Chapter 168 Rushing to Qingtian
Chapter 168 Rushing to Qingtian
"No matter how deep the water is, since the emperor has given the order, we have to brave the mountains of swords and seas of fire." Ye Xuan said helplessly, "It's just that the road to Qingtian is long and steep, and it's not as close as Beishan Royal Manor, so I have to trouble you two brothers to go with me."

Although Wang Feihu and the other man were also nervous, they could not refuse Ye Xuan's words.

What's more, Ye Xuan was just speaking politely, and both of them understood that this was already an order.

So, the two of them quickly took all the necessary tools for their work and gathered more than ten people to follow Ye Xuan to Qingtian.

Hu Weiyong set out for Qingtian two days ago. Logically, Hu Weiyong would not ride a horse when traveling. Given his position as prime minister, he would definitely travel in a carriage.

Ye Xuan and his group of Jinyiwei could catch up with Hu Weiyong quickly on fast horses, so there was no need to worry about arriving late due to speed, causing Liu Bowen to fall into his hands.

Although it is still not certain that Liu Bowen died at the hands of Hu Weiyong, there are only two most likely reasons for Liu Bowen's death.

One is that Liu Bowen suffered a series of complications due to his old age and contracting a cold; the other is that, as everyone speculated, he was killed by Hu Weiyong.

But no matter what the reason is, the most important thing for them now is to catch up with Hu Weiyong.

Regardless of whether he did it or not, according to Zhu Yuanzhang's order, Hu Weiyong's every move must be closely monitored.

One day after they set out, they saw from afar on the official road an extremely imposing convoy, carrying the prime minister's ceremonial guards, slowly moving forward.

Ye Xuan recognized it at a glance. It was Hu Weiyong's convoy.

Although Hu Weiyong was riding in a horse-drawn carriage, and the large group of people would move more slowly.

But it couldn't be that slow. They set out two days earlier than Ye Xuan, but Ye Xuan and others caught up in less than a day. In any case, this speed was unreasonable.

Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes and suddenly understood.

It seems that no matter whether Liu Bowen’s death was related to Hu Weiyong, at least it can be seen from this point that Hu Weiyong did not want to reach Qingtian as soon as possible.

So that the imperial physician appointed by Zhu Yuanzhang himself could treat the seriously ill Liu Bowen.

In the carriage, Hu Weiyong, who was resting with his eyes closed, was suddenly awakened by the servant's holy seal.

"Your Excellency, Left Prime Minister, Ye Xuan, a captain of the Imperial Guard, requests to see you." The guard said, frowning, "These Imperial Guards claim to be following the Emperor's decree and accompanying the Left Prime Minister to Qingtian."

"Oh, it seems that Your Majesty is still somewhat suspicious of me." Hu Weiyong shook his head and sneered, "Let that Jinyiwei captain come to see me."

After a while, Ye Xuan rode his horse to the carriage where Hu Weiyong was riding.

Because the convoy did not stop moving, the carriage was also in motion, so Ye Xuan also rode on the horse and did not dismount to salute Hu Weiyong.

"I am Ye Xuan, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I am honored to meet the Left Prime Minister!" You rode on your horse and bowed to Hu Weiyong.

The curtain of the carriage opened to Kai, revealing an indifferent old face. He looked Ye Xuan up and down with sharp eyes and said, "Your Majesty asked you to come here. Is there anything else you want to tell him?"

Ye Xuanxu said in a perfunctory manner: "That's not the case. He just told me to protect the safety of Lord Zuo Xiang along the way."

"After all, you also know that the world has just been pacified, and there are still many people with ulterior motives in the dark. As the left prime minister, your safety is naturally the top priority for our Ming Dynasty, so His Majesty sent us, the Jinyiwei Yu, to accompany you all the way to protect your safety at all times."

Hu Weiyong nodded his head repeatedly after hearing these words. He thought to himself: This is right. I am an important official who followed His Majesty to conquer the world, so naturally I should be favored by His Majesty.

When Hu Weiyong heard the guards say that the Jinyiwei were ordered to accompany him to Qingtian, he immediately understood that Zhu Yuanzhang was clearly worried about him and was afraid that he would secretly attack Liu Bowen, the old immortal.

"Ye Xuan, you are really good at talking." Hu Weiyong was in a good mood and didn't take it seriously anymore.

Anyway, this is how it is in official circles. It's enough to save face. There will be no benefit if you are too serious about it.

In particular, the person being argued with was Zhu Yuanzhang.

Ye Xuan bowed and said, "I am just speaking the truth."

When the two men talked to this point, Hu Weiyong suddenly felt that the two words "Ye Xuan" sounded familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere.

In just a flash of thought, Hu Weiyong suddenly remembered the somewhat outrageous rumor.

He turned around and looked at Ye Xuan again, with a smile on his face.

Ye Xuan felt confused when he was looked at. Could it be that Hu Weiyong had some unknown hobby?
However, just when Ye Xuan was feeling nervous, Hu Weiyong just smiled, lowered the curtain of the carriage, and disappeared from Ye Xuan's sight.

Seeing this, Ye Xuan just felt a little confused, and thought to himself: "Sure enough, these famous old foxes are mysterious and make people unclear."

Back in the Jinyiwei team, it could be clearly felt that Hu Weiyong's own guards had no good feelings towards them. Even though they said that it was the emperor who asked them to be responsible for protecting the safety of the Left Prime Minister, these guards still arranged them at the back of the queue.

"Sir, did Lord Zuo Xiang make things difficult for you?" Wang Feihu immediately asked with concern as soon as he came back.

Ye Xuan shook his head and said with a smile: "After all, he is the left prime minister, second only to the emperor. Even if there is something wrong, why would he embarrass you in person? Isn't this clearly a sign of dissatisfaction with Your Majesty?"

Song Zhenshan said solemnly: "They are all thousand-year-old foxes, very cunning."

So, the group set out towards Qingtian in such a strange way, and Hu Weiyong ignored these Jinyiwei along the way.

Ye Xuan and the others were also very tactful and did not make themselves bored. Even when they stayed overnight on the road, they just stayed well-behaved and did not do anything unnecessary.

After more than ten days, the group finally arrived in Qingtian.

In addition to the Qingtian County Magistrate, Liu Bowen's eldest son Liu Lian also came to greet everyone.

Liu Lian also served as an official in the court, and successively served as an imperial censor and a councilor of Jiangxi. However, because Liu Bowen stepped down, Liu Lian resigned from the Imperial Censorate and went to Jiangxi to serve as a councilor.

This time, he heard that his father had resigned from his official position and returned home, and that he was seriously ill, so he rushed back from Jiangxi.

"I am Liu Lian, the Jiangxi Councillor, and I respectfully welcome the Left Prime Minister!"

Liu Lian, who was about forty years old, stood in front of the convoy and bowed to greet them respectfully.

Hu Weiyong got off the carriage with the help of his attendants and said gently, "My dear nephew, long time no see."

(End of this chapter)