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Chapter 133 Collusion
After bidding farewell to Lan Fenghuang, Zhao Yu's figure flickered and he vanished from the Taoist temple like a wisp of green smoke.
The night was as dark as ink, perfectly concealing his figure.
After determining the direction, Zhao Yu darted across the rooftops like lightning, and none of the watchmen or patrolling soldiers along the way noticed that someone was passing overhead.
Before long, Zhao Yu arrived near the Yan residence in Xicheng District, Beijing.
Standing atop a high rooftop, he looked out and couldn't help but gasp in amazement.
The vast Yan Mansion stretched as far as the eye could see, with pavilions, towers, carved beams, and painted rafters.
The glazed tiles on the eaves shimmered with golden light under the moonlight, and the mansion was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
Its level of luxury, except that it did not exceed the prescribed limits, was almost comparable to that of the imperial palace.
Zhao Yu muttered to himself, "It seems I still didn't ask for enough. Compared to this Grand Secretary Yan, what Shi Miyuan coveted is nothing at all."
The difference in productivity between the two dynasties resulted in a vastly different scale of corruption among officials.
Even someone as worldly-wise as Zhao Yu couldn't help but be secretly amazed by the extravagance of the Yan family mansion.
After a careful observation, the defenses of the Yan residence were found to be very tight.
Every few steps, a servant carrying a long knife patrolled the area.
These servants were all burly and sharp-eyed, clearly skilled in martial arts.
It's clear that Yan Song was a man who valued his life highly. Knowing he had many enemies, he defended his residence like an iron barrel.
However, in Zhao Yu's view, these defenses were nothing more than a formality.
Finding a gap in the patrol, Zhao Yu slipped into the mansion and landed without making a sound.
The Yan residence was enormous, with pavilions, towers, and winding corridors, resembling a maze.
After much effort, Zhao Yu finally found the brightest courtyard in the backyard, where Yan Song was located.
He silently climbed onto the roof, gently lifted a glazed tile, and looked down.
The room was brightly lit, and Yan Song was sitting in the main seat. To his left and right sat Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and other familiar faces from the Songshan School.
Standing next to him was a short, stout young man who was blind in one eye; he was Yan Song's son, Yan Shifan.
At this moment, the atmosphere inside the room was obviously tense. It was clear that Yan Song and the people of Songshan Sect had already had a fight.
"Enough, I will not argue with you any longer."
Yan Song's voice carried a hint of weariness: "You people of the martial world are always so reckless. Go back and tell Zuo Lengchan that next year's allowance will be reduced by 30%, and let him figure out how to make up for it himself."
"Your Excellency, this is absolutely unacceptable!" Ding Mian stood up abruptly, arguing vehemently, "It was Your Excellency who sent the message, requesting our assistance in the capital. We have already lost many skilled men in our efforts to deal with Zhao Yu. Now that the matter has not been accomplished, how can you reduce our funding instead?"
Zhao Yu, who was lying on the roof, understood. Sure enough, Zuo Lengchan and Yan Song had long been colluding together.
He had always had some doubts. Although Zuo Lengchan was ambitious, he was, after all, just the leader of a martial arts sect.
Killing an official appointed by the imperial court is a heinous crime punishable by the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan.
Even if Liu Zhengfeng's donation was just a nominal title, it was still a third-rank military officer officially appointed by the imperial court. How dare Zuo Lengchan so blatantly send people to exterminate Liu Zhengfeng's entire family?
Now everything is clear.
With Yan Song backing him up in the court and helping Zuo Lengchan resolve subsequent troubles, he naturally felt fearless.
Killing Liu Zhengfeng would not only greatly establish authority but also do Yan Song a favor—why not?
Now, Zhao Yu's appearance threatens Yan Song's interests.
Yan Song then thought of Zuo Lengchan again, and summoned people from the Songshan Sect to the capital, intending to use them as a tool to kill Zuo.
Zuo Lengchan also wanted to get rid of Zhao Yu, a major threat, so the two hit it off immediately.
It appears that Ding Mian and his group secretly attacked the Sun Moon Cult's stronghold, angering Yan Song.
After all, for Yan Song, the excuse that the Sun Moon Sect was a demonic sect was obviously useless, and for the imperial court, it didn't matter whether it was a demonic sect or not.
They were all martial arts practitioners who ruled their own mountain strongholds and refused to be controlled.
Yan Song sneered, "I sent you here to deal with Zhao Yu, not to mess with the Sun Moon Sect! This is the capital, under the Emperor's nose. If your fighting and killing here alerts the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, who will take responsibility?"
Lu Bai couldn't help but retort, "Those people from the Demonic Sect have been helping Zhao Yu spread rumors and bewitch people. We only acted first because we were thinking of the Elder."
"For Father's sake?" Yan Shifan suddenly spoke, his tone sharp and sarcastic. "I think you're here to settle personal scores! My father and I spent a fortune to invite you to the capital, not so you could settle personal grudges! What do you think this place is? Your Mount Song?"
He pointed at Ding Mian and the others, and sternly rebuked them: "My father scolded you a few times, and you dare to talk back? Is this how Zuo Lengchan taught you to behave? In that case, it seems I need to reconsider my relationship with the Songshan Sect, lest all the money I spend every year go down the drain."
"Skipping stones?"
Lu Bai also became angry and stood up abruptly: "Young Master Yan, aren't those words a bit too harsh? Over the years, how many political enemies has our Songshan Sect killed for you and your son?"
"And then there's that shady business of selling official positions. If we hadn't helped you kill those who bought them, where would you have gotten so many positions to sell? Sharing some of the wealth from Mount Song is perfectly justified. How come it's being presented to you as a reward?"
The atmosphere inside the room instantly plummeted to freezing point.
In fact, the two sides had long disliked each other.
Yan Shifan, as the son of the Grand Secretary, was revered as the "Little Grand Secretary" by the officials in the court. He was arrogant and looked down on these roughnecks.
In his view, the people of the Songshan Sect were nothing more than hired thugs, summoned and dismissed at will.
The Songshan Sect, confident in their superior martial arts skills and as the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, considered themselves to be in an equal cooperative relationship with Yan Song.
Now that he had been so humiliated by Yan Shifan, he was naturally furious.
Ding Mian's face was gloomy. He let Lu Bai and Yan Shifan argue, which was a way of venting his anger.
He then gestured for Lu Bai to stop talking, cupped his hands to Yan Song, and forced a smile: "Grand Secretary Yan, Young Master Yan, please calm down. We were indeed rash in this matter and disturbed the Grand Secretary; it was our fault."
"However, the members of that demonic sect have indeed been secretly helping Zhao Yu, which is extremely detrimental to us. We only took action to eliminate them as a precaution, and we hope that Your Excellency will forgive us."
Yan Song snorted coldly and, with Yan Shifan's help, sat down again.
"I only gave you this minor punishment out of consideration for our years of friendship," Yan Song said slowly. "From now on, you must be extremely careful in your actions. Do not act without my orders. Once I have considered all the details and devised a plan, then you may follow my instructions."
"Yes, I will obey Your Excellency's orders."
After saying that, he winked at Lu Bai: "Since it has been agreed, we will not disturb the elder's rest any longer and will take our leave first."
Having said that, without waiting for Yan Song's reply, he turned and left with Lu Bai and the others.