Chapter 2743 - 2742: Seeking Father at the Government Office

Chapter 2743: Chapter 2742: Seeking Father at the Government Office

Long Fei watched for a while with Song Yuchan and Yan Qing at the back of the crowd. He comforted Song Yuchan, saying, "This incident stemmed from the Duke of Wu and has nothing to do with your father. Your father is only suffering a small prison ordeal; it won’t be much of a problem."

Song Yuchan breathed a sigh of relief and said to Long Fei, "Should we rescue Father?"

Long Fei said, "Worldly problems should still be solved in the worldly realm. Your senior brother happens to be traveling in the secular world; it’s most appropriate for him to handle this matter."

"Senior Brother?"

The two raised their eyebrows and followed Long Fei to find an inn, where they settled down.

Inside the inn, the guests were all discussing the recent changes in the Imperial Court.

Long Fei asked the innkeeper to open a private room and ordered a table full of food for the two children to feast on.

Soon, a man dressed like a scholar walked in. After entering the private room, he closed the door and immediately knelt in front of Long Fei, saying, "Master above, Disciple Wuu Yong pays respects to esteemed Master!"

Song Yuchan and Yan Qing stopped with their chicken legs in hand, staring at Wuu Yong again and again, not expecting to meet their senior brother here.

Long Fei raised his hand, signaling Wuu Yong to stand up.

He introduced to Wuu Yong, "These two are your junior sister and junior brother, one is the Duke Song Yuchan of Qi’s daughter Song Yuchan, and the other is the Duke of Yan’s son Yan Qing."

The two small ones were very well-behaved, raising their hands and bowing to Wuu Yong, saying, "Junior Sister pays respects to Senior Brother."

"Junior Brother pays respects to Senior Brother!"

Wuu Yong happily returned the courtesy and raised an eyebrow at Long Fei, saying, "Master is here for the Duke of Qi’s matters, right?"

Long Fei nodded and asked him, "How are things in the palace?"

Wuu Yong sighed, "Since Li Family entered the palace last year, Your Majesty has been indulging in wine and women every day, leaving Cai Jing’s party in charge of state affairs. Those officials who defy Cai Jing’s party have either been exiled or dismissed over the past year.

Recently, the Duke of Wu somehow offended the son of Chancellor Gao, causing enmity with Chancellor Gao. This and that, angering the Emperor. Not only was the Duke of Wu’s household confiscated and put on a wanted list, but even the Empress was implicated.

The Duke Song Gongming of Qi, speaking righteously in the court, thus offended Cai Jing’s party and was accused of not respecting the imperial edicts, ending up imprisoned."

Though Yan Qing was just a child, he listened with indignation and declared, "Traitorous officials are in power, the country is no longer a country."

Wuu Yong looked approvingly at the junior brother, and continued with Long Fei, "Due to the power usurpation by Cai Jing and others, Fang La, a salt merchant from South Yangtze, has rebelled and proclaimed himself Emperor, capturing several territories in South Yangtze. South Yangtze is a major source of Great Songg’s taxes; if allowed to develop unchecked, Great Songg’s foundation will be shaken. Now, the court is in internal and external turmoil; signs of the dynasty’s end are already evident."

Long Fei’s expression remained calm; everything was within his expectations.

Since Emperor Huizong of Song inscribed at the Guanyin Hall, Great Songg’s demise was a foregone conclusion.

However, who should take over the fate of the Human Race in the Southern Observation Continent after the fall of Great Songg, this is what must be strategically planned next.

He instructed Wuu Yong, "Since you have seen through Great Songg’s fate, seek out a wise sovereign to serve, help him reclaim the People of Divine Land’s destiny. If there are any issues, feel free to seek support from our Liangshan Island."

"I obey Master’s command!"

Wuu Yong bowed deeply and curiously asked Long Fei, "Dare I ask, Master, who is this wise sovereign?"

"The heavenly secret cannot be revealed, everything is for you to decide!"

Long Fei gave him no clue and merely said, "The one who wishes to grasp our Human Race’s destiny must naturally have the talent to govern, humility like an empty valley, the ambition for the world, and the virtue of benevolence and selflessness. If a person possesses these four attributes, he is a wise ruler."

"Disciple has noted it down!"

Wuu Yong nodded, already having a few candidates in mind, all friends he had met in the Capital City.

He looked up at Yan Qing and Song Yuchan, secretly thinking that these two junior siblings’ fathers indeed have the talent to govern.

The Master bringing along the two junior siblings, could it be a hint to him that the wise ruler is among these two?

Long Fei raised a hand to let him get up, instructing him, "Your junior sister is worried about her father, find a way to take her for a visit."

Wuu Yong said, "That’s not a problem; junior sister can come with me now. The Governor of Yangzhou is acquainted with me, and Duke Song Gongming of Qi is imprisoned at the Yangzhou Prefectural Government Office."

Song Yuchan stood up and bowed gratefully to Wuu Yong, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Yan Qing said, "I’ll accompany junior sister too!"

Long Fei nodded and let Wuu Yong take the two together.

This Governor of Yangzhou is also the Capital Prefect, and although being the Prefect under the Emperor’s feet, it is not an easy life.

Outside, he is the master of the prefecture.

But in the Capital City, surrounded by powerful and influential families, the Prefect cannot even get a rank, always in a position to suffer.

Isn’t it true, when Wuu Yong and the others went over, the Governor of Yangzhou, Pan Rengui, received a notice from above, instructing him to severely punish Song Gongming in prison and find a way to make Song Gongming’s case ironclad.

Pan Rengui is an exceedingly shrewd person. Though he accommodates Cai Jing’s party, it’s merely out of seeking influence, not truly being part of Cai Jing’s party.

He knows the Duke Song Gongming of Qi’s standing in the court.

The greater the pressure from above, the more cautious he becomes.

Song Gongming merely spoke a few fair words for the Duke of Wu and did not break any regulations.

If he were to wrongfully accuse Song Gongming of being guilty, the moral officials in the court would certainly scorn him.

Pan Rengui did not come to the position of Capital Prefect by mistake.

This position is equivalent to the Grand Commandant rank, a direct offspring of the Emperor, previously always held as a titular position for the Prince.

The acquaintance between Wuu Yong and Pan Rengui can be traced back to the Wu Family of Yang Valley Pass.

The wife of Wu Zhi, Pan Jinlian, is Pan Rengui’s daughter, and when the Wu Family had troubles, it was thanks to Wuu Yong that it was resolved in the end.

Pan Rengui, remembering Wuu Yong’s kindness, even made blood brotherhood with him.

When Wuu Yong brought the junior brother and sister to visit, they saw Pan Rengui in the guest hall.

Upon seeing the two children, Pan Rengui was curious and said, "Brother Wuu, who are these little ones?"

Wuu Yong introduced, "They are my junior brother and sister, both practicing at Liangshan Island. One is the son of the Duke of Yan, and the other is the daughter of the Duke Song Gongming of Qi."

"Oh?"

Pan Rengui was surprised, "So they are both of noble lineage."

Looking at Song Yuchan, he realized Wuu Yong’s purpose in coming.

Song Yuchan had already thought of a strategy on the way, and with a harmless demeanor, knelt before Pan Rengui, saying, "Uncle above, your niece has just arrived in the Capital City, with no support. Hearing of my father’s misfortune, my heart is anxious and troubled. I implore Uncle to show mercy and allow me to see my father, to fulfill my duty of filial piety."

Behind her, Yan Qing widened his eyes, thinking to himself, when did junior sister become so well-behaved and charming? Could it be that the family’s misfortune changed her temperament immediately?

Seeing Song Yuchan’s pitiful appearance, Pan Rengui couldn’t bear it and said, "Good child, rise quickly."

He helped Song Yuchan up and said, "Uncle is quite acquainted with your father. Now that he’s in trouble, Uncle naturally needs to look after him. At such a young age, you show such filial devotion. Uncle is deeply comforted for your father. I will have someone take you to him now."

Without any difficulty, he immediately summoned someone to take Song Yuchan over.

Song Yuchan clasped her hands in salute and bowed to Pan Rengui once more.

Yan Qing rose to go with Song Yuchan, carefully guarding the junior sister’s back.