Firstly, it is the hot weather in July, which makes everyone feel irritable. Secondly, because the Minister of Industry, Warrior Xun, and General Zuo Xiaowei, Sun Shunde, have almost turned Chang'an upside down recently and are looking for thieves everywhere.
What thief are you looking for?
The courtiers knew this well.
The missing crossbow from the Ministry of Industry was revealed, and the emperor was furious. He severely ordered the warrior Xun and the King of Chu to solve the case within half a month.
People with knowledge of the matter, such as the prince who received the news from Zheng Shanguo, and King Qin Li Shimin who received the news from Changsun Shunde, all knew that the Ministry of Industry had started losing ordnance two months ago, but it was only exposed recently when it could not cover it up.
Therefore, they are skeptical about whether Samurai Yu can solve the case.
Li Yuanji, who only makes random guesses, doesn't pay much attention to these things. When he meets Li Zhiyun, he won't politely tell him, like the prince and the King of Qin, "Just ask if you need it." Li Yuanji will only pat Li Zhiyun on the shoulder and say something;
That old guy, Samurai Yun, will definitely not be able to solve the case. Zhiyun, you should go to the prince to discuss it.
Yes, that's right. Li Yuanji stayed in Chang'an and refused to leave. Old Li acquiesced and the courtiers could not stop him. This led Li Yuanji to win over Li Zhiyun to fencing with the prince whenever he had the chance.
Li Zhiyun didn't have any special hobbies, so he was naturally unwilling. Therefore, every time he shook his head and rejected Li Yuanji with a sad face, and said with "good intentions": "This matter is of great importance. The crossbow is lost. If the murderer cannot be found, it will be implicated."
Brother, how can I bear it!"
After saying that, he rushed into the Ministry of Industry without looking back and began to escape from the world.
The struggle in the Zhengshitang was quite fierce. According to Li Zhiyun's knowledge, the prince had suffered several losses at the hands of the Qin King's clan since the return of King Qin. If it hadn't been for Lao Li's support at the critical moment, the prince would have really been in dire straits.
There was no way. Although Li Yuanji could participate in political discussions in the political hall, he himself did not have the ability and could not defeat his arch-rival Chen Shuda.
The prince wanted Li Zhiyun to get involved and win over Li Zhiyun to fight against his second brother, but unfortunately, Li Zhiyun was now hampered by the loss of his crossbow and was unable to do anything else.
Yuanhu Restaurant.
In a guest room on the west floor upstairs, if you open the window, you will see the Five Lakes Restaurant opposite.
A figure was sitting by the window, drinking quietly. His eyes were looking at the private room on the second floor of Wuhu Restaurant, where the target person was drinking.
His previous name has been abandoned, and the superiors have given him a fancy name, called Wuying. The younger brothers below call him Brother Wuying.
Dong dong dong......
A knock on the door sounded in his ears, and Wuying got up and walked over to open the door.
The boy outside nodded and walked in. Wuying closed the door and asked: "How is the situation?"
"Changsun Shunde left, nothing was found." The younger brother's nickname was Duanshuishui, which was said to be given by the boss above.
Wu Ying thought the name Duan Shui Shui was quite embarrassing, and once asked Buck Ya Zhen to give him a fancy name, but Buck Ya Zhen told him that the name Wu Ying was even more embarrassing.
"Brother Wuying, where is the warrior Yu?"
"Still on the other side."
Duanshui Shui looked at the window for a while, and said with a sad face: "This old guy either went to a brothel or drank, but nothing can be found."
"Where does all this nonsense come from?" Brother Wuying scolded him.
Brother Wuying and Duanshui Shui stared at each other for a while. Suddenly, Brother Wuying noticed a man walking into Wuhu Wine Shop.
Then, the window on the second floor of Wuhu Restaurant across the street closed with a snap.
"Who was that person just now?" Wuying asked.
Duanshui Shui shook his head, "I didn't see clearly."
Wuying pondered for a while, then took out a money bag and handed it to Duanshui Shui, "Go to the other side and have a look. Make sure to find out the identity of that person."
"Thank you Brother Wuying, I understand."
At night, Prince Chu's Mansion.
In the study, Li Zhiyun is sorting out the news about the search of the Ministry of Industry in the past few days. The murderer still has no clue, but he has found a lot of evidence that officials in the Ministry of Industry are corrupt.
The Ministry of Industry has little oil and water, and is not greedy. The most they can get is only thirty taels of silver.
Li Zhen knocked on the door and walked in, reporting: "Your Highness, there is news from Duan Shui Shui that in the past few days, in addition to being in contact with the eldest grandson Shunde, warrior Xun has also been in contact with another person."
"who?"
"The general of the left prison gate, Qian Jiulong."
Um?
Li Zhiyun raised his head with questioning eyes.
Li Zhen said: "Wuying and Duanshuihui watched for a long time and found that Samurai Xun and Qian Jiulong had been talking for more than two hours at Wuhu Restaurant."
Such a long time?
Li Zhiyun secretly thought that although Qian Jiulong was also a member of Jinyang Yuancong, he had not heard of how good his relationship with the warrior Yun was.
How could Qian Jiulong be involved?
interesting.
He immediately gave instructions: "Let Duanshuishui lead people to follow Qian Jiulong, and leave the warrior Yu to Wuying."
"As commanded."
After Li Zhen went down, Li Zhiyun walked back and forth in the study, thinking about what Qian Jiulong's appearance meant. After much deliberation, he still had no clue. There was no tangible evidence, and he really couldn't figure out what it meant behind all this.
Warrior Yun and Qian Jiulong, how did they get together?
The next day.
Wei Siqi got up early, got dressed, and prepared to go to the Ministry of Works to continue investigating the case of the theft of ordnance with King Chu. To be honest, after wasting time in the Ministry of Works these past few days, Wei Siqi really didn't expect to find out anything.
At this moment, his wife stepped forward and said, "The lady came to the house yesterday and asked me to give this thing to you."
"What is this?" Wei Siqi looked at the bundle in Madam's hand.
"I heard from the eldest lady that the King of Chu gave Xiao Shun Niang a jade pendant. The two pairs of children's shoes in this bag were sewed by her overnight and given to His Highness the King of Chu as a return gift for his children."
Wei Siqi understood. He rolled his eyes, took the bundle and put it on the horse.
Wei Siqi's wife asked curiously: "Does His Royal Highness the King of Chu know the eldest lady?"
"You don't need to ask more about this matter. I will explain it to you later." Wei Siqi got on his horse, thought for a while, and reminded: "You are not allowed to talk nonsense outside, do you understand?"
Seeing her husband's serious expression, she immediately nodded, "I won't talk nonsense."
After arriving at the Ministry of Industry and busy until noon, Wei Siqi found a chance to be alone with King Chu.
"Your Highness, this is the lady's return gift to thank you."
Wei Siqi handed over the baggage.
"Return gift?"
Wei Siqi nodded and explained: "The eldest lady said that she has no special skills and can only sew two pairs of shoes for the prince and princess with her own hands to express her feelings."
Li Zhiyun understood. It seemed that Wei Siqi knew about his contact with Wei Gui.
So, he took the bundle and opened it with a smile. Inside, there were two pairs of tiger-head shoes, which were very delicate and cute.
Closing the baggage and putting it aside, Li Zhiyun said with a smile: "The eldest lady is interested. I am very happy that Xiao Shunniang is smart. When you go back, tell the eldest lady so that she can be free and take the child to the palace. Tell the princess more.
Talk. You also know that the princess has given birth to a daughter, and she is worried that no one will tell her how to raise her daughter."
"I obey my orders." Wei Siqi handed over his hand.
At this point, he basically understood that the King of Chu was indeed interested in his cousin. If he couldn't understand this obvious excuse, his life would be in vain.
After thinking about it carefully, he felt excited. This was his perfect opportunity. If the King of Chu and the eldest lady could really make a good story, then his status among the officials in the King of Chu's palace would definitely be improved!