In addition to the colorful trees that line the streets of Yuezhou City during the winter, the White Lotus Sect also requires all citizens to hang lotus lanterns on their doorsteps to symbolize joy and auspiciousness. On the streets, pedestrians are in a hurry, and many people have no smiles on their faces. It is rare to see people talking on the streets. Along the way, Yan Liqiang and his convoy encountered at least seven or eight groups of swift people of all kinds, including constables, Qianye Guards, and the White Lotus Sect's protective team. The whole city is filled with a solemn atmosphere amid the colorful and festive atmosphere. The feeling that this city gave Yan Liqiang can be described in two words: awkward!
Of course, there are also happy people in Yuezhou City. Even in the heavy snow, one can still see many teams in bright clothes and fast horses on the streets. The proportion of luxurious four-wheeled carriages custom-made by the Manufacturing Bureau is even higher here than in the Imperial Capital. In many places in the city, one can see luxurious mansions with carved beams and painted rafters that are under construction. Even in the snow, there are workers busy at work. There are constantly carriages and teams outside the city pulling all kinds of construction materials into the city. These people are undoubtedly the upper class of the White Lotus Sect.
Yan Liqiang and his companions' carriage passed through half of Yuezhou City, and then drove directly into the mansion through a side door of the rather impressive mansion.
At the main entrance of the mansion, there is a plaque with the words "General Guangwei's Mansion" written on it. Although the mansion is magnificent, it is not considered eye-catching in Yuezhou City, because there are at least more than a hundred generals in the entire White Lotus Sect, and these generals all have their own mansions in Yuezhou City.
So many generals and White Lotus leaders gathered in one city. If the city was smaller, it would not be enough for them. However, the White Lotus took a fancy to Yuezhou City and regarded it as the loyalty of the White Lotus Kingdom. There was a reason for this. Yuezhou City was a thousand-year-old city of the Han Empire. It was also a prosperous area in the southeast of the empire. The salt and cloth merchants of Yuezhou were famous all over the world. They had been passed down for hundreds of years and accumulated countless wealth. Therefore, there were many mansions and courtyards left by salt and cloth merchants in this city. Now these mansions and courtyards naturally belonged to the White Lotus and were granted to various people in the sect. The Guangwei General's Mansion used to be the house of a Yuezhou salt merchant.
Yan Liqiang and his companions returned to General Guangwei's mansion and followed the usual procedures. After unloading the things from the carriage, a steward in the mansion directed the servants to take out a lot of gorgeous silks and satins that Yan Liqiang and his companions had just brought in, and then re-decorated the bare branches on the street outside the mansion, making them even more colorful and eye-catching, which was incredible.
It was not until the evening, after dinner, and almost late at night, that Yan Liqiang and his companions entered the underground secret room of the mansion through the secret passage and met the current owner of the house, General Guangwei Guo Mingchuan of the White Lotus Sect.
Guo Mingchuan is in his fifties, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a red and purple face, and a sturdy build. He has the fierce aura of a martial artist, but his eyes are smart and bright. He looks like a rough but meticulous person. No wonder he can hide in Yuezhou City and be entrusted with important tasks by the Dragon King.
"Guo Mingchuan has met the Saint, and has met the Dragon King..." When seeing Yan Liqiang and the others emerge from the secret passage, Guo Mingchuan was so excited that he bowed deeply to Hua Ruxue and the Dragon King. When he raised his head, his eyes were red.
The Dragon King personally helped Guo Mingchuan up and sighed, "Thank you for your hard work over the years..."
“Those rebels have usurped power in the sect and made the White Lotus sect a mess. It has completely changed. If the old Saint Lord were still alive, he would never allow them to act so recklessly. Many of our brothers and sisters in the sect have been persecuted or forced away by them. Brother Guocheng was forced to lead the army to attack Loushan Pass in Weizhou a few months ago. It’s... it’s..." At this point, Guo Mingchuan couldn't hold back his tears.
The Dragon King let out a long breath, his voice full of grief, "Don't worry, Guo Cheng's death will not be in vain. This time, we will definitely be able to set things right, wipe out those traitors and traitors, let the White Lotus Sect return to the right path, find a way out for all the poor people in the world, and never let down the Holy Lord's spirit in heaven..." The Dragon King paused here, "Let me introduce you, this is His Royal Highness Yan Liqiang, the King of Pingxi, this is Elder Li, and this is Elder Ji..."
"Guo Mingchuan has met His Highness, Elder Li, and Elder Ji..."
"Well, come, let's sit down and talk. Mingchuan, first tell us about the latest situation in the church and the arrangements for the grand ceremony in three days..."
"yes!"
Several people sat down at a round table in the secret room. Guo Mingchuan took out a map and spread it on the table. "This is the map of the palace that the old thief is building in the city. This palace used to be the Yuezhou Palace of the Han Empire. After occupying Yuezhou City, the old thief recruited tens of thousands of our craftsmen and spent nearly 10 million taels of silver to collect treasures from various states. He transformed the Yuezhou Palace into today's palace. Three days later, the old thief's coronation ceremony will be held in the White Lotus Hall of this palace..." Guo Mingchuan said, pointing to a building in the loyal area on the map...
"Has that old thief shown up in the city these days?" asked the Dragon King.
"He has never shown up!" Guo Mingchuan shook his head. "That old thief's whereabouts have always been erratic and extremely cautious. He might have been in the palace a moment ago, but no one knew where he had gone a quarter of an hour later. When the palace was being rebuilt, he asked the craftsmen he recruited to build several secret passages in the palace, and then he killed those craftsmen. He used the secret passages to enter and exit the palace, so it was difficult for outsiders to track his whereabouts. However, he will definitely show up at his official coronation ceremony three days later..."
"Besides him, will the important people under him come to the coronation ceremony?"
"Basically, they are all here. A few days ago, I don't know where he found some powerful masters, and they gathered around him. I have received accurate information. In this grand ceremony, he will lavishly promote those powerful masters he found. One of them will be promoted to the prime minister of the White Lotus Heavenly Kingdom, and the remaining ten will be promoted to the eleven heavenly kings together with the Ghost King. The cultivation level of the prime minister has never been revealed, but the cultivation levels of the ten heavenly kings are estimated to be no less than that of the Ghost King. The current Ghost King has been completely squeezed out by that old thief, and is becoming less and less relevant in the White Lotus Sect..."
"How did you get this information?"
"The imperial edict, seal, and official robes for the conferment have been rushed these days. This is exactly what I am responsible for now. Over the years, I have always responded to the old thief's requests and served him and his lackeys well. After he ascends the throne, the old thief will also confer me the title of Shaofujian..."
Eleven more? Hearing this, Yan Liqiang, Li Hongtu and Ji Xiaoyao looked at each other and immediately thought of the configuration of the Killing Yan Team. Damn, this might be another Shadow Demon Team with one Martial Emperor and ten Martial Kings. Where did Lin Qingtian find these Shadow Demons? If this problem is not solved, if a lot of Shadow Demons can appear at will in the future, won't the world be in chaos
Thinking of this, Yan Liqiang's expression began to become serious.
"Besides these people, is there anyone else worth noting?"
"These are the most important ones. Apart from them, the others are mainly a few elders of the White Lotus Sect. Now, from the Ghost King down, all the elders in the sect are in danger. Everyone feels that the old thief does not seem to completely trust the elders in the sect, but trusts those mysterious masters and strongmen he brought with him. He is trying to use the people he brought with him to completely control the power of the sect step by step. This time, the old thief's coronation ceremony is just the beginning. He wants to put all the power of the sect in his hands or in the hands of those around him. So many people are resentful, but dare not express it..."
"Very good, this is consistent with my judgment!" The Dragon King nodded, "Then are there any changes in the troops in Yuezhou City?"
"No changes. The main defense inside and outside the city is still under the responsibility of Qianye Guards. The one in charge of Qianye Guards now is none other than one of the old thief's most trusted confidants. Qianye Guards are well-equipped and well-trained. They are a force that the old thief regards as the blade. If we want to touch them, I'm afraid..." Guo Mingchuan frowned, with a worried look on his face.
"Don't worry about Qianye Wei's affairs, we have our own way to deal with them..."
"That's no problem. On the day of the ceremony, I can bring you into the palace, but it may be difficult to enter the White Lotus Hall. I can only coordinate from the center..."
"Okay, you've done well enough. These two days are crucial. Don't do anything else. Just do your job and don't expose yourself. We'll talk about everything after three days. I'll have other plans by then..."
"yes!"
Guo Mingchuan then left the secret room, while Yan Liqiang and the Dragon King and others continued to stay in the secret room.
“Your Highness, everything is basically ready now, but a large number of strong men have suddenly appeared around the rebel. This is really beyond my expectations. I’m afraid it will be difficult to deal with him when the time comes…” The Dragon King looked at Yan Liqiang with a serious expression.
"Don't worry, the power gathered by Yu Luo Palace this time is enough to deal with them!" At this point, Yan Liqiang looked at Hua Ruxue and said with concern, "Ruxue, there will be a big war in the palace in three days. Once the war starts, I may not be able to take care of you, so for safety reasons, I think it's best for you to show up after the war..."
Under Yan Liqiang's gaze, Hua Ruxue's face inexplicably turned red, but she still shook her head firmly, "I must go. If I don't show up, it will be difficult to subdue those elders in the sect. I must pass this level..."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will be by Ruxue's side to protect her safety!" said the Dragon King.
Yan Liqiang could only nod, "Then have you arranged everything else?"
"No matter whether the rebel is a human or a demon, as long as Your Highness can eliminate the rebel, Qianye Wei and the trusted strongmen around the rebel and prevent them from escaping, the White Lotus Sect will definitely be under our control again!"
Yan Liqiang smiled and said, "That's good. How long will the Han Empire remain in chaos? It depends on whether we can chop off those people's heads in three days..."
The Dragon King narrowed his eyes, "After three days, the world will know who will be the future ruler of the Han Empire..."
(End of this chapter)