In the residence of the imperial commissioner in Guilin city, Sai Shang'a, the old minister, glanced at the documents presented by He Chun and Jiang Zhongyuan for a moment before exclaiming, "How is it possible that there are still demon spirits descending from heaven?"
Then, there was a loud "click," and even the usually mild-mannered Sa Shang'a, the old minister, became angry. He slammed the document in his hands on the desk and angrily scolded Yuan Bao right in front of him: "Yuan Bao! You have been covering up your defeat, killing the innocent to claim victory, exaggerating your achievements, and I have put up with all this for the sake of the overall situation. But you cannot even come up with a 'falling demon' scenario?"
"Fallen demons... how am I supposed to write a dispatch to the emperor? Does He Chun and Jiang Zhongyuan want to establish merit so badly that they have gone mad?"
Yuan Bao was well-prepared, as he removed the large bag he had on his back and explained with a smile: "Esteemed Minister, there is indeed a demon god from the heavens among the Long Mao. He Chun and Jiang Zhuozun have not lied; they have merely added some water to their reports, but they dare not deceive the emperor regarding whether there are demon spirits behind Long Mao. Moreover, how enlightened is the emperor? To deceive him with such an event would be impossible."
Minister, take a look at this..."
Yuan Bao was speaking when he had already taken down the bag and was holding it in his hands.
Sa Shang'a's face darkened as soon as he saw it: "Yuan Bao, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to bribe the official?"
Yuan Bao quickly shook his head and said, "Minister, please don't misunderstand. How could a lowly official like me dare to offer a bribe to Your Eminence? The whole world knows that Your Eminence is a honest official, a greatly honest official. To offer a bribe to you would be to walk straight into a trap."
"Then, what is inside your bag...?" The expression of Sa Shang'a slightly eased.
"It's evidence, and it might also be a treasure."
"What kind of evidence? What kind of treasure?" Sa Shang'a grew more puzzled with each word.
"This is evidence that proves that there are thieves from the sky among the Long Mao and demons on the ground. This evidence could also be a treasure!" Yuan Bao said as he placed the bag on Sa Shang'a's side table, unbuttoned the bag, and revealed the packaging of the mooncake gift box inside.
"It's... a treasure?" Sa Shang'a looked at the packaging bag of the mooncake gift box and was also surprised.
This is too exquisite!
He reached out and touched it, feeling very smooth, and wondered what material it was made of.
"Minister, the treasure is inside the bag!"
Sa Shang'a quickly reached into the bag and pulled out a stack of "toilet paper," which he examined with a squint. He recognized this "toilet paper" as the Ri Sheng Chang brand, which was very effective!
"But now... this matter..."
Sa Shang'a was hesitating when Yuan Bao spoke again: "Minister, the treasure is down there."
Is there really a treasure? Then let's put the 'toilet paper' away for now. Thinking of this, Sa Shang'a reached into the bag again and pulled out a "Lian Xiang Lou" mooncake gift box.
"This... " Sa Shang'a was now a bit surprised, "It is... "
"This is the treasure that the humble servant and I fought with the demon god from the heavens. Look at this box, can it be made by the Inner Ministry? Look at this lid, there must be some magic spells applied, as it is completely sealed! And look at these words on the box... here is a number written in Western characters, which represents a Western year. It is the first thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine years of their Western elder brother's birth. That's thirty-seven years after!"
"What? Thirty-seven years later? How is that possible..." Sa Shang'a was so confused he could barely keep up, just holding the mooncake box and flipping it over and over, "Yuan Bao, is this really something that the 'falling demon' brought down?"
"That's right!" Yuan Bao said, "I personally saw the demon god riding a purple thunderbolt and a flying chariot, descending from the sky!"
"Riding a purple thunderbolt and a flying chariot... " Sa Shang'a furrowed his eyebrows, "Is this true or false? What does the demon god actually look like?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Bao immediately took out a drawing of the "descending demon god's appearance" by Zhou Shiyue of He Chun, holding it in both hands and offering it to Sa Shang'a.
As Sa Shang'a unfolded the map, he exclaimed in shock, "Ah, this is actually a two-wheeled bull demon king!"
"That is the original form of the demon god!" Yuan Bao said, "I personally fought with this demon god for three... three rounds!"
"Why only three rounds?" Sa Shang'a asked casually, "Who won?"
"That's right... the demon god won!" Yuan Bao dared not say that the "demon god" had actually won after crashing into him, because that would make it seem like the "demon god" was not powerful enough. After all, the Long Mao bandits were still increasing in number, which didn't reflect the fact that everyone was incompetent?"
"However, when the demon god and I were fighting, I accidentally dropped this mooncake box. Fortunately, I managed to pick it up... " Yuan Bao smiled and said, "Although I didn't win against the demon god, I didn't lose either."
"You were pretty lucky... " Sa Shang'a said as he turned his head to look at Xiang Rong, who looked sickly, "Xinran, what do you think?"
"Xinran" is the name of Xiang Rong. This elderly military official, who is 60 years old this year, has served the Manchu Dynasty all his life and climbed to the position of vice-commander through numerous battles where he was willing to risk his life. He had always thought that he would be able to enjoy wealth and prosperity until the end of his days. However, he never expected to encounter a group of "heavenly father demons" led by Long Mao bandits. These people were well-trained, disciplined, and fearless in battle. They charged into battle shouting "Kill the Qing demons and go to heaven!" They truly fought and died for their cause!
The group of "double-gun soldiers" under Xiang Rong, when faced with these wild men who didn't fear death, have not yet been completely wiped out, and they have managed to win some and lose some. This is enough to show how skilled Xiang's military tactics are.
However, the emperor in Beijing, for some reason, does not understand Xiang Junmen's plight and has listened to the malicious gossip of Xu Guangjin, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, who wants to send him into exile to Xinjiang. At sixty years old, with all sorts of ailments, how can he possibly survive the journey to Xinjiang and return?
"We must try our best to deceive the emperor and cover up the truth!"
Thinking about it, Xiang Rong gritted his teeth and nodded: "Minister, I think these Long Mao bandits must have been aided by demons from heaven! Don't they all shout 'Kill the Qing demons and go to heaven' every time they go into battle?"
Moreover, Minister, have you forgotten that when we recaptured Yong'an Prefecture, we captured a Long Mao leader named Hong Daquan? It would be a good idea to ask him about whether there are really demons on the Long Mao's heads!"
As the conversation reached this point, Xiang Rong gave Yuan Bao a subtle nod.
Yuan Bao immediately understood Xiang Rong's intent and took the initiative to volunteer, "Minister, let me take care of questioning that Hong Daquan for you!"
"All right!" Sa Shang'a nodded, stroking his beard, "Go and interrogate him thoroughly... if you do well, take him to Beijing City and let him walk through the front of the vegetable market! If you don't do well, he won't be able to leave Guilin City!"
"I understand!"
Sa Shang'a waved his hand, dismissing Yuan Bao.
As soon as Yuan Bao left, Xiang Rong came forward voluntarily, looking worried, and asked, "Minister, what should we do about... "
Sa Shang'a, meanwhile, kept looking at the mooncake box as if he couldn't take his eyes off it: "It's true that this isn't an ordinary item!" Then he put down the mooncake box and picked up the "Mugong Wuling Riding a Car" drawing. He examined it carefully again: "If the emperor believes us, we can justify our long battles without success!"
"Then do I still have to go to Xinjiang?" Xiang Rong asked pitifully.
"There's no need to go there anymore," Sa Shang'a waved the "Mugong Wuling Riding a Car" drawing in his hand, "The Long Mao side already has a Mugong Wuling riding a car... you should rush to Quanzhou and defeat the demons instead! I'll ask the emperor to grant you an amnesty for your crimes."
Upon hearing this, Xiang Rong's tears welled up, and he dropped to his knees in front of Sa Shang'a, "I will surely go to any length for the emperor and for you, Minister. I will not return until I have slain the demon king!"
"Good!" Sa Shang'a pointed to the drawing of the demon king on the paper, "Remember your words, and make sure to eliminate this great peril for the emperor and the court!"
"Yes, Minister!"
The "chá" that Xiang Rong shouted was deafening, but the old man in the house had a clear idea in his mind... The "Mugong Wuling" was unbeatable! No, even the "Iron Fan Princess" and "Red Boy," he Xiang Rong couldn't defeat!
Xiang Junmen thought to himself: "I must be cunning and find out exactly where this 'Mugong Wuling' is first. Then I'll just avoid this demon and fight him from a distance..."
