Chapter 412

An Ziyang led the Jianghu people on a wild run. Mei Qinghe was heavily injured after using "Sword Twenty-Three," but with the Gu insects An Ziyang fed her, her injuries were gradually healing, and she drew her sword to block the Jianghu people attacking from behind.

The two charged left and right, leading more than a dozen Jianghu experts on a wild chase through the capital, waking up countless people, among whom were many Jianghu people who had entered the city after receiving news from Yingzhou during this period.

Coming out to look, they saw more than a dozen figures chasing and fleeing.

"That's An Ziyang and Mei Qinghe in front!"

"Behind them are more than a dozen senior experts... and Master Liaoxing from Water-End Zen Monastery! He is also chasing!"

The Jianghu people looked at each other, and a story instantly took shape in their hearts.

"Xuanlan cultivation method!"

"Chase!"

"Li Miao is not here... it's the perfect time!"

Countless black shadows jumped onto the roofs and joined the ranks of the pursuit.

These Jianghu people belonged to different regions, sects, and factions; their Wu Gong varied in strength, their enmities were different, and among them were many with old grudges, so it was inevitable that there would be collisions, tripping, and even fighting along the way.

Thus, the team behind An Ziyang and Mei Qinghe grew larger and more chaotic, gradually merging into a long dragon of chaos that swept through the capital.

Added to the loud noise of the fight between the fake Li Miao and the old Wudang Daoist over at Wang Gongchang.

The mighty sound waves gradually awakened half of the capital.

Among them was the Minister of Justice, Lord Tang Lanzhou.

He was already an old man with graying temples, his sleep was shallow to begin with, and coupled with what Li Miao had done during the day, he was now like a frightened bird, sitting up with a turn at the slightest sound.

His old wife on the bed was awakened by him.

"Husband..."

"Wife, wait a moment, don't make a sound, I will go out and take a look."

Tang Lanzhou put on his shoes, draped a coat over his shoulders, took a short knife from under the bed, and walked out tremblingly.

Seeing him in this state, his old wife was frightened out of her wits, but she did not make a sound; after getting out of bed, she took a pair of scissors from the dressing table, held them, and went up to hook her arm into Tang Lanzhou's.

"Husband... husband and wife are one."

Tang Lanzhou gritted his teeth and reached out to push open the door.

His gaze swept across the courtyard.

There were no Embroidered Uniform Guards as he had guessed.

He let out a long breath, carefully identified for a while, and after confirming that the noisy sounds were coming from outside, he slowly helped his old wife sit down on the ground.

Tang Lanzhou was truly afraid.

Having been an official for many years and remaining standing, he relied on being cautious and pandering to all sides, offending no one, and not getting involved in any major events that could cost him his life, so he did not get involved in the palace coup.

But he could no longer understand the current imperial court.

In a single day, half of the heads of the Six Ministries were gone, three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were gone, and more than thirty officials who went to the palace to force the Emperor were so frightened that they resigned. He, the head of the Ministry of Justice, was currently in the spotlight.

He was truly afraid that tonight, Embroidered Uniform Guards would come to his door to kill him.

"Heh... I'm old."

He laughed at himself.

When he was young, he was also a strict magistrate; it was precisely because he dared to uncover injustices that others dared not uncover that he was appreciated and promoted by the late Emperor.

But after twenty-three years of training by the Emperor, he had now lost the courage of his youth and had become an aged echo-chamber.

Just a little bit of wind and grass moving, and he was trembling with fear.

"After surviving this, I will prepare to resign and return to my hometown... my wife is old, and I am old too; let's vacate the position for young people with courage to sit in..."

Tang Lanzhou felt the urge to leave and patted his old wife's hand.

"Wife, help me up, let's go back to the room."

With this pat, his hand felt wet.

He sneered.

Could it be that his wife was already frightened to tears?

It was his fault for failing her, implicating her in fear... In these decades of official life, not only did he show her little love, but he also left all the household matters to her. Having supported each other for decades, they had actually had few experiences of traveling together.

When she was young, she was also a dashing woman; now she has grown old with me... After I resign, I must take her to travel all over the country to make it up to her.

Tang Lanzhou turned his head with an apologetic look.

"Wife, don't be afraid, wait until—"

His voice choked off abruptly.

No, no face. No face that he was familiar with.

At the height level with his gaze, there was a blank space.

"Where did my wife go... but her hand is still there..."

Tang Lanzhou's mind went blank for a moment, and he squeezed the hand that was hooked into his arm twice. The skin, the size, it was indeed his wife.

But where was her face?

Tang Lanzhou slowly lowered his gaze.

Oh... it's here.

On the ground.

On her face was still that stubborn expression, though frightened, she was trying to stay calm and didn't want him to worry.

"Wife?"

Tang Lanzhou reached out, wanting to smooth out the furrowed brows on that face.

"Wife, don't be afraid..."

At the moment his fingertips were about to touch the furrowed brows.

Boom!

A burst of scarlet exploded, and red and white matter splattered out.

Sprinkling onto his face.

Tang Lanzhou was stunned.

He first stared over there for a long time, then shifted his gaze to the headless corpse leaning on his shoulder, and finally lowered his head to look at the short knife he was holding.

Finally, he shifted his gaze to the courtyard.

There was a person there.

Flying-fish robe, bear-skin cloak, embroidered gold black gloves, ape-armed and wasp-waisted, heroic appearance, lazy demeanor, laughing mockingly, looking at him with his hands behind his back.

"Visiting late at night, Lord Tang, please don't blame me."

"Hmm, I know the old lady is old and can't stay up late, so I sent her to sleep a little longer, as long as she wants, to save her from delaying my business with Lord Tang."

"Oh right, I deliberately restrained my force; if you find a good coroner, the old lady's head can still be put back together, it might just be a bit ugly... she's your wife of many years, Lord Tang shouldn't mind, right?"

He spread his hands, tilted his head, and smiled.

Tang Lanzhou stared at him for a while without speaking.

He stood up holding the door frame, gasped for a while, tried hard to lift the headless corpse in his arms, leaned it against the door frame, and tidied up her clothes.

Then he walked to the spot where the head had exploded, squatted down, and picked up the fragments of the head scattered on the ground into his arms.

At the same time, he said hoarsely.

"You are not Li Miao."

"Oh?"

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Lord Tang, what are you saying? Haven't you seen—"

"You are not, you are one of Yan Song's men."

Tang Lanzhou said hoarsely and firmly.

"Although the appearance, voice, figure, and even the clothing are exactly the same, you are not."

"I am the head of the Ministry of Justice, I have tried countless criminals, and I am best at reading people."

He picked up a fragment of the head with half an eyebrow, rubbed his fingertips over the eyebrow, and slowly smoothed it out.

"If Li Miao came to kill me personally, he wouldn't give me a chance to speak, let alone kill my wife. He is an arrogant murderer; killing an old man like me who is timid, any roundabout method is an insult to him."

"He would also never implicate my wife; he disdains to do so."

"Your base method of attacking the heart only exposes your true colors."

Tang Lanzhou carefully placed the collected fragments into the arms of the headless corpse, turned his head, gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, and stared fixedly at that person.

"You are a shameless villain, not at all worthy of being compared to Li Miao."

"Wearing someone else's face and feeling smug, and becoming rampant when facing an old man with no power to resist, you are a coward with only physical strength."

He walked slowly toward that person.

Not caring at all that the person's expression had gradually darkened with his words.

(End of chapter)