"There's no time to lose. Let's go now."
Lord Song, who had succeeded in his scheme, looked at the three people in the room. "Everyone should be mentally prepared. During the morning court session, Sun Lang retreated in order to advance. He accepted all of Junior Bao's accusations and doubts. He should be walking the path of sorrow. If I'm not wrong, after returning to the Copper Sparrow Terrace early, he has already started to build momentum. That is to say, the Copper Sparrow Terrace is now a tiger's den."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Bao Xiren and hesitated for a moment. "Junior Bao, you and Sun Lang have a grudge. Today's morning court session was also caused by you. Why don't you …"
Lord Bao said proudly, "Senior Bao's words are wrong!
Since it was caused by me, how can I stay out of it and let you go into danger alone? "
"Good brother." Lord Song nodded with satisfaction and then looked at Ke Nan. "Eldest Senior Sister?"
Ke Nan said directly, "I'm not going."
Her objection was reasonable. She had already had a conflict with Sun Lang, and the point of conflict was that kind of embarrassing thing between a man and a woman. The two of them had almost torn apart all pretenses of cordiality. How could she be willing to pinch her nose and enter the tiger's den again and be ridiculed by Sun Lang in all sorts of ways?
Song Huifu nodded. "I understand. You don't need to go. Since that's the case, you can rest in the residence for a while. The three of us will go and talk to General Shentse."
Ke Nan raised her eyebrows. "You make it sound like I'm useless. If I don't want to go to the Copper Sparrow Terrace, why should I stay in the capital office?
Are you looking down on me? "
Song Huifu's face was still expressionless. No one could tell what he was thinking. "Then what is your opinion, Eldest Senior Sister?"
Ke Nan jumped onto the stone bench and stepped on the stone table with one leg. Even in this position, she could only barely look at Song Huifu. Miss Ke snorted. "There are two cases. You went to test Sun Lang for the first case. Why can't I investigate the second case?"
Song Huifu frowned and said, "Senior Sister, you're saying …"
"The cause of Chi Lianyan's death was that he stopped Shen Yaohua's carriage in the middle of the street and kept pestering her. Later, three disciples of the Sun Family of River East saw him and secretly notified the Copper Sparrow Terrace, which led to the arrival of Sun Lang's soldiers. Then, Chi Lianyan brandished his holy sword in the middle of the street and started a fight, which led to Sun Lang's appearance …"
Ke Nan snapped her fingers and said, "Among the two groups of people who first came into contact with Chi Lianyan, the Sun family of Jiangdong and Sun Lang have been flirting with each other. If there is no accident, it is very likely that they will put Sun Lang into the genealogy. Perhaps it is impossible to get anything out of these three people. Besides the three of them, the only witnesses at that time are Shen Yaohua and her brother. This may be a breakthrough …"
Lord Song said, "But as far as I know, this matter has little to do with the Shen siblings."
"Maybe it does. Anyway, there is no harm in paying a visit. After all, don't forget whose wife Shen Yaohua is." Ke Nan revealed a meaningful look and said, "There is more to it than meets the eye."
The four people's expressions turned serious at the same time.
The Tianyuan Chaotic War lasted for decades and ended in the Great Barren Mountain. That earth-shattering battle brought peace to the world, but it was shrouded in endless fog. Everyone only knew that hundreds of thousands of heroes had completely defeated the Sky Demon at the cost of blood and lives, but no one knew the specific details. They didn't even know how the battle was won, nor did they know what happened on the final battlefield full of blood and fire.
It was precisely because of the mystery and the unknown that people were interested in talking about it.
In the past two years, there had been endless debates and so-called truths about the Battle of the Great Barren Mountain. While the countries were crazily inquiring for information, they were also trying their best to spread the truth. They regarded the Houtu Empire as an imaginary enemy and spared no effort in slandering the Empire. The people wrote books, the government set up monuments, and the reactionary forces didn't give up on the idea of destroying the Houtu Empire.
The despicable and insidious Houtu Emperor carried out the selfish practices of their lamentable palace. When they were about to win, they killed the greatest contributor because the heroes were the people's heroes and not the emperor's heroes. In order to maintain his rule and reputation, the emperor killed the heroes and let the invincible Marshal die from a dagger in the back in the final battle.
Such a saying gradually rose and spread overseas.
Because of the deliberate dilution and information control of the court, the freedom of speech in the Imperium was naturally not as great as in other countries. However, everybody had brains and mouths, and the court couldn't control what they said in private. Naturally, some things became more and more intense. Ke Nan and the other three disciples of his sect were all Wu Hou's favorite disciples. They were all extraordinarily intelligent talents. Naturally, they knew what happened on the Great Barren Mountain.
Right now, the most widespread consensus was that after the victory of the Battle of the Great Barren Mountain, the Commander Of War, Jia Ying, was immediately attacked by the remaining soldiers of the Heaven's Origin Sector. The two parties fought each other and broke up. The army of the Imperium was annihilated, and the Commander Of War disappeared. The Battle of the Great Barren Mountain came to an end.
That was the most basic consensus.
On top of that, everybody's disagreement or curiosity was how many of the three hundred thousand elites of the Imperium were killed by the Sky Demon, and how many of them … were killed by Jia Ying.
It was an extremely awkward question that might never have an answer. For most people in this country, an answer that had no answer was the best answer. There were no schemes, no betrayals, and all the soldiers died in the final battle as heroes who brought peace to the Earth Houtu.
But some people were not willing to accept that.
For example, Chi Lianyan, who spoke arrogantly in public.
For example …
"Shen Yaohua," Ke Nan said slowly.
"I'm told that Shen Yaohua's brother was detained by the Copper Sparrow Pavilion for a night and was not released until she went there in person. Before that, nobody knew the identity of her brother. In the quarrel with Chi Lianyan that followed, Shen Yaohua's brother showed hostility to Sun Lang, too …"
None of the other three said anything.
They already knew what Ke Nan was up to.
"Senior Sister."
Song Huifu said, "This is not a secret we can easily get involved in. Don't let anger get to your head."
Ke Nan waved her hand and said, "Okay, okay, I know what I'm doing. I won't pry into things I shouldn't know. I'm just going to investigate a case. Also, Shen Yaohua is an old friend of mine. It's just that something happened to us later, so we haven't seen each other since …"
At this point, her expression became slightly sad. Fate was unpredictable, and fate made fools of people. Shen Yaohua lost her lover, and she was reborn overnight.
The little girl sighed and said, "It's good to see her."
Song Huifu glanced at his Senior Sister and said to Di Huaiying, "Senior Brother, Junior Brother Bao and I will go to the Copper Sparrow Pavilion. You go with Senior Sister Ke."
Ke Nan waved her hand and said, "No need, I'll let my brother accompany me."
Song Huifu shook his head and said, "No, the two of you haven't returned to the capital for a long time. Brother Ke doesn't have an official position. It's better to let Senior Brother Di, a famous official from the Supreme Court, accompany her. It's safer."
Ke Nan didn't refuse anymore and said, "Okay, my brother's brain is numb from training. With Junior Brother Di around, we can talk things over."
Di Huaiying received a signal from Song Huifu.
It was obvious that he meant, "Keep an eye on Senior Sister Ke."
Di Huaiying understood Junior Brother Song's signal and quickly understood what he meant.
Junior Brother, you can see it too …
Di Huaiying smiled bitterly in his heart.
The four of them were reunited after so many years to receive the Emperor's order to face a strong enemy. They should work together, but each of them had their own thoughts. Junior Brother Bao was focused on solving the case, but he was faced with a dilemma. Junior Brother Song was hostile to the Emperor and was dissatisfied with him, but Senior Sister Ke's situation was more complicated.
Senior Sister, Senior Sister, are you a spy who was instigated by Sun Lang, or a chess piece who was recruited by the Empress?
What's your real purpose in looking for Shen Yaohua? Who ordered you to do so?
And, Junior Brother Song.
Di Huaiying glanced at Song Huifu. His expression seemed to have never changed, as if nothing in the world could move him. Junior Brother Song had always been like this since he was a child.
However, Di Huaiying could see that Junior Brother Song was different now.
Under his wooden face, there was a surging flame. He didn't hesitate to express his dissatisfaction with the Emperor, and he didn't hide his intention to cause trouble for the Emperor.
Junior Brother … What are you thinking? What do you want to do?
Di Huaiying was puzzled, but he knew that even if he asked directly, Song Huifu would avoid answering. Things had changed, and people had changed. They were no longer carefree teenagers.
Senior Sister Ke returned to her youth overnight, and only she knew the pain.
Junior Brother Song angrily resigned and returned to the countryside.
Junior Brother Bao became the governor of the capital. He was not afraid of the strong, and he persisted in his ideals and beliefs. However, the officialdom was originally a pitch-black quagmire. The deeper one went, the more darkness one would see. In the dead of the night, the young governor of the capital would inevitably sigh at the moon, and his heart would be at a loss.
And himself … What about himself?
Di Huaiying laughed bitterly in his heart.
In the past, Wu Hou had said that he was the most suitable person to be an official out of the four of them. However, Di Huaiying knew that this was not praise or encouragement, but a reminder and a sigh. After so many years in the officialdom, he was becoming more and more intelligent, and was becoming more and more like an official … Di Huaiying didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
With a heavy heart, the four of them separated into two groups.
There was a carriage in the capital office, but it was purposely removed from the official's mark. There were no bailiffs or bodyguards accompanying them, and only a driver was called to drive the carriage. Bao Xiren and Song Huifu sat in the carriage, looking at each other without saying a word.
Bao Xiren's hot blood had cooled down, and he immediately felt uneasy. According to his original intention, he did not want to go to the Copper Sparrow Terrace today. After all, he understood Sun Lang's personality. This person appeared to be weak and cowardly in the imperial court, but behind his back, he would be even more ruthless and vicious. General Shentse was a pragmatist. He did not care about his face, and he was good at exchanging his face for five or ten times more.
Therefore, in the imperial court, he cried miserably and ran away in tears. When he returned to the Copper Sparrow Terrace, he would be ready to cause trouble. Today, he had rushed in, and was simply asking for a beating.
But Senior Brother Song was determined to go. This matter was caused by him, so how could he stay out of it?
Forget it, forget it. Senior Brother Song was not afraid, so how could he fall behind?
He could not let Senior Brother look down on him.
Thinking of this, he raised his head and saw Senior Brother Song's expressionless face. Senior Brother Song had been like this since he was young. He had a calm and collected appearance, as if Mount Tai was collapsing in front of him. He was very good at maintaining his composure, and he was very decisive in dealing with people. This was in line with Master's teachings of "a gentleman is angry without being affected by women, but he moves like the wind and thunder".
Just like now, even if he was about to go to the Copper Sparrow Terrace, even if he was facing General Shentse Sun Lang, Senior Brother Song was still calm and collected. What kind of courage and insight was this?
Thinking of this, Bao Heizi felt a little ashamed. Compared to Senior Brother Song's calmness, he was far from it.
With admiration, he asked, "Senior Brother Song, are you not worried or afraid?"
Song Huifu said expressionlessly, "Worried about what?
Afraid of what? "
Bao Xiren smiled bitterly. "Senior Brother Song, I've made a fool of myself in front of you. I have some friendship with Sun Lang, and I know his character very well. I'm not afraid of ordinary enemies, but facing Sun Lang, I really don't feel confident."
He looked depressed and sorrowful, as if he was thinking of the loss and lesson he had suffered before. He sighed. "Senior Brother, we are all from the Six Fan School. There are thousands of people in the world, and they have different appearances and thoughts. It seems difficult to predict, but in our eyes, all living things have common sense. Everyone has their own temperament and mind. By observing a person's temperament, we can judge their behavior and way of dealing with things. It's always successful in investigating cases and political battles, but …"
Bao Heizi sighed again. "It's just that this method won't work on Sun Lang. I can't see through him at all, and I don't know what kind of terrible tricks he will use to deal with me. The unknown is the scariest. He can always use unexpected means to deal with me …"
Speaking of this, he peeked at Senior Brother Song's expression.
Bao Xiren had his own selfish motives.
As a twisted Sun Lang boaster, although he saw Sun Lang as an enemy, he recognized Sun Lang's intelligence and ability. Therefore, he believed that Senior Brother Song's calm was based on the fact that he knew nothing about Sun Lang's threat. Therefore, he had an obligation to let Senior Brother Song know the truth.
It would be great if he could see Senior Brother Song's nervous or serious expression.
That was probably how he would feel.
Humans were such ugly creatures. Because they were nervous, they wanted others to be nervous with them. Otherwise, they would appear to be incompetent.
But to his disappointment, Senior Brother Song still had a calm and collected look on his face.
It seemed that he didn't realize the seriousness of the problem at all.
Could it be that Senior Brother Song still didn't understand?
Song Huifu nodded and said, "I think I understand what you mean."
Bao Xiren was delighted.
Then, Senior Brother Song said, "You mean to say that you've been defeated by Sun Lang several times before, and he always used unexpected means to defeat you?"
Lord Bao nodded.
Senior Brother Song continued, "So that's how it is. But there isn't much hatred on your face. There is more helplessness and shame. In other words, Sun Lang wasn't ruthless in those few failures. He didn't injure your body, nor did he touch your bottom line. But at the same time, you were wary and fearful of his methods. In other words, in those few failures, you were disgraced. Perhaps your heart was mocked, perhaps your soul was attacked, or perhaps your spirit was ridiculed …"
Lord Bao's expression was a little stiff.
"That's why you reminded me just now. Because you've lost face a few times in Sun Lang's hands and suffered quite a bit, you're worried that I'll also lose face like you and be ridiculed, humiliated, and ridiculed by Sun Lang like you. Because of this reason, you issued a warning to me, right?
"…"
Lord Bao's expression had become very subtle.
He nodded with a subtle and awkward expression.
Song Huifu nodded and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Junior Brother Song. I'm not afraid."
Bao Xiren's mood had changed. He now felt a little embarrassed. He was also a human and had a sense of shame. If he felt ashamed, he would try to cover it up. This was shown in his behavior. He straightened his neck and asked, "Senior Brother Song, why aren't you afraid?"
Senior Brother Song glanced at him. His expression was still as calm as ever.
"It's very simple."
He said, "I came to the capital because I was summoned by the imperial edict. I'm also helping you with this case. After this, I'll return to my hometown. I don't need to be an official, nor do I need to be famous. What does face have to do with me? It doesn't matter whether I'm embarrassed or not. So, even if I encounter Sun Lang's schemes and traps on this trip to the Copper Sparrow Pavilion, only you, the capital governor, will be embarrassed. I'm not afraid at all."
"…"
Lord Bao had an impulse to jump out of the carriage.
Lord Song continued, "Of course, this is not the main reason. The main reason is that you were the one who spoke up for justice and reprimanded Sun Lang in the imperial court. Every injustice has its perpetrator and every debt has its debtor. Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire at the Copper Sparrow Pavilion, most of them will be directed at you. At most, I'll be swept away by the aftermath."
"…"
Bao Xiren even felt that he had been tricked.
"Don't worry, Junior Brother Bao. No matter what happens to you, I won't laugh at you. I won't tell Senior Brother Di and Senior Sister Ke either. Don't worry."
"…"
Lord Bao turned his head to the side.
"Junior Brother Bao, I'm so considerate. Why don't you thank me?"
"…"
The human heart was a very mysterious thing. Although it grew on the human body, it was very good at deceiving and deceiving people. It could beautify people's memories. For example, after two people parted, their memories of the past would gradually change. The human heart would whitewash it so that the bad memories would gradually disappear, leaving only the good memories. Therefore, the longer the separation, the more people would forget the bad parts of the other party and only remember the good parts of the other party.
Therefore, after reuniting, one would feel joy.
However, after experiencing the initial joy and returning to normal interactions, one would eventually recall the bad parts of the other party. This was because the human heart could lie. What was whitewashed was not the truth.
It might be a little abstract to put it this way, but it was easy to understand with an example.
It was like when you went to university and left your hometown. Every time you talked to your family on the phone, your mother would ask about your well-being. She was full of motherly love and missed you so much that she looked forward to your return. After the holidays, when you came home tired and worn out, your mother would welcome you with a smile and listen to you. She would cook and buy whatever you wanted to eat. She did not need you to do any housework or work. She was the closest mother in the world.
However.
After three days, the initial intimacy had passed, and your relationship with your mother quickly returned to normal. She began to nitpick at you, not allowing you to do this and not allowing you to do that. In her heart, your position in the family had changed from a precious treasure to a stupid child. She was even more eager for you to hurry back to school.
However, less than a week after you dragged your travel bag back to school with a subtle expression on your face, you received a call full of motherly love and longing. Stupid human beings began another sad cycle of reincarnation.
This was probably how it felt.
Lord Bao's current thoughts.
After experiencing the initial joy of reuniting, he recalled the bad parts of Senior Brother Song.
— — Under the other party's reminder.
In his speechless sorrow, the carriage arrived near the Copper Sparrow Terrace.
After a sincere conversation in the carriage, Lord Bao's mood had changed from uneasiness to resistance. After he was pulled off the carriage by Lord Song, he still muttered, "Senior Brother, you have to think carefully. With Sun Lang's narrow-minded personality, we might not even be able to enter the Copper Sparrow Terrace …"
Lord Song said faintly, "It's fine. You can use the golden token arrow to knock on the door."
"…" Lord Bao revealed a bitter expression. "Why do you want me to do it?"
He was not stupid.
The two of them would most likely be rejected if they visited the Copper Sparrow Terrace. However, if they took out the King's Token Arrow, no matter how iron-headed the soldiers were, they would not dare to stop them. After all, it was the Emperor's order. This was the dignity of the imperial court.
However, if they used the golden token arrow to force their way in, it would be equivalent to drawing hatred …
Song Huifu glanced at him and stretched out his hand. "If you don't want to, let me do it."
Bao Xiren looked at Senior Brother Song's serious face and couldn't help but shiver. He took out the Golden Token Arrow and couldn't help but think of something. He hesitated and said, "Senior Brother, you can't be thinking of using the Golden Token Arrow and using my name to force the guards to open the door and make way, right?"
Senior Brother Song nodded. "Yes."
Lord Bao almost jumped up and shouted, "What's the difference between this and me going with the arrow myself!"
Senior Brother Song continued to nod. "Yes."
Bao Xiren was speechless. He kept the golden token. "No!
Senior Brother only knows how to tease me! "
Song Huifu said, "Junior Brother, you think too much. If I wanted to tease you, I don't need the golden token."
He turned and walked towards the Copper Sparrow Terrace. His footsteps were extremely fast. When he saw the soldiers guarding the gate from afar, he opened his mouth and shouted, "Hey!
Listen up, I am the imperial envoy and the capital governor Bao … "
Before he could finish, Bao Xiren rushed up from behind and hugged him. He covered his mouth and said, "Senior Brother, don't shout!
Senior Brother, don't shout!
Let me do it!
Let me do it! "
He quickly and flatteringly fixed his senior brother's collar. Then, he ran forward and said to the soldiers in front of the gate in a low voice, "I am the capital governor, Bao Xiren. I am here to visit General Shentse. Please help me pass the message. I will be very grateful …"
As he said this, he was already prepared to be rejected.
Just as he expected, after he introduced himself, the eyes of the soldiers on the other side became sharper.
However, contrary to his expectations, although the soldiers' eyes were unfriendly, they did not do anything rude. The deputy general at the gate said indifferently, "Lord, please wait for a moment. I will go in and pass the message."
When Bao Xiren saw this, he was not happy. Instead, he was worried. If something was out of the ordinary, there must be a demon.
Just as he expected, not long after, the Copper Sparrow Terrace was filled with the sound of firecrackers welcoming the guests. Then, a red shadow flashed on the iconic seven-story Luan Feng Mingming Tower. A large red vertical banner hung down from the seventh floor.
The large, flamboyant words were especially eye-catching under the sunlight.
"Welcome Mayor Bao Xiren to the Copper Sparrow Terrace Club to guide us."