Li Sheng asked himself that he had nothing to owe his nephew, and he had no sworn hatred. There was no need to kill him unless someone instigated him.
Du Feng and Xie Liangzhan were about the same age. They had a deep master-servant relationship, and they were even more loyal to Xie Liangzhan. What he, his uncle, said was not as good as what Xie Liangzhan, his master, said.
If there is anyone who can instigate Du Feng, it is only Xie Liang.
Moreover, he was also the best candidate to poison Li Sheng, and Li Sheng had never been defensive against him.
Han Changmu frowned and carefully recalled what Li Sheng said after he woke up.
All the girls collected by Qingyun Village over the years have been sent to Beijing to provide Xie Liangzhan with the opportunity to practice the magic of immortality.
As for what kind of magic it was, Li Sheng said he didn't know, and Han Changmu didn't ask in detail.
He never believed in these mythical things.
Immortality is a joke. Even a bastard who can live for a thousand years will eventually die.
Li Sheng felt that it was because he strongly opposed Xie Liangzhan's actions and defied Xie Liangzhan's orders several times that he was killed.
Now Xie Liangzhan is no longer the ignorant boy he was sixteen years ago. He has become more mature, thoughtful, and ruthless. He no longer needs Li Sheng, a stumbling block that has great achievements but also limits everything.
To be able to endure until now and kick off this stumbling block is already showing his magnanimity.
But Han Changmu was doubtful about Li Sheng's words.
Although Li Sheng said that Dou Weiqi was Xie Liangzhan's man and was specially placed in Qingyun Village, but looking at Dou Weiqi's behavior, it did not seem that he was thinking of Xie Liangzhan at all.
One is that the number of girls sent out does not match. According to Li Sheng, more than a hundred girls are sent to Xie Liangzhan every year, all of whom are sent to Beijing in the name of purchasing maids. However, Qingyun Village collects more than 100 girls every year. There are two to three hundred people, so where have the remaining half of the girls gone?
Secondly, Dou Weiqi seemed to know the time when the Yulin Army was going to blow up the mountain, but how did he know that the Yulin Army was going to destroy Qingyun Village, even Li Sheng didn't know.
Third, those Yulin troops suddenly wanted to destroy Qingyun Village. Of course, they wanted to kill people and silence them, and bury everything Qingyun Village had done in the past five years in the collapsed Dingyun Mountain. However, Han Changmu didn't think that a man was hiding outside like a bereaved dog. The deposed emperor who had been in power for so many years was able to command the Yulin Army.
It seems that the strangeness in this can only be found out by rigorous interrogation of Dou Weiqi and Xue Shou, as well as those captured from the sub-rudder.
This time, Li Sheng confessed Xie Liangzhan's nineteen branches in the capital in one breath. Han Changmu's gains were not too small, but Xie Liangzhan's losses were not too tragic. After more than ten years of painstaking management of the situation in the capital, after this move , was beaten to pieces, and if you want to regroup, I'm afraid the situation will be difficult.
One can imagine how much hatred Xie Liangzhan must have! I wonder if in his rage, he would have thought that it was Du Feng who died and Li Sheng who betrayed him.
Han Changmu thought that if he released the news that Li Sheng was still alive, there might be greater gains.
Seeing Han Changmu's uncertain expression, Li Changming was anxious, fearing that he might have said something wrong and offended Han Changmu.
After being quiet for a while, Han Changmu said calmly: "When Dou Weiqi went up the mountain, didn't you check his origins and let him be the third person in the village?"
Zhao Yingrong and Li Changming looked at each other, neither laughing nor crying awkwardly.
No matter how big the momentum they build in Qingyun Village, they are still just a bunch of water bandits. As long as the people who come to turn themselves into bandits are not officers and soldiers, they will accept them even if they are courtiers who have resigned. They will not carefully inquire about their origins and background.
Even if I want to ask, I don't have the ability to get to the bottom of it and distinguish the authenticity.
Finally, Zhao Fusheng took a step forward, leaned forward and said: "When Dou Weiqi went up the mountain, he claimed that his family ran a martial arts school in Liangzhou. Because he offended someone, his family was ruined, he lost his identity and household registration, and he was desperate, so he went up the mountain. He was a bandit. He was really sincere and asked for nothing but a place to stay. My father and second uncle felt soft. Seeing that he could read and write and had good martial arts skills, they took him in. After he got off the mountain, he really kept to himself and performed extraordinary feats repeatedly, and then he became the third boss of the village."
Han Changmu also knew that it would be difficult for a bunch of people to investigate a person who deliberately concealed his origins, so he didn't ask further. The matter was already like this, and there was no point in asking further.
In fact, Zhao Yingrong and Li Changming were quite competent as the leaders of the water bandits. They managed Qingyun Village to a prosperous and flourishing population, which also benefited the villagers down the mountain. They also set rules for blocking roads and robbing, not to harass honest officials, scholars, and ordinary businessmen. However, there is a right to say that you are a thief, but after all, you are a thief. If you break the law, you must be punished.
Han Changmu raised his eyes and looked at Zhao Yingrong and Li Changming, who were slightly frightened. He softened his attitude and said, "In the future, you must carefully screen the people you use to do things."
Zhao Yingrong and Li Changming knew in their hearts that Han Changmu was giving them instructions. After all, they would be the backbone of the Internal Security Department in the future. If they made mistakes or made mistakes in their work, it would not be a trivial matter.
The two of them were shocked and both said yes.
Seeing that Han Changmu ignored the matter, Zhao Fusheng looked a little embarrassed and said stumblingly: "Sir, in the past five years, every time I send a girl to Beijing, I have sent someone to follow her secretly."
Before he finished speaking, Zhao Yingrong jumped up, pointed at Zhao Fusheng and said: "Fusheng, you!"
Zhao Fusheng also knew that he was in the wrong and said sarcastically: "Father."
Zhao Yingrong sighed. He didn't know that Xue Shou had a problem before. Zhao Fusheng sent people to follow him rashly and was discovered. It would inevitably arouse the dissatisfaction of the people in the court. But now, he felt that it was fortunate that Zhao Fusheng had so many people. You have to be careful, otherwise you don’t know what will happen.
He sighed helplessly: "You!"
Han Changmu looked at Zhao Fusheng and said, "Go on."
Zhao Fusheng responded: "Every year when the village has collected all the girls, the capital will send a person Yazi to hand over the girl at the foot of the mountain. Then this person Yazi will lead the convoy into the city. The person sent by the villain to follow up will come back and say, send the girl away. The convoy entering Beijing will be divided into two teams at the foot of the mountain. One team enters the city through Qixia Gate, while the other team bypasses Qujiang and enters the city through Yanqing Gate. The villain originally thought that there were too many girls, and it was too conspicuous to enter the city together. They deliberately left like this separately, but now that I think about it carefully, things are a bit strange. These girls have all signed a contract of prostitution, and the convoy sent to Beijing is also a serious dental convoy, and they are not afraid of interrogation at all. The number of girls left outside is astonishing, but compared with the number of people who send people to the capital every year, it is not surprising. There is no need to separate them like this, unless, unless these girls were not originally intended to be sent to the same place. Place to go.”
Han Changmu nodded slightly. Only this explanation was the most reasonable.
He thought for a while, took the map of Chang'an City, held a pen in one hand, and pressed a corner of the map with the other. He raised his head and asked Zhao Fusheng: "You mean one team entered the city from Qixia Gate, and the other team entered from Yanqing Gate." city?"
Zhao Fusheng nodded and said, "Yes."
"Is this the case every year?" Han Changmu asked again.
Zhao Fusheng said: "Yes, it is like this every year."
Han Changmu frowned, glanced at the map, and finally drew two circles in two places: "Do you know where the convoy went after entering the city?"
Zhao Fusheng shook his head and hesitated: "Most of the people in the village, some of them, dare not enter the city."
What he said was unclear, but Han Changmu understood it immediately.
Who with an innocent fortune is willing to go to the mountains and become a bandit? Who is not carrying some shady things on his back? If he doesn't have enough security, he doesn't even have a serious household registration document, and of course he can't enter the capital.
Han Changmu thought for a while and marked several lanes near Qixia Gate and Yanqing Gate. Then he raised his head and asked, "Do you know which dental practitioner comes to hand over the girl every year?"
Zhao Fusheng looked at Zhao Yingrong.
Zhao Yingrong looked confused, obviously ignorant.
Zhao Fusheng sighed helplessly and shook his head: "I don't know."
Han Changmu concentrated for a moment and changed his question: "Is it the same person who comes to hand over the girl every year?"
Zhao Yingrong said hurriedly: "No, in the first two years, Xiaoxiao and Fusheng went down the mountain to cook together. The person who came to take over the meal in the first and second years was not the same person."
Zhao Fusheng was also very aware of this matter. He took a step forward and said: "In the next two years, the villain will send the girl down the mountain, and different people will come to hand over the girl every year."
Han Changmu said in a deep voice: "The same person comes to hand over every time, so how do you confirm the identity of the person coming?"
Zhao Fusheng suddenly realized: "There is a token." He hurriedly took off the pouch from his waist, opened it, revealing half a plum blossom pattern inside and said, "This is it. Every year, people who come here will bring something carved with this pattern." What, sometimes it’s a jade pendant, sometimes it’s a handkerchief, but as long as it has this pattern and can be combined with this half to form a complete flower, the identity can be determined.”
Han Changmu's expression changed slightly when he saw the half of a plum blossom. He had seen this half of a plum blossom in many places, and it turned out to be the mark used by everyone in the Four Saints Sect to identify themselves.
Looking at the half plum blossom, he felt a strange feeling in his heart.
Logically speaking, with this half plum blossom, it was almost certain that the matter was related to Xie Liangzhan, but he felt increasingly uneasy.
There are obvious traces of Xie Liangzhan's intervention everywhere, but they are particularly concealed, as if someone deliberately directed his attention to Xie Liangzhan, thus covering up the truth of the matter and the real person behind the scenes.
He held the pendant bag and concentrated for a moment: "Put this thing here first."
This was a trivial matter, and Zhao Fusheng naturally responded to it.
Afterwards, Zhao Yingrong and the other three picked up the important things and talked about them one by one. They felt that nothing was left out, so they stopped. Seeing that Han Changmu had no intention of staying, they all left.
Unknowingly, the moon was high in the sky, and the cool moonlight filtered in through the window, caressing and flowing like water on the curtains, the brocade quilt, and the man who was struggling in his sleep.
There was deathly silence in the room. Princess Annan's breathing was extremely messy, mixed with low moans of fear and pain.
Yao Yao jumped down lightly without making any sound. When she walked past the impregnable dowry, she didn't even take a second look. She opened the curtain and went straight to the kang.
She tilted her head and looked at Annan County Princess, frowning slightly.
It seems that the princess of Annan County has had a very difficult time in the past twenty years, and she can't even sleep well.
Also, Emperor Yong'an is like the knife hanging above his head, which may fall at any time. How big your heart is to sleep well.
Yao Yao sighed for a while, then followed the method of Annan County Princess, gently pressed the lever, pulled out the bulge, and put her hand into the hole. After a while, she took out a scroll from it, rolled it up thinly, and the edges were Already yellow and wrinkled.
She slowly unfolded the scroll and saw four beauties in costumes. All of them were petite and graceful in figure. The painting was well preserved.
These four beauties faced each other in pairs. The two beauties with exposed faces had slender eyebrows on their temples, almond-shaped eyes and peach cheeks, their hair was tied up high in a bun, and their hairpins were exquisite and dazzling. They were all dressed like brides aged eighteen or nineteen.
The two beauties with their backs to the picture are graceful and graceful. They have their hair parted in a bun with elegant beaded flowers. Looking at their backs, they are both girls who have not yet left the pavilion, but their appearance is unknown.
Apart from this, there is nothing else on the picture, let alone an inscription or seal. I don’t know who made it and why.
Yao Yao turned back and glanced at Princess Annan. Although she was frowning and struggling painfully in her sleep, she was still sleeping deeply and showed no signs of waking up soon.
Such a painting without beginning or end is confusing.
But since the painting is so deeply hidden, there must be some secrets that are not accessible to outsiders.
Yao Yao sighed, but it was a pity that no matter how many secrets there were, she couldn't study them carefully at this time. Even if she could look down at the surface of the painting, it would be useless if she couldn't understand the secrets in the painting.
She tilted her head and concentrated for a moment, then no longer hesitated. She took out the pen and paper she carried with her from her sleeve and quickly traced the scroll. Although she did not color it and simply outlined the outline, she still drew the outline. The two beauties with their faces exposed were painted vividly, and then the scroll was rolled up as it was, put back into the hole, and restored everything to its original state.
Before leaving, Yao Yao glanced at Princess Annan again. At this time, she seemed to be shrouded in fog, making it difficult to see clearly.
Yao Yao had an idea in her mind that it would be a good thing to stay in Annan County Prince's Mansion. She might be able to get a blessing in disguise and join hands with the Annan County Princess who is full of mysteries to achieve mutual benefit, gain from each other, and gain from each other. .
However, this kind of thing cannot be rushed. Princess Annan and Emperor Yong'an seem to be in love with each other. It is not yet known how deep the hatred is. And the people around her, such as Ruyu, seem to be a little inappropriate. .
Yao Yao returned to the east wing full of worries. As soon as he opened the door, Leng Linjiang rushed over and asked in a low voice with an anxious look on his face: "Why have you been here for so long? What happened?"
Leng Linjiang naturally knew that with Yao Yao himself, there would be no danger at all in exploring a woman's room at night. However, more than two hours had passed and the medicine had long since worn off. Princess Annan County should have woken up long ago. She He hasn't come back yet, how can he not be worried.
"Ah, oh, it's okay, it's okay." Yao Yao was staggered by Leng Linjiang who rushed towards him. His forehead was painful from the impact. When he came to his senses, he covered his red forehead and glanced at Leng Linjiang. : "I watched a live erotic palace, it was so shocking, I was having endless aftertaste, and you woke me up."
"Oh, let me go, why didn't you call me!" Leng Linjiang slapped his thigh heavily with a regretful look on his face. He tilted his head and looked serious, but as soon as he opened his mouth, people started to complain: "Is it very intense?"
Yao Yao's face was not red, and his heart was not beating. He raised his chin behind Leng Linjiang and smiled meaningfully: "Don't you ask Meng Suigai about this kind of thing?"
Meng Sui was at a loss for a moment, his face suddenly turned red, and he opened his mouth slightly in embarrassment. After a long while, he glared at Yao Yao fiercely: "You are the only one who still belongs to a girl!"
Yao Yao raised his sharp and heroic long eyebrows slightly, smiled narrowly, and said teasingly: "Mr. Meng Qi, you have spent more time with Princess Annan County day and night than Lord Shaoyin and I. Naturally, you know a little more secrets than us. Now, I have to ask you about the princess of Annan County, is there anything wrong with that?"
Meng Sui choked for a moment, as if he was possessed, and nodded unconsciously. After nodding, he realized that this was wrong, so wrong!
What does it mean to get along day and night! What does it mean to know a lot of secrets!
Why do these words sound so dirty!
Leng Linjiang laughed a few times: "Yes, you must know more secrets than us. Come on, tell me what you have discovered. Don't hide it. Let's share it with each other."
"What?" Meng Suigai was confused. He understood every word of what they were saying, but what did they mean when they were connected together?
What did he find? He found nothing!
Seeing the change in Meng Suige's expression, Yao Yao couldn't help but laugh up at the sky. She couldn't hold it back anymore. She laughed whenever she wanted, silently and wildly. There was no trace of shame on her face that she had failed in vain: " Lord Shaoyin, General Meng Qi, I am so useless, I haven’t discovered anything, it seems that General Meng Qi is still useful, he must have discovered something.”
She deliberately concealed the fact that Emperor Yong'an had just arrived, and also concealed her discovery. It was not because she didn't trust Leng Linjiang, but because she felt that the time was not right. Speaking out rashly would not only help the matter in any way, but might also cause Leng Linjiang to suffer. Jiang was in danger.
If the big tree she had relied on for so many years fell down, where could she find a patch of shade as satisfying as Leng Linjiang's?
"..." Meng Suigai was speechless and rolled his eyes. He is such a talented person who can find fun in such a dangerous situation.
Leng Linjiang saw the depressed look on Meng Sui's face, and immediately smiled from ear to ear, and sighed with regret: "Of course we have discovered something, but you don't know that there are a lot of pictures of beautiful men in the study, each with his or her own style. The beauty is simply breathtaking.”
Yao Yao pursed his lips, thinking of the scene he had just seen, he suddenly became a little aware of Annan County Princess' usual behavior.
The princess of Annan County behaved absurdly and arrogantly, making herself infamous. Isn't this a form of self-protection?
The worse her reputation is, the more reluctant others will be to interact with her. Then the risk of her secret being exposed will be minimized, and Emperor Yong'an's guard against her will naturally be minimized.
It is really helpless for Princess Annan to commit suicide, but she is definitely not willing to live in such humiliation.
I just don’t know how and when she will fight back, and how much ability and means she has to survive.
Maybe she should really consider forming an ally, it would be too easy to get attacked alone.
While thinking about this, Yao Yao smiled and said, "Do you know any of those handsome men?"
Leng Linjiang said "Ah" in surprise: "What's wrong?"
Yao Yao looked at Leng Linjiang as if he were a fool: "Saving one life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. Old Leng, if you know anyone in those pictures of beautiful men, you must not remind them. They are being stared at by the Princess of Annan County." Once you get married, will you still be energetic?"
Leng Linjiang let out a long "Oh" in sudden realization. He looked at Meng Suige and laughed mischievously: "You are right, you are still smart. Look at Meng Suige, he has become as thin as a man so quickly."
"Really? No." Meng Suige touched his face blankly.
Yao Yao raised his eyebrows, took out a palm-sized bronze mirror, pointed it at Meng Suigai's face, and teased: "See for yourself."
Meng Suigai did not doubt that he was there. He looked in the bronze mirror and saw that the face in the mirror was indeed thin and long. He was stunned for a moment and looked up to see the teasing smiles of Yao Yao and Leng Linjiang.
He immediately understood that he had been teased by Yao Yao and Leng Linjiang. He couldn't help but blush, frown, and screwed up his teeth fiercely but could not speak.
These two people had set a trap for him. He wasn't completely stupid, so how could he just dive in without any hesitation?
Bidige
But there is really no way to reply to this.
His face turned purple for a while, then bluish-white for a while, and finally he shook off his sleeves, opened the door and fled.
Yao Yao and Leng Linjiang looked at each other, lowered their voices and laughed wildly.
The princess of Annan County is from Yangzhou. Perhaps to relieve her homesickness, graceful weeping willows are planted everywhere in the prince's palace.
This kind of tree is easy to maintain, has a graceful shape, and its lush branches sway in the wind, spreading out into patches of dark green and light emerald clouds, which is also quite spectacular.
The branches of the weeping willow are extremely soft and difficult to borrow, and the crown of the tree is not tall and lush. Even though it looks like spreading like clouds, it cannot hide people. It is planted in a mansion like Annan County Prince's Mansion where there are many hidden secrets everywhere. It couldn't be more appropriate.
In the deep night, thousands of green branches drooped quietly. Occasionally, the slightest hint of night wind blew through, but these branches remained motionless.
Suddenly, a weeping willow tree next to the high wall swayed twice, and a dark figure swept across the night sky like a breeze, landing in front of an inconspicuous low house in the corner of the county prince's palace.
The slim figure walked to the door and opened it. As soon as he took a step, he stopped and looked down at the half piece of paper buried in the dust.
The figure was stunned for a moment, stepped on the piece of paper, and scanned the surroundings with vigilance. Seeing that there was no one around, he slowly moved his foot away, slowly bent down to pick up the piece of paper, and unfolded it. I saw two drop-shaped ink dots on the piece of paper, with the tips pointing south.
