Zhang Liang who asked you to come, right?"

Xiao He asked: "How do you know?"

"You said I recognized the thief as my father, so I knew it was him. He is the only one who knows my life experience. I won't kill you. Go back and tell Brother Zhang that the time is not right yet. If he reveals my life experience to others, the plan will fail. Go away."

Xiao He was surprised and asked, "You won't kill me?"

Wuzhan smiled and said, "Since you have admitted it, why should I kill you?"

Xiao He responded, "Actually, Zhang Liang asked me to test you. If you still remember that incident, he asked me to stay by your side to assist and contact you. He also asked me to come and thank you for him. He has guessed that you were the one who rescued me in Bolingsha. Don't worry, you. He has not revealed your background to others. I misunderstood you just now. Please forgive me."

Wuzhan said: "I will do what I promised. I have my own things to do. I don't want others to interfere, and I don't need anyone to assist me. Don't expect me to do my best for you. You can stay in my house, but I need to remind you to control your mouth and don't cause trouble, otherwise I can't protect you."

Wuzhan was indeed a little unhappy. He did have hatred towards the Qin State, but this hatred was different from the hatred of those restorationists. Those people's hatred was national hatred, while his was family hatred, and his hatred towards the Zhao State was also family hatred. He only wanted to take revenge in his own way and did not want to be instructed by others. Destroying the Qin State was his goal. As for who would own the world, he did not want to care.

Moreover, he had a more important and arduous task to do when he returned to Xianyang. He had to destroy the Xiandao Temple, welcome the "holy war", rebel against the heaven, and establish a mission for the people. He could not afford to make the slightest mistake in these matters. If he was too involved with the restorationists, he would inevitably fail.

Xiao He hurriedly said, "I will take care of myself. Please rest assured, sir. Your mansion has received a group of servants and is going to be expanded. If you don't want to be distracted, I can help you take care of it."

Wuzhan said: "Okay, I'll leave it to you. Just promise one thing: the more wasteful and extravagant, the better."

Xiao He was puzzled and asked, "Shouldn't we be frugal? If outsiders knew about this, they would say bad things about you. What if it gets to Ying Zheng's ears?"

Wuzhan said: "I just let those people spread the word to his ears. Ying Zheng is very suspicious. He gave me so many jewels. If I don't use them all, he will think I have other intentions and will be wary of me. On the contrary, the more I waste, the more reassured he will be. He will think that I am greedy for wealth and no matter how great my achievements are, he can satisfy me."

Xiao He sighed, "I really can't help but admire you, sir. Xiao He has learned from you. I will do it right away!"

After Xiao He left, Wuzhan looked out the window. In the courtyard, Miaoxin and Zhulang were sparring with each other, while Yunchu, Jinxingzi and Lingkongzi were cheering on the side. They were truly having a great time.

At this moment, the sky suddenly darkened, and Miaoxin and Zhulang stopped.

Jin Xingzi shouted, "This is really weird! Is the sky going to fall?"

He jumped onto the roof with Lingkongzi and Zhulang and looked towards the direction of Xiandaoyuan. Dark clouds were gathering in the sky and the whole Xianyang city was as dark as night.

"Crack..." A flash of lightning struck from the dark clouds, illuminating the entire sky.

"Someone in Xiandao Temple is undergoing a tribulation." Wuzhan walked out of the house and said.

The whole process lasted for nearly half an hour, and thunder struck fifteen times in total. This means that there are a total of three people in the Immortal Dao Academy who have completed the thunder and became immortals.

This must be Mayor Xu's response to Bixia's tribulation. If he doesn't do something sensational, Xiandaoyuan will be surpassed by Wuzhan, causing Xiandaoyuan's status in Ying Zheng's heart to decline.

Wuzhan smiled slightly and said, "It seems that Mayor Xu is a little impatient."

(End of this chapter)