June 6th, Taiyang City, Prime Minister's Mansion.
"Did you get your wish now?"
The Prime Minister was dressed in purple casual clothes, with a round and translucent jade hanging on his waist, but there was always a trace of sadness between his eyebrows.
He paced back and forth slowly, coughing from time to time to clear his throat.
After a long time, it seemed that because his words did not receive a response, he suddenly became angry, stopped, pointed at Bu Qingwen sitting beside him and cursed angrily
"You should say something!"
Bu Qingwen on the side didn't seem to hear the Prime Minister's scolding. He gently picked up the pastry at hand, took a bite, and then nodded with satisfaction.
"The food in this capital is indeed much better than the food in the north."
Then, he looked up at Xiang Wang who was already blushing and had a thick neck, his face changed slightly, and he said
"Uncle Wang, things have developed to this point. I have no reason to retreat. You have also seen that so many lives were wasted in Liangzhou City for the so-called Penglai Picture. Even if it was not for the Gu family, the twelfth floor would not be the same. It should continue to exist.”
The Prime Minister's expression froze and he looked behind Bu Qingwen. Gu Yuanwu, who looked to be about the same age as him, stood obediently behind him without saying a word.
He understood in an instant and said immediately
"Bu Qingwen, Gu Yuanwu, you have given yourself a good name. Your father wanted you to inherit the mantle and become the next generation of General Gu, so he named you Gu Yuanwu. But you are naturally fond of studying literature, Bu Qingwen." Is the name Qingwen meant to tell your father not to look down on literati?"
Bu Qingwen's eyes were full of thoughts, she looked into the distance and said lightly
"Now that he is gone, the name has no meaning."
The Prime Minister looked at Gu Yuanwu and said
"You asked him to pretend to be you and offer treasures to the court. Firstly, the case of the Gu family's murder was mentioned in the world again. Second, you wanted to use Qu Fengzhi and Wang Huan as a guide to find out who was the murderer of the Gu family's murder. , the imperial court, or the twelfth floor. Third, I want to drag Mo Bei and Chang An into the situation you set up."
"But I don't understand how you can conclude that Chang An will take the initiative to enter the situation you set up. You asked me to lure Chang Sheng into the capital, and Chang An did what you wanted and went to the Chu Family Villa because of Chu Guanyu's incident. This Everything is like a drama that has been written long ago, and everyone is following the story you wrote."
Bu Qingwen looked at the Prime Minister and did not answer his question.
"So, what's wrong with studying literature? I can get the top prize on my own, and I can also avenge him. I'm like Chang'an Mobei. The world is so big, and there's nowhere I can't go to, but that's the twelfth floor. As long as I want to, I can make a breakthrough."
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly became sharp, and murderous intent filled his brows.
“It took me a year to get to this point, and it’s almost time for the results to come out.”
The Prime Minister was startled and asked hurriedly
"What on earth do you want to do? Even if you are the imperial envoy of the Saint now, the Twelfth Floor will not buy your fault. The few soldiers the Saint gave you can be used against others, but against the Twelfth Floor, you can only use an egg to hit a stone!"
Bu Qingwen's face suddenly looked worried.
"There are indeed many dangers. Chang An should have arrived in the north by now, and the Chang family should have been investigating the business. But as far as I know, the landlord hiding in the north is probably a bit tricky, and one of them is not Be careful, this is a situation where everything is lost..."
King Xiang was completely confused at this moment and said
"I am afraid that most of the twelve building owners have been eliminated by Chang An. With his ability, can anyone still pose a threat to him? Could it be the building owner on the twelfth floor?"
Bu Qingwen shook her head, sighed, and frowned
"This one's methods are different from other posters. To be able to deal with him, I'm afraid it will take a Taoist master to come out, but now..."
The Prime Minister patted him on the shoulder and comforted him.
"Don't think about it. Now that you are far away in the capital, even if you want to help him, you can't reach him. Chang An is there when things are in doubt. It's just a landlord who can't trouble him."
…………
In the imperial palace, inside the human emperor's study.
Minister Xi of the Ministry of Industry pondered and knelt on the ground. The human emperor in front of him examined the memorial in his hand.
The Human Emperor frowned slightly
"Shu Si, why do you have to write a memorial and submit it in person for such a small matter as the quarry?"
Xi Shusi still knelt on the ground and said
"Sage Qi, do you still remember that the former Minister of War, Fu Pingsheng, had a nephew who was the steward of the quarry outside the city?"
The Human Emperor thought for a moment.
"It seems like something like this is happening. What is it called?"
Xi Shusi replied
"My name is Fu Shuwu."
The Human Emperor said
"That's the name, what happened to him?"
Xi Shusi Dao
"Master Fu's daughter was trapped in the love of his children, and he colluded with the traitor Jun Jing on the twelfth floor, causing countless families in the capital to be torn apart. Master Fu and Li protected their children. Although things have changed, Fu Shuwu, as a descendant of the Fu family, obviously cannot No more suitable person to be a steward of the quarry.”
After listening to Xi Shusi's words, the Human Emperor realized that his feelings were here to add insult to injury.
Looking coldly at Xi Shusi who was kneeling on the ground, he said
"Although the quarry in the suburbs is not a big job, it is also related to the recent construction of new buildings in the city. Fu Shuwu was originally given this job because of Fu Shangshu's face, but in the past few years, he has been cautious Ye Ye did not neglect it.”
Having said this, the Human Emperor paused and looked at Xi Shusi with a half-smile.
"Shu Si said that, so he must already have a replacement in mind?"
Xi Shusi wiped the sweat from his head and said flatteringly
"Sage, after all, Fu Shuwu came here based on connections. I want to recommend someone. He is a guest in my house and is proficient in architecture. All the buildings under construction in the city are from this person. I want to ask the saint for advice. The reason why this master is appointed to this stewardship is because he wants to personally control the progress of the fortifications."
When the Human Emperor heard this, he immediately became energetic.
"Oh? So that's it. Who is this master? He actually asked you, the Minister of Industry, to speak for him personally?"
Xi Shusi seemed to have been prepared and said
"This man's name is Pingchuan. He was originally a Jianghu man, but later he joined the minister's sect."
"Sage, he is waiting outside the palace at the moment. If the saint wants to see him, he can be called into the palace."
The Human Emperor thought for a moment.
"That's not necessary. Since he is a talented person who is good at construction, he will stay with you and give full play to his talents. As for the position of manager of the quarry, let him go. However, Fu Shangshu can be regarded as a hard worker. He My nephew ordered me to arrange a place for him to go, so don’t treat him badly."
Half an hour later, at the palace gate
Xi Shusi's figure came slowly, and in front of the palace gate, a man wearing a bamboo hat stood quietly outside the palace. Seeing Xi Shusi approaching, he slowly bowed to him.
"Lord Shangshu"
When Xi Shusi saw the man in the bamboo hat, he changed his serious look, trotted up to the man, and winked at him.
"It's done, now Mr. Hirakawa is satisfied."
This man in the bamboo hat is Pingchuan. When Pingchuan heard this, his voice was as calm as ever.
"Thank you, sir."
Xi Shusi waved his hand, but his expression was very proud, and said
"There is no need to say thank you, but the Chaotian City must be completed as scheduled. The Twelfth Floor is claimed to be the best in the world. If you, sir, can build a Chaotian City that is more magnificent than the Twelfth Floor, the Human Emperor will definitely reward you greatly."
Pingchuan seemed a little hesitant and said
"Sir, Chaotian City is not difficult, but today's saints have never liked extravagance and waste. Do you really think that the saint will like Chaotian City by then?"
Xi Shusi waved his hand
"You don't understand this. If it were anything else, the saint would naturally not like it. But now these twelve buildings are riding on the head of the imperial court. They are extremely arrogant. If we can build this Chaotian Tower at this time, it will crush ten people." With the arrogance on the second floor, not to mention the saint, all the civil and military officials in the dynasty will feel proud of him."
Hearing this, Pingchuan no longer bothered
"In this way, the foundation has been laid and the overall design of the Chaotian Building has been completed. If construction starts now, I am confident that it will be completed soon."
Hearing this, Xi Shusi couldn't help being happy, laughed and patted Pingchuan on the shoulder.
"In that case, please sir."
With that said, Xi Shusi got into the carriage that had been prepared nearby. After a while, he stuck his head out and asked
"Sir, don't you want to go back home with me?"
There was no expression of joy or anger under Pingchuan's bamboo hat, and he said calmly
"I've been in the capital for a few days and haven't had time to travel around yet."
"Okay, okay, sir, enjoy yourself."
The carriage raised a cloud of dust and rolled away. Pingchuan calmly looked at the departing carriage and remained silent.
"Cuckoo!"
At this time, another homing pigeon flew from the horizon, circled several times above his head, and landed on his shoulder.
Pingchuan's body, which was originally as still as water, trembled slightly, and he slowly looked at the letter in his hand.
Although he was wearing a bamboo hat and showed no signs of joy or anger, he could still feel an unspeakable emotion permeating his body. After reading the letter, he slowly turned his head and looked in the direction of Liangzhou, shaking his head slightly. Sighed, shook his head, and left here with heavy steps.
On the underground street, Yan Sihai and Chang Sheng were walking.
"Do you think Lao Zhou's transaction was brought in through a certain horse dealer on this street?"
Chang Sheng held the longevity flower in his hand and looked around seemingly unintentionally.
Yan Sihai looked solemn and seemed to be thinking about something.
"Actually, ever since you mentioned the transaction of old Zhou, the accountant, I have always had an idea."
Chang Sheng looked at Yan Sihai
"you say."
Yan Sihai Road
"The marriage between Chang An and the little girl from the Chu family was just a temporary arrangement. Why were so many assassins able to ambush the Chang Mansion in just a few days? The new gardener captured the Chu family. The girl's two maids, not counting the Jiangnan cook who was probably here to take care of Lao Zhou, the old gardener must also be one of the building owners based on his skill, but the 12th floor is far away in Youzhou, how did they manage to stay there for several days? If we rush to Qingzhou, why not plant Manzhu Shahua in advance?"
Chang Sheng said
"So you think the Chu family is colluding with the Twelfth Floor?"
Yan Sihai slowly shook his head
"I did think so at first, but after Lao Zhou's incident was exposed, it was no longer the case."
He suddenly stopped, squatted on the ground, picked up a stone, and started drawing on the ground. Seeing this, Chang Sheng also squatted down.
"Look, if this is the Northern Territory and this is Taiyang City, the convoy transporting goods has come all the way from the Northern Territory to the capital. Because the journey is long and the risks are too high, they need a middleman to open up this transportation road for them. , so they approached Lao Zhou."
"But if we combine this incident with Chang's wedding banquet, everyone in the world knows that although Twelfth Floor is arrogant, he has always been wary of the Chang family. At this time when Chang An is out of confinement, he has no guts to ask the Chang family again. They were even so scared that they took the initiative to kill Lao Zhou to cut off this clue. What we know clearly is that whether it was the gardener or the two maids, it was indeed the old lady who was because of the wedding banquet. If the Chu family did not collude with the Twelfth Floor, then where did the Twelfth Floor suddenly get the manpower in Qingzhou? They couldn't have predicted in advance that Chang An was going to get married and win the sword. Perfect opportunity, right?”
Chang Sheng was startled, then shook his head and said
"No, since they have long coveted my brother's Sword God Sword, they naturally have to send more manpower to wait for the opportunity."
Yan Sihai smiled slightly and asked:
"Then how can we wait for the opportunity and not attract the attention of Changfu?"
"You must know that with Chang's abilities, it is definitely not a wise move to ambush spies and hide outside Chang's Mansion for a long time. Once exposed, it will only alert the enemy."
Chang Sheng looked at the picture drawn by Yan Sihai and suddenly realized
"The transportation channel opened by Old Zhou is not only for transporting things, but also for transporting people!"
Yan Sihai nodded and said
"People always stop in one place. No matter how they disguise themselves, they can never escape the eyes of smart people. But if people are mobile..."
Chang Shengdao
"As long as goods are transported, they need to pass through Qingzhou. Every time the people on the Twelfth Floor transport goods through Qingzhou, they are actually delivering support to Qingzhou. However, these people can leave Qingzhou as escorts at any time. My brother is getting married. At that time, the destination of that shipment was actually Qingzhou!"
Yan Sihai nodded, and then asked
"What about the goods? Where did the goods go?"
Chang Shengdao
"Before that transportation, they should not have known about their brother's wedding, so they should not have made any extra preparations for it. Therefore, the extra things that appeared during that operation were the goods they wanted to transport. .”
"Manzhushahua!"
Chang Sheng blurted out.
Yan Sihai nodded
"That's my guess."
"Still not right."
But immediately, Chang Sheng denied his guess.
Yan Sihai frowned and asked
"What's wrong?"
Chang Sheng said
"Everything you said before is fine, but Manzhu Shahua alone shouldn't need such a complicated transportation method."
"boom!"
While the two were squatting and talking, Chang Sheng felt a huge shadow suddenly press on her body.
The color of the two changed instantly. Chang Sheng was immediately suppressed by a tall man and couldn't get up. Yan Sihai quickly pushed away the man who was pressing on Chang Sheng.
Suddenly there was a burst of exclamations around him, and Yan Sihai felt that people on the originally busy street suddenly made a big gap for them.
"Shengwazi, are you okay?"
How can he care about the people around him now?
After Chang Sheng bared his teeth for a while, he slowly shook his head.
"It's okay, it's just a little pressure."
But Yan Sihai looked at her with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
"you!"
Chang Sheng was wondering why Yan Sihai had such an expression, but he caught a glimpse of blood seeping out of his blue skirt in several places.
But they searched their whole bodies and still found no injuries. Suddenly, they turned their attention to the man who had just knocked down Chang Sheng.
The two of them looked at the man who was pushed away at the same time, but they were shocked. They saw that the man was dressed in brocade clothes, and he looked like a young man from the capital.
But the man was covered in blood at the moment, with several holes on his body, as if he had been stabbed several times by someone, and at this moment, blood was still pouring out of those holes.
But the man didn't seem to have died yet. His eyes were fixed on Chang Sheng. At this moment, Chang Sheng quickly raised the man's head.
"Master! Master!"
"Old Yan, look at him quickly!"
But they saw the man's blood-stained hands desperately grabbing Chang Sheng's shoulders, opening his mouth, and wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, blood continued to spit out from the corners of his mouth.
Yan Sihai caught his pulse and immediately shook his head, unable to save himself.
But seeing that the man had something to say, he immediately put his palm on his back and transmitted his inner energy to him.
The man suddenly gained some strength. He spat out blood and said vigorously
"Tell...city...lord...quarry..."
But he was really injured. He only spoke a few words intermittently and then died completely.
Before Chang Sheng had time to react, a rumble of horse hooves came from the ground, coming from far to near.
Several people who looked like generals came to Chang Sheng. They looked down from above and said sternly with indifferent expressions.
"As an official of the imperial court, Fu Shuwu actually enriched himself. After the incident was exposed, he fled in fear of crime and was executed in the street!"
As he said that, the generals dismounted, looked at everyone, dragged up the man's body, and then walked away in full view of everyone!
