After the old turtle disappeared, the Xiao family members stared at the river in the thunder and storm in a daze for a long time. Finally, it was Du Changsheng's reminder that made them come back to their senses.
"Master Xiao, Master Xiao, Fellow Daoist Wu has already left, you should go back quickly!"
Both the father and son were a little dazed at the moment. Du Changsheng cleared some rain water for them, temporarily preventing them from being wet by the heavy rain, and then shouted and repeated it again.
"Go back quickly. You don't have to worry about the sacrifice. I will let my apprentice prepare it!"
"Oh, okay..."
Xiao Du agreed in a daze, and Xiao Ling quickly helped his father walk to the carriage on the other side. The two were soaked and stumbled into one of the carriages. Only then did they feel alive again.
"Master, are we back?"
"Come back soon!"
"Yes Yes!"
The coachman led the horses and carriage, turned the carriage around, and the carriage swayed on the return journey.
In the car, the embarrassed Xiao family father and son were both very cold. Xiao Ling was better, after all, he was younger and had martial arts skills. However, Xiao Du's lips had turned purple and his whole body was trembling.
"Hmm...Hmm..."
"Dad, take off your wet coat, put on the blanket, and warm yourself by the fire! Oh, and have a drink!"
With Xiao Ling's true Qi circulating, his hands and feet were still nimble and he was able to take care of everything.
Fortunately, the carriage was well protected from rain and the charcoal stove on top was still on, and there were some warm blankets. The father and son took off some of their wet clothes and wrapped themselves in blankets, shivering in front of the charcoal stove. As for the servant driving the carriage outside, he could only drink strong liquor to hold on.
After taking a few sips of wine, wrapped in a blanket and warming himself by the charcoal stove, Xiao Du finally felt like he was alive again. The father and son looked at each other, feeling both sad and relieved. In comparison, Xiao Du felt more sad, while Xiao Ling felt more relieved.
The two were silent for a long time. They didn't know if it was an illusion, but after the carriage left the riverside and walked on the official road to Gyeonggi Prefecture, the storm weakened a little.
"Dad, as long as we gather all the lights from the House of Kindness, the grudge between our Xiao family and that old turtle will be settled!"
Xiao Du nodded, then shook his head.
"But it also requires that no one from my Xiao family should be an official anymore... I'm afraid my career as an official will be cut off. Judging from the look on Master Du's face, it seems that he won't help me with this..."
"If you don't want to be an official, then don't be one. Our Xiao family is not short of money. Isn't it good to be a rich man? Now that the government and the opposition are in turmoil, it may not be a bad thing to withdraw early. Dad, things have come to this point, why bother!"
Xiao Ling tried to persuade him and Xiao Du also laughed.
"That's right. Besides, if he's dead, what's the point of being an official? I just don't know if the emperor and others are willing to let Xiao retire peacefully..."
Xiao Ling was not ignorant of political affairs, and he was slightly surprised when he heard this.
"Dad, are you worried that Yin Xiang will take advantage of you?"
Xiao Du shook his head.
"I'm not worried, Prime Minister Yoon... Never mind, we have to do it anyway."
After witnessing the horror of the monster with their own eyes, the Xiao family no longer held any hope and only thought about how to escape unscathed.
On the river bank, the carriage filled with sacrificial items did not leave. Du Changsheng and his three disciples stood in the rain and watched the two carriages of the Xiao family disappear in the rain in the distance.
"You three prepare the sacrificial supplies."
After leaving these words, Du Changsheng quickly walked to the side and bowed to Ji Yuan and Long Nu.
"Mr. Ji, Goddess Jiang, how do you two feel about this matter being resolved?"
Ji Yuan stood up and looked towards Tongtian River.
"You don't need to ask me if it's appropriate."
The dragon girl also stood up and swung her long sleeves toward the sky. The heavy rain gradually subsided and turned into a continuous drizzle within a few breaths. The shining thunder disappeared.
"No need to ask me."
Ji Yuan turned around and took away the table, chess board and other things, and said to Long Nu and Du Changsheng.
"Ji will go back first."
After saying that, Ji Yuan walked away on a stroll, heading back to Jingji Prefecture. The Dragon Girl looked at Du Changsheng and his three disciples who noticed their master's movements but didn't see anything, nodded, then stepped into the river, walked away on the waves, and sank and disappeared in the middle of the river.
"Master, who were you talking to over there just now?"
Seeing Du Changsheng coming back, Wang Xiao and the other two who were moving sacrificial items out of the carriage asked a question.
"It's nothing. Goddess Jiang is here and watching. Move quickly. After the sacrifice, we can go back to sleep."
"yes!"
Except for Wang Xiao who was slightly better, the other two disciples' cultivation was very shallow, but after all, they had some correct cultivation methods, so they could still avoid water simply, so they were not afraid of the drizzle at this moment.
…
As expected, Xiao Du caught a cold, and two of the servants who went with him also fell ill. Only Xiao Ling and the other two servants did not get sick due to their excellent physical fitness.
However, even though he was sick, Xiao Du dragged his sick body to write a letter of resignation the next day and sent someone to deliver it to the palace. He didn't dare to take chances on this matter. The sooner the better. Besides, he couldn't resign immediately if he wanted to.
In the imperial study, Emperor Hongwu still found it somewhat unbelievable when he actually read Xiao Du's resignation.
"This Xiao Du actually wants to resign!"
Yang Hao held the resignation letter in his hand and looked at the old eunuch Li Jingchun beside him.
"Is that monster really so scary?"
"Your Majesty, that giant turtle is as big as a small building, and its eyes are full of evil. Even the rain was very strange. It is probably caused by a monster. Even with my innate power, I don't have the courage to get close to it."
Yang Hao narrowed his eyes and looked at the resignation letter in his hand. Every word in the letter was an excuse for the minister's old age, frailty and lack of energy, without revealing a single word about the grudge.
"Does Xiao's behavior count as deceiving the emperor?"
Hearing the emperor whisper like this, the old eunuch Li Jingchun beside him felt a slight heat on his back. Fortunately, it seemed that this was not the question the emperor wanted to ask him. He just said this to himself, and then he saw the emperor smiled and said.
"Since Mr. Xiao feels that he is unable to do this, I will allow him to resign from his post."
Emperor Hongwu did not, as Xiao Du himself expected, reject his resignation first, then summon him after he recovered from his illness, and then seriously discuss the matter of the Censor's resignation after several discussions. Instead, he directly approved it with his own hand.
A few days later, the news that Imperial Censor Xiao Du had resigned and that the emperor had approved it quickly spread within the bureaucratic system in the capital, causing a major sensation within several factions.
It is no exaggeration to say that at this moment, the resignation of the Grand Censor would cause as much sensation as or even more than the resignation of an ordinary prime minister. After all, the Dazhen system was a multi-prime minister system, and some prime ministers might not be as important as the position of the Grand Censor. Xiao Du's resignation was like a big rock thrown into the lake during this sensitive period, causing the situation in the court and the country to continue to ferment in the following days.
First, the capital city saw a scene where day and night were reversed and the stars were falling;
Then Yin Zhaoxian's condition improved and he was recovering;
Then, the Imperial Censor Xiao Du resigned from his post due to old age;
Then the current emperor actually approved the resignation request of the Imperial Censor.
Officials from several factions in the court frequently visited each other, and there were private meetings between court officials and outsiders. Even though Xiao Du had resigned from office, he could not live in peace. Whether secretly or openly, people visited the Xiao family mansion at all times of day and night.
…
A month later, in the Yin Mansion, in the courtyard of Ji Yuan's guest house, Yin Zhaoxian, who had taken off his fox mask, sat opposite Ji Yuan and played chess with him.
"Hey, Mr. Ji's chess skills are no longer comparable to Yin's. How about letting me play ten pieces in the next game?"
Ji Yuan grinned, the more he gave in, the more he had.
"That won't do. I am a bit better than you, Master Yin, but what's the point of letting you play ten moves? It's better to just count you as the winner. You can play six moves at most."
"Okay then, six pieces is six pieces, let's play another round!"
Yin Zhaoxian took the initiative to clean up the chessboard, and Ji Yuan had no choice but to shake his head and accompany him. This Master Yin was a man of integrity, but he was still so petty when playing chess with him. However, this was the real Master Yin, not the Yin Wenqu who was portrayed as a legend by the outside world.
At this time, the two brothers Yin Qing and Yin Chong walked into the yard one after another.
"Dad, Mr. Ji." "Dad, sir."
The two brothers greeted their elders one after another. When they got closer, Yin Qing first glanced at the chessboard and saw that his father had already placed six chess pieces before the game started. He understood what was going on, but he didn't come to watch the two play chess.
"Dad, it looks like the Xiao family is preparing to leave Beijing."
During this period of time, Yin Qing has also been paying attention to the Xiao family. At first, he was afraid that the Xiao family was retreating in order to advance. After all, the Xiao family's actions were too decisive. It was not the way to clear themselves of everything and retreat. The emperor had approved it for a moment, which could easily arouse people's suspicion. But after hearing some things from Ji Yuan, Yin Zhaoxian and Yin Qing believed that the Xiao family really wanted to retreat.
In fact, the Xiao family must have done some corrupt and illegal things over the years, and must have reaped a lot of benefits. Or, to put it another way, there are very few ministers in the court who are completely clean. The Xiao family withdrew on their own, saving the Yin family a lot of trouble, so the Yin family was happy to forgive them and let bygones be bygones.
However, there were many different versions of the private opinions in the court. Officials from several factions were worried about their safety. There were even rumors that the emperor was so decisive in asking Xiao Du to resign and that Prime Minister Yin had recovered from his illness, and there was a big conspiracy. Such conspiracy theories reached their peak after Yin Zhaoxian resumed the morning court on the first day.
Under this environment, a large number of officials still try to contact the Xiao family every day, putting the Xiao family in a dangerous situation.
After hearing Yin Qing's words, Yin Zhaoxian glanced at Ji Yuan who was about to make a move, thought for a moment, and sighed.
"Alas, Xiao Du had no choice but to do this."
Yin Chong thought for a moment and said.
"Dad, the Xiao family left Beijing and returned to their ancestral home in Jizhou. Of course, there are reasons for keeping the agreement, but if they really leave Beijing, wouldn't it be very dangerous for them?"
Yin Qing smiled and patted Yin Zhong on the shoulder.
"You have made progress to think this way, but Xiao Du has thought more than you. Although there are many people who regard the Xiao family as a thorn in their eyes, if they stay in the capital, the Xiao family, who have obviously resigned, will be secretly visited by court officials and even foreign ministers... The emperor was wise before, and he is shrewd now. He may allow the Xiao family to retire safely because of their old friendship, but shrewd people are prone to overthinking. Xiao Du also knows this. He is no longer the Imperial Censor, and someone is fanning the flames behind the scenes. He can only worry and can't bring himself to ask my father for help. Leaving the capital is killing two birds with one stone. Although there are risks, it is worth taking the risk. After all, the Xiao family still has accumulation."
After Yin Qing said this, even Ji Yuan, who knew little about court politics, understood it and could imagine some complicated relationships, not to mention Yin Chong.
After explaining this, he said to Yin Zhongdao.
"Hu'er, you'd better follow Xiao clan secretly. If anything goes wrong, you can help them at the critical moment and let them return to Jizhou safely."
After a brief thought, Yin Zhong understood why he should help this former enemy.
"Okay, then father, Mr. Ji, and brother, I will take my leave first."
Yin Zhong bowed slightly to the three elders in the courtyard, turned around and walked away with the gait of a dragon and a tiger.