Chapter 189

Lin Mo saw this black shadow enter the courtyard next door not long after, and government runners appeared nearby, seemingly looking for someone.

Lin Mo immediately judged that this black shadow was either a Wang family rebel or a remnant of the previous dynasty.

Normally, Lin Mo, as a person within the Imperial Court, should notify the government runners to arrest him.

Maybe there would even be a reward.

Don't know why, he felt the aura on this black shadow was so familiar.

But it was strange; he should have just arrived in the Imperial Capital, so how could he have a familiar feeling?

It was just his hesitation, and the government runners had already gone to other places to search.

There was a strange person in the courtyard next door, and Lin Mo was also somewhat uneasy.

Perhaps it was because of his own powerful strength, Lin Mo decided to go take a look.

Due to Li Chen taking action too terrifyingly just now, shaking away the dark clouds in the sky, there was now a little moonlight.

Lin Mo muttered to himself in his heart, but his footsteps didn't stop; with a light leap, he flipped over the wall and fell into the abandoned mansion next door.

The moonlight was thin, but it could barely illuminate this desolate place.

The courtyard next door was an abandoned mansion, and no one lived inside, or the people who lived there had already moved away.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, the stone paths mottled.

A gust of wind blew, driving the dilapidated doors and windows to creak.

Lin Mo scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes, suddenly seeing bloodstains at the corner of the eaves.

His heart sank, and he hurriedly followed the trail, passing through several crumbling rooms, and came to a room piled with debris.

Here, the aura was even heavier, and he could even smell a faint bloody scent.

He estimated that the figure was mostly hiding in here.

Perhaps it was because he was skilled and bold, Lin Mo cautiously pushed open the door, his expression very alert.

The room was dim, moonlight spilling in from the broken window lattice, barely illuminating the front.

Lin Mo stepped very lightly with every step, his eyes constantly observing the surroundings, fearing to miss any movement.

Just at this time, a weak panting sound entered his ears.

Lin Mo walked slowly in the direction of the sound, only to see a middle-aged man leaning against the corner of the wall, his face pale as paper, breathing heavily, obviously already at the end of his rope.

His gaze stayed on Lin Mo for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he was already powerless to resist.

"Who... who are you?" Lin Mo asked in a deep voice, while secretly alert.

"Hmph, I am a member of the previous dynasty's Imperial clan; if you want to claim credit, go tell the government runners." The middle-aged man seemed to be hurt too heavily, and speaking was very difficult.

Lin Mo frowned, "The pattern on your clothes is very similar to a senior I once met."

The reason he had this cultivation base, and these inventions, were all from a cave, obtained from a dead expert.

When Lin Mo obtained the resources, that expert had already turned into white bones, but the clothes on his body were still there.

He personally buried that unknown expert, so he knew these things.

All along, Lin Mo didn't know what he was learning, and now seeing this person was about the same, he simply asked.

Hearing this, a hint of strange color flashed in Yuan Yuan Xingyu's eyes, seemingly not expecting Lin Mo to say this, but a ray of light flashed in his eyes, seemingly seeing hope.

He opened his mouth with difficulty, his voice hoarse: "So that's how it is; it seems there is truly some connection between you and me. My life is about to end, and I have a request."

Lin Mo nodded, signaling him to continue.

The middle-aged man said he was a person of the Yuan clan of the previous dynasty's Imperial clan, named Yuan Yuan Xingyu.

Speaking of this, Yuan Yuan Xingyu struggled, took out a secret manual and several treasures from his arms, and handed them to Lin Mo: "These are my life's hard work, now delivered to you, hoping you can carry them forward."

Lin Mo took the secret manual and treasures, his gaze complex.

He didn't expect that this Yuan Yuan Xingyu would actually trust him so much.

After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Yuan Yuan Xingyu caught his breath and continued to take off an ancient key from his neck: "This key concerns the survival of my Yuan clan; I fought to the death to escape, just to not let it fall into the hands of the Li clan. Can you help me deliver it to my companion?"

Lin Mo took the key, heavy, and he looked at Yuan Yuan Xingyu's gaze full of expectation.

Lin Mo nodded firmly: "Good, I promise you."

Hearing this, a hint of relief appeared on Yuan Yuan Xingyu's face, the burden on his body seemingly already put down.

He closed his eyes, his body gradually relaxing, and his breath also gradually weakened.

Finally, everything returned to calm.

Yuan Yuan Xingyu didn't say what this key was for until the end, perhaps not wanting to let Lin Mo get too deeply involved, or perhaps worried about Lin Mo taking it for himself.

Regardless, Lin Mo, this Son of Luck, inexplicably obtained an opportunity again.

He finally understood which sect his cultivation method was learned from.

Looking at Yuan Yuan Xingyu's corpse, it could only be left here for the time being.

After the limelight passed, he would think of a way to bury it.

Now he had to think of a way to go back first, and erase the traces of him having been here.

Otherwise, if discovered by government runners, he would also be listed as an accomplice.

Tonight, the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Guard basically didn't sleep, and later, the City Guard and government runners also set out.

It could be said that the whole city was in a storm, flowing with blood.

The Wang family in the Imperial Capital could be said to have completely become history, and now Pang Jin was investigating how they managed to make the Crown Prince die silently.

On the Yinshan City side, another major stronghold of the Wang family also suffered a devastating blow.

Lin Lin Yue'e led government runners, plus the two major sects of the Chensha Dao Sect and the Yuxu Immortal Mansion.

Thousands of disciples, thousands of government runners, and tens of thousands of City Guards rushed into the Wang family mightily.

This time even True Person Chiyuan and Superior Shangren Qingxu took action personally, just to guard against Wang Wang Tengyue also reaching the Sage Realm.

Actually, to tell the truth, they even hoped Wang Wang Tengyue reached the Sage Realm, so there would be more credit.

Dealing with the Heavenly Abyss Realm and dealing with the Sage Realm were simply not the same level of credit.

Yinshan City Lord Wang Wang Tengyue hadn't recovered from the anger of his home being attacked and many women captured being missing, when he suffered this crushing attack.

In the past, it was always the Wang family going to exterminate small families, or some cultivation forces, only needing to send some experts to help.

In Wang Wang Tengyue's view, this was the law of the jungle; he exterminated these small families, also to make the Wang family stronger.

Perhaps many people in these small families didn't know until they died that it was actually the Wang family fueling the flames.

But without exception, they faced a battle with no chance of winning.

Nowadays, Wang Wang Tengyue also felt what was called a battle with no chance of winning.

No matter how vast the Wang family was, they couldn't withstand the blow of the May Tian Ce Dynasty's first family, the Li clan, not to mention the help of two huge sects.

Wang Wang Tengyue wasn't in the Sage Realm and was soon captured by the sect experts.

These sect experts were all people who licked blood from the blade, often fighting in Mystical Realms and bloody battles with other sects; the intensity could be imagined.

Not to mention True Person Chiyuan and Superior Shangren Qingxu hadn't taken action yet.

It was thought that it wouldn't be long before Wang Wang Tengyue would be escorted to the Imperial Capital to accept interrogation.

Wang Wang Tengyue didn't regret it; he was just somewhat unwilling.

He felt that if he had been allowed to develop for another few decades or a hundred years, the May Tian Ce Dynasty might not be surnamed Li.

The loser was like this; when he had the intention of changing the dynasty, he should have known the consequences brought by failure.

The only thing Wang Wang Tengyue hoped for was that his older brother could escape; his brother was in the Sage Realm and could definitely make a comeback.

But he also knew that the Sage Realm expert of the Li family in the Imperial Capital was the truly terrifying one.

The next day, before the sky was bright, the street cleaning department in charge of the Imperial Capital began working, sweeping the Imperial Capital clean.

The sound of the broom rubbing against the ground appeared exceptionally clear in this quiet morning.

Pang Jin was working overtime to interrogate and investigate, hoping to report some situation when the morning court started later.

As the sky brightened, the common people and merchants also surged onto the streets one after another, starting their new day.

Street corners and alleys, teahouses and wine shops, were all full of noise.

People gathered in groups of three or five, discussing the heart-stirring storm of last night.

"Have you heard? The Wang family was raided last night, and even the base camp in Yinshan City didn't escape."

"Really? Wasn't the Wang family always powerful? How did it suddenly..."

"Who knows? The matters of the court, how can we ordinary people fathom them? But then again, the destruction of the Wang clan this time is truly satisfying!"

"Shh, you dare to say this!"

"What's there to fear? The Wang family bullied me before; this is their own fault."

Those who had grudges with the Wang family naturally felt very relieved; without the Wang family's bullying, they would naturally live better.

And those families with close relationships with the Wang family were now all in danger, shrinking in their mansions, fearing being affected by the court's liquidation.

Just at this moment, Xiao Ming of the Ministry of Justice Tixing Division finished his busy night and walked out of the office dragging his tired body.

He rubbed his sore eyes and looked up at the rising sun, a complex emotion surging in his heart, which could also be called emotion.

The court was truly vast; if it were his own strength, wanting to destroy the Wang family, he estimated it wouldn't be possible without a few decades. But it seemed he didn't have a grudge with the Wang family?

But don't know why, seeing the Wang family destroyed, Xiao Ming had a very painful and happy feeling.

He fought all night last night; there were truly those who didn't open their eyes and fought him to the death.

Arresting people in the first half of the night, interrogating in the second half, and only finished now.

Walking on the street home, a familiar figure entered his eyes.

Only to see Lin Mo wearing casual clothes, walking towards the direction of the Ministry of Works.

Xiao Ming yawned and started greeting Lin Mo.

"Brother Lin, are you going to the Ministry of Works so early?" Xiao Ming smiled.

The corner of his mouth seemed to be saying, do you know how brave I was last night.

Lin Mo nodded slightly and followed up: "Yes, but Brother Xiao worked hard last night; didn't encounter any danger or trouble, right."

What happened last night, if Lin Mo wasn't a fool, he definitely knew Xiao Ming participated, not to mention Xiao Ming had told him in advance.

Xiao Ming heard this, the corner of his mouth raised slightly: "With me here, where would there be any danger; yesterday I arrested several important remnants of the previous dynasty; when the reward money comes down, brother will treat you to a drink."

!

Anyway, the matter was over, so Xiao Ming bragged, saying what big things he did last night.

The two chatted for a few sentences, agreed on the time to drink, and also notified Wu Qi, then separated.

Lin Mo continued to walk towards the Ministry of Works, but was silently calculating the matter of last night in his heart.

In his view, he had already been involved in the storm of the remnants of the previous dynasty; after all, that Yuan Yuan Xingyu last night should be considered a relatively high-level person among the remnants of the previous dynasty.

He took the opportunity he gave, and estimated he had to bear a certain risk.

But Xiao Ming was a person of the Ministry of Justice, responsible for investigating this matter; he really couldn't let him see the clues.

Even though Lin Mo had just arrived in the Imperial Capital, looking at the storm in the city last night, plus the rumors in the streets this morning, Lin Mo knew how vast the Wang family was.

A big family destroyed so quickly, the terror of the Imperial clan could be imagined.

He was just a small official in the Ministry of Works; in this treacherous Imperial Court, he must maintain vigilance at all times.

Perhaps one wrong step could lead to eternal damnation.

Lin Mo felt that everything still had to wait for him to develop for a while before talking.

No matter how many opportunities the remnants of the previous dynasty gave, in situations where it wasn't necessary, it was better not to easily provoke the Li clan.

Li Chen's strength, Lin Mo had seen with his own eyes.

Lin Mo still had some self-knowledge; without an absolute contradiction, let alone being against Li Chen, he was afraid even just looking at Li Chen.

Thinking with his brain, he had already arrived at the Ministry of Works.

The people in the Ministry of Works seemed very peculiar; the matter of last night was noisy, and many departments were discussing it intensely now.

But these colleagues in the Ministry of Works were still busy with their own things, immersed in creation, not interested in the situation outside; perhaps this was the craftsman spirit.

Lin Mo didn't think much either and began to busy himself with his own things.

At the same time, inside the Imperial Palace, the time for morning court was approaching.

On the great hall, the ministers took their places one after another, just waiting for the arrival of Emperor Li Chen.

The atmosphere of today's morning court was completely different from the past; the ministers were all solemn, as if they were all waiting for some major news to be announced.

The Prime Minister had arrived at the great hall very early; he wore court dress, held a tablet, and sat at the head of the ministers.

Zhao Zhao Wenyuan's spirit wasn't very good; it looked like he hadn't slept well.

After Li Chen left last night, he thought he could have a good sleep, who knew the Imperial Guard started searching for people in the whole city again.

His house happened to be near the Wang Mansion; to prevent Wang family people from running to his house to hide, he could only cooperate with the investigation.

Normally, the Prime Minister could scold the Imperial Guard, letting the Imperial Guard not come to disturb his rest; even if it was Imperial Guard Commander Li Li Sixing, he didn't have to give face.

But the problem was, Li Chen took action personally, and he didn't want to let Imperial Guard Commander Li Li Sixing impeach him at this time, saying he harbored Wang family remnants, so he could only cooperate.

Zhao Zhao Wenyuan swept across the court and found some positions vacant.

Those officials who originally belonged to the Wang family didn't come today.

They were either arrested or executed.

The court officials were all discussing this matter heatedly; after all, some of them were still insiders.

Finally, with a long bell ringing, Emperor Li Chen stepped into the great hall.

He wore a dragon robe, wore an imperial crown, and sat majestically on the dragon chair.

The ministers saw this, knelt on the ground one after another, shouting long live.

Li Chen lifted his hand slightly, signaling the ministers to rise.

Today Pang Jin became the most active minister again; he began to list the Wang family's crimes.

After the investigation in the second half of the night, seven major crimes and fifteen minor crimes had already been listed.

Time was tight, and this was only a preliminary investigation.

Specific crimes were estimated to wait for a period of time, with important members of the Wang family from Shanyin City and other places captured and interrogated together, only then to be sentenced.

Hearing Pang Jin finish, the court officials all felt that just the crime of harboring remnants of the previous dynasty and attempting to rebel, these two charges, the Wang family's raid and execution this time was certain.

Once investigated by Pang Jin and related to the Crown Prince's death, then it would be extermination of the nine clans.

But going by this trend, extermination of the nine clans was also a matter of time.

As for why Pang Jin didn't list the crimes of the remnants of the previous dynasty?

The reason was very simple; these people didn't need to be listed; capturing them was enough to kill them directly.

They were all remnants of the previous dynasty, where was the need to sentence them; wasn't this doing something unnecessary.

If it weren't to investigate clearly how the Crown Prince died, these remnants of the previous dynasty wouldn't have lived past last night.

By the way, in the May Tian Ce Dynasty, the crime of attempting to rebel and rebelling were also different.

Attempting to rebel was when he was captured before rebelling, and the harm caused wasn't big.

Already rebelling, that was mostly extermination of the nine clans, no words to say.

The Wang family was judged as attempting to rebel; this kind of crime was hard to catch, unless Wang Wang Tengfeng admitted it directly.

But sometimes there were exceptions, for example, the Second Prince Li Xian was judged as already rebelling, and his party was captured.

He was an imperial clan member, the situation was special, so it could only depend on the Emperor's mood to judge.

After all, Li Chen couldn't exterminate Li Xian's nine clans.

In the court, after Pang Jin finished speaking, Li Chen definitely rewarded him to show encouragement.

Next was still the old program recently; the Minister of War stood out to report the war situation in the north, and the military action in the south.

The Northern Army hadn't solved the problem of harsh weather yet, and there was no progress now.

The south had already started fighting, and the Second Prince Li Xian's vanguard army and the Prince of Prince Zhennan's vanguard army had already exchanged fire.

It was truly setting up a battle formation to fight a plain battle, seeing whose formation was powerful, whose military ability was strong.

And there was the western army group of the May Tian Ce Dynasty, starting to prepare for city defense, consolidating city defense.

This would require a large amount of military expenditure again.

Actually, among the Six Ministries, the one with the largest expenditure was the Ministry of War.

As Minister of Revenue, he liked this group of people in the Ministry of War the least, opening their mouths and wanting money, saying as if money fell from the sky.

Generally encountering this situation, Minister of Revenue Liu Minghan would definitely refuse flatly, saying there was no money.

However, this time they raided the Wang family; Liu Minghan knew the Wang family had money, so he didn't refuse temporarily, only standing out, saying wait until it was investigated clearly before talking.

The Ministers of Revenue of past generations were all very tough in the court.

Next were the generals in the court, competing to be the commander of the western army of the May Tian Ce Dynasty.

Here it was still the old rule, Li Chen said discuss it later.

The morning court continued, because many officials of the Wang family were arrested, and the vacant positions needed people to fill.

Theoretically speaking, this time was the stage where party strife in the court was most intense.

If one pulled their own people up, then the influence of their party would increase, and their status would also be very consolidated.

Not only the court officials in front of the hall would strongly recommend people who had a good relationship with them and had ability.

Especially the concubines in the harem would also say good things in Li Chen's ears, letting Li Chen choose people from their families.

The fall of the Wang family could allow a batch of people to rise.

Li Chen had been Emperor for a period of time, not as unfamiliar as at the beginning, and how to handle matters in the court was also clear.

Plus this period of time reading memorials, and checking various materials.

At least he had some understanding of the character, ability, and style of some important officials.

So Zhao Zhao Wenyuan felt Li Chen should be able to decide for himself regarding choosing the virtuous and appointing the capable.

Anyway, after Li Chen ascended the throne, party strife in the court wasn't very serious, and everyone was just working.

Occasionally there was some fighting, but it was all small trouble, not on the table.

Who knew Li Chen said directly: "Minister Zhao, you recommend some."

(End of chapter)