Chapter 290 Return to Beijing and meet the Emperor

The lights flickered, and Di Renjie stared at Yuan Tiangang, observing his every move.

Yuan Tiangang didn't know what to say for a moment, and the room suddenly became silent.

Zhao Ji clenched his fists on the beam. Judging from the wording and tone of Di Renjie's questions, he knew that his questions were not aimless but rather very targeted.

Considering that Di Renjie had seen his own residence ten years ago in Yuan Mansion, where Xiaomei and her sister had their rooms, Zhao Ji's heart gradually sank to the bottom.

In order to silence the witnesses without leaving any trace, he ended up leading Di Renjie to Yuan's residence. This was indeed a case of losing the big picture for the small and shooting himself in the foot.

Yuan Tiangang knew that silence was not a long-term solution. He pondered for a while, and finally spoke slowly: "To be honest, your Highness's affairs have always been handled by the old master himself, so I don't know much about them."

"However, most of the old master's other disciples are scattered all over the world. For example, Xiao Qingfang and others are in the inner guard. They cannot frequently enter and leave Yuan Mansion, so they are not familiar with Your Highness."

Having said that, Yuan Tiangang glanced at Di Renjie casually, trying to catch a hint of relaxation from the other's expression.

After hearing this, Di Renjie nodded slightly, as if he had no objection to this statement.

Yuan Tiangang felt relieved when he saw this, and continued, "The old master has no heir, so there are few playmates of the same age as Your Highness in the Yuan Mansion. If there is any, it is only a servant who serves Your Highness and is the same age as Your Highness."

"His Highness has been approachable and humble since he was young. It is said that although they are master and servant in name, they are actually like brothers, and the relationship between the two is very good."

When Di Renjie heard this, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, as if he had thought of some key information: "Your Highness only has one servant by your side?"

Zhao Ji was shocked when he heard this. Why would he ask that?

Yuan Tiangang was slightly stunned, and immediately nodded: "Yes, he is an orphan adopted by the old master. Because of the similar age, he accompanies Your Highness and they have a deep friendship."

Although Di Renjie had a smile on his face, his heart was filled with doubts: "Oh, so that's it. Then, Mr. Lu, do you know where this person is now?"

Yuan Tiangang rolled his eyes and replied, "Since the old master was arrested and the Yuan Mansion was robbed, he has been following Xiao Qingfang around. I haven't seen him for many years."

"Di Gong knows that Xiao Qingfang is extremely cruel and merciless to his own people. She Ling suffered a great loss in Pingzhou last year. It is hard to say whether he is still alive..."

Hearing this, Zhao Ji nodded secretly.

Yuan Tiangang's words were a mixture of truth and falsehood. He knew what he should know and was vague when he should be vague. What he said was consistent with his identity as "Lu Cheng". He had done his best.

However, he couldn't help feeling a little worried: Can this talk really fool Di Renjie?
After hearing this, Di Renjie fell into a long period of contemplation, as if he was sorting out his complicated thoughts.

After a long while, he sighed softly, shook his head slowly, and said with regret: "I originally thought that Mr. has been in Snake Spirit for a long time, and maybe he knows the clues of His Highness, but I didn't expect that I still got nothing!"

Seeing this, Yuan Tiangang pretended to be concerned and comforted him, "Di Gong is loyal and sincere, and his heart is with Li Tang. He is really admirable! Your Highness has practiced martial arts since he was a child. I think he will be able to turn danger into fortune and turn disaster into blessing. Nothing will happen to him!"

Di Renjie also had a smile on his face, and he stood up to say goodbye: "It's late, it's past midnight, I won't bother you anymore, I'll ask you for advice again when I have the chance!"

"Go slowly, Mr. Di." Yuan Tiangang hurriedly stood up and saw him off respectfully.

After seeing Di Renjie off, Yuan Tiangang closed the door and looked back to see Zhao Ji already sitting in his seat.

Yuan Tiangang gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, still feeling frightened: "This Di Renjie is really amazing, he almost stumped me with his questions. It would be difficult for ordinary people to avoid revealing flaws!"

Zhao Ji was upset and took a deep breath: "Teacher, Lord Di must have discovered something. Under his nose, we should reduce our contact!"

Yuan Tiangang felt the same way and nodded heavily: "Yes, not only us, but also Xiaomei and Wenzhong!"
-
The next morning, as the dawn broke, the army set out. Zhao Ji, Di Renjie and others rode at full speed and returned to Luoyang ahead of schedule.

Outside the East Palace in Luoyang, the Prince's Guards led strict guards at the palace gates and never left.

By the lotus pond in the backyard of the East Palace, the breeze was blowing gently and the water was calm. "Crown Prince" Li Xian and Xiao Hui strolled in the winding corridors, enjoying a moment of tranquility.

Xiao Hui lowered her voice, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes: "Your Highness, the construction has been successfully completed, and troops from all directions have entered the city in batches over the past few months, but why has the news from the headquarters not arrived yet?"

The "Prince" hesitated for a moment and said, "It seems that things are not going well at the headquarters."

Xiaohui sighed softly, and a look of worry appeared on her face.

The "prince" smiled at her and said, "Why, are you thinking about Wen Zhong again?"

Xiao Hui smiled bitterly: "What's the use of thinking about it? We have gone our separate ways. It has been nearly a year since we last met. I really hope that things here will be resolved soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, a personal guard came quickly, holding a wax ball in his hand, and handed it to Xiaohui respectfully.

Xiao Hui hurriedly took it and crushed the shell. The note inside read: "Xiao Qingfang has been eliminated and will return to the north soon!"

"Great!" Xiao Hui's eyes flashed with joy, and she immediately handed the note to the "Prince". The "Prince" slowly took the note, read it, and slowly crumpled it into a ball. With a flick of his fingertips, the paper ball turned into fine powder all over the sky, which flew away with the wind.

This person is also a master!
"Well... everything is ready, it's time to start our plan."

The fake prince looked back at Ziwei Palace and Xuanzheng Hall, the supreme position.
-
Ziwei Palace, inside Xuanzheng Hall.

Wu Zetian closed the memorial in her hand with a "snap", took a deep breath, and looked towards the hall. Zhao Ji and Di Renjie were standing below.

Di Renjie bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this is the entire process of defeating the Snake Spirit Altar this time."

Wu Zetian frowned, stood up, walked down the hall, and paced slowly.

Suddenly, she turned around and asked, "Is Yuan Tiangang really dead?"

Di Renjie smiled and said, "I have already transported the thief's body to the capital, ready for your inspection at any time!"

Wu Zetian breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on her face, but she seemed lost.

After a long while, she glanced at Di Gong and said, "No need to check, I trust you!"

After Yuan Tiangang's death, Wu Zetian seemed to have been freed from an invisible shackle. She threw away her dragon robe and returned to the throne.

Zhao Ji stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, this time we led the army to break through the Snake Spirit's main altar and captured hundreds of Snake Spirit rebels. They have all been handed over to the Internal Guards, and Wen Kai is fully responsible for the interrogation."

"I have already handed over the duties of managing and cleaning up the inner guards that Your Majesty had previously entrusted me with to Wen Kai, and now I am reporting to Your Majesty."

Wu Zetian nodded, indicating that she understood.

However, she suddenly thought of something else: "Huaiying, Yuan Tiangang is dead, Xiao Qingfang surrendered, and the headquarters was destroyed. It can be said that the Snake Spirit Organization has collapsed. Why did you say in your memorial that the case is not yet closed?"

For Wu Zetian, the deaths of Yuan Tiangang and Xiao Qingfang may be more important than the destruction of the Snake Spirit.

Di Renjie replied, "Your Majesty, we searched the Snake Spirit Altar and obtained the names of all the existing sects in the provinces and prefectures across the country. Therefore, we ordered people to send a message to all provinces and prefectures at night to lead the army to eliminate them immediately."

"However, on the way back to Beijing, I received a letter from various states and prefectures, saying that all the halls were empty and no one of the remaining snake spirits was caught!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zetian frowned again.

Di Renjie continued, "Secondly, the evidence shows that Yuan Tiangang and Xiao Qingfang have mastered a major secret concerning Luohe! However, just when we were about to capture Xiao Qingfang, she was killed by a mysterious person!"

Wu Zetian was shocked when she heard this: "Silence her? Isn't Xiao Qingfang the leader of the snake spirits? Who could kill her and silence her?"

Di Renjie nodded: "Your Majesty is truly a genius, and what you said hits the nail on the head. This shows that there is another force among the snake spirits, and this force is now holding the secret."

"Moreover, according to the Snake Spirit captives, these rebels have secretly sneaked into Luoyang with the subordinates of the Snake Spirit Twenty-Second Hall, preparing to act in secret."

Wu Zetian stood up in shock: "What did you say? Sneaking into Luoyang?"

Di Renjie said: "Your Majesty, Luoyang City is now surrounded by powerful enemies, and we don't know their purpose yet, let alone the movements of these rebels. Therefore, the current situation can be said to be very serious."

Wu Zetian took a deep breath, her eyes sharp as a torch: "What do you need?"

Di Renjie looked serious and said, "Your Majesty, please give me the power to act at my discretion. If necessary, you can mobilize some of the Southern Court Guards!"

Wu Zetian's eyes suddenly became sharp and she stared at Di Renjie.

This fierce gaze was not directed at Zhao Ji, but it forced him to lower his head. However, Di Renjie faced it without fear.

After a long while, Wu Zetian finally decided: "Okay! I promise you. Chengyuan's Qianniu Guards and Wang Xiaojie's Youwei Guards are all at your disposal. No need to listen to the report! The imperial edict will be issued immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Di Renjie breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

Zhao Ji reminded him, "Your Majesty, I think the imperial edict should not be made public!"

Wu Zetian was suddenly shocked: "You mean, there is a traitor in the court?"

Zhao couldn't say it clearly, so he could only say: "The snake spirit and the centipede are still alive even after death. We must be on guard against the previous methods!"

Wu Zetian nodded thoughtfully, "That makes sense. I will secretly order Wang Xiaojie to come to the palace and explain the matter. You two are colleagues in Pingzhou, so I believe you can work together."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Di Renjie and Zhao Ji bowed again.

(End of this chapter)