"Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Jin Zhihua, where is he?"
Upon seeing blood, Yang Ge’s tone became even calmer.
So calm that it sent shivers down Nangong Feiying’s spine!
He lamented in his heart that Yang Ge’s attitude was exactly what they had anticipated... and the very last thing they wanted to see!
If only Yang Ge were willing to sit down and listen to them for a few moments, there might still be a way to delay matters.
But he wouldn’t even sit; all their careful calculations were as inconsequential as a feather in a flood...
"Jin Zhihua is hiding in the Inviting Moon Pavilion, I’ll lead you there!"
Resigning himself to his fate, Nangong Feiying turned his horse around and led Yang Ge out of the alley.
With a squeeze of his legs, Yang Ge followed Nangong Feiying, and the thunderous sound of horse hooves burst forth once more.
A hundred riders swept over the long street, as buildings and houses whizzed by like trees on the roadside...
Shortly after, Nangong Feiying led Yang Ge to the front of a quaint, three-story brothel.
The doors of the brothel were tightly shut, the inside pitch black; no light of candles was seen, nor any sound of people heard, as if it were completely empty.
Nangong Feiying, however, pointed confidently inside, indicating that their man was within...
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Yang Ge looked up at the golden signboard reading "Inviting Moon Pavilion" and gestured forward with a wave of his hand.
"Enter!"
The brocade-clad guards dismounted and, drawing their swords, broke down the door to rush inside.
Amid the chaos of squawks and barks, a furious roar erupted from within the brothel: "This is Prince Wu’s property, how dare you—"
Nangong Feiying bellowed at the top of his lungs, cutting off the roar from inside: "Save your mother’s fart, with Marquis Luting and his imperial guards here, you dare to yelp so brazenly?"
"Prince Wu..."
Yang Ge whispered the name to himself, drew his precious cold moon blade with its scabbard from the saddle, and slowly dismounted. With a light step, he shattered the four panels of the door and walked inside.
Nangong Feiying, not daring to obstruct, could only follow behind him, trying to suppress his inner turmoil as he spoke softly, "Second Master, Prince Wu is just a fool with no lofty aspirations, only indulging in food and pleasure. You are magnanimous, please don’t stoop to his level."
Yang Ge suddenly stopped, turned his head to look at Nangong Feiying beside him, and upon seeing his cautious, servile manner, a surge of unspoken bitterness welled up in his heart: "Can you... give me back my friend, Nangong Feiying, with whom I’ve shared life and death?"
Confronted with his slightly reddened eyes, Nangong Feiying opened his mouth, but a torrent of thoughts filled his heart, rendering him speechless.
Yang Ge watched as he slowly lowered his eyelids, unable to meet his gaze, and with a disappointed sigh, turned back and continued into the brothel.
However, the quiet sigh that reached Nangong Feiying’s ears was like a thunderclap. His body broke out in goosebumps, the panic and sordidness that filled his heart dissipated like mist in the wind...
He slapped himself hard on the cheek, trying to calm down, to think of the bigger picture, to plan for the long term.
Calm, calm, calm...
To hell with calm!
"King of Wu deserves to die!"
He straightened his long-slouched chest and strode after Yang Ge, who had already entered the darkness, and shouted, "Along with the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and a bunch of corrupt officials, he has massively inflated grain prices, hoarded supplies, and profited from national crises in Shaanxi, Gansu, and other places, disregarding the livelihood of the people and plunging countless citizens into misery... A hundred deaths would not atone for his crimes!"
He hadn’t wanted to protect King of Wu before.
It was just that he feared Yang Ge would extend this blaze to the royal family.
Now... let there be chaos!
If need be, they would start anew!
Yang Ge glanced over his shoulder; the light inside the front hall was too dim to see Nangong Feiying’s face clearly, but he saw a pair of reddened eyes.
He smiled, relieved, and said softly, "Welcome back, Feiying."
Nangong Feiying felt a lump in his throat, and with a grimace that was uglier than crying, he managed a smile and bowed his fist, "Feiying has disgraced you!"
Since his early years entering the palace, everyone viewed him as a servant, a hawk dog.
Only Yang Ge and the others had treated him like a friend...
"Nonsense."
Yang Ge patted his broad shoulder and said, "You all have it tough too."
Just then, a group of tiger-like guards brought before him an elderly man dressed in splendid attire: "Sir, this man is in charge here!"
Yang Ge uttered a low "Hmm" and stepped forward, slapping the top of the elder’s head, pushing it down into his chest...
The elder, who had surrendered voluntarily at the mention of Marquis Luting’s name, didn’t get a chance to utter a single word.
Chaos reigned inside the brothel with the high-pitched screams of women and the fierce bellowing of the guards echoing throughout.
Yang Ge looked around, casually picked up a stool, and motioned for Nangong Feiying to sit with him.
Nangong Feiying did not sit down, instead, he quickly stepped out of the brothel’s main hall, pulled out a golden tablet from his chest, and shouted to the gathered Western Depot operatives outside the door, "People, by my order, alert the officials at the fourteen city gates to lock the gates tightly. Without imperial decree, anyone who dares to open the gates will be exterminated, family and all!"
"Yes, long live the Emperor, long live, long live!"
The Western Depot operatives knelt and kowtowed.
"Man, issue orders to the Five City Soldiers and Mars Command: strictly enforce the curfew, seal off neighborhoods, markets, and streets. Without the imperial decree, no one is allowed to pass. Execute anyone who dares to breach this order!"
"Yes..."
"Somebody, send orders to the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Northern Pacification Commission, deploy patrol guards throughout the city, lock down the entire city, and suppress any unrest!"
"Yes..."
The operatives of the Western Depot scattered, heading in different directions.
Nangong Feiying put away the tablet, turned back to the hall, and saw that a group of fierce guards had already lit candles and were bringing in a row of trembling, disheveled guards to kneel before Yang Ge.