Chapter 130 Seeking Death (7k)

The imperial physician was unwilling to accept the gift from the Cai family, so he said goodbye and went home after a busy day. However, as soon as he reached the gate of the mansion, he was stopped by the housekeeper Zhai Qian.

"Manager Zhai, do you have any other instructions?"

"Take it."

Zhai Qian took out a bag of silver from his pocket without saying anything, but the doctor still refused, "I just told the Grand Tutor that I dare not accept the gift."

"We are old friends. If you don't accept me, how can I report to you? If I can't report to you, how can the Grand Master feel at ease?"

"This"

"If rumors spread, how will the Fifth Young Master live? The Grand Master thinks highly of the Fifth Young Master."

"I'll take it, I'll take it, thank you Brother Zhai for your advice."

If Doctor Ma doesn't understand, then all these years spent in the Imperial Hospital will have been in vain.

It turned out that this was Cai Jing's hush money. If he didn't accept it, he would be asking for trouble. He didn't expect to be promoted by the Grand Tutor, but he couldn't offend this powerful official.

After completing this task, Zhai Qian walked towards the study with heavy steps. He suggested that the fifth son of the Cai family be ruined and have to accept Cai Jing's punishment.

He walked slowly to the study, brushed off the snow on his collar, and then Zhai Qian knocked on the door.

Passing through the wooden carved screen at the door, I saw a circle of people surrounding the desk. They were a dozen plump maids.

Cai Jing was over seventy years old and did not like the smell of charcoal fire for a long time, so he followed the example of Yang Guozhong in the Tang Dynasty and used a flesh screen to block out the wind and keep warm.

Hearing Zhai Qian's approaching footsteps, Cai Jing waved his hand to disperse the meat formation.

With a creak, the door closed.

Zhai Qian knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said: "Wu Lang suffered this great disaster, and I cannot deny the blame. Please make a decision, my master. I will not regret it even if I die."

"Get up! Why do you have to take the blame for the evil deeds of this Liangshan bandit?"

"But Wulang..."

"This is Wu Lang's fate. If he hadn't been thinking about the princess, he wouldn't have suffered such a disaster." Cai Jing sighed and suddenly changed the subject, asking, "Did you deal with that woman?"

"Not yet. I wanted to send him away, but..."

"what?"

Before Zhai Qian could finish his words, Cai Jing interrupted him by slamming the table.

He had been sitting calmly on the chair, but now he stood up, looked at him and asked in a deep voice, "You have always been cautious in doing things, how come you were also tied up by that thing in your crotch? If His Majesty knew about this, wouldn't it put my Cai family in danger?"

"Master, please listen to me." Zhai Qian waved his hand and explained, "I have seen the world with you, how could I be fascinated by a woman? It was because the princess left guards, so I couldn't enter the other courtyard at all."

"hiss"

Cai Jing took a deep breath. He was not sure what Zhao Fujin was going to do. He thought, is he going to attack my Cai family?

This dynasty never allows princesses to interfere in government affairs, but Your Majesty dotes on Princess Maude, will you make an exception for her? In that case, I can only sacrifice Wu Lang, or maybe Princess Maude is willing to swallow her anger for the sake of her reputation?
Thinking of this, Cai Jing waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and prepare the carriage. I want to go to the palace to see the emperor."

"Now?"

"Now."

Zhai Qian reminded him that it was getting late, but Cai Jing was so upset that he didn't care whether it was early or late.

Zhao Ji's mood was disturbed last night. The reports he heard were all evasive. Gao Qiu went out of the city to pursue but got nothing. This made the Emperor of Song Dynasty very bored. He stayed in Ruisi Hall all day long to write and train his mind.

When Cai Jing asked to meet the emperor, Zhao Ji had just completed a work.

"Master, you have arrived just in time. Come and take a look at my new work."

"The minister obeys the order."

When Zhao Ji asked him to look at calligraphy in the past, he always used a very gentle tone, but today his words suddenly became bland. Cai Jing's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and he thought to himself, does His Majesty know all this?
He walked forward while thinking, and saw eight large characters written horizontally on the rice paper in that unique thin gold script: "Sweep away the world, unify the country."

"how?"

"The font is vigorous and powerful, and the meaning of the characters further demonstrates your majesty's ambition. It is indeed a rare and good calligraphy."

"I don't want you to brag, I want you to say you are not good enough."

"Uh"

Cai Jing didn't know what Zhao Ji was thinking, but judging from the connotation of these eight words, he was eager to recover Yanyun, so he said cautiously: "If there is a shortcoming, this piece of writing often uses regular script or Wei stele. Your Majesty's handwriting is thin and sharp, so there may be too much white space on the horizontal axis. If it is supplemented with landscape at the bottom, the effect may be better."

"Haha." Zhao Ji finally laughed heartily: "Grandmaster Cai is worthy of being a great master. His words are very sharp and penetrating. Very sharp and penetrating."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise."

"By the way, the Liangshan bandits came to the capital last night to cause chaos. What do you think of this group of rebels? Should we suppress them or appease them?"

Seeing that Zhao Ji wanted to express his own opinion, Cai Jing stroked his beard and hesitated.

Normally, since she had promised Tong Guan and Gao Qiu at noon, she should have urged them to send troops to suppress the rebellion. However, she was distracted by Zhao Fujin. She was attracted by Yang Chang, the leader of the Liangshan bandits. Judging from the eight words written by the emperor, it was obvious that he valued the recovery of Yanyun more.

Thinking of this, Cai Jing could only say the right nonsense, and answered with his hands clasped: "The Liangshan bandits have caused trouble. If we don't suppress them, it will affect the country. But now we are about to send troops to destroy Liao, and we can't let go of this great opportunity. I can't say it for the time being. Your Majesty is the wise ruler of our Song Dynasty. Your decision must be correct!"

"hehe."

Zhao Ji cursed the old fox inwardly, and then focused his attention on the calligraphy, saying meaningfully: "To outline the mountains and rivers below, it will take a lot of ink. The ink in the treasury is really tight. Now that Taifu Yang is dying, the Grand Tutor should share my worries."

"Although the old minister is no longer in office, he will do his best."

Cai Jing said some flattering words to Zhao Ji, but he never heard the other party mention the incident of Cai Yu drugging him, so he felt uneasy until he left.

For the next one or two months, there were guards guarding outside Pan Jinlian's courtyard. Cai Jing mistakenly thought that Zhao Ji was waiting for an opportunity, so he took leave on the grounds of illness and stayed at home to refuse visitors.

However, just as Cai Jing had expected, the emperors of the Song Dynasty learned from the lessons of the Tang Dynasty and strictly restricted the rights of princesses. Not to mention participating in state affairs, even being disrespectful to their husbands and their families could result in reprimands from the emperor.

Zhao Fujin was influenced by Huizong since childhood. Although he was loved by Huizong, he was clear-minded and would not interfere in government affairs.

Cai Yu drugged Pan Jinlian on the night of the Lantern Festival, and fortunately she lost her virginity to her lover, so how could she dare to make a big fuss about it? In addition to sending people to protect Pan Jinlian, she hid in the palace and copied the Taoist Canon.

After Zhao Ji finished the annual sacrifices, celebrations and other major events, he selected several young generals from the Zuowei Guard and sent people to ask Zhao Fujin to choose a son-in-law. However, his daughter always made excuses that she was ill and shirked her responsibilities.

Still want to escape from marriage? Still thinking about that bandit?
Zhao Ji originally wanted to arrange a marriage directly, but considering the old relationship between Zhao Fujin's biological mother and him, he brought the imperial physician to visit her in person.

At the beginning of March, in the palace, the princess' bedroom.

When the imperial physician felt the patient's pulse, his face changed drastically, and then the space between his eyebrows gradually bulged toward the middle, giving an expression as if the patient had a serious illness that was difficult to cure.

Zhao Ji originally thought his daughter was pretending to be sick, but when he saw the imperial physician taking her pulse, he immediately came over and asked seriously, "What is Maode's emergency? Why don't you say anything?"

"Your Highness, I dare not say anything."

The imperial physician withdrew his hand and stepped aside, stammering with a panicked expression.

Zhao Ji was furious: "You dare not say it, but you are openly deceiving the emperor? Do you think I am very kind?"

"No, no. Your Majesty, I am just..."

"Tell me quickly, what's wrong with Princess Di?"

Hearing the emperor's stern voice urging him, the imperial physician closed his eyes and replied softly, "The princess is pregnant."

"what?"

Zhao Ji, who was always elegant, kicked the kneeling doctor to the ground, pointed at his nose and cursed: "How dare you insult Maode's reputation?"

"I don't have any, I don't dare."

Seeing the imperial physician's confusion, Zhao Ji immediately looked at Zhao Fujin, and found that his daughter's eyes were evasive, so he guessed that this was true.

"Wait outside the palace."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You too."

"promise."

The imperial physician and the palace maids came out one after another. Zhao Ji stroked his beard and looked at Zhao Fujin lying on the couch, thinking to himself, "I'm afraid of dropping her if I hold her in my hands, and I'm afraid of her melting if I hold her in my mouth. Is this how you repay me?"
"Tell me, which guard is it?"

"no."

"No? Then kill them all!"

"My daughter doesn't mean the guards around me."

"Ok?"

"Actually, this matter is Cai's."

Zhao Fujin had been pregnant for less than two months and had not yet had any pregnancy symptoms, so she was confused for a long time. She did not want to implicate the people around her, so she could only reveal the mastermind Cai Yu, but deliberately omitted the fact that Pan Jinlian poisoned her.

However, although Zhao Ji was incompetent, he was not stupid and was able to remain the emperor of the Song Dynasty. After being asked several questions, Zhao Fujin could not stand it and spoke incoherently.

Huizong then interrogated the maid Li Exuan and quickly found out the whole story.

After hearing all this, Zhao Ji stood up and patted his forehead in thought, thinking that being an emperor was really annoying. Why were there troubles every day among the people, inside and outside the palace?
It was easy for Zhao Ji to take down Cai Gui, as Cai Jing would never dare to say a word against him. However, Prime Minister Wang Fu seemed incompetent. Yang Jian, who made money for him, had just passed away. He urgently needed capable people to fill the national treasury and ensure that he could recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

Many people hoped that Cai Jing would return. Zhao Ji even asked someone to hint to Wang Fu that if he did not work hard, he would be replaced at any time. However, if Cai Jing was dealt with at this stage, it would send a wrong signal to the court officials.

The emperor's family affairs are national affairs. Zhao Ji cannot take revenge like the gangsters. He needs to weigh the pros and cons.

After thinking for a long time, Zhao Ji finally made up his mind and said to his daughter softly, "I am sorry for wronging you. You will pay the price for bullying my daughter. Liang Shan wants to attack you and Cai Yu wants to kill you. Give me some time. Also, use medicine to treat the evil seed in your belly first. Let you rest for half a year, and then I will grant you marriage."

"No, no, Dad."

Zhao Ji's voice was as loud as a sharp blade, frightening Zhao Fujin so much that she turned over and got off the bed, knelt directly in front of him, and begged with a bitter face: "My daughter likes Yang Chang, and I don't regret having his child. Please forgive me."

"What did you say?" Zhao Ji frowned and shouted angrily, "Giving birth to a child out of wedlock is a disgrace to the royal family. I am too indulgent, so I let you suffer this disaster. There is no room for negotiation on this matter!"

"If Dad insists on doing this, I would rather die."

After Zhao Fujiang finished speaking, he stood up and was about to hit his head against the wall, but fortunately he was pulled back by Zhao Ji.

There happened to be a portrait of Liu hanging on that wall.

Zhao Ji's heart softened after seeing this, and he sighed, "Maode, why are you doing this? If you insist on keeping this child, how will you get married in the future?"

"My daughter will not marry anyone other than Yang Chang"

"But he's a thief anyway."

Zhao Fujin threatened to die, but Zhao Ji was reluctant to do so, so he stood up and walked outside the palace, telling Li E, "If it weren't for Master Yang, you would have to be beheaded. From today on, the princess is not allowed to step out of the courtyard, and no outsiders are allowed to visit her. If she has any problems again, I will exterminate all your clans!"

"I dare not! Thank you, Your Majesty."

"And you."

"The minister is here."

"Come here every two weeks to make sure Maode is in good health. If you dare to spread the news, I will exterminate your entire clan!"

"Subordinate to the order"

After threatening the maid and the imperial physician, Zhao Ji saw the guards outside the door and felt unhappy again. How could he continue to serve as a palace guard after being tricked by Zhai Qian?
After Zhao Ji returned to the palace, he replaced Zhao Fujin's guards and transferred the original guards to a distant border. He also ordered the imperial guards to leave the palace secretly and threw Pan Jinlian into the Ministry of Justice prison, where she was tortured to death together with the death row prisoners.

There may be some concerns when dealing with Tsai’s family, but dealing with ordinary people is as easy as crushing ants.

In ancient times, the emperor did not hold court every day. Except for important festivals when he needed to summon all officials, he usually listened to reports from his core ministers in a small hall.

After Zhao Ji dealt with Zhao Fujin's matter, he held the regular March court two days later.

Imperial Censor Cui Jing proposed to recruit Liangshan, and was supported by many ministers including Su Yuanjing. Without waiting for the objection from Gao Qiu, Tong Guan and others, Zhao Ji sent Taiwei Chen Zongshan as an envoy to carry the imperial edict and imperial wine to Liangshan.

Zhao Ji thought that if the amnesty could be achieved, it would be a good opportunity to arrange a marriage for Princess Maode.

Cai Jing claimed to be ill and did not attend court for months. Court officials such as Tong Guan and Gao Qiu, who advocated war, were unable to suppress the upright officials in the court and did not oppose him at that time.

After the court was dismissed, Gao Qiu went straight to the Grand Tutor's Mansion, where Cai Jing had been waiting for a long time.

"Has the Grand Master recovered from his serious illness?"

"I am old, and I am afraid that these illnesses will be taken into the coffin. Commander Gao, are you here to recruit us?"

"Without you in the court, we are all alone and helpless. As the saying goes, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. If we allow the clear water to become a trend, I am afraid it will harm the country."

"hehe."

Cai Jing picked up the teapot, poured tea into Gao Qiu's bowl, and said leisurely: "Since ancient times, it has been better to drain than to block. This is not the first time that the idea of ​​recruiting people has been mentioned. Since Your Majesty is willing to try, blocking is useless."

"Master, it's full, full."

"Our dynasty has been trying to dredge the Yellow River, but how can we cure the thousands of years of stubborn disease overnight? If it is not properly dredged, it will be like the tea in this pot. If it is not properly controlled, it will overflow and splash everywhere."

"What the Grand Master meant."

"Chen Zongshan can't hold it, we can help carry it."

"Wonderful."

Gao Qiu immediately understood what he meant and picked up the tea bowl and took a careful sip.

Later, Zhai Qian escorted Cai Jing out of the mansion, and when he came back, he saw Cai Jing standing on the steps in front of the hall, facing the sun with his eyes closed. "Master, General Gao is gone, you..."

"Chen Zongshan will be leaving soon. Please invite him to your house later and tell him that I have something to tell him."

"Yes"

Zhai Qian hesitated to speak, but Cai Jing knew what he wanted to say even with his eyes closed.

As soon as Pan Jinlian disappeared from Yang Jian's villa, the emperor changed his attitude and agreed to recruit her. To say that these two things are unrelated is an insult to Cai Jing's ups and downs.

Zhai Qian once advised Cai Yu to be exiled to Jiangnan, where he could serve as a minor official under the protection of Zhu Yan. However, the whole world belongs to the emperor, and how could he escape from the emperor's grasp? It is better to remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing circumstances.

Cai Jing helped Gao Qiu to come up with ideas, not because he wanted to test the emperor, but because there were too many people standing behind him. He was like a tree trunk outside the soil, and he had to withstand the wind and rain and allow the roots under the mud to absorb moisture. This was his responsibility.

Chen Zongshen received the imperial edict and imperial wine. Before setting off, he was accompanied by people sent by General Gao and Cai Jing. A group of dozens of people arrived in Jeju first.

Zhang Shuye, the governor of Jizhou, welcomed the imperial envoy and sent someone to Liangshan to inform them of the amnesty, asking Song Jiang, Lu Junyi and others to make preparations in advance.

Song Jiang was overjoyed when he heard this, thinking that his gift and trip to the capital were not in vain.

He immediately summoned the leaders to announce the happy event, and began to arrange related welcoming matters. He laid out the Taiwei's tent, arranged five-colored silk pieces, and hung colorful flowers in the hall.

First, he sent Pei Xuan, Xiao Rang, Lu Fang and Guo Sheng down the mountain in advance, and ordered everyone to lie in wait for them twenty miles away. The navy leaders prepared a large boat to ferry people along the shore. Song Jiang then asked the rest of the leaders on the mountain to go to Jinshatan with him to welcome the angel.

Around noon that day, leaders from all over the country gathered at Jinshatan.

Song Jiang was personally directing the placement of incense, flowers, candles, and instructing Yue He and others on how to lead the ceremony and music.

Seeing Song Jiang being so serious, Hu Sanniang curiously asked Yang Chang: "Sir, are we going to surrender now?"

"It's not that simple. Negotiations require a back-and-forth approach and may not work out in one go."

Yang Chang didn't say anything, Lin Chong suddenly came up and added: "Brother Yang, your opinion is correct. I am not optimistic about the surrender either, but brother is so serious."

"Xu Ning said that the man who came was a disciple of Gao Qiu. If recruiting him later doesn't work, why don't you kill him first to vent your anger?" Wu Song came up with an idea to help Lin Chong.

Lin Chong glanced at Song Jiang and asked, swallowing his saliva, "How can Brother Gongming agree? Besides, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor."

"Every one of these corrupt officials in the imperial court deserves death. Are you still afraid of killing the wrong people?"

Wu Song raised his voice in excitement, attracting the attention of Song Jiang who was not far away.

Seeing a few troublemakers gathered together, he hurriedly took Yang Chang aside and told him earnestly: "Sanlang, today is a big matter concerning the brothers. You have to help your brother keep an eye on them and don't let them do anything out of line. Be careful not to make the superior unhappy."

"As the saying goes, good things take time. Brother, you have to be mentally prepared. If the conditions offered by the court are not good, are you willing to accept the amnesty?" Yang Chang said with a slight smile.

"How could your majesty treat me so badly?

Song Jiang gave Su Yuanjing a valuable gift, thinking how could the court not be sincere? But he didn't want to explain halfway through his words, and changed the subject: "In any case, General Chen will be here soon, let's do our best first, and success or failure will be determined by itself."

"Ok."

At three quarters after noon, the navy rowed their boats towards the dock.

The man at the bow was wearing a red robe, the two strangers on his left and right were wearing green robes, and Xiao Rang and Pei Xuan were standing at the stern with solemn expressions.

When Song Jiang saw that the boat was about to approach the shore, he recognized Chen Zongshen from the color of his clothes and hurried forward to help him off the boat.

But as soon as Hei Sanlang stretched out his hand, he was scolded by Li Yuhou beside him: "Let go of your dog paws, where did you get this black-faced coward? The general is a great nobleman in the court, how can you get close to him?"

"Xiao Ke."

"Go away, you little thief, don't delay the general from getting off the boat!"

Before Song Jiang could respond, Zhang Ganban used contemptuous words again. The leaders looked ferocious and wanted to get angry, but they couldn't do so because of Song Jiang's face.

Xiao Rang stepped forward in time to rescue him, pointed at Song Jiang and whispered, "General Chen, this is Song Jiang, the righteous man, Song Gongming."

"Is this thing Song Jiang?"

"Business is important, so stop talking."

Chen Zongshan stopped Li Yuhou and thought, "You have been causing trouble all the way. Don't you want to go back to Tokyo? Don't you see that these tigers and wolves want to eat people?" He immediately smiled at Song Jiang, stretched out his hand and waved, saying, "Chief Song, please go first."

"I dare not, please, General."

Song Jiang's humble appearance at this time made the heroes feel uncomfortable.

After a brief greeting on the beach, seeing that all of his brothers looked sullen, Song Jiang hurriedly ordered people to carry the sedan chair and lead the horses, and led the imperial envoy to the Loyalty Hall on the mountain.

On the way up the mountain, Zhang Ganban looked back from time to time while sitting on his horse, his eyes constantly observing the leader behind him, as if he was looking for something.

Wu Song was very alert. Seeing that he kept lingering on the female leader, he whispered to Yang Chang, "That lecher is peeking at my sister-in-law. If he doesn't say anything good when we get up the mountain, I'll kill him for you."

"I just heard from Xiao Rang that this person seems to be from the Grand Tutor's Mansion."

"What about the Grand Tutor's Mansion?"

Wu Song didn't know what Yang Chang meant, but Hu Sanniang beside him understood immediately, "What the master meant."

"He has bad intentions, but if he continues to seek death, he won't be as lucky as Cai Yu."

"what are you guys saying?"

"Nothing, just listen to what you have to say first."

The leaders followed from Jinshatan and came to Zhongyi Hall and stopped.

On the table facing north were placed the imperial wine and the imperial edict box. Taiwei Chen, Zhang Ganban, and Li Yuhou stood on the left, and Xiao Rang and Pei Xuan stood on the right.

Song Jiang turned around and called the leaders, only to find that Li Kui was missing. When he asked, he found out where he had gone.

"General, it doesn't matter if one person is missing. Please go directly to the imperial edict to announce the decree."

"Well, that's fine too."

Chen Zongshan nodded slightly, took out the imperial edict and handed it to Xiao Rang.

Pei Xuan presided over the ceremony and Song Jiang led everyone to bow.

"The decree says: Civility can stabilize a country, and military power can stabilize a nation. Now you surrender, dismantle the nest, and lead the troops to the capital, and I will pardon you for this crime."

Is this a recruitment or a threat?
As Xiao Rang recited aloud, the leaders kneeling on the ground stood up one after another, murderous intent in their eyes, except Song Jiang, who lowered his head to the ground with his butt raised high.

"Bastard!"

A dark shadow jumped down from the beam, snatched the imperial edict from Xiao Rang's hand, and tore it into pieces with gritted teeth. Who else could it be but Li Kui?
Li Kui was not satisfied after tearing up the imperial edict, so he tried to grab Commandant Chen and fight him. Song Jiang and Lu Junyi were so frightened that they stepped forward at the same time.

"tractor!"

Song Jiang protected Chen Zongshan behind him, Lu Junyi held Li Kui down so that he could not move, and forced the black man to calm down.

Seeing that the danger was over, Li Yuhou approached and pointed at Li Kui's nose and shouted, "Who is this guy? How dare you be so bold!"

"You black grandpa!"

Seeing that Li Yuhou was close, Li Kui suddenly stretched out his hand and slapped him in the face, causing Li Yuhou to see stars and shout, "Whose words are in the edict?"

"This is the emperor's edict!" Zhang Ganban came hurriedly to rescue.

Li Kui refused to give in and shouted, "Your emperor's surname is Song, and my brother's surname is also Song. He can be the emperor, but my brother can't? Grandpa Hei got angry and killed all the officials who wrote the edict!"

Song Jiang was stunned for a moment, thinking, this is my confidant? He is the first to destroy me?
Seeing that Li Kui had almost made enough trouble, Wu Yong signaled Hua Rong, Dai Zong and others to take him down the hall. Song Jiang then apologized to Chen Zongshan and asked for permission to get some imperial wine so that everyone could enjoy it.

However, the imperial wine has been replaced by Ruan Xiaoqi, and how can the bland country flavor satisfy the heroes?
Liu Tang scooped a ladle of wine but did not drink it. He frowned and pointed at Chen Zongshan and others, asking: "You call this imperial wine? Is this what the emperor drinks?"

"It's the imperial wine. You bunch of thieves, where have you ever seen good wine?"

Chen Zongshen didn't dare to answer, but Zhang Ganban put his hands on his hips and teased him, wondering where he got the courage to shout in such a dangerous place.

"I bother!"

Liu Tang threw the scoop directly at Zhang Ganban's face, making him so angry that he started to curse: "Rebellion, are you going to rebel? Song Jiang, this is your man?"

"Liu Tang, step back!"

As soon as Song Jiang shouted, someone pulled Liu Tang away.

Before the storm subsided, Lu Zhishen picked up his iron Zen staff, strode forward and shouted: "You bastard, you are really bullying us! You are trying to trick us into drinking wine as if it were imperial wine!"

"Stop him quickly!"

Seeing Lu Zhishen being stopped, Zhang Ganban was fearless and turned to Li Yuhou and joked: "Were we scared of these reckless men? If we lose a single hair, do they still expect to recruit them? Recruiting their souls is better, haha."

Li Yuhou nodded in agreement: "The thief's nature has not changed. He is used to bullying ordinary people. He doesn't even consider our status."

"Yes."

Zhang Ganban smiled smugly, looking down upon everyone, and deliberately glanced at Yang Chang, then sneered: "I'll just stand there and let them fight, who would really dare to do it?"

"Stop talking."

Chen Zongshan couldn't bear to listen any longer. He also knew that today's mission had failed. Seeing the chaos in the hall, he quickly reminded Song Jiang: "Captain Song, please send us down the mountain quickly, otherwise something bad will happen."

"Okay, okay. I'm so sorry."

All of Song Jiang's confidants went to control the angry leader, and the only one he could rely on was Lu Junyi. It was only thanks to this Jade Unicorn that the two guys who were seeking death were able to survive.

"Mr. Lu, we are the only ones who can escort you down the mountain right now."

"I will follow my brother's instructions."

After Lu Junyi finished speaking, he followed Song Jiang on horseback, guarding Chen Zongshen's sedan chair and dozens of followers who were delivering the imperial edict, and hurriedly took the road down the mountain.

Just now, Zhang Ganban deliberately provoked, as if he was conveying a message to Yang Chang, threatening that Cai Jing would not let him go. Yang Chang also regretted that Cai Jing escaped, so he wanted to deal with this villain at this time.

After Song Jiang and Lu Junyi escorted the imperial envoy away, Yang Chang asked Hu Sanniang to bring the Jade Lion Zhaoye, intending to strike back and catch the enemy by surprise.

When they arrived outside the south gate of Wanzi City, they saw Lin Chongzhen standing on the slope, looking out, with his fists clenched tightly.

"Master Lin, why are you here?"

"Seeing the dog officials fleeing, especially Li Yuhou, if it weren't for Brother Gongming stopping them, I..."

"I want to kill them to show off their power. I will take care of Zhang Ganban. How about leaving Li Yuhou to you?"

"What do you want to do? Brother Gongming and Mr. Lu will escort you personally."

Lin Chong was shocked at first, but then he was confused when he saw that Yang Chang didn't have any weapon.

Yang Chang smiled lightly and replied, "Those two are very stubborn. I want to test whether they are tough or not. If you want to go, Master Lin, please hurry up. I will go ahead."

"No, you can't!"

Before Lin Chong could finish his words, the Jade Lion of Zhaoye had already stepped away.

The good horse stalked the mountain road as if it were flat ground, like a white rainbow descending from top to bottom, and soon approached the escort team in front.

Li Yuhou heard the crisp sound of horse hooves from behind, and when he looked back, he saw Yang Chang's dashing and heroic figure. He couldn't help but complain to Zhang Ganban: "So Liangshan has such a good horse, but Song Jiang didn't give it to you or me to ride. But the man on the horse looks very familiar."

"The Bright Heavenly Lord Yang Chang." Zhang Ganban's eyes were sinister.

"Is it him? How dare this fellow use such a nickname? He will die if he is recruited!"

Hearing Li Yuhou and Zhang Ganban discussing Yang Chang, Song Jiang hurriedly smiled and bowed to explain: "Please forgive me, the beast has a strange temper and no one except Yang Chang can ride it."

"You mean the beast Yang Chang? He is indeed."

"What did you say?"

While Zhang Ganban was talking nonsense, Yang Chang had already ridden his horse to his side, questioning him coldly with murderous intent.

Song Jiang quickly explained: "Don't misunderstand, Sanlang, it was my brother who said that your Night Jade Lion is indeed a beast with a weird temper."

"So what if I call you a beast? Do you have the guts to kill me?"

Seeing that Song Jiang was nearby and Yang Chang had no weapon in his hand, Zhang Ganban once again uttered the suicidal remarks.

But this time, he was not so lucky.

Yang Chang smiled ghostly, and with lightning speed, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhang Ganban's clothes, mobilizing the strength of a tiger and throwing him up.

Zhang Ganban shouted in panic, took off and landed in the air ahead, drawing a small-angle parabola. Unfortunately, he hit a huge rock when he landed and was smashed to pieces.

"Yang Chang Ni"

"Brother, don't look at me like that. Everyone heard it just now. It was this guy who asked for it!"

It's dawn. I'm going to pee.

Song Jiang drove the murderer Yang Chang back to the mountain, and sent Chen Zongshen on board with mixed feelings.

Before leaving, Song Jiang bowed his head and said that he was loyal to the court. However, the officials who drafted the edict used inappropriate words, which angered these loyal brothers. They asked Captain Chen to return to the court and speak to them in a friendly manner.

Chen Zongshen sighed and left something that Song Jiang couldn't understand.

"If Chief Song wants to accomplish something, his hope lies with Chief Yang."

(End of this chapter)