Chapter 414

Su Qiao thanked Zhu Di.

Zhu Di waved his hand, smiling faintly as he asked, "What sort of person did you provoke, boy, that they went so mad? To muster such a force of river bandits, their ambitions must be great. Yet they exposed themselves just to capture you; clearly, you hold a high position in their eyes!"

Su Qiao had not told Zhu Di this before, but now Zhu Di brought it up again.

So he recounted the details of Xu Chunming and the Bai Lian Sect.

A dark glint flashed in Zhu Di's eyes.

"Now I understand why my father warned me repeatedly to watch out for the Bai Lian Sect. I never expected them to hide so deeply. From the end of the Song Dynasty until now, hundreds of years have passed, yet they remain so active!"

From Zhu Di's chilling tone, Su Qiao heard the intent to kill.

It was clear Zhu Di truly took the Bai Lian Sect seriously.

However, Su Qiao only knew that the Bai Lian Sect was very active during the late Yuan and early Ming, and also extremely active during the late Ming and the late Qing to the Republic of China era.

Now, from Zhu Di's words, it seemed they had existed since the end of the Song.

Su Qiao was truly curious, so he asked a few more questions.

Zhu Di had two stools brought up, sat down directly on the deck, and began speaking with Su Qiao.

After all, Zhu Di was the Emperor; he knew far more about such secrets than Su Qiao.

"During the end of the Song, there were many rebellious forces. Do you know who nearly succeeded in the early rebellions?"

A name surfaced in Su Qiao's mind; without hesitation, he answered, "It seems to be Fang La!"

"Correct, it was Fang La!"

"Fang La was originally the leader of the Bai Lian Sect. Back then, it wasn't called the Bai Lian Sect; it was called the Holy Sect! Essentially, it was the predecessor of the Bai Lian Sect. In the beginning, they played tricks with gods and ghosts, imitating the Yellow Turbans of the Three Kingdoms period, using talismans, water spirits, and sacred grass to deceive the common people and recruit followers."

"Then, secretly, they gathered wealth, purchased weapons and grain, and accumulated strength. Just like the Huang Jin Uprising, they were betrayed by someone leaking information and rebelled before they were fully prepared, resulting in suppression by the imperial army."

Hearing this, Su Qiao paused; he felt as though he had read this account in unofficial histories.

He never expected it to truly be related to the Bai Lian Sect.

"Fang La almost succeeded, right? In the end, he failed, but the Bai Lian Sect wasn't wiped out?"

Su Qiao thought that even though the late Song Dynasty was corrupt, any emperor would surely detest such rebels and seek to exterminate them completely.

How could any remnants remain?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di shook his head and said, "This is the Bai Lian Sect's power. They dispersed in small groups to escape. Those associated with Leader Fang La were mostly captured and killed by the imperial army. Other figures like Dharma Protectors and Hall Masters were also mostly captured and killed. The Holy Sect seemed to suddenly collapse."

"But the Bai Lian Sect was not truly destroyed; it was far from the total ruin everyone guessed. Fang La was not their true leader; he was merely a figurehead deliberately pushed to the front!"

The content of Zhu Di's revelation left Su Qiao utterly stunned.

It seemed that even the content recorded in history books hides secrets.

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't know this originally either. However, after my father warned me to watch out for the Bai Lian Sect, I specifically had people investigate for a long time before uncovering some things. I'm not entirely sure what the Bai Lian Sect truly wants, but it is certain they intend to steal the Divine Artifacts of the Central Plains. The Bai Lian Sect of the late Yuan era was also just a figurehead they pushed out; they cannot compare to those hidden in the shadows!"

"So, neither Your Majesty Taizu nor Your Majesty Taizu, nor anyone else, ever truly found the Bai Lian Sect's foundation?"

Su Qiao was truly shocked.

He had originally thought the Bai Lian Sect were just little rats in the ground.

But it seemed Su Qiao only understood a mere tip of the iceberg!

"Correct. With your intelligence, you should be able to guess: the Bai Lian Sect can always rebel and always quickly raise rebel forces at certain times. This proves their organization lacks no money; they have funds to buy grain and weapons. Therefore, they are not, as others guess, hiding in deep mountains and old forests; instead, they hide among the common people in the cities!"

Zhu Di explained this to Su Qiao in a calm tone.

Su Qiao seemed to suddenly think of something; his expression shifted several times as he cautiously pressed, "Then is it possible they have also entered the court?"

"Hehe, correct!"

Zhu Di nodded coldly to confirm.

Whoa!

Su Qiao felt his whole body grow cold.

Good heavens, truly impressive. This game of 'Infernal Affairs' is even more elaborate than the TV dramas of later generations.

"Then is there any way to distinguish or judge them?"

"Yes!"

267, the people behind them!

The Bai Lian Sect bears their unique mark on their bodies; those who do not know them would never realize it.

Moreover, the mark on their bodies is not obvious; it is only the size of a thumb. With slight concealment, it is almost impossible to discover.

Su Qiao felt as though he had eaten a huge melon and was stuffed.

He never expected there to be so many things involved in this.

After resting for half a day, Su Qiao and the others continued south.

By evening, they finally arrived at Jianning Prefecture in Fujian.

One could say they were just a step away from Fuzhou!

If the Bai Lian Sect does not give up and still plans to act, then it will only be during this next stretch.

Under the earnest attitude of the officials of Jianning Prefecture, Su Qiao and the others rested well for a full day and night.

The heavily injured members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the soldiers were left behind to recuperate within Ningcheng.

The rest continued with Su Qiao and the others to Fuzhou.

Zhu Di seemed like an invisible person throughout; he did not come out to handle matters at all, leaving all dealings with the officials to Su Qiao.

When the officials of Jianning Prefecture learned that Su Qiao and the others had been attacked by river bandits, they all showed great panic.

And as if deliberately performing for Su Qiao, they immediately dispatched numerous Yamen Runners and Constables to capture the remaining bandits.

The effect was indeed there.

Without their leaders, the river bandits were merely a disorganized mob, and indeed, quite a few were captured.

Su Qiao rested and replenished his supplies at Jianning Prefecture, then set off again along the river on the third day, heading for Fuzhou.

Coo-coo-coo...

The boat did not speed up; it drifted slowly along the river, while many waterbirds in the reed beds on both banks let out calls.

Su Qiao did not play mahjong with Zhu Di and the others; instead, he found a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals and began to read.

He was truly curious: what secret did the Spring and Autumn Annals hold that made Guan Yu unable to let go of it his entire life?

Hmm, since he had nothing else to do, he might as well study it too.

For a moment, the cabin seemed very harmonious.

On one side, mahjong tiles clattered and clashed; on this side, incense burned and tea brewed, as someone read the book in a leisurely, unhurried manner.

This scene was indeed somewhat jarring.

Zhu Di, having just won a hand, turned his head and glanced at Su Qiao. "What are you reading?"

"The Spring and Autumn Annals!"

"Hmm, can you really get into it?"

"It's alright!"

"Then why do I feel like you haven't turned a page in over an hour?" Zhu Di's eyes held mockery.

Hearing this, Su Qiao was somewhat speechless: "Weren't you playing mahjong?"

They were several steps apart; how did Zhu Di notice?

"I'm playing mahjong, but my eyes can still see!"

Fine, your vision is sharp; you're impressive!

Su Qiao snapped the scroll shut with a clack.

He lifted the tea cup from the table's edge and slowly took a sip.

Mmm, fragrance filled his lips and teeth; so comfortable!

"How old are you, acting like an old man? I ask you, did you not request reinforcements from Jianning Prefecture before?" Zhu Di, seeing Su Qiao's lazy demeanor, felt somewhat displeased.

Su Qiao paid no mind to Zhu Di's disdainful look; as long as he was comfortable, that was enough.

"I did."

"Then where are the reinforcements?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Zhu Di asked, utterly speechless.

The number of people on the boat had hardly changed at all; however many had disembarked at Jianning Prefecture, an equal number had been added.

Before boarding the boat, Zhu Di had guessed that Su Qiao would have called for reinforcements and guards.

He was also curious where Su Qiao had hidden them.