Chapter 452: It’s so lively. Do you mind if I’m one more person? (6k)
Beijing.
Early that morning, the entire capital city of the Yu Kingdom fell into a grand atmosphere. Before dawn, the forbidden troops in the city lined up to cross the street. Each soldier personally carried a bucket and swept the main road from the palace to the south gate.
Notices were posted in all major government offices, and all officials were dispatched. The Honghua Society was warned to restrain the people and not cause chaos.
And all these movements are only because Her Majesty the Empress will go south to enshrine Zen today.
In the imperial palace.
Xu Zhenguan spread her arms and stood in front of the huge full-length mirror in the room. Two palace maids dressed her in dragon robes and crowns with hanging pearl curtains.
"Your Majesty, that's it." The accompanying maid said.
Xu Zhenguan's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes, looking at herself standing in the mirror. The hem of her gorgeous dragon robe was hanging on the ground, dragging out for a long time. Her majestic eyes were embedded in her icy skin.
"Your Majesty, sword." Another palace maid stepped forward and respectfully held up the Tai'a sword left by her ancestors with both hands.
The Tai'a Sword was firmly locked in the scabbard and was extremely quiet. This magic weapon, representing the royal family of the Yu Kingdom, had been invited out of the Ancestral Temple last night and would follow the empress south to Luoshan.
Xu Zhenguan reached out, grabbed the scabbard, hung it on his waist himself, turned around and stepped on the shiny marble floor, and walked out of the palace.
At the door, Mochou, the female official of the Sixth Rank, and Sun Lianying, the supervisor of the White Horse Supervisor, stood on the left and right with their heads bowed: "The chariot and chariot are ready, and we welcome His Majesty out of the palace!"
"Let's go." Xu Zhenguan said calmly, stepping out of the threshold, Mochou and Sun Lianying took over the palace maid's duties in person, holding up the hem of the extremely long dragon robe on the left and right to prevent it from being stained with dust.
The dragon chariot had been parked in the Meridian Gate Square for a long time. Xu Zhenguan got on the dragon chariot and left the imperial city surrounded by hundreds of people relying on the team.
As a result, the team following him expanded to hundreds of people.
Along the way, along the main road, Zhuque Street, there were imperial troops cleaning the streets on both sides of the road, and the people were allowed to watch from a distance.
On both sides of the road, at intervals, there were solemnly dressed officials from the imperial yamen standing to greet them. When the chariot passed by, they followed it.
There are also palace maids holding flower baskets and throwing petals from time to time.
Amidst the sound of ritual music, the empress walked out of the city gate and came to the south pier of the city. The entire pier had already been under martial law.
Li Yanfu, Yuan Li, Dong Xuan, Xue Shence and other important officials were waiting here.
There was only one ship in the dock today. It was the largest warship of the Yu Kingdom. It was almost as tall as a city tower. It was freshly painted and the bow was decorated like a dragon's head.
The majesty and solemnity made the people who saw him off outside the pier intimidated.
"Mom, what a big boat," Zhao Pan stood in the crowd, looking longingly:
"Your Majesty is going to Luoshan? Where did my elder brother go in advance? It would be great if we could go to watch the ceremony together."
Eugene Hua dignified, pinched his daughter's buttocks with his hand, and said with a tiger face:
"You dare to say anything? You can also ride on the dragon boat?"
Zhao Pan was very unhappy:
"Maybe after the Feng Chan is over, my eldest brother will come back with His Majesty on this ship. At that time, I will ask my eldest brother for help and let me go up and have a look."
Eugene Hua had a straight face, but he had some thoughts in his heart.
"My dear friends, please stop. During the period when I am going south, all affairs in the court will depend on your ministers. If you have any doubts, you can ask Grand Master Dong."
Xu Zhenguan said to all the ministers.
"I will live up to the divine grace and do my best."
Xu Zhendian nodded and stepped onto the first-class battleship-level dragon boat. This time he went south to Fengchan. It was a long journey. He passed various places along the way, and everyone had to welcome him.
Before she left, many arrangements had been made to ensure the stability of the court in Beijing. In addition to the officials from the Ministry of Rites, the only people accompanying her on this trip were Mochou and Sun Lianying, two confidants from the time of the Third Princess.
After getting up the gangway, Xu Zhenguan walked to the dragon's head position on the wide deck and felt the huge dragon boat vibrating slowly as it sailed away from the capital.
She looked towards the south and thought in her heart:
"At this time, it's time for you to arrive at Jianning Mansion."
"The powerful families in the south have been entrenched for hundreds of years. You are alone, how can you defeat them?"
"But it doesn't matter. I'm here to help you."
……
……
"A letter from He Xiaolou?"
In the Caoyun Yamen, Ning Zechen was stunned for a moment. This important official of the Yu State frowned, walked over, handed the sword in his hand to Master Wen, and raised his hand to grab the envelope.
As the governor of water transportation, Ning Zechen was no stranger to He Xiaolou, the leader of the water gang.
I know that this man was generous with his wealth and was from a humble background. When he was young, he joined the Cao Gang. Every time he got gold and silver, he did not keep it for himself, but distributed it all to his subordinates. According to his words: "Others save money, I save favors."
At that time, there was already the phenomenon of Qianjiao. Later, he successfully replaced the previous gang leader and took over the water transportation gang. He used his long-sleeved and dancing attitude to deal with the government, local wealthy families, and even various forces in Prince Jing's palace.
Ning Zechen did not dare to underestimate him.
"He didn't come to see me personally, but he wanted to see what happened."
Ning Zechen tore open the envelope, shook out the letter, and after scanning it, his face suddenly turned pale as if struck by lightning, and then he burst into anger: "How brave!!"
Master Wen was startled: "Sir, this is..."
Ning Zechen was breathing heavily and his eyes were red. He handed him the letter. After reading it, Master Wen also changed his expression.
The content of the letter was simple. The general idea was that He Xiaolou had heard that the governor's wife was kidnapped by "water bandits" on her way back to the city and has now disappeared. The letter attached an address and specially invited the governor to discuss the matter in person this evening.
He immediately drove out the official who reported the news, and then said in panic: "Sir, this matter..."
Ning Zechen's face was livid, his lips were white, but his eyes were like lightning: "He Xiaolou did it."
What kind of kidnapping by water bandits... He is not stupid. Where did the water bandits from Jiancheng Road come from that had the ability and courage to kidnap his wife and daughter? He Xiaolou's attitude couldn't be clearer.
Master Wen said: "He Xiaolou makes no sense, he must be doing things for others."
Ning Zechen bit his lip, his eyes turned red, and suddenly smiled:
"It seems that some people disliked me as the governor for blocking the road, and finally couldn't bear it. They risked beheading and asked me to bow my head."
Master Wen hesitated and said: "Should we send someone to confirm the authenticity first..."
Ning Zechen shook his head. There was no possibility of joking about this kind of thing. He pondered for a moment and said:
"Don't reveal the news to anyone. I will go to the banquet alone tonight."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and grabbed the sword in Master's hand, suppressing his anger:
"What a gangster, what a bunch of monsters, my sword is not bad at all!"
……
Just when the Governor of Water Transport and He Xiaolou were preparing to meet and negotiate.
Without anyone knowing, a group of people from the north had changed their identities and quietly entered Jianning City as a caravan.
Zhao Duan sat in the carriage, opened the curtain and looked at the busy traffic on the street, people coming and going, and said with emotion:
"It is indeed a prosperous place. Just looking at the weather in the city, it is no less than the capital."
Damn it, the territory that Prince Jing has been managing for many years is indeed not simple.
Just looking at the appearance, it looks like a python swallowing a dragon.
While thinking about it, I saw that many shops on the street were hung with white lanterns and white silk ribbons, in a funeral style.
But it's not a shop selling coffins, paper money, etc., but a variety of shops. They are open as usual, but there is a sense of dejection.
"What does this mean? Is it popular to decorate the house during the day in Jianning Mansion? Isn't this depressing? People won't die, right? Then why are they still open for business?"
Zhao Duan was a little confused.
"My lord, you are joking. Although Jianning Mansion is far away from the capital and there are some local customs, it is not as if idle things are a good thing."
The governor's wife, who was sitting in the same car, leaning against her daughter, couldn't laugh or cry. She glanced out of the car window and said:
"These shops are the property of the Shen family. If my guess is correct, the second master of the Shen family who was seriously ill in bed should have died."
The second master of the Shen family? Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment:
"The most powerful local family with a history of hundreds of years? The Shen family who has been a prime minister for three dynasties and has two generals?"
Mrs. Ning nodded: "Exactly."
Zhao Duan's expression became subtle. Of course he remembered this Shen family.
At the beginning, in the Taicang Silver Mine case, it was this member of the Shen family who went to Beijing to cause trouble and instigated Zhenbao and the "Li Party" to widen the rift.
He killed the Taicang County magistrate in prison, the second son of the Shen family, and later Zhao Duan was imprisoned and killed Gao Lian. Zhenbao sent people to deal with the aftermath, and he learned some of the inside story from Mo Chou.
Hearing Mrs. Ning talk about it again, the second master of the Shen family was in critical condition when he returned from Beijing... Zhao Duan still didn't understand that this man's death was clearly a result of Zhenbao's idle move to beat the Shen family.
It's just that...it seems that the bridge of life has been broken, but he can still resist for so long before dying...I can only sigh with emotion that the big family has a deep heritage.
"So, what Mrs. Ning means is that when a member of the Shen family dies, all subordinate shops must wear mourning? It's such a grand pomp... Tsk, but is it such a coincidence that he died within a few days just after I arrived?" Zhao Duan joked.
Mrs. Ning shook her head and said: "I guess he has been dead for a while, but the wealthy families here have strict burial rules, so the time will drag on."
After her popular science, Zhao Duan finally understood.
In ancient times, people were generally required not to be buried for the first three days after death. Some people were not allowed to be buried for the first seven days, which was called the "first seven." A rough saying is that seven days after death, the soul will go home to say goodbye...
However, this statement is just a folk rumor. The truth is that ordinary people have not perfected the technology of preserving corpses. They can keep them for up to seven days. If they are not buried, they will stink...
The same is true for burial. For example, when the old emperor died, the body was laid to rest for a month or two. During this period, on the one hand, it was necessary to calm down the aftermath of the coup, on the other hand, it was a series of etiquette preparations for burial in the mausoleum, and on the other hand, it was necessary to pay tribute to the palace. The embalming personnel have enough time to process the corpse, disinfect and sterilize it, marinate the corpse with precious materials to maintain the fragrance of the body after death... and various antiseptic methods.
The Shen family is a wealthy family. Although it is not as good as the emperor, it still has a large set of burial procedures.
"However, the average Shen family is not like this. Mr. Shen is very favored by the old lady of the Shen family, so it is not surprising that he receives such super-standard treatment." Mrs. Ning analyzed calmly.
Old lady...that "grandmother" of the Shen family in the information? The actual family controller? Well, probably similar to the role of Jia Mu in Dream of Red Mansions?
Zhao Duan was running with random thoughts in his mind. Seeing the expressions of mother and daughter, he smiled and said:
"Thank you for informing me. Oh, I know that my wife is eager to return home, but the attack on her shows that the situation in the city is complicated. I'm afraid it's inappropriate to show up rashly, so please be patient."
He was smiling when he said these words.
What Zhao Duan didn't tell the mother and daughter in front of him was that while on the ship, he ordered the priests to use harsh methods to "persuade" some of the surviving Cao Gang killers.
And from Zuo Rong, he learned the method of contacting He Xiaolou.
He ordered the killers of the Cao Gang to send a message back, informing He Xiaolou of the false news of the "successful kidnapping", and simultaneously contacted the hidden royal "shadow guards" in Jianning Prefecture.
Want to see exactly what happens.
At this moment, the convoy arrived at the scheduled inn. The group entered the inn without encountering an accident like being rounded up on Binhai Road. Zhao Duan met the strange shadow guard waiting here in the inn room.
“So, He Xiaolou made an appointment with the Governor of Water Transport to meet at a restaurant called ‘Zhu Pavilion’ in the city at night?”
Zhao Duan sat cross-legged and looked at this ordinary shadow guard in surprise:
"Are you sure?"
The shadow guard cupped his hands and said, "I'm telling you, your lord, it's absolutely true. Ning Zechen has ordered the news to be sealed and is preparing to attend the banquet alone."
Zhao Duan was very interested: "Your intelligence work is so good that even the governor of a place can't block it?"
The shadow guard slowly raised his head, revealing Master Wen's face, and said calmly:
"My lord, you are making ridiculous compliments, which is a despicable thing to do within your duties."
The old emperor dared to re-appoint Ning Zechen as the governor of water transportation with important responsibilities. Later, the empress also felt particularly reassured about him. How could it be just because of "the person who is suspicious is not used, but the person who is hired is not trusted"?
Only the roster of the Beijing Film Guard records the true identity of this man who has been following Ning Zechen for ten years and is both a close friend and an effective subordinate.
Name: Wen Liang
Codename: "Master"
A "gold medal" shadow guard who is much older than the "scholar" in the Imperial Intelligence System.
"Not bad." Zhao Duan nodded with satisfaction, pondered for a moment, and asked:
"Do you think there is Prince Jing's Mansion behind He Xiaolou?"
Master Wen was surprised by this question. He was stunned for a moment, hesitated for a moment, and then said:
"Prince Jing's Mansion has secret spies who cultivate him."
The implication: Although Prince Jing did not lack motivation for doing this kind of thing, it seemed that there was no need to borrow the help of Caobang.
Zhao Duan nodded, thought for a long time, and said:
"I understand, you go back first."
Master Wen bowed his head and asked for instructions: "Aren't you curious, sir, how would the governor choose when faced with a threat?"
Zhao Duan glanced at him, and the smile spread on his face:
"A long time ago, someone taught me a truth: don't test human nature."
He waved his hand: "Go ahead."
Wen Liang had no choice but to retreat.
Wait for someone to leave.
The door was pushed open again, and Song Jinxi, who looked like a hozen, asked:
"My lord, Eunuch Hai asked you if you have any instructions."
Zhao Duan sat cross-legged in front of the low table characteristic of Jianning Mansion, closing his eyes and concentrating, and said after hearing this:
"Please ask my father-in-law to take a few people with me to the 'Zhu Pavilion' in the evening."
"Okay." Song Jinxi responded and was about to close the door and leave, but was suddenly stopped by Zhao Duan:
"Wait a minute. Let me ask you something. The second master of the Shen family was in the capital..."
The best assassin among the Ouchi masters had his back to the room. When he heard the words, he stopped and looked back with a harmless smile: "It's a humble job."
"Well, you did a good job, go ahead."
……
……
In the evening, the afterglow of the setting sun fell, and the green willows in Jianning Mansion were dipped in a layer of red.
Ning Zechen, who is in his fifties, has a strong body and thick black hair, is sitting in the carriage, closing his eyes to relax.
As the carriage trembled as it walked, the long sword placed horizontally on his knees also swayed slightly, and a slight sound came from the gap between the sword blade and the scabbard.
"We're here."
The carriage stopped, and Ning Zechen, who was only in civilian clothes, opened his eyes, held the scabbard of his sword, stepped out of the car, raised his head, and saw half of the sun blocked by a red restaurant.
On the plaque, the word "Zhu Ge" is written.
At this moment, the entire restaurant has been booked, and there are Cao Gang thugs standing guard downstairs.
Ning Zechen was alone and strode straight towards him: "Where is He Xiaolou."
The leader of the Cao gang flashed his eyes and said with a smile:
"The governor came in person, but he was not welcomed from afar. The leader of the gang carried some wine upstairs and waited for a long time."
Ning Zechen had no expression on his face and walked inside with his sword in hand.
The leader of the thugs raised his hand to stop him and forced a smile: "Why use a sword to eat? How about leaving the governor's sword to the villain for safekeeping?"
Ning Zechen stared at him with a sneer without saying a word.
The two sides were in a stalemate for a while, and suddenly the upstairs window painted red was pushed open, and He Xiaolou's voice came out:
"Don't be rude, why don't you invite the distinguished guests?"
Only then did the Cao Bang thugs humbly get out of the way.
Ning Zechen frowned coldly, strode into the building, climbed the stairs, and soon saw He Xiaolou standing next to a large table of Feng Sheng dishes with a kind smile on his face.
There were only two of them on this entire floor.
The leader of the Cao Gang looked like a Confucian scholar, wearing a blue gown and holding an antique folding fan in his hand. He was almost gentle and elegant, and he greeted him with his hands:
"The Governor is coming in person, why didn't you inform me in advance so that I can go downstairs to greet you."
Ning Zechen walked to the table with a tiger's step and a sarcastic look on his lips:
"He Gang Leader is so majestic. I don't even take off my armor when I enter the capital, but your subordinates dare to take off my sword."
He Xiaolou smiled apologetically and said seriously: "If the governor is displeased, how about I give him an arm to drink with him?"
He looked serious, as if as long as Ning Zechen said the word "good", he would seriously order it to be done.
Ning Zechen stared at him expressionlessly and said, "I have underestimated you in the past."
He Xiaolou smiled slightly and raised his hand to make a "please" gesture:
"I know that the governor likes Linfeng cuisine. The chef at Zhuge is best at Linfeng cuisine. If you have any questions, please sit down and discuss it?"
Ning Zechen stared at him and actually smiled. He pulled out the chair and sat down with the golden sword. The sword was placed beside him, ready to be drawn out at any time.
He Xiaolou seemed to turn a blind eye to the murderous weapon. He gently waved the paper fan, picked up the wine bottle himself, and poured wine for each other.
Ning Zechen covered half of his face with the red light coming from the window: "Where are my wife and daughter now?"
He Xiaolou said in surprise:
"Didn't the Governor read my letter? My Caobang men only heard that they were robbed by water bandits and don't know their whereabouts yet. But don't worry, Governor. Although my Caobang brothers are far inferior to the government officials, they are better at knowing both sides of the canal very well. , the world is fairly well-informed
When I learned that the governor's wife was in danger, I immediately ordered the entire Caogang people to search for her. I believed that it wouldn't be long before the governor's wife and daughter could be rescued. ”
Ning Zechen stared at him with a pair of tiger eyes and said:
"This is the place you chose. I am here alone. Do you still need to tell these lies?"
He Xiaolou smiled and did not continue.
Ning Zechen suddenly sighed, not only in hatred, but also in admiration: "He gang leader is so cautious."
He Xiaolou sighed softly, put down the wine bottle, sat down slowly, and said with some sadness:
"My lord turned out to be a carp. After practicing for five hundred years, I jumped over the dragon gate, got married, and became a dragon.
As for me, it turned out to be just a loach. I practiced for a thousand years and turned into a carp. Then I practiced for five hundred years before I was lucky enough to jump over the Dragon Gate... No, how could I get to the Dragon Gate? At most, he entered the river from the river...but at least he still has some wealth.
If you fall down, you will still be a carp, and I will become a loach. You said I am a villain, how can I not be cautious when doing things? ”
Ning Zechen was silent for a moment and sighed:
"I don't like to beat around the bush, tell me, what conditions. What conditions can help me... find my wife and daughter."
He Xiaolou laughed and said: "Why should the governor ask questions knowingly?"
Ning Zechen stared at him: "The New Deal is not a New Deal for me alone, it is a New Deal for the imperial court!"
He Xiaolou said seriously: "But the person who did it is you, the Governor."
The two looked at each other, refusing to give in. The light coming in from the red carved window of the Zhu Pavilion seemed to be dyed red, shining on the banquet between the two, so all the dishes became bloody.
Ning Zechen suddenly grasped the hilt of the sword, stood up without warning, unsheathed the sword, and touched He Xiaolou's forehead with the cold blade!
"As long as my sword pushes you forward one inch, you will die!" He said every word.
He Xiaolou sat quietly in the chair with a smile on his face. He slowly raised the folding fan in his hand and gently pushed away the bloodthirsty sword with the extremely precious fan bone.
Said slowly:
"The Governor is a smart man. He should know that even if you kill me, you won't be able to get Mrs. Ning back. The kidnapped person will not be in my hands."
Ning Zechen sat back in his chair slumped, his sword clattered on the table, knocking over the bowls and chopsticks.
Yes, how could he not know? After a person is kidnapped, he will definitely not be taken back to the city, but will be sent directly to other people.
It is impossible to stay in the hands of this gang leader.
He Xiaolou had a strange smile on his face, as if he was very interested in a dignified governor, a second-grade official, being so rude in front of him.
He stood up with a smile, held the chopsticks, picked up the food for Ning Zechen himself, and said:
"The governor is also a human being, after all, he is not a sword without emotions in the hands of the emperor. Why should he sacrifice his life for people thousands of miles away and ruin his family?
In fact, this matter is very simple, not that difficult. The governor doesn't even need to go too far. The new policy is still advancing. It just requires the governor to relax a little and take it slow, and everyone will be happy. Isn't it beautiful? ”
Ning Zechen remained silent.
Seeing his appearance, He Xiaolou's smile became even brighter. He was about to persuade him again when he suddenly heard noise coming from downstairs, as if his subordinates were interrogating someone.
Immediately, short exclamations and screams erupted from downstairs, accompanied by the sound of cracking bones, and all the sounds lasted only a few breaths before disappearing.
It's like it never appeared.
Then, the sound of someone climbing up the stairs was heard.
As Zhao Duan slowly walked up to this floor, his eyes swept over the scene calmly, and his lazy and casual voice also rang in their ears:
"Tsk, it's so lively. Do you mind if I'm one more person?"
……
Change the typesetting first and then change it
(End of chapter)