Chapter 66: Middle-Aged, Living in Harmony
The emperor disguised himself and went on a secret visit, which was definitely not a small matter. There were people specifically trying to conceal it, making it impossible for ordinary people to see through.
And by his side, there was also a bodyguard named Chu Xing who had achieved a high level in the Spiritual Refining Method.
The Spiritual Refining Method focuses on cultivating one's intuition in the mysterious realm.
If this Qiao Pifu had malicious intent, Guard Chu by his side would quickly notice it, instead of the current situation.
The man with the surname Yan frowned as he sat there, with a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind.
He couldn't make a definite judgment on Qiao Pifu's actions yet. It must be said that Qiao Pifu was a brave warrior unafraid of death.
It reminded him of his childhood, witnessing the ministers, led by Wang Shanhe, who would offer courageous remonstrations during court hearings.
The tea guests had already left, and the surrounding tables were all empty.
Qiao Mu seemed completely unaware and was still casually drinking his tea.
He glanced around and saw that it was completely empty with no sound, which made him feel even more relaxed and at ease.
It's good that there's no one around, no one to disturb him.
The lone wolf is always fearless.
At this moment, the stern middle-aged man with a serious face also spoke up:
"It's rare for someone like you to speak without fear of death, but that doesn't mean you're right. You don't understand the matters of the country and the military. Inhuman is strong while Great Yan is weak, so there are certain things that can only be compromised."
Qiao Mu responded, "It's common sense in the world that those who are backward will be beaten. If there are no other choices, naturally we can only compromise. But there's a difference between compromising to bide your time and completely submitting."
"The Emperor's compromise may sound easy, but it costs the lives of the people below."
"The Great Yan Emperor claims to be chosen by the heavens, tasked with taking care of the people. But if he sees the world as his own and treats the people like cattle, disposing them as he pleases for his own inhumane desires, then is this world the Emperor's alone or the people of Jiu Province?"
Qiao Mu was getting more and more excited as he spoke.
Originally, he only suspected that this middle-aged man with the surname Yan had a good character, and he wanted to trap him into criticizing the emperor, so that he could benefit from it.
But now, he remembered his close friend with the surname Guo, who had been through life and death together.
At first, he thought City Lord Guo Yan was extremely cunning and difficult to deal with.
Later, he discovered that Guo Yan, even after witnessing the killing of his own child, could restrain himself from taking action. It showed that he had extraordinary self-control.
Finally, he realized that...this person seemed to spoil his only son, but in reality, he valued his own life above all else and didn't want to take any risks.
This was probably the main reason why Guo Yan compromised and negotiated all the way, unwilling to resort to real violence.
And so, Qiao Mu foolishly killed him.
The only question was whether the Great Yan Imperial Court was another person like Guo Yan, who appeared to be cunning but actually feared death?
After he finished speaking, the guard at the neighboring table, Guard Chu, started trembling slightly. He was trembling out of fear.
The middle-aged man with the surname Yan also trembled slightly, but his trembling was fueled by anger.
If Qiao Mu had been questioning the weakness of Emperor Yonghe and the previous emperor before, now he was questioning the very foundation of the Great Yan Imperial Court's existence.
If the Great Yan Emperor considered the world as his own possession, then pleasing the inhumane was simply offering one's own family's belongings to evil people. Although it was painful, it was not really cutting one's own flesh.
The common people suffered and the court was worn out, but the Emperor still remained above everyone else.
"It is a great betrayal..."
The middle-aged man with the surname Yan was having trouble finding the words. When he was young, he had also seen ministers who risked their lives to deliver blunt admonitions, but those ministers still had some sense of propriety when speaking, unlike the person in front of them, who was simply acting recklessly...
Meanwhile, Qiao Mu remained calm.
He raised a cup of clear tea from the table and took a gentle sip, moisturizing his throat.
Since he came to Yan City, everything he saw and knew was desolate and broken.
"In recent years, whenever there is a natural disaster, there will be a famine."
"In the small town, many houses are empty, and the people are scattered and forced to sell their farming animals. Some even turn to banditry."
"The greedy eat people's food without feeling guilty, and the hungry steal without realizing the consequences."
"These are the prices the people have paid." Qiao Mu looked at the middle-aged man named Yan with a hint of doubt.
"Why are you so excited? Just because you have some money and status, you think you're not one of the people but a carnivore? Are you a bit twisted?"
Qiao Mu thought this person spoke with an arrogant tone, looking down on others. He guessed that this person might be a bureaucrat in Heyang City, but he didn't think much about it.
After all, even if the other person is a bureaucrat in the city, in the end, it's just a matter of getting in trouble for speaking out, and it's just death.
What is there to be afraid of?
At this point in the story, the teahouse was filled with a silent stillness.
The tea drinkers who were eagerly listening to the storyteller had already left halfway through.
And on the stage, the sword-wielding Storyteller Jiang Chen was left speechless.
Boss, why don't you come up and tell the story?
He knew that Qiao Sen, who had attempted to assassinate the Yan City Lord, was now a wanted criminal by the court. He also realized that his own storytelling carried certain risks, but he didn't expect one ordinary audience member in the crowd to be even bolder than him.
The risks he took in telling the story were only to be chased away, but this tea drinker below him was speaking of matters that could cost him his life.
At this time.
Another middle-aged constable in black robes hurriedly walked towards the entrance of the teahouse. He entered without noticing the unusual atmosphere in the teahouse.
"Captain Qiao, why are you still here? Listening to stories in this teahouse?" He glanced at the mute storyteller on the stage, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.
"The Chief Constable has summoned us. Come with me quickly."
"Sheriff Qian? I was just passing by the teahouse, taking a rest." Qiao Mu smiled slightly and stood up.
He thought to himself that the words he had just said would probably get him killed three or five times.
So he felt satisfied and in a very good mood.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to say goodbye cheerfully to the middle-aged man named Yan at the neighboring table:
"I'm leaving, I won't argue with you anymore."
"Actually, you're lucky too. You encountered me at this age, when I've reached middle age and understand the principle of going along with the flow."
"If you had encountered my hot temper when I was younger, this matter wouldn't have been resolved so easily."
After speaking, Qiao Mu bid farewell to Sheriff Qian and left.
At the end, Guard Chu next to him was really frightened.
Does this person think the fire he set is not big enough, and wants to provoke the emperor's anger before leaving?
He couldn't help but look up and met Qiao Mu's gaze for a moment, but then quickly looked away.
After Qiao Mu left, the atmosphere in the tea house became even more silent.
The middle-aged man surnamed Yan and Guard Chu got up one after another and left.
The former straightened his back slightly, showing his own momentum.
"Chu Xing, what do you think? Did that person see through my identity and intentionally speak in front of me?" he asked.
"Um..."
Guard Chu's forehead sweat, and he could only say with a stiff face:
"Qiao Pifu is a sixth ranked martial artist, with abundant energy and no signs of weakness."
"And, as he was about to leave, he noticed my gaze. It truly seemed like he had already embarked on the Spiritual Refining Method, but his soul was still weak."
"A sixth ranked martial artist, heavily injured and with a damaged spirit, is definitely not an empty rumor."
"As for whether he had the insight to see through the identity of the Emperor... I guess he probably didn't."
Emperor Yonghe nodded slightly and continued walking silently ahead.
"So, should we test him a little more? Ordinary constables wouldn't say those things."
"He was recommended by Wang Shanhe. Do his words represent the opinion of the former Minister of Justice?" Emperor Yonghe muttered to himself.
The atmosphere became even more gloomy.
Based on his years of serving Emperor Yonghe, Chu Xing knew deep down that the Emperor was probably considering an act of violence, but he still had some hesitation and hadn't made a definitive decision.
.........................
Including Qiao Mu, many constables were gathered at the front gate of the yamen.
The chief constable of Heyang City, a woman in her early thirties with a pair of narrowed phoenix eyes, occasionally glanced at Qiao Mu, perhaps noticing his absent-mindedness while speaking.
The chief constable of this capital city was talking about a recent strange case called the "Case of Impermanent Monster".
But Qiao Mu was indeed absent-minded.
Because he was about to be imprisoned soon, it was not impossible for him to die as a result.
He said about the incident at the teahouse in front of the official named Yan, and once the news spread, he, as a newly appointed constable, would immediately be punished and imprisoned.
He didn't take his current identity as a constable too seriously.
After all, his goal was to kill the emperor, and it was unlikely that this identity would last for more than a month.
Coming to this city, I just want to find a high-quality death before killing the emperor.
Heyang City is the largest city in this area, so Qiao Mu thought to himself, there are probably members of the Wuji Association in this city. He can try to get in touch with them to gather more information about the emperor's travels. Then he can find a way to blend in and earn a good death.
At this very moment, he suddenly had a feeling again, the vague intuition that guided him to this city.
This intuition isn't very reliable, sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not. Especially after he entered Heyang City, it became even more unclear.
At first, he thought that after coming to the city, he might trigger some main quests.
But later he realized that this mysterious intuition started when he practiced the Wuji Association's "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique".
So obviously, this intuition must be related to the Wuji Association.
If there is the Wuji Association, it means there is fatal danger, it means there is information related to the plan of assassinating the emperor... Qiao Mu was starting to feel intrigued.
He looked north and felt suspicious. He pulled Sheriff Qian next to him and asked:
"Sheriff Qian, are there any famous people or attractions in the north of this city?"
"I'm in a meeting..." Sheriff Qian replied, slightly annoyed.
Qiao Mu casually took out some small silver coins and handed them over.
"We are all colleagues, why do you have to be like this?" Sheriff Qian smiled and whispered:
"There used to be a famous martial arts clan in the north of the city, also named Qiao. The Qiao family used to be quite well-known, but they disappeared six months ago. Now, there is a Taoist temple called Xuantian Temple built on that land."
"By the way, Xuantian Temple is the headquarters of an inhuman sect. You may be a law enforcement officer, but you should remember... there are certain places that are not suitable for you to visit."
