klisemfg Chapter 366: Apocalypse Prediction: Dongjun Appraises Treasures (3)
Chapter 366: Apocalypse Prediction: Dongjun Appraises Treasures (3)
Three quarters past noon, in the lobby of the Ministry of Rites.
"Grand Eunuch Zhuoqing, as you instructed, the six national treasures have been inspected and decorated one by one. This is the account book of national treasures presented to the immortal this time. Please review it."
The official from the Ministry of Rites half-bowed and respectfully handed a page of vermilion paper to Zhuoqing.
Zhuo Qing looked arrogant and didn't even bother looking at the red paper. He just waved his hand and said, "Since your Ministry of Rites has finished decorating, why do you need to inspect it again? I have already announced the emperor's decree. You should be more careful and don't mess up the job like Hong Chengfu from the Ministry of Works!"
The official of the Ministry of Rites was only of the fourth rank. He did not dare to say a word after Zhuoqing's sarcasm. He just nodded and agreed to send Zhuoqing out of the hall. Then he wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked several doctors of the Ministry of Rites to send the treasures from Donghua Gate to Qianjintai one by one.
At 4:04 am, in the inner treasury of Taifu Temple.
"Reporting to the Grand Supervisor, I have transferred two thousand soldiers and two thousand armored soldiers to strengthen the defense of the Taifu Temple's inner storehouse! There are fifteen hundred sword and spearmen inside, and five hundred archers are stationed on high ground to guard the storehouse day and night! In addition, twelve Shadow Sect secret guards are stationed outside the storehouse. Even if those traitors pretending to be immortals dare to rob me, I will make sure they never return!"
In front of the inner treasury gate of Taifu Temple, a fully armored captain of the imperial guards was reporting on defense matters to Zhuoqing who had just arrived.
Zhuo Qing simply glanced at the captain, smiled bitterly, and said, "Your superiors are too naive. If that kid surnamed Wen takes action, even five thousand imperial guards wouldn't be able to stop him..."
The captain couldn't help but feel a little dissatisfied when he heard Zhuoqing's words. He was once a rare warrior in the Jinwu Guard, and his cultivation was close to the realm of freedom. His military swordsmanship was even more perfect.
The Imperial Guards were but a shallow pool of water. After all, they had never seen a true master. The captain raised his head and said with a hint of contempt:
"Grand Eunuch, don't try to boost others' morale and destroy your own! I once heard from the brothers in the East City Inspection that although that little thief Baili is Mr. Li's last disciple, his martial arts skills are mediocre, only at the ordinary level of Diamond Realm. What's the point of mentioning him?"
"I've heard that the Wens only know how to use poison, so before we set out this time, I asked the Imperial Hospital for a poison-removing pill personally prepared by Doctor Wu. If they dare to attack me this time, my three thousand brothers will not let them get away with anything!"
Zhuo Qing just shook his head helplessly after hearing this and said, "Since Captain is so confident, if the man surnamed Wen comes, you must capture him. Then I will ask His Majesty for a title for you..."
The captain didn't realize Zhuoqing was joking, and thought the high-ranking eunuch was telling the truth. He hurriedly half-knelt on the ground, clasped his fists in the direction of Zhuoqing's sedan chair, and said in thanks, "Thank you very much, eunuch. I will repay your kindness even if it means sacrificing my life!"
……
5:15 am, Baixiao Hall.
"Master, are you sure you want to join in the fun?"
A thin woman with a strange face asked in a hoarse voice as she stood on Ji Ruofeng's right.
The woman's name was Long Er. Although she was ugly, she was extremely smart and good at reading lips. Ji Ruofeng saved her from death by chance. Later, in order to repay his life-saving grace, Long Er stayed in Baixiaotang to work for him.
Ji Ruofeng was holding a Shadow Sect waist badge engraved with ebony seals. He looked at the badge and said with a self-deprecating smile, "Of course. That damn Wen Yanzhao still owes us ten thousand taels of gold. It's time to settle the score with him!"
"Hahaha... Hall Master, oh Hall Master, besides Mr. Li, the only person in this world who could possibly cause you harm is probably that Wen family's legitimate grandson, right? The information we sold him for tax silver is only worth three thousand taels at most in the martial arts world. You're really asking for too much!"
The person who was speaking was elegant and calm, looking like a scholar, except that his eyes were closed.
"Zhu Sheng, don't speak for him. The remaining seven thousand taels are compensation for our Bai Xiao Tang! You know, leaking information about government taxes is a capital crime. Aren't the lives of over a thousand people in Bai Xiao Tang worth seven thousand taels of gold? I still feel like I've lost a lot!"
The man called Zhusheng is a blind man. He cannot see but has excellent hearing. Not only can he identify the location by sound, he is also an indispensable think tank in Baixiaotang. When Ji Ruofeng is away, all the affairs of Baixiaotang are under the charge of Zhusheng, and there has never been a mistake in more than ten years.
Zhusheng smiled calmly, and with one hand he released his internal energy, and a copper tube about a foot long appeared under the platform in his hand.
Ji Ruofeng's eyes flickered as he saw Zhu Sheng slowly pull out a roll of white silk from the copper tube. Two lines of small characters were clearly written on it:
[Yunzhou falls, Baili Luo's troops march directly towards Shuzhong, Jincheng is in danger]
[The Wen family in Lingnan, the Confucian Immortal Gu Chen reveals his whereabouts]
"He's not dead yet? How is it possible..."
Ji Ruofeng's pupils trembled and he muttered to himself.
Zhu Sheng twisted his fingers lightly, and the white silk instantly turned into dust and dissipated in front of the three people. He nodded slightly:
"This was reported a few days ago. The Hall Master was completely focused on finding Mr. Li, so I didn't inform him immediately..."
Ji Ruofeng sighed, stuffed the ebony waist badge in his hand back into his chest, took a few steps and disappeared outside the pavilion:
"In that case, I must go meet Wen Yanzhao. Even if I don't get the ten thousand taels of gold back, he must be responsible for Gu Chen's resurrection in the Wen family of Lingnan! Zhusheng, Longnu, you must keep a close eye on Mr. Li's whereabouts while I'm away. Send a letter to me immediately if you have any news!"
Upon hearing the voice, Zhu Sheng and Long Nu simultaneously bowed towards the direction where Ji Ruofeng disappeared and said, "We will follow the Hall Master's orders!"
At the end of the Chen hour, at the main gate of Qianjin Terrace.
The floor tiles are clean and brand new, and a golden plaque hangs high above the door lintel.
The four large cursive characters above - "Qionglou Jindian" - were written by Liu Yue.
What is even more eye-catching is that there are crowds of people outside Qianjintai, and any one of them is a well-known figure in Tianqi Imperial City!
Moreover, they all brought their attendants with them, some holding brocade boxes in their hands, some carrying heavy loads on their shoulders, and some even drove carriages loaded with a dazzling array of gold, silver, jade, coral and jadeite, surrounding the main gate of Qianjintai so tightly that no one could get in or out!
Ever since Wen Yanzhao posted the new notice in front of the gate of the Tianqi Prefecture Governor's Office on Qinglong Street, those dignitaries who were originally trembling with fear were completely relieved.
The day before, the Imperial Palace, in collaboration with the Ministry of Works and the Honglu Temple, presented treasures, but a scandal of poisoning an immortal was exposed at Qianjin Terrace, and he almost died at the hands of the Western Spear Immortal.
This matter had spread like wildfire throughout the entire Apocalypse. Everyone thought that the Immortal King was furious and no one would dare to offer treasures.
After reading the new decree, these evil-minded guys can finally openly take out their treasured collections, hoping that the Immortal King will be pleased and exchange them for the priceless longevity elixir.
At the end of the Chen hour, inside Qianjin Terrace.
"My fellow Immortal Lords, please forgive my rudeness. The people waiting outside to present their treasures to you are so crowded that there is barely room for a single foot! Could you please allow them to enter the hall one by one and present their treasures to you?"
"Your Excellency," Tu Zao asked respectfully, waiting for the four neatly dressed "immortals" on the pavilion to respond.
Baili Dongjun, wearing a phantom face, looked at Wen Yanzhao with his eyes sideways and said in a low voice, "Cousin, cousin! What are you waiting for? This is a huge fortune. If you make this much, you can live comfortably in Xueyue City for more than ten years!"
Wen Yanzhao, dressed in a fiery red shirt, squinted his eyes and sipped his tea leisurely, saying, "Stretch! The longer you stretch, the more you earn!"
Sikong Changfeng couldn't help himself any longer. He poked Wen Yanzhao's calf and urged him, "Don't delay, cousin. If you delay for a few more days, there will be starving people everywhere outside Xueyue City!"
Yin Luoxia's heart tightened after hearing this, and she also whispered in agreement: "Master Sikong is right. Master Wen, we don't have much time. Human lives are at stake!"
After hearing this, Wen Yanzhao knew that the matter was of great importance and that Xueyue City could not hold out for much longer.
There are tens of thousands of refugees outside the city, and the remaining food in the city is probably running out!
"Okay, then let's see how many good things this world's number one capital city has!"
"Tu Zao, open the door!"
……