In the imperial study, Li Longji said to Li Heng, "We are very tired. Withdraw and rest."
Li Heng could only withdraw, leaving only Yang Guozhong and Gao Lishi at Li Longji's side. Gao Lishi smiled apologetically and said, "His Highness is still young and can be pardoned."
"Heng-er can be pardoned." Li Longji said. "But Li Jinglong's crimes cannot be forgiven. For the sake of putting on this play, he actually dared to dig up the ancestral grave of the Li Clan!"
Gao Lishi ordered the guards to bring in the witness, and it wasn't long before a guest of the Crown Prince arrived.
"On the eighteenth night of the third month," Gao Lishi said. "Did you see where the Crown Prince went?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Milords." The guest tactfully said, "The Crown Prince prepared a carriage that night and went to the Exorcism Department. This matter was the idea of Milords working together with His Highness and the Exorcism Department."
"What did you hear?" Li Longji was so angry that his entire body trembled. "Speak in detail, and We will not pursue the matter."
The guest was clearly a minor strategist that Gao Lishi had placed under Li Heng's command after bribing him with a large sum of money. He had long ago received Gao Lishi's instructions and made up a story on the spot.
How the Crown Prince hoped to persuade Li Longji to stop indulging in beauty, and how he happened to borrow Li Jinglong's Exorcism Department's arts to act mysterious and frighten His Majesty? Thus, Li Jinglong and the Crown Prince agreed to go to the imperial mausoleum to obtain the materials for the arts. Who would have expected that the matter would grow so big that Li Jinglong would be unable to control himself and would want to withdraw early? But the Crown Prince was extremely persistent, and that night, Li Heng went to persuade Li Jinglong.
After hearing this, Li Longji recalled Li Heng's expression and realized that he truly had something to say to Li Jinglong. After a long silence, Gao Lishi waved his hand to dismiss him. He then said to Li Longji, "Your Majesty, when this subject heard this person's story, I originally thought it to be nonsense and did not report it. This crime truly deserves ten thousand deaths …"
Li Longji indicated that there was no need to say more. Yang Guozhong then said, "Your Majesty, there is still one more witness. Shall I hear it now?"
The second witness arrived. Inside the study room, he kowtowed to Li Longji and said, "Wei Chen Cheng Xiao, the Minister of the Supreme Court, pays his respect to Your Majesty."
"How did Li Jinglong interfere with the imperial mausoleum?" Yang Guozhong asked.
"He said … since the Exorcism Division is taking over, the Exorcism Division will investigate from the beginning to the end," Cheng Xiao answered. "The Supreme Court can no longer interfere."
"When you entered the Zhao Mausoleum, did you see a black dragon?" Yang Guozhong asked.
When Li Longji heard this, he seemed to have thought of something and frowned.
"I haven't seen it," Cheng Xiao answered seriously, "Hongjun Kong said so, but I've never seen any black dragon."
"Are there any abnormalities in the imperial mausoleum?" Yang Guozhong asked again.
"Reporting to the Prime Minister," Cheng Xiao answered, "Qianling's interior is not abnormal. There are no footprints on the ground. The only abnormality is the dead soldiers. In the end, the demons under Li Jinglong's command caused my attendant to smell a kind of medicine. After returning, he couldn't remember anything … The contents are all in the records. May Your Majesty, Prime Minister, and General Gao please take a look. "
Yang Guozhong was just about to let Cheng Xiao leave when Li Longji said, "I heard that you and Li Jinglong are old acquaintances?"
Cheng Xiao bowed again. Li Longji said, "What do you think of this case?"
"The talk of ghosts and gods is really false." Cheng Xiao answered, "I don't know why, but it seems that since the beginning of last year, the number of strange things happening in Chang 'an has slowly increased. Rumors have spread …"
Li Longji's expression changed. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Yang Guozhong hurriedly said, "Forget it. You may leave."
Li Longji said, "Just say it. Zhen will pardon you."
"The nation's … that, there must be demons." Cheng Xiao lowered his head and answered, "If the nation's fate is placed on this false story, it will be easy for rumors to spread everywhere. Since the Exorcism Department exists, the people will believe that there are demons. This is inevitable."
"Demons, Zhen saw them with my own eyes." Li Longji seemed to become even older. He leaned on the couch and closed his eyes, saying, "Zhen also doesn't want to believe it."
Cheng Xiao said, "Sometimes, what you see with your own eyes is not necessarily true."
These words suddenly hit Li Longji's sore spot, just like Wu Jiong's "resurrection from the dead."
"Since you took over previously." Li Longji regained his composure and said, "You will still be in charge of this case. As for Li Jinglong, the imperial mausoleum is of great importance and is involved with the ancestral temple. He actually dared to collude …"
Taking into account Cheng Xiao's presence, Li Longji did not say "colluding with the crown prince". He only continued, "… Playing this trick, he must be taught a lesson! Detain him first. Whether he is a demon or a ghost, or someone deliberately mystifying things just to attack the Imperial Consort, Cheng Xiao, you must give Zhen an explanation before the birthday. "
Cheng Xiao hurriedly bowed and accepted the order. Gao Lishi said, "How should we deal with the remaining people of the Exorcism Department?"
Yang Guozhong said again, "Li Jinglong's subordinates all have unique skills. In my opinion, why don't we …"
In the Exorcism Department, Li Jinglong had been out for the entire afternoon and did not return for the entire night. However, it was common for people to be summoned into the palace. Hongjun and the others were also used to it. However, the next morning, when the Supreme Court came to summon everyone, the entire Exorcism Department instantly exploded.
"Record?" Mo Rigen said blankly, "Where is our Chief Scribe?"
"He was detained in the palace." Huang Yong wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and said, "Hurry up and record the case first. I didn't expect that it would still be exposed. Sigh!"
Everyone was shocked. Hongjun realized that something was wrong and immediately wanted to enter Xingqing Palace to find Li Jinglong. However, Huang Yong persuaded the people of the Exorcism Department in every possible way. He also told them the details of what had happened and that it was related to the Imperial Mausoleum. It seemed that the emperor was furious. He told everyone not to act rashly no matter what.
"I don't even know how to write Chinese characters. How can I record it?" Lu Xu said angrily.
"Do I have to record it too?" the Carp Demon said, "'Everyone' probably doesn't include me. I'm not human."
"Someone will write it for you. Just sign it." Huang Yong advised again, "Your family history has been messed with. At this time, you must not act rashly."
In the eyes of this group of exorcists, the army, officials, and even the human emperor were not a threat at all. Usually, because of Li Jinglong's suppression, they were polite to the mortals in this Chang 'an. Now that even Li Jinglong had been arrested, according to Hongjun's personality, he would definitely kill his way in and bring him out first.
After the recording, unexpectedly, the Supreme Court did not say anything else. Hongjun wanted to find Cheng Xiao, but Cheng Xiao avoided him and released everyone.
"I'm going to save the Chief Scribe." Hongjun suddenly said.
"I support you." Lu Xu said, "Let's go together."
"You two calm down!" Mo Rigen said, "Didn't we already discuss this?"
Everyone gathered in the Exorcism Department. Hongjun said, "What did we discuss? He's been arrested! Why does the emperor want to arrest him? "What was more troublesome was that he could not even find the enemy's target now!
"Xie Yu has made his move." Qiu Yongsi said, "The Chief Scribe has already informed us. If Xie Yu makes a move against us first, this will be the situation."
"Who could it be?" Hongjun asked.
"Yang Guozhong," Mo Rigen said without hesitation. "It's him. There's no running away."
Suddenly, Hongjun felt a sense of danger. In other words, the Exorcism Department's actions had always been under Xie Yu's surveillance. Li Jinglong had fallen into the enemy's hands, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive.
Lu Xu said, "The next step might be to deal with us. When will they come?"
Mo Rigen waved his hand and said, "Can't you guess Xie Yu's thoughts? He wants to use our hands to deal with people and things that he can't deal with. "
Hongjun looked anxious. Qiu Yongsi explained to him, "Don't worry, Hongjun. The Chief Scribe has already made arrangements. For the time being, we'll set up a leader … You, silly big guy. "
"You're the silly big guy." Mo Rigen said, "You're older than me, and you call me silly?"
Everyone: "…"
Usually, when Li Jinglong was around, the Exorcism Department would listen to Li Jinglong's orders. Occasionally, when he was not around, everyone was used to listening to Mo Rigen. It was as if there was a strange first-come-first-served system among this group of exorcists. According to the order in which everyone entered the Exorcism Department that day, of course, everyone had tacitly skipped Hongjun.
"Me and …" Mo Rigen looked at everyone and began to arrange their groups. He did not feel at ease leaving Lu Xu to anyone. Finally, he said, "Ashina Chong, let's go to the Yang residence to monitor the situation."
Ashina Chong nodded. Mo Rigen then said to Qiu Yongsi and Lu Xu, "You two go to An Lushan's barracks and scout for news. Don't alarm them."
Qiu Yongsi nodded. He glanced at Lu Xu and left with him.
"Hongjun and I will go to Xingqing Palace." Atay said to Mo Rigen.
Mo Rigen gave Atay a look, meaning that he had to watch over Hongjun. Atay immediately understood and nodded. Hongjun was originally very worried. Suddenly, he saw that his companions, who were usually very idle, were unexpectedly reliable at this special time. He immediately let out a sigh of relief.
When night fell, Hongjun carried the Carp Demon on his back and snuck out to the back of Xingqing Palace with Atay. He still remembered that half a year ago, when the Exorcism Division had carried out their first mission, Li Jinglong had nocked an arrow here and shot the little fox in the palace a hundred steps away.
"Second Brother was grabbing here and there, but he didn't catch the demon. Instead, he got caught himself." The Carp Demon said behind Hongjun's back. "What kind of logic is this?"
"Huang Yong said that he was framed …"
Hongjun was inexplicably anxious. He climbed up the palace wall and reached down to grab Atay. The two silently flipped over.
"It's your turn now, right?" The Carp Demon asked again.
Atay replied, "No matter who framed Elder Shi, their attitude is very obvious. They don't even need to make a move against us. They just need to wait for us to make a move and then send themselves to their door."
The person who set this up was extremely scheming and astute. The Exorcism Division only listened to Li Jinglong's orders. Once they detained him, no matter what they did, this group of people would definitely retaliate. If they wanted to capture someone, the prison would be like walking on flat ground to them. They could escape at any time.
Let the Supreme Court temporarily take them in? Cheng Xiao couldn't control them at all. Instead, it would be easy for them to beat him at his own game and use the investigation to turn the tables. The best way was to ignore them and wait for Hongjun to be eager to save someone and send himself to their door. This way, Li Jinglong wouldn't be able to clear his name.
When Hongjun heard this, he suddenly stopped. Atay comforted him, "Just be careful. Let's go."
In the garden of Xingqing Palace, three palace maids were playing with a parrot in the corridor. Atay took the Barbat from his back and signaled Hongjun to cover his ears. He gently played a few times and the melody spread. The palace maids leaned against the railing and fell asleep in the spring night.
The two tiptoed through the corridor. Atay explained to Hongjun, "Elder Shi suspects that if Xie Yu is in Chang 'an, he will definitely find a chance to deal with you. After all, the demon seed in your body is what Xie Yu wants the most …"
Hongjun's heart trembled. Atay comforted him again, "But as long as everyone is here, Xie Yu won't be able to touch you."
"Yes." When Hongjun heard this, he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart.
"Then how do we get rid of all the trouble?" Atay looked around and confirmed that there was no one around. He whispered, "The first step is naturally to choose to deal with Elder Shi first. As long as the Exorcism Division can't gain the Emperor's trust, it can be dismantled one by one. When the mausoleum incident happened, everyone was suspicious … Next, Xie Yu will think that he has control over Elder Shi and can negotiate with us … If I'm not wrong, Xie Yu will definitely take the initiative to find Mo Rigen … and we just need to make sure that Elder Shi is safe."
"Why do you usually discuss so many things?" Hongjun followed behind Atay and sneaked into the dark night. He asked, "Elder Shi didn't say a word to me."
"He's afraid that you'll feel uneasy." Atay smiled gently and replied, "He hopes that you'll be happy every day. Don't let these things become your worries."
Hongjun, "…"
When the two arrived outside the Imperial Study, Atay suddenly stopped.
In the thick ink-like night, a lingering black smoke condensed in the Imperial Garden and a huge figure appeared. It was the monster they saw in the Emperor's mausoleum! The guards outside the study didn't notice it and silently fainted on the ground.
The black smoke flew in from outside the walls of the Imperial Garden. Its whole body seemed to be crawling with thousands of insects. It slowly formed a body and walked towards the study where Li Longji was. Hongjun was shocked. When he turned to look at Atay, he was pulled by Atay and the two hid behind a pillar.
The monster gradually took shape. Its arms were touching the ground and its back was bent. Its body seemed to be filled with insects … Previously, the tomb was dark and they couldn't see anything clearly. Now that they saw it, the monster's hands were on the ground. It actually had the body of an ape!
Hongjun vaguely remembered that he had heard of this monster before. He immediately put down the Carp Demon and whispered, "Zhao Zilong, do you think this is an ape?"
"Gu Ape!" The Carp Demon hurriedly shouted, "Hongjun! Stay away from it! "
Atay was also dumbfounded. The two of them only wanted to enter the palace to find Li Jinglong. They didn't expect to meet this monster by accident. The next moment, the Gu Ape quickly transformed. From its body to its head, it shook off its imperial robes and changed into another appearance.
Hongjun grabbed the throwing knife and couldn't help but tremble. He said, "Who is that?"
"The Emperor …" Atay said, "I don't know who it is. Is it Li Zhi or Li Xian? Don't attack, Hongjun! Let's see the situation first! "
Hongjun suppressed the urge to go out. The Carp Demon said again, "This guy is extremely difficult to deal with. It will be difficult for your throwing knife to kill it. Hongjun, you must be careful!"
At this time, the Gu Ape transformed into a middle-aged man. He raised his hand and pointed at the Imperial Study. In an instant, the Imperial Study suddenly opened! The Gu Ape stepped in and Li Longji's frightened roar came from inside.
"Where did this monster come from? Men!"
Atay pulled Hongjun and the two rushed in front. No one knew what happened in the Imperial Study. In a moment, there was an explosion and countless Gu worms flew out of the Imperial Garden and into the sky. Hongjun looked in the direction the Gu worms flew. Atay said, "Check on His Majesty!"
The Imperial Study was brightly lit. Li Longji was lying on the chair and had fainted. Hongjun knew something was wrong. He went forward to check his breathing and then felt his pulse. Fortunately, he had only fainted due to excessive shock. Shouts could be heard from outside.
"There's an assassin …"
"Help …"
The Carp Demon shouted from outside, "Someone is here to catch you. Run!"
Hongjun pried open Li Longji's lips and fed him a pill to wake him up. He then turned and ran out with Atay. The Carp Demon had already found a place to hide. Hongjun and Atay rushed through the Imperial Garden. Someone immediately shouted, "The assassin is there!"
"Where did this idiot come from?"
Atay was really unlucky. He angrily turned around and wanted to give the guard a fierce slap. However, Hongjun was in front of him and said, "Run! It's too late! "
Hongjun flashed and entered a door. Atay also squeezed in. This place was actually behind a screen in the Falling Golden Flowers. Atay waved his fan and the lights in the Falling Golden Flowers were extinguished. The room was desolate. On the other side, another guard knocked on the door and said, "The assassin came here just now!"
"No one came."
Accompanied by the sound of zither strings, a low male voice slowly spoke.
There was actually someone in the Falling Golden Flowers! Hongjun and Atay looked at each other in shock.
"He entered from the front door and left from the back door." The male voice said again, "He went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony."
Outside, another voice said, "Thank you, Master Li Guinian!"
The person in the Falling Golden Flowers was indeed Li Guinian. After a few more zither strings, he said, "Come out."