Only the men from Nanzhao would address him as such. It was just as Su Xi-er had predicted, Yun Ruofeng would make contact with him even if Qin Ling didn’t reach out first.
The man in black fell silent, only raising his hand in an inviting gesture before quickly turning and rounding the corner. Qin Ling contemplated for a moment before following the man. Mei Jinxiu’s words rang in his mind as he did so. It’s not wise to be blindly loyal!
Unbeknownst to either of the two men, one of Ning Rulan’s subordinates from Nanzhao had been following Qin Ling.
~~~
In the meantime, another one of her subordinates reported the situation to Su Xi-er back at the compound. “Eldest Imperial Princess, just as expected, Prince Yun’s men had made contact with Qin Ling. Qin Ling followed the man, and it seems as if he agrees with your plans.”
Su Xi-er said, “What Mei Jinxiu said probably affected him.” She then turned to Pei Qianhao and said, “A-Jing, let’s see how it goes.” She had never thought that she and Yun Ruofeng would be on opposing sides one day.
She used to hate him, but he had gradually lost most of his influence as time passed, and Ning Lianchen successfully ascended to the throne. Having also found happiness in her current life, she couldn’t have cared less about Yun Ruofeng. However, he had continued his evil deeds, and even dragged the innocent commoners of Beimin into their quarrel.
Mei Jinxiu and Yu Xiao then walked into the room and glanced at each other before the former spoke up. “There’s a methodYu Xiao came up with that we can try; we just need to gather the herbs first. I’ll need five days to prepare everything, and we must stop the spread of Yinluo Grass during this time.”
“A-Jing has already given the order for streets, clinics and even homes to be checked thoroughly. Jinxiu, there will be soldiers stationed at your clinic to guard you, so put all your focus into your research.” Su Xi-er said.
Mei Jinxiu nodded and left with Yu Xiao shortly after.
Pei Qianhao and Su Xi-er didn’t get a wink of sleep that night, and by the next morning, the county office had already identified all of the rioting commoners. An imperial edict was issued shortly after, and the sight of Imperial Army guards patrolling the streets made the commoner’s nervous.
Those who were involved in the commotion at the compound last night had been taken away so that the imperial physicians could check if they had indeed ingested Yinluo Grass. All fruits and vegetables in the city were being checked thoroughly, nobody was allowed to leave the city, and those who wanted to enter underwent strict checks.
The busiest street in the city turned into a ghost town overnight. None of the hawkers dared tout their wares, and there weren’t any buyers around even if they wanted to. As for the monks and priests, they were still stuck in the Commandery Prince’s compound.
Daozhang Zixu had gotten injured before he could meet them last night, and so Su Xi-er visited him in the morning to check on his injuries.
“Princess Consort, when is the King of the Western Region arriving?”
“There’s no need to worry, Daozhang. Prince Hao sent men to receive him, so he’ll arrive in the capital very soon. We’ll work together and clean up those senior monks and daoshi who entered the city when that time comes.” Su Xi-er said.
She had already planned for contingencies with Pei Qianhao last night, and part of these plans had involved sending Yuchi Mo and his men to clean up the temples within the city.
“That’s good.” Daozhang Zixu nodded. It would only be beneficial for Beimin if those monks and priests were removed from their positions.
I’ll stay in the temple and focus on cultivating myself according to the Dao after things are settled.
Suddenly, there was an urgent knock on the door, coupled with the voice of one of Nanzhao’s men, “There’s important news, Princess Consort!”
Su Xi-er then nodded at Daozhang Zixu before leaving the room.
