An Unquiet Night

The appearance of the coal mine delayed everyone's return to Chang'an City.

But there was no problem at all for everyone to return to Chang'an City.

As the master of Chang'an City, the new emperor, even without relying on Zhang Xuezhou's flying abilities, possessed supreme authority and could do many things.

Even without revealing his identity, the token in his Great Heaven and Earth was enough to reopen the Chang'an City.

After waiting for half an hour, the group rode their horses into the city as normal.

"You've come at the right time. Dongfang Shuo is organizing a festival; just register according to whatever he says!"

The newly appointed Prefect of Jingzhao, Shen Chong, rushed over, accompanied by the Magistrate of Chang'an County.

The magistrate of Chang'an County was still somewhat confused, but Shen Chong nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Not many people have actually seen the new emperor. Apart from the ministers who can enter the main hall of the Weiyang Palace for court meetings, the rest are some specially recruited officials, and some palace guards are also involved.

The magistrate of Chang'an was indeed unaware of the identity of the general-like figure wearing a golden-feathered crown before him, nor did he understand why this was a special case.

"If Lord Dongfang does not mind the lateness of the night, I will immediately take my ink and official seal and proceed to your esteemed residence!"

Shen Chong quickly agreed to the new emperor's request and then politely made assurances to Zhang Xuezhou.

The new emperor personally ordered that a back door be opened, and Shen Chong, without hesitation, directly opened the back door to Zhang Xuezhou's residence, doing the job perfectly.

He was extremely considerate in his work, and the new emperor was clearly very satisfied.

Although Shen Chong's cultivation and strength were insufficient and could not compare with the former founding marquis, the new emperor was very satisfied with him because he personally handled everything and ensured that government orders were carried out effectively.

They rode off on horseback, followed by a heavy carriage pulling them from behind.

"Your Honor, who is this person who dares to be so arrogant as to demand that the Prefect of the Capital do something for you?"

The magistrate of Chang'an County, standing to the side, asked in a low voice, but Shen Chong could not reveal the new emperor's identity, so he could only try to pull the finger at Zhang Xuezhou.

"Dongfang Shuo's current safekeeping of the Red Empyrean Sword seems somewhat reckless. Returning to Chang'an City so late at night is a recipe for disaster. People like him are prone to getting into big trouble, and if he encounters misfortune one day, he might implicate others!"

The magistrate of Chang'an County offered a composed reminder, but Shen Chong had no other choice.

Shen Chong wouldn't give Zhang Xuezhou any face. He was rich and nothing could tempt him. No amount of money or connections from officials could sway him.

For Shen Chong, his official post was more about maintaining the status of his noble Aristocratic Clan and preventing him from being completely useless and criticized.

The one who maintained the order of the Shen family was undoubtedly the reigning emperor. Shen Chong succeeded Zheng as the Prefect of the Capital, and he was able to truly understand the way this emperor did things.

When the other party said that dismissal meant it, and they had a very respectable reason for it. Zheng was even grateful to the new emperor when he was dismissed from his post, and he had no complaints.

This was an emperor whose ruling style was completely different from that of Emperor Jing, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager.

In the past, when an official was removed from his post, he needed to be impeached by someone, then investigated by the Censor-in-Chief, and then submitted to the emperor before the entire process of removing him from office was completed.

But in the present day, all of this can be turned into an official's resignation with just a single sentence.

At this time, Shen Chong was also fulfilling his duties diligently, lest he be disliked again after just taking office.

"Lord Zhu, I have an appointment, please excuse me!"

Shen Chong nodded to the magistrate of Chang'an County, thanking him for his kind reminder, and then proceeded to do his job without any ambiguity.

He quickly boarded his carriage, waved, and the group of eight riders in the carriage also galloped away from the city gate.

"That man is probably an acquaintance of Lord Shen. I wonder which marquis he is. Is he working for the court or for his own benefit? Being an official in Chang'an City is really not easy; you have to be mindful of everyone's mood..."

The magistrate of Chang'an County muttered a few words, then finally led his old horse, instructed his attendants to follow, and rode away as well.

The nights in Chang'an City were far from peaceful.

Many things are not apparent during the day, but are brewing beneath the surface at night.

If you look closely into the darkness, you'll see many petty thieves stealing grain outside the city at night—something that the people of Zhang Household Village have experienced dozens, even hundreds of times.

As night fell in the city, the sounds of children being beaten, couples arguing, and cursing others through gritted teeth could be heard from time to time.

Entering the wealthy area, one can frequently hear shouts of gambling, the seductive voices of women, cries, and the sound of whips being lashed.

It must be said that having overly sensitive hearing is not necessarily a good thing.

Zhang Xuezhou sat steadily on his horse, the constant murmurs reaching his ears until they entered the depths of the Imperial City District, where the vast mansion area greatly reduced the noise.

"It's so noisy!"

Seemingly sensing something, the new emperor also uttered a complaint, then returned to the peaceful comfort of entering the Imperial City District.

"A normal part of life!"

Zhang Xuezhou chuckled.

Whether it's ordinary citizens, wealthy families, officials, or even the new emperor himself, every household has its joys and its troubles.

Zhang Xuezhou smiled and said a few words to the new emperor, who shook his head, unable to help but feel a little melancholy.

He was about to complain that royal affairs were a complete mess when he picked up the lantern he was using to light the way for the horses.

The sounds of clashing weapons drifted from afar, accompanied by clashes of Technique Method. The new emperor frowned.

Cursing or whipping a couple of times is one thing, but fighting fiercely at night, even resorting to Technique Method to risk one's life, is going too far, especially since this place is so close to the palace. This chaos greatly displeases the new emperor.

Of course, this might be considered normal, after all, it hasn't been long since they used the Southern Bright Fire to drive the sorcerer insane.

However, compared to their small-scale skirmishes, the sounds of at least a hundred people clashing were now quite large.

If we add in sounds that the ear has never heard before, then there might be even more.

"Which group is having a brawl?"

"It seems to be the Prime Minister's residence and the Marquis of Weiqi!"

The new emperor asked a question, and Zhang Xuezhou also stood up and stared for a few seconds.

Tian Fen's Prime Minister's residence was crowded and chaotic, and he never managed to control it, while Marquis of Weiqi was relatively peaceful.

Zhang Xuezhou thought about Marquis of Weiqi, who was recovering from the injury caused by his broken Yang Soul Body, and felt that the other party's injuries were likely not yet fully healed, otherwise he would not have allowed the servants, retainers, and offspring of his mansion to make such a commotion.

"These people have the ability to not kill the Xiongnu, but instead run rampant in their own territory; they are utterly lawless!"

The new emperor complained repeatedly, clearly dissatisfied with seeing this situation in the middle of the night, and even more dissatisfied with Tian Fen and Dou Ying's control over the people in the mansion.

"Brothers, these bastards still dare to charge on horseback! Use tripwires to pull them down!"

The convoy traveling at night also got involved.

If the new emperor was only somewhat dissatisfied before, when several burly men pulled on the ropes to block the road and even tried to overturn the people on his mount, the new emperor couldn't help but feel a bit more angry.

He pointed, and the Imperial Guards following behind immediately drew their bows and fired.

"These bastards used their private soldiers to shoot and wound Boss Hu. Brothers, go all out and kill them!"

Shouts rang out, and seven iron caltrops whistled through the air, accompanied by a flurry of flying stones.

Many of the Imperial Guards were highly skilled in martial arts, but while they could protect their men, they couldn't protect their horses. The mounts neighed in pain and ran wildly, prompting the guards to tighten the reins for a while to prevent them from galloping away.

"Attack those two who are holding the tripwires. Once the ropes are lowered, rush over them. You'll be fine once you reach the palace!"

Zhang Manqian taught Zhang Xuezhou the essentials of street fighting: if you can run, never engage in melee; no matter how high your martial arts skills are, you're still vulnerable to being caught off guard.

Zhang Xuezhou had rarely experienced street fights, and he never imagined he would have to go through something like this in his life.

After he shouted, two Imperial Guards fired in quick succession from a hundred paces away.

Once the two men holding the tripwire abandoned the rope and fled, the caravan sped past them at breakneck speed.