Chapter 416: Good Sword Skills! (2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ye Jingtang had suspected yesterday that the two of them might have been used. Zheng Kun had been tortured all night, but the Black Office didn’t get anything out of him, which confirmed this thought.

Ye Jingtang came in front of him and sized him up. “So now you remember extorting two hundred taels of silver from me?”

Zheng Kun had stayed up all night. Not to mention the 200 taels of silver, he even remembered kicking a wild dog when he was bored. He lowered his voice and said, “I remember now. Four years ago, in August, there was an escort agency passing by the Wang Estuary. One of the helm masters lost money gambling and blocked the road to extort two hundred taels of silver. I really didn’t know that it was your escort, Sir Ye. 1 admit that I offended you, and I apologize, but what else can I say? In the past, 1 committed many murders in Liang Province and even killed two people in the capital. 1 have no intention of getting out alive. Sir Ye, please send me on my way and hang my head outside the Black Office. This matter will be over. But you guys are asking me these inexplicable things. 1 really can’t answer them…”

Ye Jingtang nodded. “I’m from Liang Province. 1 know what the Flong Mountain Gang is like. I will kill innocents if I kill everyone, but you leaders aren’t. It’s considered a bargain for Shi Yanfeng to die a quick death.

“Now I’m asking you. If you tell me the truth, I’ll give you a quick death after you answer. Your corpse can be buried. But if you hide anything, you can slowly be tortured here until you die.”

Zheng Kun was a bloodthirsty horse bandit to begin with. It would be considered a good ending if he could die a quick death. “Alright. But I joined the Hong Mountain Gang later. 1 call Jiang Zhahu the gang leader, but I’m not a trusted aide. I really don’t know what I can and can’t answer.”

Ye Jingtang thought for a moment. “What are the exact smuggling routes of the Hong Mountain Gang?”

“I only manage the private iron. There are no fixed routes on the trade routes. I’ll go wherever I can. 1 mainly collect goods from the mines in Liang Province, Jin Province, and Sha Province and sell them to the tribes of the Western Sea. The four major tribes, including the Winter Underworld Tribe, want iron the most. 1’11 trade in Clear Curtain City. The contact of the Winter Underworld Tribe is called Jiang Laojiu, an elder of the Winter Underworld Tribe…”

Ye Jingtang had never been to the Western Sea tribes and didn’t know much about them. When he heard this, he asked, “Jiang seems to be a surname from the Central Plains…”

Shang Jianli approached to explain, “The north and south dynasties originated from the northwest. Later, the river changed its course, and the northwest became a barren land. The people migrated to the south and north, gradually evolving into a situation of three countries. After the Northwest Royal Court was broken up, it became the tribes of the Western Sea…”

Ye Jingtang didn’t know much about history. He nodded and continued to listen to Zheng Kun’s confession.

Zheng Kun spilled the beans and told him everything about the trade routes he grasped. The constable recorded everything seriously.

When he was almost done with the smuggling issue, Ye Jingtang asked, “How much do you know about Jiang Zhahu’s Golden Scale Picture?”

Zheng Kun said, “He definitely has it, but I’ve never seen it. I joined the Hong Mountain Gang because I wanted to learn it, but Jiang Zhahu didn’t completely trust me and never said anything to me.”

“How do I find Jiang Zazhu?”

“There are many people in Jianghu who suspect that he has that precious treasure. He usually doesn’t stay on Hong Mountain. If he wants to arrange anything, he gets his trusted aides to convey it on his behalf. By the way…”

At this point, Zheng Kun thought of something. “Jiang Zhahu asked me to enter the capital for another matter. He wanted me to find someone called Zhang Jinglin and ask for the formula for the Heavenly Carnelian Bead. According to Shi Yanfeng, this thing is like the imperial jade seal. Whoever can consume it is the true Son of Heaven and can unify the tribes of the Western Sea…”

?!

When Ye Jingtang heard this, his eyelids twitched. After all, he could use the Heavenly Carnelian Bead. If the rumor that he was the true Son of Heaven spread, it would probably be a lot of trouble in the future. “I heard from Zhang Jinglin that the Heavenly Carnelian Bead is just a medicine. It is specially concocted to temper the muscles and bones. As long as it’s concocted correctly, anyone can consume it. Is Jiang Zhahu looking for this bead to rebel?”

“I’m not sure. Jiang Zhahu isn’t an ordinary person. 1 think he wants to replace Feng Guancheng more than to be an emperor. But Shi Yanfeng is obsessed with opening up land and sealing territory…”

“Who else knows that you two came to Yun’an?”

“Other than Jiang Zhahu, there are only a few leaders. Sir Ye, since you were waiting for us, someone must have tipped you off. I suspect that someone in the gang is coveting our positions and betrayed us…”

Meanwhile, in the Longevity Palace…

The warm autumn sun shone in the garden. The charming Hongyu was walking back and forth outside the bedchamber and placing the various rare items that the empress dowager had brought back from her trip to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

The doors and windows of the bedchamber were still closed, and the screen of beauties scissoring was placed in front of the bed.

The sun was already shining on plump buttocks. The empress dowager, who had nothing to do, lay on her side on the bed, holding The Secret History of the Romantic Empress in her hand. She flipped through it without blinking, and her face would blush from time to time.

Daoist Xuanji was wearing cut-out smallclothes specially provided by the palace. They were still white. She was sitting in front of the dressing table beside the bed and applying lipstick.

Although Daoist Xuanji had drunk too much last night, she wasn’t drunk the entire night. She had woken up as soon as the thunder exploded outside the Imperial City and gone to the empress’s side to protect her. She had only come back after the empress had a private meeting with Ye Jingtang.

After finishing applying the lipstick, Daoist Xuanji changed into a snow-white dress. Then she went to the bed and raised her hand to pat the empress dowager gently.

Pa-

“I’m going out for a while. I’ll come back to take you out to relax later.”

The empress dowager knew that something had happened last night and that Daoist Xuanji might be busy. So she only turned a page of the book and said softly, “Okay.”

Then she remembered something. “1 heard from Hongyu that Ye Jingtang was injured last night. If you have time, visit him.”

Although Daoist Xuanji wasn’t looking for Ye Jingtang, she still agreed. Then she left the Imperial City alone and headed for Heavenly Water Bridge.

Luo Ning was Daoist Xuanji’s best friend. It hadn’t been easy to interact with each other on the ship, and she hadn’t seen her since they returned the day before yesterday. Since she had time, she naturally had to see her.

Daoist Xuanji knew Luo Ning’s address and first went to the Pei residence on Heavenly Water Bridge. After scanning the area, she landed in a corridor of the main courtyard of the back residence. From afar, she heard a conversation between two women in the west wing.

“Jingtang didn’t come back all night. I wonder how he’s doing.”

“He’s definitely fine. If anything happens to Ye Jingtang, the capital will explode. He’s probably accompanying the princess now…”

“It’s all your fault.”

“Huh? Why are you blaming me?”

“Two nights ago, 1 told you to be obedient, but you insisted on being coy. You delayed Jingtang for an hour to coax you, but you didn’t even help him recuperate well…”

“You were pushing your luck. How could 1 agree? Why don’t you try it yourself…”

After listening to a few words, Daoist Xuanji waited in a secluded place. After a while, she saw Third Lady Pei, who was wearing a light yellow casual dress, come out of the room and return to her room to pack her things. Then she went to the new residence by the river with maidservants.

Daoist Xuanji waited until there was no one in the courtyard before quietly going to the door of the room and pushing it open…