Chapter 1133: Consort Mei, Nangong Yan, and the Mai Party

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh*, three arrows shot toward him in a *pin* formation.

Dong Rui sidestepped two of them, and the third was pinched in the violent ape's hand and snapped in two with a *crack*.

But with this delay, the opponent arrived close by, and a heavy mace weighing over a hundred *jin* smashed directly toward Dong Rui's crown, not caring in the slightest if his brains were splattered.

They were actually going to kill someone on the street without a word.

Just as the violent ape was about to grow larger to protect its master, a bright light flashed first, deflecting the heavy mace with a *clang*.

The sound of metal clashing was piercing and long, and the surrounding pedestrians were so shaken they covered their ears.

Dong Rui was closest and was left seeing stars, unable to stop himself from shaking his head.

Damn it, the ringing in his ears is terrible.

The object that deflected the heavy mace made a loop and returned to its master's hand.

It was He Lingchuan who had come out.

The owner of the heavy mace took two steps back, raised the mace to look, and his expression turned gloomy instantly:

There was actually a grain-sized nick on the mace.

This mace was forged primarily from black gold and cold iron; he had only ever broken others' weapons, never had his own heavy mace suffer a loss. His eyes filled with anger as he looked at the blade in He Lingchuan's hand.

What was special about this blade? Should he take it and study it?

The forty or fifty people following behind immediately heard their superior's roar: "Take them both!"

They immediately rushed forward, joining the other government runners to arrest He Lingchuan and his companion.

The leader of the runners stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Lord Nangong! These two criminals are fleeing arrest; fortunately, you extended a helping hand!"

Lord Nangong? How many Lord Nangongs were there in Xuncheng? Dong Rui was slightly surprised. Strolling through Xuncheng last night, he had heard the commoners mention "Nangong" more than once, always with a hesitant tone.

He Lingchuan had already spoken: "We are merchants who just entered the city, innocent and clean; you lords have the wrong person!"

Before taking action, he had to argue his case once more.

At the same time, the divine bone necklace around his neck was actually heating up.

What good material had it taken a fancy to now? He Lingchuan patted the necklace casually:

Watch the time and place, will you? Don't try to eat everything!

However, what treasure was hidden on this newcomer? The runner leader produced a wanted poster, pointed at the portrait on it, and then pointed at Dong Rui: "Lord Nangong, what do you think?"

He Lingchuan took a look and, *wow*, it was actually five parts similar to Dong Rui.

Portraits were always abstract and not very accurate; for it to be five parts similar, it was no wonder the runners were convinced Dong Rui was the fugitive.

But Lord Nangong didn't even look at it, saying directly: "Exactly the same, take them!"

They had no choice but to act; He Lingchuan and Dong Rui both understood.

This Lord Nangong opposite them was overbearing and didn't care about any fugitive at all. What he cared about was He Lingchuan's crime of damaging his weapon, and perhaps he even had some ideas about the Floating Life Blade.

They had only just arrived in the Bo capital, their soles hadn't even warmed up, so why did trouble find them on its own? Although they didn't fear the runners and this "Lord Nangong," He Lingchuan had a mission to carry out in the Bo capital and didn't want to attract trouble for the moment.

A strong dragon doesn't suppress the local snake.

The runners' long blades slashed over; He Lingchuan dodged, grabbed the back of two people's necks, and threw them like sandbags at "Lord Nangong."

There was a sudden sound of wind behind his head, and the Soul-Sucking Mirror in his bosom also called out: "Behind you!"

He Lingchuan didn't hesitate to turn the mirror into a shield and block behind him.

With a muffled *bang*, something slammed into the rectangular shield, with great force.

With a *whoosh*, two sharp claws reached out, attempting to gouge the shield and hurt him.

He Lingchuan didn't clash head-on, but stood the shield on the ground and tilted it, and the thing was deflected by the force he borrowed.

This move was something he had learned from the Door Panel in the Panlong world; the latter had unique insights into using a shield.

Coincidentally, the Soul-Sucking Shield's counter-shock force took effect, shaking the monster that had ambushed He Lingchuan quite badly, and the claws that had been clutching the shield tightly also loosened.

The passersby all exclaimed and fled: this was clearly a spirit beast shaped like a fierce tiger, with shoulders nearly five *chi* high, but with long forelimbs and short hind limbs, and an exceptionally sturdy and developed chest and legs; one look and it was clear it was very good at wrestling, strangling, and entangling in combat. It had stripes on its back, and its fur was much duller than Jiao Yu's.

A Tiger-Mimic.

He Lingchuan had seen this kind of spirit beast in the Beijia Treasure Tree Nation, where they acted as executioners for death-row prisoners, eating two prisoners alive in front of all the townspeople; they could be said to be exceptionally ferocious.

The Tiger-Mimic before him was even larger than the ones He Lingchuan had seen before, its eyes flashing with fierce light, its fangs like daggers.

As soon as it loosened its claws, He Lingchuan raised his shield and gave it a heavy slap, the corner of the shield smashing into its chin, sending the Tiger-Mimic stumbling back a *zhang*, rolling on the ground before it could scramble up.

There was an extra bloody tiger tooth on the ground.

But it shook its head, its eyes flashing, yet it didn't choose He Lingchuan anymore, instead turning to pick Dong Rui.

This guy really knew how to pick the soft persimmon.

The violent ape was so stared at that its fur stood on end, eager to try; if Dong Rui hadn't stopped it, it would have already transformed and rushed up.

Taking advantage of this, the guards surrounded He Lingchuan and his companion, as if they had formed an array.

He Lingchuan gave Dong Rui a look, signaling him to escape into the dark alley behind.

He had already explored the terrain nearby yesterday. At the bottom of the dark alley were two collapsed dilapidated houses, where he and Dong Rui could shake off the pursuers.

The Tiger-Mimic was about to pounce again, but a female voice came from diagonally behind: "Stop, everyone stop!"

He Lingchuan looked back in the midst of his busy work; three women were walking over quickly, followed by dozens of guards.

The leader was graceful and elegant, with a beautiful demeanor, and was actually quite familiar.

Dong Rui also let out an "Eh," wasn't this the beauty who was distributing alms to refugees at the foot of the city wall yesterday?

Was the Bo capital so small? She called out twice, her breath slightly insufficient, but she walked toward the guards and the Tiger-Mimic, saying, "What are you doing?"

The guards immediately backed away; the Tiger-Mimic stared at her with a pair of fierce eyes, very unconvinced, suddenly roaring and making a move to pounce.

Facing such fierce power at close range, the maid behind the woman was startled and took two steps back, but she herself stood still, her delicate brows furrowed.

The ferocity of the Tiger-Mimic and her fragility formed a sharp contrast, making the hearts of the onlookers tighten.

That Lord Nangong shouted once, and the Tiger-Mimic reluctantly retreated to his side.

The runner leader immediately bowed to her, also very respectfully: "Greetings, Consort Mei! This subordinate is arresting fugitives!"

Consort Mei? Dong Rui thought, it seemed he had heard of her somewhere else.

"Not them." Consort Mei spoke quickly. "You have the wrong person."

The runner leader was stunned; Consort Mei pointed to the alley opposite: "I saw with my own eyes that the person in the portrait rushed into that alley."

Hearing this, the runners all looked at Lord Nangong, but the latter stared fixedly at He Lingchuan: "Perhaps Consort Mei saw wrong?"

He didn't want to let go of the person who had damaged his precious mace and injured his spirit pet.

The two runners who had been thrown away by He Lingchuan finally scrambled up from the ground, holding their waists and backs. He hadn't gone easy on them; the two had almost been shaken apart.

"Is Superintendent Nangong saying that my eyesight is poor?" Consort Mei brushed aside her hair. "It happened just a few breaths ago, and everyone around here saw it; feel free to find someone else to ask."

Superintendent Nangong looked fixedly at He Lingchuan for a good while before saying: "No need, if Consort Mei says it's not them, then it's not them."

"What are you still standing there for?" He gestured with his chin toward the alley, saying to the runners, "Chase!"

"Ah, yes!" The runner leader shuddered and led the crowd in pursuit.

"Kid, having Consort Mei testify for you counts as your ancestral graves smoking with good fortune." Lord Nangong said to He Lingchuan in a sour tone, then raised his hand to bow to Consort Mei and left with a flourish.

Those dozens of people followed behind him, leaving the scene in a grand manner.

Only after they had gone far away did the crowd dare to gather around.

He Lingchuan and his companion immediately thanked Consort Mei.

Consort Mei's gaze swept over the two: "You are from out of town?"

"We are merchants from the Yangshan Archipelago in the west."

She said, "Merchants who can fight so well, no wonder Superintendent Nangong was suspicious."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me for the trouble." Consort Mei waved her hand. "You are both innocent people and shouldn't be implicated by this turmoil. You—"

She pointed at Dong Rui: "You really look like the fugitive; it's best to cover your face when traveling. If you meet government runners again, you might not have such good luck next time."

Her words were gentle, without much fluctuation, but He Lingchuan could feel a cold detachment hidden in her smile.

Having said that, she turned and left, with a large group of palace maids and guards following behind.

The watching civilians immediately cleared a path for them.

He Lingchuan remembered that there seemed to be a shrine in the direction she had come from, and now she was returning there.

Dong Rui reached out to touch his own face, cursing his bad luck several times.

This face was given to him by State Preceptor Shuangye; who knew he would bump into a fugitive's face ten thousand *li* away?

He also heard the crowd's whispered discussion: "This kind of thing again."

"These two are really lucky, actually having Consort Mei testify for them! They must have burned high incense before going out."

"Those out-of-towners who were taken away a few days ago didn't have their good luck. Now..."

"Shh, keep it down."

The excitement was over in an instant, and the crowd dispersed.

He Lingchuan's gaze locked onto A-Hao in the crowd, and seeing that he was also about to leave, he hooked his finger at him and turned to walk back to the inn.

After a good while, A-Hao walked into He Lingchuan's guest room.

Dong Rui closed the door and set up a barrier: "Sit. Tell us about that... Consort Mei just now."

"Consort Mei is the most favored consort. I heard she was originally a civilian woman living near the horse farm in the west, brought back by the King, and quickly made a consort; she's only in her teens now, right?" A-Hao said as soon as he opened his mouth. "She is very kind, often helping disaster victims and distributing alms to the poor, saying she wants to accumulate some merit for the King. The refugees and beggars in the capital have basically received buns and silver from her hands, and some have even received winter clothes."

"When did she enter the palace?"

"About two years ago, it seems."

Dong Rui clicked his tongue. "A pear tree in spring pressing down on a crabapple."

The Bo King was already over sixty, and this little consort was only in her teens; what a pity, what a pity.

A-Hao suddenly whispered: "I heard from people in the palace that Consort Mei is the most favored by the King. As soon as she entered the palace, she aroused the dissatisfaction of other concubines, who joined forces to bully her and almost harmed her to death."

He Lingchuan sat down: "Even you know about this; the Bo King couldn't have been kept in the dark, right?"

A-Hao scratched his head: "Hey, the King was furious, severely punished the concubines who caused the trouble, and later favored Consort Mei even more. Whenever he goes out hunting or playing, he must take her with him. It seems Consort Mei is the only concubine who can frequently leave the palace. Even Superintendent Nangong has to be polite to her."

Dong Rui let out a "Yo": "The one who was so arrogant and cocky just now?"

"Yes, yes, that is the Grand Superintendent of the Feather Guards, Nangong Yan, who is most trusted by the King." At the mention of Nangong Yan, A-Hao's volume automatically shrank. "Anyone targeted by Superintendent Nangong will lose a layer of skin if they don't die! You two are really lucky to have Consort Mei testify, otherwise, it's hard to say if you could have come out later."

Dong Rui rolled his eyes: "I'm not a fugitive; can't they even verify that?"

"Hard to verify, and besides, sometimes they might not even check." A-Hao said happily, "Aren't you and that fugitive quite similar? They might just..."

Just use Dong Rui as a scapegoat to claim credit.

"This isn't anything rare; some out-of-towners without roots become scapegoats for others in a daze." A-Hao spread his hands. "Even if you don't look like the criminal at all, it doesn't matter."

Dong Rui didn't know whether to laugh or cry, finally understanding why Consort Mei told him to cover his face when traveling. The government runners here were so used to arresting innocent people to claim credit.

"Does Consort Mei often speak up so righteously?"

"I'm not often in Xuncheng, so I'm not sure." A-Hao said, "But her reputation for being charitable has spread all the way to Giant Deer Port, and the people in the city like her, saying she is a ray of light in Xuncheng."

In this dark place, there should be a ray of light.

He Lingchuan was thoughtful: "Tell me about Nangong Yan."

At the mention of this Grand Superintendent of the Feather Guards, A-Hao became a bit hesitant.

If it weren't for the *gu* Dong Rui had planted in him being more fatal, he wouldn't even dare to mention the words "Grand Superintendent Nangong."

Nangong Yan was originally a retainer of the Bo King, inheriting his father's career, growing up in the Bo King's mansion, and was loyal to his master. After the Bo King usurped power and ascended the throne, Nangong Yan's status soared, and he was able to enter the palace with a sword.

Over the years, Nangong Yan had acted recklessly, with ministers and wealthy merchants trembling in his presence, let alone the commoners.

His name could stop children from crying at night in Xuncheng.

Dong Rui interrupted: "You said the Feather Guards often arrest people; what are the charges?"

"Rebel party, remnants of the Mai clan, and the like." A-Hao's voice lowered further. "Once someone is pointed out as a wing of the rebel party and arrested by the Feather Guards, they likely won't appear again."

He Lingchuan's heart stirred: "What kind of force is the Mai Party?"

When He Lingchuan was strolling through Xuncheng, he saw people burning paper money for "Lord Mai" in the dark alleys.

The authorities certainly wouldn't allow it.

Even if it wasn't allowed, people still burned it.

"The Mai Party..." A-Hao couldn't help but lick his lips. "That goes back to the Mai Liansheng case that shocked the Bo Nation eight years ago."

Mai Liansheng and the Bo King were both important ministers of the previous dynasty; the former helped the latter overthrow the old dynasty and sit firmly on the throne, with great merit, and was thus made Prime Minister.

After the founding of the nation, Mai Liansheng proposed new policies to benefit the people's livelihood, but several items were poorly implemented, instead leading to officials lining their own pockets, making it difficult to benefit the people.

Even worse, two of the officials who sought personal gain at the public's expense were his students.

The opposition used this as an excuse to attack Mai Liansheng.

At that time, Mai Liansheng was known for his integrity and incorruptibility among the people, deeply loved by them, and some even built shrines for him.

Later on, the Bo court became somewhat turbulent, and negative rumors about Mai Liansheng increased. A-Hao was still young then and didn't know exactly what had happened, but eight years ago, Mai Liansheng was exposed by his subordinate officials for plotting rebellion! Overnight, Grand Superintendent Nangong led the Feather Guards to storm the Mai mansion, gathering evidence and making arrests.

This time the evidence was conclusive; Mai Liansheng could not argue, was poisoned by the Bo King, and the Mai clan was exterminated.

However, the massive Mai clan did not vanish into thin air.

In recent years, uprisings had frequently occurred in the Bo Nation, and several rebel armies had gathered troops under the banner of being descendants or successors of the Mai clan.

Therefore, one of the most important tasks of the Feather Guards today was to hunt down the "remnants of the Mai Party."

This had left the Bo Nation in a state of panic and self-preservation.

Yet somehow, the "Mai Party" seemed to be caught in increasing numbers in recent years.

"The palace guard I drank with a few days ago said that two years ago, during a palace gathering, a palace servant didn't join the others in cursing the Mai Party, and as a result, was reported by someone, saying he sympathized with the remnants or was a spy for the rebel party." A-Hao shrugged. "Anyway, this palace servant was immediately taken away by the Feather Guards and never appeared again."

Hearing this, He Lingchuan understood.

The Bo King's trust in Nangong Yan was something he had earned with his own actions. Over the years, things the Bo King found inconvenient to do, Nangong Yan did; people the Bo King found difficult to kill, Nangong Yan dared to kill.

He was the Bo King's black glove.

Having been so devoted and daring to bear all the infamy, who would the Bo King trust if not him? The theft of the Bright Lamp now seemed indeed a bit like something the Bo Nation would do.

Although He Lingchuan felt this case had many doubts and contradictions, many strange things in the world had no logic to begin with.

A small nation, a tyrant, a cruel minister—who knew if their behavior could be measured by common sense?

The next evening.

Imperial Physician Chen returned home and first had his servant hang a jar of good wine and a honeydew melon from the depths of the water pool, then prepare several good dishes.

His backyard had a large water pool dug, one *zhang* deep, filled with clear water.

The pool water was used to raise fish and could also be used for firefighting.

It was midsummer, and Xuncheng was unbearably hot; ordinary people would sweat after taking two steps. But the depths of the pool water remained icy cold, and the wine and melon fished out from there would soon have a layer of water droplets on the surface; taking a bite was icy and refreshing.

Imperial Physician Chen gnawed on chicken feet and duck parts with the cold wine all night, yet sweat still beaded on the tip of his nose.

For the past few months, he had been anxious, fearing he had made a mistake in his treatment, but in the last half-month, the Second Prince's condition had improved significantly, the palace was full of joy, the King was amiable, and even those palace servants who usually looked down on others would bow respectfully when they saw him and sing out, "Good day, Imperial Physician Chen."

This life was so comfortable! After finishing half a jar of wine, he took a cold shower and was about to go to bed when the doorman suddenly rushed in: "Master, a box was suddenly delivered outside."

The box was quite exquisite, with a note on it saying "To be opened personally by Imperial Physician Chen."

Imperial Physician Chen took the box: "Who sent it?"

"I, I don't know." The doorman had been stealing a nap, but just now a stone had suddenly been flicked in from outside the window, waking him up. "This little one went to the latrine, and when I came back, this box was on the table."

Telling a small lie was harmless; anyway, the box had inexplicably appeared on the table.

"Why is it always like this lately?" Imperial Physician Chen muttered and went to open the box.

"Ah!" The two stepped back in unison, both given a huge fright.

The box actually contained several freshly severed chicken heads and rat heads, staining the bottom of the box crimson.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1134 =====