Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Ye Chen rested his hands on his head, recalling the events of last night.
What he had seen in the Mountain Temple was likely a corpse. But how could a body end up there? Moreover, it was lying exactly where Xiao Feng had been just before.
A flicker of confusion passed through Ye Chen's large eyes. He had initially been silently counting the bags of grain he was moving, but now his thoughts were entirely consumed by the ghostly encounter from the previous night.
After calming down, Ye Chen realized this morning that he hadn’t encountered a ghost; rather, he had coincidentally come across someone related to that corpse. Perhaps that person was the murderer.
He pondered this matter throughout his journey.
But who could it be? He still didn’t know who had grabbed his arm yesterday. Was the murderer waiting for him there at that moment?
However, considering the state of decay of the corpse, it seemed unreasonable. Who would guard such a terrifying body in the desolate Ruined Mountain Temple for so long? And why hadn’t they killed him to silence him after grabbing him? It simply didn’t make sense. Ye Chen thought and thought, but couldn’t figure it out.
Recalling the chilling aura from the hand that had gripped his arm, a shiver ran up from his feet to his heart, leaving him trembling.
This bizarre situation reminded him of the night he had met Xiao Feng during a torrential rainstorm when she had grabbed his leg.
The cold night wind was particularly biting, seeping through the gaps in Ye Chen’s ill-fitting armor. He sat on a stone, lightly tapping his toes against the ground, his youthful face seemingly etched with countless unresolved sorrows.
“What’s wrong? You look so glum. Is it because I haven’t paid you any attention these past few days, and now you’re here lamenting your fate?” Lou Yu said as he casually draped an arm over Ye Chen’s back and pulled him into a half-embrace.
Ye Chen pushed back lightly but couldn’t shake him off. With a sigh, he replied, “It’s nothing. I just feel like there seem to be more and more refugees lately. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
Lou Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, but the corners of his mouth turned down. "I didn't expect you to pay attention to these matters. Along our journey, most of the people we've encountered are from Cangzhou Yunlan County, and it's common to see them in such a miserable state."
Ye Chen was taken aback and said, "What do you mean by that? They had no choice but to leave their homes and become refugees because of County Magistrate Feng Zhengyang. But the way you say it makes it sound like there's something sinister behind it."
Ye Chen and Lou Yu sat side by side, their bodies leaning against each other. Ye Chen was a head shorter than Lou Yu. Thus, Lou Yu cast a deep glance at him before turning his gaze away. "It's fine to tell you; it's not really a secret. The clever people in the capital can guess it. Right now, the world is in turmoil, with the Wolf Tribe invading from the front and the Crown Prince missing from behind. Although the Heavenly Enlightenment Dynasty was established by the Xiao Royal Family, real power has fallen into the hands of Regent Pei Yongshang."
Lou Yu's expression became serious as he continued, "The change of dynasties for Tianqi is probably just a matter of time. However, these common people are truly innocent. Every time there is a change in dynasty, it is the common people who suffer the most. Emperors always like to find grand excuses for themselves to incite wars, hoping to create legends for themselves in history books."
"Huh? How does this involve Feng Zhengyang? Why does it relate to Regent Pei Yongshang?" Ye Chen tilted his head in confusion, while Fu Gui listened with a puzzled expression. "Yeah, what does this have to do with Regent? Is he involved?"
Lou Yu's eyelids twitched slightly as he tightened his grip on his knees. "You all don't actually know this—Feng Zhengyang is a relative of the Regent's concubine. Naturally, this matter has his fingerprints all over it; otherwise, how could a mere county magistrate act so boldly? After blowing up the river for gold, he sent people to rescue the citizens of Cangzhou Yunlan County. The people would naturally be grateful and remember his merits. Later on, even if he were to rebel and declare himself emperor, he would have the support of the populace."
The idea that someone would resort to such cruel means to deceive the people and gain popularity in order to become emperor was truly shocking. Hundreds and thousands of commoners were treated as mere pawns, insignificant sacrifices in the whirlpool of power.
Lou Yu was known as a young master from a prominent family in the capital; everyone in the Military Camp knew this. Therefore, his analysis of the changing situation was likely accurate.
For a moment, Ye Chen and Fu Gui sat in silence after hearing this, taking time to process what they had learned.
Moonlight poured down, and Ye Chen's thick eyelashes trembled slightly as he looked up at Lou Yu with lingering shock in his eyes. "You seem more complex than I imagined. In such a short time, you've managed to think of so much. You really are General Xiao Lou and not just a name."
Lou Yu smiled faintly, though there was a hint of reluctance in his expression. "What did you expect?"
After exchanging a few more words, Lou Yu turned back to supervise the soldiers transporting supplies. They had traveled for two days and nights to arrive here, yet moving the grain from the granary took less than half an hour.
After everything was packed up, Ye Chen saw Lou Yu speaking with the officials responsible for the handover from a distance. He strained to listen and could faintly hear Lou Yu mentioning that the supplies were not as plentiful as before, that something had happened recently, and where he had been.
It was mostly Lou Yu asking questions, while the officials dressed in Official Robes responded. Ye Chen was not familiar with the ranks of these officials and could not discern what level their robes represented.
To Ye Chen, it seemed that these officials were quite fearful of Lou Yu. When Lou Yu asked questions, some officials shook their heads while politely answering; others unconsciously wiped nonexistent sweat from their temples.
Before long, Lou Yu mounted his horse and loudly called for the entire army to set off again.
Comment 0 Comment Count