At dusk, the western mountains are far away, and the yellow city shines in the distance
When the time came to Youshi (five o'clock in the afternoon), carriages and horses began to leave the imperial city. These were officials who had been put on duty. Those who could be on duty in the imperial city were either extremely popular ministers or high-ranking dignitaries.
Liu Licheng, a member of the Imperial Guard Qianhu, stood respectfully at the main entrance of the imperial city: on the side outside the Huangji Gate.
The main entrance of Huangji Gate is closed at this time and will only be opened unless the emperor travels or there is a major event. Usually all officials enter and exit through the side door next to Huangji Gate.
Countless cars left. When Liu Licheng saw a light yellow car, he ordered a captain beside him. The captain immediately stepped forward and talked to the driver, and then quickly Returned to Liu Licheng.
"How?" Liu Licheng asked a little uneasily.
"The gentleman said that Qianhu can come to the door tonight." The captain replied.
Liu Licheng immediately breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, his smile gradually rose, and he said nothing more, just watching the light yellow car slowly leave, heading west.
There is Taipingfang.
——
Wenxuanfang Hundred Household Office
After a busy day, General Qi and Xiaoqi had returned. According to Liu Xin's instructions, they came to Liu Xin's room to report the situation.
The first person to speak was Guo Yong. He visited several hundred households in the inner city that day and inquired about information with some old friends who had good relationships. Therefore, the situation here was the most chaotic, but Liu Xin quickly learned from it. A few more important points are summarized:
First, this case is highly valued by His Majesty, even more so than banditry in various places. This also means that the case is not simple and may involve some extraordinary people and events behind it. Therefore, even a few thousand households find the case a bit difficult. If it weren't for Liu Licheng, the scapegoat, many people would probably have a headache.
Huh! What is a scapegoat?
Forget it, continue thinking first, don't interrupt important thoughts...
The second point is that these horse-raising eunuchs who were recruited into the palace have been isolated from the outside world since they entered the palace. Their wives, children, and children even thought they were dead. If one of the eight eunuchs hadn't been very clever and could bribe some young eunuchs to come out of the palace to help, they might not have had enough internal drive to teach the secrets of raising horses. The research continues. The little eunuch who sent a message for the eight horse-raising eunuchs has been caught, but according to the little eunuch's confession, he has no ability to leave the palace. He has been deceiving the eight people all along. The person who took the initiative to contact the eunuch was already dead, and was one of the three people who was poisoned in the end. Therefore, this clue that was not a clue was completely broken.
The third point is that regarding the secret technique of raising horses, there are already rumors out there, saying that this secret technique can turn middle-class horses into high-class horses. Nowadays, there are many horse breeders in the world. There are many horse farms in Zhengyang. Over the past few hundred years, they have formed a large scale. However, no matter how large the scale is, the quality of the horses cannot be guaranteed. More than 90% of the horses in Zhengyang are of medium or inferior quality, but there are only a few high-quality horses that can truly be used as war horses. And good BMW horses are extremely rare, and it is almost impossible to have a BMW in artificial captivity. Therefore, the value of this secret technique is extremely high, and it may attract the covetous attention of martial arts demons and even northern barbarians.
The fourth and most important point is that since the murder incident, His Majesty the Emperor has stationed people near the Royal Horse Prison, and their entry and exit must be closely checked, both for protection and guarding. The guards guarding these people include Dongchang, Jinyiwei and Warrior Battalion, but the traitor must not be from Jinyiwei, because when the first three people died, Jinyiwei had not yet intervened in the matter.
Dongchang and the Warrior Camp are already the main suspects. Therefore, Cui Wenxiu, Chi Tianyu, Yin Zhenchuan, the three chief officials of the Royal Horse Prison involved in the matter, as well as Qianhu Kuangzanyuan of the Warrior Camp, as well as some personnel from the Dongchang have been temporarily suspended at this time. He was imprisoned and sentenced to death by Dongchang, Qianhu Yuan Dongxiang. This Yuan Dongxiang emphasized his tone in Guo Yong's narration. Later, he introduced to Liu Xin what was different about him, and only then did Liu Xin understand.
This Yuan Dongxiang was born in the military and was a talent poached by Mi Yusong. He was unparalleled in Dongchang, had outstanding abilities, and was Mi Yusong's confidant.
As a result, this important internal clue is actually inaccessible to Jin Yiwei. Jin Yiwei could only think of other ways, and in Liu Licheng's eyes today, he seemed to be an unintentional move, which inadvertently helped him open up the situation.
The killer's body has been taken away by Liu Licheng. I heard that the women and children of the eunuchs who studied secret arts were also protected by Liu Licheng.
When Guo Yong said this, he glanced at Liu Xin carefully and found that Liu Xin's face was as usual. He felt relieved, but at the same time he secretly said in his heart:
As expected, these hundreds of households are still young, and they may not realize that their credit has been robbed.
However, Guo Yong may not know that for Liu Xin, the clues that those women and children can bring are only a few. What is really important is the group of killers. If you find them, you will not be far from the truth. And he also believed that if Liu Licheng was not stupid, his target would also be those killers.
The other two general banners also told the news they had found out, but it was not too important. One day was not enough for them to find out useful information. Liu Xin had predicted this situation long ago, so he also Don't care.
When the time was almost up, Liu Xin ordered everyone to go back to their respective homes.
Just before Liu Xin was about to leave the Hundred Household Office, Senior Brother Cheng returned in a hurry, his face a little solemn. Liu Xin understood that the secret investigation team probably had the results, but he didn't expect it to be so fast. Originally, he expected it would be at least as long as Two or three days.
"Senior Brother Cheng, what's the news about the killer?" Liu Xin came to the corridor and looked around, and found that there were almost no people in the hundred households at this time, so he turned back and said to Senior Brother Cheng.
Senior Brother Cheng nodded, with a solemn expression. He lowered his voice and said in a deep voice: "I just said your description, and the answer was given directly over there, and this person is currently in the Imperial Capital, so it is almost certain! "
"What a coincidence!" Liu Xin was a little surprised. The person he was looking for was so easy to find. That's right. Such a sturdy man with such strong martial arts skills must have a good reputation. Fortunately, he was cautious. Cheng Guotao was not informed of the details of this person. He only said that this person was extremely skilled in martial arts, had a tall build, and used a large iron chain. Liu Xin touched his arm and said curiously: "Where did this monster come from? When I think of him, my arm starts to hurt again!"
"You still know this guy!" Senior Brother Cheng handed over a piece of paper and said.
"Impossible, how could I know it..." Liu Xin denied. The monster's appearance was so outstanding that he would never forget it once he saw it, let alone recognize it. But when he saw the information on the note, , he suddenly realized that this was what the so-called understanding meant.
"Buhe! The tenth of the Northern Barbarians...the top 100 list of Jianghu...this guy was compiled by Xuesheng. I also asked at the time, although this guy is in the Dacheng realm, he is already old. , there is almost no potential at all. If it is placed in the list, it may be eliminated soon. We will have to update it then, so it is not troublesome. I remember Xuesheng told me mysteriously at that time, not to mention this cloth and others , he cannot be eliminated within ten years. I see, that’s it, with such a perverted body, even after ten years, it is estimated that he can still maintain his prime condition!"
When Liu Xin recovered from his surprise, Senior Brother Cheng looked at him with a strange expression.
"This list of the top 100 in the world was originally created by you and the young master of the evil sect. I only found out today." Senior Brother Cheng told the truth. He had heard about the list of the top 100 in the world before, but he always thought that It was written by some Jianghu forces, but I didn't expect that it was Liu Xin who made it. Until today, the leader of the secret investigation team whispered to him not to spread it.
"It's just a joke, I didn't expect that all the brothers in the world would take it seriously!" Liu Xin laughed.
Senior Brother Cheng said with a serious face: "This is no joke. The intelligence organization under the leader of Zhengxi in Wulin has gathered countless information, and finally it was compiled by the two of you. It can be said that there is no one in the world better than you. This list is more accurate!”
"Hahaha... Yeah... Hahaha, Senior Brother Cheng is so flattering!" Liu Xin said slightly embarrassed. There was nothing we could do about it. This thing was purely two-dimensional at first. It was an object that people made fun of, but after it was released, it caused an uproar. Many people on the list were challenged numerous times. Some big bosses even directly said that they would kill anyone who dared to challenge them again. Killer. Of course, those who say such things are all from the righteous path, and the demonic path has nothing to do with it. One of them will kill one, and two of them will destroy the whole family!
If the initiator of this list is known to outsiders, he and Xuesheng will probably be in trouble. Then anyone on the list is a big boss who cannot be offended.
"If it's Buhe, isn't this guy a general from the Wanggu tribe? How could he appear in the imperial capital?" Liu Xin changed the subject.
"This Buhe entered the imperial capital last month, following a caravan. Behind this caravan is probably the Northern Barbarians. The covert investigation team also discovered it accidentally, but they have always kept a low profile and don't go out much. Therefore, the secret investigation team just sent people to keep an eye on it." Senior Brother Cheng said.
"Is it really the Northern Barbarians who want the secret skill of raising horses?" Liu Xin couldn't help but think carefully, but there was a question, how could the Northern Barbarians kill people in the imperial city? If they could do this, why not kill the emperor? ? The emperor died and Zhengyang was in chaos. The northern barbarians could not take advantage of the opportunity to go south.
"I think the possibility of the Northern Barbarians taking action is very small. Apart from being able to mix in the caravans, they have almost no place to go. Their faces are the worst sign, and there will be constant trouble wherever they go!" Cheng The senior brother said that although the Northern Barbarians have caravans traveling to various parts of Zhengyang, they always use Han people to cover up. They rarely come forward on their own. Once they use the Northern Barbarians' face, many things will become complicated and troublesome, not to mention other things. , if a Zhengyang person spots a Northern Barbarian, he will probably go up and take out a knife without saying anything.
"If it's not the Northern Barbarians, then who is it? Regarding the secret art of raising horses, the Northern Barbarians are undoubtedly the most suspicious, and this Buhe has taken action to silence them. We have checked those killers. They are not Northern Barbarians. Could it be that they are not Northern Barbarians? Someone is colluding with the Northern Barbarians!" Liu Xin boldly guessed that the killers were all Han Chinese, and Bu He took action to silence them, and they had contraband such as bows and arrows in their hands, so there must be an insider in the city.
"If my guess is correct, this spy should be someone who can enter the imperial city. But if there is such a person, why do you want to kill those eunuchs? If you want to kill, why kill them one by one instead of all of them neatly? Finish killing. Do the Northern Barbarians have any ideas about secret techniques? Otherwise, destruction is what the Northern Barbarians are best at doing. Now these things are too complicated for the simple minds of the Northern Barbarians!"
"You are really right about one thing!" Senior Brother Cheng's eyes towards Liu Xin changed slightly. He seemed to feel that this young man was worthy of being the direct descendant of the sect master. The sect master was known as the number one think tank in the martial arts world, and Liu Xin seemed to be a true disciple. . "The secret investigation team also found out something. In the caravan where Bu He was, a person showed up once. After getting the portrait, we investigated overnight and found that this person is probably the prince Shaobao of the Wanggu tribe of the Northern Barbarians. , named Bileg. He is the first of the three wise men under the command of the great sage Wanggu, the prince of the Wanggu tribe, and is also known as the second wisest man after the Northern Barbarians, Prince Fox."
"Three great wise men, how come the Wanggu tribe is so awesome and can boast better than me? Since when did those sheep herders of the Northern Barbarians engage in intelligence rankings?" Liu Xin's tone was frivolous, but his expression became serious. Of course, I would not take it for granted that the Northern Barbarians are idiots with inherently low intelligence. If they can be called a person of a certain rank, they will not be too weak. Just to cover up their shock, they said these words involuntarily.
"Cow?" Senior Brother Cheng was a little confused.
In fact, Liu Xin was also a little puzzled. He seemed to keep popping up some strange words without thinking about it recently.
However, this little unexpected episode was quickly overtaken by shock.
The Wanggu tribe is one of the four major tribes of the Northern Barbarians. Although it is not the largest tribe, its strength is one of the best. The reason is that the Wanggu tribe is the only tribe that works hard to learn Zhengyang and absorbs the advantages of Zhengyang. It even Has its own firearms army. The Northern Barbarian tribe that Zhengyang fears the most is none other than the Wanggu tribe.
A settlement brought Liu Xin a huge surprise beyond imagination, so much so that he was a little absent-minded when he returned to Liu's house.
At three o'clock in the morning, Taipingfang was quiet and peaceful.
Taipingfang is the first of the 28 squares in the inner city because it is close to the imperial city and is also where real dignitaries and royal nobles gather. Every house here represents a powerful man.
Liu Licheng sat in a small sedan and slowly arrived in front of a deep mansion.
Horseback riding is not allowed in Taipingfang because the sound of horse hooves will disturb the nobles.
After getting off the sedan, Liu Licheng subconsciously wanted to touch his butt. He didn't expect that the sedan would rub his butt harder than riding a horse, but suddenly he thought of something, and his hand trembled and he touched his thigh.
Coughing slightly to cover up his embarrassment, he walked forward and came to the front door. When he looked up, his eyes were filled with respect.
Shangguan Mansion
This is the residence of the commander-in-chief of Shandong and Shanxi provinces, the governor of the two provinces, and Shangguan Ba, the Marquis of Jin State, in the imperial capital.
At the same time, he is also the contemporary city lord of Emperor Wu City represented by Liu Licheng. Liu Licheng's status is not low in the imperial capital, but if he is in Emperor Wu City, he can only be regarded as a scumbag.
At least that's what he thought.
He had never been here before, and it was because of something that he had the opportunity to cross this threshold today.
The side door next to the Shangguan Mansion opened, and Liu Licheng immediately stepped forward. Inside, there was a middle-aged man dressed as a butler. Without saying a word, he led Liu Licheng into the mansion.
All the way inward, Liu Licheng stared at his toes, not daring to raise his head and overstep.
Soon, a man who looked like a butler led him to the door of a study room and said, "The second young master is waiting for you inside!"
Liu Licheng quickly thanked him and said, "Thank you!"
Then enter the door.
This study was not the study of the Marquis of Jin, but the furnishings inside still shocked Liu Licheng.
Countless calligraphy and paintings, seemingly random but actually orderly, are hung everywhere. The countless collections of books are comparable to those of the great scholars of the time. The furniture is all made of pear wood with an ancient feel. It can be seen that it is old at first glance. This kind of object is very important to a warrior. It is quite attractive, especially for someone like Liu Licheng who has been a court official for several years. Even a military attaché will have some appreciation for these things.
But what shocked Liu Licheng the most was a picture hanging in the middle of the study, which read:
crane
Of course, Liu Licheng was not able to appreciate the quality of this character, but he knew the seal in the lower left corner of the crane character. It was the private seal of His Majesty the current emperor!
This also means who wrote the crane character!
The shock in my heart had not dissipated when I heard a clear, young voice coming from one side:
"Liu Qianhu! Why are you looking for me today?"
Liu Licheng turned around and saw a young man in a light blue gown writing something in front of the desk. There was a smile on his lips, but his eyes were still on the desk without raising his head.
Shangguan He was appointed as Wai Lang, a member of the military force selection committee. He was from the fifth rank and was of the same rank as Qian Hu. As the second son of Shangguan Ba, he loved reading and passed the examination, becoming the youngest member of the Military Department.
Liu Licheng immediately stepped forward and bowed, "I've met the Second Young Master!"
Shangguanhe finished writing slowly, then raised his head and looked at Liu Licheng with a gentle face:
"You and I are of the same rank in the officialdom, but I am just a junior in the world. Now that we are on duty, we are not in Emperor Wu's city, but in private, I should call you, Brother Liu!"
Liu Licheng immediately became frightened: "Liu Licheng cannot afford to be called Second Young Master, so you should just call me by my first name!"
Shangguan He smiled warmly, stood up and walked to the coffee table on the side. He pointed to the chair on the side and said, "Brother Liu, this is private, don't be so formal. If you have anything to say, sit down and talk."
Liu Licheng walked over quickly and waited for Shangguanhe to sit down with a smile and shake his head before taking his seat.
Shangguan He poured a cup of tea for Liu Licheng, causing Liu Licheng to stand up again, looking very cautious.
"That's all, Liu Qianhu, I'll still call you Liu Qianhu. Will it make you feel better?" Shangguan He asked with a smile.
As expected, Liu Licheng felt that the pressure on himself had become much lighter. He forced a smile and said, "Second Young Master, this is a joke!"
Shangguanhe said calmly: "I wonder what Liu Qianhu did when he saw me today?"
When Liu Licheng heard Shangguan He's question, he immediately said: "I received a letter and hope to get the approval of the second young master!"
After saying that, Liu Licheng took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Shangguan He with both hands.
Shangguan He took it and looked at it carefully for a moment. From the beginning to the end, the expression on his face did not change at all.
After reading it, Shangguan He put the letter on the table and asked softly: "Is Liu Qianhu planning to join the noble family?"
Liu Licheng shook his head and said: "No. This Chen Nianji is Tuoba Yunhan's adopted son. Although Tuoba Yunhan is a member of the nobility, he has always been aloof from the outside world and is neither alienated nor close to the nobility group. But the nobles have to take the initiative to hug this thigh. Therefore, if I make good friends with Chen Nianji, the noble faction in the Jinyi Guards will definitely not attack me again. As long as the nobles let go, I will not be like now. passive."
After Shangguanhe concentrated for a moment, he picked up the letter from Hanzhong again and chewed it carefully. After a moment, his eyes locked on Liu Licheng, making the latter's heart sink: "When did you hook up with this Chen Nianji?"
Shangguan He's words were very impolite, and Liu Licheng immediately became frightened. He did not take the initiative to hook up with Chen Nianji. Hanzhong was thousands of miles away from the imperial capital, so how could he have such ability. But this was obviously not the time to explain. As a disciple of Emperor Wu City, he had contact with Xungui but did not report it in advance. This was already a very serious problem.
If he explained that he was just trying to leave an escape route for himself without thinking too much, it would only appear that he was neither loyal nor wise.
So he gritted his teeth and Liu Licheng had to say: "Chen Nianji is of great use. I have investigated this person. Although he is the adopted son of Tuoba Yunhan, he is a pure playboy. He is proficient in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. If he hadn't Under the care of the big tree of Tuoba Yunhan, he had long been swallowed up to the point of being gone. Now he has committed more and more things, and Hanzhong really can't protect him, so he will find other ways out. Now I have collected some evidence of his crimes in Hanzhong, and I will use him as a bargaining chip from now on!"
Shangguan He nodded noncommittally, stacked the letters neatly, and returned them to Liu Licheng. Liu Licheng looked at Shangguan He nervously. After a long time, Shangguan He suddenly smiled, his tone still gentle:
"Okay, Liu Qianhu, I don't mean to blame you. You have done a good job. The most important thing is that I believe in your loyalty! Jinyiwei is an important position. If I can take advantage of Tuoba Yunhan's influence to go further, it will be helpful to me. Emperor Wu City is of course a good thing. As long as you have the confidence to control Chen Nianji!"
Liu Licheng took a long breath in his heart, and his hanging heart finally fell to the ground. The content of this letter is actually not complicated. It is that Chen Nianji asked Liu Licheng to help him with an errand in the imperial capital. Liu Licheng took the initiative to bring up this matter at the beginning. When the old Liu Baihu was seriously ill, he had already written to Chen Nianji and asked him if he was not interested in the vacancy of the imperial guards, but he never replied.
Later, he wanted to kick Liu Xin away because he could not wait for Chen Nianji's reply. Now that Liu Xin had passed the examination, Chen Nianji had received a letter. He hesitated again and thought of asking the Second Master Shangguan for help.
Because Liu Xin has already passed the assessment, it is not easy to kick him out. If the investigation of the Royal Horse Supervisor case continues, Liu Licheng may be kicked out by the other three forces due to poor handling of the case faster than Liu Xin can find a reason. It was even faster to tell him to get out, so Liu Licheng thought twice and had no choice but to bite the bullet and come here.
He now has no clue about the Yumajian case. Although Liu Xin found some clues for him, he still has no confidence in the follow-up investigation.
"Second Young Master, we still need Second Young Master's help in this matter!" Liu Licheng's heart lifted again after he had just let go.
Shangguan He: "Tell me about it!"
So Liu Licheng told Liu Xin's story. After Shangguan He listened, he said calmly: "This matter is easy to handle. Wait for my news!"
When they were on duty the next day, Liu Xin and Brother Cheng had just arrived at the gate of Wenxuanfang Hundred Household Office, when they saw a small flag officer who had been waiting here for a long time. When he saw Liu Xin, he went straight forward and gave a rough salute. Then he said directly:
"The Ministry of War has issued an order to go to Qianhu's office. Lord Qianhu ordered me to give this letter of order to Liu Baihu in person. Please take it from Liu Baihu!"
Liu Xin took the order letter from the little flag officer and hurriedly scanned it, his expression changed.
The content of the order from the Ministry of War was very simple, asking Jin Yiwei to start the assessment, and the attached list contained only Liu Xin's name.
Liu Xin's face was as dark as water. After reading it coldly, he entered the Baihu House without looking back. Senior Brother Cheng followed him with a weird look on his face.
The little flag officer who came to report the news snorted coldly when he saw this, and no longer took Liu Xin to heart. After all, this person was only a member of a hundred households in two days.
In a restaurant somewhere in the inner city, the interior decoration of the Tianzi No. 1 guest room is extremely luxurious, with tables and chairs made of fine wood and precious Western carpets on the floor.
The round table in the middle was full of delicacies, but there were only two people sitting there.
"Uncle Kang Ping can give me this face today. I'm so honored!" Liu Licheng poured a glass of wine for the man opposite and said attentively.
The man opposite was smiling, red-faced, and tall. He took the wine glass and drank it in one gulp, and then said: "Good wine! Mr. Liu, don't call me by my title. We are both members of the Imperial Guard. That's how we call it Duoshengfen." !”
"Hahaha, then let me call you Master Shao!" Liu Licheng smiled and poured another glass of wine for Shao Shiwang opposite.
Shao Shiwang, Kang Pingbo, who lives in thousands of households in the north city outside Jinyiwei.
Shao Shiwang smiled and took the second glass of wine, but did not drink it. Instead, he asked directly: "Master Liu, just tell me what you did today. Don't wait until the wine gets to your head. You won't be able to remember what you said." Stay!"
Liu Licheng looked at Shao Shiwang with a smile. He raised his head and drank a second glass of wine. Under Shao Shiwang's smiling gaze, he slowly said: "The adopted son of Duke Qin will soon come to my place in the Inner East City. I think it’s better to inform Mr. Shao of this news as soon as possible, and ask Mr. Shao to take care of my 100 households!”
When Shao Shiwang heard this, the smile on his face stagnated at first. When he carefully observed Liu Licheng and found that the latter was not drunk and talking nonsense, he continued to smile, but this time, his face glowed red, and he picked up the wine glass and drank it down again. Then he said happily: "Brother Liu..."
