What happened in the nameless restaurant was just a microcosm of the current situation.
People from all parties are trying their best to stabilize the hearts of the people inside, using methods such as coaxing, coercion, inducement, and persuasion to expand their power and eliminate dissidents in order to face the stormy waves in the future.
Countries such as Zhou and Jing immediately arrested wealthy businessmen registered in Yu in their own countries. The charges included but were not limited to hoarding, disrupting prices, occupying farmland, abusing slaves, financing wars, etc.
Even the wealthy businessmen of the Yu State who had been established in the country for decades were not spared. Their homes were confiscated and their property was divided up.
In addition, the state capitals also responded to the fierce public opinion and many Yu scholars, students, and business travelers within their territory were also charged with espionage and arrested.
However, before bureaucrats at all levels could celebrate, the Yu State imposed reciprocal sanctions and arrested wealthy businessmen, scholars, business travelers, and tourists from other countries on the same charges.
Due to the rich and prosperous economy of Yu State and the inclusive and open culture, the number of people from other countries living in Yu State was more than the number of domestic people who went to other countries.
Not only were there more hostages, but there were also nobles who were ranked high on the list.
As a result, all parties had to sit down awkwardly and discuss the exchange of hostages through unofficial spy channels.
It's not time yet for you and me not to exist. Everyone is waiting, waiting for the mountain and river talisman to dissipate, and waiting for Taihao Mountain to express its stance.
————
Taihao Mountain, once a majestic and sacred place, is now filled with dust.
The workers stepped on the steps made of white jade with their straw sandals, carrying bricks, tiles, beams and pillars to repair the collapsed palace.
White-haired theological scholars squatted beside the ruins, categorizing the ancient books found under the rubble.
Cardinal Ju Yu's deputy envoy Yu Feiyu, led by the waiter who led the way, passed through the noisy crowd, climbed the stairs along the mountain road, and arrived in front of a palace.
Unlike the buildings at the foot of the mountain, the trial court hall did not suffer much damage.
The floor tiles are cut from obsidian, and the center of the hall is covered with a "carpet" composed of countless rubies, as scarlet as blood, magnificent and dazzling.
The vaults of the main hall are as tall as clouds, with hundreds of iron chains as thick as human arms pierced through them.
Thousands of masterless weapons were tied to iron chains through hemp ropes, like wind chimes, swaying in the wind.
These are the achievements that the Inquisition is most proud of, and they are the last traces left in the world of those who disobeyed Haotian and were killed by the Inquisition for thousands of years.
Yu Feiyu walked through the hall, his footsteps echoed in the empty hall, and his voice was ethereal.
Click.
The expressionless waiter brought tables, chairs and tea, and then left quietly without making a sound of footsteps.
Yu Feiyu had long been accustomed to the style of the Inquisition. He sat down calmly, took a sip of tea, looked up at the palace vault, and observed the ownerless weapons.
The poisonous knife fused with Xiangliu's poison glands used by the pirate Zhuo Yong who roamed the East China Sea three hundred years ago;
A soft sword made of nine-day meteorite iron used by the leader of the Demon Sect during its heyday four hundred years ago;
A folding fan used by a Zhou prince who tried to launch a coup 200 years ago to break away from the control of Mount Taihao;
Hehe, I don’t know what the current Zhou clan will think when they see this folding fan.
"There's still a sword missing here."
A deep male voice sounded from the side of the hall. The burly Judgment Cardinal Bian Yubo, dressed in red robes, walked slowly over and sat on the black stone throne. He leaned slightly and held his cheek with his fist.
"There will be."
Yu Feiyu put down his tea bowl, stood up and nodded, expressing respect appropriately.
Lian Xuanxiao broke into Taihao Mountain, seriously injured the headmaster and fought off four cardinals, which brought great shame and humiliation to the Taoist sect. Even if he was cut into pieces, his bones were crushed and ashes were scattered, it would not be enough to repay it. Perhaps only by destroying the academy can we make up for one or two.
"sit down."
Bian Yubo motioned Yu Feiyu to sit down, and with a tap of his finger, a letter bounced off the armrest and landed accurately on the table beside Yu Feiyu.
"Lian Xuanxiao placed a mountain and river guard talisman to prevent outside monks from entering the Yu Kingdom."
Bian Yubo said coldly: "However, fortresses are often the first to be breached from within."
Yu Feiyu opened the envelope and found a long list of names of people from Yu State written on the letter paper inside.
From a depressed and frustrated aristocrat to a suppressed aristocratic family. From an ambitious young scholar to a general who secretly believed in Haotian.
Combining the words of the Trial Cardinal, Yu Feiyu instantly understood that the Trial Court wanted to regain some face for the Taoist sect before the mountain and river talismans dissipated.
These people on the list can all be used, and some are even hidden nails planted by the Taoist sect more than ten or decades ago.
Yu Feiyu quickly scanned the lengthy list. When he saw a circled name, he was stunned and said, "Why is there still him?!"
————
At the same moment, in the courtyard of Furong Garden in Chang'an, Li Hui, the king of Yue, picked up a sunspot from the chess bowl, thought for a moment and put it on the chessboard.
】
He was playing against Li Shan, the king of light, who was holding the white piece. The black and white dragons were strangled and fighting on the chessboard, and the situation was tragic and thrilling.
Princess Yan Xuan of Yue, who was watching the match, saw her husband gradually declining and gently squeezed the paws of the white-haired puppy in her arms.
The puppy was in pain and immediately jumped up from Yan Xuan's knees and landed on the chessboard, disrupting the arrangement of the chess pieces.
"Broken dog."
Li Hui picked up the puppy angrily, glanced at the messy chess game, and then at his wife who looked innocent, had a slightly bulging belly, and was obviously pregnant. She had no choice but to sigh helplessly, turned to Li Shan and said: "This game is over. I lost."
"No way,"
Li Shan happily put down the white piece and said, "With another dozen moves, the outcome is still uncertain."
Frankly speaking, Li Hui and Li Shan were not close before and could only be regarded as casual acquaintances. They became familiar with each other through frequent exchanges on official business some time ago.
The chess game was interrupted, and Li Hui waved his hand to let everyone else leave. He and Li Shan were the only two people left in the courtyard.
Li Hui straightened up and said calmly: "In a few days, His Majesty will issue an order to transfer me to Fanyang."
Li Shan said in surprise: "Lu family?"
"Um."
Li Hui said calmly: "In order to fight against the outside world, we must first settle down at home."
Aristocratic families are like poisonous snakes. If you use them well, they can be released to bite the enemy. If you use them poorly, they will bite you back at the critical moment.
"Yu Guoguo will open more official positions to aristocratic families, allow them to enter the previously prohibited shipping and shipbuilding industries, and allow them to operate businesses and build workshops in other places."
Li Hui said: "But they also have to send monks from the clan to join the army."
"Do you give both kindness and power?"
Li Shan nodded thoughtfully and suddenly thought of something. It is not easy to appease and persuade a family like the Fan Yang Lu family. Even if the family is willing to cooperate, the Yu State court will have to monitor it for a long time.
Li Hui, who was transferred to Fan Yang, may not be able to come back within a few years. In other words, the emperor has made a decision in the battle for the crown prince that lasted for nearly ten years.
He obviously did nothing wrong, but he lost the competition because of changes at a higher level...
Li Shan sighed silently in his heart, but his expression didn't change much. He asked as usual: "What can I do?"
"How about a new railway?"
Li Hui took out a map from his arms and spread it on the table next to the chessboard. His fingertips started from Fan Yang and passed through Boling County, where the Cui family of Boling was located, to Pingji, where the Li family of Zhao County was located.
"No problem. I will send someone to survey the terrain tomorrow."
Li Shan carefully observed the formation map, agreed, and left the Yue King's residence.
Li Hui was the only one left in the courtyard. He quietly looked at the messy chess game and sighed.
In the fight between him and the prince, his brother won in the end. It's a pity that if that person was willing to stand up and help, given his status, maybe the outcome would be different...
As he was thinking about it, Li Hui suddenly burst into laughter and murmured to himself: "Let's get through this hurdle first. If we fail, there may be no more Li family of Yu State in the world..."
