Ouchi, Yuxi Palace.
The news that Li Fan and others returned from the land of Northern Qi was only circulated in the Zhenmo Division. This place is thousands of miles away from Yelu City. The residents of the Holy City are not aware of what is going on there, let alone pay attention to the rumors hidden behind the noise. the truth.
But as the ruler of the Great Qian Dynasty and the true emperor who had been on the throne for sixty years, Emperor Delong's ears and eyes were never blocked.
Even though he had not been in court for nearly twenty years and had entrusted all mundane affairs to the civil servants in the cabinet, he had never truly lost control of the world's situation.
At this moment, Emperor Delong was wearing a Taoist robe as before, sitting cross-legged on the futon above the main hall.
There were no dragon chairs, bronze cranes, jade steps, or ministers in the Golden Palace around him, but he was quietly here alone with his eyes closed, as if there was an unspeakable momentum filling the void in the palace.
They are densely packed in the hall, covering the ground, turning the entire hall into a deep black hole of void, with an inexplicable momentum that makes people breathless.
The rows of candles standing on the brackets also disappeared, leaving only the candlelight floating in the air, as if like the eyes of a monster, staring closely at Emperor Delon among them.
The eunuch Huang Bo looked pale and waited behind the screen with some depression.
Days like this have become a habit for him.
Suddenly, the man in Taoist robes opened his eyes.
"What time is it now?"
"Long live your Majesty, it's already the first moment of noon."
"Have I only been in concentration for two moments?"
Emperor Delong's face was neither sad nor happy, but there was a hint of disappointment in his words.
"Your Majesty's magical power has just been completed and is growing day by day. Immortality is just around the corner."
"What's going on over there in Yelu City?"
"Long live your Majesty, the people from the Demon Suppressing Division who went over there have returned, but rumors are circulating that they and the local powerful people have different opinions. It is difficult to tell whether it is true or not. The cabinet is stepping up its efforts to send people to investigate the matter."
"Humph, they are all ignorant people."
Emperor Delong was not angry but was proud of himself.
"Where's Li Huan? I seem to remember that he also went to Yelu City."
"Your Majesty, Mr. Li just happened to be in the secret book. He said that he found some special information in Yelu City that may be of interest to you, and he wanted to report it to you."
"Oh, what's the news?"
Huang Bo immediately took the secret fold that he had prepared from a nearby table and began to recite it.
"I, Li Ao, respectfully send my greetings to the Holy One. I heard that there are mermaids in the East China Sea..."
"Mermaid..."
Emperor Delong's eyes lit up as he seemed to have thought of something.
But soon, his eyes dimmed again.
"I have known this secret for a long time. The meat of that kind of thing cannot really make people live forever, it just turns people into monsters.
He really didn't expect that he would hear about it in Yelu City.
But because he is loyal, I will reward you with a hundred taels of gold and a middle-grade worry-free stone. "
As he spoke, the expression on Emperor Delong's face gradually changed, and suddenly became as cold as ice.
"Wait a minute, I seem to remember that the evil mermaid has been imprisoned in the town for a long time?"
Huang Bo was surprised. He really didn't know about this kind of thing.
"Send a message to Li Fan and ask him to go to the town to read the secret files to see if he can still find the mermaid and cut a piece of meat back."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Huang Bo bowed his head in response, and stayed there for a while to wait. As a result, Emperor Delong's voice was no longer heard, and even the oppressive aura before was suddenly gone, disappearing for no reason.
He raised his head and saw Emperor Delong sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed again. The candlelight in the hall flickered on and off, with a somewhat incomprehensible and inexplicable charm.
…
In the east courtyard of the Hou Mansion, the hibiscus tent is warm and the secluded room is fragrant.
The girls in the east courtyard who had been away from their master for more than a month were all sitting around Li Chuan, and they were all gathered here, asking all kinds of questions about their business trip to Northern Qi.
Li Ao didn't talk too much about the strange things with them, but he was happy to share the scenery he saw along the way and some hearsay.
These canaries, who seemed to be kept in cages by wealthy families, also seemed to be greatly satisfied.
At this time, Li Fan finally relaxed completely. He invited his personal maid to do some trivial tasks such as combing his hair and trimming his nails. He drank a little wine that they had warmed in the small stove next to him, feeling a little drunk. , asking about the situation at home.
At this time, he learned that his father Li Xin had been working overtime every day recently. He could sometimes sneak back home at noon, but now he had to go back late at night.
Not long after, he saw a white figure jumping out of the window. A white cat with a big head, short ears, a neck like a lion's mane, and big round eyes, with one yellow and one blue mandarin duck eyes, appeared on the window sill.
That is the great cat immortal Yang Ju.
Li Fan and she hadn't seen each other for a while. Seeing this, he couldn't help but sit up in surprise and said, "Maomao, come here quickly. I'll give you a hug."
"hiss!"
Yang Ju was furious on the spot.
You are so brave to go on a business trip!
However, there was a maid watching who did not know the truth. It was not easy for her to have an attack on the spot, so she could only meow dissatisfied, turned around and jumped out.
"This white cat appears again, it's really magical."
"Young master, you don't know. She hasn't been here recently, as if she knew you were away."
Only the four Ru Yue girls guessed something, covering their mouths and laughing secretly.
They had already seen that the cat was something special. Since then, they had learned about strange people and weird things, and even guessed about the truth.
Sure enough, not long after, Li Ao began to find excuses to drive the girls out, leaving only Ru Yue, the most considerate person who had become a stranger, to continue to serve him.
When Yang Ju reappeared, what she saw was Li Fan lying on the couch, Ru Yue kneeling beside him, trimming his toenails.
"You guys are getting more and more courageous!"
Yang Jie jumped onto a nearby seat, crouched on it, and held her front feet against her chest in a farmer's posture, with an indignant look on her face.
"Master Cat, don't be so stingy, I'm just joking with you."
Li Kuan held the wine glass and took a sip of warm wine.
"Hmph." Yang Yan glanced at Ru Yue next to her, and immediately understood that this was a slave born and raised by a wealthy family. He had a low status, but he gained trust because of it, and there was no need to avoid many things.
Then he said: "Did you know that in the past month, many ferocious and strange incidents have broken out in major provinces and counties one after another, and the wave of recovery has become more and more intense!
The imperial court plans to expand the establishment of the Demon Suppression Division, and all rules will be changed. "
"I see."
Li Fan suddenly remembered the situation at home that the girls had explained before.
As the head of the law enforcement department of the Demon Suppression Division, it is natural for my father to be busy.
