Sun Xiaozhe was preparing to return to Fanyang. The officials and soldiers were busy, carrying various objects. This time they brought a large number of gifts from An Lushan, and the saint gave more rewards. Therefore, they returned
Instead, we need to prepare more carriages and horses.
Exquisite gold and silver utensils are packed into beautiful mahogany boxes one by one, forming a torrent that best reflects the prosperity of this prosperous age.
Yang Qixuan came here early today, found Sun Xiaozhe's official residence by familiar means, and found that Ji Wen was also there.
"We specially prepared some dried fruits for General Sun to take with him to eat on the road."
"Um."
Yang Qixuan put down the basket in his hand and found that Sun Xiaozhe and Ji Wen were sitting very close to each other, as if they were talking to each other but were interrupted by his visit. While they were talking to each other, Sun Xiaozhe didn't think Ji Wen had a bad mouth.
It was difficult for him to ask what they were talking about just now, so the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
"Um...I heard that General Sun is leaving today, so I came here to see him off."
"I'm not leaving." Sun Xiaozhe said with a straight face, staring at the persimmons in the basket as if he had a grudge against it.
"Why don't you leave again?"
After Yang Qixuan asked casually, he noticed Sun Xiaozhe's expression. Turks were inherently vicious, so he couldn't help but be startled.
"The things haven't been put away yet." Ji Wen replied with a smile: "The saint's reward is too generous."
"yes."
Yang Qixuan was about to leave, but he saw a very capable man walking in quickly, clasping his fists and saying: "I found out, the concubine's name is Zhang Siniang, from the Jiaofang, Wang Zhongsi and Xue Bai went to rob
Yes, the person who went to pick her up today is from Lishan..."
"Ahem, cough, cough." Jiwen coughed, reminding the messenger that there was an outsider here.
This is Chang'an, and unlike Fan Yang, you still have to be cautious when doing things in Chang'an.
Yang Qixuan heard the coughing sound, as if he had returned to the time of Li Linfu. Suddenly he realized that he used to feel miserable being a son-in-law for a fighting cock, but now that he has taken refuge in Anlu Mountain, he is even more worried. There are Turks at every turn, and the Khitan people stare at him with murderous eyes.
come over.
But after thinking about it, he turned around and said, "Xue Bai? If you want to deal with Xue Bai, I can help."
In this way, he wanted to take the opportunity to please them and hope to be reused.
After hearing this, Ji Wen's eyes flashed, and he twirled the tips of his lips with both hands. After thinking for a while, he said: "Okay, you go and take Zhang Siniang home, and I will go over and ask questions before the curfew."
"Zhang Siniang from Jiaofang? Su Wanu's wife?"
Yang Qixuan really knew her, and he even fell in love with her.
At that time, the powerful people in Chang'an hosted a banquet for Su Wnu. They only needed to give enough money to get Su Wnu drunk and seduce Zhang Siniang. Yang Qixuan was different. He was too lazy to drink, so Su Wnu would drink a glass and pretend to be drunk, lying next to him and listening to the noise.
Unfortunately, later Xue Bai made a fuss and cut off the path to the Jiaofang. Yang Qixuan's family had a strict upbringing and it was not easy to raise an outsider, so he had to go to Qixiani Temple instead. Others just thought he was there to burn incense.
Ji Wen's status back then was not as beautiful as Zhang Siniang. Hearing this, he just said "hmm" and said, "It's her."
"But how can I bring her home?"
Sun Xiaozhe spoke and asked the man who reported the news: "How many people are coming to pick her up?"
"Two. Including the servants of the royal residence, three."
Sun Xiaozhe then preached to Yang Qi nonchalantly: "Take my people there and use your name."
Yang Qixuan realized that this matter might have serious consequences, and said: "But you just said that someone from Lishan took her..."
"What are you afraid of? Those are people from Xue Bai's faction."
Ji Wen actually didn't know who sent him, but he was just urging Yang Qixuan to take action.
After the fool accepted the order and left, Ji Wen's face darkened and he continued to discuss the unfinished topic with Sun Xiaozhe.
"Wang Zhongsi loves Zhang Siniang very much. She may know something."
"Then who's going to pick her up?"
"It doesn't matter to anyone else." Ji Wen murmured, "I'm afraid it's the saint who wants to ask her questions, so I have to intercept her. I'll ask her questions first."
Sun Xiaozhe said: "Can you ask clearly?"
Ji Wen smiled proudly and said, "It seems that General Sun didn't know my reputation before I was demoted."
He looked at the imperial city in the distance, thinking that Chang'an City should also think of his "auspicious net".
~~
After Yuan Zai found out that someone was going to pick up Zhang Siniang for questioning, he didn't do anything. He returned to the Wang's house calmly, wore sackcloth and mourning, knelt down next to Wang Yunxiu and burned paper money with her.
He silently watched the flames engulfing the pieces of rough jute paper, thinking about it all the time, and then asked Wang Yunxiu softly.
"Can my father-in-law receive the paper money we burned?"
Wang Yunxiu was putting paper into the brazier with her head lowered. When her hand stopped moving, flames burned her fingertips. She calmly took back her hand and rubbed it for a while, then said slowly: "I didn't believe in ghosts and gods before, but now
Believe it."
Yuan Zai said in a voice that only the other two could hear: "I saw someone taking Zhang Siniang away. After thinking about it, there is only one possibility. Someone wants to ask her something."
"Her background and experience make her unworthy of being my grandpa's concubine, so I sent someone to send her away."
"This is not what you would say." Yuan Zai sighed and said softly: "Ms. Yun, I'm afraid you'll be in trouble. You should believe me. I am your husband. If the sky falls, I will take your place.
You carry it."
Wang Yunxiu was silent, with his head lowered and his face hidden in the linen.
Yuan Zai said: "I have a guess, but I am not sure. Because you are too bold, you are committing the crime of deceiving the emperor, I..."
"Yuanlang, I believe in you." Wang Yunxiu said, "I know you will carry it for me if the sky falls, but you will only carry it for me, and you will not care about the lives of others."
"I will do my best for you." Yuan Zai said: "You have a secret, tell me, it's not too late for me to remedy it for you now."
Wang Yunxiu pursed her lips and still said nothing.
She is the daughter of a famous general and has a much tougher mind than others.
The smoke in the brazier gradually died down because the couple stopped burning paper and cooled down.
Someone entered the courtyard and Fu Er spoke to Guan Chongsi. Wang Yunxiu then calmly stood up and turned to the back hall.
Yuan Zai knew that she was going to talk to Guan Chongsi, but he didn't wait for them to meet. He went straight to Guan Chongsi and said, "Something happened? Yun Niang can't hold it anymore. I'll take care of it. Just tell me."
"Sister-in-law, you..."
"explain."
Guan Chongsi said: "After Zhang Siniang left the house, she was snatched away by Yang Qixuan."
Yuan Zai asked: "What are you going to do?"
"I sent someone to snatch it back."
"No." Yuan Zai said, "I will make arrangements. I will send people to Yang Qixuan's mansion. Not only can I bring out Zhang Siniang, but I can also get what you want."
Before Guan Chongsi could speak, Yuan Zai turned around confidently and said calmly: "I will let you know that I am trustworthy."
After such a big incident happened, Yang Guanghui also returned to Chang'an on Yang Guozhong's order to prevent the news of the assassination of important ministers from spreading. He also monitored the East Palace to see if Li Heng could bite off a piece of Anlu Mountain's fat meat.
Yuan Zai left the Wang's house and went straight to Yang Guozhong's house. Because Yang Guozhong, like Li Linfu and Wang Zhi, took official duties to their homes and set up an office. Many times, Yang Dang's confidants were there... In this regard, Yuan Zai
Very familiar, after all, he was also from the Yang Party.
As soon as Yang Guanghui saw him coming, a smile appeared on his face and he said: "The prince is here, he did a great job. I got the news and the prince has rushed to Lishan without stopping."
As he spoke, he stroked his long beard and said meaningfully: "The prince is not afraid of encountering assassins."
Yuan Zai held the ceremony and asked: "Mr. Yang said that he would let me serve as the director of Dali, but that's still true."
"Of course, I will be down soon."
"I will sue today and investigate a major case in the name of Dali Si Zhi." Yuan Zai said: "In addition, I have to ask Dali Temple to transfer someone."
"who?"
"Li Linfu's daughter, Yang Qixuan's wife, Li Shiniang."
Although Li Shiniang is now released from prison, as the daughter of a guilty minister, she remains in Chang'an and lives in a small house. She cannot leave easily. She is used as a hostage when her brothers go to Longyou to do business. In short, Dali Temple can send someone to visit.
Summon her.
Of course, she had her own temper. Even though she had been convicted of a crime, she didn't have a good face when facing the guards, and she was brought over cursing.
Yuan Zai treated her very politely and said, "Eleventh Mother, please calm down. I invite you here today because I have something to entrust you with."
"Who are you? What a big-ass little official you are, pretending to be in front of me."
Yuan Zai did not introduce himself, but said: "I would like to invite you to Yang Qixuan's mansion."
Li Shiniang immediately put down her wild look, her eyes glowed, and she asked enthusiastically: "What are you going to do?"
"Bring a woman back." Yuan Zai said, "I also want to know what they asked her."
"What benefits do you give me?" Li Shiniang asked.
Yuan Zai was stunned and said with a wry smile: "This is an opportunity for you to take revenge on Yang Qixuan."
"I can't be coaxed by your smooth talk. To do things for you, you must give me benefits, otherwise we'll stop talking."
Yuan Zai did not expect this woman to be so powerful. He was glad that he married Wang Yunxiu. Although Wang Yunxiu was also strong, she was gentle and kind-hearted. He had no choice but to promise to replace Li Shiniang with a bigger and better house to live in seclusion.
Only then did Li Shiniang agree and go to the home she was most familiar with.
In fact, whether Yuan Zai agrees to her conditions or not, she will definitely go. Revenge against Yang Qixuan has long been an obsession in her heart.
When they arrived, the dusk drums in Chang'an City had already begun to sound. Li Shiniang knocked on the back door, stared at the crack in the door that was getting wider and wider with a pair of frightening eyes, and directly looked into the eyes of the concierge, frightening the concierge.
I dare not breathe.
"Mother...Mother."
"You take this money, I want to go in." Li Shiyiniang said: "You know my methods."
"yes."
The porter glanced at the red-robed officials following the mistress. Not daring to offend, he bowed out of the way and let them in.
This shows Li Shiniang's past prestige in Yang's house.
Taking advantage of the dusk, she led Yuan Zai and others through the familiar courtyard, trying not to be bumped into by anyone. Occasionally, when she met a slave, she would turn back and ask where Yang Qixuan was.
"Mr. Lang, he is in Chuxiu Pavilion."
"I have lived here for so many years and I have never heard of Chuxiu Pavilion!"
"This is the courtyard where you used to have friends, Madam..."
~~
After Yang Qixuan snatched Zhang Siniang back, he originally placed her in a safe place. But as he pondered this matter and thought that he didn't know who he had offended, he became increasingly uneasy. So he ran to Chu Xiu Pavilion to have a look at her.
Strange to say, before coming to see him, he was worried and hesitant, but when he looked at Zhang Siniang, he became inexplicably bolder and began to think that the catastrophe was over, so it would be better to relive the old dream.
"I will always remember your gasping for breath that day."
Yang Qixuan hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke, walked towards Zhang Siniang, reached out to lift her chin, and said, "You are even more beautiful."
However, there was a sneer on her face that he had never seen before, and she said: "What is Jiao Pan? It's just an act."
"Oh, show me your performance again." Yang Qixuan took off his belt.
The sneer on Zhang Siniang's face grew stronger and stronger, and she asked, "Have you thought about what will happen to Wang Zhongsi's woman?"
"Wang Zhongsi? He is dead."
"Do you know the difference between being Su Wunu's wife and being a woman who is Wang Zhongsi?" Zhang Siniang asked leisurely, her expression unafraid.
Yang Qixuan inexplicably felt that she was very confident, so he felt a little weak.
Zhang Siniang lowered her eyes, raised the corners of her mouth, and said: "I have seen the majestic man, your embroidery needle... sneer."
When she smiled, Yang Qixuan's face darkened.
Zhang Siniang shook her head and said: "If you can be tough, you can give it a try. If I hum, you are my ancestor. But if you dissatisfy me, I will let the family member chop you into meat paste."
"
Yang Qixuan suddenly felt the pressure, raised his hand and gave Zhang Siniang a slap in the face, cursing: "You are a cheap maid, you are a slut who can do everything you can!"
He felt that he was in a bit of a dilemma: he couldn't advance and he was embarrassed to retreat.
Fortunately, someone came to rescue him soon, and Ji Wen arrived.
Ji Wen, who was preparing for the torture, looked very serious and covered his outer robe with a coarse cloth to prevent blood from splattering on his official robe.
He came quietly and did not bring many torture instruments, but he asked for a few wooden stools and built a wooden donkey. After that, he took out a cloth roll from his sleeve and opened it to reveal various embroidery needles.
"It's very beautiful." Jiwen took a closer look at Zhang Siniang and praised: "But in my eyes, there is no beauty, only a tortured body."
The stench spread, and Zhang Siniang couldn't help but vomit.
Ji Wen smiled proudly and said: "Do you know? Some of those who have been tortured by my men have been rescued in advance, and there are still some who have not been killed. You have not even been tortured by a tough guy like Huangfu Weiming. How long can you endure it?"
"I don't know anything."
Ji Wen turned around and looked around, then sent everyone else away, leaving only two deaf and mute confidants. As for Yang Qixuan, he was curious and didn't want to leave, so he walked slowly.
"I'm going to strip her clothes off soon." Ji Wen said, "You can stay if you want to watch."
Yang Qixuan was very confused, but finally stayed and bolted the door.
"hiss!"
The exciting sound soon started.
At the same time, Yang Qixuan heard Ji Wen ask: "Tell me, where is Wang Zhongsi hiding?"
His mind suddenly became confused. Just now he told Zhang Siniang that Wang Zhongsi was dead. Why did Ji Wen ask where Wang Zhongsi was hiding?
Nervous, his thoughts were interrupted by screams. Ji Wen had already grabbed Zhang Siniang's hair and dragged her onto the wooden donkey.
"No one can survive my punishment. Give it to me!"
…
Finally, Zhang Siniang couldn't stand it any longer, opened her mouth and murmured: "Zhao..."
"trick!"
"Zhaoying County...Alang has a house in Zhaoying County..."
A sinister smile appeared on Ji Wen's face, he took a few steps proudly and asked, "Why did he hide there?"
"You have been harming him... you have sent doctors to his side, and you have also introduced greedy words, so he has no choice but to hide."
"Isn't it that simple?"
"He and I...that's all he said."
Ji Wen asked a few more questions, and based on his years of torture experience, he confirmed that Zhang Siniang was telling the truth, and grinned excitedly.
Yang Qixuan couldn't help but ask: "What's going on? Wang Zhongsi is not dead? It shouldn't be. Why is this?"
Ji Wen laughed loudly, patted Yang Qixuan's shoulders with both hands, and said: "You robbed Zhang Siniang, and you can only go to the dark side. I will leave her to you, you can play with it slowly, but remember to silence her in the end."
"lucky……"
Ji Wen was too lazy to pay attention to Yang Qixuan anymore, blinked maliciously, turned around and walked out.
He has his own talisman to pass the curfew, but the curfew has become the best cover for him to do secret things.
But just after walking out of the courtyard, Ji Wen suddenly stopped again.
No. If Zhang Siniang was so important to Wang Zhongsi, why didn’t anyone come to save her?
Just when such an idea flashed through his mind, he heard a woman's scolding through the wall.
"Go away! Do you know who I am?!"
Ji Wen once worked under Li Linfu, and he immediately recognized that it was Li Shiniang. Later, he also heard Yuan Zai's voice. It turned out that these people wanted to outwit her.
"Let's go." Ji Wen said decisively.
He was too lazy to meet Yuan Zai. As for Zhang Siniang being rescued, it didn't matter for the time being. After all, Wang Zhongsi had just deceived the emperor, and he would just let Sun Xiaozhe deal with it later.
~~
"What happened?"
Yang Qixuan leaned over and looked at Zhang Siniang's beautiful yet broken body, trying to stabilize his emotions.
Thinking that Wang Zhongsi was still alive, to be honest, he didn't dare to touch her.
He tried his best to keep his broken teeth from leaking when he spoke, and asked: "Why did Chicken Tongue Plague want to interrogate you? How could Wang Zhongsi not be dead? This is no joke."
Zhang Siniang murmured: "Now that the matter has come to this, you are still asking what happened...What can a fool like you do without the protection of the Prime Minister's Mansion?"
"I'll fight you to death!"
"Bang."
At this moment, the door was kicked open, Yang Qixuan turned around and saw Li Shiniang standing there, with an indescribable expression on her face, but one look could really kill him.
At this moment, he felt like he had stopped breathing.
"Come on." Li Shiyiniang said, "If you resist, I will let you go today."
"I……"
Yang Qixuan involuntarily shrank back, looked at Yuan Zai, and quickly cast a look for help.
"Yuanzai, help me, remember? We have the same disease."
It was at a banquet that they happened to meet and drank a glass of wine with each other. They said that they had the same disease and had the same strong husband and wife, and they regarded them as confidants.
However, Yuan Zai shook his head disdainfully and said, "You are wrong, we are different."
"Stop making trouble, take her away." Yang Qi preached, "I am an official of the imperial court. If you bring a rebellious daughter like her to my mansion, it will be regarded as treason."
Yuan Zai said: "Today you robbed the concubine left by my father-in-law on the street, and I'm here to seek justice, right?"
"I didn't, it was Ji Wen..."
"There's no rush, it's time to confess slowly." Yuan Zai said: "Li Shiyiniang is your wife, so she should come to you, right?"
Yang Qixuan was frightened and at a loss.
Yuan Zai was too lazy to talk to him. He waved his hand and asked the two servants he brought to step forward and hold Yang Qixuan's hands.
He took off his outer robe, covered Zhang Siniang, and helped her up. During the process, he truly kept his eyes straight and had no distracting thoughts in his mind.
"Did Jiwen ask you?"
"yes."
"It seems that I guessed it right." Yuan Zai said: "My father-in-law is not dead, but he is also prepared to die, right?"
"yes."
"How did Jiwen ask you?"
"He asked, 'Where is Wang Zhongsi hiding?'"
"It was indeed him who did it."
Just as he was talking, a scream suddenly resounded throughout the world.
Yuan Zai looked back and saw Yang Qixuan rolling on the ground, dripping with blood, while Li Shiniang had taken a dagger from somewhere and was standing there holding the dagger, with blood still dripping from the dagger.
But it was Li Shiniang who took advantage of the officer to hold Yang Qixuan down and suddenly rushed forward and slashed him hard.
"Stop his bleeding." Yuan Zai said calmly: "Don't kill him, I will keep him as a witness."
"I know." Li Shiyiniang said, "You don't need to tell me."
"Send the couple to Jingzhao Mansion and report the couple for assaulting each other."
"Here."
Before Yang Qixuan fainted from the pain, he couldn't help but think about what would have happened if he had listened to Xue Bai and swallowed the knocked-out teeth.
~~
Yuan Zai was very angry.
He wanted to rush home immediately and ask Wang Yunxiu, "Why do you do this?!"
But he didn't, he restrained himself.
The first time he left Yang Qixuan's house, he went to find Yang Guanghui again and said that he had something very important to do and he had to go to Lishan Mountain to meet with the Prime Minister and needed a talisman to leave the city.
Yang Guanghui was already about to fall asleep. Hearing this, he couldn't help but asked in surprise: "What can't wait until tomorrow?"
"It will be too late tomorrow. As soon as the morning drum sounds, Sun Xiaozhe will send people to Lishan to do harm to the Prime Minister." Yuan Zai pretended to be anxious and urged: "This matter is related to the safety of the Prime Minister. I will report it to Mr. Yang in detail when I have time."
.If I can make it in time, the credit must go to Mr. Yang. If things go wrong, Mr. Yang can pretend that he doesn’t know."
Yang Guanghui's incompetence was revealed at this time. He didn't even know the specific reason. Hearing that he was being rewarded, he immediately ordered someone to take Yuan Zai out of the city.
The moonlight illuminates the official road on the outskirts of Chang'an, and it is quiet and deserted.
Yuan Zai spent several days running between Chang'an and Lishan. He was extremely exhausted, but his heart was still full of enthusiasm because he had a premonition that he would soon be in trouble.
He didn't dare to go too fast along the way. He didn't gallop until dawn. Gradually, Lishan appeared in front...
Yuan Zai did not go to Zhaoying County to find Wang Zhongsi, for fear of being involved in the crime of deceiving the emperor; nor did he go to find Yang Guozhong. If Wang Zhongsi was okay, his and Yang Guozhong's positions would be different.
He thought about it and went to Xue Bai immediately.
Mrs. Guo Guo's villa in Lishan was full of birds singing and flowers fragrant. When Xue Bai came out to meet the guests, he felt refreshed, which was completely different from Yuan Zai's fatigue.
"Brother Gongfu is back now, Wang Jieshuai's funeral..."
"I have something to tell you." Yuan Zai looked around and saw no one else around, so he stepped forward and said, "My father-in-law is not dead."
"As expected of you, I already know everything." Xue Bai's tone was very calm.
Yuan Zai rubbed his face with both hands, stared at Xue Bai with bloodshot eyes, and asked, "When did you know about it?"
"Seeing the headless corpse basically confirmed it." Xue Bai said, "When you were talking to Yang Guanghui, I asked Wang Yunxiu."
"Although I didn't look at the body carefully, I didn't see any flaws."
Xue Bai said: "I have more information. I know how many plots Wang Zhongsi received after his illness. I also knew in advance that there was a rumor in Jinwu Guards that some dead soldiers from Nanzhao had arrived in Chang'an, and I reminded Wang Jieshuai of this matter, so that
He was afraid of being assassinated."
Yuan Zai nodded, confirming that it was not Xue Bai who was much more intelligent than himself.
"So, my father-in-law knew that An Lushan sent people to kill him, so he deliberately tried to trick these young men into taking action in order to find evidence."
"yes."
"Ji Wen has already exposed his flaws." Yuan Zai said: "The heads brought back by the murderers must have been given to Sun Xiaozhe and Ji Wen, so they knew that my grandfather was not dead as soon as possible and ran to interrogate Zhang Siniang. Presumably,
Soon they will attack my father-in-law again."
"It seems that Brother Gongfu knows everything." Xue Bai asked, "Why did you come to me?"
"You are the most informed, the most capable, and the person closest to my position." Yuan Zai said, "This time Yun Niang would rather believe you than me. But I will shoulder the responsibility for her, protect my father-in-law, and expose the truth."
Anlu Mountain."
"What are you going to do?"
Yuan Zai did not expect Xue Bai's attitude of staying out of the matter, so he had to lay out his plan first, saying: "Ji Wen has found out that grandpa is in Zhaoying County. I believe that Sun Xiaozhe will send someone to kill me again soon."
Grandpa, we asked the saint to send the Beiya Imperial Guards to protect Grandpa and get the evidence. This time, we will not let them escape again."
"It's useless." Xue Bai shook his head and said, "The saint thought that Wang Zhongsi was dead. As soon as we opened our mouth, we directly angered the saint, and we were still passive. Moreover, the saint refused to see Wang Zhongsi. Once we have not seen many things with our own eyes,
The people in Anlushan can always quibble."
Yuan Zai said: "What do you want?"
Xue Bai turned to look in the direction of Huaqing Palace, and first asked: "Li Heng has arrived at Lishan Mountain, right? He will have an audience with the saint this morning."
"yes."
"You go and file a complaint." Xue Bai then put aside his thoughts and said slowly: "You killed your relatives out of justice and sued Wang Zhongsi for cheating the emperor by committing suicide. You suspect that he conspired with Li Heng to mutiny in Lishan Mountain."
"You're crazy!" Yuan Zai was shocked and took several steps back.
"Brother Gongfu is a smart man. If you think about it carefully, this statement is most consistent with the saint's speculation. He will definitely believe it. Only if he believes it, will he take it seriously and investigate it personally. Only then can we let him see the truth.
Chance."
"No, you..."
Yuan Zai swallowed, regained his composure, and realized that what Xue Bai said seemed to make sense.
But the next moment, he thought of another thing.
The reason why the prince came to Lishan was because he had the idea of being in two boats and instigated the prince to come forward. But Xue Bai actually considered even this aspect of his plan?
In other words, Xue Bai saw through his own little thoughts from the beginning?
impossible.
Yuan Zai thought about it and thought that Xue Bai was just following the trend, so he said: "No, this will only harm my father-in-law."
"But do you know what he wants?" Xue Bai looked at Zhaoying County in the distance and said, "Everyone is destined to die. It may be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather... Let him be fulfilled."