After the death of the previous emperor, the Empress Dowager became arrogant

Chapter 337 The sedan came, but the person disappeared

After finishing his work at the county government office, Yuan Qing asked Longlinwei to go back first, and he took the two of them to Xujia Village.

People were busy in the fields and had no time to look at the people on the road.

Yuan Qing stood on the side of the road and saw a familiar figure.

"Aunt Luo!"

Luo Shulan popped her head out from the field and asked, "Who's calling me?"

Yuan Qing shook the paper in his hand, then tucked in his robe and went to the field.

"Hey, be careful." Luo Shulan came out hurriedly, "Look, your new clothes are all dirty."

Luo Shulan helped her brush off the dust.

"It's okay, just go back and wash up." Yuan Qing hid his hands behind his back, "Guess what good stuff I brought?"

Luo Shulan looked back but saw nothing.

She smiled and glanced at him. "I won't look at it anymore. I'm wondering if you have nothing to do every day. The government offices in Beijing are not busy at all. Why do you always have time to come to me?"

Yuan Qing also laughed, "I'm not wearing my official uniform. I came to Yifeng County to work today."

"Really?" Luo Shulan obviously didn't believe it.

"real."

Yuan Qing took out the stamped paper from behind his waist and unfolded it for her to see.

"Look, here's something good for you!"

As Luo Shulan looked at it, her eyes turned red.

She looked a little panicked, "How can I bear this?"

Yuan Qing stuffed the paper into her hand and said, "You can bear it, you can bear it. If you can't bear it, then no one in the whole Yifeng County can bear it."

Luo Shulan burst into laughter.

"My Lord, my Lord!"

Yuan Qing turned around and saw the chief clerk running down the road.

She stepped forward holding up her robe, "What's wrong with you?"

"It's too late. You have to follow me."

Yuan Qing grabbed him with his backhand, "What happened?"

"Didn't you say that the new magistrate would arrive today?" The chief clerk panted heavily, "But, but the sedan chair came, but the person is gone!"

"What do you mean it's gone?"

"It's just... the person is missing!"

The two men hurried to the county government office and saw people milling around in the office.

None of the masters in charge were there, leaving only a group of yamen runners anxiously.

When Yuan Qing arrived, they seemed to have found their backbone and swarmed over.

"Don't worry, don't worry, just take your time."

The yamen runner who came to pick up the new magistrate was sweating profusely. He was so scared that his soul almost died. "Sir, sir, please save me!"

Yuan Qing supported him and said, "Get up first and explain clearly. Only after I understand the situation, I can help you find a solution."

"We just rested for a while when we passed through the forest. We didn't expect that when we set off, we lifted the curtain and found that Mr. Zhou was gone! Where could such a living person go?"

His voice trembled.

Yuan Qing asked them, "Where is this secluded forest?"

Several yamen runners looked at each other, and no one dared to speak.

Someone whispered, "Could it be that he was captured by the Nether King?"

Yuan Qing: "..."

If she hadn't actually stayed here for several years, she would probably have thought this was a fantasy world.

And the King of the Underworld?

Once someone spoke, the others began to explain.

Yuan Qing finally understood what the "Dark Forest" and the "King of the Underworld" were all about.

There is a dense forest on the road from Yifeng County to the capital.

There is always smoke in the place, wild beasts are rampant, and strange noises can be heard from the woods from time to time.

Even hunters who have lived in the area for a long time dare not go in alone.

Because the road inside is unclear and there are wild beasts, it is difficult to get out once you go in.

Over time, they called this forest "Youlin".

Later, people spread more and more outrageous stories, saying that the "King of the Underworld" lived inside.

He is best at spitting out smoke, which has a confusing effect and can attract people to walk in unknowingly and then become food for the "King of the Underworld".

Isn't this just getting lost in the woods? Walking into it uncontrollably is just human curiosity, and has nothing to do with fantasy.

Yuan Qing probably had an answer in his mind.

"If any of you are willing to take me to Youlin, I promise to find the new magistrate."

Everyone hesitated, but soon raised their hands.

Yuan Qing counted the heads and said, "Well, let's go, so that we can have someone to look after us on the road. Remember to prepare more torches and ropes, and each person should bring a dagger or short knife for self-defense."

Zhou Ci had mistakenly entered the forest for two hours. He turned left and right but could not find the exit. He could only lean against a tree to rest.

Just as he relaxed, he heard the howling of wolves from deep in the forest, and it sounded like there was more than one.

Zhou Ci hugged the book tightly and stayed where he was, not daring to move a step.

"My fellow saints, please help me to get through this disaster. I will offer you incense, candles, melons and fruits in the future to repay your kindness today."

He clasped his hands together and kept muttering to himself.

"Master Zhou!"

"Zhou Ci!"

"grown ups!"

"Where are you, Master Zhou?"

"..."

Shouts came one after another, and Zhou Ci thought he had misheard and scratched his ears in a daze.

"Zhou Ci, if you hear it, just respond!"

Zhou Ci happily took two steps forward, "I'm in——"

"Ow!!!"

Zhou Ci's voice immediately got stuck in his throat.

He looked towards the source of the shouting. Although he couldn't see clearly, he could still feel that the surroundings had become quieter.

He swallowed.

The clear "gurgling" sound made the whole forest even more eerie.

The wolf king and the wolf pack slowly approached. Zhou Ci stared at them closely and moved his feet backwards at the same time.

"Zhou Ci, squat down!"

A clear and powerful voice broke through the thick fog.

A dagger pierced the wolf king's eyes.

Then several daggers flew into the forest, followed by several muffled sounds.

The wolves then scattered and fled.

"Well, they're all gone."

Zhou Ci touched the book in his arms, knelt down on the ground in frustration, and let out a long breath.

Yuan Qing squatted beside him, "Why, are you afraid of this little danger? Who was it that was shouting that he had the protection of saints and was not afraid of anything?"

Zhou Ci blushed and lowered his head to avoid being seen.

Yuan Qing handed him the other end of the rope and said, "Tie it around your waist. Be careful not to get lost. This will give you peace of mind."

The yamen runners were all walking in front. Zhou Ci was sure that they couldn't hear him, so he followed them and asked, "How did you know I was here?"

"Guess." Yuan Qing looked at him, "According to your habit, Lord Zhou, you always keep a book with you even when you are on duty. Besides, you like quietness, so you must find a cool and comfortable place to read during your rest time."

As they spoke, several people had already walked out of the woods.

"I heard from your cousin that you can't sit still when you're thinking, and you always move around, so someone has to be watching you all the time to prevent you from falling into the toilet if you're not paying attention."

Zhou Ci: “…”

Yuan Qing pointed at him and said, "At first, I also guessed that you might be curious about the strangeness of the forest and wanted to go in to take a look, but when I thought about your courage, I felt that this guess was wrong."

Zhou Ci shook off the dirt on his body and held the books in his arms as if they were treasures.

He stroked his chest and said with a satisfied smile: "Lord Lu said you are a good kid, well, you are really good."

Yuan Qing: "..."

A bailiff came over and asked, "Sir, who is he?"

"Do you know that there is a nerdy top scholar in the court?"

Others came over and shook their heads.

They have been staying in the county government office all the time, so how could they know anything about important events in the court?

"Then you must have heard of the story of 'Mofen Sanshan Rat'?"

"The one about burning three mice to death with ink? How is that possible?"

Yuan Qing smiled and shook his head, "Mo Shi is right, but it's not three mice, but the name of the mice is Sanshan Rat."

Seeing that they were still confused, Yuan Qing asked them to sit down together.

"When Mr. Zhou was young, he loved reading very much, so he asked his family to build a study on the mountain. The mountain was not high, like a hillock next to each other, so Mr. Zhou called them 'Three Mountains'. 'Three Mountains' is the name of a sacred mountain in ancient books, representing the yearning for beauty. Mr. Zhou read a lot of books and pursued the great way, and his goal was also here."

Yuan Qing looked at Zhou Ci's figure in the distance.

"Then one day, he was so engrossed in reading that he accidentally knocked over the candle on the table."

One person asked: "The house burned down?"

"It didn't happen in reality. The house burning was just his imagination," Yuan Qing said. "When he came to his senses, he realized that he had only knocked over the inkstone. At that time, a mouse was stealing cakes on the table, and the overturned ink splashed all over it, scaring it and running around the room."

"and after?"

"Later, Lord Zhou was inspired and wrote the famous 'Three Mountains Theory'. He used facts to explain the problems in the court and won the Prime Minister's praise. The story of 'Ink Burns the Three Mountains' became popular because of this."