Taoist priest in the foggy capital

The blood had been drained, and the bodies of the imperial guards were soaked in the dried blood swamp. No one groaned or moved.

Yin Xiu waved his hand, and the shadow warrior, whose body was bathed in blood, disappeared immediately.

Yin Xiu walked into the hall, leaving a bloody footprint on the floor with every step he took. Behind him, two eunuchs knelt on the ground, holding rags, carefully wiping away the marks.

When Yin Xiu took a step forward, they also crawled a step forward, only lowering their heads to wipe their footprints.

The emperor still sat on the throne, surrounded by the expressionless eunuchs from the forbidden palace.

Di Wei was almost standing between Yin Xiu and the emperor. He stood in the middle position, picked up a whisk from the ground and put it in his arms.

Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "At 9 o'clock, the emperor will give a banquet!"

At some point the eunuch standing at the palace gate turned around and spoke loudly.

"At 9 o'clock, the emperor will give a banquet!"

"At 9 o'clock, the Emperor will give a banquet!!"

The shouts spread from near to far, and formed a faint echo in the distance.

"Are you still eating at this time?"

Yin Xiu ignored him and pulled over a chair and sat down.

As soon as he sat down, eunuchs appeared from the distant palace gate, walking towards him with their heads lowered and in small steps. It seemed that their number was much greater than the imperial guards.

These eunuchs had their work divided in an orderly manner, holding cleaning tools in their hands. Some were responsible for sweeping the floor, while others were responsible for watering.

First, the corpse on the ground was dragged away like garbage, and then the remaining blood, flesh, traces of fire, and frost gradually disappeared under the influence of the broom and clean water.

In less than a quarter of an hour, all the evidence of death was cleared away.

Nothing seemed to have happened in front of the entire hall, except for the numerous knife marks on the white marble, which proved that a fierce battle had taken place here.

"Give me a feast!"

"Give me a feast!"

There were shouts again, and from the left and right sides of the palace gate, palace maids formed two long lines, holding food trays, and walked in in a uniform yet rigid posture.

The large table for the banquet had been prepared long ago. Eight eunuchs moved it between Yin Xiu and the emperor, and plates, wine cups and other utensils were placed on the table.

The emperor took the hot towel presented to him by the eunuch, wiped his face with it, and threw it back.

Yin Xiu also took the towel and wiped her face, then her hands and neck. By the time she put it back on the plate, the towel was soaked with blood.

"Wait a minute, we have guests." the emperor ordered.

"Your Majesty, they are here."

Di Wei pointed outside and saw the palace gate on the left. Ma Xiaoyu was walking slowly towards here, led by several palace maids.

Yin Xiu and she saw each other at the same time, their eyes filled with joy of reunion. Although they were only separated by one day, this day made them feel like a lifetime ago.

At the palace gate on the right, several eunuchs cleared the way, and Luo Wei and Liu Banxian walked forward with their heads held high.

"Brother Yin!"

Liu Banxian waved to Yin Xiu from afar, while Luo Wei put two fingers together and saluted Yin Xiu.

Di Wei came closer and said, "Ren Qi said that he went back to Southern Xinjiang. What happens next is up to you."

Yin Xiu nodded, "As long as he's okay."

Yin Xiu glanced at Di Wei again and said, "Manager Di, when have you been so polite to me? You even helped me pass on a message?"

Di Wei gave a meaningful smile, "Mr. Yin, after all, we have no grudges against each other, right?"

"What about Changbai Mountain before?"

"It's just business, sir."

"Oh, business."

Yin Xiu nodded, signaling Di Wei that he could step back.

The emperor asked Di Wei again: "Where is Prince Su? Isn't he also in the palace?"

"Prince Su," Di Wei's smile became more and more strange, "Your Majesty, Prince Su has fallen asleep."

"Fell asleep?"

The emperor frowned. "I think he fainted because he smoked too much opium. He used to be a very useful person. Ever since he went to Changbai Mountain..."

The emperor glanced at Yin Xiu and said, "After he came back, he seemed to have become a different person. He just smoked opium all day long. I don't think I can rely on him in the future."

Yin Xiu did not respond to him, but looked at Di Wei. His eyes clearly said to Di Wei: I have to ask you this, then you will know what is going on.

De Wei had a blank expression on his face.

As the footsteps approached, Ma Xiaoyu and the others entered the palace under the guidance of the eunuchs and palace maids.

Yin Xiu asked Ma Xiaoyu to sit next to her and greeted Luo Wei and Liu Banxian.

"Brother Yin, you look very good. I thought you might encounter some unfortunate things because you were a day late."

"Unlucky?"

Yin Xiu showed her body and said, "I didn't feel it."

"That's a good thing."

Liu Banxian smiled and nodded at the emperor. Just as he took out a cigarette, a eunuch lit it and came forward.

"thanks, thanks."

It couldn't be said that he was flattered, but Liu Banxian was also startled. He happily moved the cigarette closer, squinted his eyes and took a puff.

Just as he was about to pat the other person's hand to express his gratitude, the eunuch had already retreated quietly.

Liu Banxian shrugged at Yin Xiu to express his surprise.

Yin Xiu disagreed, "This is called professionalism."

Seeing that everyone had taken their seats, the eunuch clapped his hands and said, "Let's eat!"

Several eunuchs came forward briskly, lifted the lids on the plates, and dishes appeared one after another.

"Phew, this is incredible."

Liu Banxian was amazed and asked the eunuch, "There are so many dishes. Usually, the emperor eats them all by himself? Can he finish them all?"

The eunuch looked at him with his nose, "Your Majesty always eats one dish, looks at three dishes, and never eats more than three bites of each dish. What he ate today was just the usual size."

"is it?"

Liu Banxian was still surprised. "But I am dazzled by the variety of things here. I am full after smelling every one of them."

The eunuch smiled insincerely, "Oh, this is something you can only eat in the palace. This is your first time here, so you've never eaten it before, and you haven't seen it before. It's normal that you're not used to it."

"I usually have a cup of tea, order two baskets of shrimp dumplings and barbecued pork buns, and that's about it. It's the so-called one pot and two pieces."

Liu Banxian made a sweeping gesture with his hands above the table and smiled at the eunuch, "There are so many dishes. Can you introduce them to me? I really don't know much."

The eunuch pursed his lips, his brows gathered and spread in the blink of an eye. Then he took a deep breath and began to introduce himself in a tone and rhythm that was not heard anywhere else.

"Today there are a total of 120 dishes, 38 cold dishes, 50 hot dishes, 12 soups, and some fruits, ice cream, dim sum, and desserts.

They are steamed bear paw, steamed deer antler, steamed pork with eight treasures, and duck stuffed with glutinous rice..."

"stop!"

Liu Banxian interrupted him, "Ask me to try everything except duck. I hate duck the most in my life."

The eunuch was obviously resentful of being interrupted like this, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only swallow his anger and continue to serve with a smile.

Yin Xiu didn't pay attention to what the two of them were saying. He looked at Ma Xiaoyu first, and then at the emperor.

"Since no one is dead, why don't we eat first?"

The emperor nodded, indicating that he had no objection.

So Ma Xiaoyu raised her chopsticks, but before she could reach out, a piece of pork elbow was put into her bowl.

Ma Xiaoyu turned around, and the eunuch smiled and said, "In the palace, if you want to eat something, you just need to signal with your eyes. You don't need to take action."

"I know. This is the palace ritual! I'm very familiar with it."

Liu Banxian showed his two rows of yellow teeth and nodded his chin towards the dish of beef over there.

Soon, the eunuch beside him put a piece of duck meat into Liu Banxian's bowl.

"Well?"

Liu Banxian looked up at him.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" the eunuch asked nervously.

"No, not at all."

Liu Banxian said to Luo Wei, "Now you know? This is how we eat in the palace."

"I see, I see. You are really well-informed."

Luo Wei nodded repeatedly, and as he picked up his chopsticks, the eunuch had already filled his wine glass.

Although the food was a bit strange, the food in the palace after the war was indeed not bad.

They did not follow the rule of eating only once and then looking three times, or the rule of not eating more than three bites.

After finishing the meal and clearing the table, Liu Banxian took a sip of tea and cleared his throat.

He turned his head and looked at the palace, and found that all the eunuchs and palace maids had already left. In such a huge palace, only a few of them, the emperor, and Di Wei were left.

The emperor rarely smiled happily, "Can you let me go?"

Yin Xiu shook his head.

The emperor's smile disappeared immediately, and he spread his hands and said, "Actually, it's none of my business.

I was not yet born when those wars began, and during the last war, more than a decade ago, I had just learned to walk.

Whether it was raising taxes, signing treaties, or other orders, they were not issued by me at all. I just sat on the throne and watched it all happen.

I just nodded when the foreign ambassadors said something, and I stamped and commented on the documents handed to me by the ministers without even looking at them. That was all, I had no say at all!"

The emperor slammed his hand on the armrest, losing all his previous elegance and grace.

"I am just like you in hearing about the things you said. I just saw them this way. I am a witness and an eyewitness like you. Dimension is not the determinant."

After raising his voice a few pitches, the emperor seemed to be choked by himself. He coughed lightly a few times, then lay back in his chair, showing that dejected look again.

He knew very well that no one could protect him now.

Among the princes and ministers, some had heard the news at this time, while others had never heard of the incident. In any case, no one came.

The Imperial Observatory and its subordinate masters fled in all directions, and Dongfang Weilai disappeared without a trace.

Originally, we could still count on Prince Yu, but he is dead too.

Even the remaining 800 imperial guards were killed by Yin Xiu.

The most important thing is that the emperor knew that there were actually some old monsters hiding in the Forbidden City, but they had no intention of going out to fight.

On the one hand, they were afraid of the powerful strength of Yin Xiu and his men. On the other hand, they also understood that even if the emperor was replaced, they could still survive by relying on the luck of the Forbidden City.

Moreover, if Yin Xiu enters the Forbidden Palace, it will only bring newer and better fortune.

These monsters that parasitize in the Forbidden City are like fish in a pond. They don't care about the name of the pond or any changes in its ownership. All they want is nutrients.

Thinking of this, the emperor felt more depressed and angry.

"From the beginning to the end, the responsibility for Jiuzhou's fall to this point is not mine. You are also responsible for Jiuzhou's current situation!
You Taoists have never cared about the country's situation. You only make elixirs and practice Taoism, fighting for the title of Heavenly Master or National Master, and arguing about whose Taoist tradition is more orthodox.

Feng Shui masters only think about making money and becoming famous. Everyone is fighting for the fate of the dragon veins in Kyushu. Who cares about the fate of the dragon veins in Kyushu?

Civil and military officials, palace maids and eunuchs, royal family members, everyone is only thinking about making money and stay away when encountering any trouble.

Who cares about the future of Jiuzhou? No one cares. Jiuzhou has fallen to this point, and it’s all your fault. It’s all your fault!”

The emperor's voice echoed in the hall, venting his anger and unwillingness.

No one speaks, only echoes.

After a brief silence, Liu Banxian spoke.

"Brother Emperor, um, I know this title is a bit strange, but please forgive me. Although I grew up in the north, I have never seen an emperor since I was a child.

After I arrived in Hong Kong, the nicknames of those gangs were so loud, like Overlord, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, etc., that I forgot all about it.

So I'll just call you Emperor Brother."

Liu Banxian laughed awkwardly a few times.

"In fact, I understand you very well. I am the descendant of the Liu family in Wolonggang. Although I have many family members, in fact, from my grandfather to my father, the family has only been passed down for three generations.

When it was my turn to inherit the family business, a bunch of uncles, grandfathers, and elders showed up from nowhere, saying they would help me run the family and manage the property?

I think our Liu family is not without people, don't we still have me? I was still young at that time, but I was not a coward, and I didn't want to talk about etiquette and human relations. I kicked out all those uncles and uncles. In the future, I didn't care what they said. I just ate, drank, had fun, found women and played crickets. I lived a happy and comfortable life. "

Liu Banxian was holding a fan, as if he was reminiscing about the past.

"I understand you, my dear emperor, I understand your grievance and resentment.

At that time, I also thought, what does this have to do with me? My father and my grandfather owed favors to people, and they had appointments with this and that, what does it have to do with me? It has nothing to do with me at all. Does the son have to pay for the father's debt?
Later I realized that these things really had nothing to do with me and were not my business.

However, when I decided to inherit the family business, or to inherit the family line, these connections, along with the inheritance, were transferred to my hands.

Whether I give them or not is one thing, but they are certainly part of the legacy.

Do you understand what I mean, Emperor Brother? "

Liu Banxian adjusted his sunglasses.

"Or should I call you the Lord of the Forbidden Palace?"

The emperor's expression changed, and the five-clawed golden dragon on his dragon robe was stained black by the foul air. (End of this chapter)