Chapter 1113: The Attack

However, they were not entirely unprepared. They had arranged for Pei You to lead the Imperial Guards to secure the temporary residence in advance, and they also informed Gao Ying to bring his men immediately if there was any unusual activity.

The two arrived at the Governor's Mansion. Since Governor Zuo Su had met with misfortune, Prefect Xu Yu was now temporarily managing all the affairs of the governorship.

After entering the mansion, Zu An noticed that many high-ranking officials from Yunzhong Commandery had arrived. However, the number of attendees was significantly fewer than at the welcoming banquet when the Imperial Envoy's delegation first arrived.

It was well-known that Duke Jian Yan-you was in seclusion recovering from serious injuries, so naturally, he was not present this time.

Governor Zuo Su was dead. Yu Xuan-qing, the Registrar, had been implicated in Jian Tai-ding's smuggling case involving the demon race, and had been arrested and interrogated by Sang Hong a few days ago.

The Governor-General's office was no better off. Jian Tai-ding was dead, and several of his direct confidantes had been marginalized. Surprisingly, however, the Chief Clerk of the Governor-General's office, Yu Xuan-su, did not seem to be present.

Zu An frowned, wondering if Yu Xuan-su had seen that the people Sang Hong had arrested recently were all connected to King Qi, and thus dared not come.

But this gathering had clearly been organized by Xu Yu.

Among the familiar faces in the hall, besides Xu Yu, only City Lord Pei Shao remained.

"City Lord Pei, you seem to have lost some weight recently," Zu An said with a smile as he walked over.

Pei Shao thought to himself, 'It's all because of what you told me last time; it has kept me tossing and turning at night, filled with anxiety and uncertainty.'

However, as an old fox in politics, he showed no sign of abnormality. "Too many things have happened in Yunzhong Commandery recently, and state affairs have been quite busy. But you, Master Zu, seem to be in high spirits."

"Perhaps I'm just in a good mood," Zu An replied, thinking to himself, 'Spending every day in Pei Mianman's tender embrace, it's hard not to be in a good mood.'

For some reason, seeing Zu An's expression, Pei Shao always felt as if he had suffered a significant loss. Yet, after pondering for a long time, he couldn't pinpoint what loss he had actually incurred and could only attribute it to a psychological effect at the time.

He always felt uneasy conversing with Zu An. After exchanging a few perfunctory remarks, he returned to his own circle. Listening to the flattery from his colleagues and subordinates, he finally felt much more at ease.

Zu An quietly observed the people in the hall. Due to the large-scale purge in Yunzhong Commandery's officialdom, many corresponding vacancies had been filled by new officials. Some of these he had promoted in his guise as Jian Yan-you, while a large number had also been promoted by Xu Yu.

"This fellow, without saying a word or doing anything, ended up profiting the most!" Zu An thought. As he was sighing with emotion, waves of gasps of admiration arose around him.

Everyone stopped talking and simultaneously looked towards the entrance. Amazement and eager anticipation flashed in everyone's eyes.

Zu An turned to look and saw Yu Yanluo slowly walking in.

Today, she wore a silver-white cotton dress and a fiery red fur coat draped over her shoulders, making her appear even more enchanting than usual.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains painted in ink, her cheeks flushed with a peach blossom glow. Her slender neck exuded nobility and elegance, and her graceful updo added a touch of mature, captivating charm to her presence.

The people in the hall were all high-ranking officials from Yunzhong Commandery. None of them were inexperienced, and their cultivation levels were not low, so they should, by rights, possess firm willpower.

Yet, upon seeing the radiant Yu Yanluo, the sound of many people secretly swallowing their saliva rose and fell. Although everyone deliberately tried to hide it, to those with high cultivation, the sounds were particularly grating.

Yu Yanluo was long accustomed to such scenes and naturally greeted the officials present.

She carried herself with the air of a noblewoman. Requiring no deliberate flattery, a slight, gentle smile was enough to make everyone feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.

Zu An couldn't help but sigh, thinking that the position of "Foremost Beauty" was not easy to maintain. With only beauty and no stratagem, she would likely be devoured by the surrounding wolves until nothing but bones remained.

Yu Yanluo offered formal greetings to everyone else. Only when her gaze fell upon Zu An did a few genuine, tender smiles appear in her eyes.

However, with too many other people present, she felt a little nervous and dared not let others know the true nature of their relationship, so she quickly withdrew her gaze.

Soon, maids began serving tea and pastries to everyone, one after another. The officials formed small groups of three or five to converse.

Many officials gathered around Sang Hong and Xu Yu; after all, one was an Imperial Envoy, and the other was currently the de facto head of the Governor's Mansion.

However, the number of people around both of them combined couldn't compare to those surrounding Yu Yanluo. Each of them tried their best to curry favor in the shortest possible time, attempting to leave a deep impression on her:

"There are not many beautiful things in this world: the wind blowing from the riverbank on an autumn evening, and a lady whose smile is sweet to the point of being intoxicating."

"There are no stars in my eyes, only you."

"I imagine you must be very busy, so Madam, just listen to the first three words of my sentence."

...

Zu An, listening from not far away, was dumbfounded. 'This flattery is beyond ridiculous!' he thought.

After all, they were imperial officials. How could each of them be so unseemly?

He was, however, taking it for granted. This world was relatively open, and direct expressions of emotion were actually not uncommon.

Furthermore, these people didn't have many opportunities to see Yu Yanluo on a daily basis, unlike Zu An, who saw her regularly and had developed a certain immunity.

Everyone drank tea and ate pastries, resting for a while. Noticing that things were getting increasingly out of hand, Xu Yu couldn't bear it any longer. He cleared his throat, signaling that the meeting was about to begin, and only then did everyone gradually settle down.

Next, Xu Yu spoke about the various recent occurrences in Yunzhong Commandery, stating that it was a time of many troubles and that everyone must cast aside the past, look to the future, and overcome the current difficulties together.

The other officials naturally agreed in unison.

Zu An, however, secretly frowned. 'Calling everyone here so solemnly, just to say these platitudes?' he wondered.

As expected, Sang Hong said in a deep voice, "Master Xu called us here to discuss matters of life and death; surely it's not just for this kind of talk?"

Recently, he had been investigating evidence of King Qi colluding with the demon race, based on the ledgers found inside the wooden sword, so naturally, he had no time to listen to such nonsense.

Only then did Xu Yu say, "Indeed, there is one more important matter."

Everyone knew the main event was coming and straightened their postures.

Xu Yu slowly began, "As you all know, the various incidents that occurred recently are inextricably linked to the demon race. Many high-ranking officials in Yunzhong Commandery have been infiltrated by demons."

"Everyone should be aware of the blood feud between the demon race and the human race," he continued. "Over the years, they have harmed countless of our compatriots."

"Normally, demons venturing into human territory are met with universal hostility," he said. "So I've always wondered why the demon race possesses such immense power that they could infiltrate Yunzhong's officialdom so deeply."

At these words, everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what he intended to do. 'Was he planning a major purge?' they wondered.

At this point, Xu Yu continued, "I'm not afraid of you saying I'm wise after the event, but in fact, I realized there was a problem many years ago and began investigating related matters."

"But each time, the clues were cut off for various reasons," he continued. "It wasn't until the recent incidents that I finally understood where the problem lay."

Another official spoke up impatiently, "Master Xu, stop keeping us in suspense. What have you found? Speak quickly!"

Xu Yu's gaze swept across the room. This time, he slowly said, "Have any of you noticed that the Yu family seems to have been involved in all cases related to the demon race so far?"

At these words, a commotion arose.

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. 'Was his goal this time to target the Yu family?' he wondered.

'Where did this fellow get such audacity?'

Sang Hong also slightly frowned, unsure of Xu Yu's intentions. He had received the Emperor's command to deal with the Yu family, but hadn't yet found a good method. 'Who did this fellow represent?' he wondered.

Yu Yanluo remained calm. She didn't need to speak, as many of her admirers had already spoken up to defend her:

"Previously, it was Yu Xuan-qing and Yu Xuan-tao of the Yu family who were audacious enough to collude with the demon race."

"Exactly, it has nothing to do with Lady Yu."

"Lady Yu is like a celestial being; how could she possibly be involved in such sordid affairs?"

...

Just then, Xu Yu's calm voice resounded throughout the hall: "What if she herself is a demon?"