Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Inside Sangjak Palace.

Fifth Prince Li Ping strode hurriedly into the study. (Chapter 467)

King Wu, dressed in casual attire, sat upright, with memorials piled high on the desk.

In the center of the desk lay a nautical chart.

Sensing someone's sudden intrusion, he frowned, raised his eyes, and said, "Without notification, who allowed you into the study?"

Hearing his imperial father's somewhat displeased tone, and thinking of his stern demeanor, Li Ping couldn't help but shrink his neck.

The next moment, he hurriedly reported, "Father, I have important news to report. We have leads on the Brotherhood's whereabouts!"

"Oh?" King Wu looked up and said sternly, "Speak."

"Your son received news from the Diocese of Daedero that some believers in the diocese discovered four people behaving suspiciously and abnormally. After reporting this, the cardinal of the diocese sent people to investigate secretly. The result was that these four people were not locals at all, and even their living habits were different from ordinary people."

"Currently, your son has already sent a message to arrest these four people directly and bring them to the palace for interrogation."

King Wu said displeased, "Is this the evidence you found? In more than a year, how many times have you reported news to me? How many times were they accurate?"

Li Ping said with certainty, "This time, your son is confident that it is true. I have repeatedly verified that these four people are extremely suspicious and cannot be compared to those before!"

"They don't have specific jobs, but they never lack money. They often chat with people, always appearing knowledgeable and talkative, with information about all walks of life at their fingertips."

"Especially, they like to bring up controversial topics at gatherings, causing discussion and secretly observing the crowd."

"Moreover, they often care about the people around them and like to ask sensitive questions, including military and commercial matters."

"That's not all. The most important thing is that these four people always travel in groups and rarely separate. Whenever there are large celebrations and gatherings, these four are most enthusiastic about expressing their loyalty to the church in public, shouting louder than anyone else."

King Wu fell into thought.

This does sound extremely reliable. If the news is all true, then it really seems like the work of an anti-church organization like the Brotherhood.

"Who initially discovered that these four people were acting so covertly?"

Li Ping said, "It was reported by a priest in the diocese. It's somewhat unexpected. According to your son's investigation, the priest didn't know the identities of these four people. It was purely because they showed great loyalty to the church at the gathering, overshadowing others, which aroused the priest's jealousy, and then they were reported for disrupting church order."

"Now, all the major dioceses are under strict control. This kind of seemingly inconspicuous report has to be dealt with. However, an investigation actually revealed problems. After gradually delving deeper, it was finally discovered that these four people were indeed extraordinary..."

"Good!" King Wu praised, "This matter has been handled well. Continue to send people to investigate."

"Yes, thank you, Father." Li Ping felt delighted.

His always stern father rarely praised him, but when he heard the next sentence, the joy on his face suddenly froze.

"Now that this matter has some clues, there is no need for you to be personally responsible. Let others do it."

"Why, Father!" Li Ping said anxiously.

King Wu waved his right hand lightly at him and said, "Don't worry. I have more important things for you to do."

Li Ping hurriedly stepped forward and saw King Wu pointing to the nautical chart on the desk, saying, "This chart shows the shipping routes of most Da Jing merchant ships in the Fica Sea. I have already had people repeatedly confirm it."

"The imperial court's official ships are escorted by warships, but some should be private merchants. Among them, one group of private merchant ships travels very regularly. According to the time, they can reach the port in two months."

"They only have three ships. You send people with a fleet to wait near the coast. When the private merchant fleet returns, ambush them, change the flags, and use their identity to enter Da Jing to gather information. Now that the six major dioceses have deployed Divine Punishment and conscription has been carried out in two rounds, it is time to explore Da Jing's bottom line."

"Father..." Li Ping was stunned. He didn't expect his father, who was always stern with him, to entrust him with such an important task this time.

King Wu looked at him and sighed softly, "In the end, it was I who harmed you. If I hadn't rashly brought Fang Zhengzhi on board, you wouldn't have been poisoned and ambushed, leaving behind hidden injuries. Among the many princes, you are the most hardworking. I have seen it all these years. Now I am entrusting you with this most dangerous and most important task. You must seize the opportunity."

Seize the opportunity... What does this mean?

Li Ping was suddenly enveloped in a kind of joy. Does this mean that I still have a chance to compete with my brothers?

If not, can I still compete for the throne?

"Your son thanks you, Father! Your son will not fail this mission and will thoroughly investigate the situation in Da Jing!" Li Ping knelt down to thank him.

King Wu waved his hand, "Get up. Remember, after arriving in Da Jing, you don't need to take any extra actions. Just enter the port at Jiangling Port. If you encounter officials and soldiers, bribe them with silver. The rest is to act according to circumstances."

"You left Da Jing when you were young and don't understand the customs of Da Jing. However, the people I have sent to assist you this time can help you. Your only task is to manage them well and not allow them to act without authorization. Once you may be detected, immediately return home. You must never be discovered by Da Jing. You should go down and prepare in advance."

"I obey! Your son takes his leave."

......

Daedero Diocese, inside a civilian house.

Xiao Shuai, Da Zhuang, and the other two were lying in the house, speechless.

They had been adventuring in the diocese for quite some time.

Based on experience, they should have developed some subordinates, but so far they had gained nothing.

It was not that the believers here were firm in their faith, nor that there was a lack of poor families oppressed by the church.

But the church's control was too strong!

Especially after the Holy City was occupied and the Pope fled.

The six major dioceses began to quickly adjust their strategies. The first was to quickly purge the internal unstable church members.

After that, they began to send people to strictly investigate the streets, and even the entertainment industry suffered a major blow.

Civilians were no longer allowed to brew alcohol, conscription began gradually, and the number of church ceremonies gradually increased.

All kinds of measures made their progress difficult.

After so much effort without success, Xiao Shuai had decided to give up.

After looking at the ceiling for a long time, Xiao Shuai said, "Brothers, if we continue like this, I'm afraid there will be no progress. Everyone, if you have any ideas, you can speak up."

"Let's go back to the Holy City. I wanted to go back a long time ago," Da Zhuang said in a muffled voice. "It's hard to find a woman here, and you have to buy alcohol secretly. When will this life end?"

"We can't go back. The diocese is under martial law, and it's a problem to enter and leave the city now. Try not to take risks," Xiao Shuai said helplessly. "I have an idea. I don't know what everyone thinks."