The Beacon of Kyushu

Zhao Defang was nervous and scared at the moment. No matter how calm she pretended to be, she couldn't escape Gao Huaide's eyes. "Defang, what's wrong with you? Did something happen? If something happened, tell your uncle quickly. Maybe he can help you."

"This..." Zhao Defang heard Gao Huaide's sincere words, and instead of asking questions knowing the answer, he made up his mind and said, "Uncle, to be honest, my nephew's golden mace was stolen last night. Forgive me for saying something disrespectful, but I suspect the person who stole the golden mace was either the emperor's or the King of Wei's people. So I intend to leave the capital to seek refuge, but I don't know where to go. I hope you can give me some advice."

Gao Huaide was also very surprised when he heard this. He pondered for a long time before saying, "Defang, in my opinion, it would be more appropriate for you to leave the city now in the name of looking for the golden mace. As for the place to go, my uncle thinks Luoyang is the most suitable."

Zhao Defang was puzzled and asked, "Uncle, why did my nephew go to Luoyang? Is there any master there who can save my nephew's life?"

Gao Huaide explained, "Defang, the only people who are willing to offend the emperor and the King of Wei for your sake are your father's former subordinates. Among them, apart from your uncle, the most capable ones are Fu Yanqing, Murong Yanzhao, Shi Shouxin, and Zhao Pu. However, Fu Yanqing and Murong Yanzhao are dead, Shi Shouxin has lost his military power, and only Zhao Pu can still protect you with his former prestige, so your uncle let you go to Luoyang."

Zhao Defang asked, "Uncle, I heard that Zhao Pu and the emperor were close friends, and that after the emperor's death, he often blamed himself for not being able to remind the emperor in time. I wonder if this is true?"

Gao Huaide nodded, "Yes, if you ask who your father valued the most in Japan, it would undoubtedly be Mr. Zeping. If you ask which minister the emperor fears the most, it would undoubtedly be Mr. Zeping. I believe that as long as the emperor and the King of Wei are not desperate for the throne, they will never touch Mr. Zeping."

Zhao Defang felt relieved a little, and he clasped his fists in gratitude, saying, "Thank you, uncle. I will leave for Luoyang now. I hope that we can still sit and talk together next time we meet, instead of saying goodbye to each other at the execution ground. Well, it's getting late, I'm leaving now!"

Gao Huaide waved at him and watched Zhao Defang walk further and further away, tears in his tiger eyes, "Grandmaster, I am incompetent and unable to stand up and protect your only bloodline. I hope your spirit in heaven will bless the Eighth Prince for a thousand years and turn misfortune into good fortune, and turn disaster into blessing!"

Half an hour later, in the imperial study.

Zhao Guangyi was not an open-minded emperor, nor an upright emperor, but he was an emperor who pursued perfection. For many years, in order to surpass Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin, he never slacked off in government affairs, never stopped studying, and never gave up the idea of ​​unifying the world.

It was not long after the court was dismissed that Zhao Guangyi sat in the imperial study, reviewing the memorials submitted to the court this morning. He was not in a very good mood today, so he was not reviewing the memorials very quickly. If it were not for the realization of his long-cherished wish in his lifetime, he might have given up government affairs and enjoyed himself in the harem.

Suddenly, Wang Jie'en hurriedly came to the dragon desk with a servant. When the servant saw Zhao Guangyi, he knelt down on the ground without even taking a breath, and reported: "I... I am a servant in the Eighth Prince's Palace. This morning, when the prince got up, he found that the golden mace was missing, so he ordered me to report to the emperor."

Zhao Guangyi was startled when he heard this, and he could no longer put down his pen. A myriad of thoughts surged in his mind. But as the king of a country, how could he lose his composure in front of a servant? He asked calmly, "Yesterday I heard that the Eighth Prince invited the Yun Qingxiang Troupe to perform in his palace. Is this true? Who went to listen to the opera yesterday?"

The servant said, "Sir, the prince did invite a troupe of actors to the palace yesterday. Besides the prince himself, the second and third princes, the prince of Wei, and Lord Lu, the judge of Kaifeng Prefecture, also went to listen to the opera."

Zhao Guangyi nodded slightly, "Is the troupe still in the Nanqing Palace now?"

The servant said, "Yes, the troupe is still in the palace." Zhao Guangyi asked again, "Where is Defang now? Is he also in the palace?"

The servant was about to shake his head, but then he remembered Shi Qingyu's instructions and said hurriedly, "No... no, the prince just left the city to look for the golden mace. He and I were walking in a hurry, so they have only been gone for a short time. I guess he must have just left the city gate now."

Zhao Guangyi frowned slightly, but his tone remained unchanged, "Okay, I understand. I will send someone to find it. The concave golden mace was given by Emperor Taizu. It has supreme power and must not fall into the hands of thieves."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The servant kowtowed three times, then slowly left the imperial study. Wang Jie'en saw him leave, carefully closed the door, walked up to Zhao Guangyi, and said, "Your Majesty, do you think we should investigate the matter of the golden mace or not?"

Zhao Guangyi smiled slightly, "Ji'en, you have been by my side for so many years, can't you handle even this little thing? Since the Eighth Prince has shown an attitude of trust in me, if I don't investigate, it will inevitably cause criticism from the people, so we must also show our attitude to silence the people."

Wang Jie'en immediately understood and said, "I understand. We can investigate this matter whether we want to or not. We just need to fool those ignorant people and make sure that no one in the world has any objections. But as for the person who is investigating the case..."

Zhao Guangyi said: "This matter should not be handed over to foreign ministers, for fear that they will take the opportunity to start a rebellion and support the Eighth Prince. Well... it cannot be handed over to eunuchs, otherwise the world will think that I am behind this. The most suitable ones are the former eunuchs in the Jin Palace. Chai Yuxi is smart and Zhao Rong is decisive, so the task of finding the golden mace will fall on them."

Wang Jie'en waved the whisk in his hand and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is wise! I will go find the two adults right away. I believe he will understand your intention and make this matter perfect!"

Kaifeng Prefecture, Mingjing Lake.

This lake is located in the southeast of the city. The word "Mingjing" originally means a bright mirror hanging high in the sky. It is particularly appropriate to describe this lake which is calm and like a silver mirror. The midday sun shines directly on the water, making the lake sparkle and even the pavilion on the lake sparkle.

Zhao Tingmei sat in the pavilion, admiring the beautiful lake view and the exquisite curved bridge. He felt relaxed and happy, just like when he first came to Kaifeng Prefecture. On the stone table in front of him, there were two large white porcelain plates, on which were placed more than a dozen large crabs. Next to the porcelain plates containing the crabs, there was also a wine pot and two wine glasses. The aroma of rice wine overflowed from the pot, and the fragrance spread far and wide.

Soon, Lü Duan walked across the curved bridge with a smile and came to the pavilion in the lake. He wanted to bow deeply to Zhao Tingmei, but his belly was big and round, and his face was already pressed against his belly before he bent down much.

Zhao Tingmei smiled and made a gesture of invitation, "Yi Zhi, you and I have known each other for so many years, why do you have to be so formal? Come and sit down, and try the crabs that I specially prepared for you. Although these crabs are not as plump as the hairy crabs in September, they are still pretty good in this season."

Seeing these big red crabs in front of him, Lü Duan's mouth was watering with greed. He didn't even bother to sit on the stone bench. He picked up the biggest one and peeled the crab shell with great skill. Once the crab shell was peeled, the white crab meat and the red and yellow crab roe were exposed. The delicious aroma filled the entire Mingjing Lake. (End of this chapter)