kvmb Chapter 454 Sacrificing to the Mountain God
Chapter 454 Sacrificing to the Mountain God
The people who came were the Northern Qi emperor's secret guards, sent by the emperor to Yongqing County to supervise Zhao Yi.
As soon as Zhao Yi arrested Prefect Feng, the secret guards immediately ordered the city gates to be sealed off, which was clearly a deliberate act against Zhao Yi.
Li Yong looked at the soldiers who were originally maintaining order, now standing behind the secret guards waiting for orders.
He pleaded urgently with the guards, "My lord, please save me!"
The guards, however, looked at Li Yong with murderous intent in their eyes.
With just one glance, Li Yong felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat.
The secret guards not only harbored murderous intent towards Li Yong, but also killed all of Feng Huanzhi's subordinates.
The Northern Qi emperor sent him to Yongqing County to monitor Zhao Yi. If Zhao Yi successfully pacified the rioters, then he would cripple Zhao Yi on his way back to the capital.
If the deed is exposed, Zhao Yi can be killed if conditions permit.
He discovered that Prince Yu was still in Yongqing County, secretly helping Zhao Yi. He then took out the token given to him by the Emperor of Northern Qi and ordered the soldiers guarding the city gates to close them.
He planned to act within the city, killing Zhao Yi and framing Prince Yu. Then, he would use the charge of plotting to murder a prince of Northern Qi to have Prince Yu executed.
In this way, not only was the Northern Qi emperor's biggest worry eliminated, but it could also create discord between the Prince of Zhenbei of the Great Zhou and the royal family.
Unexpectedly, in order to save him, Prefect Feng's subordinates took the opportunity to cause the lead mine to collapse, framing Zhao Yi, and sent people to spread the rumors.
By the time he heard the news, it was too late to salvage the situation.
“Your Highness, the case of the lead mine collapse has not yet been investigated, so the city gate cannot be opened.” The royal guard, holding a token to identify himself, said to Zhao Yi, “His Majesty previously issued an oral decree that if the case in Yongqing County involves you, I can seal the city gate and immediately send a message to His Majesty, awaiting His Majesty’s decree.”
The secret guards brought up the Northern Qi emperor, and Jiang Chao dared not make a move, turning his head to look at Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi glanced at the token and ordered, "Jiang Chao, bring me the token."
Upon receiving the order, Jiang Chao walked towards the guard: "Alright, I'll bring you the token right away to verify its authenticity."
The secret guards knew that Zhao Yi was wary of the Northern Qi Emperor, and that he was meticulous in his work and left no room for error, so they never dared to disobey the Northern Qi Emperor.
Zhao Yi wanted to examine the token, probably because he wanted to use it to his advantage.
The guards, unsuspecting, handed the token to Jiang Chao.
A flash of cold light appeared in Jiang Chao's hand as he thrust a dagger toward his chest.
All of this happened too fast; the guard swiftly drew his sword to block the dagger.
With a "thud," two spears pierced through the body of the guard from behind.
The guard slowly turned his head and saw that the soldiers who had been protecting him behind him were now surrounding him with spears.
It was only then that he realized these soldiers were Zhao Yi's men.
The guard looked at Zhao Yi in disbelief.
How dare he?
"His Majesty is a wise ruler who is rare in a thousand years. He once said that if the court's discipline is neglected, the government will collapse. Therefore, he attaches great importance to the legal system. Under his rule, the officials of Northern Qi perform their duties, the court is clear and just, and the legal order has never been disrupted."
Zhao Yi coldly replied, "His Majesty loves his people like his own children and wants to rescue them from their suffering as soon as possible. He has personally dispatched you to assist me in quelling the rebellion. He will certainly give you a document or a handwritten edict."
The implication was that he did not recognize the token.
The guards could not produce these two pieces of evidence to prove their identities, nor could they refute what Zhao Yi said.
Knowing he couldn't escape, he gave a retreat signal to the people lying in ambush.
Zhao Yi came prepared.
If they had followed the original plan, they would all be dead here today.
Zhao Yi directly convicted the guard: "This man is an accomplice of Li Yong. He falsely conveyed His Majesty's edict and framed the prince. His crime deserves death. I will execute him on the spot as a warning to others."
The soldier twirled the spear in his hand and pulled it out sharply.
The guard staggered and fell to the ground.
Looking at the gruesome death of the guard, Li Yong's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.
The people were pale-faced, and they both respected and feared Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi waved his hand, and the soldiers dragged away the guards and Li Yong and the others.
Jiang Chao picked up the token from the ground, wiped it on his clothes, and handed it to Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi gestured for Jiang Chao to put it away, then looked at the Taoist priest Liu beside him: "Taoist priest, how can we resolve a natural disaster caused by human error?"
Master Liu calculated with his fingers and said with a solemn expression, "The royal bloodline is blessed by heaven. If we ask the princes and princesses to worship the mountain god, we can avert the disaster."
The crowd all turned to look at Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi said gently, "I have committed murder on my hands, so I am not the best candidate to offer sacrifices to the mountain god. It just so happens that Princess Guangning is in the city, so it would be most appropriate to ask her to offer sacrifices to the mountain god."
The people instinctively looked at the pool of blood on the ground, and couldn't help but recall the horrifying scene from before. They had no objection to Zhao Yi's words.
Master Liu nodded slightly: "Please trouble Your Highness to inform the princess that she should go to the mountain god temple to offer sacrifices to the mountain god at noon tomorrow."
Zhao Yi agreed.
Master Liu then said to the people, "You should escort the princess to the mountain god temple and worship the mountain god with her."
The people readily agreed: "Then we'll go home now and prepare the offerings."
In an instant, the people all dispersed.
Zhao Yi watched Master Liu leave, never expecting that Master Liu had been invited by Guangning.
Not long after he arrived at the city gate, he received a letter from someone sent by Guangning, who told him in detail about her scheme.
Jiang Chao said worriedly, "Master, if we kill the secret guards, will the Emperor of Northern Qi punish you?"