Leaving the city, Yan Mansion.
Yan Tieying had a cold expression on his face and was wearing a large robe. He was barefoot all the way and walked like the wind. He strode out of the bamboo forest and showed no intention of slowing down even though the two girls in thin shirts trotted behind him.
After leaving the bamboo forest, the cool breeze suddenly became stronger. The rain hit Yan Tieying's face and flowed down his mostly exposed strong chest, soon soaking his loose robes.
But he didn't seem to feel any discomfort at all. He just stared at the pair of masters and servants holding umbrellas on the winding path, and slowly approached them, "I don't know that Mr. Zhou has arrived, but he didn't meet you from a distance."
The old man called "Mr. Zhou" has a half-white beard and looks much older than Yan Tieying. His eyes are small and appear to be cloudy, but he always has a smile, which makes him look very kind. The chief official of Lijun County is Zhou Zhongqing.
Zhou Zhongqing wore heavy regular clothes and said with a smile, "Brother Yan, you and I have known each other for many years, why are you so polite?" He looked around, and finally stopped at a small pavilion by the lake, "Shall we go sit there?"
Yan Tieying nodded, turned back and waved to the two girls in thin shirts behind him, telling them to go away, and then walked side by side with Zhou Zhongqing, "How is your health lately, Brother Zhongqing?"
Zhou Zhongqing didn't feel uncomfortable at all when he heard the other party calling him "virtuous brother". He looked like it was a matter of course. He smiled and said, "I can't compare to a strong man in the third level like Brother Yan. Although I don't have any big problems, when I get old, I have to Serve the old age."
"Hey, how can you be considered old," Yan Tieying said.
Zhou Zhongqing didn't speak, and the two of them walked slowly side by side in silence all the way to the pavilion by the lake and sat down.
Yan Tieying looked at the green bamboo forest not far away.
Zhou Zhongqing put away his umbrella and put it aside. After sitting down, he looked at the large artificial lake in front of him. It was still raining heavily. Under the gray sky, the gray lake surface rippled. The sound of rain did not make people feel noisy, but it was very peaceful. "The prefect has returned to the city. Brother Yan should have known about it."
Yan Tieying nodded, "I know."
Zhou Zhongqing said lightly, "Compared to his father, our young prefect is less elegant and more murderous." He put his hands on his knees and rubbed them gently. Bringing a hint of warmth, "Before he ascended the throne, he slaughtered every member of the Lin family. It is said that a few branches were left in other counties. It was somewhat regarded as leaving some bones and blood for the meritorious ancestors of the Lin family, but With just that little bit of property left outside, there is no hope of living the life of a human being again, let alone anything else."
Zhou Zhongqing's voice was low and gentle, but what he said was as cold as late autumn. "Young and vigorous, sometimes in the eyes of us old people, it means immaturity, lack of self-respect, and ignorance of the dangers of the world. We must be self-reliant." Asking for hardship, and even... inevitably dying..."
Yan Tieying's always upright waist suddenly trembled, then turned around and followed Zhou Zhongqing's gaze to the rainy lake, still without saying a word.
Zhou Zhongqing continued, "But many things in this world don't all happen according to our wishes, especially in today's troubled times. Who could have imagined that one day Lijun could eat Anling or even half of Yongchang in one bite? He shook his head slowly but firmly, "There are many things that I can't think of, and there are many things that I can't see through. These things that I can't think of and can't see through make me think, is there a possibility that maybe it wasn't the young prefect who did the things?" It’s too extreme, but we are...out of time?”
Yan Tieying's face was like a piece of frozen iron, and he finally spoke, "For hundreds of years, many prefects in Li County have shared the world with aristocratic families. He, a young boy who has just ascended the throne, said that he would change his mind. Can it change?!"
"Changing naturally doesn't mean that you can change drastically," Zhou Zhongqing still had a smile on his face, "Let's just say that today's Lijun has left us all at once, how can it change? It can change, but it will definitely change. What has changed, I now understand somewhat, is that troubled times are the troubled times of strong men. There is a set of rules surrounding strong men. Those who cannot adapt to this set of rules, such as An Ling or the Lin family, won't they be gone if they don't exist? "
"I know what you're thinking," Zhou Zhongqing turned his head.
Looking at Yan Tieying's ugly side face, "A person like him is young and has no future. Once he dies in the south, the one who is now idle in the corner becomes the most logical choice. But now there are more and more powerful people gathering around him." The more there are, how many people in this world can take his life? So..."
Yan Tieying lowered his head, and suddenly his voice reached Zhou Zhongqing's ears, "Heyu City fell, and the real demon took hold. He only brought a few masters around him and secretly crossed the Fubo Mountains... ." He looked up at Zhou Zhongqing, who couldn't help but be shocked in his eyes, and said, "Kill him straight!!!"
The expression on Zhou Zhongqing's face changed from horror to calmness, and then he smiled bitterly, "I see, but even so... I still couldn't kill him..."
Yan Tieying said, "Now that he is back, I'm worried..."
Zhou Zhongqing thought quickly for a moment, his face condensed, and he nodded, "Originally, I just thought it was a casual move you made when you had nothing to do, and I wanted to persuade you to throw it away. But now it seems...but it is... There's some trouble." He looked at Yan Tieying and asked coldly, "The person who delivered the message to you...?"
A ferocious look flashed on Yan Tieying's face, and he made a gesture of cutting his throat, "But with Lu Dongfeng's control over Tai Ming, there is no guarantee that no clues will be left..."
Zhou Zhongqing's expression changed, "Is he someone from Lu Dongfeng's side?!"
Yan Tieying looked gloomy, "It was a secret that was planted around Lu Dongfeng when my father was still alive. At that time, Lu Dongfeng had not yet reached the Ming Dynasty!"
Zhou Zhongqing's expression was gloomy and he didn't say anything for a long time.
Outside the pavilion, the rain was still beating, making people feel distracted.
After a long time, Zhou Zhongqing spoke again, and only uttered four words, "Abandon the car to save the commander."
Yan Tieying nodded coldly, "The three people who came into contact with that person have been detained in the house by me." He looked at Zhou Zhongqing and asked after hesitation, "Brother Zhongqing thought that maybe the three of them would be sent to Si Lu. Government office?"
Zhou Zhongqing regained consciousness for a moment, thought for a moment and said, "They... don't talk nonsense?"
Yan Tieying's face turned cold and he didn't nod.
Zhou Zhongqing stood up slowly, "That's it, brother Yan, the Yan family should be stricter. I'm afraid this matter won't be so easy." He took the umbrella, opened it, and then looked back and saw that he didn't get up. Yan Tieying said lightly, "I'm going to meet those two adults."
Yan Tieying took a deep breath and said, "Thank you..."
Zhou Zhongqing didn't reply. He held an umbrella and went into the rain. He met up with the old servant holding an umbrella who was waiting not far away. He quickly left Yan's house. He was speechless all the way. He didn't reach out and tugged on the window until he boarded his large carriage. The rope next to the driver outside the carriage jingled.
The old servant sitting next to the coachman opened the soundproof circle knowingly, leaned his head back against the wall of the carriage, and heard Zhou Zhongqing's cold and emotionless voice say, "Go back home right away!"
