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The cries for help grew clearer and clearer. Xu Qi'an became disoriented, even experiencing slight dizziness, and his consciousness became somewhat confused.
[Number 3: Is there any reliable information, true or false, I want to know.]
[Number Four: Sangbo is now surrounded by the Five Guards of the capital, and is heavily guarded. No one can easily get close.]
Five hundred years ago, the then-crown prince accidentally fell into the lake. Although he was rescued, he fell seriously ill.
Later, the prince developed hysteria and was found drowned in Sangbo Lake six months later. The royal family believed that the prince had angered the spirits of their ancestors, so they closed Sangbo Lake, opening it only during ancestral rites.
Xu Qi'an guessed that the unfortunate crown prince might not be able to hear the cries for help from the lake like he was.
Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng both noticed that Xu Qi'an was not in a good mood and were very anxious. If Xu Qi'an said or did anything inappropriate at this time, it could be a capital offense of disrespect.
"Ning Yan, what's going on? We can't afford to mess this up now!"
At that moment, Wei Yuan, who was in the sacrificial procession, also noticed Xu Qi'an kneeling in pain and immediately ordered Yang Yan to take Xu Qi'an away.
However, Xu Qi'an was suffering from a splitting headache, was drenched in sweat, and was mentally tormented.
Just as Yang Yan set off, he felt the ground shake, and golden light suddenly shot out from above Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple.
"Shut up!"
At the same time, Xu Qi'an let out a hoarse roar.
However, this roar went largely unnoticed, because at the same time, sword energy shot out from above Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple, blasting open the sky above the ancestral temple and creating a deafening roar!
The entire Sangbo Lake seemed to boil over, churning up huge waves, and the deafening roar completely drowned out Xu Qi'an's shouts.
The high platform in the lake shook violently, and various offerings and ritual vessels were scattered all over the ground. Some of the flying tiles hit Emperor Yuanjing.
The scene immediately descended into chaos. Dozens of skilled warriors tightly protected the emperor, but there were no assassins and no casualties were reported.
"Everyone, get off the platform and do not approach!"
Emperor Yuanjing gave an order, dismissing all the experts and soldiers, and entered the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple alone.
Xu Qi'an's discomfort was relieved, but the people around him didn't pay much attention to him, and no one would connect the strange phenomena in Sangbo with him.
When questioned by his colleagues, Xu Qi'an found a reasonable explanation.
"It's probably because the martial arts my master taught me were too domineering, and my body couldn't handle it, so it backfired. I'm much better now."
The upheaval ended quietly, and Emperor Yuanjing soon emerged from the temple without blaming anyone.
Xu Qi'an didn't know whether he had triggered the upheaval in Sangbo or just happened to be there; in any case, he could no longer hear any sounds.
Back at the night watchman's office, Xu Qi'an found that the Earth Book chat group had become lively again.
[Number 9: The ancestral worship ceremony is over. What big thing happened? It made quite a commotion!]
[Number Two: What do you mean? Was Emperor Yuanjing assassinated? Is he dead? Haha!]
It's clear that Li Miaozhen held the incompetent Emperor Yuanjing in utter contempt and wished for his assassination.
[Number Nine: I was meditating when I suddenly saw sword light shooting into the sky from the direction of Sangbo. I don't know what happened yet.]
That national treasure sword is constantly blessed by the nation's destiny, becoming a precious artifact inextricably linked to the fate of the Great Feng Dynasty. Logically, it shouldn't face any major crisis.
[Number Two: I wonder who the assassin was; what a feat!]
[Number Four: What! The Nation-Protecting Divine Sword has revived! Is there a Rank 1 expert in the capital of Dafeng? Otherwise, the divine sword couldn't have revived.]
[Number Two: So, is the emperor dead or not?!]
[Number Five: Yes, yes, I'm also concerned about whether the Great Feng Emperor is dead. If he is, I'll tell Father!]
[Number Four: The emperor is dead, why are you telling your father?]
[Number 5: Of course, we'll send troops to attack the border, plunder money, grain, and women! Hahaha!]
Huaiqing looked at the small mirror with a cold expression. So many people were hoping for the death of their father, but the Sangbo case was full of doubts.
[Number One: The ancestral worship ceremony is over. The divine sword has indeed revived, but it has now fallen silent again. Emperor Yuanjing is unharmed; he went into the temple for a quarter of an hour and did something unknown.]
[Number Seven: With such a commotion, the emperor is still alive; truly, a scourge lives on for a thousand years!]
[Number Two: Yes, it's a real shame!]
[Number 5: Master Jinlian is so boring, she made everyone happy for nothing!]
Just then, Number Four astutely noticed that, according to Jinlian's description, the time of the Sangbo case and the time when Xu Qi'an inquired about Sangbo's information were very close.
As a result, everyone began to suspect that Xu Qi'an might be involved in the unusual activity at Sangbo.
Ultimately, the members of the Heaven and Earth Society established an information exchange mechanism, and Xu Qi'an also mentioned the cries for help. Everyone believed that a great demon was sealed underground in Sangbo.
But that's all he knows; he can only guess at the specifics.
This incident did not cause much of a stir, and Xu Qi'an's life as a night watchman continued as usual.
The next day, Xu Qi'an took on a case, but it wasn't about solving a crime; it was about raiding a house.
The target of this raid was a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, who was exiled and had his home confiscated for crimes of embezzlement and dereliction of duty.
Xu Qi'an learned from Li Yuchun that this person was Zhou Shilang's subordinate, and was a consequence of the Zhou Xianping case.
When a big tree falls, all the monkeys that leaned against it will be purged one by one, pulled out along with the mud, and then make room for it. This has been true throughout history.
Xu Qi'an knew the ins and outs of this. The three gongs were grouped together. If anyone secretly took some, he would pretend he didn't see it. After all, this was the property of corrupt officials, and taking it was doing the people a favor.
When Xu Qi'an and his two companions arrived at the gate of the official's residence, a silver-clad man in a smiling robe greeted them.
"Ning Yan, you've arrived."
Xu Qi'an felt quite honored that even such a spoiled brat treated him with such respect, so he cupped his hands in return and said, "Zhu Yinluo, you've arrived very early."
Zhu Yinluo had thin lips and an arrogant look in his eyes. He usually acted like a bully in the night watchman's office, but he smiled at Xu Qi'an.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group began to divide up their tasks, as some things are actually more difficult to do when everyone is together.
Xu Qi'an and the other two entered a side room, and Song Tingfeng lowered his voice and said, "Zhu Yinluo's father is a senior official, and even Lord Wei has to give him some face. This kid usually doesn't care about anyone and acts like he can walk sideways in the yamen."
Xu Qi'an, being very self-aware, replied, "It's only because my master has a lot of influence that this guy is giving me a kind look."
"That's true, but this guy is no good. He's lawless, malicious, and a scoundrel. We'd better stay away from him," Song Tingfeng solemnly warned.
Xu Qi'an and his two companions were already close friends who had fought side by side. Since Song Tingfeng said so, it meant that Zhu Yinluo was not someone to be trifled with.
As the ransacking began, Xu Qi'an deliberately distanced himself from Zhu Yinluo, for such a petty person was the least worthy of his attention.
The actual ransacking was not quite what Xu Qi'an had imagined. There was no loud smashing or banging, because the porcelain vases were very valuable and wouldn't be broken casually.
Suddenly, a woman's shrill cries and pleas came from the front hall.
"What's going on?" Xu Qi'an's nerves suddenly tightened, and he said to Song Tingfeng beside him, "Didn't the document say that only the family property would be confiscated, and there would be no joint punishment?"
Song Tingfeng said awkwardly, "Perhaps the women in the household are quite attractive, and they wanted to have some fun. Zhu Yinluo is into that sort of thing..."
As a time traveler, Xu Qi'an did not take it for granted. This family was only being raided, and the women were all innocent.
Xu Qi'an found Zhu Yinluo and his gang's behavior completely unacceptable. They were abusing their power to rape and defile women. They were not officials, but bandits!
“Ning Yan, this happens all the time, take it easy…” Song Tingfeng quickly advised when he saw that Xu Qi’an’s expression was not right.
"Bullshit!" Xu Qi'an cursed angrily, "You two actually did something like this?"
"I can't do it." The taciturn Zhu Guangxiao quickly replied.
Song Tingfeng grabbed Xu Qi'an's arm and said, "Ning Yan, what are you saying? Paying money to go to the brothel is one thing, but bullying a weak woman is another."
“We certainly wouldn’t do such a thing, but we can’t control it either. Even if your master is powerful, it’s not worth causing him trouble over such a trivial matter.”
As Song Tingfeng was speaking, a loud slap rang out in the front hall, and the woman's crying stopped abruptly.
Anger surged in Xu Qi'an's mind. "First of all, this is no small matter. Secondly, my master is least afraid of trouble!"
He shoved Song Tingfeng aside and rushed toward the front hall.
From the front hall came the screams of a woman and the lewd laughter of a man. Xu Qi'an felt his blood pressure soaring.
With his master's status, Xu Qi'an had no fear of offending the Zhu family father and son, and his master should be able to understand him.
What hope does the Great Feng have if it associates with these insects!
At worst, I can quit this lousy official position and go work for my master's Changqing Trading Company. I can earn more and have more freedom there.
"Oh!"
He kicked open a door and saw Zhu Yinluo peeling off a girl's clothes piece by piece.
Tears welled in the girl's eyes; she wanted to cry but dared not.
When Zhu Yinluo saw Xu Qi'an come in, he was carrying the girl's clothes and walked over to hand them to Xu Qi'an.
"Ning Yan is here. This young lad, I'll let you have her first, brother... I've heard that everyone in the brothel is saying that Ning Yan's skills are no less than his master's. Let us see for ourselves, hehe!"
Upon hearing Zhu Yinluo's words, the little girl burst into tears.
Xu Qi'an, with a cold face, took the girl's clothes, slowly walked over and draped them over her shoulders, then turned around.
"Zhu Yinluo, give me some face today and let this woman go."
Zhu Yinluo's expectant, lewd grin instantly froze, and the other gong players in the room also fell silent, not daring to utter a sound.
"Ning Yan... if you don't like it, I'll pick another one for you later."
Zhu Yinluo squeezed out a sentence and pulled Xu Qi'an outside, implying that it was fine if he didn't participate, but he shouldn't ruin things for others.