Divine Doctor: Daughter of the First Wife ( Yang Shi Liu) 515

585

Such a Grand Gambit

The aide of Guan Zhou’s prefectural office handed a scroll over to Xuan Tian Ming. When Xuan Tian Ming received the scroll, he said: “Lord Zhao said that once this scroll has been handed over, he does not ask for anything aside from pardoning his family. All prefectures in the three northern provinces have been controlled by Duan Mu An Guo. Over the years, they helped Duan Mu An Guo quite a bit, and lord Zhao is wanting to bear the responsibility for his actions. Would your HIghness please spare lord Zhao’s family.”

Xuan Tian Ming opened up the scroll, and Feng Yu Heng leaned over to take a look. She just saw that it was a list of every official from Da Shun that had entered Guan Zhou over the past ten years. Prefect Zhao had also analyzed how close of a relationship each of them had with Duan Mu An Guo. Aside from these, there was also a list of people that had gone to celebrate Duan Mu An Guo’s birthday. It was very detailed, and some of them even listed what sort of gifts were brought and what sort of benefits they gained from Duan Mu An Guo.

Of course, there were things that he was not certain of. If there were any assumptions, they were marked down. Anyone that read this scroll would not be confused.

For such a thing to exist, even Feng Yu Heng could not help but inhale sharply. The Duan Mu family had plenty of Da Shun’s blood flowing through its veins after 100 years. On this list of officials, at least 30 percent were officials from the capital. There were even some names belonging to people that were close with Xuan Tian Ming and Xuan Tian Hua.

Xuan Tian Ming took a deep breath and held the scroll a little tighter. It was clear that this thing was extremely important to him. For that Zhao Tian Qi to have been able to leave such a record behind, it would be more than sufficient to spare his entire family’s life.

Xuan Tian Ming placed the scroll in his waist pocket then took a step forward, helping the aide up, “Old sir, this prince is not a life-taking king of hell, as long as they are my Da Shun’s citizens. Prefect of Guan Zhou, Zhao Tian Qi has been coerced by Duan Mu An Guo for many years; however, he was still able to think of Da Shun’s courts. To be able to risk his life to leave such important evidence behind, it’s clear that he has been faithful to his country. Don’t worry. In regards to lord Zhao, who had been coerced by Duan Mu An Guo and is currently stuck in Song Zhou, this prince will definitely do my best to save him. After saving him, he will become the leader of the North. His entire family, including you, will all be subjects that my Xuan family will never forget.”

Looking at Xuan Tian Ming and hearing what he said, the aide’s eyes immediately became wet. He wanted to kneel before Xuan Tian Ming once more; however, his arm was held firmly. No matter what, he could not kneel. The old man wiped away his tears and said with a trembling voice: “This old one has been with lord Zhao for over a decade and willingly stayed to wait for the army to arrive. Lord Zhao was correct. In this world, only your Highnesses the seventh prince and ninth prince along with imperial daughter Ji An are trustworthy. I beg your Highness to save lord Zhao. He never wanted to help Duan Mu An Guo, but there was nothing that he could do. He was named as prefect by the court and was placed in Duan Mu An Guo’s sphere of influence. He had no choice but to go. But ever since he went to Song Zhou, he never returned. Your Highness, lord Zhao is a good official! You must save him!” Overcome with emotion, the old man in his 50s began to cry.

The prefectural office became Xuan Tian Ming’s temporary base of operations. For the sake of ensuring that the city did not become chaotic, the army dispersed and set up camp inside the city. The aide’s family name was Kong and his name was Sheng, and he remained at Xuan Tian Ming’s side, telling him about some matters about to the North.

He said: “Imperial daughter burned down the leader’s palace. Now, Song Zhou’s Winter Palace is Duan Mu An Guo’s base. Duan Mu An Guo is a person that is filled with lust, and he has countless sons and daughters. Although he does not acknowledge many of them publically, with many people saying that the third prince’s birth mother was his only daughter, that is not the truth! In the Winter Palace, there are more people than can be counted to help give birth to sons and daughters. He has even married out countless daughters and granddaughters. Lord Zhao has investigated precisely where they ended up but never found out.”