Chapter 27: The Situation Takes a Turn for the Worse, Re-encountering Cold and Lonely

  After Bao Daren left with Zhang Shuang and Bai Yutang, he directly commanded the team to head towards the Chenzhou Prefecture Government Office in a majestic manner and stopped at the gate of the government office.

  "Let the magistrate come to the sedan chair to answer," said Bao Da Ren. "Yes." Ma Han led his horse to the front of the yamen, looked up and saw that the gate was closed, with no one in sight. Except for a pair of stone lions at the entrance, there was not even a soul stirring. Ma Han dismounted and knocked on the door ring: "Open the door!" After a short while, a small crack opened in the side door, and an old man with a grey head poked out from inside, asking: "Who are you looking for?"

  Ma Han said in a bad tone: "Find your master, the county magistrate, and tell him that Imperial Envoy Bao has arrived." The old man was startled when he heard this, hastily withdrew his neck, and shouted: "I'll go right away!" After waiting for a while, the gate opened, and several servants parted to the left and right. A government official walked out from the middle.

  Only this official was seen, wearing a black gauze hat and a blue official robe, about forty-five or six years old, with a white face and clean skin, a pointed chin, and three strands of black whiskers. At first glance, he looked somewhat like a carp. He glanced around cautiously, tiptoed quietly, and came to the front of Magistrate Bao's sedan chair. Bowing his head and making a salute, he said: "Your Excellency is above, your humble servant Li Qingping, Prefect of Chenzhou, pays his respects. I apologize for being late in welcoming you, sir."

  Bao Zheng looked at him and said in a deep voice, "Lord Li, are you aware that I have come to this place as an imperial envoy to investigate the case?"

  Li Qingping trembled and hastily said, "I know!"

  Bao Daren sneered, "If that's the case, why didn't you come to the city gate to welcome me? This official is a special envoy, wherever I go, it's like the Emperor himself has arrived. Could it be, Lord Xu, that you want to deceive the Emperor but can't?"

  Li Qingping's sweat had already come down to his forehead, and he hastily said: "Your Honor, please calm your anger. I have something to report to you, but this is not a convenient place. Please, Your Honor, take the trouble to go to the government office for a talk." Magistrate Bao looked at Li Qingping, nodded, stepped out of his sedan chair and walked into the yamen. The rest of the people followed him one after another.

  "It's not that I, your humble servant, was unwilling to go and welcome you, but it's just that the Duke of Anle forbade us from going forward!" After entering the main hall, Li Qingping knelt down on the ground, sobbing and saying, "The Duke of Anle had previously sent someone to our mansion to instruct us that if anyone went to welcome Your Excellency, then our entire family would be executed. I, your humble servant, was also helpless, please forgive me, sir!"

  The Duke's face showed a look of anger, and he roared, "Absurd! This official represents the Emperor, and yet An Le Hou dares to give such an order. It is clearly contemptuous of the monarch and disdainful of the ages! What qualifications does An Le Hou have to dare do this?"

  Li Qingping only felt a loud thunder in his ears, and suddenly his knees went soft, and he knelt down on the ground with a thud, shouting: "Your Excellency, please forgive me!!" Bao Daren thought for a moment, and couldn't blame this governor either. After all, Anle Hou's order was something he had to listen to. He suppressed his anger and asked again: "Governor Li, have you prepared the guest house for our visit?"

  "No, An Le Hou doesn't allow preparation..." Li Qingping was in the middle of answering when he looked up to see Bao Daren's face sink, and hastily changed his words: "If Your Excellency doesn't mind, would it be alright to treat this prefecture as a temporary residence and rest for now?"

  Bao Da Ren coldly laughed and said, "This mansion indeed has such intentions!"

  Bao Zheng waved his hand and let Li Qingping retreat. He said to Gong Sun Ce, "Mr. Gong Sun, I don't know what our next move should be now."

  Gongsun Ce shook his head, "Sir, please calm down and wait for Zhan Huwei and Bai Xiaotian to return before making a decision!"

  Bao Daren stayed here for the time being, and before long, Bai Yutang rushed back directly!

  "White Little Chivalrous!" Bao Gong's face was puzzled, and he asked, "Why are you the only one here? Where is Xue Huaiwei?"

  Bai Yutang bowed his hands and said, "Sir, Bai and the cat went to a tavern to gather information about Chenzhou, but it was all in vain. In the end, the cat decided to go to the great prison to gather news. Because he feared that Leng Zixue would return again, Bai returned first to protect Bao Daren!"

  Bao Zheng was taken aback, "Didn't Zhang Wuji and Bai Xiaotian go to the great prison to investigate?"

  Bai Yutang said helplessly, "Who knows what that cat was thinking, but the cat said that Huang Sheng should no longer be in the prison, and there were more discussions about right and wrong in the wine house, so go to the wine house first to investigate. If there is no news at all, then go to the prison! Then, Bai Mou taught someone from Anle Houfu a lesson and escaped, while the cat entered Chenzhou Prison!"

  "Please don't worry, Bao Gong!" After listening to this, Bao Zheng's face showed a worried expression. Bai Yutang hastily spoke up, "If the Chenzhou prison can't hold onto Cat Niece, and if she still hasn't returned by tomorrow, then I, Bai, will personally go into the prison to search for her!"

  "Bai Shaoye has been polite!" Mr. Bao said with a somewhat solemn expression, "I hope the escort will be uneventful!"

  In the dead of night, in the main hall, Gong Sun Ce, Bao Zheng, Bai Yu Tang, and Ma Han were sitting on stools. The faces of several people seemed to have a hint of expectation, as if they were all waiting for someone!

  "It's already evening now, shouldn't Zhangsun Wuji be back by now?" Gong Sun Ce said.

  Bao Zheng nodded and suddenly said, "Could it be that Zhan Huwei doesn't know we've arrived here?"

  Bai Yutang chuckled and said, "Sir, when Bai and the cat left, you said you were going to Chenzhou Prefecture. The cat wouldn't not know this place!"

  Mr. Bao nodded and looked worried!

  A glint of sharp light flashed in Bai Yutang's eyes, "Kitty, surely there's nothing in the big prison that can make you fall? Kitty, surely you're not so exhausted?"

  Suddenly, Chen Zhou's governor Li Qingping ran over and said, "Sir, outside the government office, there is someone who wants to see you!"

  Bao Zheng was taken aback for a moment and said, "Why don't you come into the mansion?"

  Li Qingping said, "It's not that we didn't invite him, but rather, he was very strange and insisted that the master must go out to see him!"

  Bao Zheng paused for a moment, then stood up and said, "Alright, I'll go see him!"

  "Lord Bao!" Bai Yutang suddenly stepped forward, blocking Lord Bao's path and said loudly, "My lord, please allow me to follow you!"

  Bao Zheng smiled and nodded!

  Two men turned left and right, walking out of the government office. Bai Yutang's expression changed, he stretched out his hand to grab Bao Zheng, placing him behind himself, coldly snorting, "Leng Juedu, you actually dare to come forward, are you looking for death?"

  It turned out that the person at the entrance of the government office was actually Leng Gudu!

  His cold and lonely expression remained unchanged, but after seeing Bai Yutang, he seemed to have let out a slight sigh. In a loud voice, he said, "The hatred for killing one's father cannot be shared under the same sky. Leng does not wish to harm innocent people, which is why I called out Lord Bao. But unexpectedly, you also followed Lord Bao out! Who are you?! Why do you keep blocking my way again and again?"

  Bai Yutang sneered, "Afraid to harm the innocent? What a ridiculous statement! I think you're afraid of entering the government office and being surrounded by people. Let me tell you, with me Bai Yutang here, you don't even dare to touch a hair on Lord Bao's head!"

  "Bai Yutang!?" Leng Jiyuan was shocked, "Jin Maoshu Bai Yutang!?"

  "Now that you know it's me, Bai Wuye, do you still want to take action?" White Yutang sneered and put away the folding fan in his waist, drawing out the Hua Ying sword!

  "A father's death will not be shared under the same sky!" A glimmer of light flashed in his cold and lonely eyes, "So, I must kill Bao Zheng!"