Chapter 900: Four Prefectures in Shangjing
Outside the "No. 1 Tianzi" room, Su Hu, Xun Budao and other Western Region masters surrounded a middle-aged man who was less than five feet tall, with skin as dark as coal, a square face, big ears, and wide eyes. He looked helpless.

This plain-looking man excitedly leaned against the door, completely ignoring the strange looks from others, and kept looking through the crack in the door.

He squinted his eyes, stuck out his butt, and shook his body from time to time to allow himself to see more clearly. He looked neither decent nor elegant, but he did not care. Instead, he enjoyed "peeping".

This person is none other than the owner of the Tianyuan Inn, the patriarch of the Shenzhou Yuan family, Yuan Xiao.

"Master Yuan, what are you looking at?"

Suddenly, Xunzhen's voice sounded behind him, which startled Yuan Xiao who was concentrating on the situation. He quickly stood up and grinned at the puzzled Xunzhen, and asked curiously: "Miss, the person inside... is it really Liu Xunyi?"

"So what?"

"The Liu Xunyi who turned the Central Plains upside down?" Yuan Xiao seemed to be unconvinced by Xunzhen's answer, so he asked again and again, "The Liu Xunyi who played the local government and major sects around?"

"Master Yuan, what exactly do you want to say?" Xunzhen frowned slightly and asked instead of answering.

"Liu Xunyi is very famous. Yuan is very curious about this person."

"What kind of person is Liu Xunyi?" Xunzhen asked with interest, "Could it be that Master Yuan knows him?"

"Who in the martial arts world today doesn't know Liu Xunyi?" Yuan Xiao smiled and said, "It's just that I know him, but he doesn't know me. Miss, I have an unwelcome request, may I know..."

"Master Yuan, please feel free to speak."

"Can I... pay a visit to Liu Xunyi?" Yuan Xiaohan said with a smile, "He dares to go against the Emperor of the Song Dynasty and compete with the leader of the martial arts world. Such a hero is truly brave and powerful, and is rare to come across in a century. Yuan... admires such a 'fierce man' from the bottom of my heart. I have admired him very much since I first heard about him, and I only hope that one day I can see Liu Xunyi's demeanor with my own eyes. Unfortunately, the distance is too long, and Yuan is unknown. For me, such a person is really... like a star or a moon, out of reach. Hehe..."

"Master Yuan, you rushed here in such a hurry, did you do it just to see Liu Xunyi, whom you've been thinking about day and night?" Abaolu asked in a bad tone, "Do you know that half an hour ago we were almost poisoned to death by your distant relative?"

Hearing this, Yuan Xiao, who had been longing to see Liu Xunyi, suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly bowed to Xunzhen to apologize: "All the mistakes are Yuan's fault. It's my fault for not educating my family well enough to take in such a despicable person. It's my fault for being blind and not realizing that this boy has evil intentions for so long..."

"Master Yuan has a large family and a great business. He can't even discipline the Yuan family's own children, so how can he have the energy to discipline his servants?" Looking at the fearful Yuan Xiao, Xunzhen waved his hand nonchalantly and said sympathetically, "Besides, he was coerced and his life was in danger. I believe the servant had no choice but to do it. It's a pity that he didn't have enough experience in the martial arts world. He didn't get any benefits, but instead lost his life in vain."

"He deserves it!" Yuan Xiao cursed indignantly, "He eats my food, wears my clothes, and uses my things, but today he almost destroyed my reputation. This ungrateful ungrateful bastard deserves death." Having said this, Yuan Xiao, who was still frightened, smiled awkwardly, "Fortunately, the young lady has a keen eye, and everyone is safe and sound, otherwise I really don't know how to explain to the young king of Qin."

"It's just a trivial matter, Master Yuan, don't take it to heart. From what Master Yuan said just now, it seems that you have a great appreciation for Liu Xunyi? Don't you think he is a traitor who sells out his master for fame and fortune?"

"As the saying goes, 'Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened, but believe in only one side and you will be in the dark.' Those people in the Central Plains seem to be smart, but in fact they are short-sighted. They only listen to the instigation of the court, but are unwilling to explore the truth of the matter." Yuan Xiao curled his lips and said, "Yuan is far away from the Central Plains, so he is naturally not instigated by those rumors. Let's not talk about the distant past. Let's talk about the robbery of the granaries of the three prefectures in Xingyuan. What does it have to do with Liu Xunyi? It is obvious that the Mongols did not keep their promises and used despicable means to rob the grain. I heard that Liu Xunyi risked his life to mediate with the Mongols in Mobei. Otherwise, what would be lost today would not only be the grain of the three prefectures in Xingyuan, but also the territory of the three prefectures. He was originally a hero who saved the country and the people, but now he is wantonly smeared by the cowardly court and has become a scapegoat. It's all because most of the people in the Central Plains are ignorant and like to follow the crowd. In addition, the court keeps spreading rumors and slanders and fanning the flames, so that Liu Xunyi can't wash away his grievances even if he jumps into the Yellow River."

"In fact, it's not that the people of the Central Plains are ignorant. It's because 'you can't see the true face of Mount Lu because you are in it.'" Xunzhen said with emotion, "Master Yuan is very insightful and has a profound knowledge. He has saved me a lot of trouble."

"Trouble?" Yuan Xiao seemed to have heard something behind the words and thought, "Does the Young King of Qin have any instructions?"

"Master Yuan is straightforward, so I won't beat around the bush." ​​Xunzhen couldn't deny it, "We came here mainly to ask Granny Taohua to treat Liu Xunyi's injuries. In addition, I want to introduce Liu Xunyi to the 'Four Prefectures of Shangjing' so that we can become friends and take care of each other in the future."

The four prefectures in Shangjing are Shenzhou Yuanfu, Jeju Yanfu, Taizhou Hongfu, and Gyeongju Leifu.

This place was once the territory of the Jin Dynasty, but was later occupied by the Mongols. Due to years of war, all industries were destroyed, and the martial arts sects entrenched here could no longer survive and gradually declined, and instead gave rise to many bandit gangs.

Most of these green forest bandits are ruffians who occupy the mountains and act as kings. They form a group of thirty to fifty people. They have neither real talent nor ambition. They only know how to rob people on the road and kill them for money. Therefore, most of them are a motley crowd and can hardly become a force to be reckoned with.

More than 20 years ago, not long after the fall of the Jin Dynasty, Prince Shao Qin chose this "unowned land" where wolves and sheep were fed together and jade and stones were mixed together to accumulate strength for himself. So he invested a lot of gold and silver, secretly supporting Yuan Xiao, Yan Shun, Hong Si and Lei Zhen, four fledgling but courageous and ambitious heroes of the green forest, helped them to create a foundation, and gradually evolved it into the "Four Prefectures of Shangjing".

By continuously expanding its territory and annexing other gangs, the Four Prefectures of Shangjing gradually became the most powerful civilian force in Liaoyang and even the Northeast.

Many people joked that the four prefectures in Shangjing were the prototypes of the four great martial arts families in the Central Plains, and some even said that they were imitating others and copying others.

Actually, it is not the case, because the two sides are not comparable at all. First of all, in terms of background, foundation, and status in the martial arts world, the four prefectures of Shangjing are vastly different from the four great families. At least, there is not a single famous master in the four prefectures of Shangjing, and even the martial arts of the four family heads can only be considered second-rate in the Central Plains martial arts world.

Secondly, under the protection of the young King of Qin, the four prefectures of Shangjing have been indifferent to fame and wealth for many years, and have been pure-hearted and aloof. They do not compete for fame or profit, and they are even more afraid to avoid the fighting and killing in the Central Plains martial arts world. What's more, the orthodox martial arts world does not recognize that the four prefectures of Shangjing are branches of the Central Plains martial arts world, and they are unwilling to be affiliated with the Central Plains martial arts world.

He was content with the status quo, enjoying himself, and being his own "local emperor" in Liaoyang. He only fought wits and courage with the green forest bandits in the northeast, and never competed for power with other sects.

Interestingly, the four prefectures in Shangjing thought that the Central Plains was too bloody and violent, so they refused to enter the pass. The various factions in the Central Plains thought that this place was far away from prosperity and was a wild land waiting to be cultivated, so they refused to leave the pass for many years.

As a result, the four prefectures in Shangjing, which had no competition, became more successful and quickly became the overlords with influence spreading over hundreds of miles.

This matter is not only a blessing for the four prefectures in Shangjing, but also a blessing for the young king of Qin. After all, the four prefectures in Shangjing are an important chess piece for him to restore the Liao Dynasty.

"Mutual introduction?" Yuan Xiao asked, as if he understood. "Forgive my stupidity, Miss, can you get straight to the point? Are you introducing Liu Xunyi to the four prefectures in Shangjing? Or... are you introducing the four prefectures in Shangjing to Liu Xunyi?"

Looking at Yuan Xiao who was serious about his work, Xunzhen raised a mysterious smile. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly nodded: "Master Yuan is worthy of being the head of the four prefectures in Shangjing. He really hits the nail on the head. To be honest, I want to introduce you... to Liu Xunyi."

"hiss!"

Just these two words made Yuan Xiao pale with fright, and the teasing look lingering between his brows disappeared without a trace in a flash.

Yuan Xiao was a wise man who appeared foolish, so he certainly understood the difference between the two sentences. It was not simply about who "looked after" whom, but who was "the banker".

If Liu Xunyi is introduced to the four prefectures of Shangjing, all future affairs will be handled by the four prefectures of Shangjing, with Liu Xunyi as the assistant. Conversely, Liu Xunyi will be the main person, with the four prefectures of Shangjing as the assistant.

The difference of just a few numbers represents two completely different destinies.

The Four Prefectures of Shangjing were four tigers "raised" in the northeast by the Young Prince of Qin. They had been growing steadily and making progress over the years. The Young Prince of Qin invested tens of millions of gold and silver here every year, but he never asked them to do any errands for him.

In fact, when Shao Qin Wang and Luo Tianjin conspired to rebel, they had planned to order the four prefectures of Shangjing to attack from the south as soon as the war started, and form three armies in the east, middle and west with Shao Qin Wang in the west and Luo Tianjin in the middle, and advance together to catch the remnants of Song, Jin and Mongolia by surprise. They would end the melee with a crushing force and occupy the Central Plains.

Today, Xunzhen came uninvited and said something just now, which undoubtedly indicated that the leisurely days of Yuan Xiao and even the four prefectures in Shangjing were about to end. They had worked hard for many years and had deep roots in the Northeast. Now that the hidden dragon had emerged, the first task was probably related to Liu Xunyi, who was seriously injured and bedridden in Room No. 1 of Tianzi.

Although Yuan Xiao admired Liu Xunyi very much, he was a supporter of the Young Qin King in his heart. Today, Xunzhen was going to use a trump card that the Young Qin King had hidden for many years in just a few words. How could he not be shocked?

Thinking of this, Yuan Xiao's expression changed, and hesitantly said, "Excuse me, Miss, is this... what the young Qin King meant?"

"What?" Xunzhen raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked with a smile, "Are you questioning my 'false imperial decree'?"

"I wouldn't dare to do that!" Yuan Xiao's face changed slightly, and he said hesitantly, "Yuan is just... a little surprised."

What surprised Yuan Xiao was not that Xunzhen issued orders on behalf of the Young King of Qin, but that the Young King of Qin was so caring towards Liu Xunyi, who had no relatives or friends.

It's just that Yuan Xiao is a smart man. If Xunzhen doesn't take the initiative to answer some of his doubts, he would rather keep them to himself than ask rashly.

"What the eldest lady meant is what the young prince of Qin meant!" Abaolu said in a deep voice, "You raise an army for a thousand days and use it for a moment. Yuan Xiao, don't be like your distant relative who...cannot be used at a critical moment."

"I guarantee with my life and property that I will never do that." Yuan Xiao put aside all distracting thoughts, gathered his thoughts, and asked with a serious look, "Excuse me, Miss, how should we... take care of Liu Xunyi?"

"Don't worry, you two should get to know each other first." Xunzhen was relieved to see that Yuan Xiao was quite sensible. "At least you have heard of Liu Xunyi, but he knows nothing about you."

After saying that, Xunzhen waved his hand to disperse the people blocking the door, and then led the expectant and nervous Yuan Xiao slowly into Room No. 1.

……

(End of this chapter)