Chapter 73 When it rains, it pours
The fire in Linhefang has been extinguished, but the aftermath of the fire has not stopped there.
While Zuo Lingquan was settling down Tang Jingxun, news of the fire in the capital was also received in Qihuang Valley, thirty miles away.
This news is nothing more than adding fuel to the fire and adding insult to injury to the current Qihuang Valley, because the duty of Qihuang Valley is to pay attention to these abnormal events. Once the scope of the impact is too large, it will be useless if the national master does not come forward.
After Wu Qingwan learned the news, she secretly thought about countermeasures. Before she could think of a reason to explain, the imperial order summoned by the court was delivered as expected.
Several master masters had no time to say goodbye to the disciples who had left seclusion, so they hurriedly set off for the capital. Wu Qingwan, as one of the master masters, could not show up, so she naturally followed behind.
When we arrived at the Imperial City, it was already bright.
Wu Qingwan was wearing the sect's standard black dress and walking behind her three senior brothers. Before she arrived at the Zhengyuan Hall, she heard Prime Minister Li Jingsi's voice coming from above the court hall:
"In the early summer of Tianbao's fourteenth year, a fire broke out for no reason in Linhefang, burning more than 800 houses and causing more than 2,000 casualties. The cause of the fire has not yet been identified... The veteran experienced the fire in person. According to Fang Zheng, the flames They appeared at the same time, affecting the entire Linhefang and its surroundings; and some people have seen the flames in lampstands and stoves extending several feet for no reason..."
Wu Qingwan stopped outside the main hall, and after looking at each other with several senior brothers, she could only wait quietly for the summons. The sound of discussions in the main hall came to my ears one after another:
"As the saying goes, 'Raise an army for a thousand days, use it for a while'; Qihuang Valley is worshiped by all people, and it should fulfill the responsibility of protecting the people. In the past, ferocious beasts were rampant, but after all, it had little impact; now such a big fire has occurred, Qihuang Valley If nothing is done, I dare to ask, what is the use of supporting thousands of monks in our Great Dan Dynasty? "
"That's right. Raise a bunch of Taoist monks who don't follow the Dharma. They know how to show up at weddings and funerals to recite sutras. The fire in Linhefang can easily kill and injure thousands of people. Even if Qihuang Valley can't solve it, just show up in the city to do it. A ritual ceremony can also appease people’s hearts.”
"Yes, now the people in Linhefang have homes and cannot return, and they are all sleeping on the streets..."
…
Hearing these words, Wu Qingwan felt uneasy in her heart, but she was helpless. She was the national master with the highest cultivation level in Qihuang Valley. She was only at the sixth level of Linggu. She was not yet able to control the world. How could she have the ability to open an altar? You know The art of the soul is a field that can only be accessed by true gods in the Jade realm, and she cannot pretend to be a deceitful person like the alchemists.
After suffering for a long time, Jiang Yi's voice finally came from the hall:
"Xuan Yue Heng enters the palace."
Yue Heng, who was standing in front, saw this and quickly straightened his clothes and entered the main hall.
Wu Qingwan also followed into the hall, but did not come forward. She just stood at the back and watched.
Prime Minister Li Jingsi stood at the front. After seeing them, he said:
"Mr. Yue, this is an important place in the court. I am discussing political affairs with the Holy One. I am afraid it would not be appropriate for you to come here. Where is the Imperial Master?"
Yue Heng responded warmly: "My mentor is in retreat and has not been summoned. As disciples and students, we really dare not disturb him. We will definitely find out the cause of the Linhefang incident..."
"Master National Preceptor, you have not shown up for two years. Are you sure you are just in seclusion?"
"My teacher has a high level of cultivation. At his level, he no longer eats grains. It is common for him to stay in seclusion for two or three years..."
"We ordinary people don't understand the things of people in cultivation. But Mr. Yue, don't forget the responsibilities of Qihuang Valley. The imperial court collects taxes from the people every year and pays for the food and clothing of the disciples in Qihuang Valley. It has never asked Qihuang Valley. Gu asked for more than half of it. Every year when doing business with Dayan, even if Dayan merchants raised their prices, they still sent a thousand white jade baht to Qihuang Valley on time. Mr. Yue knew that in exchange for a thousand white jade baht, it was enough. How long will it take for the people of a city to have enough money to earn that amount of money?
This question was so harsh that Wu Qingwan couldn't stand it, so she bowed and stepped forward and said:
"Qihuang grain feeds the people and never forgets the responsibilities he shoulders. Every day, he arranges disciples to patrol the mountains to drive away monsters and beasts, and many of them practice medicine and do good deeds..."
Li Jingsi turned to look at Wu Qingwan: "What Immortal Wu said can be done by any practitioner. Fuji Mountain, Qingchi Jianzhuang, and even the alchemists in the market can complete these duties. Why does the imperial court only offer money? , give it all to you in Qihuang Valley?”
Wu Qingwan was speechless.
Li Jingsi looked at the bosses in Qihuang Valley and said in a deep voice:
"The imperial court spared no effort to enshrine Qihuang Valley in the hope that Qihuang Valley can protect the people in times of crisis, rather than using the whole country to support you and build your own path to immortality. The ferocious beasts have been repeatedly banned, so it can be said that the impact is not big. , shouldn’t disturb the Imperial Master, but now the Linhefang fire has swept through thousands of houses, and if God hadn’t been kind, hundreds of people might have been killed or injured...
...At this time, the Imperial Master is still in seclusion, cultivating his own path to immortality; when should the Imperial Master come out of seclusion? When the Yan Dynasty sent troops to fight? According to what the old minister sees, if the Yan Dynasty really sends troops to attack, the Imperial Master may not be able to stop it. So what are the people trying to do with so much hard-earned money to support the national master’s practice? "
These words were very serious. Wu Qingwan clenched her hands tightly, but had nothing to say.
Jiang Yi, who was sitting behind the bead curtain and had been watching, now said:
"Prime Minister Li. If a person is practicing in seclusion, unless it is a time of life and death, it is really inconvenient to disturb him. The Imperial Master has been in charge of Dadan for nearly a hundred years and has made many great contributions. All the ministers present are well aware of it; the late emperor also designated the Imperial Master as the new emperor. Master, I am the late emperor’s entrusted minister. What Li Xiang said is too serious.”
The reason why Jiang Yi was able to ascend to the throne and become the regent princess was mainly due to the support of Yue Pingyang.
The reason why Li Jingsi secretly planned to find out whether the Imperial Master was real or not was because no matter how senior Li Jingsi was, he could not suppress Yue Pingyang, the Imperial Master who had lived for more than two decades. As long as the Imperial Master was there, it would be difficult for the new king to stand alone. Take power.
However, in today's situation, Li Jingsi stood on the side of "righteousness" and naturally spoke righteously:
"Your Highness the Princess. The Imperial Preceptor has worked hard and made great achievements. No one in the civil and military circles of the dynasty cannot help but admire him. However, the courtiers are also at an age of 'retiring from old age and returning to their hometowns.' The Imperial Preceptor has not shown up for two years. Chaos has spread in the capital. Whether the Imperial Preceptor is in seclusion or other Anyway, since it is difficult to perform one's duties, one should abdicate and hand over the duties to those who can take charge...
...The imperial court will not treat meritorious ministers ill. In the future, rewards will remain the same, and the imperial master can still have some time to practice quietly. The Imperial Master has not shown up for a long time now. He cannot sit idly by and watch the chaos in the capital. Her Royal Highness the Princess can see this, and we, the ministers, cannot sit idly by and ignore it. Please Her Royal Highness the Princess think twice. "
Regardless of their faction, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty all agreed with Li Jingsi's statement. After all, the matter was before us and we had to find a way to deal with it.
In fact, Wu Qingwan felt that this statement was okay, but after all, she was the head of Qihuang Valley, and she carried a family business that had been inherited for two hundred years. How could she be willing to give Qihuang Valley to others.
Jiang Yi was silent for a moment and then said:
"The Imperial Advisor has been in charge of Dadan for nearly a hundred years. It is inappropriate to replace the Imperial Advisor without notification."
Li Jingsi nodded: "It is indeed inappropriate to replace people without notification; but the imperial master has not left the country, and the ministers and others can't even see anyone. We can't let the civil and military personnel of the court and even the emperor wait here without knowing anything. . I also hope that Her Majesty the Princess can order the Imperial Master to come to the palace to clarify whether to change or stay. "
Jiang Yi looked at Wu Qingwan, thought about it for a long time, and then said:
"The Imperial Master is still in seclusion. Yesterday's fire did not cause serious trouble. Forcibly summoning the Imperial Master will chill the Imperial Master. Yue Heng, go back to Qihuang Valley and find a way to inform the Imperial Master so that after the Imperial Master comes out of seclusion, Come to the palace and talk about it.”
Yue Heng quickly bowed his head: "The common people obey your orders."
When Li Jingsi saw Jiang Yi forcibly staying in Huanggu, he did not object and said:
"Since the princess has spoken, it is inconvenient for the ministers to say anything. However, I still have to tell Mr. Yue about people who are cultivators. The imperial court has never been greedy for peace. The post of national preceptor should be held by those with profound knowledge. If Yue Guoshi is too late, If you don’t come out to take charge of the overall situation, if others want to recommend themselves to take over the Qihuang Valley, the court will not favor anyone. I hope Mr. Yue has an idea. "
Wu Qingwan's face paled slightly when she heard this. She understood what he meant. If Cheng Jiujiang wanted to become a national master and enter Qihuang Valley, the court would not care about it, and he would be responsible for all the consequences.
These words are equivalent to direct support for Cheng Jiujiang to seize the position of national master. If it reaches Cheng Jiujiang's ears, he may soon lead someone to invade.
There are currently only a few old, weak, sick and disabled people in Qihuang Valley. It is impossible to deal with Cheng Jiujiang who is at the age of being beaten. If the imperial court does not intervene, it is possible to beat them to death.
Grandmaster Bo Yueheng also understood the meaning, but with his ancestral legacy in hand, he could only act confidently and bowed his hands:
"I, Qihuang Valley, understand the rules. If I can't even keep my family fortune, I'm not worthy of sitting in my current position."
When Li Jingsi saw this, he snorted and said nothing.
Wu Qingwan and several senior brothers bowed and resigned together, feeling uneasy. They didn't know how they got out of Zhengyuan Hall, and they kept thinking about how to deal with it.
In Qihuang Valley, the third uncle has led the team to Jingting Terrace. Currently, the only remaining combat power in Qihuang Valley is the first uncle and the second uncle who are monks in the Spiritual Valley realm. The rest are all practicing Qi. The fourth uncle Zheng Yufeng has become a useless person, and he is not even good at refining Qi.
With just two monks at the first and second levels of the Spiritual Valley, they had no chance of winning against Cheng Jiujiang, who was at the fourth level of the Spiritual Valley.
As for the deacons in the Qi Refining Realm, they can barely even leave the body with their true Qi. They can't touch the corners of Cheng Jiujiang's clothes during a fight. No matter how many people there are, there is no need for them to defend the sect and deal with most of the disciples in Qihuang Valley. In other words, it is just a change of head. Only a few heads and direct disciples will be affected. The others perform their own duties and will continue to do what they did before.
Zuo Lingquan values love and justice and will not stand idly by, but even if he has the combat power of an additional twelfth-level cultivation level, it will be a drop in the bucket because Cheng Jiujiang is not alone.
It would be great if Ling Quan could jump directly to the eighth level of Linggu like last time...
This idea is obviously unrealistic, but even if it is stronger, the chance of winning will be higher...
There are ways to become stronger, but this brat is not enlightened. Is it possible that she really has to take the initiative?
Wu Qingwan's eyes were tangled and unspeakable, her hands kept in her sleeves, stroking the jade slip, her thoughts wandering to nowhere...