Chapter 172 The True Dragon Crosses the River
Who called me?
Zhao Yushu turned around and saw a petite girl suddenly falling from the sky and landing heavily in front of him.
Hmm, it looks familiar. Where have I seen it before? Zuihuafang?
"Zhao Yushu!"
"Uh, it's me."
The folding fan snapped shut, and Zhao Yushu remembered that this was the girl that Lao Niu stepped on the floor yesterday, so Zhao Yushu blurted out: "Lao Niu, where is your sword?"
He Yuyao was sure that she understood every word, but why was it so strange when it came together? What did Lao Niu mean, and why did he ask about my sword?
"No, I didn't bring it."
"What a pity. I wanted to see more." Zhao Yushu had always been wondering whether this girl would hit the ground with the big sword on her back.
He Yuyao's anger was forcibly interrupted by Zhao Yushu's illogical words, so that Zhao Yushu couldn't utter a word after asking him twice what he wanted.
Seeing more and more people gathered around, He Yuyao blushed and said, "Come with me, I have something to talk to you about!"
Zhao Yushu scratched his head, not understanding what was going on, but since he had nothing to do anyway, he decided to see what she was up to.
As soon as the two left, a group of people began to whisper.
"She was calling Zhao Yushu just now, right?"
"Yes, it's clear. It's Mr. Six."
"Who is this girl?"
"I recognize her. She is He Yuyao, the third seat of Wangjiang Tower!"
"real or fake?"
"Small in stature but with a big sword, very famous!"
"Isn't Wangjianglou going to fight with Zhao Yushu? Why are they involved?"
"Don't talk nonsense. What if they hear you? But who can tell what the gods are doing? I have to be careful with my money. Don't let those people in the gambling house set me up."
"Opposite to pole!"
The two walked to a viewing bridge on the river bank. Zhao Yushu breathed in the moist river breeze and asked, "What on earth did Miss He want to see me about?"
What? A fight, of course! But I didn't bring a sword with me.
He Yuyao was a little conflicted for a moment, and she stopped him in a fit of rage. If she wanted to fight, she didn't have any weapons with her, and if she said she didn't want to fight, she couldn't just come here to see the scenery.
However, just as she was about to make up an excuse, she found that Zhao Yushu was not looking at her, but was looking seriously towards the upper reaches of the river.
A building ship cut through the wind and waves and sailed down the river. The golden dragon head on the bow was majestic yet ferocious, and the huge sails blocked out the sky. Dozens of large oars extending from the side of the ship were like centipede feet, pushing the huge ship forward in unison.
And it’s just the first one.
Nine ships came in a line. The one in the middle was particularly tall, with a dragon flag flying high in the wind, and the deck was full of armored Jinwu guards.
The surrounding large and small ships hurriedly moved towards the shore to avoid this group of huge monsters. At this time, no matter which high-ranking official or noble son they were, they were as obedient as quails, because the greatest noble of the Tang Empire had arrived.
"Emperor?" He Yuyao stammered as she looked at the fleet slowly passing by, a little bit unable to believe it.
"It's a prince, maybe the crown prince." Zhao Yushu narrowed his eyes. He knew the news in the morning and saw the fleet in less than half a day. What did this prince want to announce by entering Jiangning in such a high-profile manner?
"how do you know?"
"It doesn't matter. You guys at Wangjiang Tower wanted to roast me on the rack, and now you guys are being roasted on the rack too. Perhaps this is the sadness of a small person."
"What do you mean?"
"Seven days later, Jiangning will be very lively, more lively than you can imagine. Miss He, if there is nothing else, I will leave first. If you want to fight, to be honest, you are no match for me, so there is no need to compete anymore."
He Yuyao almost got furious when she heard this, but for some reason she didn't do anything. She just watched Zhao Yushu slowly disappear into the crowd.
She was just a warrior. She was not favored by the Duke of Yue like the chief, nor was she entrusted with important tasks by her master like the second in command. She could not understand the thoughts of the building owner and the elders. They only knew that when they asked her to go out and fight, she went, and then she was defeated.
Mr. Liu, who defeated her easily, seemed to have never taken last night's victory or defeat seriously. He didn't even recognize her when they first met. What is this, the arrogance of a master?
He Yuyao suddenly wanted to cry, then turned to look at the slowly disappearing dragon boat. His eyes were only on that boat.
Zhao Yushu had to hurry to confirm who was coming. It would be fine if it was an ordinary prince, but it was most likely the crown prince who had arrived.
Although the salt tax was high, the imperial court firmly controlled more than half of it, and Wang Yan was Prince Fu's man, so at most he could get less than 10% or 20%. He had been in office for more than ten years and only embezzled more than one million taels. Was it worth it for the crown prince to come in person for such a small amount of money?
Investigate Wang Yan? Impossible. Take a bite out of a certain faction through Wang Yan? Possible.
The four great powers, the emperor, the prince of Fu, the Duke of Yue, the academy...
Zhao Yushu quickened his pace, it seemed that the three families were a group.
It was indeed the Crown Prince who came.
The whole Jiangning was in chaos. What Zhao Yushu had not expected was that from the information he got from Sun Wuyang, the academy could be sure that even the Jiangning Prefecture and even the Duke of Yue did not know that the prince was coming to Jiangning. The emperor had concealed it from everyone and only suddenly showed up when the fleet arrived in Jiangning.
This would have been impossible in the previous life. The news of such a large fleet coming all the way from Xijing would have spread all over the world long ago. But it is possible in this world where cultivators exist.
The most terrifying thing is that even though the ruling power of the Tang Dynasty royal family has been declining, they are still able to prevent any leakage of this information.
This is a deterrent!
Damn it, all my guesses were wrong!
Zhao Yushu fell into a panic for no reason. It seemed that this was the first time that he had completely gone in the wrong direction and could not see what the other party was thinking.
At the Jiangning government office, Li Tong watched the governor, who was in a hurry and politely invited her to a courtyard slightly smaller than hers, and she felt so angry that she could hardly suppress it.
Although there is no imperial palace in Jiangning, there are so many royal estates. Why does this cousin, the future emperor, insist on living in the government office?
More importantly, why didn't I get any news of his coming to Jiangning?
The prince has already disembarked. No matter how unhappy Li Tong is, she has to give up the most luxurious courtyard. She even dares not move to the villa given by a local wealthy businessman. The prince lives in the government office, but you, a princess, live in the villa instead. You are so arrogant.
I shouldn't have lived in the government office in the first place, just to be closer to Wang Yan, but now I am forced to meet the prince every day.
Zhao Yushu's expectation was not disappointed. The emperor and the prince's trick did not disrupt his plan. Instead, it made the water even more muddy. Who is the fish and who is the fisherman in this muddy water? Only with their own hands can we know the truth.
"Mr. Six, the prince has sent an invitation." A Taoist priest ran in hurriedly.
Zhao Yushu and Sun Wuyang were stunned. Zhao Yushu opened the post: "The prince invited me to cruise the Qinhuai River tonight."
Sun Wuyang felt that his brain was not enough: "Why?"
"I don't know." Zhao Yushu put away the invitation: "He probably hasn't even arrived at the government office yet, but the invitation has been sent here. Your Highness, you really think highly of me."