Chapter 638: News of the Imperial Concubine

An Lushan's nap took almost two hours, and it was impossible to strike. After falling asleep, his personal guards were guarding around the bedroom. Li Zhuer was one of his confidants who were waiting for him to sleep. When An Lushan fell asleep, he could squat aside and take a nap or go for lunch. He was relatively free during this period. Of course, he could go out, no one cared about him, but he had to appear when An Lushan woke up, otherwise he would be severely punished.

Li Zhuer is in his early twenties today and is a eunuch. Ten years ago, he was taken to An Lushan's mansion when he was a teenager. An Lushan took his fancy to his cleverness and castrated him personally. Since then, Li Zhuer has never developed again. He is now twenty-two years old, but his figure is still the same as ten years ago. From the back, he is thin and small, just like a teenager.

Li Zhu'er's parents died when she was young, and it was his uncle Li Zui who raised him. Although his uncle Li Zui sent him to An Lushan's mansion back then, Li Zhu'er did not resent. He still treated his only relative as kind as his father.

Li Zhuer came out of the Yan Prince's Mansion, called a carriage and hurried to the north of the city. In the morning, his uncle asked someone to bring him a message. He had an old disease and asked Li Zhuer to come and see him when he had time. Li Zhuer understood the meaning of this sentence. After serving An Lushan to sleep, he rushed to his uncle Li Zui's residence.

Li Zui originally lived in a dilapidated small house in the east of the city, but not long ago he moved into a large mansion covering an area of ​​eight acres, and added more than a dozen maids and servants. Li Zui's wife ran away with someone three years ago. Now, he has married two beautiful ladies who are as beautiful as flowers and jade. The family has endless money. It is said that he still has five hectares of fertile land outside the city.

Despite the earth-shaking changes, some of Li Zui's friends were not surprised. After all, his nephew Li Zhuer was the confidant around An Lushan, so he was naturally rich.

But Li Zhuer knew in his heart that all this had nothing to do with him. Although he was the confidant serving An Lushan, in An Lushan's eyes, he was no different from a dog. Not to mention rewarding him with money, even his meals were leftovers from An Lushan. It was only since last year that An Lushan gave him three-month money every month.

For ten years, his body was incomplete and his pain was so difficult to open when he urinated. All of this made him hate An Lushan to the core, but he was also afraid of him.

It was not until his uncle Li Zui introduced him to a person who respected him that he felt human dignity. This person was Shi Siming.

Li Zui's new house is located in a street called Wushanren Lane in the north of the city. It is a relatively hidden house. In addition to this house, Shi Siming also gave Li Zui two beauties and ten thousand jin of money. The five hectares of fertile land outside the city were also given by Shi Siming.

In addition, Shi Siming was extremely generous to Li Zhu'er. He gave him 1,000 taels of gold and cast it into a big gold Buddha. Li Zhu'er buried it in his uncle's old house, which was his life-saving money for the rest of his life.

As soon as Li Zhu'er knocked on the door, the door opened, revealing her white and fat face.

"Why are you here? Fast forward!"

Li Zui complained a little, "Let others wait for almost two hours."

"The fat man was in a bad mood today. He just went to bed. Is there anything wrong with his uncle?"

"I have nothing to do, it's someone waiting for you. Come with me!"

Li Zhuer followed his uncle into the inner room. A burly young man was sitting in the room. He was reading a book. Li Zhuer recognized it at a glance. It was Shi Chaoyi, the son of Shi Siming.

He hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down to greet him. Shi Chaoyi hurriedly helped him up, "Brother Li, please don't do this!"

Shi Chaoyi looks completely different from his father Shi Siming. Shi Siming's hair is dry and yellow, with a slim face and an eagle nose, and a treacherous face. However, Shi Chaoyi has a square face and big ears, which looks a bit Han, like his mother, and has a different temperament. Shi Siming is fierce and cruel, cruel, ruthless, while Shi Chaoyi is generous and respected by Shi Siming's subordinates.

He asked Li Zhuer to sit down and smiled and said, "I know you are in a hurry to rush back, so I'll tell you a long story."

Li Zhuer said gratefully: "Thank you General Shi for your understanding. That person is in a bad mood today. I am worried that he will wake up early."

"Then I'll just say it."

Shi Chaoyi glanced at Li Zui, and Li Zui tactfully stepped back and closed the door. Shi Chaoyi said, "That's right, my father got a message that the imperial concubine was hiding in Quyang County, Taiyuan Prefecture...."

"Really?"

Li Zhu'er was surprised and happy and said, "An Lushan had always dreamed of the former concubine. When he heard Yang Huahua say that the imperial concubine was hiding in Taiyuan, he launched a battle against Taiyuan. If he really found the imperial concubine, he would definitely be crazy."

Shi Chaoyi waved his hand and smiled, "Of course it's not true. Actually, my father knows that Yang Guifei must be in the hands of Li Qing'an, but An Lushan refused to believe it. My father has been searching for it for a while, but he really found a woman who looks very much like Yang Guifei in the countryside of Yizhou. Of course, she is just a foolish woman in the countryside, and she is incomparable to the imperial concubine. But my father has been training her. Recently, he has finally trained her to look a little. My father hid her in Quyang County, Taiyuan Prefecture. You want to find an opportunity to reveal this news to An Lushan."

Li Zhu'er hesitated and said, "I'm afraid he doesn't believe it. I never go out. How could I know that the imperial concubine is hiding in Quyang County?"

"Of course it's not that you will reveal directly. Tomorrow morning, a female Taoist priest will come to An Lushan to provide information about the imperial concubine in Quyang County. It's best if you can come out and lead him to see An Lushan. In this way, you will be involved in the matter. Tell me, when is it better for her to come?"

Li Zhu'er thought for a while and said, "Si Shi is right! If there is no accident, I can come out, but I'm afraid there will be special things tomorrow. But if Si Shi doesn't work, it's okay."

Shi Chaoyi asked again: "Now, you must be the only one in the Yan Prince's Mansion, have you ever seen the imperial concubine?"

Li Zhuer nodded, "I used to serve An Lushan to enter the palace to attend a banquet. I met the imperial concubine once at the banquet. In fact, another eunuch Luo Bingzhong also met the imperial concubine, but he died of serious illness at the beginning of the year."

"That's right. You can ask An Lushan, you can go to Quyang County to identify it, and if so, you can pick up the imperial concubine."

Speaking of this, Shi Chaoyi took out a scroll of painting, opened it on the table, and smiled and said, "Looking at this painting, the female Taoist priest will use this painting to meet An Lushan tomorrow. There is also a jade chime used by the imperial concubine. My father spent a lot of money to ask the eunuch to steal it from the Southern Tang Palace. These two things are evidence."

Li Zhu'er stepped forward and looked at the painting. He saw Yang Guifei wearing a female Taoist priest robe, kneeling on the cushion with her hands in her arms, with a beautiful and refined appearance. He was surprised and said, "This is really a concubine!"

"Of course this is the imperial concubine. He was secretly painted by a court painter in Huaqing Palace. My father bought it for a lot of money. This painting is regarded as a portrait of the imperial concubine in the Taiyin Temple of Quyang. You have to remember that you must agree with the female Taoist priest's words. Finally, you have to take the initiative to ask to go to Quyang to identify it. Do you understand?"

Li Zhu'er's heart was pounding with nervousness. He nodded. Shi Chaoyi patted his shoulder and smiled and said, "I promise you that after this matter is over, I will send you to Chang'an and let you enjoy the wealth of the rest of your life in Chang'an."

Li Zhu'er was so moved that tears were about to come out. He knelt down and kowtowed twice, "I remember General Shi's kindness in my heart."

"Please get up! Please get up! Go back quickly! Don't let Fatty An suspect you."

"Then I'll leave."

Li Zhu'er didn't dare to stop, so she turned around and hurried away. Shi Chaoyi packed up his things and left Li Zui's house through the back door.

Before returning to the Yan Prince's Mansion, Li Zhuer quietly came to Li Zui's old house. Since Li Zui had a new house, he would not need this old house and was taken away by Li Zhuer.

The house was very old, with only three rooms, but it was just brick and tile houses, which were quite solid. It was originally Li Zhuer's father's house. After his parents died of illness, they were occupied by his uncle.

The room outside was empty, and the innermost room was filled with debris. Li Zhuer came to the corner of the wall, dug out a box with a shovel, and opened it. There was a heavy copper Buddha inside, which was about 60 kilograms. This was the golden Buddha made of one thousand taels of gold that Shi Siming gave him, and there was a layer of copper on the outside.

Li Zhu'er gently stroked the bronze Buddha, and he couldn't help but smile, "One thousand taels of gold!" It's worth 30,000 yuan. When did he have so much money in his life? At this moment, he felt that his whole life was full of hope.

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The next morning, An Lushan sat in the study and listened to the guards reading the information sent by various places. His eyes could barely see clearly when he just woke up in the morning, but his eyes would soon become blurred and he could not see the words clearly. Even if he stood alone in front of him, he was still vague. He identified the other party based on his feelings and voice. This was his big secret. Only a few of his confidant guards knew that he would not allow anything to be said. Even the counselor Gao Shang was hidden in the dark. This was also because An Lushan liked to call the generals to meet in the morning.

After hearing a few pieces of information, it was nothing more than asking for money and food in various places. An Lushan was no longer interested. He yawned and asked, "Is there anything else?"

At this time, Li Zhu'er, who was standing aside, secretly glanced at Shi Lu. It was almost time to Si Shi Zheng. He was so nervous that he almost jumped out. Seeing An Lushan asking, he hurried forward and said, "Prince, it's time to eat snacks. I'll go and bring snacks to the prince."

This is An Lushan's habit. At around the 19th, he must have a snack and drink a cup of hot tea. An Lushan nodded and Li Zhu'er hurried out. Not long after he left, he happened to see a maid coming with a plate of snacks. He took the plate of snacks and looked out the gate. He saw a guard poking his head at the gate of the yard. He asked, "What's the matter?"

"Brother Li, a female Taoist priest came at the door and said there was news about the imperial concubine."

Sure enough, Li Zhu'er's heart thundered wildly, and the guard said, "If the prince is not available, I will send her away."

This is why Shi Chaoyi asked Li Zhuer to come and answer. Since An Lushan offered a reward of 100,000 yuan to find Yang Guifei, there have been many people who have reported Yang Guifei in the past two years. At first, they were still interested, but after being disappointed, An Lushan was a little annoyed, and the guards did not dare to report it easily. Only when An Lushan happened to be not sleeping and was in a good mood, they dared to report it.

So if Li Zhu'er didn't come out, the female Taoist priest might not even have the chance to see An Lushan. Li Zhu'er said, "It's okay, let her wait a moment. The prince is resting. I'll report it."

Li Zhuer walked into the room with a plate. An Lushan was holding a cup to drink tea, his eyes narrowed into a slit, looking at a tree of locust flowers outside the window.

He put down the plate and whispered: "Prince, a female Taoist priest came outside and said there was news about Yang Guifei."

An Lushan frowned and said, "Why are you here again? Is it reliable?"

"I don't know if I haven't gone out, but I think, hasn't Yang Guifei been a female Taoist priest? Maybe it's interesting."

"Um!"

An Lushan nodded and said, "Then you go and ask first. If you really have some hope, then bring her in!"

An Lushan placed all his hopes for Yang Huahua to find Yang Huahua and no longer had any hope for others. Moreover, Yang Huahua said that Yang Guifei was in Taiyuan City, and now Taiyuan is strictly guarding her, so he has no idea.

Li Zhu'er went out and ran in for a moment and said, "Prince, I have some hope! The female Taoist priest came from Taiyuan Prefecture."

An Lushan was excited and said repeatedly: "Hurry! Come in quickly."

Soon, several guards walked in with a female Taoist priest, and saw that the female Taoist priest was about forty years old and had a fat face. She looked like a bad person.

She held a whisk in her left hand, bowed with her right hand to An Lushan and bowed, saying, "Immortal Heavenly Lord! I will meet His Highness, King Yan."

She was carrying a bag and was held in her hand by the guards. An Lushan couldn't wait to say, "Tao Niang, do you know where the imperial concubine?"

"I was with her seven days ago, but she is no longer a concubine, and her name is Taizhen."

An Lushan was stunned for a moment, and Li Zhuer said, "Your Highness, before Concubine Yang officially became a concubine, didn't he just become a monk and become a Taoist nun?"

An Lushan was overjoyed and said, "Tell me quickly, where is she?"

The female Taoist priest said calmly: "Your Highness, I came from the Taiyin Temple in Quyang County, Taiyuan Prefecture. Our Taiyin Temple was built by the wife of Qin. It is the eldest sister of the imperial concubine. Last September, a female Taoist priest came from Chang'an to practice in our imperial concubine. She was generous and highly valued by the Guanzhu and worshiped the Three Qingshu to her in the courtyard. I accidentally heard that her Taoist name was Taizhen, and she had never seen her appearance. Until two months ago, she felt a little sick. The Guanzhu ordered me to go to the courtyard to accompany her to practice. Only then did I see her true face. It turned out that it was indeed a beautiful country. By chance, I heard her maid call her the imperial concubine and was scolded by her. I realized that she was the famous Yang Guifei."

An Lushan felt itchy when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "Do you have any evidence?"

"Immortal Heavenly Lord, I came here for reward, so how could there be no evidence?"

She turned around and pointed to the package in the guard's hand. The guard quickly put the package on the table and unbuttoned it. She saw two things in the package, a purple jade chime and a painting scroll.

An Lushan pointed to the jade chime with his hand, and Li Zhu'er quickly picked it up and handed it to him. An Lushan carefully looked at the jade chime. The jade was crystal clear and warm, faintly purple, without any impurities, and it was definitely the best jade. An Lushan turned the jade chime and looked at the bottom. He saw handwriting on it. He couldn't see clearly, so he asked Li Zhu'er, "What is it written on it?"

Li Zhu'er didn't know much, but he just knew all the words on it. He read it word by word: "In the fourth year of Tianbao, Fan Yang Jiedushi An Lushan, the governor of Fan Yang, was enthroned by the imperial concubine."

"It's it!" An Lushan suddenly became excited, "I just said that this jade chime looks so familiar. It was the congratulatory gift I sent when the concubine was enthroned in the fourth year of Tianbao. It was this purple jade chime."

Li Zhu'er quickly flattered and said, "Congratulations to the prince. The imperial concubine still keeps the things the prince gave, which shows that she still has kindness to the prince."

An Lushan laughed so happily, and he said, "Expand the painting!"

Li Zhu'er quickly unfolded the scroll again. An Lushan didn't see anything else clearly, but when he saw Yang Guifei's appearance, his eyes suddenly improved. He saw a picture of the imperial concubine becoming a monk. The picture was very simple and had no background. Yang Guifei was wearing a Taoist robe, with loose hair, kneeling on Putuan Mountain and bowing with her hands together. Her appearance was so beautiful that everyone could see her.

An Lushan was stunned and asked the middle-aged Taoist nun for a while, "Who painted this?"

"It was painted by me. I was good at painting. I was a painter in Beidu before becoming a monk."
To be continued...