That night, after Yu Qiuping returned to Maple Leaf Mountain City, he immediately found Amano Keitoku, who had just settled down. He had been busy all day, arranging Crow's ninjas and insiders to resume work, monitoring the friendly army's daimyo and Yu Qiu's home.
suspicious elements.
"Quan Bingwei, we are extremely urgent. We will immediately send people to track down the traces of the Aguo Song and Dance Troupe and investigate their whereabouts over the past month." After Yu Qiuping entered Amano Jingtoku's office in the Crow's base camp, he ordered with all his face, "Quickly
!immediately!"
Amano Jingde was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then he realized Yu Qiuping's deeper meaning.
"Does His Highness suspect that they are related to the theft of the eight-foot mirror at Ise Jingu Shrine?" Amano Jingtoku had obviously already learned about the blockbuster news that Yu Qiuping heard today through the ninja of Crow. Yu Qiuping did not need to explain.
He asked in a low voice: "Raya does not have exact information at the moment. The ninjas of the Oda family have set up a blockade around the Ise Shrine and we cannot enter. This case is still at the level of 'rumor'. Why is Your Highness so anxious?"
"
Yu Qiuping hesitated for a moment, but didn't know how to speak - he might not necessarily tell Amano Jingtoku about his life experience and the matter of Shimizu Oriko.
"His Royal Highness was alone in a secret room with the girl herself in the backstage of the Aguo Song and Dance Troupe Theater for a period of time that day. However, due to Crow's rules, our ninjas just waited in the dark and did not listen to the conversation between His Highness and the target."
Amano Keitoku, who has a keen sense of smell, once again found clues without waiting for Amakihei's explanation, "Is it because that conversation involved Ise Shrine and the Eight-foot Mirror, so His Highness suddenly wanted to track down the Aguo Song and Dance Troupe?"
"That's right." Yu Qiuping nodded slightly, "That's probably it."
"Your Highness, are you hiding something from me?" Amano Jingde suddenly stopped what he was doing and raised his head to look at Yu Qiuping, "And I have been feeling this way for more than 20 years.
."
"Yes." Looking at Amano Jingde's cloudy and sharp eyes, Yu Qiuping knew that he had no need to hide anything, "But I can't tell you that secret. Can you please not ask."
"This is just your arrangement. Naturally, it will not cross the line." Amano Jingtoku lowered his head and replied, his voice was still so smooth that Yu Qiuping could not tell what his mood was when he said this.
"But Your Highness, I suggest you not to get involved in this matter." After thinking about it for a long time, Amano Kagetoku raised his head again and analyzed it very carefully: "Although there are ninjas from Crow following you, I can guarantee that there will be no other words when you are talking to Miss Aguo.
Eavesdropper, but it does not mean that the fact that you and Miss Aguo entered the darkroom were not discovered by the eyes and ears of the Oda family. The Oda family may have known about it, but just regarded it as an act to distract your energy. If you
We should investigate this matter immediately, and if our people are discovered by the eyes and ears of the Oda Army, the Oda Palace will probably doubt the specific content of that conversation, and will also think that you are related to this matter.
I’m not sure. If Miss A Guo cannot withstand the torture after being arrested and reveals the contents of your conversation with her, then the Yuqiu family will be implicated."
Seeing that Yu Qiuping was silent, Amano Jingtoku wanted to continue persuading him, but suddenly realized another possibility. He paused, then squinted his eyes and confirmed to Yu Qiuping: "Or...the theft of the eight-foot mirror was originally an incident.
What about your instructions?"
"I did not plan this, please rest assured." Yu Qiuping assured Amano Jingtoku very frankly, but then the conversation changed, "But I suspect that the Aguo Song and Dance Troupe is suspected of stealing the eight-foot mirror. Because
During the conversation with me, Miss Aguo showed her interest in the three artifacts. And she stole the three artifacts, probably for me - although I did not ask her to do so."
"So what you mean is..." Amano Jingtoku slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was already murderous intent in his eyes, "The Aguo Song and Dance Troupe acted without authorization against your original intention. In order to prevent you from being implicated, I will
Are you going to send someone to silence the Aguo Song and Dance Troupe?"
"This..." Yu Qiuping was surprised when he heard this. He never expected that Amano Jingde had already thought of it to this extent. But then he thought about it and realized that this was indeed the safest action for the Yu Qiu family - after all, he and Qingshui
Zhizi's conversation not only involved the three artifacts, but also the identity of Yu Qiuping's time traveler. If Zhimizu Zhizi was tortured after being caught and exposed these things, Yu Qiuping would be in big trouble.
But Yu Qiuping still remembers the clear look in Qingshui Oriko's eyes when she promised not to leak anything. If he really wanted to eliminate future troubles, Yu Qiuping could have arrested her immediately - but Yu Qiuping did not do so. Looking at that
Yu Qiuping felt that she couldn't do anything to such a simple yet complicated girl.
"First investigate whether the incident at Ise Shrine was their fault. It might have been a misunderstanding. After you find out, report back. Wait for me to make a decision. Don't do anything without permission." Yu Qiuping stared at Amano Keide's eyes.
, demanded very seriously.
"I'll just take your orders." Amano Jingtoku sighed helplessly, and whispered in a low voice with some exhaustion, "But if His Highness softens his heart, this matter will probably have a greater impact on the Yuqiu family than the young master's resistance to marriage.
Sir, is it true that your highness cannot make up his mind?"
"I will weigh it carefully." Yu Qiuping looked at Amano Jingde's tired eyes and whispered apologetically.
·
However, not long after, Yu Qiuping was a little surprised by the information from the Crow Investigation.
"The Aguo Song and Dance Troupe has been touring Harima and Settsu for more than a month? Have you never been to Ise?" Yu Qiuping looked at the report handed to him by Amano Keitoku in great surprise, "Did I guess wrong...
Then who stole the eight-foot mirror?"
"This matter is full of weirdness. I can't think of any way to make hundreds of people inside and outside Ise Jingu kill each other without leaving a single person alive, and no one comes out to report. If there is danger, Ise Jingu will
The people inside will definitely ask for help." When Amano Keide said this, he suddenly paused and whispered with some uncertainty: "Unless..."
"Unless what?" Yu Qiuping asked curiously.
"Unless the people in Ise Shrine have always thought that the situation is under their control, there is no need to ask for help or escape."
"How is this possible?" Yu Qiuping was puzzled by this answer. "Everyone in the palace is going to be killed. How can anyone still think that the situation is under control?"
"It's indeed impossible, it's just my guess." Amano Kagetoku frowned, and then sighed, "In any case, Your Highness, please don't get involved in this matter anymore. The deeper the intervention, the more likely we are to be involved.
Necessary relationship. As long as it is confirmed that it was not done by the Aguo Song and Dance Troupe, this matter will not involve His Highness."
"You're right." Yu Qiuping nodded in approval, "Just do as you say."
Just when Yu Qiuping finished his meeting with Amano Jingtoku and was about to leave the Crow's headquarters, there was a messenger from the Crow rushing in the opposite direction in the corridor. It seemed that he had some important information. Yu Qiuping was filled with doubts.
Footsteps. Sure enough, before he could reach the door, Crow's ninja caught up with Yu Qiuping.
"Your Highness! Lord Amano, please go back and talk!"
After Yu Qiuping returned to Amano Keide's office darkroom for no apparent reason, he discovered that Amano Keide's usually gloomy and calm face now had a look of fear.
"What's wrong?" Yu Qiuping asked as he sat down.
"The latest information sent back by the ninjas monitoring the Aguo Song and Dance Troupe is from last night." Amano Jingtoku pressed the secret report in his hand on the table and pushed it in front of Yu Qiuping, "Your Highness, you can read it yourself."
Yu Qiuping opened the secret report and after reading a few lines, he felt like the world was spinning, as if a big net was spinning towards him.
·
Late yesterday night, the castle town of Himeji Castle in Harima Province.
The Aguo Song and Dance Troupe has finished their performance for the day and is packing their bags. According to the itinerary, they will set off tomorrow to continue westward. And Shimizu Oriko, the actor of "Aguo Girl", can finally take off her mask after the busy work and have a good time.
Take a rest. Before she could take off her makeup, a dancer knocked on the door and walked into her room.
"Miss, I have a letter for you." The dancer handed an envelope to Shimizu Oriko.
"Didn't I tell you that I don't accept any letters from visitors?" Qingmizu Oriko has long been accustomed to seeing countless love letters written to her by her admirers. Some of them are quite vulgar, which makes her very angry.
Discomfort.
"But the person who delivered the message was very strange and said that you must take a look." The dancer made an excuse in a low voice with some embarrassment - in fact, it was because the guest gave her a few pieces of silver.
"Is that so? Okay." Shimizu Oriko wanted to refuse as usual, but today she accepted the letter as if she had thought of something. She didn't come back to her senses until the dancer left and started to get curious.
Why did she accept it just now? She thought for a long time before recalling what she had just thought - Yu Qiuping returned to Kinki a few days ago.
Could this letter be from him?
Although Oriko Qingmizu knew in her heart that this was almost absolutely impossible, the girl's heart was always unpredictable. Once the slightest thought was opened, she could no longer hold it back.
She opened the envelope a little impatiently, but when she saw the words on the letter, she suddenly felt like ice and trembled all over.
"Eight-foot mirror." - These three words are written on the first line.
"Next to the big tree by the river north of the castle town in the middle of the night." - The words in the second line are equally concise.
"Come alone." - These are the words in the third line.
"It's not his handwriting." Shimizu Zhizi crumpled the letter into a ball with some trembling. He had seen Yu Qiuping's handwriting, which was completely different from the bold and uninhibited glyphs on this letter.
But she knew that the letter had been written here, and she had to go to the appointment even if she didn't want to.
After nightfall, Shimizu Oriko quietly slipped out of the theater troupe and came to the big tree by the river in the north of the castle town as promised. A man had been waiting there for a long time.
"I'm very sorry for being so rude, Miss."
Seeing Oriko Shimizu arrive, the man greeted him politely. Oriko Shimizu had been traveling around for many years, and she immediately recognized the accent of the rural Kanto people. However, the wording and intonation of this sentence were very elegant.
Noble. The contrast between them made her forget to greet her for a moment.
"Don't you have anything to say?" the man confirmed in a low voice with some regret.
Shimizu Oriko raised her head at a loss, and then she felt a cold feeling in her abdomen, followed by a stinging pain. She lowered her head, and a dagger with a large amount of blood had been stabbed into her abdomen.
Lower abdomen. As the dagger turned violently, Shimizu Oriko was so painful that she almost lost her intuition. Blood continued to gush from her abdomen and mouth, and she fell down by the river.
"Izanami." The man also squatted down, pointed the bloody tip of the knife at Shimizu Oriko's neck, and stabbed it hard, "I accept it."
To be continued...