Looking at the formidable Constable Chief, Old Chen's eyelids twitched.
How did they manage to draw the boss here?
No wonder this guy could become a Constable Chief; he managed to spot the old, weak, sick, and disabled out of the entire crowd in a single glance. Talk about incredible eyesight.
“Elder, please!” The Constable Chief held his long saber vertically before him, a respectful expression on his face.
“Ahem!” Old Chen quickly cleared his throat. “This old man has a habit. Before engaging in combat, I prefer to test our literary talents.”
“That way, even if I lose, I will be thoroughly convinced.”
The Constable Chief was stunned for a moment, subconsciously scratching his head. He really was no good at literary competition.
“Elder... I am just a crude man. I don't understand these things.”
Seeing this, Old Chen snorted coldly, starting to pull rank: “You don't know? I think you simply look down on this old man.”
The Constable Chief hastily waved his hands. Born a crude man from the countryside, he respected elders and seniors the most, but he truly knew nothing about writing and poetry.
Feeling extremely stifled, he gritted his teeth. Having no other choice, he decided it was better to just use force first and think later.
With this thought, he tightened his grip on his saber once more. However, because he had been lost in thought, he hadn't noticed the changes in his surroundings. The constables who came with him had already been taken care of by Qiu Zhiya and the others.
Just as Qiu Zhiya and Xu Qing flanked him from both sides, the Constable Chief's face filled with shock as he finally realized something was wrong.
With both of them possessing extraordinary martial arts skills, teaming up against a single Constable Chief was a bit of an overkill.
“Elder! Elder, let's do the literary match! Let's do the literary match!” the Constable Chief shouted in despair.
Unfortunately, Old Chen paid him no mind. Instead, he took advantage of the chaos to run up and throw in a few kicks, grumbling under his breath, “We are already gang-beating you, who cares about a literary match!”
Ultimately, the Constable Chief failed to last even ten exchanges before being defeated.
He was beaten black and blue, having been whipped several times. His clothes were now in tatters, and there was even a footprint stamped on his face.
However, considering he was a straightforward and honest man, they still spared his life.
Though he looked pathetic on the outside, he hadn't actually suffered any severe internal injuries. The other constables, however, were not so lucky. This was also a deliberate excuse they left for the Constable Chief to report back to his superiors.
After dealing with the authorities, they rushed straight to the Zhao Family.
Sure enough, the Zhao Family steward told them that the person who accepted the bounty had already taken the reward and left.
Back at the inn, Qiu Zhiya and the others sat around a table. No one picked up their chopsticks to touch the table full of food, and the atmosphere was incredibly somber.
“That dead fat pig. If I ever see him again, I will definitely carve off two ounces of his flesh,” Xu Qing grunted, his eyes cold.
Sighing, Qiu Zhiya picked up her chopsticks to grab a bite of food.
How could she not be angry? She hadn't slept a wink all night to draft the plan, and to ensure absolutely nothing went wrong, she had even secretly gone to scout the location. In the end, the plan itself went perfectly, but they were stabbed in the back by one of their own.
Seeing her start eating, Ning Qingzhu also picked up her chopsticks, eating carefreely.
Gradually, the clatter of bowls and chopsticks filled the dining table, slightly easing the heavy atmosphere, with only one exception.
Ning Qingzhu turned her head and asked curiously, “Uncle Chen, why do you keep staring at that piece of paper? Is there something on it?”
Old Chen had been staring at this piece of paper since the moment he sat down. It was only when Little Qing spoke up that he finally moved the paper away from his face.
“Nothing. It's just the parchment scroll map of the Zhang Family Ancestor.”
“Oh,” Ning Qingzhu nodded.
With a dull thud, Qiu Zhiya slammed her bowl and chopsticks onto the table, lunging halfway across the wooden table to snatch the map from Old Chen's hand.
The markings on the map were extremely detailed, as if someone had personally traversed the route themselves. The final destination pointed to a place further to the north.
This map was absolutely real!
She slammed the paper onto the table, raising her head to stare at Old Chen in a daze. “Where did you get this map?”
“Bought it on the street. For three copper coins.”
“What?!” Qiu Zhiya's voice shot up. “Do you think this is cheap cabbage?!”
“Customer~ this is the absolute latest map! It's a genuine copy sent directly from Fengcheng, showing the treasure left behind by the Zhang Family Ancestor!”
“Is it really that authentic?”
“Why would I lie to you~”
Qiu Zhiya stiffly turned her head. Next to a nearby table stood a peddler holding a large stack of paper, sliding one sheet onto the table as he promoted it to the patrons.
Seated at that table was a rough-looking man, looking at him with a suspicious face.
“How much?”
“One copper coin per sheet!”
Thump! Now it was Old Chen's turn to huff and puff, his beard twitching. He had clearly been ripped off.
Qiu Zhiya lowered her head again, the edges of the paper crumpling under her tight grip. Why had that parchment scroll been made public? And who had leaked it? Innumerable questions swirled in her mind.
But none of that mattered anymore. A look of resolve flashed in her eyes. As long as this map was real...
What she would gain would be countless times more than a mere hundred taels of silver!
As if sensing her determination, everyone else at the table turned to look at her in unison, waiting for her decision.
Qiu Zhiya took a deep breath and slowly spread the map open on the table. Only after doing this did she raise her head, her eyes burning with intensity as she looked at everyone.
She pointed to the marked location on the northern side of the map.
“We set off tomorrow for the site of the secret treasure!”
This time, the number of people heading there would be terrifyingly large. No one who held a treasure map could remain indifferent. Among those who roamed the jianghu, who wasn't arrogant, and who didn't want to make a name for themselves?
And every person who obtained the treasure map couldn't help but wonder: Who on earth had leaked the Zhang Family's parchment scroll?
...
Yesterday afternoon.
The Second Prince had just finished handling the tedious affairs following his ascension. At this moment, he sat at his desk, a hint of exhaustion lingering in his eyes.
A batch of officials in the imperial court had already been purged. After witnessing his methods, those ministers who held actual power, though unwilling, still submitted their resignations to retire and return to their hometowns.
In less than a day, the entire imperial court had been stabilized.
As for the Second Prince's capability, even the Prime Minister spoke of him with nothing but praise, and even confidently predicted that the Second Prince's future achievements would absolutely not fall short of the old Emperor's!
After leaning against his chair to rest for a brief moment, the Second Prince reopened his eyes. He suddenly remembered something—the parchment scroll had not been brought to him yet.
“Ying,” the Second Prince called out, and a figure materialized beside him.
This was one of his trusted confidants.
“Has that parchment scroll not been delivered yet?” the Second Prince asked.
Ying shook his head. “It was already delivered at noon today.”
Hearing this, the Second Prince frowned. “In that case, why hasn't it been brought to me?”
A sudden silence fell over the room.
Receiving no reply, the Second Prince's frown deepened, and he asked in a cold tone.
“Speak.”
Ying lowered his head. “The parchment scroll was indeed delivered, but a handwritten copy has leaked among the commoners. By now, countless copies have already been made.”
Hearing this, a crack appeared in the Second Prince's indifferent facade, and the surrounding air turned several degrees colder.
“What did you say?”
...
Dozens of kilometers outside Fengcheng, two swift horses galloped across the grassland.
These two were none other than Fengqingzi and Jiang Moran. Wearing the mischievous smiles of people who had just pulled off a successful prank, they galloped toward the setting sun.
“Senior... Pavilion Master Su won't be in any trouble, right?”
“Oh, it's fine. Although her assets are still a bit short of a monarch's, she still controls a significant portion of Tianwu Kingdom's economic lifeline, after all.”
Jiang Moran didn't care about this in the least and laughed, “The Second Prince has just ascended the throne. He can take drastic measures against high-ranking court officials, but he must think twice before acting against those who sustain the livelihood of countless commoners.”
Hearing this, Fengqingzi nodded, though he still felt a bit of trepidation after their mischievous act.
“Treating the monarch of a nation like this... is it really alright?”
“Go on, where did all these rules come from?”
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