How to Easily Capture a Long Aotian [Quick Transmigration] 77

Chapter 77: The Peerless Minister of a Troubled World (Part 8)

In the autumn of the fifteenth year of Chang’an, Yu Lin had solved the crisis in Huaizhou, and the praise in the court was even greater than before.

However, when he had returned to the capital, what had welcomed him was not a chorus of praise, but the nobles of Luojing holding a secret letter from Huaizhou, and with tears in their eyes, they had accused him.

The letter said that he was violent and had harmed the nobles. The words were conclusive, and for a time, the nobles were terrified, and the emperor was furious, and he had rebuked him for having ulterior motives, and had then wanted to imprison him.

When the news had spread, the court and the country had been shocked. The people and the officials had rushed to save him. The students of the Imperial College and the common people had rushed up and had vied to block the imperial guards who had come to take him. In just one day, thousands of people had gathered at the entrance of the Yu residence, and they had confronted the soldiers.

This was his minister.

When the news had reached the palace, the emperor had been panting heavily, and he had thrown several sets of cups. He was both afraid and fearful. Such a minister with such a wide influence, could he let him live?

The emperor was both annoyed and afraid. Under the instigation of a few eunuchs and nobles, he had issued several orders, and he was determined to kill Yu Lin.

For a time, the city of Luojing was in a state of panic.

Because it was not just the common people who were blocking the entrance of the residence, but also the students of the Imperial College, and even the retired old officials. The imperial guards could not just arrest them all, so they had to confront them at the entrance of the Yu residence.

Yu Lin was blocked in the residence by hundreds of people and could not get out. The scene had been in a stalemate for a time, until the imperial guards had received the emperor’s furious order that all those who gathered to protect the Yu residence would be punished with the same crime.

The commander of the imperial guards had received the imperial edict, but when he had looked up, he had seen that under the swords at the entrance of the Yu residence were all people that he could not lay a hand on.

These people were holding blankets, and when they had heard the news, they had even stayed at the entrance of the Yu residence at night. There were the descendants of high officials from the Imperial College, and there were merchants and peddlers from the streets. An old imperial censor with white hair was sitting at the entrance of the Yu residence with his head down, trembling, and he was scolding the imperial guards with a cold and hard face.

In the past, when the various states had rebelled, Yu Lin had stood up to turn the tide in a time of crisis and had protected the peace of Dayong. Such a loyal minister, because of a trumped-up charge, was to have his house confiscated and be executed. This was a sign of a country’s demise.

The cold autumn rain fell from the sky, and the rain had soaked the plaque on the residence gate, the steps under the door, and the wet mud by the wall.

The imperial guards had received a new order, and although they could not bear to do it, they had gritted their teeth and had held on. However, after a long standoff, the eunuch who had come to supervise the army had urged them again and again, and some of the people who could not stand it had opened their mouths to curse. In the midst of the struggle, blood had finally been shed.

The entrance of the Yu residence was in a mess, and the cries and curses had exploded with the thunder in the sky.

When Yu Lin had walked out of the door, a heavy rain had just begun to fall. At first, it was just bean-sized raindrops, and then it had become a continuous sheet, and it had soaked the entire Luojing.

The old imperial censor had heard the creaking of the door behind him and had suddenly turned his head. The corners of his wrinkled eyes had twitched a little, and he had met the calm gaze of Yu Lin.

He was old, and he was holding a cane in his hand. He could barely stand in the rain, and he said coldly, “What are you doing out here? Go back!”

Many people had gathered at the entrance of the Yu residence, and the front was pushing and shoving. Hearing the sound, they all looked back. When they saw the cold, jade-like, and crane-like, elegant figure, even the imperial guards, who were as obedient as they were, could not help but their hands went numb.

Many years ago, the world had been in turmoil, and a rebel army had burned, killed, and plundered, and had reached Luojing.

At that time, the emperor had been so scared that he had almost fainted. He had hastily packed his luggage, and he had actually wanted to abandon the entire city of people and flee south. Luojing had been in a riot, and at that time, it was this person who had come out, and under great pressure, he had saved the lives of the entire city.

Most of the people present had been protected by him. For ordinary people, that was a great kindness.

Later, when the emperor had seen that the crisis in Luojing had been resolved, he had returned as if nothing had happened and had sat on his high platform.

Unexpectedly, in just a few years, times had changed, and this person would be given the name of a rebellious minister. It was so absurd.

A clap of thunder had struck the sky, and it had illuminated the faces of the people who were confronting each other at the door, and they were as white as snow.

“Mr…. Yu…”

“Sir…”

“Sir… you can’t go over…”

Many people had gathered around one after another, and they had wanted to protect Yu Lin and not let him go forward. Yu Lin had looked at them one by one, and his eyelids had lifted slightly, and he had shaken his head gently.

In the script he had taken, this was something that his identity had to experience, and it was his ending.

The last backbone of the old dynasty had to end with the times in a proper manner.

Autumn was already very cold. Yu Lin was coughing from the wind. Facing these people who were just trying to protect him and were risking their lives, he covered his lips and coughed lightly, and he said softly, “You don’t have to worry about me. The wind and rain are too heavy. You should all go home early.”

He had spoken of the wind and rain lightly, as if this trip was not a path of no return, but as calm as returning home.

The crowd looked at him, and suddenly someone began to cry.

A commoner asked him, “Then if you go with them, where are you going? If you leave this time, will you come back? If we let them take you away, are we to forget that you used to listen to us, to support us, and to let us eat our fill?”

“So many times, you saved us and let us live a peaceful life. Now that you are being framed and are going to your death, if we turn a blind eye, how can we do that?”

In the autumn of Luojing, the rain was pouring down, and unknowingly, more and more people had gathered at the entrance of the Yu residence.

The hilts of the swords in the hands of the imperial guards were cold and numb. This scale of a popular riot was not something he could handle.

By his side, the eunuch who had come to supervise was pale, and he was surrounded by a few fierce-looking commoners, and he shouted in a panic, “You! Are you trying to rebel!”

“So what—”

A big man let out a roar, and seeing that they still wanted to take him away, and he was holding a stick in his hand, and he was about to swing it at him, when in the distance, above the imperial city, a signal arrow suddenly exploded in the air, and a string of sparks was produced.

On the city tower, someone shouted in a panic, “The King of Wei—the King of Wei is attacking—”

In the last years of Dayong, Wei Zhiji, who had been accumulating his strength, had attacked Luojing without any warning. The King of Wei’s army was at the city gate, and it seemed to be a sign of the complete collapse of the Dayong dynasty.

Since the rebellions in various states a few years ago, the various forces had been restless. Besides a few directly subordinate prefectures and counties, the other places were not as obedient to the court as before.

The reason why it could still maintain a semblance of peace was because Yu Lin was mediating.

Wei Zhiji was the number one rebel among them, and his power was huge. But in the past, he had always been in a corner, and he had been tinkering with his so-called people’s livelihood projects, and he had not caused much trouble.

He had not expected that he would turn hostile just like that, and he was also quite bold. It was not enough to swallow Tongzhou, and he had taken a detour and had attacked the old nest of Dayong.

This was actually not the best move for him.

The prefectures and counties around Luojing were connected, and many places did not belong to him yet. Even if he took Luojing, he might not be able to hold it for long, and he would have wasted his troops.

Zhao Lang had followed the army north, and he had originally been following the commission that Yu Lin had given them before he had left—a few months later, when the barbarians were passing the winter, and the supplies were scarce, they would not dare to go to Wei Zhiji, and they would most likely come to bite the Central Plains.

The barbarians were fierce, and they treated the people of Dayong like pigs and dogs. Yu Lin had asked Wei Zhiji to intercept them in Caoxian.

Caoxian was just outside their territory, but it was also vaguely connected. To protect Caoxian was not a bad thing for them. Even Zhao Lang admired such a person.

But he couldn’t stand someone who was disobedient. As he was walking, and he had heard that something had happened in Luojing, he had insisted on taking a detour.

“Mr. Yu said that he would be fine on this trip. It seems a little reckless for us to come over without permission.” Outside Luojing, Zhao Lang rode his horse over, glanced at the layered and dense forest, and reminded him tactfully.

If someone from the neighboring prefectures and counties had brought troops to rescue the king, even if their troops and supplies were sufficient, and their equipment was excellent, they might still suffer some losses.

“He said he’s fine, so I shouldn’t come?” Wei Zhiji’s tone was cold. He was in a battle armor, and he looked at the majestic city in front of him coldly.

He had grown up here, and he knew every inch of Luojing like the back of his hand. He could not let go of this city, and he could not let go of the people in it.

Wei Zhiji held the reins, and with a cold face, he went forward, and he only said, “Let’s make it quick.”

He lifted his eyebrows slightly, and with a contemptuous arrogance that Zhao Lang was so familiar with that his blood was boiling, “At that time, three thousand remnant soldiers were not afraid of a hundred thousand barbarian soldiers. Are you afraid of the emperor?”

Hearing this, Zhao Lang felt it made perfect sense, and his hesitation vanished. He spurred his horse forward.

The little marquis of the Marquis of Zhennan’s residence at that time had brought the Wei family’s troops and had fought back.

He had not attacked the city rashly, but for three consecutive days, he had had people stand at the city gate and, one by one, he had read out the truth of how the emperor had colluded with the barbarians and had killed hundreds of thousands of Wei family troops in the Luoxia Valley case that year.

Every word and every sentence, and the evidence was conclusive, and it could be heard throughout the city.

Separated by a wall, there was a great uproar.

When the news had reached the imperial palace, the emperor was so scared that his legs were weak. He was in a state of panic, and he had ordered the city gates to be guarded to the death, and he would absolutely not allow Wei Zhiji to enter.

However, at the end of the dynasty, the people’s hearts were scattered.

Although not everyone in the court was willing to turn against him at the last moment, and there were many loyal and righteous people among them, who still had feelings for the old dynasty, and they regarded Wei Zhiji as a rebellious minister.

But not everyone was willing to die with the emperor, and there were always people who were willing to strive for a brighter future.

Wei Zhiji’s goal was clear. He had a blood feud with the emperor, and the feud of the extermination of his clan had to be avenged.

Three days later, Wei Zhiji had broken through the city gate. He knew that he could not stay for long, and he had not disturbed the people of Luojing, but he had only taken away a wretched prisoner from the imperial palace.

And in the deep, dark prison of Luojing, a tall and straight official had quietly disappeared.

Wei Zhiji had taken the person and had quietly left Luojing, and the army had quickly gone north to Caoxian.

As for the two prisoners he had captured, one had been thrown to eat the wind and drink the snow, and the other had been carefully raised in a tent.

The heavenly prison was damp and cold. Yu Lin had stayed in it for a few days and had caught a cold. He had been coughing lightly these past few days.

At that time, he had originally planned to feign death and escape after he had been imprisoned, but unexpectedly, the last joint had been messed up by Wei Zhiji outside, and it had gone extremely smoothly.

Now that the world line was complete, from now on, the sea was wide for the fish to leap, and the sky was high for the birds to fly, and there were no more restrictions.

The temperature in the military tent was low. A brazier was lit in the wide and tall tent. Yu Lin was coughing lightly and was curled up in a chair, and his calf was being held in Wei Zhiji’s arms to keep it warm.

Wei Zhiji felt hot, and his collar was casually open, and he was leaning against a tiger skin.

He was leaning against the chair, and his palm was holding Yu Lin’s snow-white ankle. He lifted his eyes slightly, and his cheek was lightly pressed against Yu Lin’s calf. “How is it? Are you still cold?”

When he had taken him out of the heavenly prison, Yu Lin had been as cold as ice. His heart had ached so much that he could not speak. These past few days, he had been warming him with his own body temperature.

Yu Lin was looking at a book, and in the middle of turning a page, he lowered his eyes to look at him, and at the foot that he was holding in his arms and had not taken out. After a pause, he shook his head. “I’m not cold.”

Wei Zhiji nodded, and he looked at him quietly. In the flickering light of the lamp, he was silent for a moment, and then he suddenly asked with a smile, “Did I ruin your plan?”

He had asked suddenly, as if it were nothing.

Yu Lin’s fingers, which were holding the book, paused slightly. He lowered his eyes to look at him, and his eyelashes cast a little shadow in the dim light of the lamp.

In so many worlds, sometimes he even suspected that this person was the same as him, a tasker who was constantly in a cycle. He was overly sensitive to some of the mission conditions.

From beginning to end, he had not asked Yu Lin once why he had done this, and why “Yu Lin” had to “die” in Dayong.

He had just silently helped.

He had done it so thoughtfully, but no matter which world it was, this person was very dazed by Yu Lin’s probing, and he had no impression at all, as if he were a real script NPC.

Yu Lin reached out, and his cold, white, and slender fingers rested on the side of Wei Zhiji’s cheek. Wei Zhiji paused for a moment, and his sharp features were raised, and he leaned over and nuzzled his palm.

Yu Lin bent his fingers and scratched his chin, and in Wei Zhiji’s comfortably squinted eyes, his features were lowered, and he said softly, “No. It was just right.”

His beloved’s tone was light and gentle, and it swayed with the candlelight.

The snow-white ankle in his arms moved slightly, and as a reward, it stepped on his honey-colored chest.

Wei Zhiji looked down, and the uneasiness in his heart dissipated. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and he couldn’t help but feel a little restless again.