Beating the Drum

The "female thief" dressed in the dark glanced around warily for a moment, then lowered her head, bent her waist, and disappeared into the dark hole in the ground.

"Call!"

In the darkness, she exhaled softly, sparks flew up, and a cluster of flames burned quietly.

The tinderbox emitted an orange glow, dispelling the surrounding darkness. She held the tinderbox up and examined the cave walls; the traces of human excavation were very obvious.

The woman in black reached her free hand to her waist, where a short blade was tucked.

The short blade slowly emerged from its sheath without making a sound. A fiery glow illuminated the blade, which appeared completely black, devouring the light.

This weapon is called Ink Fang. It is made primarily of black iron and the sharp teeth of the Ink Scale Beast. It took a month to forge and is one of the most prized works of Song Qing of the Bureau of Astronomy.

Furthermore, the great array master Yang Qianhuan personally inscribed arrays on Moya, making it one of the top magical Law Artifact below the peerless divine weapon.

The Mo Ya has a triple formation. The first layer enhances the blade, making it even sharper and able to cut through iron like mud. The second layer enhances the blade's toughness, making it difficult for even a fourth-rank martial artist to damage. The third layer allows for short-range teleportation, making it appear and disappear without a trace, ideal for close-quarters attacks.

The woman in black held a tinderbox in one hand and gripped the ink fang in the other, walking slowly forward.

She did not encounter any ambushes along the way. The tunnel was not long, and she soon reached the end, where there was a stone chamber.

The furnishings inside the stone chamber were very simple. In the center was a stone disc resembling a millstone, about two zhang in diameter, covered with densely packed, twisted runes. Oil bowls were inlaid on the stone walls.

There was nothing else besides that.

The woman in black carefully examined the lamps for a moment, then walked around the wall, inspecting each oil bowl. The bowls were covered in dust, and the wicks were dry, indicating that no one had added oil to them for a long time.

Each oil bowl can be easily lifted; there are no hidden mechanisms. Tapping the wall produces a deep echo, proving that there are no hidden openings or mechanisms within the walls.

After inspecting the stone slab, the woman in black approached it, tapping and striking it with extreme caution and vigilance.

Fifteen minutes later, the tinderbox burned out, so she blew on another tinderbox.

"Pingyuan Bo Mansion is a palace given by the emperor. The royal family has strict standards for building a palace, so it must choose a place with the best feng shui. In the capital, what location is better than the location where the dragon vein is located? So this provides the possibility of earth escape teleportation.

"Li Miaozhen said that it is difficult to practice the Earth Escape Technique. There is no possibility that both Ping Yuanbo and Huai Wang's secret agents can master this secret method. Therefore, this stone plate is the Earth Escape Technique teleportation formation. It requires special techniques to activate. After activation, it will be teleported to the corresponding place. Where will that place be, somewhere in the palace?

"When Hengyuan stormed into the mansion in a fit of rage, the Earl of Pingyuan must have considered escaping through this tunnel via teleportation. But he failed; perhaps he was killed by Hengyuan as soon as he opened the secret passage."

"But Hengyuan knew nothing about other things, so it was impossible for him to make too many connections based on just one secret passage. Besides, it was quite normal for noble families to build secret passages. But in his eyes, this was a huge flaw, so Hengyuan had to die."

"So far, all my speculations have been verified without any flaws. I don't know if Xu Qi'an didn't expect this, or if he's just temporarily ignoring it. I have a feeling he knows more, like why His Majesty periodically collects a batch of people, and what he does with those innocent people?"

The woman in black fell into deep thought.

After a long while, she sighed, collected her thoughts, stared intently at the stone slab, and silently memorized it for ten minutes, imprinting every detail accurately into her mind.

Then, clutching the tinderbox, she quickly left the secret room.

June 18th, the Beginning of Autumn!

After the three sacrifices, the day finally arrived for the army to set off.

That morning, Wei Yuan led a group of generals, riding horses, from the main road of the imperial city towards the army camp outside the capital.

"Publicly parading through the streets" was an essential procedure. Historically, passing the imperial examination and going to war were major national events that required publicizing them widely.

In the vast procession of hundreds of people, Wei Yuan was at the very front. He was still dressed in a blue robe, his temples were gray, and he was elegant and handsome.

Just like back then.

The main road was lined with people. After so much publicity and anticipation, the people had long accepted the idea of war and silently watched the procession.

In the crowd, an elderly man with gray hair stared intently at the woman in blue, then suddenly burst into tears.

"Dad, why are you crying?"

Beside the old man, a young man asked blankly.

"Duke Wei, Duke Wei has finally led troops again!"

The old man held his son's hand tightly, his face a mixture of sorrow and joy. "When I joined the army, I went to Shanhai Pass with Duke Wei, and I came back with him too. Twenty-one years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Duke Wei is still the same as he was back then, only his temples have turned gray. I remember that His Majesty stood on the city wall and personally beat the drum to see Duke Wei off."

His Majesty beat the drum, and his young son stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Many older people, upon seeing the scholar in blue robes leading the group, were reminded of the Battle of Shanhai Pass.

I remembered that there was a military genius in the Great Feng, and that scholar in blue robes who suppressed the Prince of Zhenbei back then.

Especially the elderly who had served in the army, upon seeing Wei Qingyi leading troops again, were either moved to tears, extremely excited, or filled with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy.

"Duke Wei, it's Duke Wei!"

"Twenty years have passed, a full twenty years. Finally, we see Duke Wei leading troops again."

"Over the years, I've almost forgotten the glory of when Duke Wei led his thousands of troops on the western expedition. Duke Wei, why did you retreat to the court after the Battle of Shanhai Pass? Do you know how heartbroken your brothers were back then?"

Young people find it hard to understand the sentiments of the older generation, and to comprehend how radiant that blue robe once was.

On the street, Xu Pingzhi, responsible for maintaining order, stood with a long sword at his waist, staring blankly, as if in a dream.

"Lord Centurion, you fought in the Battle of Shanhai Pass back then, didn't you, Duke Wei? Is he really that miraculous?"

A young Imperial Saber Guard asked in a low voice.

"For our generation, as long as Duke Wei was alive, the morale of the army remained. He was the kind of person for whom people were willing to die." Xu Pingzhi sighed.

"You young people of your generation will find it hard to understand what we were like back then. But you'll experience it sooner or later. Hmm, after we defeat the Witch God Cult."

"I heard that during the Battle of Shanhai Pass, His Majesty personally beat the drums on the city wall?" another Imperial Saber Guard asked.

"The Battle of Shanhai Pass was a matter of national survival, so it's naturally different. This time, we won't be able to see it," Xu Pingzhi said regretfully.

Behind Wei Yuan, old men like Jiang Luzhong, who had followed Wei Qingyi on his campaigns, overheard the discussions among the people on the street and couldn't help but recall those days.

During the Battle of Shanhai Pass, the Great Feng army was mobilized for the war. The emperor himself, wearing a dragon robe, stood on the city wall and beat the drum to send them off. How glorious that was!

If only His Majesty could beat the drums to send them off again!

Those old folks from back then truly felt this way.

However, Your Majesty is not the wise ruler of yesteryear. The Yuanjing Emperor of that time was brilliant and powerful, diligent in his duties, and swept away the deep-seated problems of the previous emperor's reign.

His Majesty is currently obsessed with Daoist practices and has neglected state affairs for many years.

Everything has changed.

On the city wall, civil officials led by Wang Zhenwen, military generals led by several dukes, and members of the imperial family led by the crown prince lined up in a row, silently watching the procession slowly approaching from the end of the wide main road below.

"Back then, when Wei Yuan went on his campaign, His Majesty personally climbed the city wall and beat the drums to see him off. That's how the entire capital was united as one," Wang Zhenwen said with emotion.

The veteran officials who had experienced the Battle of Shanhai Pass were slightly dazed.

"So that's why no one is beating the drums on the city wall. It's because no one is qualified anymore," the Minister of War said with sudden realization.

Twenty years ago, he was not a government official in Beijing; he was working in another region.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the others felt a surge of excitement. If they could emulate their father's actions and send him off with drums, they would be the center of attention.

However, most members of the royal family only thought about it casually and didn't dare to actually do it.

There were only two people present who could do this: the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, the legitimate son of the Empress.

Beside the Crown Prince, Lin'an, dressed in a fiery red palace gown, pursed her lips, imagining the scene, and for a moment became lost in thought:

"My father must have been an unparalleled hero in his prime."

I long to see my father beat the drums to send him off again.

Huaiqing also revealed a hint of anticipation. What does it mean to be the center of attention, to shine brightly?

The top scholar who passed the imperial examination and rode through the streets on horseback counts as one, the one who composed a masterpiece at a poetry gathering counts as one, Wei Yuan at this time counts as one, and his father, the emperor, wearing a dragon robe and climbing the city wall to beat the drums for the army counts as one as well.

The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince were somewhat tempted.

"Since Father is not coming, then I will personally beat the drum. How can an army march out without someone beating the drum?" the Crown Prince said excitedly.

He knew that doing so would be somewhat presumptuous, but it wasn't a taboo subject to the rules of etiquette. Even if his father found out, he would at most be displeased. And he could gain immense prestige from it.

After weighing the options, the crown prince became somewhat eager to try.

The fourth prince frowned, about to retort, when he heard Huaiqing transmit his voice, "Fourth brother, you are not qualified."

The fourth prince angrily transmitted his voice. "Then who else is qualified?"

Speaking of which, the Fourth Prince was quite outstanding among all the princes; he was a seventh-rank martial artist.

Huaiqing shook his head and did not answer.

Your Highness!

Wang Zhenwen stopped the prince, blocking his path towards the drum, and said gently:

"From the perspective of your status, what you are doing is inappropriate and will displease His Majesty. From the perspective of reputation, you lack the qualifications. From the perspective of Wei Yuan, you still lack the qualifications."

The Crown Prince frowned. "Then, in your opinion, Chief Minister, who is qualified?"

Wang Zhenwen's gaze swept over his shoulder, then looked towards the steps, and he smiled, "The qualified person has arrived."

Everyone turned around abruptly and saw a young man with a long sword at his waist. He walked very slowly, and the guards on both sides were trembling as if facing a formidable enemy. They tried to draw their swords, but could not.

A glint flashed in the beautiful eyes of both Huaiqing and Lin'an.

"Xu Qi'an!"

Among the nobles, someone spoke through gritted teeth.

Xu Qi'an ignored him, merely nodded to Wang Zhenwen, and walked straight toward the drum.

The fourth prince's eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent.

The crown prince stared sharply at him, blocking his path.

"Crown Prince, please make way." Lin'an shoved him, siding with the outsider.

In terms of status, he didn't need to worry about his father, the Emperor, no matter what he did. In terms of prestige, the people of the capital cheered and sang his praises. As for Wei Yuan, he was more than qualified. The Crown Prince snorted and walked aside.

Xu Qi'an pulled out the drumsticks and struck the drum forcefully.

Thump!

"Knock knock!"

"Knock knock knock"

The sound of drums came from the city wall. First, there was a dull thud, followed by two more, and then the drums beat in rapid succession, echoing across the sky.

Everyone, including Wei Yuan, either looked up or glanced sideways at the city wall.

On the city wall, someone is beating a drum!

"Look, it's Xu Yinluo!"

A joyful shout rang out from the crowd.

"It's Xu Yinluo playing the drum."

"Xu Yinluo is beating drums to send off the army."

The people's emotions immediately surged, and they shouted loudly, full of enthusiasm.

Lin'an glanced at the common people below, then at Xu Qi'an's retreating figure, her smile radiant and innocent.

Huaiqing's lips curled slightly.

Jiang Luzhong and the others squinted at the young and upright figure on the city wall, listening to the people's excited cheers, and felt inexplicably dazed.

Back then, when that dragon robe was worn and drums were beaten on the city wall, the people in the city cheered wildly.

Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. The drummers have changed, but the people's cheers remain the same.

They were silent for a moment, then suddenly broke into genuine smiles.

Wei Yuan raised his head and gazed at the young man on the city wall. A hint of relief flashed in his eyes, which held a sense of vicissitude.

Twenty years ago there was Wei Yuan; twenty years later there is Xu Qi'an.

Very good!

At this point, another poem would be even better.

Then, Wei Yuan laughed loudly and asked, "Xu Qi'an, do you have a farewell poem?"

P. S.: I will definitely explain the story of Wei Yuan and the Empress later, so please be patient. The plot of a book unfolds gradually, and I will write the appropriate plot points when they are appropriate. It is impossible to reveal everything at once.