Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yan Liqiang did not meet the Emperor. Although Eunuch Liu had brought him into the palace, it was not that simple to meet the Emperor.
After entering the palace, Eunuch Liu got someone to announce his arrival and prepared to lodge a complaint to the Emperor. Yan Liqiang was left to wait in a place that was similar to the servant quarters for two whole hours. Eunuch Liu then came out, beaming, and told him the results. Three days later, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Censorate would jointly try this case. Eunuch Liu then brought Yan Liqiang back to Deer Villa.
At night, Yan Liqiang heard that the Ministry of Justice’s director who came to Deer Villa to arrest him was removed from his position.
As for why the three departments were going to try this case together only three days later, the reason was very simple. If they were to try it the next day, then the stir created in the Imperial Capital would be limited. It was because the spreading of news would require time. If the hearing was pushed to three days later, enough time would be given for this matter to blow up to the extent that everyone in the Imperial Capital would find out. The fact that the hearing would be conducted by the three departments jointly would also attract the people’s attention. Thus dealing a greater blow.
Yan Liqiang could faintly sense that this matter seemed to be a good thing for the Emperor. The mistake made by the Ministry of Justice, after Eunuch Liu had lodged a complaint, gave the Emperor an opportunity to kick up a fuss. Unknowingly, Yan Liqiang had gotten involved in the deepest and greatest vortex in the Imperial Capital.
Normal people would tend to avoid such a vortex as much as possible. If Yan Liqiang was still the same person as he was in the past, he would not want to get involved either. However, Yan Liqiang did not regret this. Although he did not want to be involved in political conflicts, there were times where he didn’t have a choice. Moreover, when other people were already prepared to take action against him, was he really going to wait to be ambushed just because he did not wish to get involved? Was he going to give up on his life like that? No way. Yan Liqiang was not such a pendant. In these four years, in order to keep himself alive, in order to ensure that he could save the numerous people from the future natural disasters, Yan Liqiang would definitely resort to all means to get rid of all the people who were a threat to him. This was regardless of who they were.
Xu Lang and the others were just the first batch, but they were definitely not the last.
Yan Liqiang knew that his name would be well-known in the Imperial Capital after this matter. To someone who wished to lead a quiet life, becoming famous was troublesome. However, to a person who wished to do something big, becoming famous was a necessary process. Otherwise, even if you were to shout on the streets till you went hoarse, no one would bother about you!
“For the next three days, you just wait in at Deer Villa and don’t go out, in case any unexpected things happen. In three days time, I’ll go with you to the Supreme Court and seek justice for you!”
This was what Eunuch Liu told Yan Liqiang after they returned to Deer Villa. When Yan Liqiang heard this, he knew that Eunuch Liu was right and he nodded.
Over the next three days, Yan Liqiang continued to train relentlessly as usual in the day, and then continued to travel with the people from the Four Seas Escort Agency in the Heavenly Realm. He would try to find out news on the way while heading back to the Divine Sword Sect with great difficulty in the current chaotic time period.
Three days passed by in the blink of an eye.
On the eighth day of the seventh lunar month in the 13th year of the Yuanping reign in the Great Han Empire, Yan Liqiang woke up early in the morning and changed into a set of clean and presentable clothes. After completing his morning regime and having breakfast, Yan Liqiang headed straight to Eunuch Liu’s courtyard and waited outside. He had not waited for long when Eunuch Liu, dressed in his official eunuch uniform, walked out under the accompaniment of Little Li and Little Chun.
“Mmm, Liqiang, you’ve come? Why didn’t you come in? I was afraid that you’d forgotten about this day and was thinking of getting Little Li to call you.” Seeing that Yan Liqiang was promptly waiting outside, Eunuch Liu spoke amicably. Ever since he noticed that Yan Liqiang’s attitude toward the Ministry of Justice’s director was cold as ice, Eunuch Liu felt increasingly happy and satisfied as he looked at how Yan Liqiang acted respectfully toward him. He felt that he had really made the right judgment of Yan Liqiang as a person. Although Yan Liqiang was young, he was reliable during times of hardship.
“I was afraid that I would disturb Eunuch Liu’s rest, so I decided to wait here for Eunuch Liu to come out. Did Eunuch Liu have a good rest last night?” Yan Liqiang smiled and greeted Eunuch Liu. With these few words, the thoughts in Eunuch Liu’s mind were all captured by Yan Liqiang. Right now, Eunuch Liu was like a transparent person standing before Yan Liqiang. Since Eunuch Liu liked that Yan Liqiang was being respectful toward him, then Yan Liqiang would do what he could to achieve that.
“Yes, of course I had a good rest. It had been raining over the past few days and now the weather has cleared up — the dark clouds have dissipated. I feel refreshed when I look at Deer Villa!” Eunuch Liu smiled as he looked at Yan Liqiang, “Right, your morning training…”
“I’ve already asked for leave from Master!”
“Alright, then let’s go!”
“Mmm!”
Unlike how things were three days ago, this time around, Eunuch Liu selected a group of soldiers from the Deer Villa — donned in armor and riding on rhinodrake steeds — to escort him and Yan Liqiang to the hearing that would be conducted at the Supreme Court today. The setup did not seem as if Yan Liqiang was going to be trialed, but instead, as if they were going to put up a parade.
The consecutive days of raining stopped yesterday afternoon. This morning, the bright sun came out again and the sky was clear. Other than some traces of water on the public roads that had yet to dry up, there was almost no sign of rain at all.
The group had just entered from the Imperial Capital’s western city gates when Yan Liqiang, who was chatting with Eunuch Liu in the same horse carriage, heard a young man’s shout on the streets, “Come and take a look! Come take a look! The strangest case that’s unheard of in the Imperial Capital for the past 100 years will be trialed at the Supreme Court by three departments. The Imperial Cavalry Unit’s young Commandant who has just advanced as a Supreme Martial Warrior is being framed of killing a big group of strong experts from big sects. Come and take a look! Come and take a look!”
“Hey, young man, what is it that you’re selling?”
“This is a newspaper called ‘The Great Han Times’. If you wish to read the content on the newspaper, it’ll cost six copper coins…”
Yan Liqiang’s expression turned weird when he heard the callings on the streets outside the carriage. He hadn’t expected Fang Beidou to have clearly known about this matter when he hadn’t contacted him over the past few days. It was without a doubt that the second publication of the ‘The Great Han Times’ would report the hearing that would be conducted by the three departments today. However, it was clear from the shoutings of the young man who was selling the newspapers that the ‘The Great Han Times’ had already established the positions and treated him as an innocent party…
Eunuch Liu naturally heard the shouts as well and he threw a glance toward Yan Liqiang with a shadowed smile. He then knocked gently on the divider that separated the seating compartment from the driver.
“Eunuch Liu, what’s the matter?” Little Li’s voice rang out from next to the driver.
“Get me a copy of ‘The Great Han Times’ that’s being sold on the streets…”
“Yes!”
The carriage had not gone far when a set of newspapers was sent in through a small window. “Eunuch Liu, this is ‘The Great Han Times’ that you asked for…”
Eunuch Liu took the newspaper, opened it, and a shocking title that was printed on the headlines entered his vision —— ‘A strange case unheard of in the past 100 years to be trialed in the Supreme Court in the Imperial Capital today by three parties.’
…
Almost at the same time, countless people along the streets and in restaurants started buying the newspapers. Some people bought it because they were attracted by the newspaper boy’s shoutings, while others bought it because they heard from a storyteller that the continuation of the story ‘Journey to the West’ could be found on today’s newspapers.
With these two things today, the sales of the second publication of the ‘The Great Han Times’ was overwhelming…
Compared to the first publication, the four distribution points of the ‘The Great Han Times’ in the Imperial Capital had become a lot busier and livelier. The many young men selling the newspapers kept on running, entering, and exiting the distribution points excitedly like busy bees who were collecting nectar…
“Brother Little Wu, I finished selling those 50 copies in just a short period of time. I’ll get 50 more copies. Here’s the money…”
“Brother Little Wu, I’ll take 100 copies this time around. Zhou’s Teahouse placed an order for 50 copies…”
“I want 100 copies as well. The people who were listening to the stories at a few restaurants are all asking for them…”
The clattering sounds of copper coins being dropped into the money box rang out, and the stacks of printed newspapers were distributed at a rapid speed, spreading through the streets of the Imperial Capital.
On this day, Yan Liqiang’s name ‘flooded’ the entire Imperial Capital.
