What happened in the Wuming Restaurant is just a microcosm of the current situation.
People from all sides are trying their best to stabilize the hearts of the people inside, using methods such as coaxing, coercion, inducement, and persuasion to expand their power and eliminate dissidents in order to face the stormy waters of the future.
The Zhou State, Jing State and other countries immediately arrested wealthy businessmen registered in the Yu State in their own countries. The charges included but were not limited to hoarding, disrupting prices, occupying farmland, abusing slaves, financing wars, etc.
Even the wealthy businessmen of Yu State who had been established in the country for decades were not spared. Their homes were confiscated and their property was divided up.
In addition, the state capitals also responded to the fierce public opinion and many Yu scholars, students, and business travelers within the territory were also charged with espionage and arrested.
However, before bureaucrats at all levels could celebrate, the Yu State imposed reciprocal sanctions and arrested wealthy businessmen, scholars, business travelers, and tourists from other countries on the same charges.
Due to the rich and prosperous economy of Yu State and the inclusive and open culture, the number of people from other countries living in Yu State is more than the number of domestic people who go to other countries.
Not only are there more hostages, there are also nobles who are worthy of being ranked high.
As a result, all parties had no choice but to sit down awkwardly and discuss the exchange of hostages through unofficial spy channels.
It's not time yet for you and me not to exist. Everyone is waiting, waiting for the mountain and river guardian talisman to dissipate, and waiting for Taihao Mountain to express its stance.
————
The once majestic and sacred Taihao Mountain is now filled with dust.
The workers' straw sandals stepped on the steps made of white jade, carrying bricks and beams to repair the collapsed palace.
White-haired theological scholars squatted beside the ruins, categorizing the ancient books found under the rubble.
Cardinal Ju Yu's deputy envoy Yu Feiyu, led by the waiter who led the way, passed through the noisy crowd, climbed the stairs along the mountain road, and arrived in front of a palace.
Unlike the buildings at the foot of the mountain, this court hall did not suffer much damage.
The floor tiles are cut from obsidian, and the center of the hall is covered with a "carpet" composed of countless rubies, as scarlet as blood, magnificent and dazzling.
The vaults of the main hall are as tall as clouds, with hundreds of iron chains as thick as human arms pierced through them.
Thousands of masterless weapons are tied to iron chains through hemp ropes, like wind chimes, swaying in the wind.
These are the achievements that the Inquisition is most proud of, and they are the last traces left in the world of the disobedient Haotian who have been killed by the Inquisition for thousands of years.
Yu Feiyu walked through the hall, his footsteps echoed in the empty hall, and his voice was ethereal.
Click.
The expressionless waiter brought the tables, chairs and tea, and then left quietly without making a sound of footsteps.
Yu Feiyu had long been accustomed to the style of the Inquisition. He sat down calmly, took a sip of tea, looked up at the palace vault, and observed the ownerless weapons.
The poison knife used by Zhuo Yong, a pirate who roamed the East China Sea three hundred years ago, was fused with Xiangliu's poison glands;
A soft sword made of nine-day meteorite iron used by the leader of the Demon Sect during its heyday four hundred years ago;
A folding fan used by a prince of Zhou who tried to launch a coup two hundred years ago to break away from the control of Mount Taihao;
Hehe, I don’t know what the current Zhou clan will think when they see this folding fan.
"There is still a sword missing here."
A deep male voice sounded from the side of the hall. The burly Judge Cardinal Bian Yubo, dressed in red robes, walked slowly over and sat on the black stone throne. He leaned slightly and held his cheek with his fist.
"There will be."
Yu Feiyu put down his tea bowl, stood up and nodded, expressing respect appropriately.
Lian Xuanxiao broke into Taihao Mountain, seriously injured the headmaster and fought off four cardinals, which brought shame and humiliation to the Taoist sect. Even if he was cut into pieces and his bones were scattered, it would not be enough to repay him. Perhaps only by annihilating the academy can he make up for it.
.
"Sit down."
Bian Yubo motioned Yu Feiyu to sit down, and with a tap of his finger, a letter bounced off the armrest and landed accurately on the table beside Yu Feiyu.
"Lian Xuanxiao placed a protective talisman over the mountains and rivers to prevent outside monks from entering the Yu Kingdom."
Bian Yubo said coldly: "However, the fortress is often the first to be breached from within."
Yu Feiyu opened the envelope and found a long list of names of people from Yu State written on the letter paper inside.
From the depressed nobles to the oppressed aristocratic families. From the ambitious young scholars to the generals who secretly believe in Haotian.
Combining the words of the trial cardinal, Yu Feiyu instantly understood that the trial court wanted to regain some face for the Taoist sect before the mountain and river guardian talisman dissipated.
These people on the list can all be used, some of them are even from more than a dozen Taoist sects, and they were hidden nails planted decades ago.
Yu Feiyu scanned the long list quickly, and when he saw a circled name, he said in shock: "Why is there still him?!"
————
At the same moment, in the courtyard of Furong Garden in Chang'an, King Li Hui of Yue picked up a sunspot from the chess bowl, thought for a moment and put it on the chessboard.
He was playing against Li Shan, the king of light, who was holding the white piece. The black and white dragons were strangled and fighting on the chessboard, and the situation was tragic and thrilling.
Princess Yan Xuan of Yue, who was watching the match from the sidelines, saw her husband gradually declining and gently squeezed the paws of the white-haired puppy in her arms.
The puppy was in pain and immediately jumped up from Yan Xuan's knees and landed on the chessboard, disrupting the arrangement of the chess pieces.
"Broken dog."
Li Hui picked up the puppy angrily, glanced at the messy chess game, and then looked at his wife who looked innocent, had a slightly bulging belly, and was obviously pregnant. She had no choice but to sigh helplessly, turned to Li Shan and said: "This game is the end."
I lost."
"No way,"
Li Shan happily put down the white piece and said, "If we make another dozen moves, the outcome is still uncertain."
Frankly speaking, Li Hui and Li Shan were not close before and could only be regarded as casual acquaintances. They became familiar with each other through frequent official exchanges some time ago.
The chess game was interrupted, and Li Hui waved his hand to let everyone else leave. He and Li Shan were the only two people left in the courtyard.
Li Hui straightened up and said calmly: "In a few days, His Majesty will issue an order to transfer me to Fanyang."
Li Shan said in surprise: "Lu family?"
"Yeah."
Li Hui said calmly: "In order to fight against the outside world, we must first settle down at home."
Aristocratic families are like poisonous snakes. If you use them well, they can be released to bite the enemy. If you use them poorly, they will bite you back at the critical moment.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
"Yu Guoguo will open more official positions to aristocratic families, allow them to enter the previously prohibited shipping and shipbuilding industries, and allow them to operate businesses and build workshops in other places."
Li Hui said: "But they also have to send monks from the clan to join the army."
"Do you give both grace and power?"
Li Shan nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly thought of something. To appease, it is not easy to convince a family like the Lu family in Fan Yang. Even if the family is willing to cooperate, the Yu State court will have to monitor it for a long time.
Li Hui, who was transferred to Fan Yang, may not be able to come back within a few years. In other words, the emperor has already made a decision in the battle for the crown prince that lasted for nearly ten years.
Obviously he did nothing wrong, but he lost the competition because of changes at the higher level...
Li Shan sighed silently in his heart, but his expression did not change much. He asked as usual: "What can I do?"
"How about a new railway?"
Li Hui took out a map from his arms and spread it on the table next to the chessboard. With his fingertips, he started from Fan Yang and passed through Boling County, where the Cui family of Boling was located, to Pingji, where the Li family of Zhao County was located.
"No problem. I will send someone to survey the terrain tomorrow."
Li Shan carefully observed the formation map, agreed, and left the Yue King's residence.
Li Hui was the only one left in the courtyard. He quietly looked at the messy chess game and sighed.
In the fight between him and the prince, his brother won in the end. Unfortunately, if that person was willing to stand up and help, given his status, maybe the outcome would have been different...
After thinking about it, Li Hui suddenly burst into laughter and murmured to himself: "Let's get through this hurdle first. If we fail, there may be no more Li family of Yu State in the world..."
This chapter has been completed!