Liu Renyuan sat downstairs on the stool next to the window with a golden sword. Not long after, the sound of hooves on the street was like thunder, and reinforcements arrived.
The leading captain dismounted and entered the shop. Liu Renyuan ordered: "Block the nearby streets, order all shops to close, control everyone, and interrogate them one by one."
"Here!"
There was a burst of people shouting and screaming outside, and the entire street was quickly blocked. Every shop was ordered to close, and everyone was driven out and gathered on the street.
"General, the shopkeeper of this shop is here."
"Let him in."
"Here."
In a moment, a pale old man with gray hair, wearing a long gown and a bun on his head quickly walked in. When he saw Liu Renyuan, he quickly stepped forward and bowed and saluted: "I am from the Gaoping County Prince's Mansion..."
"Kneel down!"
Liu Renyuan shouted loudly and angrily said: "Raising dead soldiers and assassinating the Tang Dynasty Confucian and the prime minister's brother, what crime should be committed?"
"Huh?"
The old man was stunned at first, then woke up, his complexion suddenly changed, he knelt down with a bang, and shouted: "You are wronged! I don't know where to start with this?"
"Don't talk nonsense, which one is your family?"
Nowadays, with the prosperity of maritime trade in the Tang Dynasty, many families have begun to buy or rent properties and open shops in prosperous cities in various countries in the East and Southeast Asia to earn a lot of money while doing maritime trade.
This path has long been monopolized by various aristocratic families and dignitaries, and ordinary merchants have been suppressed, making it difficult to buy real estate and open shops in places like Asukajing.
"This is the property of Li Shaokang, a thousand cattle in the East Palace."
"Who is Li Shaokang?" Liu Renyuan frowned, having never heard of it.
The shopkeeper hurriedly said: "The head of the family is the prince of Gaoping County, and the young man is the eldest grandson of the prince."
Liu Renyuan's face was as dark as water: "Prince Gaoping?"
The more you are afraid of something, the more it will come. If this is just a simple assassination, no matter for profit or hatred, as long as the murderer and the mastermind behind it are found out, and Fang Yizhi is not dead, it is enough to challenge Fang Yizhi. Jun explained.
But apparently things are not that simple.
Although he is far away from the center, he also knows that the most uncertain class in the entire Tang Dynasty is the clan. Although there were two mutinies by Li Yuanjing and Li Zhi, and even the mutiny launched by Changsun Wuji also involved the clan, they were all frustrated and failed. Some people in the clan have not given up.
After all, the throne of the supreme king in the world is really too tempting, and Emperor Taizong's mistakes are there, so that people can most intuitively feel the charm of "reverse usurpation", and naturally yearn for it and covet it.
So once the clan is involved, the matter becomes complicated, and it is far beyond the ability of him, a mere military commander stationed in Japan, to make the decision.
But if he couldn't handle the matter cleanly, how could he explain it to Fang Jun?
You can't wait until Fang Jun asks and reply, "It concerns the clan, and there is nothing the general can do about it," right?
Even if the problem cannot be solved, you cannot do nothing. Otherwise, what use is Liu Renyuan?
Thinking of this, he frowned and asked: "Where is Li Shaokang now?"
The shopkeeper was a little panicked: "This matter really has nothing to do with my family. I have no idea what this guy did and what the assassin did. I can't accuse people unfairly!"
"Asshole!"
Liu Renyuan raised his foot and kicked the shopkeeper over, scolding: "I think your master is a member of the clan, so I give you some face, but you, an old thief, have no shame? Come on!"
"Here!"
"Press this old thief at the door and count to three times. If he doesn't reveal where Li Shaokang is, he will behead him!"
"Here!"
"General Li, I am an old man from the Prince of Gaoping County. My daughter has served Prince Gaoping for many years. You can't treat me like this!"
Liu Renyuan sat back down again, rubbed his temples, and cursed inwardly.
If Li Shaokang was not in Feiniaojing, the situation might still be what the shopkeeper said, that the clerk was bribed to collude with the assassin and intended to assassinate Fang Jun, or maybe someone else bribed the clerk to do this and frame the Gaoping County Prince's Palace. .
From the shopkeeper's reaction, he knew that Li Shaokang must be in Feiniaojing.
It is unusual for a grandson of a county prince to appear in Feiniaojing, and such an assassination happened. How could Li Shaokang be innocent?
In any case, the assassination must be related to Li Shaokang.
"One!"
"Let me go. I'm from the Gaoping County Prince's Palace. Are you crazy and dare to kill me?"
"Two!"
"Let me go quickly, otherwise none of you will survive!"
"Three!"
"...I said, I said, the young master is at Mount Sumeru!"
"Commander Qi, the old thief has been recruited, and Li Shaokang is in Mount Xumi!"
Liu Renyuan waved his hand: "Deploy a brigade of cavalry to Mount Sumeru and capture Li Shaokang alive. If he runs away or dies, come and see him!"
"Here!"
The sound of hooves roared outside the shop and quickly faded away.
……
"Asukakyo" is not the capital in the true sense, but the location of the palace of the Japanese emperor. It is said to be the administrative center of Japan, but in fact "it cannot leave the capital", and the distance from the capital is more than a thousand miles. However, because the emperor lived here, all the major families and factions of Japan purchased land and built houses here, hoping to be close to the emperor and influence him. Therefore, the value of the surrounding land gradually increased, the population slowly gathered, and commerce began to develop.
Naturally, Mount Sumeru is not a mountain, but part of the guest house that the emperor used to entertain envoys from all over the world. It is located south of Asuka-kyo. The house is exquisite and the scenery is beautiful. Both the architecture and decoration are full of Tang Dynasty style. The Japanese girl spoke a gibbering Japanese language, which made people forget about the pain of traveling across the ocean and the journey, and thought they were still in the Tang Dynasty.
The clean floor in the hall is covered with bamboo mats. There is snow in Japan in winter, but it is not cold. Several copper stoves burning charcoal in the corners emit a scorching temperature, which is a bit hot.
Several Japanese girls played musical instruments such as silk and bamboo strings, and the music was overwhelming. Several Japanese girls were dressed in strange costumes, with bare shoulders and bare feet. They danced slowly to the music. The girls tried their best to show off I hope that my body can arouse the interest of the nobles of the Tang Dynasty. If I can be chosen by the nobles of the Tang Dynasty, I will reach the sky in one step.
Even if it is just a one-night affair, their worth will double, and they will become the "high-quality products" that Japanese nobles are eager to...
However, despite their best efforts, the young and handsome Tang Dynasty nobleman, who was leaning on the jade pillow and drinking wine, never let his eyes linger on them for one minute, looking absent-minded.
This frustrated them very much.
Next to him, there was a middle-aged scribe in a long gown, sipping wine and asking with a smile: "Has the prince changed his temper and stopped being flirtatious with women from now on?"
The noble boy snorted, raised his eyelids, and glanced at the beautiful Japanese girls. Occasionally, the Japanese girls moved too much and raised their feet too high. He could see the white jade legs under the skirt, which made him even more curious. Dislike : "These Japanese maidens are too ugly. Not only can they not compare to our Tang Dynasty women who are gentle, virtuous, knowledgeable and courteous, they can't even compare to the pretty and gentle Silla maids. How can we arouse interest in them?"
< br>
"Only when facing big events can you achieve great things with calmness. The prince is a little anxious."
The middle-aged scribe took a sip of wine and sighed.
The young man snorted and said disapprovingly: "You can only send a three-year-old child who knows nothing to risk the entire family fortune and the life and death of the family. If he loses, he will be destroyed. Who can remain indifferent?"
The middle-aged scribe said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, no one knows that you did this. It was just with the help of your shop. It was two dead men who did it. Regardless of success or failure, they are destined to die. Fang Jun cannot just rely on this." Is it the fault of the Gaoping County Prince? Although he is domineering, he is not qualified."
The noble young man turned over and lay on his back on the mat. He was trembling in his heart, worried about gains and losses, and anxious.
The singing and dancing Japanese girls didn't even look at the nobles, and they became more and more frustrated...
Suddenly there was a burst of chaos outside the window, and someone shouted: "Surround us, no one can escape!"
The noble young man rolled over and got up, shouting: "Trouble is coming!"
After a few steps, he ran to a cabinet by the wall, kicked it down, and revealed a two-foot-square hole in the back. He squatted down and crawled inside.
"Bang!"
More than a dozen soldiers of the Tang army smashed the windows and filled the hall with window fragments. A group of Japanese women screamed in fright and fled in all directions.
The middle-aged scribe had already jumped up from the floor and ran towards the back door, trying to escape. Unexpectedly, before he could open the door, the door panel in front of him shattered with a "bang", and a Tang army broke in. came in and hit him, knocking him down. He took two steps back and fell to the ground. Immediately, several Tang army soldiers rushed into the door and pounced on him. They held his hands and feet tightly, pinched his cheeks and stuffed a ball of rags into his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide. Or bite the poison hidden in the mouth beforehand.
"There is a secret passage here!"
The soldiers of the Tang army entered the hall and saw the Japanese girls running away. They showed no sympathy for their beauty. They punched, kicked and scabbarded them all, knocking them all to the ground within a few breaths. Someone with sharp eyes discovered the hole in the wall. Dang even rushed forward and ducked in.
The captain who led the team did not dare to be careless: "Immediately seal off the entire guest house and Mount Xumi, and search every inch, especially in dark and secluded places. The thieves must not be allowed to escape!"
"Here!"
The Tang army was well-trained and moved quickly. Even if someone withdrew, he would direct the troops who stayed outside to block the enemy and hunt down the thieves.
However, before the men and horses dispersed, they saw the soldier who had entered the secret passage come back backwards. He left the cave entrance with one hand still in the secret passage. He tugged hard and pulled a young man wearing a brocade robe. He came out and then threw it to the ground with all his strength.
"Ouch! Are you crazy? Do you know who I am? If you dare to be rude to me like this, I..." The captain waved his hand, and several soldiers rushed up to cover his mouth, took out ropes and tied him up. The mouth was tightly blocked.