bookrandom Chapter 201 Jade Cauldron Pavilion Arrives, All Forces Emerge
Chapter 201 Jade Cauldron Pavilion Arrives, All Forces Emerge
On the day the delegation departed from the capital, the city and its surroundings were bustling with activity.
A fleet of cars of various styles drove slowly along the wide avenue, one after another.
People gathered in the streets to bid them farewell, and some enthusiastic citizens presented them with gifts they had prepared, welcoming them to come again next time.
Just then, several weary old men arrived in this bustling capital city.
Their clothes were rather simple, but their eyes revealed a calm and wise demeanor that came from years of experience.
As they passed the envoy's convoy, their gazes inadvertently fell upon the group bearing the flag of the Great Qian Kingdom.
The elders were surprised to find that the Great Qian knights on horseback were all dejected, their former arrogance gone.
Even more surprisingly, a white ribbon was tied to the front of the car, swaying gently in the wind.
This was completely different from what they had in mind.
With this question in mind, the old men continued on their way, asking the locals, "Fellow villagers, what's going on? Why is the delegation from the Great Qian Kingdom dressed like this?"
A seemingly talkative passerby, seeing the elderly men's curiosity, enthusiastically explained to them: "Gentlemen, you may not know this, but the delegation from the Great Qian Kingdom has caused quite a stir in our Great Xia."
"Oh? What do you mean?" one of the elders asked curiously, clearly very interested in the matter.
The passerby chuckled and began to recount the story: "The delegation from the Great Qian Kingdom originally came to pay tribute to our Great Xia Kingdom. But who knew that their leader, Yue Mu, would openly try to curry favor with the Chu State Preceptor in the Golden Palace, wanting to recruit her to the Great Qian Kingdom. As you all saw, the Chu State Preceptor naturally rejected him."
At this point, the passerby couldn't help but shake his head, a mocking smile on his face.
"This...this person has such audacity!" an old man exclaimed.
"That's right." A passerby nodded in agreement. "How could the Chu State Preceptor be recruited by the Great Qian? In the end, General Yue Mu not only failed, but also lost face in the Golden Palace."
"Then this white silk..." Another old man pointed to the white silk on the caravan and asked in confusion.
The passerby sighed and continued, "This white silk ribbon, I heard, is because General Yue Mu lost face in front of the Chu State Preceptor and died of illness not long after returning. So the delegation tied white silk ribbons to show their remembrance."
The elderly people were all surprised, never expecting such a complicated story to exist.
"And what about the other delegations? Why are they so lively?" an old man asked, pointing to the other jubilant motorcades.
The passerby smiled and replied, "Although delegations from other countries were also interested in the Chu State Preceptor, they were all politely declined. However, during their time in Great Xia, they witnessed its prosperity and received many rewards from His Majesty, reaping a great harvest. How could they not be happy?"
"I see." The old men all looked enlightened after hearing this.
"Gentlemen, where are you from?" a passerby asked curiously.
“We came from the south. We heard that the Great Xia Kingdom is peaceful and prosperous, so we came here to see for ourselves,” an old man replied.
"Then you've come at the perfect time," the passerby said with a smile. "Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and the capital city will be bustling with activity. Gentlemen, you might as well stay a few more days."
The old men exchanged smiles and nodded in agreement, then asked, "Young man, which direction is Pine Forest Cottage in?"
When passersby heard the old men asking about Songlin Xiaozhu, their smiles froze, replaced by a look of wariness.
"Gentlemen, what brings you to Pine Forest Cottage?" A hint of wariness flickered in the passerby's eyes.
The elderly people were also somewhat surprised to see this.
One of the older men coughed lightly and said slowly, "We have only heard that the Chu State Preceptor lives in the Pine Forest Cottage. We admire him and wish to visit him. We have no other intentions."
Upon hearing this, the passerby's expression softened slightly, but he remained vigilant: "The Chu State Preceptor is of noble status, and the Pine Forest Cottage is not a place that ordinary people can visit at will. If you do not have a suitable reason, it will be difficult for you to approach."
"We understand, thank you for reminding us, young man," an elderly man said, bowing with his hands clasped in thanks.
Seeing that they made no other unusual moves, the passersby gradually lowered their guard, but still reminded them, "Gentlemen, unless there is something special, it would be best not to go to the Pine Forest Cottage. The Chu State Preceptor prefers quiet and does not like to be disturbed."
The elderly men nodded in understanding, and then, guided by passersby, continued their tour of the capital city.
Meanwhile, ordinary-looking passersby quickly disappeared from the crowd.
The elders weren't in a hurry to go to the Pine Forest Cottage; instead, they decided to wander around the capital city of Shenjing and savor the prosperity of this great Xia capital.
They strolled leisurely, chatting as they went, observing everything around them, their eyes revealing their appreciation for the ancient city.
"The prosperity of the capital city is well-deserved."
"It's been more than ten years since I last came to Shenjing City, but the city seems to have remained unchanged."
"Ha, you're getting senile. More than ten years have passed, how could there be no change?"
The old men were filled with emotion, but they still went to a well-known pharmacy in the capital city as planned.
This pharmacy, named "Baicaotang," enjoys a high reputation throughout the Great Xia Dynasty, not only because of its complete range of medicinal herbs and their superior quality, but also because its owner has close ties with Yudingge.
When the elderly men entered the pharmacy, the shop assistant, seeing their extraordinary demeanor, knew they were no ordinary guests and quickly went to greet them.
One of the elders said, "We have been invited by Master Lu Dan, and we would like to ask the owner of your shop to come out for a chat."
Upon hearing this, the waiter's expression hardened.
When ordinary people come to a pharmacy, they usually look for the doctor and the shopkeeper; it's rare to see someone go directly to the owner.
Knowing Master Lu's status, he dared not be negligent and quickly led the elders to the back hall, while sending someone to inform the owner.
A short while later, a middle-aged man hurried over.
He was the owner of Baicaotang and also an outer disciple of Yudingge.
Upon seeing these elderly men, a hint of surprise flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes.
He quickly recognized them and was stunned for a moment, a surge of uncontrollable excitement welling up inside him.
He hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Please forgive me for not being able to greet you properly, esteemed seniors, who have come from afar."
Then he led the way, taking the elders into a quiet, elegant room.
Inside the elegant room, the pharmacy owner became even more respectful, bowing to each of them once more and addressing them as, "Disciple greets the Pavilion Master and all the Elders!"
At the same time, he was shocked. He never expected that these people would come to Shenjing City together. It was almost as if the Jade Cauldron Pavilion had come out in full force!
He secretly speculated that since the Pavilion Master and others never acted rashly, the fact that the high-ranking members of the Jade Cauldron Pavilion had gathered in the capital must mean that something significant was about to happen.
The elderly men told him to dispense with formalities and to take his seat in order.
The Pavilion Master didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point, stating his purpose: "We came to the capital at the invitation of Master Lu. Master Lu mentioned some things about the Chu State Preceptor in his letter, and we need to come and find out the details ourselves."
Upon hearing this, the owner of the pharmacy took the initiative to speak, saying, "Master Lu is now quite close to the Chu State Preceptor. He recently sent a disciple to inform us that if anyone from our organization arrives in the capital, they can go to Songlin Xiaozhu to find him. However, I did not expect that it would be you all who came."
Then, he recounted everything he knew about Chu Lengyu in detail.
The elderly listened attentively, occasionally raising their questions, which he answered one by one. The conversation lasted for quite some time.
Through this conversation, the elders gained a deeper understanding of the situation in Shenjing City and a more direct understanding of Chu Lengyu's strength.
After hearing this, the elders exchanged glances, all of them seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes.
Their purpose in coming here was to investigate Chu Lengyu's strength and the truth of what Lu Danshi said in his letter.
This will determine the future of Jade Cauldron Pavilion, and even the entire Ten Directions Forest!
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the capital city, the Night Guard commander received a new intelligence report.
After quickly reading it, he rolled up the note again and whispered, "The delegation just left, and now the Jade Cauldron Pavilion has arrived. These seniors shouldn't cause any trouble in the capital, right? I hope they can behave themselves."