The carriage passed through the bustling streets and drove slowly towards the brightly lit Wanbao Tower. The streets were crowded with people. Occasionally, you could hear the storyteller's old-fashioned jokes from the teahouse:
"Zhenren Huanglong noticed something was wrong and looked back, only to see a sword coming from the horizon to the west. The hero Hua Junchen and Hua fell from the sky in a brocade white robe..."
On the carriage, Hua Qingzhi was as quiet as ever, just looking at the various street scenes through the car window, her eyes slightly lost in thought.
Hua Junchen, sitting opposite, was listening to the storyteller's words.
Hua Junchen has been fascinated by the world since he was a child, and he also loves to listen to these anecdotes. When he was young, he imagined several times that his story would be sung by others.
Now in his forties, this dream has been realized. The only drawback is that it has half a penny to do with him?
Return his mother's sword to the west...
When Hua Junchen heard these nonsensical nonsense, he could probably dig out an imperial city with his dirty toes. He wanted Hua Ning to go out several times and find local gangsters in the capital to suppress these rumors.
But the more he doesn't let people talk about this kind of thing, the more people will take it seriously. Forcibly explaining it will only make it darker and darker.
Hua Junchen had no choice but to hide in the carriage and act like an ostrich, secretly comforting himself by saying, "Rumors stop at the wise."
The carriage moved forward and soon came to the side alley of Wanbao Tower.
Ye Jingtang, who rushed back without stopping, had already changed his clothes in the house and came out of the door to greet him.
Hua Qingzhi's eyes flickered when she saw Ye Jingtang. With Lu Zhu's help, she got out of the car and asked:
"Did you send the painting to Wang Jiwen?"
"The prince is not at home, so he has been sent to the prince's residence."
After Ye Jingtang responded, he stepped forward to help move the wheelchair. Seeing that Uncle Hua was restless and his eyes were filled with sadness, he asked with concern:
"Uncle Hua, what happened in the woods? Have you explained it clearly to the government?"
"Oh, don't mention it."
Hua Junchen was filled with distracting thoughts, sighed softly, and looked back at his daughter:
"Qingzhi, if you don't want to be a father, you should go back to Chengtian Mansion to avoid the limelight. I didn't read the almanac when I went out this time. Everything will go wrong. I'm afraid something big will happen if I stay here any longer..."
When Hua Qingzhi saw that her father was going to go home and stay there, she was naturally happy. After all, this way, she would have the final say in the capital, and it would be much easier to live with Ye Jingtang in the future.
However, a direct response of "Okay, okay" would probably make her father angry to death, so Hua Qingzhi still softly persuaded her to stay:
"Even if dad takes action, he is still killing gangsters. Why should he pay attention to the nonsense of idlers..."
?
When Hua Junchen saw that his daughter still didn't believe that he was innocent, he felt that he couldn't stay in the capital anymore, so he immediately asked his guards to take good care of the young lady so that he could return to his hometown overnight.
But just as Hua Junchen was arranging things, there was suddenly the sound of a large group of people running on the street outside.
Hoof-tapping hoof-tapping...
"Step aside……"
Hua Junchen frowned slightly when he heard the noise, then turned around and came to the door to take a look.
Finally, when I looked up, I saw police officers from the 12th Division of the Brigade running towards the bustling street outside the alley.
The Twelve are the minions of the Emperor. Hua Junchen saw that this scene was not good, so he quickly asked:
"Everyone, this is..."
As soon as the sound came out, the policeman on the street looked towards the alley.
Then Eunuch Xu, wearing a eunuch's robe, appeared at the entrance of the alley, leading a few small yellow gates. His expression did not look very happy.
Seeing this look, Hua Junchen felt that something was wrong, so he stepped forward and cupped his hands:
"Eunuch Xu, have you discovered anything else about the five snake peak monsters?"
Xu Gong came closer, his eyes were constantly looking at Hua Junchen, and his tone was quite polite:
"Our family has been supervising work in Bishui Forest recently. Just now, a thief from the Qinglong Society sneaked into Bishui Forest. Bishui Forest is the place where the Queen Mother summers and recuperates. If the layout is found out, there is a hidden danger of assassination. This is a major event to punish the Nine Clans..."
"?"
Hua Junchen was confused: "The thieves from the Qinglong Society have sneaked in. Eunuch Xu is looking for the Qinglong Society. Why are you looking for me?"
Eunuch Xu came to Hua Junchen for a reason.
After all, there are not many warriors who are so good at Qinggong in the capital, and Hua Junchen happens to be one of them.
Moreover, Hua Junchen has been having an ambiguous relationship with the Qinglong Society recently. He was near Xixia Temple just now and had the time to commit a crime. Doesn’t this make him suspicious of whom?
Eunuch Xu put the fly whisk on his arm and glanced up and down:
"The thief who just sneaked in has good martial arts skills and excellent light skills. He was discovered by our family and injured with a hidden weapon. We came here and wanted to ask Mr. Hua if he had seen such a person when he came back today..."
Although Eunuch Xu didn't say it explicitly, Hua Junchen was not stupid either. Just by hearing the pointed tone, he knew that Eunuch Xu suspected that the thief who sneaked into Bishui Forest was him.
Hua Junchen was quite annoyed, but faced with the emperor's mouthpiece, he immediately untied his robe and exposed his shoulders:
"Where is the injury? Can Eunuch Xu point to Hua?"
"..."
Eunuch Xu didn't expect Hua Junchen to be so straightforward. He glanced briefly and found that his shoulder was clean without any scars. Naturally, his doubts were somewhat dispelled. He raised his hand and patted Hua Junchen's shoulder:
"The injury was in this place, and the Qinglonghui brand name was left on the scene. This is extremely arrogant. This matter is of great importance. Mr. Hua has been walking around the capital recently. Please help our family pay more attention..."
Hua Junchen knew that Eunuch Xu was taking the opportunity to check his pulse to see if there was anything unusual in his Qi and internal organs. His eyes were full of helplessness at the moment:
"Understood, I have been walking around the city a lot recently. If I find a suspicious thief, I will personally capture him and send him to the Twelve Prisons."
Eunuch Xu confirmed that the thief had been injured by Zhongsun Jin. At this time, he searched inside and outside and found nothing unusual about Hua Junchen. Naturally, the suspicion was ruled out and he nodded:
"Mr. Hua is interested. Let's take our leave first. Our responsibilities are ours. I hope Mr. Hua won't be surprised if I come to disturb you today."
"Where, where, it should be..."
Eunuch Xu was busy with his affairs and had to go to Xu Tianying's house to check whether Xu Tianying, who had extraordinary light skills, was suspicious. After a few polite words, he led the people out of the alley.
Seeing this, Hua Junchen breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to see him off. After the officers from the Twelve Stations left, he turned back to the alley and said displeasedly:
"With all my eyesight, I can be so crazy that I become a killer for the Qinglong Society and even sneak into the Bishui Forest privately? It's really..."
Hua Qingzhi has always been with her father, so she naturally believed that Hua Junchen was wronged, and comforted her:
"Everything in the Twelve Offices is like this. Don't take it to heart. Don't you be afraid of shadows when you are upright..."
When Hua Junchen saw that his daughter finally no longer doubted him, his eyes were pleased. Because he was afraid that the Twelve Institutes would suspect him of absconding out of fear of crime, he couldn't go back to his hometown overnight at this time. After entering the house while chatting, he returned to his courtyard.
Ye Jingtang followed behind and waited until Hua Junchen left, then stepped forward to push the wheelchair and wanted to send Hua Qingzhi back to her room to rest.
But as soon as the group of people walked out of the quiet and elegant house not far away, a voice suddenly sounded:
"Who put a brick in the yard?"
Hua Qingzhi, who was sitting in a wheelchair, was a little confused about this:
"brick?"
When Ye Jingtang heard this, he was quite baffled. Together with Hua Ning, they came to the door of Hua Junchen's residence and looked around.
In the courtyard, Hua Junchen was standing in front of the main house.
On the white stone steps in front of him, there was a blue brick, which just blocked the way into the house and was very conspicuous.
When Hua Junchen saw Ye Jingtang and several guards running over to take a look, he turned around and asked:
"Hua An, did you come back just now?"
Seeing this scene, Ye Jingtang suddenly remembered the secret code for joining the Green Dragon Society, which was to put a brick in the alley.
Seeing this sudden brick, Ye Jingtang guessed that it was Old Liu from the Qinglong Society who was looking for him, but he mistakenly thought he was Hua Junchen and put the brick in the wrong place, so he quickly explained:
"When I first came back, Yunli was sweeping the dust with a feather duster, but he probably couldn't reach it. He put a brick on it and forgot to put it away."
Hua Junchen raised his eyes and looked at the eaves above. He felt that girl Yunli couldn't reach this height. He didn't care at the moment and picked up his head:
"This girl is quite diligent. She can use the ladder if she can't reach her. It would be dangerous to step on the bricks."
As he spoke, he threw the brick aside, patted it and walked towards the room:
"Okay, let's all go down and have a rest."
"Okay, sir..."
——
Soon after, spring filled the alley behind the building.
The night is getting darker, and there are no people in the back alleys. However, Lao Liu, the mysterious Qinglong Club contact person in the past few days, rarely hides in the dark, but carries a box on his back and walks around under the wall.
.
Tap tap tap~
After going back and forth countless times, a familiar knock came from the wall of Chunmanlou:
Dong Dong~
Old Liu quickly turned his head. Although he covered his face with a scarf, his old eyes with crow's feet were clearly angry, and he said coldly:
"Why did you come?"
When Ye Jingtang saw that the Qinglong Society was really looking for him, he didn't know what to say in his heart, so he responded:
"I just saw the mark. I'm not Hua Junchen. If you want to make connections in the future, you can put a brick at the door of the Tutou Shop in the Imperial College. I'll come over when I see it."
Do you still dare to say that you are not Hua Junchen?
When Lao Liu heard this, he was speechless. After all, it was not Hua Junchen. How could you see Brick and come over on time?
However, the Qinglong Society really shouldn't disturb the killer's life on the outside. Today's emergency summons broke the rules. Old Liu apologized in advance:
"The situation is urgent. I hope you won't blame me. The Qinglong Society will contact you according to your arrangements in the future."
Ye Jingtang didn't say much on this matter and asked:
"Mr. Liu, is there something urgent?"
When Lao Liu heard this, he became angry again:
"Did you sneak into the Bishui Forest just now?"
Ye Jingtang said frankly: "Yes, I went to explore the news of alchemy, and I accidentally discovered it."
"Did you even know you were discovered?!"
Old Liu was a little angry:
"You've already run away, why do you want to leave the name of the Blue Dragon Club on the ground?"
Ye Jingtang confidently said: "I didn't leave any writing, how do you know that I have really been to Bishui Forest? I paid for the news with my life?"
"...?"
Old Liu was so stupefied by these words that he almost lost his breath. After holding it in for a long time, he gritted his teeth and nodded:
"It makes sense! But do you know where Bishui Forest is? It's a garden built for the Queen Mother. It doesn't matter if you run in to investigate, and you keep the name of Qinglong Society in a fair and just way. Do you want to destroy the Qinglong Society?"
"
Ye Jingtang shrugged slightly: "Do you want the information? Just clarify it to the outside world and say it was not the Qinglong Club. I can still get money by selling the information to others."
"..."
When Old Liu heard this, he took a deep breath, suppressed the unknown fire in his heart, and returned to his former self:
"Why not? You dare to spy on the news. If our Qinglong Society doesn't dare to buy it, how can we gain a foothold in the world in the future?"
"Isn't that enough? I risked my life to leave my name in order to keep the news true. If something like this happened, you can sell the news so that you can ask for a higher price. Otherwise, how will the seller know whether the news about the Qinglong Club is true or false?"
Lao Liu felt that this was not unreasonable, but he still emphasized seriously:
"Spying information is different from killing people. The price is not high and there is no need to take such a big risk. Moreover, if the target is alerted by this and changes the location, the information will be out of date and cannot be sold.
"Next time, remember to keep a low profile. If you insist on leaving a font name to make sure the news is true, you can leave the font name of Shuofengcheng or Caobang. The effect will be the same."
"I understand, I'll be more careful next time."
Old Liu nodded slightly and then asked about the business:
"What news did you find out?"
"This news, in exchange for all the management expenses of the Imperial City."
"As long as the news is worth the price, of course it's okay. If the price of the news is profitable, the Qinglong Club will pay you dividends. We, the Qinglong Club, rely on credibility to establish our foothold in the world."
Ye Jingtang and Old Man Liu said this in order to use the help of the Qinglong Society to spread the news and attract people from the Jianghu to disrupt the situation, so that he could profit from it, and the money and so on were just incidental. He immediately said directly:
"The imperial court is refining an elixir that can elevate a martial artist's skills to a higher level. If a top master takes it, he can enter the union of heaven and man; if Wu Kui takes it, there will be no threshold for becoming a martial saint; and if a martial saint takes it, he can advance to the top of the world.
three."
Old Liu had heard rumors about the elixir, but he didn't expect that even Wu Kui and Wu Sheng could use it. He frowned and said:
"Sure?"
"What Eunuch Xu, the Twelve Attendants, said personally is absolutely true."
"How many of these miracle medicines are there?"
"There are only seven pills guaranteed. They are refined in the clear water forest, and there is already a patent medicine."
Lao Liu put his hands behind his back and gently rubbed his fingers, considered it briefly, and then asked:
"Such a miracle medicine, there must be an expert to control it. Can you find out who it is?"
"Zhongsun Jin. I was hurt by him, and I only wrote half of the font size."
?!
When Lao Liu heard this, he was shocked:
"When you meet Zhongsun Jin, do you dare to stop and leave your signature?"
"How do you know the news is true without leaving a mark?"
"..."
Okay, the topic comes back again.
Although Lao Liu was shocked in his heart, the commotion in the Twelve Institutes was so big that he had to admit the authenticity of the news and nodded:
"You are really a talented and brave person. This news is indeed valuable, but it is not easy to sell. If you dare to buy it in the world, I am afraid that the North and the South combined can only afford it."
Ye Jingtang said: "Beiyun, Monk Shenchen, and those old monsters hiding in the world will all be interested. You can contact them all. If you can get them all, the possibility of success is extremely high."
Old Liu shook his head and said: "Monk Shenchen is a monk, so I'm not sure whether he will join the world for this. If Beiyunbian wants it, tell the court directly, and the court will definitely discuss it in order to recruit people. There is no need to offend the court to death for this."
; As for the others, they are somewhat inferior in strength.
"The only people who are really willing to pay a sky-high price for this news, counting the Northern and Southern Dynasties, are Ye Jingtang and Lu Taiqing of the Southern Dynasty. Ye Jingtang and Beiliang have a deadly feud, and it is rumored that the empress is the face of the emperor and is loyal to the Southern Dynasty. This news is very important to
For him, it is an urgent matter..."
Ye Jingtang blinked and felt that Old Liu was quite accurate in reading people, so he responded:
"Mr. Liu, you can contact them all and try. Anyway, these people can afford the price, and you don't really have to take the risk to buy it."
Lao Liu thought about it and nodded immediately:
"Okay, the Qinglong Society has accepted this news. The way to enter the palace will be arranged for you as soon as possible. But you must also keep it secret. If the goods are sold to two families, don't say that the gang broke their promises afterwards."
"clear."
After Lao Liu finished speaking, he didn't stay long and disappeared into the night with his book box on his back.
Ye Jingtang waited for a moment, and after making sure that Old Liu was gone, he quietly left...
——
As the busy day came to an end, the Hua family mansion behind Wanbao Building became completely quiet.
Deep in the back house, in the boudoir where the young lady lived, there was still a light on.
Luzhu yawned and walked into the house, holding a medicine bowl in his hand, which contained the medicine that had just been brewed, and walked into the room:
"Miss, take the medicine and go to bed early."
Coming out of the window of the room, Hua Qingzhi, who had just taken a bath, was wearing white pajamas, sitting sideways by the chess table by the window, flipping a sunspot with her fingers, and the touch of a dragonfly in the afternoon kept echoing in her mind.
Hearing Lu Zhu's voice, Hua Qingzhi came back to her senses and raised her hand to take the medicine bowl:
"This medicine is so bitter, how long do I have to drink it?"
"Alas, all the hard work comes with joy."
Lu Zhu sat down in front of her and helped rub her legs:
"I don't know how beautiful I will be when my legs are healed and I can walk around freely and dance for free. By then, I am afraid that I will not only be the most talented woman in Yanjing, but also win the title of 'the most beautiful woman in Yanjing'"
The title..."
Hua Qingzhi used to really long for being able to jump around, but now she was not very happy when she heard this:
"A big tree attracts the wind, and it is not a good thing for a woman to be too beautiful."
Luzhu has been by her side since she was a child, so she didn't understand Hua Qingzhi's thoughts and secretly said:
"Young lady doesn't want to be a princess, and I don't want to be a palace maid yet. Isn't Mr. Ye in the palace now? If the family presses me, the young lady will say that I don't know anything about Mr. Ye, and my family will definitely not dare to marry you..."
Hua Qingzhi raised her hand and poked Lu Zhu’s forehead:
"What are you talking about? What should I do if someone hears it? Moreover, the family cannot completely decide on the marriage. If the Holy Father had granted the marriage with a wave of his hand that day, would Grandpa still be able to resist the decree of the Duke of the Southern Dynasty?"
Luzhu blinked, feeling that this was indeed a big trouble, and hesitated for a moment:
"Why don't you stop taking the medicine and wait two years?"
"What are you waiting for?"
"wait……"
Lu Zhu wanted to say that she would wait until Mr. Ye led the troops to attack, but if she said this, she was afraid that the young lady would suffer a brain breakdown, so she immediately changed her words:
"Should you wait until you are older? Normally, you enter the palace at the age of sixteen or seventeen. If you are older, you will miss the age. Naturally, the court will not select young ladies anymore."
Hua Qingzhi shook her head slightly at this. As the legitimate daughter of the Hua family, her age meant that her age was not very important. As long as the Hua family behind her was still there, even if she was thirty years old, she still had no control over her marriage.
But no matter how much she thinks about these things, she will always have a choice when her legs are healed. If she wants to run away from home that day to escape the marriage, she won't have to run away in a wheelchair. Hua Qingzhi thought so, picked up the medicine bowl and took a sip.
mouth.
Luzhu sat sideways in front of her, put Hua Qingzhi's legs on her knees and rubbed them slowly, and wanted to say a few words of comfort, but out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed something falling outside the window.
Phew~
Hua Qingzhi was taking a sip of medicine and looking at the moon outside the window. As she looked, she found a black shadow falling elegantly from the roof and landing directly in front of the window very close to her!
"Pfft-cough..."
Ye Jingtang just came back from Chunman Building and found that Hua Qingzhi was still awake so late. He originally wanted to come over and say hello, but as soon as he landed, he was sprayed with potion on his face and was stunned on the spot.
When Hua Qingzhi saw clearly that it was a night terror, her eyes turned into panic, and she quickly took out the handkerchief from her arms:
"Mr. Ye, why are you..."
"it's okay no problem……"
Ye Jingtang wiped the water stains on his face with his sleeve:
"I just came back and saw the lights on in your room, so I came over to take a look. I didn't say anything for fear of disturbing others, but I didn't expect it to scare you. What kind of medicine is this? It's so painful..."
"?"
Hua Qingzhi's expression was slightly blank, and she licked her red lips, trying to look angry, but her eyes were filled with embarrassment.
After Ye Jingtang said something casually, he also realized that something was not right. He coughed lightly again and turned around and said:
"What...I just came here to take a look. I have to go to the Imperial College tomorrow morning to go to school. You should go to bed early and I will go back to my room to sleep."
Hua Qingzhi was originally in a state of confusion, but after being interrupted like this, she was blinded. She didn't say a word until Ye Jingtang's figure disappeared from the eaves again.
Luzhu's eyes were quite strange. He stood up, closed the window, and asked in a low voice:
"Miss, does this count as giving medicine mouth-to-mouth...ah~ I was wrong, I was wrong..."
Hua Qingzhi had something wrong with her legs but not her hands. Her face turned red and she pinched Luzhu’s waist and eyes:
"If you keep talking nonsense, I will marry you off!"
"No more talk, no more talk. Miss, please drink the medicine quickly. It will get cold later."
"..."
Hua Qingzhi wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, looked at the window again, then picked up the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. Then she was helped back to the show bed. It looked like she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight...