Chapter 862: Chapter 862: The Sky Is Falling
Lian Hua was so excited that her face turned red, she babbled incoherently, "Sir, I know where Xiao Hua Mei’s family is, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you..."
As she spoke, she recited the name of a southern town and roughly where the family might be located, along with Xiao Hua Mei’s real name.
Back when she promised to take Xiao Hua Mei home during their escape, she specifically asked Xiao Hua Mei where her family was, and they exchanged names.
She remembered it, but these memories were buried deep within her, and as her memory recovered, she recalled forgotten matters, including Xiao Hua Mei’s home location.
Strangely enough, it might have been due to Divine Doctor Huang suppressing her memory initially, her memory worsened later, but after recovery, her memory seemed to have improved.
"Slow down, slow down." The Emperor quickly steadied her, solemnly noted her words, and said, "I have noted down what you’ve said, and once we locate it, we will send her back to her homeland."
This fulfills the last wish of the little girl, although it’s unknown if the news of her demise will be too much for her parents to bear, but compared to having their daughter lost in a foreign land as a wandering ghost, they would likely prefer this.
This is the only option.
Lian Hua nodded forcefully, her eyes moist as she tightly embraced the Emperor, "Brother Zhao, having you is truly wonderful, meeting you is the luckiest thing in my life..."
The Emperor’s heart surged with emotions; meeting her, wasn’t it also his luckiest event...
He would fulfill her wishes, help the escort masters and her neighbors who had assisted her, sending people to search and treat them well on her behalf.
He would love her, protect her, ensuring her life is worry-free, growing old together...
...
The next day, in a tea house in the Capital.
Someone ran past the tea house, shouting, "Big news, something serious has happened, hurry, go and see, there’s someone beating the drum to file a grievance in Shuntian Prefecture! It’s a big issue!"
The voice was loud and clamorous, causing the people listening to storytelling inside the tea house to frown immediately.
Someone immediately dismissed it scornfully, "Tch, unfamiliar with things, making a fuss over nothing, what’s so major about someone beating the drum to file a grievance?"
These days, there’s been quite an upheaval in the Capital, which isn’t a major event?
First, there was Zhao Zhong plotting against the Imperial Heir, then numerous court officials were implicated, revealing various cases, and border generals acting recklessly due to the Emperor being far away, causing problems, even uncovering several wrongful verdicts, leaving many bewildered.
The biggest case among them is none other than Minister of Revenue Xue Ping’s treason.
Recently, people throughout the Capital and the nation, whether ordinary citizens, scholars, or students, have been discussing this matter, even storytellers in tea houses narrate it with great excitement.
The matter has developed to such an extent that everyone in the Capital knows Xue Ping, who served for decades, possesses an outward righteous appearance, a model of hypocrisy, unworthy to be a court official, failing the Emperor’s trust.
People passing by the sealed Xue Family express their disgust, unable to hold back spitting harshly.
Spit, for His Majesty trusted this Scoundrel Xue so much, nearly bestowing the title of Duke of Loyalty and Righteousness upon him, yet he harbored ambitions and raised private soldiers for the Rebel Prince, hiding deeply.
Luckily, our wise Emperor, at the critical moment, discerned the vile man’s ambitions in advance, resolving the military threat without bloodshed, else unimaginable disaster could have ensued.
Back then, during the Rebel Prince’s rebellion, many citizens suffered, now the people in the Capital still remember, spitting disdainfully on such individuals.
The things people despised don’t stop there; the Xue Family has deep roots, truly a den of filth, too filthy, doing countless evil deeds, bullying men and women, causing countless deaths.
In the past, when Xue Ping held power, he oppressed people, leaving victims’ relatives no choice but to accept things silently, now these matters have come to light, causing furious indignation among the people.
The above matters, in all their detail, have made the Xue Family issue the most talked about topic in the Capital.
When the shouting outside the tea house occurred, it was just someone beating the drum to file a grievance, those inside paid little attention, soon redirecting their focus to the storyteller again.
The storyteller continued, "Now let’s say Xue Ping joined forces with Kui Bao, who is Kui Bao, eight feet tall, with a tiger’s back and bear waist, covered in a bushy beard, resembling sharp nails and needles, possessing immense strength, stamping his foot causing three quakes in Northern Liaoning, rougher than a bear, yet crooked-eyed, first colluding with the Rebel Prince to revolt, slaughtering innocents..."
A few scholars sitting at the tea house’s second-floor table were talking about other matters, the shout outside barely registered with them.
Scholar Zheng mockingly remarked, "... What did I say back then, the Tian Family was bound to have trouble sooner or later, see, hasn’t it happened? Now Tian Cuozi is desperately distancing himself from the Tian Family main line, like he’s righteously avenging a personal grievance, tsk, that expression is truly unbearable."
The rest nodded continuously, condemning them as shameless to the extreme.
Scholar Zheng felt his heart swell with satisfaction, adding, "Fortunately, everyone in the Capital knows him to be a hypocrite, hardly anyone associates with him anymore, even those previously mixed with him severed ties, hmph, finally this fame-seeker is lonely."
"Is that so?" Student Wu recalled seeing something a few days ago and questioned, "But Brother Zheng, I saw some scholars with Tian Cuozi a few days ago..."
Scholar Zheng, surprised, replied, "How could that be? Are there truly blind and foolish people?"
Another scholar speculated, "Could they be outsiders, recently arrived in the Capital?" It’s understandable to be deceived when you’re unaware.
Student Wu pondered, "Maybe, when they were introducing themselves, I vaguely heard someone say they were from Taiyuan Prefecture, Brother Li, Brother Jiang or something?"
Others were shocked, simultaneously saying, "Taiyuan Prefecture?!"
Before they could understand further, greater commotion erupted outside the tea house: "Something happened with Lian Mu from Taiyuan Prefecture, unbelievable, turns out he faked identity to take the civil exam..."
This exclamation stirred the entire tea house.
Originally, those dismissing the earlier shout now stood up upon hearing the name Lian Mu from Taiyuan Prefecture.
This was the Jieyuan Gong, famed throughout the Capital, unmatched in elegance, with outstanding looks, his talent exceeding that of the top scholars, surpassing even the top candidates, undoubtedly the best contender for next year’s Hui Shi top scorer.
But he was an imposter?!
What’s going on!!!
It’s as if the sky is falling, utterly shocking!
Someone immediately ran outside, grabbing the shouting person to get clarification.
The person, hurriedly spoken a few words, said he only heard about it, urged others to go quickly, or the place would disperse, quickly pulling his sleeve free and sprinting toward Shuntian Prefecture.
Everyone, upon hearing it’s at Shuntian Prefecture, couldn’t bother to understand further, dashed to follow him.