Chapter 195 Important clues
After watching Gao Xiaowan lead his troops out of the city, Mutipo returned to the Lu Mansion with suspicion and reported to Lu Lingxuan that Gao Yanzong moved several boxes of things to Gao Xiaowan's carriage.
"I don't know what it is? The God of Gao Yanzong is mysterious, and since he came back from the peace talks in Yubi City, he has been going back and forth to Prince Lanling's Mansion and getting very close to Xie Zhen!" Mu Dipo said, his eyes lit up, "Is it difficult? Could it be that Xie Zhen asked him to do something? "
"Then send someone to take a look and find a group of people, preferably people from the Jianghu community, to intercept Gao Xiaowan's baggage so that we don't fall into any trap again!"
"But mother, Gao Xiaowan has brought hundreds of guardsmen. It's not easy to find some people from the Jianghu temporarily now, and even if you find them, it may be difficult to succeed!"
Lu Lingxuan's expression was not good-looking, and she touched the files placed on the table with her hands. These were the secrets of Qi's clan and nobles collected carefully.
Most of these clan nobles in the Northern Qi Dynasty had taints such as corruption, bribery, lewdness and other stains. Even Duan Shao, who held a high position and was loved by all the soldiers, was no exception. He often lived in public for fun. Another example is Gao Yuanhai and Gao Guiyan, who bought countless concubines at home and indulged in drinking and having sex without restraint.
For example, Prince Gao Rui of Zhao County and Prince Gao Changgong of Lanling can be said to be outliers in the clan. They are so upright that no one can find any clues about them.
Holding the privacy of these court officials, Lu Lingxuan felt like she was holding a treasure in her hand. She raised her lips and said, "Then force these people to work for us!" After saying that, she picked out the dossier of one of them and handed it to Mutipo, " Make another copy of this file, give it to him, and then give him a letter!"
“It’s time to meet these old friends who we have worked with before!”
Lu Lingxuan stood up and said.
"In addition, we will also send twenty or thirty dead soldiers to rush outside Yecheng to intercept them!"
"yes!"
…
When the Suwei sergeants led by Gao Xiaowan left Yecheng and traveled a hundred miles, they encountered a surprise attack by a group of robbers, all of whom were armed with waist knives and looked menacing.
But Gao Xiaowan's Suwei army, composed of Xianbei people, was not a vegetarian. Faced with a powerful enemy attack, they shouted to kill, which also frightened the robbers into hesitation and heartbreak.
However, the mantis swooped at the cicada, and there were still oriole behind them. When the robbers diverted the attention of some of the Su guards, another group of unknown black-clad soldiers raided the baggage at the rear of the army.
The soldiers from both sides quickly fought together! But what was surprising was that the fierce battle did not last long. Gao Xiaowan ordered a cart of baggage to be discarded, ignored these lunatics, and the team moved forward quickly.
And sure enough, after throwing away the cart of baggage, neither the robbers nor the soldiers stopped fighting anymore. Gao Xiaowan just led the guard army forward quickly.
However, what these Suwei sergeants did not expect was that before their army had marched very far, there was a "boom" from behind, a loud noise like the mountains exploding, and bursts of shrill screams!
When Gao Xiaowan looked back, not far away, there was fire shooting into the sky!
He took another look at the first bag he had just opened. It said: If you are attacked by the enemy, you don't have to fight. You can throw away the first cart of baggage given by Yanzong!
So this is what Gao Yanzong put on the carriage at the end, and it turned out to be such a powerful "thunder fire bomb"?
"Prince, what is that?" A soldier beside Gao Xiaowan couldn't help but ask.
Gao Xiaowan also shook his head in horror: "I don't know!" He immediately ordered to continue moving forward without delaying any more time.
…
When the news reached Lu Lingxuan's ears, Lu Lingxuan was so angry that her eyes were red and she cursed: "What is that thing? What the hell is it that can kill dozens of people in an instant?"
"Mother, it seems that the Hejian King Gao Xiaowan has been on guard for a long time. Gao Yanzong loaded a box of treasures on the carriage. Maybe he showed it to us on purpose, just to lure us into taking the bait!"
"Don't I know? This Xie Zhen really has an ingenious plan. Did he predict that I would send people to intercept and rob the things Gao Yanzong sent?"
She had never felt defeated in front of anyone, but she suffered many losses in front of this boy, and that Xiao Jinyu...
"By the way, I asked you to keep an eye on Prince Lanling's Mansion. Have you ever seen Xiao Jinyu leave the palace?"
Mutipo shook her head: "No, it's strange to say that since Gao Changgong and Xie Zhen went to Yubi City, Princess Lanling seemed to have disappeared, and no one could find her trace. It was the same day that Xie Zhen left. When he met Chen in the prison of Dali Temple, he brought a woman who called herself Princess Lanling with her..."
"Then we will investigate again and send more people to keep an eye on it. I always feel that there is an unusual relationship between Xie Zhen and Xiao Jinyu..."
"Is it possible that... because Gao Changgong was transferred to Jinjiang for a long period of time, the Princess of Lanling was unwilling to be lonely, so she got married to the most famous talent in the world..."
Mutipo smiled evilly, but Lu Lingxuan glared at him fiercely and interrupted his next words.
"If that's true, that's a good thing, but if we haven't found any evidence, don't make random guesses here. Haven't we suffered enough at the hands of these two?"
Mutipo's smile faded, and she nodded and said, "Yes!"
"In addition, the Zhou envoy is about to arrive in Yecheng. If we can sabotage this peace negotiation and make Xie Zhen's credit fall short...it would be better to cause the Qizhou War to break out and make Gao Changgong unable to return to Yecheng. This would be a happy event. "
…
When Gao Yanzong came to Lanling Palace to convey the news, he was so happy that he was dancing for joy. When he described the scene of flames soaring into the sky, he felt proud of it!
"By the way, Fourth Sister-in-law, where did that thunder and fire bomb come from? If this thing is used on the battlefield, why are we afraid of the Turks and the Zhou army? Why worry about me being defeated by the Qi Dynasty?"
Xiao Jinyu replied: "I asked Ling Ye to make it, but to make this thunder fire bomb, stone lacquer is needed, and stone lacquer is a military material and is very scarce. I asked Chang Gong to get some stone lacquer to make it. The one that comes out is just this one, nothing else!"
"Ah?" Gao Yanzong was a little disappointed.
"However, as long as it helps your third brother Gao Xiaowan to send those military supplies to Jinyang, one pill is enough!"
"That's true!" Gao Yanzong curled his lips again and smiled happily.
At this time, Ling Ye sent some files to Xiao Jinyu and reported: "The craftsman named Anu has a sister and an old mother, and they are both working for Lu Lingxuan in Fengyue Tower, and Yueying also found out , many restaurants and teahouses in Yuanzi Sili Fang are owned by Lu Lingxuan, including Fengyue Tower, she is also the owner behind it!"
"Furthermore, Yue Ying also found out one thing, that is, the tea shops and restaurants in Lu Lingxuan's hands, some of them were actually developed by Xiao Luan in Yecheng before, even the Feng Yue Tower, but this Feng Yue Tower used to be It’s not called Fengyue Tower, nor is it a gold-selling cave for Yecheng nobles!”
After Ling Ye said this, Gao Yanzong continued: "I know this. About five years ago, this Fengyue Tower was called Luanxuan Pavilion. I heard that it took in many homeless women with miserable life experiences to do business in the pavilion. But what we are doing is not the current business, but a business in skills such as embroidery, clothing making, and even tea painting and so on.
But two years ago, Luanxuan Pavilion was renamed Fengyue Pavilion. On the day when the name was changed, the most beautiful women in this building made public offers to sell themselves. Because these women had their own skills, many of them were from the previous dynasty. The daughter of the Yuan clan has a noble status, which attracts the powerful people in the capital to flock to her and is willing to spend a lot of money..."
Hearing this, Xiao Jinyu's heart was filled with mixed emotions, and she was extremely surprised and suspicious. She quickly took the file in Ling Ye's hand and took a closer look.
Gao Yanzong saw her expression change drastically and couldn't help but ask: "What's wrong with the fourth sister-in-law? Could it be that this Xiao Luan is..." He only heard Lu Yu mention that Xiao Jinyu was the daughter of the Xiao family of Lanling and the daughter of Han Zigao. But nothing is known about his mother.
At this time, Princess Liyang answered: "Xiao Luan is her mother! She is also the granddaughter of Prince Zhaoming, right?"
"The granddaughter of Prince Zhaoming!"
Gao Yanzong couldn't help but sigh. He had heard about this prince of Nanliang who was both talented and well-known.
"In that case, this Lu Lingxuan must have robbed your mother Xiao Luan of these properties, right? And changed Luanxuan Pavilion, which was originally an innocent business, into Fengyue Pavilion?"
Xiao Jinyu also seemed to have guessed something incredible, and remained silent for a long time.
"How about we arrest Lu Lingxuan now and question her?" Xie Yuxuan said.
"No!" Xiao Jinyu interrupted, "This woman is so scheming. Even if we ask, she won't tell the truth. I still have to investigate these things myself!"
Speaking of this, Xiao Jinyu's voice also became extremely low:
"When the time comes, I will make her pay the price!"
…
"One more thing!" After Xiao Jinyu calmed down, Ling Ye reported again, "Lu Lingxuan seems to have been in private contact with some ministers in the court recently. Among them are the Taifu, the King of Ping Qin, Gao Guiyan, and the attendant Zhonggao Yuanhai..."
After Gao Yanzong heard this, he continued: "Gao Guiyan is my uncle. He originally accepted the legacy of my uncle Gao Yang and assisted the prince Gao Yin. However, because of his rift with Yang Min, the then prime minister, Gao Yan and Emperor Xiaozhao When His Majesty Gao Zhan launched a coup to usurp the throne, he chose to side with them and deposed Gao Yin.
Later, he was highly regarded by Emperor Xiaozhao, and his power temporarily surpassed that of Pingyuan King Duan Shao. He even secretly sneaked into Jinyang Palace and killed Gao Yin, the deposed King of Jinan.
Later, before the death of Emperor Xiaozhao, he proclaimed his Majesty Gao Zhan as emperor. His Majesty trusted him very much at first and allowed him to bring three guards to the palace with swords. However, from then on, he became somewhat arrogant in his own merits. , His Majesty seems to be unhappy with him now and is deliberately alienating him! "
Xiao Jinyu also thought of the many memorials he had seen to impeach Qin King Gao Guiyan for his corruption, bribery, arrogance and lewdness, and nodded thoughtfully.
"This Gao Yuanhai is a younger brother of our clan. He usually likes to believe in Buddhism. He prides himself on his superior intelligence and is quite confident. He once thought he was arrogant and went to live in the mountains and forests for two years. He said he practiced Buddhism with a pure heart and gave up on human affairs, but he couldn't bear the hardship. He ran back again and begged your Majesty to give him an official position, so he became a servant. However, it was just a leisurely post, and he was not in his position at all. He only indulged in drinking and having sex with hundreds of concubines in his mansion every day. Let’s have fun!”
At this point, Gao Yanzong was confused: "What does Lu Lingxuan want to do when she meets these two people in private?"
"What else can she do? Maybe she wants to use these two people to do something bad and deal with the princess!"
Xie Yuxuan answered.
"This woman is still so restless even after being dismissed from her position!" Gao Yanzong said angrily, then looked at Xiao Jinyu, "Fourth sister-in-law, don't worry, I will ask someone to keep an eye on these two people to see what they will do. do what!"
Xiao Jinyu said: "It's better to let the experts I trained here handle the matter of keeping an eye on people. If I find anything unusual, I will ask someone to inform you!"
After saying that, he said with sincere gratitude, "Yanzong, thank you for taking care of me during this time!"
"Fourth sister-in-law is so polite. I promised fourth brother that I will protect you!" Gao Yanzong said, and then he looked ashamed again. "It's just that you were injured. By the way, have you recovered from your injury now?"
"Well, it's healed!"
"So fast?"
Gao Yanzong looked happy, but Xie Yuxuan looked distressed and angry.
"This is a newly developed healing medicine. She was the first one to test it. She really doesn't take her own body seriously..."
Xiao Jinyu interrupted:
"Axuan, stop talking. This is my duty as a doctor. My mother also asked me to try medicine since I was a child, so I tried out this invulnerable physique! It doesn't matter!"
When he heard that he had been experimenting with medicine since he was a child, and that he had developed a body that was invulnerable to all poisons, Gao Yanzong felt happy, but there was a hint of worry in Princess Liyang's eyes.
In the evening, when everyone had fallen asleep, Princess Liyang came to Xiao Jinyu's bedroom, but saw that she was still sitting at the desk with a book, as if thinking about something, so she brought a bowl of cooked Tremella soup in and put it on the table. Her case is on the table.
"What are you thinking about? You're still up so late?"
Seeing that Princess Liyang came in, Xiao Jinyu was a little surprised, smiled slightly, and said: "It's nothing, Princess... No, don't worry, mother, I'm fine, why don't you sleep either?"
"I was also thinking about what happened during this period. I was very moved when I saw what you did for Chang Gong, but I was also quite worried..." At this point, she looked at Xiao Jinyu seriously and asked , "Ayu, have you ever thought about it, you are now acting in the court as Xie Zhen, but what if you have a child in the future? Can you still hide it from everyone?"
"And how long can this matter be kept secret? If your identity is revealed in the future..."
Xiao Jinyu then smiled and said:
"Don't worry, mother, I will find a way out for myself!"
Seeing such confidence in her eyes, Princess Liyang couldn't bear to ask any more questions. After being silent for a long time, she added: "What about your body... You and Chang Gong have been together for a long time, and they are so loving, but... You haven’t conceived a child yet, but why did you try the medicine since you were a child?”
When asked this question, Xiao Jinyu's expression changed slightly. After a long time, he answered:
"That's not the reason..." She was silent for a moment, then changed the subject and added, "However, I am also taking care of my body..."
Before she finished speaking, she saw tears falling from Princess Liyang's eyes, and her eyes were full of pity when she looked at her.
"Princess, I..."
Suddenly, Princess Liyang took her into her arms and sighed with tears: "I am not afraid that you will not be able to give birth to an heir for Chang Gong, but I am sighing at the rough fate of the women of our Xiao family. You must have suffered a lot too." Bar!"
(End of chapter)