The night was getting darker, midnight had passed, and the scholars who had stayed up for half the night couldn't bear it anymore. They put away their examination papers, turned off the lights, and took a rest.
The Gongyuan was plunged into darkness, with only a few sparse lights still burning in the alleyway.
The Imperial Guards patrolled back and forth in the alleyways. As they walked, their armor made a slight clattering sound, and the blades on their waists shone coldly, which was intimidating.
Yao Yao and He Zhenfu were dressed in black and without lanterns. They cleverly avoided the patrolling imperial troops and arrived at the east side dormitory in the dark.
When I walked outside the Yuzi dormitory, the lights inside the dormitory had already been turned off and it was pitch black.
Xia Yuanji faced the direction of the alley, curled up on his side on the narrow wooden board. The wooden board was narrow and short. He was lying very uncomfortable, and his eyebrows were frowning tightly unconsciously.
His clothes were neatly dressed and he didn't even take off his shoes. Although most of the scholars were sleeping in their clothes like him, Yao and Yao became suspicious of him. Seeing his cautious appearance, they naturally became more cautious. It was a very high spirit.
Even breathing was coming out slowly, and it sounded like Xia Yuanji was fast asleep.
The dormitories opposite and to the left and right were also pitch black, and the sound of even breathing mixed with one after another snoring made people feel sleepy.
Everyone is asleep. It's good to be asleep. No one is paying attention, so it's easier to act.
He Zhenfu and Yao Yao looked at each other, pointed at the dormitory, and moved their lips silently: "Do you want to do it?"
Yao Yao nodded, took out a towel and covered his mouth and nose.
He Zhenfu also covered his mouth and nose, took out the poison, and lit it in the direction of the dormitory.
A vague gray-white light smoke floated into the dormitory. A gust of night wind blew, and the light smoke dispersed in an instant, and the gray-white color was so faint that it could not be noticed.
When the drug was in powder form, it smelled of a faint orchid fragrance, but once it was lit, it had no smell whatsoever.
He Zhenfu clicked his tongue, he didn't expect that Yao Yao, a little-known Jingzhao man who joined the army, would have such good things.
As expected, people cannot be judged by their appearance.
Seeing the light smoke dissipate, Xia Yuanji twitched twice, turned over, and lay on his back, his legs limply dragging on the ground. There was no movement in his whole body, and even his breathing seemed shallow. A few points.
He Zhenfu was startled, turned around quickly, lowered his voice and asked, "You're not dead, are you?"
Yao Yao glanced at the remaining drug on the handkerchief, jumped up immediately, and shouted suppressedly: "Who told you to take all the drugs? If you take so many, you will be stupid even if you don't die!!"
He Zhenfu was dumbfounded and glared at Yao Yao frustratedly: "You didn't say how much you would use."
Yao Yao secretly rolled his eyes and raised his chin towards the dormitory.
He Zhenfu pointed to the lock hanging on the wooden fence: "I won't sneak in and pick the lock."
Yao Yao made a sound, raised his eyebrows slightly, took out a piece of wire and poked it in the keyhole for a moment.
There was a soft "click" sound, and the lock opened.
He Zhenfu gave a thumbs up with a smile on his face, lowered his voice and asked Yao Yao: "Hey, on the day we arrested Wang Cong, what did you mean by 'Hi' when you asked us to say it?"
"Nothing interesting, just saying hello." Yao Yao opened the wooden fence without raising his head, but was cautious and did not go inside. He just stood outside the dormitory and patrolled, then picked up a stone and threw it heavily. Xia Yuanji's body.
The sleepy Xia Yuanji still didn't move at all.
He Zhenfu was relieved and said with a low voice, "Expert", and leaned into the dormitory. After groping for a moment in the dark dormitory, he finally touched Xia Yuanji's feet and took off the shoes on his feet.
Under the dim moonlight, a pair of half-worn leather boots could be vaguely seen.
He Zhenfu curled his lips in disgust. Seeing that Yao Yao had locked the wooden fence again, he lowered his voice and said, "Let's go back first."
Yao Yao nodded: "This drug can make people unconscious for three hours. We have to send the shoes back before dawn."
He Zhenfu glanced at Xia Yuanji, who was sleeping deeply, and said in a low voice: "It doesn't matter, I ordered someone to prepare a few more pairs of similar leather boots. If it's really too late, I'll just use the most similar ones to make up the number."
Yao Yao glanced at Xia Yuanji a few more times and shook his head: "This person is very thoughtful and is afraid that the substitute will not be able to hide it from his eyes, so he should try not to use it if possible."
He Zhenfu pursed his lips, said nothing, and looked around alertly.
The two of them sneaked back to the third floor of Mingyuan Building like thieves.
When he saw the two of them coming back, Meng Suige laughed and joked: "Hey, the shoe thief is back?"
Yao Yao and He Zhenfu both rolled their eyes, each took a leather boot and looked through it carefully.
The smile on Meng Suige's face became even bigger, and he came closer to check it out together.
Han Changmu was sitting behind the desk, writing something with his head down, and occasionally raising his head to glance at the three people under the bright lights.
He smiled in an instant, and perhaps they didn't even realize that, facing each other day by day, facing difficult moments together, they had already developed a sense of camaraderie and familiarity that others could not match.
This pair of leather boots is indeed, as the inner guard reported before, an extraordinary pair of leather boots.
From the texture to the workmanship, to the patterns on the uppers and the routing of the soles, they cannot be called top quality.
Moreover, this style of leather boots can be seen everywhere in Chang'an City, and most of the barbarians can wear them.
He Zhenfu took a look at this pair of leather boots, and hurriedly put out the leather boots of different styles and sizes that he had prepared before. He raised his eyebrows triumphantly and said, "Look, this pair of leather boots is no different from this pile of leather boots. , If I had known this was the case, I should have just given him a pair and put them on directly."
"If only it were that simple." Yao Yao lowered his head and turned down the boot, revealing a thumb-sized mark.
Seeing this small, four-petal plum blossom embroidery, Yao Yao seemed to have confirmed the guess in her heart. Maybe there were too many such confirmations and too many blows these days. She didn't even have a look on her face. He changed and only showed the boot shaft to Han Changmu: "Sir, it's still the Four Sacred Sect."
He Zhenfu exploded immediately and jumped to the top of his lungs: "It's the Four Holy Sects again, hiding their heads and tails like mice."
"It's not the Four Saints." Han Changmu stopped writing, looked up at the four-petal plum blossom, shook his head and said, "It's not the Four Saints, it's Third Young Master Xie."
This title was a tacit agreement between Han Changmu and Yao Yao Meng Sui, and it was a private agreement to conceal Xie Liangzhan's identity.
Xie Liangzhan's identity is too sensitive. If it is leaked, it may cause an uproar. It can be hidden for a while.
Therefore, they decided privately to replace the name Xie Liangzhan with the title Xie Sangongzi.
Xie Liangzhang was the youngest son of Prince Huaizhang at that time, and ranked third among the men in the prince's house.
"My lord, what you mean is that this mark is exclusive to Third Young Master Xie, not used by the Four Saints Sect." Yao Yao looked up and down at the leather boots, his eyes were lowered, and his expression was obscure.
She has been stubbornly convinced that this mark belongs to the Four Saints Sect, but in fact she refuses to admit that this mark belongs exclusively to Xie Liangzhan and is closely related to her.
She suddenly felt a burning sensation in her ankles, which made her shrink involuntarily.
Han Changmu noticed the discomfort that Yao Yao had deliberately suppressed. He paused with the pen in his hand and changed the topic: "How is it? Did you find anything in the shoes?"
Yao Yao recovered his thoughts, pointed at the stitches at the junction of the upper and the sole and said sadly: "These leather boots are half old, and the sewing thread is a bit rotten. Xiaguan's needlework has always been bad. I'm afraid it will be difficult to use after taking it apart." recovery."
He Zhenfu held the leather boot in his hand far away and looked at Yao Yao with disgust: "It's so close, you don't mind the fumes."
Yao Yao glanced at He Zhenfu and said with disdain: "You are so far away, and you only have to be able to tell something is wrong to be considered a ghost."
He Zhenfu chuckled twice, holding up his leather boots and asked: "Don't worry about whether it can be restored or not. Let's dismantle it first."
Yao Yao glanced at Han Changmu.
Han Changmu did not raise his head, but he seemed to notice Yao Yao's gaze. He lowered his head and wrote while saying: "Tear it down, there is an official in charge of everything."
With this promise, Yao Yao and He Zhenfu looked at each other and took apart a leather boot very neatly.
As soon as Fang opened it, He Zhenfu suddenly covered his mouth and nose and exclaimed: "Oh, let me go, this smells so good."
Yao Yao hurriedly took a scented tablet in his mouth, then stuffed another scented tablet into He Zhenfu's mouth with his backhand, and looked at it repeatedly with the removed boot upper.
He Zhenfu was simply shocked and twitched his lips: "What kind of shoes are these? Why do they smell so bad?"
Meng Suige covered his mouth and nose and hummed: "This should be what Li Cheng found from the latrine. Can the smell be reduced?"
Yao Yao didn't say anything. Looking from the side of the disassembled boot upper, he saw that the leather surface and the boot lining were not completely sewn together, but left an uneasy gap.
She walked through the lining and carefully rolled over the gaps bit by bit.
Although the lining is not very snug, it doesn't have the uneven feel after hiding things.
She closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then took the scissors to remove the lining.
The lining fabric was light brown both inside and outside. It was old and had mottled old stains on it.
He Zhenfu looked at the leather surface and lining, frowned slightly, and said solemnly: "There is nothing here."
Yao Yao twisted the thin layer of cotton and linen lining, concentrated for a moment, and said to Meng Sui: "Bring a lamp here."
Meng Suige responded and quickly moved a lamp closer to him.
Yao Yao carefully held the thin interlining and heated it back and forth on the jumping flames.
The lining cloth must not be burned, but it must be heated evenly.
She pursed her lips. This was a technical job.
The candle flame looked weak, but after being held for a long time, it was very hot to the touch.
Her hand was burned by the hot candle flame and she shook involuntarily.
"I'll do it." Meng Sui quickly took the interlining and grilled it while smiling playfully: "I have rough skin and thick flesh, so I'm not afraid of being burned."
Yao Yao stood up with a smile and looked at the steaming lining.
