webnovelfull Chapter 26 Xiwu 1st Journey
Chapter 26 Xiwu 1st Journey
On the title page of the collection, the words "vinegar" are clearly visible.
"Bow down and submit, offer up your two women for my pleasure, and you will be spared the extermination of your clan."
Just these four lines!
It was also written with alum on the title page.
With just one glance, Lin Zheng roared and slammed his hand heavily on the rosewood chair, shattering the armrest!
"What an arrogant tone! What audacity!"
Lin Zheng originally possessed the air of a scholar-general, but at this moment, a murderous aura surged across his face. Li Lan keenly sensed that the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees, and a chill flashed by.
This was caused by fluctuations in Lin Zheng's internal energy!
At least... a top-tier expert!
Lin Zheng's skill level is truly impressive.
It was clear that Lin Zheng was truly enraged.
"What a provocative demonstration!"
Li Lan then said calmly, "He anticipated that we would inspect, so he wrote this sentence in advance and placed it here. Such arrogance truly shows that he regards us as nothing."
Previously, the other party used alum to write a secret letter to frame the Lin family, but Li Lan saw through it. Now, the other party is still using this method to provoke the Lin family. It can be said that... they are truly rampant!
"What do you think?" Lin Zheng asked him.
Li Lan said, "Since he is so certain, it means he has already set up a scheme, and he is not afraid at all that we will know that he has set up a scheme... This scheme must be extremely dangerous and ruthless."
Li Lan sighed. The enemy was in the shadows while they were in the open. The key was that the other side was a member of the royal family, so they had very few ways to counterattack and were far too passive!
Even Li Lan couldn't immediately guess how many ruthless tricks and vicious schemes the other party had prepared.
"There is no way to guard against thieves for a thousand days, and it is impossible to know all the thoughts of thieves. Therefore, the best strategy is still to take the initiative."
Li Lan pondered for a long time before looking at Lin Zheng.
Lin Zheng's face was extremely gloomy. He had thought about it for a very long time and deeply understood that the Lin family was now walking on thin ice, and one wrong step could lead to an abyss. Finally, he nodded and said:
"Go ahead and do it... The only thing to remember is not to get too close to the First Prince because of Jinyang Palace."
He seemed afraid that Li Lan wouldn't understand the danger involved, so he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Whether it's the Third Prince or the First Prince, they could ultimately cause unimaginable disaster. Stay away from them...."
Li Lan's heart skipped a beat, and she agreed.
Back in the room.
He asked Yue Ran to grind the ink.
"Young master, what do you want to write?"
"write a letter."
"write a letter?"
"That's right, write a letter to the gods in heaven and ask them to bless Xiaoyue Ran, so that she may stay young forever and live forever, hahaha..."
Li Lan put pen to paper, and it was a poem.
In his view, the fate of the Great Li Dynasty was coming to an end. He originally did not want to get too involved with the royal family, but now that the Third Prince was being aggressive, he did not want to be slaughtered, so he had to find some way to protect himself.
In Dali, the highest power is held by only a few people. The only power that can rival the Third Prince's imperial authority is that of another person.
This person can't be the eldest prince, so it can only be the emperor!
……
night.
Songxian Building.
"How is Lord Zhao's investigation progressing?"
Li Lan took the initiative to ask a question.
Zhao Tanyue sighed softly and said, "Thank you for your guidance, young master. We have indeed found further clues."
"The owner of Moxianfang has confessed, but his rank is too low. He only knows that Bei Hu's conspiracy is indeed related to the Qingtian Grand Ceremony, and the key seems to be in the prison."
"I have already reported this matter to His Majesty and the Empress, requesting that His Majesty need not grant a general amnesty during the Qingtian Ceremony. However, His Majesty's will is absolute and cannot be changed."
"At that time, many prisoners in the prisons will be taken to the Seeking the Way Mountain, but even now, I still don't know how many spies the Northern Hu have planted among the prisoners."
"The Celebration Ceremony is extremely dangerous!"
Upon hearing this, Li Lan felt a slight sense of unease. Zhao Tanyue was a trusted confidante of the royal family. She had already explained the pros and cons, yet she still couldn't change Emperor Xianxian's mind.
Could there really be immortals in this world? Did Emperor Xianxian truly receive a response from an immortal, as the rumors suggest?
Is that why they are so stubbornly persistent?
After thinking for a moment, Li Lan finally made up his mind and said, "Perhaps I can go into the prison and find out what's going on."
Zhao Tanyue was taken aback and asked, "Young Master Li, what makes you say that?"
Li Lan said, "The key to the enemy's vicious scheme should be in the prison. Only by going into the prison can we find some clues."
Li Lan didn't know exactly how much Bei Hu had prepared in prison, but he understood that if Bei Hu's plan succeeded, the Third Prince would definitely be the biggest beneficiary.
It's not impossible that if the assassins kill Emperor Xianxian and the eldest prince, the third prince could directly ascend the throne and become emperor.
Li Lan even speculated that this was why the Third Prince dared to be so arrogant, not even putting General Lin Zheng, the protector of the country, in his eyes!
In any case... this is something that neither the Lin family nor Li Lan can accept.
At this moment, helping Zhao Tanyue is, in a sense, helping yourself!
Even Zhao Tanyue's usually icy and aloof face showed a slight change in expression as she asked, "Young Master Li, why are you like this?"
Li Lan's imprisonment was a life-or-death situation. He had not received the same great favor from the royal family as I had, so why should I be so loyal?
Li Lan smiled slightly and said, "General Lin is resented by all the civil and military officials. Only in this way can His Majesty know the loyalty of the Lin family."
Zhao Tanyue nodded: "General Lin did not choose the wrong son-in-law."
"Alright, I'll think of a way. If you're going to go to jail, you have to do it secretly and smoothly. Otherwise, it will be in vain if you attract the enemy's attention."
She frowned slightly. Li Lan's identity was special, and he was also resented by the person who orchestrated this. It would be too difficult to let him in without being guarded against...
"My lord, there is no need to worry. If Li Lan is not mistaken, it will not be long before someone else sends me to prison."
Li Lan smiled and said, "At that time, Lord Zhao only needs to take advantage of the situation and give it a push..."
He went into great detail.
The attacks from scholars in the capital, the books sent to the Lin family... all revealed the smell of conspiracy, and Li Lan had already vaguely guessed what was going on.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tanyue couldn't help but feel a little surprised and doubtful. Li Lan spoke so confidently, could it be that he had really foreseen something in advance? Discovered something? ... But she chose to believe him and nodded, saying, "It seems that Young Master Li is far-sighted and has already made plans."
Her brow relaxed slightly. She had been exhausted from investigating the case for days and felt powerless to face this massive conspiracy alone. Now, with Li Lan's help, she inexplicably gained more confidence.
"In addition, Li Lan has also come up with a poem these past few days, and I would like to trouble you, sir."
Li Lan took out the folded document and handed it to Zhao Tanyue.
Zhao Tanyue did not open it, but accepted it directly, and solemnly said, "I will definitely pass it on to the Empress and the Emperor!"
Li Lan then left.
After he left.
Zhao Tanyue watched Li Lan's carriage drive away through the window, her cold and beautiful eyes seemingly filled with emotion and complexity.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Her female disciple, Xixia, asked a question.
"Pity."
"pity?"
"He is courageous, insightful, and exceptionally intelligent, yet he has nowhere to go in the martial arts world. It is a pity that such a talented person is envied by the heavens."
Zhao Tanyue shook her head, deeply regretful.
In her view, martial arts is Li Lan's greatest pain and an insurmountable barrier!
“Go to Zuiyue Tower and tell them that the favor they owed me back then can now be repaid. I want their dual cultivation technique to improve their physical constitution.”
Zhao Tanyue suddenly said.
Upon hearing this, both Yanqiu and Xixia were taken aback.
They all knew that the Taiyi Sect owed Zhao Tanyue a huge favor back then, which Zhao Tanyue had never mentioned all these years, but now she was using it to ask for a cultivation technique.
She herself didn't need this cultivation technique.
Was it for... Li Lan?
"Master, is it worth it for him?"
Yanqiu couldn't help but ask.
"I, Zhao Tanyue, owe no one anything in my life except for Li Lan, who owes me many favors now."
She said, "If you owe someone a favor, you should repay it."
The female disciple beside her, Xixia, muttered, "Master, you don't need to cultivate with him. What right does he have..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tanyue couldn't help but rub her forehead and said, "You silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about!"
"I just... want to give him the cultivation technique!"
Even the icy beauty was speechless at this moment.
Xi Xia chuckled and said, "Oh, I see. I thought you had fallen for him, Master. But Master, you're getting on in years, it's time to find us a grandmaster!"
"You little rascal!"
Zhao Tanyue was helpless, but she was extremely clever. Suddenly she realized that Xi Xia was always quirky and clever, not foolish. How could she have misunderstood her meaning? Xi Xia was clearly saying that on purpose to cheer her up.
Seeing that the Empress was troubled, she wanted to help her relieve her worries, but her disciples had also seen how hard she had been working these past few days.
Thinking of this, she felt a warmth in her heart and couldn't help but smile. She deliberately said, "Alright, you all cultivate well. One day, defeat Lin Ruoxue, snatch her away, and give her to Master. Master will take her."
"Oh, Master, you should just stay single forever!"
Xi Xia said, "Even if Lin Ruoxue retires from the martial arts world, I will never catch up with her in my entire life!"
Seeing her master's smiling face, Xixia said, "I'm going to Zuiyue Tower!"
……