mtl008 Chapter 563 Trouble is inevitable
Chapter 563 Trouble is inevitable
Li Shisan was anxious, not only because of Hua Rui, but also because the matter behind it was too enormous.
For many years, the Miao village has remained secluded in a remote corner, living a life of peace and tranquility.
However, once imperial power is involved, it's uncertain what the outcome will be.
But when he looked at his grandfather, his grandfather only glanced at him. He understood what his grandfather meant and had no choice but to leave.
However, Chief Li was not as calm as he appeared. As soon as Li Shisan left, Chief Li got up and left the room, going to a secret room.
The secret room was inhabited by an elderly man with completely white hair, a thin body, and a withered appearance.
“Grand Uncle,” Chief Li bowed to the person on the bed from inside the secret room.
Perhaps hearing the noise, the old man moved slightly, and it took him a long time to raise a withered and thin hand.
Chief Li hurriedly went over and helped him up.
"Have you found the murderer?" the old man asked in a hoarse voice.
Chief Li sighed, "I can't hide it from you, old man. It's not that we've found the murderer, but just now Little Thirteen came over and told me something. Just as you predicted, the other party is indeed after Yuechuan Kingdom and the Longevity Gu."
The room was dimly lit, and the old man's eyes were half-closed, his drooping eyelids almost completely obscuring them.
"For hundreds of years, countless people have coveted Yuechuan Kingdom; this disaster is unavoidable."
The existence of Yuechuan Kingdom is indeed a secret, but how can there be a truly airtight wall in this world?
However, those who coveted Yuechuan Kingdom have all turned to ashes.
"Is it difficult for you to come see me in such a hurry?" the old man asked.
“This concerns the royal family, and the person behind it may be the Crown Prince.” Chief Li frowned. “Grand Uncle, Miao Jiang has guarded the secrets of Yuechuan Kingdom for generations, but once it involves the imperial power, Miao Jiang may not be able to protect itself.”
Any secret that is to be kept for a long time will inevitably require sacrifice.
From the disappearance of the high priest to the annihilation of Yuhua Village, how could they, as the true rulers of Miao territory, not guess that it concerned the Yuechuan Kingdom?
Only in this way could the high priest agree to take people to the Moon River Kingdom.
But what those people didn't know was that the reason Yuechuan Kingdom could remain a secret was that anyone who entered Yuechuan Kingdom could never come out alive.
Whoever goes to Yuechuan Kingdom will only face death; only the dead can keep the secret forever.
The reason they delayed reporting to the authorities was not because they couldn't find any clues, but because they were waiting for news from the high priest to come back, at which point the matter would be over.
The massacre of Yuhua Village will ultimately be nothing more than an accident.
The secrets of Yuechuan Kingdom will remain secrets.
This is the destiny of this protection of Miao territory.
However, since imperial power is involved, this matter is difficult to resolve.
Under imperial power, what are a few thousand people in Miao territory?
If the emperor were to wage war in Miao territory in order to find the prince, then Miao territory would ultimately be reduced to ashes.
Where is there any real justice?
"What's meant to happen can't be avoided!" the old man sighed again.
“Grand Uncle,” Chief Li clenched his fists, then couldn’t help but speak again, “This concerns thousands of people in Miao territory. Yuhua Village has already died inexplicably because of this. Do we really have to drag the entire Miao territory down with us? Their royal family is so greedy, searching for some kind of immortality gu. Why do they want us to be buried with them?”
"If we hand over Yuechuan Kingdom, will Miao Jiang be able to escape unscathed?" the old man asked him.
Chief Li frowned, and the veins on his forehead bulged slightly. In an instant, he understood that if he revealed the Yuechuan Kingdom, Miao Jiang would still be guilty of treason. No matter how small the Yuechuan Kingdom was, Miao Jiang had already submitted to the Great Zhao, but secretly worshipped and protected the Yuechuan Kingdom, which was treason.
The crime is unforgivable.
This is a dead end.
"Then, Uncle, is there really no other way for us?" Chief Li had been worried ever since the incident at Yuhua Village. Originally, he was only bothered by the cruelty of the other party's methods, but now he realized that there was an even bigger pitfall hidden there.
"We worship the Gu God, not the Yuechuan Kingdom." The old man closed his eyes, took Chief Li's hand, and a green bamboo viper crawled out from the old man's sleeve and wrapped around Chief Li's wrist.
Chief Li glanced at the bamboo leaf green on his wrist, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the old man, and said, “Tomorrow I will first summon the clan elders and the chief to discuss this together.”
Of the thirteen villages in Miao territory, only twelve village chiefs remain, including him.
This matter concerns the Miao region, and it's not something he can decide alone.
……
Li Shisan left Chief Li's place and went to see Hua Rui.
When Hua Rui saw him, she asked anxiously, "Thirteenth Brother, how is it? What did the chieftain say?"
Li Shisan looked at her, then at Lu Yangyang beside him, and shook his head: "I have already told my grandfather about my concerns, but he didn't say anything. He only said that he would gather the clan elders to discuss it first thing tomorrow morning."
Hua Rui bit her lip, unable to suppress the anxiety on her face.
Lu Yangyang, who was standing to the side, advised her: "Since that's the case, don't rush. Get a good rest tonight so you'll be in good spirits to deal with it tomorrow. The fact that the chieftain didn't send someone to take you there immediately means there's still room for discussion."
If they don't intend to consider it at all, they should directly punish the flower stamen.
Hearing her say that, Li Shisan nodded in agreement: "This young lady is right. You should get some rest tonight. We'll talk about everything after Grandfather meets with the clan elders and the village chief tomorrow."
No matter how anxious Hua Rui was, there was nothing she could do, so she could only nod.
Li Shisan thought for a moment and looked at Lu Yangyang: "What is your surname, young lady?"
“My surname is Lu,” Lu Yangyang replied.
"Miss Lu, could you tell me who the caravan that came with you is from? What kind of business do they do?" Originally, Li Shisan had not considered the background of those caravans. They were checking suspicious people. If those caravans were not suspicious, they would release the people after detaining them for a few days. In recent days, they had also arrested some peddlers and merchants who entered Miao territory, but there were only a few people in total. In fact, the dozen or so people who came with Hua Rui and the others were quite a lot.
Knowing that Mingruo's trip was about the salt wells, Lu Yangyang didn't hide anything: "They are salt merchants, and they came to talk to Chief Li about the salt wells."
Li Shisan was somewhat surprised and blurted out, "That's not appropriate."
There are indeed salt wells in Miao territory, which are more than enough to supply the people there. They have thought about selling the salt, but everyone knows that selling smuggled salt is illegal. So, in recent years, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, they have not thought about selling the surplus salt.
In reality, the Miao region was isolated, making any trade extremely difficult. Although the Miao villages could barely support themselves, they were not well-off. It wasn't that they hadn't considered trade, but they simply hadn't found a suitable opportunity.