Page 205

"It truly sounds absurd..."

Dark clouds seemed to gather in Wang Ye’s heart as he felt that the situation in the Capital City had become rather complicated.

When he had left the Capital, he had already heard such rumors that dead people had been seen in many places.

By the time he arrived in Lyuzhou, he had witnessed Chen Qing’s methods and the reappearance of the dead no longer seemed unusual.

After all, in Lyuzhou nowadays, if one opened their Spirit Eye, the streets were filled with the souls of the deceased, and Zhou Haitao, who managed Lyuzhou’s affairs, would occasionally play chess and drink tea with the local leader of the dead.

But this time, it felt different from what he had sensed from Chen Qing.

The old steward who had spoken to him at noon had seemed normal at the time, but now that people around him mentioned the steward was dead, for some reason, a chilling feeling surged in his heart, as though he was being targeted by something sinister.

After Yu Feizhan led him into the inner courtyard, he saw, from a distance, that familiar face.

As usual, the man would enjoy drinking and boasting with some subordinates when he was free. The feast had not yet begun, but a group of them were already red-faced and reeking of alcohol, the smell detectable from several meters away.

"Eh, Wang Ye?" Weichi Peng immediately sat up, pleased. "What are you doing here? Weren’t you... supposed to have gone to Jiangnan?"

The surrounding military generals, obviously aware of Wang Ye’s relationship with Weichi Peng, hurriedly made room for him.

Yu Feizhan bowed and was about to leave when Weichi Peng motioned for him to stay: "Feizhan, you rarely come back, so don’t be busy all the time. Come and have a drink, let the servants handle other matters."

"Yes, Elder Brother," Yu Feizhan responded with the same proper bow as always, before finding an inconspicuous spot to sit down.

After glancing at him and muttering "boring," Weichi Peng turned back to Wang Ye. "Brother, when did you return?"

"I just got back today," Wang Ye replied with a smile. "I actually had some business with you, and it was only after I arrived that I learned it was your birthday. It’s my fault for forgetting your birthday."

"That doesn’t matter!" Weichi Peng said, waving his hand dismissively. "My family didn’t tell me about it, and I would have forgotten if no one had reminded me. Whenever someone reminds me, I’ll just throw a party for everyone to enjoy.

When I was a Commander out there, who would remind me?

And on the day itself, it would just pass like any other, right? "

"Wei Gongcheng wouldn’t forget your birthday, would he?" Wang Ye said with a laugh.

Weichi Peng was taken aback, then nodded.

"True, Gongcheng is conscientious and has never forgotten my birthday.

He always makes it enjoyable for me and the brothers.

.." As he spoke, he turned to Wang Ye. "You’ve been to Jiangnan, did you see Gongcheng? How is he now? With such a big incident happening in Jiangnan, I hope it hasn’t affected him? "

"He’s doing very well..." Wang Ye smiled. "Much better than when he was following you."

"Nonsense!" Weichi Peng immediately glared at him. "You don’t comfort someone like that. Now that he’s incapacitated, how could he possibly be well?"

As he spoke, he suddenly stopped. His friend was incapacitated, and he himself hadn’t been able to settle him properly. As a result, that Chen Qing fellow had whisked him away. Talking about it, Weichi Peng still felt a lump in his heart.

Seeing Weichi Peng’s reaction, Wang Ye couldn’t help but laugh.

He wasn’t lying; Wei Gongcheng was indeed enjoying life.

On his visit to Lyuzhou, he had seen Wei twice, and it was clear to him that Wei Gongcheng was now much more satisfied with his life than before.

Wei always had a confident smile on his face, very different from his previous modest smile, reflecting the enthusiasm of youth.

Wang Ye had known Weichi for over a decade and had never witnessed such emotion in Wei Gongcheng before.

But it made sense, as Wei Gongcheng now managed the underworld of Lyuzhou, with millions of souls under his control, building an unprecedented world of the dead. Such an achievement was undoubtedly more fulfilling than being an assistant to some simpleton.

This much was evident from the fact that he could joke and chat with the Third Master Shen. Previously, Wei Gongcheng would always show some humility in front of a Magician like himself, unlike now.

"By the way, since you’ve returned from Jiangnan, does that mean the situation there has been resolved?" Weichi Peng asked curiously.

Wang Ye frowned at the question and gave Weichi Peng a look. Weichi Peng held a high position and was of Duke’s rank, yet he seemed completely oblivious to the current situation in Jiangnan?

After a moment, Wang Ye said, "The situation isn’t very optimistic."

"Still not optimistic?" Weichi Peng was visibly worried.

"How can that be? The forces led by the Duke of Qin, followed by that woman.

.. cough cough, Princess Chang with the Golden Dragon Guard as reinforcement, that force should be enough even to pacify Yundu, right?

Is the situation in Jiangnan really that difficult? "

As he spoke, he already felt an itch to take action. He had long wanted to fight a good battle.

"It’s not that simple..." Wang Ye said with a look of mystery, shaking his head discreetly. "By the way, why was it Princess Chang leading the forces? I thought you would be the one to lead them."

"I wish..." Weichi Peng scratched his head. "But the Capital has been unstable lately. Several imperial concubines have been gruesomely killed in the palace. His Majesty has already held the Grand Sorcerers responsible for the palace’s magical protections accountable, even my father has been fined. As the Weichi Clan is in charge of the Capital’s security, naturally we can’t get away. "

"Imperial concubines gruesomely killed?" Wang Ye was startled. "Which concubines?"

After looking around, Weichi Peng led Wang Ye to an inner room. Once they found seats, Weichi Peng lowered his voice. "Many: Imperial Consort Li, Imperial Concubine Dong, Imperial Concubine Siao..."

"Imperial Concubine Dong?" Wang Ye’s heart tightened. "Princess Yong’an’s mother has had an incident, too?"

"Hm... She died a terrible death," Weichi Peng whispered. "Reportedly unrecognizable, Princess Yong’an was so frightened that she’s been seriously ill and unseen in the palace for a month. If Chen Qing could come back, I suppose he’d have to visit her first..."

Wang Ye fell silent. Princess Yong’an was not a particularly noteworthy royal daughter; had it not been for the Emperor’s last-minute arrangement with Chen Qing, her fate would likely have been to marry into the Ancient Desolation Country like other princesses.

With such bizarre incidents now occurring within the palace, and the Emperor unable to protect even the concubines, Princess Yong’an’s situation seemed precarious.

He wondered if Chen Qing really cared for his betrothed and whether he should tell him or not.

Suppressing his concerns, Wang Ye then asked, "But even so, the best candidate to lead the troops should be the Hong Family, so why... has Princess Chang suddenly come out of retirement to lead?"

"I’m not quite sure either..." Weichi Peng shook his head: "Anyway, the imperial edict was issued as such, delivered by Grand Sorcerer Hou Jie.

It was decided that the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of War, along with Princess Chang, would lead the military reinforcements.

Although the decision was a bit abrupt, the choice of people is convincing.

However, it is indeed a matter of discussion that His Majesty did not personally preside over a meeting for such a significant event. "

"His Majesty is still not attending the court?" Wang Ye’s feeling that something was amiss grew stronger.

When he was in Capital City, His Majesty had already been absent from court for quite some time, and now, with such a major event, he unexpectedly did not attend court to discuss with the courtiers.

"Let alone the issues in Jiangnan, with such a big incident in the north, His Majesty hasn’t made an appearance; it’s all been commands conveyed by Inner Court Sorcerers!"

"This hardly seems proper; do the courtiers have no objections?"

"Of course there are objections, but what can be done if His Majesty doesn’t show himself?" Weichi Gong said with a bitter smile, "The courtiers couldn’t possibly charge into the Imperial Palace, could they?"

"What’s going on in the north?" Wang Ye pondered before asking.

"I don’t know the specifics either..." Weichi Peng’s expression was also strange: "You know about the rebel Duke of Wei; like our Weichi Clan, they have been a noble family following the Siao Family for many years and were deeply trusted by His Majesty. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have placed the important military stronghold on the northern border in his care—that army in the north is the strongest Flying Dragon Guard of our Great Jin! "

Wang Ye nodded, the Emperor, although he often operated in unorthodox ways, trusted the vassal families very much; but this time, the Duke of Wei’s rebellion was bizarre, and the Emperor’s suppression was also very casual. He didn’t even show his face, just sent a bunch of dukes to handle it.

"What about the family of the Duke of Wei?"

"They’ve been taken into custody at the Heavenly Prison; they haven’t been dealt with yet..."

"Things are getting more and more suspicious..." Wang Ye looked at Weichi Peng: "Have you seen His Majesty yourself?"

"I have..." Weichi Peng nodded, "I had to personally see His Majesty several times for major adjustments to the palace defenses, but His Majesty seemed very odd."

"Very odd?"

"Yes, he looked very haggard, as if he hadn’t recovered from the shock of the Empress’s passing.

When I spoke with His Majesty, I usually had to repeat myself two or three times before he would respond.

It felt like..." Weichi Peng seemed at a loss for words for a moment: "His Majesty. .. appeared to have aged."

Wang Ye: "...."

Aged?

Just a year ago, when he had ruthlessly executed my master, he seemed mighty indeed. Aged?

Wang Ye sneered. He didn’t believe it for a second. As for the notion that he hadn’t emerged from the sorrow of the Empress’s death, that was even more far-fetched. Was the Emperor such a sentimental man?

If so, the Thousand-Faced Fox would have been dead long ago!!

If he could spare the killer of his own wife, then that cold heart of an emperor would be colder than ice. Could it be that he had not yet emerged from the shadow of the Empress?

It was laughable!

"I remember... the Duke of Wei was in Capital City when I left, right?"

"Yes!" Weichi Peng nodded: "At that time, the Duke of Wei was summoned back by His Majesty to report on his duties. It was said that he was to retire and that his eldest son, Wei Jiancheng, was to replace him in his position. It was supposed to be a happy retirement event, and my father even held several days’ worth of banquets to celebrate for him. "

"But not long after you left, the Duke of Wei suddenly hurried out of Capital City with his Personal Soldiers, and then the rebellion in the north broke out.

Princess Chang took the initiative to ask for permission to quell the rebellion, which was denied.

Later, the Hong Family along with several other dukes were sent to suppress the northern rebellion.

And a few days after that, for some reason, His Majesty suddenly decided to reinforce Jiangnan, handing over all the remaining Golden Dragon Guard! "

"We also found it strange at the time, but that was His Majesty’s decree!"

After listening, Wang Ye’s expression became extremely grave.

Something was amiss... very amiss!

The Duke of Wei, having clearly been ordered to return to the capital, why did he suddenly decide to rebel? If he intended to rebel, he shouldn’t have entered the capital in the first place. What was the point of visiting the capital then?

This looked more like a decision to rebel made on the spur of the moment.

Princess Chang asked for permission to suppress the rebellion and was denied, yet at the critical moment of suppressing the northern rebellion, why did the capital grant the remaining defense forces to Princess Chang?

This was not normal. Logically, shouldn’t some troops have been retained to watch the situation?

After all, Jiangnan had never asked for assistance from the start, and with the situation in the north unclear, wouldn’t it have been more sensible for the Golden Dragon Guard to stay in Capital City to provide support based on how the situation unfolded?

What exactly is happening in Capital City?

And the Emperor... what situation is he in?