The Zuo Prime Minister, namely Shangshu Zuopushe, was the highest official in charge of civil affairs and finance in the Holy Tang Dynasty in addition to Shangshu Ling or Daxingtai Shangshu Ling, and had the same position as the prime minister.
And the current minister, Zuopushe, is none other than Wei Zixuan.
When Li Xi heard Wen Zan say the word "Left Prime Minister", he couldn't help but feel a shiver in his heart. At the same time, he thought of her husband Murong Xue's previous situation in the court.
After Wei Zixuan defected to Luoyi from Yizhou, he won Li Bing's favor and trust. In three years, he was promoted to five levels in a row. From a small prince, he transformed into a very popular left minister.
During this period, he and a group of party members kept causing trouble for Murong Xue, and the conflict between the two parties was already known to both the government and the public.
Li Xi pondered for a moment and then asked: "As a mere sixth-grade Dianjun, you are thousands of miles away from the Prime Minister. How do you get to know each other?"
"I got to know Mr. Wei through Gong Chengze," Wen Zan explained: "When I was in Luoyi, I served in the Qing Suppression Camp. I would occasionally drink and have fun with General Gong and the Prime Minister of Wei, and we became familiar with him after going back and forth."
Li Xi nodded: "So, did Wei Zixuan personally give you the order to assassinate Xiaoting?"
Wen Zan hesitated for a moment and said bitterly: "No. The one who came to see me was Wei Peng, the steward of the Prime Minister's Mansion. He gave me a hundred taels of silver and promised me that after the matter was completed, he would help me find a place in Zhuozhou. The lieutenant is fat enough to go back and serve my mother."
Shi Feng, who was standing behind him, frowned when he heard this and winked at Li Xi.
Li Xi understood what Shi Feng meant. There was Wei Peng in the middle. It was difficult to identify Wei Zixuan as the mastermind behind it. There were too many variables.
However, for Li Xi, she is not the government deciding the case, and there is no need to pay attention to a complete chain of evidence. As long as she asks for the general direction, she can continue to pursue it.
Li Xi continued to ask: "Did Wei Peng tell you why he wanted to kill someone?"
"I also asked him this question," Wen Zan said: "The target of the assassination is, after all, the maid of the princess's house. It might be a serious crime of rebellion. However, Wei Peng did not explain anything to me. He only said that it was a major matter in the court. , the less I know, the better.”
Li Xi felt that Wen Zan was not lying, so he nodded slightly and said, "Besides that, if you know anything else, tell me honestly. If you behave well, you may be able to spare the lives of your family." .”
Wen Zan thought about it carefully, suddenly remembered something, and said quickly: "There's something wrong with that guy Wei Peng!"
"What's wrong?" Shi Feng asked.
"I took this unfortunate job, and I always felt uneasy, and Wei Peng was very strict with his mouth, so..." Wen Zan muttered, "So, after he left, I asked my men to follow him quietly, trying to take a look. Let’s see what kind of medicine that guy is selling in his gourd.”
Wen Zan swallowed his saliva and said slightly nervously: "After about two or three days of following me, my subordinates told me that in addition to going in and out of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Wei Peng often went to a brothel called Hongxiu Zhai..."
Li Xi cursed "shameless" and then scolded: "You are just a prodigal, what's wrong with you?"
Wen Zan glanced at Princess Fenyang cautiously and whispered: "The princess doesn't know something. As Wei Peng, she shouldn't go to such a dirty place."
Shi Feng came to his senses and asked, "Are you saying that Hong Xiu Zhai is a secret prostitution shop?"
Wen Zan nodded: "Yes. Although the name of Hongxiu Zhai is elegant, there is actually no red sign issued by the government and the Jiaofang. It is a low-grade wild prostitute. Once it is used by the Jingzhao Yin Mansion Take it, arrest them immediately and seal the store. There is no chance of a pretty girl in a sneaky place like this. With Wei Peng's status and financial resources, he wouldn't even bother to patronize it."
"The general originally thought that Wei Peng might be so despicable that he would leave good goods unused and only like to find wild prostitutes to steal sex, so he didn't pay too much attention to it. Now that the princess asked about them, I feel that something is wrong. This is what I tell you truthfully.”
Shi Feng rolled his eyes and nodded silently to Li Xi, saying that he would investigate this clue in detail when he returned.
Li Xi understood, and at the same time he also knew that a small character like Wen Zan would only be used by others and would never be able to master too many secrets. Now that he has confessed to the left prime minister Wei Zixuan and his steward Wei Peng, he has gained a lot today.
Thinking of this, Li Xi said in a deep voice: "Wen Zan, do you want to live or die?"
Wen Zan was stunned when he heard this, and then responded calmly: "Princess, my hands are stained with Xiaoting's blood, so I have to take care of myself. I just ask you to be merciful and let my family go. It's not easy for my mother to raise me..."
"Stop talking!" Li Xi raised his hand to stop the other party: "As long as you cooperate obediently, I will not only not harm you, but I will also give you greater wealth. Do you understand? I am the majestic Princess of Fenyang. The consort is the imperial general and the commander-in-chief of the Qinglong Army. My promise carries far greater weight than Wei Zixuan."
Wen Zan said in surprise: "What...are you going to ask me to do?"
Li Xi smiled: "You don't need to do anything. Just pretend that what happened today never happened, and you have never mentioned anyone to me. You just need to live your life in a down-to-earth manner as usual, do you understand?"
Wen Zan understood instantly and nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand, the general has been on duty at Shangyang Palace today. Apart from coming in for inspection, he has done nothing."
Li Xi nodded with satisfaction, waved his hand for Shi Feng to loosen his grip on Wen Zan, and then said: "In addition, you must be more careful to prevent being silenced by Wei Peng. Compared with Zhuozhou's Captain Zhechong, he found someone to do it. If you die, the price will be smaller."
Wen Zan quickly handed over his hand: "General, I understand. Thank you princess for your guidance."
Li Xi didn't say anything more and asked the waiter outside the door to accompany Wen Zan back the way he came. Then he asked Shi Feng, who was staying in the house, "How do you feel?"
"Based on my humble position, Wen Zan did not lie." Shi Feng replied: "Among the targets that our Intelligence Department has always suspected, Wei Zixuan is among them. He may be the traitor that Lao Jianhua planted in the court, Wong Wong."
Li Xi nodded in agreement: "This matter must be reported to your Grand Protector as soon as possible. In addition, we should try to keep an eye on Wei Peng's line and strive for any important gains."
Shi Feng said with a smile: "I think so in my humble position. As Wen Zan said, the seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's house. The housekeeper of the prime minister's house, regardless of status or financial resources, is always a guest in the most high-end brothel in the imperial capital. How could he be a guest all at once?" Running to sex prostitutes again and again? That kind of dirty place with a mixture of good and bad is a good place for spies to meet."
Li Xi nodded slightly: "I suspect that Hongxiu Zhai itself is the enemy's secret stronghold. You should investigate carefully and don't alert the enemy."
-
"Sir Tian, I am 100% sure that the captain Shi Feng next to the Seventh Princess is from the Intelligence Department of the Zhenjiang Army! I had dealings with him when the imperial capital was still in the hands of the Turks."
Tian Mu frowned and said in deep thought: "Shi Feng's external identity is that he is a personal soldier of the commander-in-chief of the Qinglong Army, that is, Murong Xue. Do you think Li Xi knows his true identity?"
Zhu Junjie, the new flag-bearer of the Third Section of the Nilin Division, sneered: "I probably know! Li Xi often brings Shi Feng with him recently, and he is also mysterious. Before contacting him, Li Jiangyao had lived in the Prince Consort's Mansion for a period of time. Unfortunately, Li Xi has already gotten involved with him and cuckolded Murong Xue."
Tian Mu chuckled a few times, and then asked: "What unusual behavior has Shi Feng done recently?"
Zhu Junjie responded: "They are secretly monitoring a place called Hongxiu Zhai."
"Hongxiu Zhai?" Tian Mu was slightly startled: "It sounds like a place with fireworks and willows, right?"
"Your Excellency is right." Zhu Junjie smiled and said: "That is a secret prostitution house, located in Anlefang in the south of the city."
Tian Mu couldn't help being curious: "The Intelligence Department of the Zhenjiang Army has been lurking in various key places in the imperial capital for a long time, closely monitoring every move in the court. They suddenly became interested in such dirty places. Why?"
Zhu Junjie said flatteringly: "I guess from my humble position, Hongxiu Zhai must be hiding some ulterior secret..."
"No!" Tian Mu rolled his eyes and said with a ferocious smile: "Li Jiangyao has two major enemies, one is the court and the other is the rebels. If even I don't know what's going on in that secret prostitution brothel, it's very likely that It’s not a secret from the imperial court, but from Lao Jianhua’s men!”
Zhu Junjie quickly agreed: "Your Excellency is wise! I think so too!"
"Then why are you still standing there?" Tian Mu glared at him: "Hurry up and bring the Hongxiu Zhai to me! Don't worry about what's going on in there, just get ahead of the Intelligence Department and catch everyone!" Bring them back and examine them slowly one by one."
After hearing this, Zhu Junjie immediately agreed, turned around and strode out of the custody room, greeted the spies from the third department, and whizzed away.
More than twenty Nilinsi secret agents wearing soap coats and black robes, plus one hundred and fifty Beiya flying cavalry, came out from the side gate of the imperial city, galloped in the street, and headed straight to Anlefang in the south of the city.
When I first entered Shen, it was the busiest hour of the day in the imperial capital. People call friends and hang out in restaurants, brothels and brothels, preparing to have a good time. Although Hongxiu Zhai in Anlefang is a low-end prostitute, because it does not have to pay taxes to the government, the price is much cheaper, attracting many ordinary people and wanderers to come here to have fun.
Unexpectedly, while everyone was drinking and playing with the painted girls, Zhu Junjie suddenly led his men to kill them and surrounded the entire brothel without any explanation.
"Both the madams and prostitutes and the guest slaves here are all suspects!" Zhu Junjie shouted angrily: "I will escort them all back to Beiya for questioning!"
Following his order, the people of Nilin Division couldn't help but arrest people immediately. The whole Hongxiu Zhai suddenly screamed one after another and became a chaos.
In the midst of this chaos, a figure silently stood up and touched the backyard wall.
