In the long passage, Zhou Zhi walked forward calmly.
After many years of secret meetings, everyone complained to each other about the unfairness of the court, and at the same time carefully disclosed information to a few people in exchange for their seemingly casual but informative chats, as well as sharing progress and retreat on various other matters. .
This is where a few of them meet for their secret alliance, but it's not just them.
In this way, they can help each other and support each other in the court, without others knowing, and move towards the core positions of the center together.
Zhou Zhi knew in his heart that there were countless secret meetings like this in Chang'an, but there were probably only a few who could make it to the end.
After all, one person's betrayal is likely to make everyone else suspicious of their companions.
At the end of the passage, there was a wooden wall blocking the front. Zhou Zhi stretched out his hand and pressed it on the side. The next moment, the wooden wall had automatically slid open to the side.
Silent and silent.
Dim light fell into Zhou Zhi's eyes, and Zhou Zhi stepped in. In front of him was an exquisite screen of ladies from all seasons.
The light gauze and green pine trees, the scenery of the four seasons, and the graceful dancing postures make people unable to help but move their eyes.
Behind the screen, there was bright candlelight, and the faint sound of rushing water could be heard.
Someone is taking a shower.
Zhou Zhi walked out directly from behind the screen and walked into the bright inner hall.
Qiniang, who is as beautiful as a flower, thin and plump, is taking a bath in the tub, with her back to Zhou Zhi, smooth and radiant.
Zhou Zhi's clear footsteps sounded, but Qiniang seemed not to hear it and continued to stretch out her jade arms like gelatin.
Zhou Zhi's greedy eyes immediately went down, but immediately after, red rose petals completely blocked his sight.
The flame in Zhou Zhi's heart immediately jumped violently, but was then forcibly restrained by him.
Sitting on the bathtub, Zhou Zhi naturally put his hands on Qiniang's shoulders from behind.
Qiniang suddenly shivered, and then said timidly: "It's cold!"
"If it's cold, ask someone to add some hot water." Zhou Zhi raised his head and looked out the door. Just as he was about to say hello, Qiniang immediately took his hand and whispered: "Forget it, it's getting late. , we are all poor people, it is better to have one less thing to do than one more thing to do."
"You!" Zhou Zhi stretched out his hand and pressed the bridge of Qiniang's nose, and then said softly: "You are still kind. If the eldest lady finds out about this, I'm afraid I will have to reprimand you."
"As long as Zhou Lang doesn't say anything, and I don't say anything, how can the eldest lady know?" Qiniang turned around and raised her head, her palm-sized face full of sadness.
"Alas!" The fire in Zhou Zhi's heart suddenly rose up. He immediately stood up and walked to the table in the back to sit down. He poured a cup of tea by himself, and then said softly: "Yesterday, there was a letter from Hachiro. He has already enrolled in a private school in Guizhou, and maybe he will be able to come to Chang'an to take the imperial examination in a few years."
"Zhou Lang, my family is not qualified to take part in the imperial examination after serving as an official." Qiniang said, she stood up directly from the tub, then pulled the bath towel on one side of the screen, wiped it a little, and then put it on She put on the green mandarin duck clothes that she had put aside, and then walked directly to the bed without looking back.
Zhou Zhi couldn't help but sigh.
Qiniang was the daughter of one of his early colleagues. Later, she was framed and sent to the Yun-Guizhou poisonous land.
Maybe he was intolerant of the environment, or maybe he had a demon in his heart, so he died within a few years.
Qiniang was banished to the palace in her early years. Later, she appeared in Qinxiang Garden inexplicably. She happened to be discovered by Zhou Zhi, who had just arrived, and then he kept her for many years.
Qiniang also has a younger brother, and now this is the only younger brother alive in the whole family.
Zhou Zhi asked someone to cancel his criminal record in Guizhou, and arranged for him to enter the academy, which was regarded as fulfilling his friendship as a colleague.
Standing up, Zhou Zhi glanced at the door, as if he was about to leave, but in the end, he walked towards the bed.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zhou Zhi reached out and touched Qiniang's smooth jade shoulders, and then said softly: "Wait for me for a few years, wait for me to go up a level, and then I will find a way to overturn your father's case. By then, Balang will take the imperial examination." Things will definitely not be hindered.”
Hearing what Zhou Zhi said, Qiniang's whole body suddenly relaxed.
At this time, the green gauze curtains on both sides of the bed quietly fell.
As the invisible wind keeps swaying.
…
After a long time, the whole room became dark. Qiniang had already fallen into a deep sleep, but Zhou Zhi still had his eyes open.
At this moment, half of the bed under him slowly dropped.
Facing this sudden change, Zhou Zhi looked expressionless, as if he had been prepared for it.
Half of the bed moved slowly, and finally passed directly over the wall and came to another house.
The bed moved up and was sent directly to the top.
The lonely bed was deserted.
Zhou Zhi took a deep breath, and his expression turned fierce in an instant, but then his expression completely disappeared, except for the extremely vigilant look in his eyes.
Sitting up, Zhou Zhi picked up the clean robe on one side and put it on directly.
Getting off the bed, Zhou Zhi immediately saw the man in Tsing Yi sitting on the side of the round table wearing an square mask.
The man in Tsing Yi is invisible, but the white hair hanging down from his temples gives him a particularly elegant feeling.
Zhou Zhi's face darkened. He had tried to find out the other party's true identity based on this feature, but unfortunately, there was no way.
Chaozhong couldn't find anyone similar to him in terms of height, body shape, and unique white hair. Zhou Zhi suspected that the appearance in front of him might be fake.
As for how to determine the identity of his official, Zhou Zhi sneered in his heart, this man knew too much.
He actually knew some information that even his subordinate, Jiang Shizhong, didn't know.
As long as you are not an idiot, you can easily tell its origin.
Sitting down at the round table, Zhou Zhi placed his right hand on the round table, and a wooden hairpin fell on the table.
Zhou Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief and said softly: "You should already know about Wanxiang Pavilion. There is nothing we can do. Their people have been kicked out of Chang'an City by Qianniu Guard, Jinwu Guard and Secret Guard. There will be no more transactions." It’s possible. Just put the thing away and you can think of a way to see how much it’s worth.”
The man in green on the side turned his head slightly, and his cold eyes fell directly on Zhou Zhi, as if he had no intention of accepting it directly.
Sure enough, the man in Tsing Yi then pushed the wooden hairpin to Zhou Zhi's side again, and then said in a hoarse voice: "This matter is not over yet, please wait."
"Isn't it over?" Zhou Zhi frowned, looked at the man in Tsing Yi, and said puzzledly: "Now, the King of Nanchang and Ming Shiyin have focused on me. If I continue, you won't be afraid that I will be exposed, and then you will be involved. .”
The man in Tsing Yi turned to look at Zhou Zhi and said calmly: "If you are not worried and we tell Qiniang that it was you who framed her father, then please feel free."
The man in green's words made Zhou Zhi freeze on the spot.
It was Zhou Zhi who framed Qiniang's father back then, and he was the best in his subject in the same year.
Now the grass on that man's grave has grown seven feet high, but Zhou Zhi is already a member of the fifth rank of the provincial government. As long as he is released, he will immediately become the governor of Xiazhou. Even in the court, he has a bright future.
Who would have thought that Zhou Zhi would be where he is today just because he framed his colleagues back then.
The most important thing is that after Zhou Zhi framed Qiniang's father to death, he accidentally saw Qiniang, but suddenly felt "guilt" and kept her under his care.
It's a pity that Qinxiangyuan has a strong background, otherwise, he would have got this person out long ago.
Perhaps, if he really got him out, Qiniang might have followed her father and, of course, her younger brother.
Their family may reunite underground at the same time.
Zhou Zhi's face suddenly darkened and his fists clenched.
Even though he did everything flawlessly, many of his colleagues didn't believe that Qiniang's father was guilty.
Many people who have been favored by Qiniang's father believe that Qiniang's father was wronged, and even now there are still people secretly investigating.
Above the court, the higher you go, the more enemies there are.
Zhou Zhi is now involved in the Tubo incident and is already in extreme trouble. If what happened back then is revealed again, he will be dead.
Seeing Zhou Zhi's expression as ugly as if he had opened a dyeing workshop, the man in Tsing Yi smiled faintly, and then said: "Don't worry about the matter of King Nanchang and Ming Shiyin, they are indeed targeting you, but at the same time they are targeting you. Yes, there are more than thirty people. These thirty people are very difficult to investigate, and they can't find any useful evidence in a short period of time. By the time the matter is over, you will have been transferred out of Chang'an."
"Then wait until I am transferred out of Chang'an." Zhou Zhi pushed the wooden hairpin to the center of the round table again.
The man in Tsing Yi shook his head slightly and said: "By the time you get the order, it will be at least May. By then, Tang Dynasty and Tubo have already started a war. You should know that this is the most appropriate time to send this thing to Tubo. "
Zhou Zhi's face was solemn, and finally he had to nod and said, "It will be before the end of this month."
"No, before the end of this month, we must leave ten days for the Tibetan people to prepare." The man in Tsing Yi looked very decisive.
"Then it must be recently." Zhou Zhi looked at the man in Tsing Yi with an ugly face and said, "You and I both know that neither the King of Nanchang nor Ming Shiyin are incompetent people. They seem to be silent now. First, because they just After dealing with the Wanxiang Pavilion matter, I couldn't spare the time for a while, and secondly, I was just watching with cold eyes to see which of the people on the list would jump out on their own, and which one would reveal their flaws?"
"So, we must be quick, so quick that we can eliminate all evidence of crime before they react." The man in Tsing Yi looked at Zhou Zhi coldly.
"You're asking me to bet." The anger in Zhou Zhi's heart suddenly rose. Just as he was about to say something, he saw a pair of cold eyes of the man in Tsing Yi, and the anger in his heart disappeared in an instant. Without a trace.
Zhou Zhi said coldly: "So what if we gamble, do you think those people from Wanxiang Pavilion will still show up in Chang'an?"
"Then it's none of your business. You just need to prepare your things and wait for news at any time." The man in Tsing Yi pushed the wooden hairpin in front of Zhou Zhi's eyes again, his eyes were firm and he would not refuse at all.
Zhou Zhi took two deep breaths and finally picked up the wooden hairpin.
He looked forward and said softly: "Actually, you can directly contact the people in Wanxiang Pavilion for these matters."
The man in Tsing Yi shook his head and said: "No, this is a deal between you and the Tubo people. Wanxiang Pavilion and us are just responsible for making connections. The people who pay here are the Tubo people from beginning to end."
Zhou Zhi stood up, glanced at the man in Tsing Yi, and said softly: "Sometimes, I really don't understand. With your status and background, what can't you do? Do you have to associate with Tubo?"
"No, you are wrong. We have no connection with Tubo, not even with Wanxiang Pavilion. The only one who is really connected with them has always been you." The man in Qingyi said a faint word, tearing open Zhou Zhi's face. The fake smile he maintained all the time, and his expression suddenly became terrifyingly ugly.
However, Zhou Zhi had no room to refuse.
(End of chapter)
