Star Trace Gate

The carriage left the north gate of Kyoto and moved slowly towards the setting sun.

In the car, Jinlang had his Bawu hair loose, and his external injuries had not healed yet. He looked as miserable as he could be.

Since Ren Ye and others left the capital, he has been imprisoned until today, when the "punishment" of dismissal from office came down. According to the regulations of the Lich Kingdom, those who are dismissed from office must first stop their salary, then suspend their duties, and finally return to the place where they work to hand in the seal and settle the relevant work and accounts, so that they can completely return to civilian status.

However, this punishment is the most ideal result for Bau.

Although he had not actually accepted Ren Ye's bribe in the "land purchase" case, he had hinted and intended to do so, which was considered an attempted bribe. If the emperor was really serious, even if he had eight heads, they would all be chopped off.

Although he was demoted to a commoner and lost his power, he could still keep his life and survive.

The carriage moved slowly, with the carriage shaking slightly, and soon it drove out of the north gate of Kyoto.

After traveling about seven or eight miles, the carriage slowly stopped and pulled over to the side of the road. There were more than a dozen men in tight clothes riding tall horses around it for protection.

inside the carriage.

"I have sent you here, and now it is time for me to go back." Sitting upright on the couch, Jin Ge Lao called Bau by his courtesy name with a kind face, "Jinliang, even though you will be a commoner in the future, you should not forget your clan and blood relatives. Come back more often when you have time... and visit more often."

At this moment, Bau felt extremely respectful and grateful to Jin Guoting, the witch leader of the Golden Wolf Clan, the regent minister and the Minister of Personnel beside the emperor.

He even felt extremely ashamed of his previous thoughts, complaints, suspicions, etc.

Bau had always complained about his unfair fate, complaining that he had made great contributions to the country, but in order to get an important position, he had to pay bribes. Moreover, Jin Guoting always ignored him, not only taking away his merits and giving them to his direct descendants, but also not taking any care of him in the court.

But now it seems to him that these thoughts of his are petty and shameless.

Because of this incident, if it weren't for Jin Guoting's advice and mediation, he would probably not have been simply demoted to a commoner. Therefore, all the previous unhappiness and complaints completely disappeared at the moment when his life was saved.

As the witch leader, Jin Guoting not only shoulders the responsibility of prospering the entire clan, but also has to accompany the king like a tiger all day long. So he must have his own unspeakable secrets.

People's emotions change at any time depending on their situation...

Therefore, he was truly grateful to the witch master from the bottom of his heart. He knelt on the ground with a thud and said in a trembling voice: "Third Master! If you hadn't pleaded with the emperor, Jin Liang would not have been able to escape unscathed this time. I kowtow to you...!"

"Snapped!"

Jin Guoting grabbed his arm and supported him personally, saying, "...I am old and I don't know how long I can live. You should kneel down and stay in front of my coffin."

"Third Master!"

"There is no point in talking any more. Take care of yourself in the future." Jin Guoting grabbed Bau's hand, patted it lightly, and said solemnly: "Let's go. There is a straight road in front of you."

"Thank you, Third Master." Bau, whose hair was already half white, saluted with red eyes: "Take care."

"Ah."

A loving smile of an elder towards a younger person appeared on Jin Guoting's old face.

Soon, Bau jumped off the carriage and watched Jin Guoting leave.

On the ancient road at sunset, the carriage was heading towards the north gate of Kyoto...

Bau led the horse given to him by the servant, and murmured with red eyes: "The witch master is old... When people get old, they always care about family affection."

After saying that, he jumped on his horse, picked up his bag, and headed straight towards Lingnan Prefecture.

After this trip, perhaps I will never have the chance to go to Beijing again in this lifetime.

"Tap tap...!"

The sound of horse hooves hitting the ground and the evening breeze blowing on my face brought a cool feeling.

Bau looked at the road ahead and felt relaxed and free, without any sense of frustration at being dismissed from office.

Landed safely... very good, very good!

……

Exactly two days later.

Hezhou Prefecture, Tianxiong Pass Camp.

The new generation of national defender of Southern Xinjiang, the eldest prince of Emperor Wanwu, led only a hundred or so personal soldiers and arrived at the Tianxiong Pass camp in an unusually low-key manner.

Inside the big tent, the governor of Hezhou Prefecture and more than a dozen generals all knelt down and saluted, shouting, "I pay my respects to General Tianwu!"

"No gift."

The eldest prince had a stern expression on his face. He just raised his hand slightly towards the generals, then walked up to the platform and sat on the commander's seat without hesitation.

The generals stood up, bowed, and stood respectfully on both sides of the tent.

The eldest prince slowly glanced at the crowd and said in a loud voice: "I am here in person only to read out three imperial edicts. First, my father orders the governor of Hezhou Prefecture, Zhang Hong, to immediately gather 50,000 troops and secretly station them at the Tianxiong Pass camp. Do not let the news leak out. Second, order the governor of Hezhou Prefecture, Tan Ziru, to immediately allocate food and supplies for the 200,000-man army to fight for a hundred days, and transport them to Loushan Pass first. Third, all generals above the level of a thousand households in Hezhou Prefecture are recalled immediately. They are not allowed to take leave or leave the camp at will. Wait for the emperor's order."

"Long live my emperor!"

The generals knelt down and saluted again.

The eldest prince sat upright on the commander's seat, frowned slightly and said, "This is a secret decree, you must not make it public at will. If the news leaks out in advance, be careful of the punishment for the crime."

"I will obey the emperor's orders and the generals!"

"Okay, everyone, get up." After the eldest prince finished speaking coldly, he immediately waved his hand in a friendly manner and said, "I will stay at the Tianxiong Pass camp tonight. I will go to the government office early tomorrow morning to supervise the food and grass matters. You all go your own way, go."

"Yes, I am resigning."

"...!"

After the three secret decrees were read out, most of the generals withdrew.

However, many people were confused as to why the emperor suddenly ordered the troops to gather and acted as if a war was about to begin.

Two hundred thousand troops and a hundred days of food and fodder, this... this is not just a small preparation.

A group of generals left quietly amidst discussions.

Inside the tent, Zhang Hong, the governor of Hezhou Prefecture, walked to the commander's seat, personally held up a teacup, and said flatteringly, "Your Highness, please have a sip of hot tea to moisten your throat."

Although Zhang Hong was good at flattery and greedy, he was a fierce general on the battlefield. His 30,000 Tiger Soldiers were the elite troops among the elite in southern Xinjiang after the "extinction" of the Earth Dragon Army and the fall from favor of the Sky Dragon Army.

The eldest prince took the teacup, lowered his head and took a sip.

Zhang Hong stared at the eldest prince's expression and asked with a bright smile, "Your Highness, the emperor has gathered the army and secretly mobilized so much food and supplies... Is he going to suppress a large group of bandits?"

The eldest prince glanced at him calmly and whispered, "If it's just to defeat a group of bandits, would I have to come in person?"

"Then what exactly does the emperor want to do this time?" Zhang Hong asked again with bared teeth.

Hezhou Prefecture is rich and has a vast territory. It is also the place where the eldest prince raises his troops. Many of his famous generals hold important positions here.

Since Zhang Hongneng was the governor-general, he was naturally the eldest prince's trusted general, so he did not have to worry too much when speaking.

The eldest prince slowly stood up and walked to the hand-drawn map behind the tent, sighing softly, "The sealing stone tablet was stolen. Although my father never said a harsh word, he was already extremely angry. When an ordinary man is angry, blood splatters within five steps; when an emperor is angry, there are mountains of corpses and seas of blood."

"I guess the emperor's intention is to gather troops to attack Qingliang Prefecture." The eldest prince raised his arm and pointed in the direction of Qingliang Prefecture. "Of course, how to play this chess game, father may have to wait and see how the subsequent events develop..."

Zhang Hong frowned and said in complete confusion: "Qingliang Mansion?! I really can't understand it."

"I can't figure it out either."

The eldest prince shook his head and said softly, "Please bring me the map of the entire Styx Realm."

"As ordered!"

Zhang Hong left quickly with doubts in his mind.

……

It took Bau two days of riding to get from Kyoto to Lingnan and he was already halfway there.

At 4 p.m. that day, as it was getting dark, he stayed at an inn in a small town.

After dinner and washing up, he sat in his room, preparing to write a letter to his family, telling them how they should deal with the various difficulties he faced after being dismissed from office.

In the side room, the window was open, a cold wind blew, and the candlelight flickered.

Bau wrote quickly with a focused look on his face.

"brush!"

Just then, a cool breeze blew by, he looked up suddenly, and all the muscles in his body tensed up instantly.

A strange smell suddenly appeared at the window.

He frowned and looked over, then shouted, "Who is sneaking around and spying on me?"

"Hehe, long time no see, Lord Bau."

A cold voice was heard, and a man in a black robe suddenly appeared on the eaves of the second floor outside the window.

He was holding a package in his hand, stepped in from the window and stood next to the table.

Bau raised his head and saw the man's face clearly in the light of the candle. His pupils shrank instantly: "Zou Qing?!"

"Haha, how are you, Lord Bau?"

That’s right, the person who came was none other than Zou Qing, the businessman who had attempted to bribe him before. Before entering Beijing, Bau also specially sent his trusted men to look for this person.

The two looked at each other, and Bau's face was filled with shock.

"Why do you look so surprised when you see me?"

Zou Qing smiled slightly, then sat down opposite Bau and put the package on the table.

"What on earth do you want to do?!" Bau asked in a hoarse voice, suppressing his inner shock and anxiety.

"hehe!"

Under the candlelight, Zou Qing smiled brightly and said, "I regard Lord Bau as my best friend, but why does Lord Bau want to kill me? Haha...!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his right hand, grabbed a corner of the package with his palm, and pulled it gently.

"brush!"

The package opened in an instant, and a bloody human head appeared in Bau's eyes without warning.

That head was exactly... Wangcai who was previously sent to find Zou Qing!

Wangcai's head, with eyes wide open and lips purple, lay quietly on the table, slowly oozing blood, soaking the package...

..........................................

There will be two more chapters updated at 10:30, so the channels may be a little late.