That night, everyone set the table for dinner.
"Look at you guys." Li Jinglong picked up a chopstick and lectured them, "You should at least show some respect by kneeling."
Mo Rigen replied, "How could you think of so much?"
Atay said helplessly, "My family has special permission to not kneel when we see Emperor Taizong."
Li Jinglong, "…"
Mo Rigen said, "To be honest, Elder Censor, my family also has special permission to not kneel when we see the Emperor of the Central Plains. We just need to pay a thousand respects."
Li Jinglong looked at Qiu Yongsi. Qiu Yongsi said, "My family … has a saint among our ancestors. We don't have to kneel … uh, we don't have to kneel to mortals."
Li Jinglong raised his hand, meaning, "Okay, okay, okay. Anyway, I'm already kneeling. It's none of your business."
Hongjun was still eating the cake from the afternoon until the evening. Li Jinglong glanced at him and asked, "What's your background?"
Hongjun said, "My father said that my family doesn't have to kneel when we see the Jade Emperor and Buddha."
Everyone, "…"
"Hongjun!" The Carp Demon scooped rice from the table and stopped him from talking nonsense. He didn't want to reveal too much about his background. Hongjun said, "But next time, you should tell me in advance. It's okay for me to kneel. Anyway, my father doesn't know. I'm just afraid that the person kneeling will shorten my lifespan."
Qiu Yongsi suddenly laughed and said, "Then the next time you see a monster, just kneel down with a plop and kowtow three times to the monster. You'll end its lifespan, and everyone won't have to fight so hard."
"That's right!" Hongjun suddenly felt that it made sense. He could try it next time.
"You guys …" Li Jinglong couldn't take it anymore and said, "Come and eat. Hongjun, don't eat that cake anymore. You can't eat anymore."
"You're looking down on me!" Hongjun snorted at Li Jinglong's provocation.
Li Jinglong had a worried frown on his face the whole time. When he woke up from his sleep, his worries were still there. The Exorcism Division's case couldn't be closed. Hongjun's flying knife had not been found yet. Daming Palace would soon come to ask for compensation. Last night, the Flying mastiff's conversation..... Forget it, eat first... eat.....
For a moment, no one spoke in the hall. It seemed that everyone had something on their mind. Finally, Li Jinglong put down the bowl and breathed a sigh of relief. Qiu Yongsi went to make tea. Ah Tai smiled and comforted him, "Chief, there is no obstacle in life that cannot be overcome. Let's talk."
..................
Li Jinglong looked at the subordinates in front of him warily, afraid that something big would happen again.
Atay said, "There are some things that I can't always hide from you …"
Li Jinglong's heart sank to the bottom. Thinking that he would die anyway, he said, "Forget it, forget it. I'm unlucky. Say it. Anyway, my head has fallen off."
"It's not that serious...." Atay said, "Elder, actually … I lied to you before. My name is not Hammorabi. My surname is Isai. My full name is Tegra Isai. Isai. I'm not a Tocharian. My hometown is Persia. "
Li Jinglong was confused and said, "What's wrong with Isai? Isai … "
In an instant, Li Jinglong reacted and was shocked.
"You … you're Sassanid's …" Li Jinglong said with a trembling voice. "Crown Prince?!"
Atay said with a bit of melancholy, "It should be called 'the former Sassanid dynasty'. After all, my father, grandfather, mother, and family … have all passed away. I'm the only one left. "
Hongjun did not know what the 'Sassanid dynasty' was, but when he heard that his family had passed away, he thought of himself and could not help but pat Atay's shoulder to comfort him.
Li Jinglong was extremely shocked. He frowned and asked, "Why … didn't you go and see His Majesty?"
"The family couldn't fulfill its promise." Atay stroked his brown curly hair and said calmly, "Great-grandfather lost the Anxi Protectorate granted by the Tang Dynasty in the Battle of Talas. Grandfather borrowed troops from the Tang Dynasty to restore the country, but in the end …"
"In the end, after sending the troops to Tocharia, the troops left on their own," Li Jinglong replied.
Atay was slightly surprised and asked, "You know?"
Li Jinglong asked, "And then?"
Atay sighed. When Isai defeated Persia and the capital was occupied by the Ramadan, the royal family began to go into exile. Isai III, Atay's great-grandfather, borrowed troops from the Tang Dynasty and established the Anxi Protectorate. Later, he built the Persia Protectorate in Jiling.
But the good times did not last long. In just a few short years, the last piece of territory supported by the Tang Dynasty was lost to the Ramadan. His son, Atay's grandfather, Bellus, brought Atay's father, Nieshi, back to borrow troops.
After Li Zhi of Gaozong sent troops, they were escorted back to Tocharia. After several decades, the original deployment had fallen apart and the people were dispirited. Pei Xingjian, the commander at the time, sent the homeless Prince of Persia to Tocharia and then withdrew his troops.
Nieshi then returned to the Central Plains. The Tang Dynasty had already changed. Li Xian of Gaozong made him the Left Weiwei General and did not mention the matter of borrowing troops again. In just two short years, Nieshi saw that there was no hope of reviving the country, so he returned to Tocharia. Ten years later, he gave birth to a son named Tegra, who was Atay in front of him.
Since the moment Persia was destroyed, the four Persian Princes had traveled thousands of miles for this fleeting wish, from the Western Region to the Central Plains and then out of the Western Region. On such an autumn night, when it came from Atay's mouth, there was a hint of desolation and despair.
"Pei Xingjian is my grandfather," Li Jinglong suddenly said.
Atay: "…"
"I'm sorry for what happened back then." Li Jinglong sighed.
"What does it have to do with you?" Atay laughed and said, "If it were me, seeing that there was no hope of reviving the country, I wouldn't give up the lives of 20,000 soldiers in the Western Region."
Li Jinglong sighed. Mo Rigen replied, "The Ramadan country has a strong army. It's not smart to fight a long and drawn-out war. We have to find a way to break it from the inside."
Atay nodded and said, "Actually, I know. Before my father died, he already told me to give up. He said, 'Atay, I hope you can live your life well. Don't be like your grandfather and I, and spend your whole life …'"
At this point, Atay fell silent. After a long silence, Hongjun said, "But you still want to do it, right?"
Atay smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his smile. Hongjun could understand him. Just before he left the mountain, Chong Ming and Qing Xiong also had the same expectations for him. Although they said to forget about it, Hongjun also felt that he must do it.
But, what made him sympathize with Atay the most was that the person he had high hopes for was already dead.
"How many subordinates do you have now?" Li Jinglong asked, "Have you brought them here?"
Li Jinglong's words were straightforward, and Atay's eyes suddenly lit up with hope.
"They are all in Tocharia." Atay replied, "There are more than a hundred people, led by a friend of mine."
Li Jinglong sighed heavily, got up and walked out of the courtyard. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Atay, how did you learn these skills?"
Atay was born when Ni Shi was 50 years old. Zoroastrianism used to be Persia's national religion, but it was naturally replaced after the fall of the Sassanid Dynasty. At that time, the high priest regarded Atay as his only disciple. Atay had the power to control fire, earth, thunder, and water, and could also control the Divine Hurricane Fan. He was regarded as the Prince of Saint Virtue, but the high priest died before Ni Shi. Today, there were still many followers of Zoroastrianism left in the Central Plains, but they had disappeared in the Ramadan Kingdom.
"What do you need me to do for you?" Li Jinglong turned and asked.
"I am willing to contribute my strength to Chang 'an." Atay replied, "The Tang Dynasty has always been Persia's strongest ally. I can do anything here. I hope that one day, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty will lend me troops to bring back to restore the country."
This was easier said than done. Everyone in the hall knew that even if the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was not willing to offend the Ramadan Kingdom, what were the chances of winning?
"I will try my best."
In the end, Li Jinglong said seriously, "But this matter can't be rushed."
Atay nodded and replied, "This time, I have already mentally prepared myself for coming to Chang 'an. In this prosperous era, I am very tired. If the Demon King of Chang' an is not eliminated, I am afraid that the Tang Dynasty will not be able to take care of itself. Lending me troops is out of the question."
Li Jinglong instantly frowned, "Demon King?"
Qiu Yongsi said lightly, "Wherever a large number of demons gather, there must be a Demon King. Now in Chang 'an, there must be two Demon Kings. One is in the light, and he is the True Dragon Son that we met today. The other is in the dark, and he is the Demon King who controls the nearly ten thousand demons in the capital. "
Mo Rigen thought for a moment and said, "I am not sure about Hongjun, but to be honest … the three of us are here for this Demon King."
"Where is the Demon King?" Li Jinglong had just asked when there was suddenly a visitor outside.
"Exorcism Division's Chief Inspector Li," Lian Hao said politely outside the door, "Huang Yong, Huang Shaoqing of the Supreme Court, invites you."
Li Jinglong's heart suddenly thumped, knowing that the Daming Palace's secret had been exposed. Everyone looked at each other and was about to stand up, but Li Jinglong did not let them leave and indicated that he would settle it himself.
"Will he be tied up and beaten?"
Hongjun still had lingering fears of hearing the screams of prisoners being tortured the last time he went to the Supreme Court.
Qiu Yongsi comforted him, "That's impossible. If he doesn't come back tomorrow morning, we will think of a way to get him out."
"We have already spent all our money, and such a big thing has happened," Atay said, "We don't know anyone in Chang 'an, how can we get him out?"
Mo Rigen held his forehead with one hand. They had worked so hard to catch a demon, but now they had to rescue their own superior. He did not know what he had done wrong.
"Come!" Atay saw that the atmosphere was a little heavy, so he suggested, "Let's forget about those bad things. I will play a song for you all!"
Qiu Yongsi could not help but ask, "Do you think the Chief Inspector will listen?"
Atay plucked the strings of the zither and answered, "I think he will listen, but you all … it's better if you don't say too much."
Hongjun, "???"
"Including you," Mo Rigen said to Hongjun. "Hongjun, you trust people too easily."
Hong Jun felt that the other two must have had their own reasons. However, Ah Tai was actually the Prince of Persia. This was something he had never expected.
"Are you princes too?" Hongjun asked.
He thought that Mo Rigen and Qiu Yongsi would laugh, but unexpectedly Mo Rigen nodded and said, "I guess so."
"Uh …" Qiu Yongsi answered, "It's hard to say. I don't know if I am or not, but I guess I can be, if you all recognize me."
The Carp Demon climbed out of the pond and rested his head on the side of the pond, saying, "Our Hongjun is a prince too. Who isn't a prince?"
Everyone laughed. Atay raised his hand and was about to clap with Hongjun, saying, "I knew it!"
"Very good!"
Because they shared the same identity, they were much closer to each other. Atay was about to play the zither when Hongjun could not help but ask, "Atay, I really want to listen to the zither, but I have to interrupt you again. Where is the Demon King?"
Atay raised his head, and everyone paused.
Mo Rigen asked, "Are you looking for him too?"
Hongjun thought about it and looked at the Carp Demon. Seeing that the Carp Demon did not speak, he nodded.
"Why?" Qiu Yongsi asked.
"Never mind." Mo Rigen gestured for Qiu Yongsi to stop asking and said, "That's not important. Hongjun, you're on our side."
"Of course." Hongjun understood Mo Rigen's meaning and said, "No matter if I subdue him or kill him, I'm still his enemy."
Everyone showed an expression of "That's good." Qiu Yongsi paced around the courtyard and said, "The Demon King has yet to appear, so no one knows his identity or where he really is. But one thing we can be sure of is that he's very close to the Emperor, maybe even right next to him. "
"That's a Hei Jiao," Hongjun suddenly said.
The other three were stunned. Mo Rigen unconsciously licked his lips. Qiu Yongsi said, "I knew it! Let's look for him slowly. There's bound to be some clues. Compared to where he's hiding, I'm more worried that with our current strength, we're no match for him. "
Hongjun sighed and said, "We lost one of the four flying daggers. If we can find the Thunder Dagger, the flying daggers will be able to unleash their full power. Right now, we can only fight small demons."
Hongjun's identity was the most mysterious. Although Yuren did not know where he came from, one thing was for sure: this kid was above the common populace. It was very likely that he was the disciple of some immortal. But since he didn't say anything, no one asked.
"So, Hongjun, you came to Chang 'an to subdue the Demon King?" Atay asked.
The three looked at Hongjun. Hongjun nodded and said, "Yes."
Everyone was relieved. Obviously, they had guessed Hongjun's identity a lot. Most of them guessed that he was a demon. With a Carp Demon by his side, it was very likely that he wasn't one of them. But as long as they had the same goal in the short term, everything was fine.
"For our common goal of subduing Chang 'an Monster King," Atay said. "Let us listen to the passionate battle music!"
Everyone cheered together. No matter how difficult the future would be, there was nothing wrong with being happy once in a while. Thus, Atay began to play the piano while Hongjun went to look for a bowl to knock on. Everyone began to listen to music.
At the same time, Li Jinglong was standing in the brightly lit courtroom of the Supreme Court. He was physically and mentally exhausted. The food cooked by the Carp Demon was too salty, making him very thirsty.
If he had Qiu Yongsi's magic, what Li Jinglong wanted to do the most right now was to draw all these people into the painting with a stroke of the brush. Then, he could bring back peace to himself and peace to the Tang Dynasty.
"From the beginning to the end, I've already said it three times," Li Jinglong said, "I swear, I'm not hiding anything."
Gao Lishi held great power in his hands and was like the sun at noon. The Exorcism Division was still under Yang Guozhong's jurisdiction in name. Originally, on account of Yang Guozhong, he had let go of the small matters. However, Li Jinglong had brought a group of subordinates and destroyed at least ten percent of the Daming Palace. Moreover, he had confessed that he was "catching demons". How was he going to deal with this?
"I believe you," Gao Lishi said with a smile, "but how do you want me to report to His Majesty?"
"Report truthfully," Li Jinglong was not afraid at all, "The Chang 'an demons have been causing trouble for a long time. All of this is just the beginning. Sooner or later, we will uncover the demon king behind the scenes. At that time, I'm afraid that General Gao will have more to report. "
As soon as he said this, everyone was shocked when they heard the two words "demon king".
"You're simply exaggerating," the Minister of Justice, Wen You, could not bear it any longer and said, "Li Jinglong, I think you're crazy!"
Li Jinglong laughed heartily and said, "Then how do you explain the confessions of Da Ming Palace's palace maids who saw the demon pass by with their own eyes, the officers and soldiers who saw the demon at the city gate? Even Commander Hu, have you gone crazy as well? "
Hu Sheng's expression became extremely strange in an instant. At this time, he realized that he had stepped into Li Jinglong's trap.
Li Jinglong had to leave a witness this time no matter what. This time, Hu Sheng could not deny it and could only say, "I saw the fox demon with my own eyes. It was indeed as Li Jinglong said. I don't know what happened after that."
Gao Lishi was simply stunned. However, the Minister of Works, Qin Xiaokang, said, "Even if it's true, how are you going to explain the destruction of the Daming Palace?"
"That was destroyed by demons," Li Jinglong said, "It has nothing to do with me or my subordinates."
"Then you mean that we should seek compensation from the demons?" the Minister of Rites said slowly.
Li Jinglong could not bear it any longer and said, "Daren, do you know how many people will die in the future if those demons are allowed to wreak havoc in the Chang 'an?"
"Li Jinglong." Gao Lishi frowned deeply. He was already very impatient and said, "That's enough. Don't quibble anymore. Get out."
Li Jinglong, "…"
Li Jinglong's blood rushed to his head. He almost could not control himself and was about to quarrel. However, the Supreme Court's Disciplinary Guards on his left and right squeezed him forward, forcing him out.
"This lunatic was personally appointed by the Imperial Concubine. I originally wanted to send him off with a fake job. I didn't expect that he would cause such a big trouble as soon as he took office …"
This was the last sentence Li Jinglong heard Qin Xiaokang say in front of the Hall of Trials. Immediately, the Disciplinary Guards brought him to the pitch-black drill ground outside the Hall of Trials and let him wait for the results.
"Do you believe it?" Gao Lishi asked again.
The people at the table looked at each other. No one dared to speak. In their hearts, they believed most of it. Otherwise, there was no way to explain such a strange thing. However, they could not let the Emperor of Shengming know that demons were running rampant.
Huang Yong said, "In my opinion, why don't we use the excuse that the Great Ming Palace was hit by a hurricane at night and the rammed earth was loose and close the case first? The Ministry of Works will send skilled craftsmen to repair it day and night …"
The Minister of Works snorted. What he meant was, 'Why should the Ministry of Works be the scapegoat for the trouble caused by the Supreme Court?'
Gao Lishi smiled and spread his hands. He said, "The Exorcism Division is under Prime Minister Yang's jurisdiction. What can we do?"
"I think the Right Prime Minister probably doesn't know about this yet." The Minister of Justice, Wen You, said.
"This time, we'll let it go for the sake of the Right Prime Minister. What about next time?" Qin Xiaokang said coldly. "Every time?"
"What can I do?" Gao Lishi smiled. "I'm also very troubled. Everyone, I should be drinking at home right now. I was summoned here in the middle of the night and listened to such a heavenly story. "
"Since you already believe it," Huang Yong said, "it's not a story. Back then, Di Lao founded the Exorcism Division to … "
"Whether it's true or not." The Minister of Justice interrupted coldly. "Once this matter spreads, it will definitely cause panic in Chang 'an. Once it's out of control, he can't be allowed to continue like this. We have to close down this ridiculous yamen. No matter how fierce a demon is, it's still flesh and blood. If the case is placed in the Supreme Court, won't we be able to catch demons? "
Wen You was Huang Yong's immediate superior. When he said this, Huang Yong could only shut up and nod.
Gao Lishi said, "He was personally appointed by the Imperial Concubine …"
"General Gao." Wen You leaned forward and said, "If you allow this fellow to continue, he'll cause even bigger trouble in the future. I'm afraid that even Prime Minister Yang will be implicated!"
Gao Lishi's eyes darted around and he did not speak.
"Even if the Daming Palace collapses, it can still be repaired." The Minister of Rites said, "What if the next time it's the ancestral temple that's destroyed?"
Gao Lishi immediately shuddered. This sentence was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
"But we have to inform the Prime Minister about this matter." Gao Lishi pondered and said, "We have to consider the Imperial Concubine's reputation."
"That's natural." The rest of the people agreed and reached a consensus. The clerk began to write the transfer order. Wen You said, "Don't let it go through an internal investigation. I'll go to the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow. I presume that Li Jinglong's transfer order hasn't taken effect yet. Just stop it."
Gao Lishi nodded and said, "Your Majesty's imperial decree and Prime Minister Yang's side can be left to me. Commander Hu, Li Jinglong's following arrangements will still be left to you. You're his old superior, so you must make sure that he doesn't cause trouble. I'll also have to trouble you to make a trip to Feng Changqing's side. "
What could Hu Sheng say? He could only smile bitterly and nod.
Thus, everyone made the decision to wipe out the entire Exorcism Department in one stroke. This was to prevent more and more trouble in the future, causing everyone to lose their official positions and their heads. The Emperor was wise, but he couldn't do anything about being implicated by a useless teammate. According to the previous dynasty's Lai Junchen case, officials lost their heads like harvesting wheat. Naturally, they felt that this decision was necessary.