"The official is talking about...the King of Xiangyang?"
Seeing what the emperor said, Cao Bin had some guesses in his mind, but he didn't hesitate and asked directly.
Upon hearing this response, the emperor was stunned for a moment, pointed at him and said with a smile:
"After hanging out with a group of veterans for a long time, it's hard to keep up with your ideas."
As he spoke, he shook his head helplessly, picked up a memorial from the table next to him, handed it to Cao Bin and said:
"This is a secret message from the Imperial City Division. Take a look."
Seeing this, Cao Bin complained in his heart. The emperor looked honest, but he was a bit sinister.
I deliberately put this memorial in front of me. It turned out to be to test myself. Fortunately, I didn't have the habit of turning over it with my hands.
Cao Bin did not refuse, picked up the secret note and started reading it.
However, after watching it for a while, he started to break into a cold sweat.
Nothing else is mentioned above.
They are all the traces of King Xiangyang's activities in the capital, especially the details of his visit to Master Pang. Every word and deed is clearly recorded.
The fight between Cao Bin and King Xiangyang's men was naturally among them.
He didn't expect that the emperor had such a powerful spy.
I even remembered the rough conversation between myself and Taishi Pang.
Although most of it is vague, even this is enough to scare people.
In addition, there are records of King Xiangyang’s messengers entering and leaving the Taishi Mansion several times...
Cao Bin read it while recalling his words and deeds.
Not only the Taishi Mansion, but all his words and deeds.
Since the emperor was able to obtain information from Taishi Pang's residence, the Marquis Zhongjing's residence might have been infiltrated as well.
After a long while, he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that apart from eating, drinking and having fun, he rarely discussed government affairs.
Even if there are some private methods, they are done cautiously, and they are all for official court affairs, so they should not matter much.
In the past, Cao Bin only knew that the Song Dynasty had two secret espionage departments, one was responsible for the external Jiyi Department, and the other was the internal Imperial City Department.
But the Song Dynasty had never been famous for spies, and it was far away from later dynasties, so he didn't take it seriously.
He didn't expect the Imperial City Division to be so strong, which was beyond his expectation.
The emperor waited for him for a while before sighing:
"Actually, I have no children, so it would be a good idea to pass the throne to King Xiangyang in the future, but he seems a little anxious..."
The emperor kept asking for a long time, but did not hear Cao Bin's response, so he couldn't help but wonder:
"The ministers in the DPRK are quite discussing this. Doesn't Juncai have any ideas?"
Cao Bin secretly complained that only fools have ideas. The issue of establishing a prince has always been a big whirlpool. If you are not careful, it will be a major crime to kill the three clans.
I have to be crazy to get involved in this kind of thing.
Wouldn’t it be nice for him to enjoy the glory and wealth with peace of mind?
So he shook his head quickly and said:
"This is a matter that can only be decided by the officials themselves. The ministers only know how to be loyal to the officials."
"Besides, the official family is prosperous and prosperous. Why do we need the humble ministers to talk nonsense?"
Hearing this, the emperor's waist straightened up immediately, and he cursed with a smile on his face:
"I'm already over 40 years old, so I'm still talking about being in my prime... I'm not allowed to flatter you!"
As he spoke, he coughed and said:
"I didn't ask you about the prince, but what you think of Zhao Jue, King of Xiangyang."
Speaking of Zhao Jue, King of Xiangyang, Cao Bin was not so polite and said directly:
"I heard that King Xiangyang is cruel and cruel to the people. He is not a good person."
"Does the official want Wei Chen to arrest him?"
As he spoke, he patted his chest and said:
"It's not the humble minister who is talking big. As long as the official gives an order, I can capture him in front of you tomorrow."
When the emperor saw Cao Bin's words, he immediately became satisfied, but he shook his head and smiled:
"No matter how much he is a prince of a country, how can he be arrested at will?"
As he said that, he took out a dental card and handed it to Cao Bin and said:
"With this order, you can mobilize a secret agent from the Imperial City Department, or you can speak directly."
"I don't ask you to move the King of Xiangyang, but you have to cut off all private connections between him and the capital. Can you do it?"
Without any hesitation, Cao Bin took the dental card with both hands and said:
"Don't worry, officials, I understand."
There is no hesitation at this time. No matter what the emperor thinks, he must first take over the task.
The emperor nodded and said:
"Don't worry, Juncai. I'm not an intolerant person. I don't have much connection with the Grand Master. I leave this matter to you just to protect him."
Then, he waved his hand and said: "Okay, you go to the Imperial City Department first and have a look. Of course there will be someone to cooperate with you."
Only when Cao Bin came out of the Imperial City Division did he understand why the emperor did not want to go to war with Xixia.
It was just that the King of Xiangyang wanted to win over Master Pang, but there was actually a shadow of the Queen Mother in it.
If a war breaks out and the situation becomes unstable, these people are likely to do something.
After Cao Bin returned home, he immediately came to Shi Qian to inquire. What he was most worried about was that Yanzi would be infiltrated. In that case, he would have no secrets to tell.
Shi Qian smiled and said:
"Uncle, don't worry, those brothers were all selected from Shandong refugees, and the origins of each one are very clear..."
Cao Bin felt relieved, and then went to find Grand Master Pang, intending to remind him.
Cao Bin didn't have too many worries. If the emperor really wanted to be taboo, he wouldn't leave it to him.
On the contrary, the more he concealed it, the more worried the emperor became.
In fact, Cao Bin was also very confused.
First, although the current emperor is soft, he is not a messy person.
There were many loyal ministers such as Kou Zhun, Bao Zheng, and Yang family generals. He did not think that King Xiangyang had the possibility of successful rebellion.
The second point is the dilemma. Pang Ji's so-called "handle" is in the hands of the King of Xiangyang, and he has to fight with the King of Xiangyang.
Cao Bin must find a way to solve it, otherwise he will be implicated.
However, before he could come up with a perfect solution, he still had to do what needed to be done, so in the next half month, Cao Bin focused on the Xiangyang Palace.
This matter was not difficult for him. With Yanzi secretly cooperating and equipping the fifty Imperial City Secret Agents with Zhuge Liannu, no martial arts master would be able to escape.
"Who is it? Who is it?"
These days, King Xiangyang was very agitated because none of the messengers he sent to the capital had returned, and he couldn't even figure out who took action.
The emperor also received a secret report from the Imperial City Division not long after. After reading it, he couldn't help but laugh with satisfaction:
"It seems that Cao Bin is indeed doing this seriously, and I will leave the rest to Bao Zheng..."
Zhongjing Houfu.
On this day, the gate of the Hou Mansion suddenly opened, and people came and went. Cao Fu, the chief butler, greeted the guests to come in with a smile on his face.
"What happy events are happening at the Zhongjing Hou Mansion?"
asked the confused people on the street.
The vendor setting up a stall laughed: "Uncle Cao has been promoted again, and the old housekeeper is planning to entertain old friends."
The common man looked at him strangely and said, "You are quite powerful. Are you happy that this famous dandy in Tokyo has been promoted?"
The hawker made a "poof" sound and said:
"Why am I unhappy? I just point to the 'gentles' in the Hou Mansion to support the family."
"I've been working across the street from the Hou Mansion for a year, but I haven't seen anyone do anything bad."
As he spoke, he said with some pride:
"I'm not afraid to tell you that my sister will be recruited into the house in a few days."
"The person in charge has already said that she can earn more than one tael per month."
The man smiled and said, "Aren't you afraid that your sister will be attracted by someone named Cao?"
The hawker said disdainfully:
"I'm afraid you don't know how the aunt of the Hou Mansion is treated. The matchmakers have broken down the gate of the Hou Mansion and can't find a way out..."
At this moment, several bald men suddenly walked into the street with bare arms and walked towards the gate of the Hou Mansion.
The leader of the old man also carried a few thorns on his back.
The hawker was surprised and said: "Is this a Xixia person? Carrying a tree to plead guilty? He's singing a big show!"
