Under the sky

Chapter 276 The Bad Omen

Hillidegg was acquitted, and even if Colachi wanted to make things difficult, he couldn't convict him.Perhaps someone could be sent to Sumabadu to check the authenticity of Gultha's testimony, but Gao Leqi believed that since Gultha dared to testify, nothing would be found in that village.Perhaps what Gulthas said was true. Although he had never been caught, Guan Nei would indeed send out death chambers. But Jin Yunjin was only fifteen or sixteen years old at the time. Is there such a death chamber?

Gao Leqi suddenly remembered the Royal Faction that assassinated Yang Yan. At that time, he checked and found that the assassin had no relatives or friends and came to Nabu Batu from a remote tribe. Could it be that the assassin was also in the dead end of the pass and deliberately assassinated the son of Sa Shen to provoke a dispute? ?

If this is the case, then Yang Yan's situation may be more dangerous than imagined. He does not want a second Salhajin to appear in the pass, and of course, he does not want it either.

Yang Yanhajin just needs to be Yang Yanhajin.

Gulthas took off his robe and put it on Hilidegg, and helped him up, who was covered in filth. "You have suffered."

Hillidegg always thought that he would not cry. Crying was a sign of weakness. He had the consciousness to accept the death penalty. If he was not guilty, he should walk out of the prison department with his head held high, but he could not stop the tears from flowing down.His thigh was still hurting, so he limped into the carriage with the help of Gulthas. Even many onlookers secretly wiped their tears.

Why did it become a performance for the priesthood, but instead made the Palace of Arien appear stupid and mean?Sisi wanted to drive away the crowd, but Gao Leqi stopped him. It was better not to do anything for now.

Go see Botu first and ask for clarification.

"I don't know about this." Potu replied to Gao Leqi, "Gulthas won't tell me everything." He thought for a while and then said, "Jin Yunjin is very respected, Gurthas Maybe he was investigated, but you have to ask other people about this, maybe Meng De, who was still in high demand at that time.”

Potu boiled a pot of milk, ground tea leaves finely, added ghee to cook, and shared it with Gao Leqi.

Mende of the Embers... Ever since Hilidegg became the heir of Gulthas, he has gradually moved away from the center of power. He is now the vice-president of the Priesthood, focusing on guiding new academic priests.

"I didn't know Gurthas would spend so much time investigating someone he valued."

"There used to be a man named Li Muhai." Bo Tu said. "He claimed to be from Sun Mountain. He was brave and resourceful. He was trusted and reused less than a year after joining the Guards Army. He was promoted to squad leader and was one of the guards guarding the Holy Temple. One—that was Gulthas’s most serious mistake.”

"Gulthas values ​​him very much. After the Holy Road was opened, he and Lao Yan were the first flames. But just such a person is the end of the pass."

Gao Leqi was surprised.

"There was only one step left, and Li Muhai was about to reveal the secret of the Holy Road. Fortunately, Old Eyes stopped him." Potu said, "After he died, the secret of the Holy Road could be kept. From then on, Gulthas was very Be careful of those around you.”

"Can you tell me these words?" Gao Leqi asked.

"I won't say things that cannot be said. After all, I am a member of the Priesthood." Potu said with a smile, "Whatever I told you, I will report to Gulthas later."

"Where do you stand? Potu Grand Ceremony." Gao Leqi asked more than once, he was very curious, "The struggle between the Arien Palace and the Priesthood is so fierce, I don't know how many looks I received when I walked in, but you treat me I treated you with courtesy and respect as usual."

"Yang Yanha Jin asked me a similar question. I don't want to stand as high as Gulthas. That is too far away from the people, and I often have to give up something. I like people who can reach out. I will need it at any time. The more people like me who have no ambition, the better.”

This is true, and it is almost certain that whether the Arien Palace or the Priesthood wins this battle, Porto's identity will not be affected.

Maybe it will be even higher, Gao Leqi thought while holding a tea bowl.

"It's time to go see Hilly Dege. I haven't congratulated him on his release yet." Potu stood up, "You should have planned it for a long time, right? Hilly will definitely take revenge on you."

Of course Gao Leqi knew, but what could he do?
"Gao Leqi, you have always been a smart child, but cleverness is not enough. You need wisdom. Wisdom is easy to have, but wisdom is difficult." Botu took the leather jacket from the hanger and motioned for Gao Leqi to leave together.

Gao Leqi couldn't help but ask: "What do you mean?"

"You don't know Hillidegg well enough," Potu said. "You don't know how proud he is."

■

It was a bronze mirror, five feet high, right in front of Hilidegg, who was undressing in front of the bronze mirror.

He got into Gultha's carriage with a smell all over his body and was ashamed of his uncleanness. Gultha just comforted him as usual.

He wanted to find a topic to thank Gulthas for lying for him.

"I didn't lie." Gursasi said, "There was a person arranged by me in the team heading to Suma Batu. He checked Jin Yunjin's claimed tribe of origin. There was no such person, nor was there his father."

"Is he...really in the dead end of Guan Nei?" Hillidegg asked in surprise.

"I have seen people like this, with unknown origins, eager to go back." Gulthas closed his eyes, "I am also disappointed."

So Gursasi already knew that he was the mastermind behind Jin Yunyan's death, but he never mentioned it?
The carriage quickly returned to the priest's courtyard. Hilidegg returned to the room and couldn't help frowning when he saw the small priests along the road.They didn't dare to avoid it deliberately, but there were always a few who couldn't hide their disgusted expressions.

It wasn't until I was immersed in the tub that the smell of flowers faded away slightly.

Hillidegg almost had to wash off a layer of skin, rubbed his hair repeatedly, washed himself with expensive soap locust, and changed the water once.He applied good gold wound medicine to the wound, tied it tightly with white cloth strips, and put on a brand new priest's robe, which had a soft touch that he had not seen for a long time. He put on his belt, combed his hair neatly, and stood in front of the bronze mirror. It is still the priest of Hillidegg, still inviolable.

When the serving disciple asked him about his dinner, Hilidegg was in a daze and ordered a pot of warm milk tea, a bag of wine he was used to drinking, bread made of wheat, and fresh mutton with cumin.

He couldn't help but notice that the disciple glanced at him one more time before leaving.

During the meal, Potu Daji came to greet him. He responded politely, accepted Potu's blessing, and had dinner with him.

He could not just sit in his room, he had to announce that he was back in the priest's house.After the meal, he left the room and walked lamely to the office. Along the way, many academic and minor priests touched his heart with their left hand and bowed respectfully.

Everything suddenly seemed as normal, except for the two glances that the priests couldn't help but look at him in a subtle way that made Hilidegg couldn't help but suspect that he was careless.He straightened his clothes and hat, worried that he was not dressed properly or that his feet would attract attention.

"Why is the chief priest here?" Seeing him coming, the deputy who was temporarily taking charge of Hillidegg's position hurriedly stood up and touched his heart with his left hand, "God Sa, let the innocent people not bear the dust."

I am not innocent.

"What happened in the past two days?" Hillidegg asked, "Who is responsible for the insect noise while I am away?"

"No one is responsible, it's a mess." The deputy replied, "To be honest, Priest Healy, you should rest more, at least today. In a place like the Prison Department... you have suffered enough."

Hillidegg said: "I don't want to rest. What happened during this time? Tell me."

The deputy reported respectfully, and Hillidegg listened in a daze. The voice gradually became noisy, almost indistinguishable, and finally turned into a buzzing sound that kept echoing in his mind.

"Priest Healy?" the deputy called, waking Healydge out of his trance, "How about you go back and rest first?"

Hillidegg nodded.

He returned to the room and stood in front of the bronze mirror again to look at it carefully. He was neatly dressed and there was nothing missing. Only the wound on his thigh was aching.

"Priest Xili Dege, your brother Buu has come to visit you."

Hillidegg said loudly: "I won't see the guest, let him go back!"

An unreasonable anxiety arose, and Hillidegg felt extremely disgusted. With a loud "Qiang!", he slapped himself on the bronze mirror with his palm, knocking the bronze mirror to the ground. The sound was so loud that even Buu outside the door was surprised.

A few days later, Hillidegg came to find Weide and rewarded him with a gold bead as big as a little finger.Wei De was so shocked by the magnificent priesthood that he was speechless. When faced with the reward, he declined it in a panic.Hillidegg said: "You deserve this, and I want to thank you for taking care of me in prison."

"That's what I should do." Weide said movedly, "It's great that the officiant's grievances can be washed away. I know Gulthas will make a fair ruling."

Hillidegg said: "Take it, I have something to ask you."

"Don't you dare." Wei De said respectfully, "If the chief priest needs my help, just ask."

"I want you to help me go to the sheep dung pile. This matter is very important. I can't find anyone I can trust. Maybe I should go by myself, but it's really not a suitable place." Hillidegg took out an envelope and handed it to Wei De, Wei De weighed it carefully. It seemed that there were other things inside besides paper.

Hillidegg said: "After midnight tonight, avoid the night patrol and go to the sheep dung pile and give this letter to the boss of a gambling house inside. I will tell you which gambling house it is." Keep it secret, you must swear to God Sa never to leak it."

"God Sa, I will faithfully complete the mission of the priest."

Weide didn't ask any questions and went to the sheep dung pile that night.He was very happy that he could serve the chief priest of Hillidegg. He was not only a noble man, but also his benefactor. He was a noble and kind man. It was his honor to serve such a person.

He carefully avoided the night patrol and walked in the dark through the paths between the messy tents.The sheep dung pile is the only place in Baduli that does not have a curfew. After dark, lights are shining from far and near.He could understand why Priest Healy couldn't come here. This place was full of crime late at night. Gambling houses, the lowest prostitutes, smugglers, slave traders and desperadoes all ran rampant in the darkness.

The tents were piled close together, and a fire would be a serious disaster.This really happened. Twenty years ago, a fire in a sheep dung pile burned hundreds of people to death. Many residents flowed into Nabu Batu, causing chaos for a long time.

Wei De found the gambling house. It was a big tent with two torches at the door. People were moving inside, and the sound of shouting and drinking pheasants was constant.When he was about to open the curtain and go in, three people suddenly rushed out from behind. Two of them covered his mouth and nose and captured him, while the other kept stabbing him.

Wei De couldn't even utter a scream and died silently in a corner of the sheep dung pile.Several criminals found the envelope from his body, opened it and saw that it was a piece of pressed gold. They immediately dispersed without stopping for a moment.

In the darkness, a peeping figure left.

"Weide is dead?" Hillidegg asked.

"Yes, he died in front of the gambling stall." In front of him was the 'Insect' who lived in the sheep dung pile. The man replied, "I spread the news that he had gold on him, and sure enough, someone came to rob him. Late at night Going to a sheep dung heap makes it known that you are carrying gold, and jumping off a hundred-foot cliff is a better way to survive.”

"Hand over those bandits and let the prison director avenge Weide." Hillidegg ordered.After Chongsheng left, he called his close disciples: "Help me make an appointment with Prince Bailey to meet tonight. It must be secret and don't let anyone know."

He then returned to the bronze mirror and arranged his clothes in front of it, just like before.The only person who had seen him in his most miserable state was already dead. He suddenly felt that the wound on his thigh no longer hurt.

In the evening, Hilidegg changed into casual clothes and left the priesthood with a jug of expensive wine.He did not take the carriage dedicated to the officiant, but walked to a restaurant in a remote alley in the busy city.

He ordered a pot of boiled mutton, vegetables and wheat cakes, ordered two cups, and waited for Prince Bailey to arrive.It has been a long time since he arrived early. When he was still a small priest, he felt that it was rude to make people wait, so he would arrive at the appointed place a quarter of an hour early for every appointment.

Later, he got used to making people wait.

He didn't have to wait long before Prince Bailey arrived.

Prince Bailey is very young, Tucker's fourth brother, with a neat beard. His sky blue robe is embroidered with red and yellow patterns, and he wears a light yellow belt. He is a gorgeous dress that only nobles can afford.

He should be very surprised. It is well known that Hilidegg hates nobles and hardly associates with any nobles.

"Honorable Priest Hilidegg, I am grateful for your invitation." Prince Bailey put his left hand on his chest and greeted him respectfully, "Do you have any instructions for me?"

"Please sit down." Hillidegg stood up to greet him. He had not been so humble to a noble for a long time. "I hope today's wine will suit your taste." He poured wine for Prince Bailey, who looked surprised. , can not help but feel a little anxious.

"What do you think this year's wheat harvest will be like?" Hillidegg asked.

"I don't know." Bailey said, "It's only February now. It depends on whether there is enough rain. If the Sri Yanabhata Festival can come early, maybe there will be a good year. It just depends on the weather, Healy Priest Derge, you should be able to understand that everything depends on God Sa’s will.”

Pele was given the privilege of buying and selling wheat in Nabu Badune, which made him wealthy.Of course, he had this position because his brother was Tak Yarian.

In fact, Tucker's brothers and the princes are almost in charge of the sale of all kinds of food in Nabu Batu, including cattle, sheep, poultry, vegetables, wheat, barley and even wine. This is the tradition of Nabu Batu, and the king's cronies control the food.Naib is the largest city outside the customs, with a population of 80, including a large number of garrisoned soldiers, various craftsmen, and merchants, most of whom do not engage in farming.

The fields around Naibubadu alone cannot meet the needs of a population of 10. Half of the food in Naibubadu is shipped from other places. This is related to the lifeblood of Batu, so it is all provided by the people closest to Arien. ——Usually the brothers are in charge to avoid monopoly and hype.They are responsible for purchasing enough grain from other places and bringing it to Batu. At the same time, they adjust crop prices, set grain prices, and then resell the grain to grain merchants. Finally, the grain merchants sell it to the people, so as to ensure that the people of Nabu Batu have enough food. The food should not be scarce, but should be affordable and enough to eat.

The trade of grain also brought in a large amount of money, allowing Arien's brothers and relatives to live a prosperous life.

"The soldiers at the Guards Army Station have worked very hard." Hillidegg said, "I plan to reward them well this year."

Compared with highland barley, which is easy to grow, the price of wheat is much higher. Usually only the rich, nobles, and priests can afford it. Although the soldiers of the Weiji Military Station have higher incomes, wheat products are still a luxury for them.

"Will the officiant be too kind to the soldiers?" Bailey wondered, "I'm afraid there aren't enough."

"The Priest's House harvested all the wheat," Hilidegg said. "I purchased all the wheat at a price [-]% higher than the market price."

Bailey's eyes widened. This was an extremely rich income.

Just like the other Tucker brothers, Bailey is also a bastard, and can even be said to be a bad guy. Although not as disgusting as his cousin Luce, Bailey is also unrestrained in his squandering of money and his need for women.He keeps more than a dozen mistresses who change at any time, many of whom are married women, and the expenses are very huge.

Bailey's heartbeat quickened, and he was a little afraid of such a generous Hillidger.He knew Hillidegg wouldn't treat him out of kindness, especially after a prison sentence.

"Do you have any instructions from the officiant? Just tell me, I will do my best to help."

"Find your brother." Hilidegg smiled, "I hope that next month, all food prices in Batu will increase by [-]%."

Bailey was surprised and said: "This can't be done. Arien has regulations. It is a grave sin for grain merchants to speculate on grain prices!"

"Who supervises the grain merchants?" asked Hilidegg.

"We are supervising it, but at Arien Palace..."

"You will have a way to deal with it, right?" Hillidegg said, "Whether the harvest is good or not depends on God Sa's will."

"But..." Bailey still hesitated.

"You must unite," Hillidegg said. "As long as you unite, no one can do anything to you. You can let your brothers think clearly about how huge a profit this will be."

The higher the price of grain, the higher the income from selling grain, of course Bailey understands.In the past, they did not dare to speculate on food prices. In addition to the rules of Arien Palace, there was also the supervision of the Priesthood, but now...

"Does Gulthas know about this?" Bailey asked.

"Am I not enough to reassure you?" Hillidegg asked, "You don't have to worry about Arien Palace. Tucker needs your support very much now. [-]%, you just increased the price by [-]%. As long as you unite, He dare not turn against you over this matter."

Bailey was lost in thought.He knew that the Arien Palace was fighting with the Priest House, and Tucker needed the support of the princes to have enough power. At this time, if the price of wheat was increased by [-]%, Tucker would not get angry with them, as long as the Priest House did not object... …

"I don't understand," Bailey asked. "What's in it for you?"

"If Tucker doesn't know how to be a good Arion, I can teach him." Hillidegg replied, "If he can't learn, we can replace him."

(End of this chapter)