Outlaws start by climbing to the top of the martial arts wanted list

Chapter 294 How can we forget our past ideals? The world shouldn’t be like this

The imperial capital is closed.

Soldiers wearing armor and holding weapons began to move around, covering every street in the imperial capital.

The whole city was under martial law and there was panic.

I don’t know how many people were trembling in fear.

boom.

There was a loud noise.

A big man holding a huge shield as tall as a person directly broke open the door.

As the door shattered, a ray of sword light suddenly burst out, like a peacock spreading its tail, full of dazzling splendor. A black light emerged on the giant shield, and strands of light gathered from all directions, like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea.

With such a dazzling and stunning sword, the sword light began to disappear bit by bit, and finally the huge shield easily blocked the sword.

A cold voice sounded: "Another thief."

"kill!"

A word of killing was heard.

Armored soldiers rushed in from behind, and a roar was heard.

After a short while, all the soldiers came out, one of them holding a broken corpse in his hand.

A scholar in official uniform walked slowly from a distance, covered his mouth, took a look at the body, shook his head and said: "You were too cruel. It is impossible to verify the identity."

Immediately he took a pen and started writing on the book: A seventh-rank unknown thief.

They left in a hurry immediately. Not only the soldiers were busy, but the clerk was also busy.

This time, the imperial capital was blockaded, the entire city was under martial law, and a frantic search was conducted for the Eighth Generation Heavenly Corpse Master.

But it's not just for the Eighth Generation Heavenly Corpse Master. The Left Prime Minister Shangguan Taishi requested an imperial decree to purge the imperial capital of evil spirits.

In a place like the imperial capital, the cost of imposing martial law is simply too high.

Goods from outside the city cannot come in, and people inside the city cannot leave. I don’t know how much loss this will cause.

It may cause a wealthy businessman to go bankrupt overnight and become a street beggar.

Therefore, it was difficult to close the gates of the imperial capital and impose martial law. What was even more difficult was to mobilize the army to search the entire city, and the county government, the Six Gates, the garrison, the Ministry of Justice and other departments all worked together.

It would be a waste to use it just to deal with the Eighth Generation Heavenly Corpse Master. It would be better to just clear out the imperial capital once and for all.

The imperial capital is too big, and it is full of filth and corruption. I don't know how many evil spirits are hidden here, as well as some low-life gangs that do unscrupulous things.

In the past, Shangguan Taishi was not unaware of this, but it was very easy to deal with one or two of them.

No one dared to go against him. Even if it involved royal relatives, it would be easy for Shangguan Taishi to handle it. But what about one or two people, ten or eight, or even dozens or hundreds?
Even though he was the left prime minister, in a high position of power, second only to the emperor, he was still unable to do so.

But now that the opportunity has come, Shangguan Taishi simply made a stroke and took them all.

No matter what their reasons are, anyone who dares to take the initiative will be killed without mercy.

Kidnapping, theft, injury, etc., the lighter ones will be arrested, and the heavier ones will be killed.

Those whose identities are unknown, who do not actively cooperate with the searchers, etc., will also be killed without mercy.

Kill, kill, kill!!!!
As a result, outside Shangguan Taishi's mansion, even though the whole city was under martial law, there was still a constant stream of traffic, completely blocking the streets. All kinds of people in gorgeous clothes were now wiping the sweat from their foreheads and standing outside the mansion, asking to see Shangguan Taishi.

backyard.

Shangguan Taishi sat by the lake, holding a fishing rod in his hand, looking at the calm lake surface.

A young man came hurriedly, looked at the calm Shangguan Taishi, and called out directly, "Father."

"Why did you arrest Brother Wang as well?"

"Brother Wang is a kind person and has never done anything harmful. Now Brother Wang's wife and children are kneeling outside. It's really pitiful. Let's release him quickly."

Shangguan Taishi held the fishing rod in his hand and spoke indifferently, "The first wave of tests."

"As expected, you are such a useless fellow."

"Your brother, the king, is praised by everyone. He is a powerful and noble man. He spends money lavishly, makes friends with heroes, and spends money like water. Where does he get this money?"

"Which of the antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and magical skills I gave you didn't cost tens of thousands of gold?"

"His open-handed business must have collapsed long ago, but instead of spending more than he earned, his spending has become more and more lavish."

"It's because one-tenth of the brothels in this imperial capital are his property. Forcing women of good character into prostitution is the least of his crimes. When he sees a beautiful woman, he even dares to kill the whole family and take her into the brothels."

"It would be impossible for him to atone for his sins even if he dies a thousand times. Not only will he die, but all the supporters behind him will also be liquidated one by one. He can't support such a big business."

"Go to the Six Gates and turn yourself in. If you have been deceived, then I will naturally tell you the truth. If you are also a participant, I am not a heartless person. I will abolish your cultivation and send you to the borderland, far away from the Central Plains. Whether you live or die depends on your own luck."

"Father."

A cry of surprise was heard.

A man with a black beard shouted loudly. His beard was thick and his mouth was trembling. He said in disbelief, "Old Four was just deceived."

"Old Four is a kind person and would never do such a wicked thing."

"It is enough to lock up the fourth child in the mansion and prevent him from going out."

Shangguan Taishi slowly put down the fishing rod in his hand, then turned to look at the middle-aged man and said: "Dalang, you should be working in the Ministry of Rites at this time, instead of leaving without permission."

Shangguan Taishi's answer was irrelevant, but the middle-aged man stepped forward and stood in front of the young man. He looked straight at Shangguan Taishi and said in a deep voice, "Not long ago, after you returned to the mansion, you sighed for a long time."

"At that time, I didn't know why you were worried, father. I thought it was because of His Highness."

"But now it seems that it is not the case, but other ideas have come to mind."

"Does father really want to kill his own relatives for the sake of justice?"

"If father intends to kill his own relatives for the sake of justice, then just deal with me as well. The fourth brother and I are from the same mother. We cannot live together, but we can die together."

Shangguan Taishi's eyes became deep, and he finally said self-deprecatingly: "Family affairs, national affairs, and world affairs."

"Everyone has seven emotions and six desires. When it does not concern them, they can be righteous and awe-inspiring, but when it comes to themselves, they will inevitably take their family into consideration. In the end, officials will protect each other, and relatives will hide the secrets of each other."

"Old Four came too quickly this time, and you came back just in time."

"It proves that there is a hand behind the scenes, controlling you. It seems that my actions of searching for the Eighth Generation Heavenly Corpse Master, cutting off the evil of the imperial capital, and restoring peace to the imperial capital have violated the interests of many people."

"Even you are just pawns. This is only the first level."

"Then someone in a high position will come forward, promise benefits, coerce and bribe, and finally even promise me that they will support me and clean up the imperial capital together, but don't investigate further."

"This is good for you, good for me, and good for everyone."

"I have given my due to the world, and they have only lost a spokesperson. They can support another one later."

The middle-aged man could not help but say: "My father was the left prime minister, and he did a lot of things like this."

"Without smooth handling, playing both sides, and political deals, how could my father be where he is today?"

"The prime minister's duty is to balance yin and yang, ease the relationship between officials and the emperor, and maintain peace in the world." "For this reason, when it is time to step down, you naturally have to step back."

"The capital is under martial law now, so we can just kill those bandits and evil heretics."

"Even if many people were kept as prostitutes, they couldn't see the light of day. But there were also many people who only participated in the shares, just like the fourth brother, who was deceived. If they were to be punished, the implications would be too wide."

"Who dares to claim innocence?"

"If all the powerful people are dragged into this, my father will stand against the people of the world."

"Even if my father is the left prime minister, he is deserted by his friends and relatives and is wanted by everyone. The best outcome is that he will be dismissed from office and cannot even have a good end. If the situation is a little worse, the family will be confiscated and exterminated."

"I came back this time not only for the fourth child, but also for my father and for the whole family, young and old."

"Father knows human nature very well. He is not such a stubborn person. Why would he do such a thing today?"

"Please think twice, father."

The middle-aged man finally knelt down, his forehead hitting the bluestone ground heavily.

Shangguan Taishi watched this scene quietly. After a while, he spoke bitterly: "I have been educated since I was young. I am naturally intelligent and have achieved a lot at a young age. My teacher once asked me what my ambition was."

"I didn't know the immensity of the world at that time, and the words of the saint came out of my mouth without my knowledge."

"Have the world in mind and benefit all people."

"If I am an official, I will definitely benefit the people, so that they will not pick up things on the road and their doors will not be locked at night. If I am prime minister, the world will be in peace."

"At that time, my mentor shook his head and said nothing."

"At first I thought my mentor underestimated me, so I must make him look at me in a new light in the future."

"At the age of seventeen, I was recommended by my teacher to join the government."

"At that time, he warned me that the political world is full of ups and downs, people's hearts are fickle, and I should not forget my original intention. I was full of vigor and thought that there was nothing in the world that could not be accomplished. I ignored the warning of my mentor."

“But the year my mentor passed away, I sat in front of his grave and compromised with the world. The words of the saints were all lies and empty words.”

"How can you collect taxes if you don't associate with the wealthy? If you don't make friends with the wealthy, they will control public opinion. Who will speak for you?"

"I colluded with the powerful, suppressed the common people, bullied independent cultivators, sought money, used it to bribe superiors, and made friends with the children of aristocratic families, so that they would speak for me."

"From then on, my career was prosperous and everyone praised me. Whenever I left a place, the powerful would manipulate the people to give me the Umbrella of the People."

"Shangguan Taishi, a man of poverty and incorruptibility, loves his people like his own children, and is a man of integrity."

"How can ordinary people have a say? What they listen to, believe in, and say are all controlled by us."

"When my mentor was alive, for nearly fifty years, my career was bumpy and promotion was difficult. But I gained enlightenment in front of his grave and woke up one day. It took me less than ten years to be promoted to the head of the Six Departments."

"In another ten years, I will be promoted to the position of Left Prime Minister."

"In this life, I can't even say that I have mixed reputations. I have been completely tainted by corruption and have been in cahoots with the big clans and sects."

"She established a party, excluded dissidents, and even saw through the emperor's intention to use the Heavenly Concubine to take power, and began to secretly send clean officials to criticize the Heavenly Concubine. A woman in power is like a hen crowing at dawn. She is a demon concubine who brings chaos to the world."

"The world is in chaos now because of the evil concubine. If the evil concubine falls, the government will be clear and the people will be harmonious."

"The pressure from the court forces His Majesty to support the Heavenly Concubine more, so the number of dissatisfied people increases, and I can win their hearts and minds, gain their spending, and my power grows day by day."

"This will create a situation where they can compete with the Demon Concubine, and no one party will dominate. This is the most stable situation for the emperor."

"The emperor used the Heavenly Consort to suppress me, and at the same time used me to contain the Heavenly Consort. This was in line with the emperor's wishes, so I have been able to stand firm for so many years."

"One by one, everything we have done has already gone against our original intention."

"The Shangguan Taishi who was full of passion and wanted the world to be peaceful has long been dead."

"Someone brought me a relic of my mentor not long ago. It was a mirror."

"A very simple bronze mirror. When I looked into it, I felt so strange."

“Even I feel scared.”

"I know that this mirror was not given by my teacher's descendants, but was deliberately placed there by someone with ulterior motives."

"The purpose is also very clear, telling me not to forget my original intention."

The middle-aged man, who had been listening until this moment, finally changed color and spoke quickly: "The Heavenly Concubine's cultivation has improved recently. It is said that it was because Fairy Qingxuan came to the palace and gave her some advice."

"The last step in the Heaven Realm is the mind, the original heart."

"This last step, whether you are strong or not, depends on whether your mind is strong or not."

"In the same realm, the strengths are vastly different."

Shangguan Taishi nodded with satisfaction and said, "Dalang, you are talented and intelligent, not inferior to me."

“That’s got the point.”

"The touch of the Heavenly Queen, the relics of my former mentor, the words of advice, and a series of methods are all tailor-made for me. It can be said to be perfect."

"I'm moved."

"The ideals of the past cannot be forgotten, and the world should not be like this."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's face suddenly changed, turning pale, his lips began to move constantly, and he trembled but could not utter a single word.

After a while, he spoke hoarsely, "You need to change the way you live."

"Become a good official who benefits the people of the world."

"That's right. I have always advised my father that money is something outside of one's body. How much is too much?"

“What you bring into this world, you cannot take out of this world.”

"But my father went to fulfill his dream, but now he wants to take the life of his loved one. How can this be allowed?"

"Isn't that too cruel?"

"If my father hadn't been so disheartened and too lazy to teach the fourth child like he taught me, the fourth child wouldn't have become the person he is today who can't tell good from evil."

"Father should take half of the blame for the fourth son's crime."

Shangguan Taishi didn't wait for the middle-aged man to finish speaking, and directly interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "Da Lang."

"You are honest and kind by nature. If you were born in an ordinary family, you would not have achieved what you have today."

"Although I didn't teach Silang in person, I did invite famous teachers and great scholars to give lectures. He went down the wrong path. It's all his own fault. No one else can be blamed."

“I want to get back to the source.”

"If you don't sweep one house, how can you sweep the world?"

"From today on, I will be a good official."

. . . . . . . . . . . .

PS: My good friend’s new book is "Honghuang Xuanqing Dao". If you are interested in Honghuang, you can take a look. There is a portal and a direct train below.

(End of this chapter)