Chapter 508 - Black Dragon Token
Chapter 508 Black Dragon Token
The governor was an interesting man.
The timing of his visit was not very suitable.
Nevertheless, nobody could pick on him because of his respectful attitude.
Although Lin Mengya somewhat criticized him, the governor was not at all provoked to anger.
On the contrary, he smiled apologetically and returned to his seat.
He was not a simple man if he could strike a balance between the new and the old powers.
“You are right, Your Highness. You are the wife of Prince Yu even if you’re not the princess of Lintian. Moreover, you are also the honored guest of Lintian. Please forgive my abruptness in visiting you. All I ask for of Your Highness is to help to investigate a matter.”
Here came the main purpose of his visit. Given the governor’s glib tongue, Lin Mengya did not think she should make things any more difficult for him.
“Please speak, Sir.”
Sitting next to Zuo Qiuyu, Lin Mengya spoke with an indifferent tone.
“I wonder if Your Highness remembers Lord Zhu Qiyun?”
Lin Mengya nodded. Surely she remembered him. In fact, he was in the log storage room just in her backyard.
“This was what happened. This morning, a servant who had gone to empty the night-soil bucket came back with the report that he found some dead bodies in the backyard of the Zhu’s mansion. I quickly brought some men over to check it out and to our shock, the entire Zhu Family was found exterminated within a night. I wonder whom they had offended.”
Lin Mengya and Zuo Qiuyu both pretended to be taken aback.
Their acting was so superb that they deserved to be awarded the Oscar Award. The governor was almost taken in by their deceit that they were completely unaware of this incident.
“So this was true. The news had been going around in the old capital city since this afternoon. The rumor has it that the Zhus had been killed by the spirits seeking vengeance. The entire Zhu Family had been murdered. I had thought that it was merely a false rumor. I didn’t expect it to be true.”
Zuo Qiuyu tried to sound sympathetic as he stole a glance at Lin Mengya.
“Sigh, who on earth did this? Sir, you have to make a thorough investigation lest people like us land in imminent danger.”
The governor nodded in agreement. Through Lin Mengya’s prelude, he entered the main topic.
“You are right, Your Highness. It is our duty to look into this and make a detailed investigation. This is why I’ve come here to invite Your Highness back to my place to discuss this matter.”
What a sly old fox. If Lin Mengya were to step out of the Crown Prince’s Mansion today, she might very well look guilty and become a suspect for the massacre of the Zhus.
Lin Mengya’s face turned serious and cold and banged the table with her delicate palm.
“How dare the Nation of Lintian, and how dare you, the governor of the city. Are you thinking to make me the scapegoat because you can’t find the real murderer? I’m going to follow you back today, but if you fail to provide concrete evidence of me being the killer, I will immediately write to my father-in-law, the emperor of Dajin to tell him about this!”
The governor broke out in a cold sweat immediately.
It was not his idea to look for Lin Mengya in the first place. Never would he expect Princess Yu to be as difficult to deal with as it was rumored.
Who would have known that this frail-looking princess was an extremely formidable master? At that moment, the governor, who was used to skirting around matters, was suddenly put in a spot.
“This… You’ve made it sound so serious, Your Highness. It’s just that according to usual practice, I would like to invite you over to my place for a few days. Since Prince Shen will be there with you too, who would dare to be rude to you?”
By now, the governor could no longer hold back anymore.
However, Prince Shen was staring intently at him from the side.
He was afraid that the moment he got his men to seize the lady, Prince Shen would fly into a rage.
If both parties were going to felt uncomfortable with this, all he could do was strike a balance.
“Men, please show Princess Yu the way back.”
Zuo Qiuyu leaped up instantly and stood in front of Lin Mengya, guarding her.
The governor was good at employing diplomacy before violence. Lin Mengya finally understood what was happening.
Was it possible for him to be so audacious if he did not have someone backing him up?
“It seems that you insist on taking me away, Sir?”
Lin Mengya, who was now standing behind Zuo Qiuyu, did not appear to be fearful at all.
She gazed at the governor with severity on her face and there was even a chilling flash of light in her eyes.
“I’m merely following the protocol. Please forgive me if I’ve offended you, Your Highness.”
Biting the bullet, the governor stop behaving as the yes-man a moment ago.
The governor had indicated his intention to bring Lin Mengya with him. If he refused to comply, he would have to suffer some bad consequences.
Despite being in a high and authoritative position, Prince Shen’s most powerful backing was back in the far away Wangtian City.
A smart person like the governor certainly knew how to get the most benefits out of a situation.
“It’s not impossible to get me to go with you.”
Lin Mengya spoke up abruptly when the two parties came to a deadlock.
Both Zuo Qiuyu and the governor turned to look at her.
“Is there still something else troubling you, Your Highness?”
Lin Mengya smiled slightly and took out a token from her clothes.
It was a black gold token inscribed with the character “Chen” using an ancient form of the Chinese characters.
On top of the word “Chen”, there was also the picture of a five-clawed golden dragon which looked like it was about to take off.
The moment the governor saw the token, he, together with all the men who came with him, went on their knees immediately. Their faces instantly filled with great fear.
“This, this is the Black Dragon Token! My brother, the emperor actually handed this token to you!”
Even Zuo Qiuyu was somewhat frightened by what he saw.
To be in possession of the Black Dragon Token was as good as being the most powerful person in the Nation of Lintian.
It was much more effective than having the imperial sword in hand.
In principle, if the governor did not publicly revolt, the person in possession of the Black Dragon Token could instantly take away his position and power.
Although those in the Pavilion of Herbs were high in status and powerful, no one had dared go against the Black Dragon Token in the Nation of Lintian as of now.
“Long live our emperor!”
It was as if a gigantic wave had been created in the governor’s heart.
The reason he was able to survive until today was that both the side of the emperor as well as those in the old capital were wooing him rather than elbowing him up to this point.
If he were to lose the support on either side, it would mean that he would become an abandoned chess piece.
Not to mention the position of the governor in the old capital, he might even be treated badly if he was being demoted to the status of a commoner.
He would never have expected the emperor to hand the only Black Dragon Token to Princess Anle who was now right before him.
He realized that the status of Princess Anle must be immovable by now.
“Sir, I have no intention to get into an argument with you, but this is a serious matter. I suppose it would be good to investigate the matter cautiously. Don’t’ you think it’s a sin to malign an innocent person?”
This token was given to her by Cousin Chen before she set out. It was meant to protect her.
Earlier when Yu An saw it, he had made a big fuss and told her about its implication.
Although the former power was still deeply rooted at this place, Cousin Chen was after all the only emperor at least on the surface.
A small fry like him would not have the audacity to disobey.
Moreover, she had an even greater use than this.
“Yes, you’re right, Your Highness. I will proceed per your instruction.”
The governor wiped away the beads of perspiration on his forehead and could not help mumbling a complaint to himself.
Why did he always have to be the one to carry out such unfavorable tasks?
“Hold on, I have a message for you to deliver, Sir.”
Lin Mengya certainly knew that this governor was merely a scapegoat.
The mastermind backing him would be her real enemy.
“Please speak, Your Highness.”
“Please pass my message that to stab someone in the back is the act of a despicable man. I may be a woman, but I’m direct and open. I’m not afraid of rumors and gossips.”
Lin Mengya lowered her voice as she spoke and the governor nodded profusely. He almost wanted to lead his men to applaud Lin Mengya.
“Your servant here will surely send the words, Your Highness. Please excuse me, I’m taking my leave now.”
Respectfully, the governor left the main hall of the Crown Prince’s Mansion with his men.
As Lin Mengya felt the weight of the Black Dragon Token in her hand, a look of disdain appeared on her face.
It seemed like someone was feeling really flustered and exasperated over the death of the Zhus.
“Why did you bring this thing out? He wouldn’t be able to bring you away with me around. It’d be wiser to keep this token for more important occasions.”
Zuo Qiuyu felt a little jealous and helpless as he looked at the Black Dragon Token in Lin Mengya’s hand.
The emperors of various dynasties and generations would only gift such tokens to their most trusted officials or kins.
He would never have expected that his brother, the emperor’s token, would end up in Lin Mengya’s hands.
“Not fair! Pfft, did he put his own brother out of his mind once he has a cousin sister?”
“This is just the right weapon to be used against the rat.”
As Lin Mengya offered an explanation with an expression like a smile, yet not a smile, Zuo Qiuyu, who was beside her, went into a daze.
To use the Black Dragon Token against a rat was as good as using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
“What do you mean, my dear cousin? Hey, why are you walking away so fast?”
Following closely behind Lin Mengya, Zuo Qiuyu’s curiosity had been greatly aroused.
What kind of rat was his cousin trying to use the token on?
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Although Long Tianyu’s physical strength had been sapped, he was no longer as wild and crazy as before whenever the effect of the drug came on.
Nevertheless, on every occasion, Lin Mengya would be hiding outside as Zuo Qiuyu applied the Fiery Green Jade Ointment on her.
The burning pain from the ointment had diminished a little in the last two days.
Although Lin Mengya would be toggling between wakefulness and sleep for half the day, the agony was more and more bearable.
Everything seemed to go in a more positive direction.
“Wow, Master Long is able to walk now. You’ve not wasted the fact that my cousin has been working tirelessly, taking good care of you.”
The sun was shining brightly. Supported by Lin Mengya, Long Tianyu was going around in her little courtyard, trying to get some exercise.
Zuo Qiuyu, who was nowhere to be found since early in the morning, had also rushed over now. Seeing how Lin Mengya looked after Long Tianyu with great care, he could not help being sarcastic.
Long Tianyu lifted his eyes to him. Although he still appeared pale, he was no longer as frail as before.
The wounds on his body had also become light red scars.
Rare as it was, Long Tianyu did not answer back after listening to Zuo Qiuyu’s words. On the other hand, he merely wrapped his arms tightly around Lin Mengya’s slender waist in a protective and possessive manner.
As expected, he was trying to show off their love when he was at the loss for words with Zuo Qiuyu!
“You… You are so shameless!”
It was as if Zuo Qiuyu had been gagged with dog food. All he could say after holding in his dissatisfaction was to use the words shameless to describe Long Tianyu.