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墨書 Inktalez
Gallop, gallop! A swift horse raced towards the capital, its rider adorned in yellow silk, stirring up clouds of dust. Upon seeing the towering city gates, he shouted loudly, "Six Hundred Li Urgent! Imperial Gold Medal! Those who obstruct will face death!"
In truth, he didn't need to announce it; his yellow attire was a clear signal, second only to the red uniforms associated with the eight hundred li urgent dispatch.
When the city gate guards spotted him from a distance, they wasted no time and hurriedly opened a small side gate to let the messenger through, preventing him from being blocked by the citizens at the main entrance.
As the dust settled, the rider had already vanished without a trace. The townsfolk whispered among themselves, speculating about what significant event had just occurred. Among them was a servant from the Zhao Family tea stall near the city gate, who hurriedly dropped two copper coins before rushing away.
The servant made his way back to Zhuque Street and circled around to the back door of Zhao Mansion. Still catching his breath, he was pulled inside by an old man named Guan. "Why are you back so soon?"
Gasping for air, the servant managed to reply, "Six Hundred Li... urgent! To the Imperial Palace!"
Old Guan quickly fished out a gold ingot and pressed it into the servant's hand. "You go rest first; I need to report this immediately to the master."
Having been around for years, Old Guan wasn't as winded as the servant. He maintained a calm demeanor and called for a carriage to take him to the Ministry of Revenue.
Inside the main office, Minister Zhao Jue was organizing accounts when he heard that Old Guan had arrived. His expression remained composed, but inside he felt a flutter of anxiety. He instructed someone to bring Old Guan into his office and opened doors and windows to show that he had nothing to hide, signaling Old Guan with his eyes.
Having served the Zhao Family for many years, Old Guan understood Zhao Jue's unspoken cues well. He quietly approached and lowered his voice as much as possible. "Master, I was watching the city gate when news came from Zhuque Gate about a Six Hundred Li Urgent dispatch heading to the Imperial Palace."
"Six Hundred Li?" Zhao Jue's brow furrowed slightly.
He had arranged for servants to keep an eye on the city gate specifically for urgent dispatches. However, the mention of Six Hundred Li left him puzzled. If it were related to his own pirates being exposed—given that he was one of the six ministers—surely it would warrant an eight hundred li urgent dispatch.
Six Hundred Li? It felt somewhat dismissive.
Yet there was also a possibility that it was meant to deliberately confuse Zhao Jue by using Six Hundred Li instead of eight hundred.
This was why Zhao Jue hesitated; both lines of reasoning seemed plausible. No matter how he turned it over in his mind, he couldn't arrive at a definitive answer. He could only conclude that Xia Cheng, whom he had relied on for profit over many years, was trustworthy and unlikely to betray him.
The urgent report regarding the Second Prince and the Kaihai Division's encounter with pirates, which resulted in significant losses, was indeed pressing. Zhao Jue, struggling to calm his mind, dismissed Old Guan with a wave of his hand. "You should return for now. And keep an eye on that spy; don't let him leave the estate for the time being."
At the Da Qian Imperial Palace, the Old Eunuch hurriedly took the urgent letter and presented it in the Emperor's study. The Emperor, in high spirits, was reviewing the Imperial Edict. It must be said that after taking the Elixir of Longevity, he was brimming with energy. In the past, he would often need to pause for rest while reviewing edicts, sometimes working late into the night. But now? He could review documents for hours without showing any signs of fatigue.
Once, the old Emperor could only lie awake at night, feeling powerless; now, he reveled in nightly festivities and felt invigorated. Furthermore, news had come from the Imperial Physician that a Noble Consort had confirmed a month ago that she was pregnant with a Longzi, which brought immense joy to the Emperor and led him to bestow generous rewards.
With such vibrant days ahead, the Emperor grew increasingly eager to find another elixir from overseas to prolong his life. Having experienced aging once before and having been granted an extension of life, he had no desire to endure such torment again. Thus, he placed great importance on the letter from the Second Prince.
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