Chapter 500: Yesterday's Events Are Like Yesterday's Death

Feng Province, Provincial Capital.

Lu Fu.

Lu Wenzheng sat alone in the study.

He had sat withered in the study for a whole night; overnight, his whole person looked much older.

"Master."

An old butler walked quickly to outside the study, "The people have all been sent away."

Lu Wenzheng nodded, his voice a bit hoarse: "Old Song, you go too."

The butler named Old Song had a firm expression:

"My Song family has served the master's family for generations, how can there be a reason to abandon the master and leave?"

Lu Wenzheng didn't speak, just waved his hand.

Old Song bowed to him, then retreated.

Inside the study, Lu Wenzheng picked up the wine on the desk, poured himself a cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

The strong liquor entered his throat, so spicy it made him shed tears.

He had received intelligence from Datong Prefecture yesterday afternoon and knew the final result.

So he understood that his overall situation was gone, and he was powerless to turn things around!

He wanted to control Feng Province, relying on his layout and accumulation over the years, and secondly on military deterrence.

The strongest military forces in his hands were the five hundred Imperial Guards in the provincial capital, the Qingshan Sword Sect, and Hongyi University and Grandmaster Xu Jing.

As a result, now the two Martial Arts Masters of the Qingshan Sword Sect and Xu Jing were all gone.

In this way, he could no longer control the Qingshan Sword Sect and Hongyi University.

With only the five hundred Imperial Guards left, Lu Wenzheng had no confidence that he could keep their military morale unchanged.

So the military deterrence had failed.

And without military deterrence, no matter how many other means he had, it was impossible to control the situation.

At this time, Lu Wenzheng actually still had a chance to flee overnight and go north to join the First Imperial Prince and King Li.

But he didn't run.

After being abandoned by the Lu family and losing almost all his peripheral influence, the only bargaining chip in his hand was Feng Province.

Now that he couldn't take Feng Province, without the most important bargaining chip in his hand, his value to the First Imperial Prince wasn't much.

Lu Wenzheng could cooperate with the other party, participating in the subsequent battles as an ally.

But as the head of one of the "Ten Great Clans," he couldn't accept begging like a dog, hoping for the other party to take him in, and then lingering on in a precarious state.

Better to marry a woman of the ten surnames than to enter the Imperial family!

Although this saying was a bit exaggerated, it also showed that the "Ten Great Clans," ancient families that had existed longer than many dynasties, naturally had a near-deformed self-esteem and arrogance.

So Lu Wenzheng didn't choose to run, just arranging for his family members to run away, while he sat quietly in the study, waiting for the final moment to arrive.

Provincial Capital Government Building.

A group of provincial capital officials also hadn't slept well and were waiting anxiously.

They hadn't learned about the battle results in Datong Prefecture, but they had more or less sensed the movements of the Lu Fu.

Lu Wenzheng was constantly sending away his family members!

This wasn't a good omen, so the group of officials was very uneasy.

"Urgent order from the Central Secretariat!"

An official holding a telegram suddenly shouted and rushed out of the office.

Before long, the entire government building was alarmed by this telegram from the Central Secretariat!

Soon, the content of the telegram spread among all the officials in the provincial capital:

"Now according to the report, Feng Province Inspector Lu Wenzheng, having received national grace for generations and ranked among the frontier officials, dared to secretly collude with rebels, privately hoarding armor and weapons, rebelling against the country with Hongyi University President Xu Jing, a crime that cannot be pardoned!

Marquis Jing'an has already beheaded the rebel Xu Jing!

Immediately dismiss Lu Wenzheng from his post and strip him of all titles. Specifically order Marquis Jing'an Li Fei to take over Feng Province, holding all military and political power, and all officials and soldiers in Feng Province must obey orders.

From the day this order is issued, those who are coerced into following the rebellion, if they can repent and surrender their weapons, can be dealt with leniently.

If they still hold weapons and resist arrest, slandering the heavenly hearing, then where the King's army points, the thunder will strike, and the rebel party will be ground to powder, too late to regret!

The mandate of heaven is clear, those who follow it will prosper, those who oppose it will perish. Proclaim to the world, let all know!"

This telegram from the Central Secretariat could be said to have caused a huge stir!

Many officials who couldn't see the situation clearly now understood exactly what was going on.

The strongest Grandmaster Xu Jing was gone; if Marquis Jing'an came over with people, what could Lu Wenzheng use to block him?

No wonder the other party had been arranging for his family to run away since last night.

Lu Wenzheng was throwing in the towel!

Even Lu Wenzheng, the leader, had given up, and the remaining group of followers, apart from loyalists like the butler Old Song, naturally had no intention of resisting.

Some quick-witted ones had already begun preparing to welcome Li Fei to take over the provincial capital.

So these people actively launched an attack on Lu Wenzheng's confidants and loyalists!

When Li Fei arrived at the provincial capital driving the black boat, the entire provincial capital was in chaos.

He drove the black boat to the sky above the Lu Fu.

Below, over four hundred Imperial Guards surrounded the entire Lu Fu!

These Imperial Guards were not protecting the Lu Fu, but were pointing their weapons at the Lu Fu, preventing the people inside from escaping.

Besides this, there were dozens of officials waiting uneasily on the side.

When everyone saw the black boat in the sky, they waved and shouted, very excited.

Li Fei drove the black boat down.

Before he could even get off the boat, dozens of officials ran quickly toward his side.

"Greetings to Marquis Jing'an!"

"Marquis, we have surrounded the entire Lu Fu, not letting a single person escape!"

"Marquis, Lu Wenzheng's followers have all been captured by us!"

A group of officials said to Li Fei very excitedly.

Li Fei hadn't expected this result.

He had already prepared himself for Lu Wenzheng to run away with people or resist stubbornly.

Yet he hadn't expected it to be like this.

He didn't need to do anything at all; the enemy had already been completely subdued!

"Someone tell me, what is going on?"

Li Fei asked.

"Marquis."

A man wearing blue official robes with the sun, moon, and stars printed on his chest stepped forward, showing a near-flattering smile.

His name was Liang Xin, the head of the Feng Province Zhige Department, a 16th-level cabinet official and Martial Arts Master.

On weekdays, he was very close to Lu Wenzheng and was an undisputed "Lu Party" member.

But today, he was the first to stand up and take action, capturing the confidants Lu Wenzheng had planted in the Zhige Department. And he was also the first to lead people to surround the Lu Fu.

"This is the telegram issued by the Central Secretariat cabinet today, please take a look."

Liang Xin very respectfully handed the telegram over with both hands.

He and Li Fei were both cabinet officials and both Martial Arts Masters; such a posture was undoubtedly a bit too low.

But Liang Xin knew clearly that this young man before him would determine his fate next!

Li Fei took the telegram and read it, then understood what was going on.

The Central Secretariat had him temporarily take over Feng Province and hold all military and political power.

This meant that from the moment the order was issued, he held the power of life and death over the entire Feng Province!

Such power was even more exaggerated than Lu Wenzheng, the Inspector!

Li Fei glanced at Liang Xin, understanding why the other party was in this posture.

He swept a glance at the group of uneasy officials behind the other party; these people were all more or less related to Lu Wenzheng.

If he wanted to settle scores later, these people were all likely to suffer!

"Everyone has worked hard, now all disperse, return to your posts, don't let the provincial capital fall into chaos again."

Li Fei issued his first order after taking over Feng Province.

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to Li Fei one after another:

"Obey!"

After the group of officials dispersed, Li Fei refused the escort of the Imperial Guards and walked into the Lu Fu alone.

In yesterday's battle, almost all his Blood Souls were exhausted.

However, with 【Blood Breath】, it didn't take long for the Ten Thousand Blood Pearl to recover 50% of its blood volume.

With over 2,000 Blood Souls on him, even if the Lu Fu was a dragon's pool and tiger's den, Li Fei dared to break in!

Inside the Lu Fu, the butler Old Song stood quietly behind the main gate.

Seeing Li Fei, he bowed:

"Please follow me, Marquis, the master is waiting for you in the study."

"Good."

Li Fei followed behind the other party.

This was his first time walking into the Lu Fu, and possibly the last.

Today's Lu Fu appeared very cold, and he didn't see a single person along the way.

After passing through a dozen corridors and several courtyards, Old Song brought Li Fei to outside Lu Wenzheng's study.

Li Fei immediately sensed that there was indeed only Lu Wenzheng alone in the study.

He walked straight in.

Lu Wenzheng looked up at Li Fei, showing a relieved smile.

On his desk was a bottle of Western Continent red wine, and the bottle was already empty.

There was some redness on his face, and he already had some drunkenness.

"You finally came, if you aren't in a hurry to take action, shall we sit down and chat?"

Lu Wenzheng said to Li Fei.

Li Fei stepped forward and sat down in front of the desk with a bold and unconstrained manner:

"What do you want to chat about?"

After killing Xu Jing, the resentment and anger buried deep in his heart had diminished quite a bit, so he could now sit down and chat with Lu Wenzheng relatively calmly.

Lu Wenzheng looked at Li Fei seriously; this was his first time looking at this legendary Marquis, famous throughout the world, at such close range.

"Initially, the layout to frame Shangguan Xiao and target Hao Yi, my ultimate goal was to reach cooperation with Xu Jing and help him break through to become a Grandmaster.

Otherwise, two mere Foundation Establishment martial artists wouldn't be worth me racking my brains to target. If I had known about you earlier, I would have abandoned Xu Jing and let you become an honored guest of my Lu family."

Lu Wenzheng looked into Li Fei's eyes and said seriously.

There was indeed a grudge between Xu Jing and Hao Yi, and Xu Jing couldn't eradicate his inner demons without killing Hao Yi.

But Lu Wenzheng and Hao Yi, Shangguan Xiao, had no fundamental conflict.

If he had known earlier that Li Fei could achieve such accomplishments today, he would definitely have abandoned Xu Jing without hesitation and chosen to fully support Li Fei!

"What's the meaning of saying these things now?"

Li Fei asked calmly.

"Yes, it has no meaning anymore."

Lu Wenzheng shook his head with a smile, "Just feel a bit wronged, a bit stifled."

Who would have thought that killing two Foundation Establishment martial artists would end up provoking someone like Li Fei?

A dignified head of one of the Ten Great Clans, ending up in such a state?

"I didn't run, waiting here for you to kill me, just asking you for one thing."

Lu Wenzheng restrained his smile and said in a deep voice.

Li Fei: "Let's hear it."

He indeed hadn't expected Lu Wenzheng not to run.

The other party definitely had flight magic treasures; if he had flown away directly with people, he would have needed to spend more effort to get revenge.

"The people who participated in harming your master and mistress back then, you should be able to find them easily. You want to kill these people, I have nothing to say. But my son and daughter have nothing to do with this matter, I hope you can raise your hand high and spare them."

Lu Wenzheng said.

Li Fei didn't answer directly, but asked: "What other trump cards do the First Imperial Prince and King Li have?"

Apart from the Gouchen Sect, he felt the other party should have hidden more powerful cards, otherwise King Li wouldn't have taken sides so easily.

Lu Wenzheng shook his head, looking calm:

"The other party indeed hid cards, but didn't tell me. However, I also mastered quite a few of the other party's secrets and understood part of their subsequent plans. I'll trade these intelligence for my son and daughter's lives, is that okay?"

He knew that just by his few words, it would be hard to move Li Fei, so he had prepared bargaining chips in advance.

"As long as it's confirmed that your son and daughter are innocent, I won't target them."

Li Fei gave a promise.

He hadn't intended to implicate others anyway.

Of course, he only promised that he wouldn't target Lu Wenzheng's son and daughter, but given the crimes Lu Wenzheng had committed, extermination of the clan was almost a certainty!

The court definitely wouldn't let the other party go.

Lu Wenzheng breathed a sigh of relief.

He naturally knew clearly that the court wouldn't let him go, but as long as Li Fei didn't strongly demand extermination and didn't take action to target them, at least his son and daughter would have a certain chance to survive.

"Thank you."

Lu Wenzheng thanked Li Fei.

Next, the two had a secret talk in the study for over twenty minutes.

At one point, Li Fei walked out of the study, carrying a head in his hand.

Sunlight fell, the sunset like blood, illuminating the entire Lu Fu in red.

July 8th.

Li Fei sat in Feng Province, watching with his own eyes as those who participated in harming Hao Yi and Shangguan Xiao back then were all executed!

With the preliminary investigation done by He Jian, plus the active reporting of the group of officials in the provincial capital, Li Fei could be sure there were no fish that slipped through the net.

"Marquis!"

Inside the government building, Liang Xin came to outside the office door with a happy expression, shouting to Li Fei.

"What's the matter?"

Li Fei looked at the other party.

"Telegram from the Central Secretariat!"

Liang Xin said, walking into the office and presenting the telegram with both hands.

Li Fei took the telegram and read it:

"Although the heavenly hearing is high, there may be mistakes in oversight; although the imperial heart is bright, it is hard to avoid flaws of obstruction. Now according to the joint trial and review of the Central Secretariat, the case of the former Feng Province Datong Prefecture Xingcheng Zhige Academy head Shangguan Xiao colluding with the enemy and rebelling against the country is a miscarriage of justice.

Specifically clear her injustice, restore Shangguan's original post, and posthumously confer the title of 'Zhongping Earl'!

Her husband Hao Yi, with a firm character and upright conduct, although not ranked in the court, practiced education and cultivated talent to repay the country.

Now Marquis Jing'an Li Fei, the number one talent in history, all inherited the merit of Hao Gong's teachings. Specifically posthumously confer Hao Yi the title of 'Yi Marquis'!

The white jade is covered in dust, finally revealing the purity of its essence; the green pine is proud of the snow, even more highlighting the height of its integrity. All my officials should take this as a model. Proclaim to the world, let all know!"

Looking at the telegram in his hand, Li Fei let out a heavy breath.

Shangguan Xiao's case was finally redressed, and her innocence was restored.

Not only that, she was also posthumously conferred the title of Zhongping Earl.

And Hao Yi was even more exaggerated, not only was the crime of robbing the execution ground back then omitted, but as a commoner, he was conferred a Marquis title after death!

All this was just because Hao Yi had a disciple named Li Fei.

The second telegram issued by the Central Secretariat cabinet was also proclaimed to the world.

So from today on, the whole world would know that 'Yi Marquis' Hao Yi was the master of the number one talent in history!

49th Year of Hongguang, July 9th, night.

Li Fei drove the black boat back to Datong Prefecture.

He came directly to the small mountain where Shi Caiming lived, and to the tombstones of Hao Yi and Shangguan Xiao.

Two heads were placed on the ground.

One was Xu Jing's, one was Lu Wenzheng's.

Li Fei knelt on both knees, looking at the two tombstones, trembling:

"Master, Mistress, disciple has avenged you!"

After speaking, he knocked his head heavily into the soil, not straightening up for a long time.

Not far away, Shi Caiming, who only had one arm left, watched this scene, feeling some comfort and some sadness.

He turned and walked back to his small courtyard, leaving the space to Li Fei.

This night, Li Fei knelt before the tombstones, saying many, many words...

When the first ray of sunlight after dawn fell on the small mountain, Li Fei had already stood up again.

He faced the direction where the sun rose, watching the golden sunlight break through the clouds, plating all things with a layer of golden brilliance.

At this very moment, Li Fei felt unprecedented relaxation and peace.

Originally because of demonic cultivation, the foundation of the 【Dragon Elephant】 supernatural ability was unstable, and his control over this supernatural ability was clearly weaker than the other four, needing a longer time than Xiao Tao back then to push the Dragon Elephant power to the extreme of 'Ten Dragons Ten Elephants'.

But as his state of mind was refreshed at this moment, Li Fei's control over the 【Dragon Elephant】 supernatural ability also increased by a few points!

He turned to look at the tombstones of Hao Yi and Shangguan Xiao, a smile unprecedentedly bright appearing on his face.

Next, it was a new battle!

Yesterday's events are like yesterday's death.

Requesting a monthly ticket~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 501 =====