Ephemeral clouds and works

Chapter 164: Silver Lost

    

sins, and expendable ones at that. Besides, all their brothers had died in the Fengchi Kingdom. They didn't want to come back alive either, so when they caught up with the Eunuch-in-waiting's party, t...I thought that once I was on my own turf, things would be much easier. Han Lu even deliberately rested at the station for a night, but it was during that night that something happened.

On the second day, when the sun was high in the sky, the usual water carriers who came to the relay station found it eerily quiet, as if deserted. Even the station attendants who usually came out to collect water were nowhere to be seen. Boldly, he went inside to investigate and saw the station master asleep in his room. All around him were people lying haphazardly about.

Once the guard was woken, he immediately realized something was wrong. He quickly ran to the backyard and saw that all the soldiers guarding the silver were fast asleep, and the chests containing the silver were wide open with nothing inside.

The courier was so frightened that he sat down on his buttocks, and after a while, he scrambled to General Han's room.

When Han Lu woke up, he knew something was wrong. He went to see what had happened in the backyard, and his face turned pale. That was almost 20,000 taels of silver! It would take a long time to move even if they wanted to.

The deputy general's face was paler than General Han's, and he stammered,

“General, we were drugged. That’s why we’re sleeping so soundly.”

They are all soldiers, how could they possibly have no awareness at all Besides, it's the movement of transporting silver. Unless they are deaf.

But yesterday's food and drinks, including the things in the room, we checked everything and there was no problem.

The deputy's face was pale as he spoke.

"No, it seems like fog rolled in later at night! I thought it was going to rain."

Another deputy immediately said.

"That fog must be up to something. It has to be some kind of odorless drug, otherwise our mules wouldn't be so disoriented."

The lieutenant woke his men with water, but he saw that the horses and mules in the stables were all down, and it seemed like they had been specially targeted. Even after being splashed with water, they still didn't wake up.

"This is to prevent us from waking up and discovering the thief's tracks, so they simply cut off our legs."

The deputy whispered.

"Seize everyone at the relay station and have them investigated for me!"

Han Lu's voice was deep and gloomy, his face so dark it looked like it could drip water.

And that silver had long since been dispersed, flowing to the Xuanwu Kingdom and the Baihu Kingdom. The guards, following the empress's orders, disguised themselves and took the silver to purchase food, cloth, medicine, and other essential supplies needed in times of disaster. Then they organized caravans, departing from these two kingdoms and returning to Fengqi Country.

When crossing the border between two countries, because everything was arranged well, there was no difficulty at all. These materials arrived in Fengqi country one after another, and General Fengming personally led a team to meet them.

"Thanks for your hard work!"

Feng Ming smiled and said, "I can't see you, but I can hear your voice."

With this batch of supplies, plus the food bought from Panlong Nation, post-disaster reconstruction will certainly be no problem.

After the guards had finished exchanging items, they removed their disguises and silently returned to the capital to report to the Empress.

The ripples are very satisfied with the guards' actions this time, it's like spending a silver coin and buying twice the amount of relief supplies. Even if the Panlong Nation has suspicions, there is no evidence.

Han Lu found nothing and could only dejectedly go to see the new emperor, hoping to shift the blame onto the Phoenix Nest Kingdom. The new emperor was so angry that his nostrils flared.

"Fool! The Phoenix Nest Country did business with you fairly, and you lost the silver at the Panlong Nation Inn. How can you possibly blame the Phoenix Nest Country Moreover, you don't even have any evidence! How could I believe you"

The Emperor of Panlong Country was furious and immediately threw Han Lu into the deepest prison. He also raided the home of General Han, using the silver seized to cover the losses from the missing grain money.

Just as the disaster in Fengqi Nation was coming to an end, and the new emperor of Panlong Nation had new plans, news came out successively from Xuanwu Nation and Baihu Nation.

The emperor of Xuanwu Kingdom was assassinated and fell into a coma, still unconscious to this day. Meanwhile, the crown prince of Baihu Kingdom was thrown from his horse during an equestrian training session. Though he survived, he suffered severe facial injuries from being trampled by the horse, rendering him disfigured and stripping him of his right to inherit the throne.

The news of the White Tiger Country Prince falling from his horse is understandable, after all, he's a prince. The emperor is still alive and well, and he doesn't only have one son. It's highly likely that it's a power struggle within the family.

As for the country of Xuanwu, things were quite tragic. Because the emperor was in a coma, there was no leader and chaos ensued. This emperor was particularly prolific, having eight sons. Apart from the two youngest who were still infants, the other six had all grown up and each wanted to be in charge. For a time, they fought amongst themselves incessantly, and this matter eventually became public knowledge.

The stone mill received the news immediately. He clicked his tongue twice and said:

"The taskmaster is truly generous, stirring up trouble in the three surrounding countries with a single move!"

"The senior woman who used to be friends with the stone mill didn't care much and said, "

"That's what a master does, she goes straight to the root of the problem, inciting infighting among them without harming the common people. Her tactics may be old-fashioned, but they are effective. This tasker has a keen understanding of human nature." Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

"

" Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

Shiju felt that this older sister was thinking about his task-giver again, so he immediately changed the subject.

Here, Ripple also received the news for the first time. After a moment of silence, she spoke to Feng Shou:

"Can all of our people on the mission get back"

"Most of the people from Baihu Kingdom have returned. Only three from Xuanwu Kingdom survived, and they led the person they were tracking to Panlong Kingdom. They probably won't be back for a while."

The phoenix head lowered its eyes and said.

If they have families, take good care of them so that those carrying out the mission have no worries.

"Yes, understood!"

"Temporarily halt all their actions, lest the other party catches wind of our plan."

"Yes!"

The phoenix head disappears again.

Shortly after, a group of uninvited guests also arrived at Zhuxiu Garden where Lian Ri resided. Nearly a hundred men in black attacked the people in Zhuxiu Garden that night. They killed anyone they encountered without any hesitation.

Not only were there ripples, but even the emperor's consort and two attendant officials were spared no mercy. The empress and her husband, as well as the husbands and children of the second and third princesses, also met a tragic end.

When ripples sensed danger, she changed into a red and gold patterned outfit. Beneath it, she wore a golden soft armor, gripping her sword in hand. Under the protection of Huiqi and Lanxin, she prepared to leave her residence.

"Phoenix Head, make sure all the children are protected. Then go and check on the other courtyards. Don't hesitate, kill everything you find."

Ripples instructed directly.

"Your Majesty, my mission is to protect you! I will not leave your side."

Fengshou spoke in a low voice.

"You stubborn fool, those people have ruined my offspring! Where am I to find a suitable heir! If you won't go, arrange for someone else. I can still wield a sword."

Ripples glanced at Fengshou and said directly.

With a helpless sigh, Fengshou could only wave his hand and sent a group of people to greet those precious little ones.

Ripple drew her sword, lightly tapping the blade with her finger and said with a smile:

"Old friend, I never expected to see you back in the game!"

The blade flashed a cold light, as if responding to its master.

"Open the door!"

With a single ripple of her command, the door swung open. She burst into the courtyard, surrounded by adoring eyes, her sword flashing in the sunlight.Seeing her two daughters lying in a pool of blood, she was shocked and almost fainted. Luckily, the old woman beside her quickly acted, pinching her tiger's mouth to revive her."Madam, you mustn't fai...