As dawn broke, three blue-cloth carriages drove along a wide official road...
Zhao Gonggong, stuffed into a sack and rolled into the carriage, had been hunched over all night. He felt as if his old back was about to break.
A creaking sound reached him, startling Zhao Gonggong awake. He shouted angrily, "What are you doing? Let me go quickly! My old bones can't take this kind of torment..."
No one responded. Besides the sound of the carriages moving, nothing else could be heard.
Zhao Gonggong sighed inwardly, a wave of despair washing over him. It was all over. He had messed things up, and His Highness would not forgive him...
Just then, the carriages slowly came to a halt.
A moment later, a man carried Zhao Gonggong out and then threw him heavily onto the ground...
"Thump!"
"Ouch, do you have any humanity? Treating an old man like this, oh, my arms and legs..."
Murong Taotao, with his hands behind his back, stared coldly at Zhao Gonggong and ordered his subordinates, "Take off the sack!~"
In a short while, Zhao Gonggong, who had been suffocated all night, finally saw the light of day again.
Upon seeing the young boy before him, Zhao Gonggong shivered and quickly turned his face away, avoiding eye contact...
"Heh, fortune teller, we meet again!~" Murong Taotao sneered.
Zhao Gonggong rolled his eyes and mumbled, "You, you've mistaken me for someone else. I, I've never seen you..."
Alas, this young boy, though not old, exuded an innate sense of pressure. Zhao Gonggong was almost scared out of his wits.
"Is that so?" Murong Taotao curved his lips. "It seems you won't confess obediently without a little persuasion!~"
As he finished speaking, Murong Taotao snapped his fingers and ordered his subordinates, "Go, fetch my feather duster. Today, I shall personally attend to him..."
Zhao Gonggong: "???"
What did the little National Preceptor want with a feather duster? Was he going to whip him?
Little did he know, when Zhao Gonggong saw the so-called 'feather duster', he almost fainted...
The feather duster in Murong Taotao's hand was adorned with colorful feathers. It looked flashy and grand from the outside, but it was indeed an excellent prop for teasing people.
"You, you, you, don't do anything rash! I'm going to call for help..." Zhao Gonggong said tremblingly.
Murong Taotao, too lazy to waste words, had his subordinates strip off Zhao Gonggong's clothes. Then, he used the feather duster to tickle his armpits and ribs.
Naturally ticklish, Zhao Gonggong laughed uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face...
"Hahahaha, stop, stop quickly! I can't take it anymore, hahaha!~"
"If you tell me your purpose, I will consider stopping!"
"I, I, what purpose could I have? You child are too suspicious, hahahaha..."
"Hmm, very good. Someone, continue tickling him. Stop when he decides to speak!~"
He had plenty of time to wear this old man down.
Emperor Ming heard the commotion, lifted the curtain, and glanced over. Seeing Taotao sternly interrogating a prisoner, Emperor Ming flinched and lowered the curtain again...
Peals of laughter echoed across the wilderness. Zhao Gonggong soon became weak from laughter.
He had served the Emperor for many years and was loyal to the court. How could he be conquered by such petty tricks?
Even if he died, he would not betray the Crown Prince...
Seeing that the old trickster was still quite resilient, Murong Taotao returned to the carriage and took out a small medicine bottle.
Inside was a medicine called a Truth Pill. Once taken, even the most stubborn person would speak the truth...
After the tragic old Zhao took the medicine, his eyes gradually became dull and vacant. He knelt on the ground like a block of wood, looking somewhat terrifying.
Murong Taotao squatted down, looked directly at Zhao Gonggong, and lowered his voice, "Who sent you?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Gonggong's mind was in turmoil. The last shred of his reason was drowned by the Truth Pill...
"It, it was the Crown Prince!~" Zhao Gonggong's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum.
Murong Taotao frowned in surprise, "Is it the little Crown Prince from your Liang Kingdom?"
"Yes, yes..."
"Why did he send you to bother me?"
"Because, because the Crown Prince feared that you harbored ill intentions and would invade Liang Kingdom..."
Murong Taotao chuckled upon hearing this, "So that's how it is. We do intend to occupy Liang Kingdom, but not now. It seems your little Crown Prince is narrow-minded and short-sighted, using such despicable methods to obstruct me. He truly has a lot of nerve..."
Murong Taotao suddenly wanted to meet this Crown Prince.
After the matter of overthrowing Consort Xian reached the Yan Kingdom, Murong Taotao had also learned some of Xiao Jinheng's deeds...
Since he was already in Liang Kingdom, it wouldn't hurt to meet that Crown Prince and warn him not to overstep his bounds.
"Where is your Crown Prince?" Murong Taotao asked.
Zhao Gonggong bit his tongue tightly, hoping to regain his senses quickly...
But due to the potent effect of the Truth Pill, no matter how he struggled, his mind remained muddled.
After a long while, Zhao Gonggong finally uttered three words, "Dashui Village!~"
"Excellent!" Murong Taotao smiled faintly. "I've long heard that the Liang Kingdom's Crown Prince was sent out of the palace when he was very young, hidden so well that even spies couldn't find him. So, he was sent to the countryside..."
With that, Murong Taotao stood up. "Someone, tie up this old liar and throw him into the carriage. We're going to Dashui Village!~"
"Yes!"
Dashui Village, Old Yun's residence.
Joyful suona music filled the air above Old Yun's home. Firecrackers crackled, and red flowers bloomed. The courtyard and its surroundings were bustling with activity...
Today was the grand wedding day of Yun Sanman and Shangguan Fang'er, as well as Xiao Jinfeng and Jin Huaihua. Countless villagers came to offer their congratulations, including Magistrate Chen and the village chief.
Emperor Cheng, upon hearing of this, although inwardly annoyed, still sent a congratulatory gift to Xiao Jinfeng...
"Oh, Sanman, the granary can't hold any more things. Move all the gifts to the study first. Don't pile them up in the hallway!" Old Yun instructed.
Although the gifts from the villagers were not extravagant, they were numerous and mostly edible...
Small chickens, fat ducks, quail eggs, large white geese, cured meats, sausages, and dried goods, they almost filled Yun's courtyard.
"Dad, the study is also full. Why don't we move them to the backyard!~" Yun Sanman said.
Alas, it was all because his family was too popular in the village. Even some villagers from outside came to offer their blessings...
Old Yun shot him a glance and was about to say something when he suddenly saw a carriage rushing towards them.