The wind is sunny and the streets of Longdu are bustling with people.
The north wind has been blowing for more than ten days in a row. Today is a rare good weather, so there are more people on the street than in the past few days.
The Tai'an Teahouse located in the south city of Longdu is already overcrowded.
This teahouse is close to the public and nearby markets, so business is particularly prosperous.
The most famous thing here is the dragon and tiger steamed buns. Although it is just a simple steamed bun, the steamed buns here are famous far and wide.
Not to mention anything else, the teahouse's signboard was written by Emperor Taizu himself.
It can be seen that the taste of this bun is not covered.
"Have you got the tickets yet?"
At this time, a thin man sitting in the lobby asked his companion in a low voice.[
"Hey, don't mention it. I went a step too late and it's all sold out. If you want to see it, you can only buy it from Baoju."
Another person sighed and said unwillingly.
“What’s the price on the black market now?”
"I heard it's already twenty-five taels of silver. That's it. You have to pay first and wait in line. If that doesn't work, I can only go to the black market and buy one."
"Yes, don't miss it. Otherwise it would be a pity. Prince Weiyuan is a Tianwen-level onmyoji. I have always heard of his name, but I have never seen him. I heard that his cultivation is already extraordinary."
"..."
Liu Xia sat in a leaning position and couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard the people behind him muttering.
Dabao was sitting on Liu Xia's side, his cheeks bulging high as he ate. There were dozens of baskets stacked on one side, so he had obviously eaten a lot.
"Boss, thirty more cages!"
At this time, Dabao shouted.
Immediately, many people looked sideways.
After all, it was a spiritual beast wearing a cassock, but it was too eye-catching.
"I'm going to wipe it, so you can't eat it slowly, and no one will fight with you."
Liu Xia couldn't help frowning when she saw Dabao eating, wishing she could sit at another table.
It's so embarrassing, it's like the reincarnation of a starving ghost.[
Dabao obviously pretended not to hear and continued to eat and drink haphazardly.
Liu Xia picked up a steamed bun and bit it open gently. The delicious soup from the steamed bun gushed out. She took a sip first, then dipped it in the sauce and ate it in one bite.
I couldn't help but close my eyes.
This bun is indeed a delicacy in the world.
Although they are all ordinary ingredients, I don’t know how they can make them so delicious.
Dabao stopped and saw Liu Xia enjoying himself, so he smiled disdainfully and said, "Look at how you are seeking death, and you still laugh at this poor monk?"
"Shit, I am fundamentally different from you, okay?"
Liu Xia said disdainfully.
"Your Majesty, what are we waiting for here?"
Zhang Zong and Qian Zhen, who were sitting on one side, asked curiously.
"Isn't it the Chinese New Year soon? The heads of all the major families in the Dragon Soul Continent have returned to Dragon Capital to pay their respects. Look at the mansion opposite. Whose mansion do you think this belongs to?"
Liu Xia smiled lightly.
"Well, it looks very ordinary in the mansion, and it's still in the inner city. He's at most a nouveau riche, right? He's rich but not necessarily powerful!"
Qian Zhen analyzed.
"Haha, that's not necessarily the case. There are dragons and crouching tigers in the Dragon City. Don't underestimate this house. It has a lot of background. Have you seen the two servants at the door? Their belts are tattooed with gold threads. This is something that the nouveau riche would do.
?”
Zhang Zong is an old Jianghu after all, so he smiled disdainfully.
Qian Zhen took a look and found that it was true. He couldn't help but asked curiously: "Then whose mansion is this?"
"This is the Murong family's property."
Liu Xia sneered.
"The Murong family? But the Murong family in Yangchunjiang?"
Qian Zhen asked in slight shock.
"Yes, the Murong family, one of the ten great families of Dragon Soul."
Liu Xia nodded and smiled.
"Then what are we doing here?"
Dabao muttered with his mouth full of buns.
"The head of the Murong family arrived in Longdu three days ago to prepare to pay tribute to the Holy Spirit. He was supposed to live in Hongyuan Manor outside Longdu City, but Dai Binglong said that the head of the Murong family did not live there, but had always lived here.
Therefore, I want to see what the head of the Murong family wants to do living in seclusion in Longdu."
Liu Xia smiled lightly.
At this time, the door of the mansion slowly opened, and seven or eight people came out of the mansion.
The leader was naturally Murong Xi, the head of the Murong family, followed by his eldest son Murong Qing and several retainers.
They were obviously sending someone away.
At this moment, a thin old man with white beard and hair exchanged a few words with each other and then got on the carriage.
When Liu Xia saw the old man, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Because Liu Xia knew that old man. He was a steward in the eldest princess's palace, and Liu Xia had met him several times.
If it were normal, there would be nothing surprising.
However, the old eunuch who came out just now was obviously not on official business. If it was official business, why didn't he wear court clothes?
What is even more noteworthy is that this old man can actually let the head of the Murong family send him off in person, which is not easy.
"Who is this old man?"
At this time, even Dabao, who was eating and drinking wildly, asked curiously.
"He's the general manager of the eldest princess."
Liu Xia said softly.
"It's her again?"
Dabao couldn't help but be stunned.
Since returning from Heifeng Village, Liu Xia has quietly noticed her aunt, Princess Chang'an, starting from the little eunuch she found in the leather goods shop.
Princess Chang'an made a very good impression on Liu Xia.
Gentle and quiet, noble and elegant, graceful and graceful.
But as Liu Xia got to know the eldest princess deeply, Liu Xia also gradually realized that her aunt was far from as simple as he saw.
Mr. Xue Ge said before that the eldest princess founded this feared Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Being able to manage a secret service agency spread across the country is not something that ordinary people can do.
These days, with the in-depth understanding of the eldest princess, what she discovered shocked Liu Xia even more.
The eldest princess actually had outstanding military exploits before she founded the Imperial Procuratorate.
The most famous one is the bandit suppression in Southern Xinjiang, which she personally commanded as the warlord. The battle allowed the South China Sea to be pacified for decades, and also made Nangong Tianqi famous throughout the world.
In the ten years since Emperor Tianbao ascended the throne, his aunt has led troops to fight in seven or eight tough battles, driving away Tianxuan in the north and killing pirates in the south. It can be said that her military exploits are outstanding.
Secondly, she has a network of connections all over the world.
From the princes and nobles to the border generals, everyone seems to have a connection with her.
Today, I saw with my own eyes here that the majestic head of the family actually sent one of her attendants to him in person. This shows how high the eldest princess is in the eyes of the family.
As the saying goes, you can see the whole leopard when you peep into one spot. This aunt of his is really not a simple person.
In other words, if she wanted to make some noise, it would be too easy.
At present, Liu Xia is not sure whether she has any direct relationship with Heifeng Village, but she, like the prince, is extremely suspicious.
At this time, Tong Dawei hurriedly entered the teahouse and whispered in Liu Xia's ear: "Your Majesty, news just came from the Ministry of Punishment that Liu Hongtao committed suicide."
"Guessed it."
Liu Xia gave a bitter smile, stood up and said, "Let's go to the Criminal Department."
Liu Hongtao's betrayal of the enemy before the battle was already an unavoidable crime, and it was also a serious crime of confiscating his family and exterminating his clan.
From his mouth, they dug out Tuoba Lingyun. It was just because Liu Xia and Tuoba Lingyun had a feud, so the Ministry of Punishment needed to come forward to put Tuoba Lingyun to death.
As a result, since Liu Hongtao arrived in Longdu, he has been pretending to be crazy and stupid all day long, and he has not been able to get any advantageous confessions from the Ministry of Punishment.
Liu Xia knew that Tuoba Lingyun was one of the masterminds of Black Wind Village, but the leader of Black Wind Village, Huang Long, was dead, and the only witness was Liu Hongtao. Now, Liu Hongtao is also dead.
Things became very difficult.
Caiwei's mind-reading ability can know the truth, but that cannot be used as evidence.
After all, it would be too childish for a dignified prince to be killed just because of a few words from a little girl.
Fortunately, Liu Xia now has Tan Yong and Xiang Dongmei in his hands.
These two people are enough to prove Tuoba Lingyun's second identity. Originally, Liu Xia kept two people as spares, but now it looks like they may come in handy.
First, take down Tuoba Lingyun, and then you can find out all the dirty tricks behind Black Wind Village.
As for whether Tuoba Lingyun has any relationship with Princess Chang'an or the prince, Liu Xia is not sure yet. However, it is not enough to rely on Tuoba Lingyun to be the emperor.
Because he is not from a noble family, there is no hope if he wants to usurp the throne.
Liu Xia guessed that the prince or Princess Chang'an was the final mastermind of Black Wind Village.
Upon entering the Punishment Department, Zhao Changgong hurriedly welcomed him out. After some pleasantries, Zhao Changgong took Liu Xia directly into the Punishment Department Prison.
The prison of the Ministry of Punishment is also called the Tianlao.
Only real criminals are qualified to be imprisoned here. Generally speaking, people imprisoned here have almost no hope or hope of getting out.
As soon as he stepped off the steps of the Tianlao, Liu Xia frowned at the rotten smell.
There is no sunlight all day long, it is extremely dark and humid, and even the steps are covered with moss.
Inside the prison, there was an air of death.
Arriving at the door of Liu Hongtao's cell, Liu Xia couldn't help but sigh.
At this moment, Liu Hongtao was lying on the ground, already dead.
However, his hair was unkempt and his prison uniform was stained with blood. If you didn't look carefully, it would be difficult to tell that this man was the commander-in-chief of the capital who was all-powerful in Wuzhou.
Liu Xia knelt down and took a closer look. Liu Hongtao's face was pale and his eyes were bloodshot, but the blood at the corner of his mouth was green. He had obviously died of poisoning.
"How did the poison get into the prison?"
Liu Xia turned around and asked.
"My subordinates are investigating."
Zhao Changgong hurriedly bowed his waist and said.
"That's all, don't waste any time."
Liu Xia waved his hand and said.
"this……"
"Tomorrow morning, you can report to His Majesty and see how His Majesty will deal with him. You don't need to worry about the rest. By the way, how is the Ma Xiao case now?"
Liu Xia raised her head and asked.
"Well, we already have an idea. According to what Ma Xiao said, we did receive an order from the Protector of the Country that day. The minister has already written a memorial and submitted it to the Holy One, but the Holy One has not made a decision yet, so the minister does not dare to rush
Case closed.”
Zhao Changgong said.
"I understand. I am busy with official duties, so I will not disturb you. I will take my leave."
Having said this, Liu Xia walked towards the outside of the prison.
I originally thought of letting Liu Hongtao give Tuoba Lingyun an end, but now I see that I have no choice but to do it myself.
Tomorrow morning, the feud with Tuoba Lingyun will be finally settled!