Green Mountain
Chapter 221 - 175, The Blood Must Be Cold

Chapter 221: 175, The Blood Must Be Cold

The Feather Pill is the lifetime masterpiece of a medicine official, a treasure that stabilizes the Dao Court of the mountain.

Even in Huangshan Mountain and Laojun Mountain Dao Court, only two medicine officials could refine this pill.

Now, the exceedingly precious Feather Pill lay quietly on the ground. Everyone’s eyes, filled with unconcealed ardor—Jin Zhu, Lord Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, Meng Ji—yet no one dared pick it up.

Their gazes then shifted to Prince Jing, only to see him standing silently in the ancestral hall, looking down at the body of Princess Consort Jing for a long time without speaking.

The Jiefan Guard and the Thousand-Year Army, everyone quietly waited, leaving only the howling cold wind; despite the Liu Mansion being filled with people, it felt like an empty, desolate ruin.

A grand rebellion had come to an uneventful end, leaving nothing but feathers on the ground.

Silently, Lord Bai Long bent down, picked up the blood-stained Feather Pill, wiped it with his sleeve, and put it back into the box, "Prince, this Feather Pill..."

Prince Jing didn’t respond to him but said in a low voice, "Since Official Liu entered officialdom, he had successively served as Minister of the Ministry of Rites and Minister of Personnel. In the year that Your Majesty ascended to the throne, when the Imperial Capital was anxious and the Vassal Princes were restless, it was he and his father who rectified the chaos and stabilized the situation, aiding Your Majesty’s ascension to the throne. Though he made mistakes in his life, he also contributed greatly. Give him and his daughter a generous burial... and that Grandmaster Liu as well."

Feng Daban bowed in compliance and said, "Yes."

Prince Jing then turned his head and asked, "What about Lingyun? Why have I not seen her?"

Feng Daban answered, "She might have been sent away by Official Liu. Shall I pursue her?"

Prince Jing sighed, "Let her go."

He stepped out of the ancestral hall and walked towards the gate, "Let’s return to the Prince Mansion."

He had barely taken a few steps when he saw Lord Bai Long blocking the way, gently advising, "Prince, the Elephant Armor Camp and the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry have not yet been subdued. For your safety, please stay temporarily in this Liu Mansion before returning to Luocheng City."

Prince Jing stopped in his tracks, quietly staring at the gilded dragon-patterned mask. Lord Bai Long stood unyielding, meeting his gaze.

The atmosphere outside the ancestral hall suddenly tensed. Jiao Tu pursed her lips slightly, taking a small step closer to Lord Yun Yang.

Prince Jing looked towards the Jiefan Guard at the door of the ancestral hall, only to see them cloaked in raincoats, their faces hidden under the shadows of their bamboo hats, making it impossible to discern their expressions.

He then looked towards the Thousand-Year Army clad in armor, their helmets topped with red tassels, only to see these warriors of the Thousand-Year Army slowly resting their hands on the handles of their swords, ready as if to draw them at any moment.

Suddenly, Prince Jing burst into a smile, looking back at Official Liu still hanging from the ceiling, and said with a weathered voice, "Fine, as Lord Bai Long suggests, let us stay in this Liu Mansion for now. Thousand-Year Army, you are commanded to assist in quelling the rebellion and ensure that neither the Elephant Armor Camp nor the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry cause more trouble."

The General of the Thousand-Year Army hesitated to move.

Prince Jing, still smiling, said, "Can’t I command you anymore? Go now."

The General of the Thousand-Year Army bowed with folded hands, "Your subordinate obeys."

With that, he led the Thousand-Year Army away, and in an instant, the Liu Mansion was half empty.

Lord Bai Long, smiling, said, "Your Highness is profoundly wise, I deeply respect you. The Prime Minister has ordered that we nail down the Liu Family’s guilt solidly, leaving no room for civil servants to question. So, there are still many documents and testimonies that need your help to complete, and to organize the entire incident, bringing all who participated in the conspiracy to justice."

Prince Jing laughed heartily, "I’m tired today, let’s talk about this tomorrow. Lord Bai Long, you can be busy first; I will go back and rest."

Nearby, the Princely Heir, Bai Li, was still amidst the crowd, searching for Chen Ji’s figure, wanting to say something, but was pulled away by Prince Jing.

...

...

Before the scattered corpses of the Liu Family were cleared out, the Jiefan Guard had already dispersed throughout Liu Mansion to search and inventory the property.

The Jiefan Guard pulled out tables used for placing offerings in the ancestral hall, and four accountants sat in front of these tables, each with an abacus.

One accountant was responsible for counting the confiscated house deeds, one for counting the gold, silver, and copper coins, one for counting the Liu Family’s concealed land records, and one for counting the deeds of the slaves.

The beads of the abacuses clicked rapidly at the entrance of the Liu Family’s ancestral hall, a colossal whale collapsing with a thunderous crash amidst the bustling noise, breaking apart.

In the small alley across the ancestral hall, Lord Yun Yang and Jiao Tu approached Chen Ji with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Young man, long time no see."

Chen Ji, originally looking solemn watching Prince Jing leave, turned around with a smile upon hearing this, "When both of you were thrown in jail earlier, I felt it was a pity. Now seeing that you are both safe and sound, I’m relieved."

Lord Yun Yang grinned and asked, "Really relieved?"

"Yes, relieved."

Lord Yun Yang’s smile slowly faded, "Let me ask you, when we were exhuming the bodies for examination, were you the one who informed the Liu Family?"

Chen Ji was taken aback, "Why would Lord Yun Yang say that? I didn’t know you were going to exhume the bodies."

Jiao Tu tapped his shoulder with her delicate, pale fingers, smiling charmingly, "But you were the only one who knew we had inspected the Liu Family’s ancestral tomb. If it wasn’t you who leaked the information, find me the person who did, or else, hmm."

Chen Ji helplessly said, "What does this have to do with me?"

Lord Yun Yang answered with a smile, "That’s not up to you."

Just then, a chubby figure squeezed into the trio, grinning but not really smiling, pulling Chen Ji behind him, "Both of you capsized in the gutter, don’t blame the newcomer rashly. The Prime Minister had originally ordered me to secretly trip you up to reveal weaknesses, letting the Liu Family be caught off-guard. I didn’t expect you two to blunder into jail yourselves, saving me the trouble."

Lord Yun Yang stared at Jin Zhu, his handsome face slowly furrowing, "Jin Zhu, are you protecting him?"

Jin Zhu chuckled, "What’s this about protection? We all work for the Prime Minister, and should be as united as branches of the same tree. This time you successfully toppled the Liu Family, and he too contributed. Now, the Prime Minister has granted him a Cultivation Path; perhaps one day he’ll become a Grand Official, and you two..."