Chapter 243: Reunion After a Long Separation (Revised)

The room was brightly lit.

A beauty in a magnificent phoenix skirt and golden hairpin softly recounted the点点滴滴 of the past.

Because she had relied solely on her faith for so many years, burying these matters deep in her heart with no one to confide in, Empress Dowager Guo spoke for a long time.

As for why she trusted Xie Jinhuan, the reasoning was simple—the gods had already tested him for her!

If Xie Jinhuan could walk south until death for the sake of his faith, how could he betray her, his savior?

If he would, then Xie Jinhuan would never have reached that legendary place.

However, Empress Dowager Guo did not tell Xie Jinhuan everything; she omitted things like her feud with the old demon who had no scallions, and the bad talk about Master Sikong and Sikong Shitang, as speaking of them would have a bad influence.

Xie Jinhuan listened earnestly for a long while, and only when he saw Empress Dowager Guo stop speaking and lift her teacup did he gently inhale, truly not expecting that the red-haired, green-eyed Empress Dowager before him had experienced such a tumultuous life; after thinking for a moment, he said:

"So it seems Miss Guo has quite a few troubles. Hmm... the most pressing trouble currently should be the young emperor's coming-of-age ceremony. Miss Guo certainly has no interest in becoming Empress, but the court and the people do not know this, and the scholarly families, suppressed under pressure, have rebellious bones; they will surely use this as a topic of attack..."

Empress Dowager Guo took a sip of tea and sighed:

"It doesn't need to wait for that time; they have already started making trouble. Just now, I mentioned the Chiwu Sect. You said you found clues in the mine, which is them framing me. It's just that they didn't expect my relationship with you, and you saw through it at a glance.

"However, the matter of Lishan Sword Forge is still difficult to handle. Relying solely on two half-burned papers is not enough to rule this incident as a setup by demonic bandits. Li Huaichuan is dead, Lu Yan was injured, and Chen Chi must give the world an explanation. I cannot jump out and forcibly protect my own people unless you admit to being my confidant, always acting as a spy in the Southern Court."

"Eh!"

Xie Jinhuan knew this could solve all of Northern Zhou's troubles, but it would cause an explosion in the Southern Court, so he hurriedly said:

"Exposing my identity to break the deadlock is equivalent to cutting off an arm; this still lets the demonic Daoists gain the upper hand. Hmm... my reputation as a knight-errant is great, and the court and people of Northern Zhou have also heard of it. In my view, this matter can be handled openly.

"Miss Guo can simply act as the referee in the middle. I and Lu Yan will face each other in court, openly stating that we were schemed against by demonic Daoists, and accusing Lu Yan of possibly being driven by demonic Daoists.

"The court and people will certainly not accept this explanation, so I will issue a fierce threat: within one month, I will catch the demonic bandits who set this up and make the truth clear. With my righteous knight-errant reputation and past record as assurance, I will stay in Northern Zhou openly and not run. The court and people of Northern Zhou surely won't prevent me from catching the demonic Daoists to prove myself, right? Once this word spreads, the public opinion of the court and people will naturally calm down; the rest only requires digging out the demonic Daoists."

Empress Dowager Guo considered slightly, feeling this idea was good, but still reminded:

"The person behind the scenes is hidden very deep, able to control so much intelligence, so their status cannot be low; they might not even be of the evil path. Digging them out in one month will not be easy..."

Xie Jinhuan said calmly: "One month is a very long time. Even if I don't dig them out in the end, it will be enough for me to dig out a pile of evil demons, corrupt officials, and dirty bureaucrats. By then, having won the people's hearts in the north, I will reopen this old account. I don't believe the Northern Zhou cultivators, let alone the censors and remonstrance officials, will still have the courage to scold me."

"That is true."

Empress Dowager Guo smiled: "Tomorrow I will arrange for the Minister of the Taichang Temple to preside over this case. I will give advance notice; you can proceed according to your idea. At that time, I will arrange a capable assistant for you. Additionally, for anything needed in the future, you can contact your father under the name of reviewing case files. If you want to meet, I will come find you anytime."

"Alright."

—

Moments later, Xie Jinhuan stood up, took his leave, and departed.

Empress Dowager Guo remained seated in the room, holding her teacup and frowning in deep thought; her hair color and face also returned to their normal appearance. Moments later, she called out:

"Hongdou, go fetch Jiang Xian."

"Yes."

An immediate response came from outside the door, and shortly after, light footsteps were heard from outside.

Tap, tap, tap...

A female Constable dressed in green robes came running from outside. Seeing the Northern Zhou Empress Dowager seated in the room, her apricot eyes were full of excitement, and she hurriedly stepped forward with hands clasped:

"This subordinate pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

Empress Dowager Guo glanced slightly at the girl who was not even as tall as a scallion, feeling quite approval in her brows:

"You indeed have great skill; even Xie Jinhuan could be caught by you."

Jiang Xian looked like she wanted to be proud, but in front of the Empress Dowager, she restrained herself and said modestly:

"When Xie Jinhuan ran, he left footprints. I was also just lucky enough to catch up. If he had not cooperated, I could not have caught him."

"The Southern Court all say Xie Jinhuan 'chases like a god, appearing and disappearing like a god.' You being able to catch him has already exceeded my expectations."

Empress Dowager Guo, who must govern the court, cannot personally run around to dig up those ghosts and demons among the common people. In these years, she has also wanted to cultivate talented confidants, but although she has many subordinates, talent is not so easy to find. The people she raised are mostly of the Shen Cang type; their abilities have limits. For this reason, she very much hoped Xie Jinhuan would come to help her solve her worries and difficulties.

As a result, whether it was due to a change in fortune or not, Xie Jinhuan came before her, and Heaven's Will sent her another promising seed whose drive, ability, and loyalty were no less than Xie Jinhuan's.

For such talent, Empress Dowager Guo naturally cherished it greatly. She took out a golden token from her sleeve and tossed it to Jiang Xian:

"From today on, you are the Phoenix Envoy. You may investigate all officials from above and all sects from below. If you encounter evil spirits, you may execute first and report later. Tomorrow I will arrange a matter for you. If you can handle it well, the Tian Ge Inner Guards will henceforth be under your command!"

Jiang Xian took the badge, and hearing these words, her eyes burned with passion:

"This subordinate thanks Her Majesty the Empress Dowager for her appreciation. Within three days, this subordinate will surely get the matter done!"

Empress Dowager Guo felt this young girl was a bit reckless. Xie Jinhuan had conservatively estimated one month; this was good, not even knowing the matter yet, she said three days. She shook her head and smiled:

"Wait until you take the assignment tomorrow to talk about it. Alright, go back."

"Yes, this subordinate takes his leave!"

After Jiang Xian finished speaking, she ran out excitedly...

—

After leaving the Criminal Punishment Bureau, Xie Jinhuan did not let his father arrange a carriage for transport; he simply accompanied Senior Bu towards the Duanli Street where the landlady was staying. Along the way, a thread of sorrow arose in his heart.

Now that they had successfully arrived in Yanjing, the good news was that his savior was not only Empress Dowager Guo, but also the strongest female martial artist to appear in the world in nearly a hundred years, a true Ancestor on the same level as Bai Mao Nangong Xianzi, with a thigh as thick as a bench vice.

But the bad news was that the beautiful Miss Guo had health problems, her former powerful enemies were at their peak, and the imperial court she controlled was an old carriage of a dynasty in its final period, with heavy burdens that could not be reversed. Noble families, court officials, and sects were all dragging their feet for their own interests, and demonic Daoists were stirring trouble in the dark; the situation was much more troublesome than in the Southern Court.

After all, even if Great Qian had been penetrated into a sieve, it was still a great dynasty established for a hundred years in the midst of a prosperous age. Many old men in the court and among the people had watched the court rebuild the current magnificent prosperity from the wasteland full of scars. Driven by historical inertia, both the cultivation path and the common people still recognized the banner of the old Zhao family.

Northern Zhou was different. After three hundred years, the good reputation of Emperor Taizu of Zhou had been completely ruined by the dull and incompetent rulers of later generations. Land annexation by powerful families had reached its limit, and warlords such as King Andong and the Zhenbei Protectorate had appeared, who took orders but ignored edicts; it was truly a scene of the late Han Dynasty.

Empress Dowager Guo grew up during the prosperous time of Northern Zhou and actually belonged to the hardcore royalists, but her current situation was more like that of He Jin, Dong Zhuo, or Boss Cao, holding the Son of Heaven to command the feudal lords, trying to forcibly pull this old horse carriage rushing towards death, to prevent Northern Zhou from heading towards ruin.

The general trend of the world cannot be controlled by one person. Xie Jinhuan could not help much; what he could do for now was only to first resolve this wave of evil demons from the Chiwu Sect who were confusing the people with false words.

Bu Yuehua, holding the sleeping Meiqiu, walked beside him. Because she was still wearing a floral skirt and her demeanor was elegant and quiet, she looked like a young woman holding a child. At this moment, she was still a bit puzzled:

"Who just asked you to go pay respects?"

Xie Jinhuan also found it hard to say that Empress Dowager Guo had personally summoned him, so he just smiled and said:

"A high official from the Ministry of Justice asked about the general situation of Lishan Sword Forge. Currently, there are no major problems; tomorrow we can communicate with Northern Zhou on how to handle it."

Bu Yuehua felt that Northern Zhou was being a bit too accommodating, but since they weren't being made difficult, it was a good thing. The two proceeded forward like this and soon arrived near the residence where the Princess was staying.

Bu Yuehua had exposed too much of her abilities; she wasn't clear whether Xie Jinhuan had seen through her identity. Previously, she had been acting alongside the Flirtatious Daoist Nun, but now that a small incident had occurred, regardless of whether Xie Jinhuan had seen through her, she could only pretend not to have noticed. Thinking for a moment, she said:

"You go ahead first. I'll find a place to stay nearby. When Junior Sister Mu arrives, she'll definitely be too embarrassed to go stay at the residence, so I'll stay with her then."

Xie Jinhuan understood that Bing Tuozi absolutely wouldn't dare to follow him home to meet Sister Mo Mo in the identity of a girlfriend. He understood this, but seeing that Bu Yuehua's body had not yet recovered, he accompanied her first to find a clean and tidy small courtyard in nearby Parrot Alley, had Meiqiu stay with her as a messenger chicken, and then departed alone...

——

Princess's Residence.

Moonlight spilled between the courtyards, and lanterns swayed gently in the night breeze.

Linghu Qingmo, wearing a white dress, stood beneath a lantern, waiting for news from Yang Dabiao and others. Her face, as clear and beautiful as Bingshan, carried deep worry.

During the day, the bad news from Lishan arrived, causing the entire Southern Court delegation to erupt. Although they had used every possible power to investigate and communicate, they still had not received any news of Xie Jinhuan.

Linghu Qingmo had no connections in the north, and going to Lizhou to search would only be counterproductive. At that moment, she could only mutter inwardly, "Ancestor, please bless us, and ensure Xie Jinhuan is brought back safely..."

As it turned out, the Ancestor was indeed efficacious. Just as her heart was uneasy, two hands suddenly wrapped around from behind and covered her eyes.

"?"

Linghu Qingmo stiffened all over. Sensing the warmth of the palms and their familiar size, joy surged to the corners of her mouth, and she didn't even dare to pull the hands away directly:

"Xie Jinhuan?!"

Xie Jinhuan stood behind her. Seeing this, his eyebrows curved with a full smile, and he turned his head to give her face a peck:

"What are you doing standing here late at night? Waiting for me on purpose?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Linghu Qingmo's hanging heart finally settled, but her expression immediately sank again. She pulled her hands away, turned around, and looked at the man behind her:

"The outside world is about to explode over your business, and you still dare to be so unserious? Why did you kill their Sect Master in Lizhou..."

Although her words were a bit fierce, seeing Xie Jinhuan wearing a set of yellow cloth clothes, covered in the traces of travel, she didn't know how difficult the journey back had been, and Linghu Qingmo couldn't be fierce anymore. She hurriedly supported Xie Jinhuan:

"Are you injured? Hey, you..."

Peck, peck, peck...

Xie Jinhuan hadn't seen Big Mo Mo for a long time and missed her greatly. He immediately hugged her waist and gave her two more pecks, then looked toward the courtyard:

"I'm fine. Where are Her Highness the Princess and Wan Yi?"

Linghu Qingmo's face flushed red, but she didn't count Xie Jinhuan's groping anymore:

"Ling'er was afraid something would go wrong with you, so she is in the Council Hall discussing countermeasures with Li Lao and the others. As for Physician Lin, what else can she do besides sleep? You rest first and drink some water; I'll go call her..."

While speaking, Linghu Qingmo pulled Xie Jinhuan to his quarters, poured tea and water, found a robe, and then ran to notify the people in the residence.

Xie Jinhuan originally wanted to go with her, but he had basically made no stops along the way and had rolled around everywhere in mud pits and mine tunnels; his appearance was truly a bit damaging to his image. So he took the robe and began to clean up and wash...

(End of this chapter)