There was a crisp sound, and a red palm mark appeared on Jiang Ru's face.
In the bamboo forest, a plump and beautiful woman in plain white said in a deep voice: "Jiang Ru, you have become more and more unrestrained recently. Have you completely forgotten your humility and respect when facing the leader?"
Shocked, frightened, panicked... Jiang Ru's expression changed several times, she lowered her head and said, "Auntie, I don't dare to do that anymore."
The beautiful woman sighed deeply, and then put away her anger: "You should understand that it took a lot of effort for us to form this immortal bond with the Yongjia Liang family. Whether we can ascend to the cave or heaven depends on the first person. Even if we return in the future,
Even though he has achieved the title of Tianhu, he still wants to assist the Liang family, how can you be so rebellious and offensive?"
Jiang Ru gently stroked her cheek, lowered her head and asked, "Auntie, do you think the Yongjia Liang family can really rise to the top?"
"What do you mean by this?" The beautiful woman glared: "I think you are seriously ill, and you dare to question the realm of the Immortal Family?"
"I don't dare!" Jiang Ru was about to raise her head to retort when the beautiful woman raised her sleeves and shouted, holding a thorn whip in her hand:
"Kneel down!"
Jiang Ru's knees softened and she knelt down on the stone steps covered with fallen bamboo leaves. Then she was whipped hard on the back. Her clothes were not torn, and her skin and flesh were bleeding. However, the pain penetrated into her bones and made her joints tender.
"I gave this whip for your mother!" The beautiful woman said with a look of sorrow and indignation: "Our Jiang family was expelled from Xuanpu Cave Heaven and fell into the troubled world of the mortal world. Your generation has never experienced the pain in the past!
If it hadn't been for your mother, a genius with a keen eye, to choose the Yongjia Liang family, I don't know how much suffering our Jiang family would have endured!
And now you actually want to give up the immortal fate she worked so hard for, and even have crazy thoughts about committing crimes. If your mother sees it, how sad will her heart be? Do you understand?"
After the questioning, the beautiful woman was whipped three or five times in succession. Jiang Ru's body trembled slightly and she didn't utter a whine. She just bit her lower lip tightly and endured the pain. After several whips, her face was pale and she was sweating coldly.
涔洔.
"After you came back from Xingluo County, I noticed something unusual." The beautiful woman held a whip and said angrily: "Although the eldest son passed away unfortunately, there are other children in the Liang family, but you have yet to form a contract to ascend to the immortal world.
.I see that you still have the trust of the leader. I didn’t want to say much before, but your words and deeds today are very inappropriate. If you indulge and ignore it, the whole Jiang family will be implicated by you!"
"I, I know I was wrong." Jiang Ru almost collapsed to the ground, grabbing the ground with her fingers and clenching her hands full of withered bamboo leaves.
"You must keep in mind that our Jiang family is the descendant of the Sky Fox, not those foxes in the mountains!" The beautiful woman said: "Don't think that by occupying the top of the mountain, you can be arrogant, unrestrained, soar to the cave, and rank among the immortals.
, is the supreme path we require. If you are willing to degenerate, I am not afraid of being resented by your mother, and will directly expel you from the Jiang family and let you fend for yourself in the mountains and wilderness!"
Jiang Ru's eyes were filled with tears, her body was trembling slightly and she didn't dare to answer. Seeing that she didn't reply, the beautiful woman was about to raise the whip and strike again.
"enough."
The bamboo leaves on the ground were blown by the wind, and Liang Tao's voice came from the depths of the bamboo forest. The beautiful woman quickly put away the thorn whip and bent down to worship.
"Knowing that I can see every detail in the mountains, why bother to act like this?" Liang Tao did not show up, but the two people kneeling on the ground could feel invisible eyes staring at them: "Jiang Ru, Zhao Shu is about to leave.
Court of Reward and Punishment, from now on you will be responsible for delivering messages on my behalf."
"Disciple, I obey." Jiang Ru knelt down and kowtowed.
…
"My nephew!"
Outside the Court of Reward and Punishment, Marquis Anyang saw Zhao Shu going out and hurriedly came forward to check on him: "Are you okay? Did the guys from the arrest department torture you?"
"Uncle Shi is worried." Zhao Shu shook his sleeves slightly and said, "I have been drinking and eating every day for more than a month, and I feel like I have gained weight inside."
Even with the vigorous and resolute actions of the arrest department, it took more than a month to handle the case this time, and Zhao Shu naturally also lived in the Reward and Punishment Court for more than a month. Although it was akin to house arrest, Zhao Shu did not feel depressed, and was able to give up on foreign affairs.
, take the opportunity to concentrate on practicing.
Hearing Zhao Shu's joke, Anyang Hou sighed heavily: "My nephew, you are really...how many people have walked into this Court of Reward and Punishment, and they may not be able to come out safely."
"Uncle Shi is overly worried." Zhao Shu said with a smile: "I have never committed any crime or violated the law. Lieutenant Lu said that I helped them catch the spies from the Jiuli Kingdom, and they planned to repay me."
"Don't mention this again!" Marquis Anyang hurriedly stuffed Zhao Shu into the carriage and signaled the coachman to get away from the arrest department as soon as possible. He said in the carriage: "My nephew, why did you follow Chongxuan Hall so casually?
Has anyone left?"
Zhao Shu pretended to be puzzled: "But the people at Chongxuan Hall said that Master Liang had found the location of the evil spirit and asked me to come over..."
"Nonsense!" Marquis Anyang slapped his thigh and scolded: "Who are the people in Chongxuan Hall? What's more, the one who participated in the assassination this time was the eldest son of the Zheng family in Jiujiang! You got on the Chongxuan Hall's car, and you felt a little uncomfortable.
Shen will die without a burial place!"
Zhao Shu looked like a junior who was being taught, and nodded and said yes in a low voice, but suspicion could not help but emerge in his heart.
Not to mention that it has now been confirmed that Chongxuan Hall was not the mastermind of this assassination, and even when he and Jiang Ru left Jindingsi, Zhao Shui was still sure of this matter.
With the wisdom of Anyang Hou, it should not be difficult to judge and understand, but why did he say these things to Zhao Shu? Is it really because of his "nephew", that's why he cares and causes chaos?
In the Court of Reward and Punishment, Zhao Shui had already roughly understood the current disputes in the court of Dongsheng Capital through the report from Lieutenant Lu.
One of the parties, led by the Marquis of Anyang, insisted that the Jiujiang Zheng family was secretly colluding with the enemy country, and advocated severe punishment of the Jiujiang Zheng family. All family members involved in dealings with the enemy country were beheaded, and all other Zheng family members who were performing duties in various places were also to be executed.
He was dismissed from office and all the property of the Zheng family in Jiujiang was confiscated.
Similarly, in this uproar, there are also doubts about Chongxuan Hall. The four surnames of the Immortal family have been intermarried for a long time. It can be said that you have me and I have you. Targeting the Jiujiang Zheng family will inevitably involve the entire Chongxuan family.
Pavilion.
As for the other party, it is naturally led by Chongxuan Guan. Most of them are from high-ranking families in Huaxu Kingdom. They have obviously realized that Anyang Hou and others have impure intentions. If the Zheng family of Jiujiang falls like this, it will be a big disaster for them all.
unfavorable.
The influence of these high-ranking families spread throughout the government and the public, instigating officials from all over the Huaxu Kingdom to petition the king, and they joined forces to protect the Zheng family in Jiujiang. They even initiated petitions from thousands of people. It is said that thousands of people came to lie on the ground outside the palace.
He kowtowed and claimed that the Zheng family in Jiujiang was loyal to the country and that the family was full of heroes. If the king listened to the slander and accidentally killed Zhongliang, he would destroy Qiancheng himself.
Zhao Shu heard such chaos in the Court of Reward and Punishment and felt helpless. Even if he had foreseen this situation in advance, he felt no joy at all. The court of Huaxu State was really in chaos, and the party was fighting endlessly.
Logically speaking, it is impossible for Marquis Anyang to be unaware of the turmoil in the court of Huaxu State, which is of no benefit to state affairs. However, he still chose to mess up the situation in the court. This made Zhao Shui feel so depressed that he had no choice but to pretend to be dumbfounded in front of Marquis Anyang.
.
"Not long after, the king may summon you." Anyang Houyan said: "You remember, you must say when the time comes, it was Liang Guoshi who bullied others and forced you to obey."
Zhao Shu frowned and said: "But when I was in the arrest department, I said that I took the initiative to board the carriage of Chongxuan Pavilion. I suddenly recanted my confession in front of the king. Isn't this inappropriate?"
"It only works if you retract your confession in front of the king!" Marquis Anyang said eagerly: "The king wants to question, so you just say that you don't dare to trust the arrest department, and only in front of the king can you dare to tell the truth. At the same time, tell the king
The Lord cried out that his father died under the frame-up of Chongxuan Hall, and he has been afraid of the power of Chongxuan Hall since he was a child. Please plead with the Lord to seek justice for you."
Zhao Shu's face was stunned, and he looked at Anyang Hou with a somewhat fanatical expression. It was as if he could see the true face of this person clearly for the first time.
"I said that a place like Dongshengdu can destroy people." Lingxiao's voice rang in his mind: "Anyang Marquis is fascinated by power, and his color changes when he hears the sound, like a bloodthirsty beast."
Zhao Shu still retained a trace of gratitude: "He had an old relationship with my father and took good care of me. These words were also out of concern."
"What you said is not inconsistent with what I said." Lingxiao said: "If everything goes well, the Marquis Anyang you see is naturally an elder who teaches you earnestly. But only when the key points are touched, the world's people will reveal their temperaments.
.Anyang Marquis deeply admires power. Once there are traces of him, he will immediately change his appearance like a vulture sniffing blood."
Zhao Miao sighed: "It is inevitable for mortals to be like this."
"Say this, it shows that you are indeed walking on the path of immortality." Lingxiao said: "To be successful in cultivating immortality, you must not only have a wonderful body and spirit, but also have a state of enlightenment that can illuminate the hearts of people in the world. Meet with gods rather than with eyes.
Seeing, standing in the human world, naturally cuts through the layers, and you can do it with ease."
"But I just feel that the barrier in front of me is blocked, like a high mountain, which is difficult to climb." Zhao Shu said.
"My nephew, do you understand?" Marquis Anyang's shout woke Zhao Shu.
"I understand." Zhao Shu replied in a daze.
…
Zhao Shu read a book by the bright fire.
After leaving Jinding Division for more than a month, a lot of official work for refining magical elixirs was also going on, but without Zhao Shu as the deacon to take care of it, Marquis Anyang did not understand the specific processes of various magical elixirs, and Shi Huoguang also
Not good at dealing with people, which caused a lot of delays in the company's internal affairs.
Zhao Shu felt guilty because he deliberately stayed in the arrest department just to avoid trouble. Now that he was back in the Jinding Division, he, as a deacon, still had to set an example and take up some important tasks again.
Only when facing the alchemy furnace and the scroll can Zhao Shui's thoughts be concentrated, so as not to think about what is there and what is not.
The sound of footsteps came from behind. Zhao Shu turned around and saw Zhang Duanjing approaching slowly. He stood up in surprise: "Teacher, are you back?"
Zhang Duanjing's expression remained serious, he nodded and said, "Don't look at me, the fire needs to be a little brighter."
Zhao Shu quickly picked up the cattail leaf fan to blow the wind and raise the fire, and at the same time recited a mantra in a low voice to keep the fire constant.
After dealing with this, Zhao Shu brought a chair for Zhang Duanjing to sit down. The two sat next to the alchemy furnace. Zhao Shu was a little embarrassed and asked casually: "Teacher, what are you doing this time?"
"The king sent me to investigate the situation in the capital of Emperor Xiong." Zhang Duanjing said straightforwardly.
"Ah?!" Zhao Shu almost shouted: "The king actually sent you to deal with such a dangerous matter?"
"It was precisely because of the danger that I took charge of it." Zhang Duanjing said: "Before the Xiong Kingdom, there was a palace coup, and the brothers fought against each other, but they were eventually pacified."
"It's settled? That's good." Zhao Shu nodded absently.
Zhang Duanjing looked at Zhao Shu: "I heard that something happened in Dongshengdu?"
Zhao Miao was startled, and then said: "I was assassinated by spies from Jiuli Kingdom, but fortunately I escaped. But what happened later was very involved... Could it be that the teacher knows about it?"
"I just came from Miyagi City and I already have a general understanding of it," Zhang Duanjing said.
"Then I guess there's no need for me to say anything." Zhao Shu was at a loss.
"Are you afraid?" Zhang Duanjing asked.
Zhao Shu nodded, and Zhang Duanjing said: "You can handle this group of assassins from Jiuli Kingdom, so what's there to be afraid of? If you were a more powerful person, you wouldn't risk going deep into Huaxu Kingdom easily."
Zhao Shu raised his eyes and looked at Zhang Duanjing, thinking, Teacher, didn't you just take the risk to go to the country with bears? And you still did this thing quietly.
"I'm not afraid of this." Zhao Shu mustered up the courage and said, "Teacher, you should know that when I got on the carriage of Chongxuan Hall, I also got the guidance and help of Liang Guoshi before I was able to take down the assassin spies. This seems to be the case.
Marquis Anyang was very dissatisfied, and he asked me to turn around and attack Chongxuan Hall later when I went to see the Lord of the Kingdom, saying that I was being coerced by Liang Guoshi."
Zhang Duanjing was silent when he heard the words, his eyes were deep. Zhao Shu muttered: "I also know that Anyang Hou and others have always wanted to bring down Chongxuan Guan. They feel that if I receive favor from Liang Guoshi, Chongxuan Guan will be freed from the suspicion of participating in the assassination.
Maybe the Jiujiang Zheng family will also survive the crisis.
But the most important thing now is to guard against the Jiuli Kingdom. They all dare to allow spies who have been lurking for many years to risk assassination. Doesn’t it mean that war is about to break out? At this time, the government and the public do not want to deal with foreign enemies, but are quarreling over power and status.
.I...I'm very scared, but I don't know what I'm afraid of."
Zhang Duanjing asked: "Then what are you going to say when you meet the king?"
Zhao Shu shook his head: "I don't know, teacher, can you teach me?"
"The fact that you asked this question shows that you do not agree with Marquis Anyang's statement." Zhang Duanjing saw through it at a glance and asked again: "Why did you leave with the people from Chongxuan Hall in the first place? Were you coerced? Or were you tempted?"
Zhao Shu closed his eyes and thought for a long time, and finally said: "No, I did it voluntarily. I was assassinated before, Zheng Siyuan and He Dangguan were both poisoned and fell down. I was already suffocating in my heart, and I did have thoughts of revenge.
.If I can kill those assassins with my own hands, I think I can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s that simple, I don’t have any other thoughts.”
"You are rarely so impulsive." Zhang Duanjing said.
"This place in Dongshengdu is so depressing." Zhao Shu sighed: "It is indeed prosperous and prosperous here, but I feel like I am trapped in a small world and cannot stretch out."
Zhang Duanjing closed his eyes and remained silent. Zhao Shu didn't know what the teacher was thinking, but he was afraid that his words would betray the teacher's good intentions.
When Zhang Duanjing opened his eyes, he looked at Zhao Shui again and said: "When you meet the king later, you can say it directly as long as it doesn't go against your true intentions."