Chapter 148: The Situation

Fleeing from the small stream, Luo Yishi escaped toward Chang'an. By the time he emerged from the tunnel, he had completely changed his appearance, donning foreign nomadic attire to evade notice.

Upon fleeing to the Duke of Jin's mansion, Luo Yishi immediately sought help from Li Linfu, recounting the entire sequence of events according to his own fabricated version.

That same night, the turmoil in Chang'an City also reached Li Linfu's ears through his informants.

In the moon chamber, devoid of moonlight, the curved and rough trunk of a jujube tree before the courtyard extended toward the deep-in-thought master, seemingly brewing something terrifying.

Several days later, the political climate in Chang'an began to shift. General Huangfu Weiming, returning from abroad, met by night with his close friend, Judicial Official Wei Jian.

That same night, Crown Prince Li Heng, accompanied by his deeply affectionate wife, Lady Wei, happened upon the two men during a night visit to the Journey to the West Tavern.

Inside the back mountain of the Princess's Mansion.

Newly turned earth and a grave built from piled stones.

Unlike the funeral in Li Wan'er's memories, there was no coarse mourning hemp; instead, black wreaths were placed, and everyone was required to wear black to bid farewell to the departed.

Wu Yueling did not arrange for Daoist priests to guide the soul, nor did she invite Buddhist monks to chant scriptures. She sent Xiaochun off in the simplest manner possible, according to the memories of her past life.

Being buried in the back mountain of the Princess's Mansion was perhaps a form of selfishness—keeping her forever within the estate.

The deceased is gone; may she rest well.

Xiaomi was weeping uncontrollably beside the grave. Even though her eye sockets were red and swollen, Wu Yueling saw it and said nothing more.

However, Xiaomi spoke up, consumed by deep self-reproach.

"Princess, it is all Xiaomi's fault! If only Xiaomi had gone with Xiaochun that day, this tragedy would never have happened!"

She spoke thus because she possessed the alias of the Sixth Servant and was a top-tier martial artist.

Wu Yueling looked at Xiaomi and sighed, "Life does not have so many 'ifs.' Grasping the present moment is the only truth."

"But..."

"I know all about your situation. I will handle the Inner Palace Surveillance Bureau. Do not blame yourself for Xiaochun's death. From this day forward, the Manichaeism no longer exists. If there is hatred to be avenged, it has already been avenged."

Wu Yueling turned around, her golden-plum-red cuffs visible from beneath her long black robe.

"No matter who it is, as long as you are people of the Princess's Mansion, I do not wish to see you harmed ever again. From now on, take shelter beneath the shade of my tree!"

Xiaomi stared blankly at the receding back of the princess, the sorrow on her face finally melting into a sense of release.

She never expected that the princess was aware of everything happening in secret. As the second chess piece of the Inner Palace Surveillance Bureau, she decided on this day to pledge her loyalty to the princess, never to harbor a divided heart again—just like Xiaochun, single-minded and wholly devoted to her master.

That night, in her lonely room, Xiaomi carefully weighed her words, detailing her withdrawal from the Inner Palace Surveillance Bureau, and dispatched the message via a large black cat.

Within the Imperial City's Surveillance Bureau, Gao Lishi had a maid massage his plump arms and legs. Cradling a large black cat in his arms and holding a piece of inferior yellow paper in his hand, he read the information clearly under the dim illumination of a lantern.

Has Xiaomi betrayed him? Or rather, has she been bought off by the princess? And that girl named Xiaochun also died because of Manichaeism?

Gao Lishi frowned, clicked his tongue, and shook his head as he looked over the gift sent by the Princess's Mansion. A faint sigh arose in his heart: this Princess Protector of the State was quite sensible, but...

"Her mind is also nimble and meticulous. It seems I must be on my guard... Well, Third Servant!"

"This subordinate is here!"

A masked servant emerged from the shadow of a pillar.

"I heard that the Manichaeism, which loved stirring up trouble, is gone?"

Gao Lishi rubbed his emerald thumb ring, his narrowed eyes flashing with a sharp light, exuding the haughty condescension of one long accustomed to high power.

"Yes. This subordinate has investigated: they were completely destroyed overnight. Aside from a few temples worshipped by foreign merchants, nearly all of them were rounded up by the Vigilantes and the people of the Princess's Mansion!"

The sound of clicking tongue escaped Gao Lishi's greasy lips. He asked the Third Servant how he viewed the young woman holding the title of Princess Protector of the State.

"This subordinate believes that at first glance, the Princess Protector of the State seemed to be of humble origin with nothing particularly striking about her. I even thought that her opening taverns and running commercial ventures showed a lack of understanding of her own status. Unfortunately... unfortunately, I was wrong. The Princess Protector of the State conceals her brilliance and bides her time; she makes no noise on the surface, but in reality, she has profound foresight when looking at matters!"

"Oh? Foresight? Where can that be seen?"

"Forgive this subordinate's presumption, but judging from the sluggish business operations of Qi Family Wines, it was likely done to prevent other large merchants from imitating them, thereby serving as a warning to frighten the others."

In his heart, Gao Lishi praised the Third Servant's analytical ability—worthy of being an intelligence operative he had personally cultivated. Yet aloud, he said, "Aside from that, judging from the eradication of Manichaeism, the winning over of people's hearts, and the management of her subordinates, there must be an extremely capable strategist by the Princess Protector of the State's side. If not, then the princess herself is someone who cannot be underestimated!"

Acutely sensing his master's deep deliberation, the Third Servant bowed submissively and replied, "Please give your instructions, Master!"

"Hmm," Gao Lishi nodded, wearing a satisfied expression. He waved away the attending maid before speaking, "Since we can no longer plant chess pieces inside, we must open up channels of connection within. Hmm, that fellow Yu Chaoen... a traitor who bites the hand that feeds him! Never mind... opening connections can also start with the merchants allied with the Journey to the West Tavern..."

Mentioning Yu Chaoen still stirred Gao Lishi's anger. Now that two of his chess pieces had successively rebelled, he was forced to be on high alert against the Princess's Mansion ahead of time.

Meanwhile, inside the Princess's Mansion.

Wu Yueling hung her red Hanfu on a clothing rack, put it away, and changed into another simple red dress. She went outside the Longjing Tower to listen to the report from the commander of the Vigilantes.

"Princess, this operation was a massive success! Including the dozen or so strongholds outside the city, they have all been uprooted."

"Good," she nodded in response. Even so, this could hardly be considered a cause for great joy, but at least the environment in Chang'an had become somewhat cleaner. Those wandering orphans would finally no longer have to suffer persecution. She also instructed the Vigilantes to take them in; if funds were needed, applications could be submitted to the Princess's Mansion. After all, with every mouth to feed, securing just food and shelter was no easy task.

The situation of the militia had also been reported by Du Fu: no fatalities, but over two hundred wounded, among whom 156 sustained minor injuries, with the rest suffering severe wounds.

Through the reports of their operational execution, Wu Yueling also gained a general understanding of the personalities of the various battalion commanders. Zuo Zhishi was cautious; Maha excelled at minor tricks, while Xie Yimu and Li Liuliqi only knew how to charge forward blindly.

The proportion of severely wounded soldiers was highest in their two battalions.

"Now then, tell me about the situation on your end!"

Wu Yueling knew that this campaign against Manichaeism did more than just eliminate the cult; many of their territories had also been taken over by the Vigilantes.

"Yes, Princess. There are over fifty properties within Chang'an City, spanning more than twenty types and involving dozens of trades. At the same time, we confiscated five thousand taels of gold!"

Zhang Heng was beaming with joy. The destruction of Manichaeism was deeply gratifying and could finally comfort the spirits of the two fallen commanders in heaven. From then on, serving the princess would be done without a single grievance.

"Oh, not bad at all! Use this money to rebuild the Vigilantes, and those properties will be taken over by the Princess's Mansion... By the way, is there a way to contact the Vigilantes scattered across various regions?"

Hearing this, Wu Yueling was slightly surprised, but she quickly made her decision. Since she was going to make use of these people, she naturally had to offer some benefits, and she decided to initiate the next phase of her plan.

"Yes, we can use the Commander's Token of the Vigilantes!"

"Good, that will do!"

Time passed a little longer.

On the streets of Chang'an, beggars only increased in number, among whom was a sturdy, tiger-backed, bear-waisted big man.

He had a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an appearance that looked somewhat naive.

Staring intently at the Journey to the West Tavern, he waited for the tavern's staff to come out and distribute free barley wine. Of course, he was not there to pick a fight or cause trouble; rather, he was determined to get a taste of this novel drink so his mother could try it as well.

Far away in Jiannan farming, Yang Zhao also encountered his springtime. Through the wealthy merchant Xianyu Zhongda, he gained the appreciation of Jiannan Military Governor Zhangqiu Jianqiong, and began preparing tribute items for the Sage's Thousand Autumn Festival on the fifth day of the eighth month.