Chapter 830 Everything is turned upside down
“The Yangtze River’s waves behind push forward the waves ahead, and in the world of frivolous things, new people replace old ones.”

"How dare you talk nonsense? Be careful if that woman hears you, or she'll give you another beating!"

In front of the Tianji Pavilion, seven or eight wounded golden sword captains were lined up in a row. They stood in a horse stance with their arms stretched out, each holding a bucket of water in their hands and a stick of incense burning under their buttocks.

At this moment, the incense sticks were only half burned, and everyone was already sweating and trembling from exhaustion, but they still didn't dare to relax at all, as if they were accepting some kind of harsh punishment.

The clown-like performance made passers-by stop to watch and laugh.

"What kind of thing is this?" A lieutenant with a golden sword could not hold back his inner shame and indignation, and complained, "We are officials appointed by the imperial court after all, but now we have to endure the humiliation of a prostitute. This is simply unjust!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" An older lieutenant with a golden sword shouted, "What do you mean by 'prostitute'? Be careful of your mouth. Don't you think you haven't suffered enough?"

"When you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head." Another lieutenant with a golden sword agreed with a wry smile, "We are able to stay in Tianji Pavilion and have a meal, which is already a special favor from them. Think about the others, those who are excluded are excluded, those who are driven away are driven away, and there are many who lose their jobs because of a moment of righteous indignation. Isn't it more depressing?"

"I just don't believe that the dignified Tianji Pavilion has fallen into the hands of a woman!" The young and energetic Golden Sword Captain was indignant and declared, "No! I'm going to find..."

"Who do you want to find? Don't you see who is in charge of the Tianji Pavilion today? That woman is greedy for money and power, vain and arrogant, but she is the favorite of others right now, and she is openly relying on her favor to be arrogant. Even if she has thousands of faults and sins, she can calm others down with a few sweet words by their pillow. In the end, we are the ones who suffer."

"Ugh!"

Upon hearing this, several golden sword captains all looked melancholy and sighed bitterly.

"Come to think of it... He wasn't such a cold-blooded person before. Ever since he met this woman, it seems like everything has changed."

"No! He was not changed by women, but by greed..."

"Hush! Someone's coming."

Following the reminder, the people who were whispering suddenly changed their expressions and the chattering stopped abruptly.

Not far away, Liu Xunyi, anxious to report, came quickly.

He wanted to go straight in, but unexpectedly he saw the scene in front of him and subconsciously stopped out of curiosity.

"What are you guys singing?"

"Liu...Liu...Master Liu?"

When the Golden Sword Captains recognized Liu Xunyi's identity, their faces suddenly changed. They lost their balance and fell to the ground one after another, with buckets and incense burners falling all over the place.

Looking at the mess on the ground, Liu Xunyi was stunned and even more confused.

"Master Liu, why...why are you back?"

"This..." Liu Xunyi was stunned, "Why can't I come back?"

"Yes, yes! Of course!"

As if realizing that they had said something wrong, several Golden Sword Captains hurriedly smiled and responded in unison.

"What are you..."

"Clean it up quickly, or you'll be discovered and punished again!" Before Liu Xunyi could finish his words, the older Captain Jin Dao could no longer wait to urge him.

Hearing this, they all looked terrified and hurriedly packed up their things. At the same time, they persuaded and coaxed Liu Xunyi into the Tianji Pavilion, as if they did not want to get entangled with him anymore.

"You must have done something shameful and shameful, and you were punished by the Marquis."

Liu Xunyi was eager to report back, so he just laughed and scolded, and did not ask any further questions.

What made him even more surprised was that many strangers he had never met before appeared in the Tianji Pavilion today.

As he walked through the halls and courtyards, Liu Xunyi was stared at by countless pairs of malicious eyes, but they just watched from afar and did not stop him.

Occasionally, he would meet one or two acquaintances, who would also have a strange expression of wanting to say something but not being able to. When Liu Xunyi greeted them warmly, these "acquaintances" unexpectedly lowered their heads and walked away, and no matter how Liu Xunyi greeted them, they would not turn back.

The strange atmosphere made Liu Xunyi both surprised and confused. The deeper he went into the Tianji Pavilion, the stranger he felt. It seemed that the Tianji Pavilion today was very different from usual, but he couldn't tell what was different, except for those unfamiliar faces.

"You are so clumsy that you can't even wash a few clothes. If you don't do your job carefully, do you still think I am your master?"

When Liu Xunyi was walking through the training ground, he suddenly heard a woman scolding him harshly, and heard a burst of sobbing and wailing. At the same time, he saw a crowd of people not far away, which was quite lively.

Looking closely, it turned out to be a young woman in bright clothes, wearing gold and jade, who was bossing around and teaching a few maids a lesson. The maids were pinned on a bench, and several others were waving sticks at them repeatedly, not stopping until their skin was torn and blood was dripping.

"This..." The shocking scene made Liu Xunyi shudder with fear, and at the same time, he was filled with doubts, "When did so many women appear in Tianji Pavilion?"

"stop!"

He shouted loudly, stepped forward quickly, and pushed away several burly men who were beating them one after another with lightning speed, and said angrily: "Why hurt people's lives for just a small mistake? If you don't stop, they will be beaten to death by you!"

It was not until this moment that Liu Xunyi suddenly realized that he did not recognize any of the men and women present.

"They sold themselves into slavery, and even their lives belong to me, so why can't I fight them?" Seeing Cheng Yaojin suddenly appearing, the young woman couldn't help but frown and said unhappily, "Who are you? How dare you meddle in my business?"

"Who are you?"

Liu Xunyi looked the young woman up and down and had to admit that she had a good figure and good looks. Her skin was as white as cream and her figure was exquisite. Her every move exuded a charming and seductive charm that was very attractive.

However, the narrow-mindedness and arrogance she displayed at this moment were in stark contrast to her beautiful appearance.

"You don't know me?" Seeing Liu Xunyi's confused face, the young woman smiled instead of getting angry. She looked him over with interest. Seeing that he was dressed in cloth and dressed like a laborer, a hint of contempt flashed across her beautiful eyes. "Where did you come from, you bumpkin? Are you a newly hired servant? Why do you not know the rules and come here to act like a hero?"

"Judging people by appearance is so rude!" Liu Xunyi said in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

"This is Tianji Pavilion, who do you think I am?"

"Of course I know this is Tianji Pavilion, but you... I don't know you." Liu Xunyi looked around, facing a group of burly men who were eyeing him covetously, he remained calm and composed, neither humble nor arrogant.

"You don't know me, but do you know the owner of Tianji Pavilion?"

"What do you mean?" Seeing the young woman's confident and fearless words, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but be secretly shocked and asked suspiciously, "Could it be that you and the Marquis..."

"Yes!" the woman said arrogantly, "I am the wife of the Marquis, and also the hostess of Tianji Pavilion!"

"What?" As soon as these words came out, Liu Xunyi's face suddenly became interesting. "You are the wife of the Marquis? How... is it possible? The Marquis's wife has long passed away, how could you..." The young woman thought that Liu Xunyi was pretending to be ignorant, so she glared at him and said angrily: "What a bastard! You clearly know that the Marquis I am talking about is..."

"Lan Qi!"

Before the woman finished her words, a cold voice suddenly came from behind Liu Xunyi.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Lan Qi's faces changed at the same time.

The difference is that the arrogant Lan Qi suddenly showed a well-behaved and shy look.

As for Liu Xunyi, after hearing this long-lost and familiar voice, a hint of excitement instantly appeared in his eyes.

"Brother Qin!"

Turning around suddenly, Liu Xunyi couldn't hide her joy, she rushed forward and hugged Qin Wei tightly, who was caught off guard.

However, they did not realize that Qin Wei's dress, demeanor and temperament today were completely different from those of the past.

Even when facing his good brother whom he hadn't seen for many days, he was not as excited as before, but remained calm and composed.

"oops!"

Seeing Liu Xunyi hugging Qin Wei, Lan Qi panicked and hurriedly urged her men, "That man is dirty and smelly, quickly pull him away!"

"As ordered..."

"Go away!"

However, before the men could step forward to pull him, Qin Wei's eyes suddenly turned cold and he shouted, which frightened everyone so much that they trembled and dared not act rashly anymore.

Until this moment, Qin Wei slowly opened his arms, gently hugged the excited Liu Xunyi, and said with a faint smile: "Brother Liu, you are back."

"I……"

"My Lord, do you know him?"

At the moment Liu Xunyi opened his mouth, Lan Qi's timid voice sounded quietly, which immediately shocked him. The smile on his face froze instantly, and his arms that were tightly hugging Qin Wei slowly loosened involuntarily.

Taking a half step back, Liu Xunyi stared at the expressionless Qin Wei with a horrified look, his lips and teeth trembling slightly involuntarily, and he asked in disbelief: "Brother Qin, what did she just call you?"

Looking at the absent-minded Liu Xunyi, Qin Wei had complicated eyes and a solemn expression, and said word by word: "It doesn't matter what she calls me, what matters is that we will always be good brothers!"

After saying that, Qin Wei stepped forward, wanting to hold Liu Xunyi's arm as he did before.

"and many more!"

Liu Xunyi subconsciously took a step back. In a panic, he stared blankly at Qin Wei, who was now completely different from before. It seemed that he did not dare, did not want, and was unwilling to admit this fact.

"Misunderstanding! You are the Marquis's brother..."

"Shut up!" Lan Qi wanted to flatter, but was interrupted by Qin Wei's cold voice, "When we brothers are talking, it's not your turn to interrupt."

"Where is the Marquis?" Liu Xunyi was overwhelmed with emotions and said incoherently, "I... I want to see the Marquis..."

"Brother Liu..."

"Take me to him!"

Liu Xunyi almost shouted at him. His attitude was so tough and his tone so resolute that he didn't allow Qin Wei to refuse even a little.

"How dare you! Who do you think you are..."

"Snapped!"

Without waiting for the big man next to him to reprimand him, Qin Wei suddenly raised his hand and slapped the man hard in the face with a loud slap, making him dizzy and bleeding from his mouth and nose.

"I want to see the Marquis! Take me to see him!" Liu Xunyi grabbed Qin Wei's collar and said through gritted teeth, "Now!"

"it is good!"

Looking at the furious Liu Xunyi, Qin Wei nodded slightly, then pried his hands apart, turned around and walked towards the hall.

The two walked one in front and one behind, without saying a word. Everyone they met along the way showed respect to Qin Wei and kowtowed to him.

The unexpected scenes one after another made Liu Xunyi feel timid and stunned.

Before they knew it, they arrived outside the central hall.

"The Marquis..."

"He's in there!" Qin Wei pointed at the closed door, "You... go in and see him!"

Liu Xunyi glanced at Qin Wei doubtfully, then strode up the stairs and rushed to the door in a hurry.

However, when Liu Xunyi stood in front of the door, he hesitated despite being in a hurry. His trembling hands suddenly stopped in the air and he was unable to move forward an inch for a long time.

"call!"

After struggling for an unknown amount of time, Liu Xunyi finally mustered up the courage, put his trembling hands against the door, made up his mind, and with his pupils fixed, he struggled to slowly push open the two heavy wooden doors.

"squeak!"

With the piercing sound of door hinges turning, the two wooden doors opened. A strong smell of burning sandalwood, mixed with a chilly and biting wind, blew in Liu Xunyi's face, making him subconsciously startled.

Although countless thoughts had come to his mind before he opened the door, when the truth came into his eyes, he still couldn't help but tremble in his heart, and his legs softened, and he knelt heavily on the threshold with a "bang".

In the dim and eerie central hall, white cloth elegiac couplets were decorated on the left and right, banners and paper money were hung high from the beams, gold ingots and candles were lined up in a row, and a black gold coffin was placed in the middle.

Especially the big word "甸" facing him, which was like a sharp knife or sword, instantly piercing through Liu Xunyi's internal organs, draining all his energy and spirit, making his soul fly away, his spirit scatter in the sky, his heart broken into pieces, and all hope lost.

……

(End of this chapter)