Chapter 321 The old fox Yuan Wei, the winter festival ceremony is the end of King Hongnong!
Chang'an, Yuan Mansion.
In the side hall.
The smokeless charcoal was covered with ash, but it could not hide the red heat inside it.
Yuan Ji put the warm hand stove aside, took off his mink velvet cloak, knelt down on the futon, picked up a handful of millet stalks, and threw it into the charcoal brazier, causing a wisp of green smoke to rise.
He raised his moist, red and swollen eyes and looked at the spiritual tablet in front of him. The two characters "Yuan Shu" were particularly conspicuous, like a sharp sword, piercing his heart fiercely.
Although Yuan Ji had already expected that Yuan Shu might be defeated, he couldn't believe it. In less than a month, he was defeated by Cao Cao and beheaded by Huang Zhong.
That's his own brother!
A biological brother from the same mother!
Blood is thicker than water!
Two full months have passed, and Yuan Ji has never recovered. He seems to have lost his soul. Apart from eating and sleeping, he stays here with his biological brother, muttering a few words from time to time:
"Highway, you died so miserably."
"It's my brother who hurt you, it's my brother's fault."
"You and I lost our father when we were young..."
"The highway..."
"..."
At this moment.
Squeak!
The door was pushed open, and a cool breeze rushed in.
But no matter how biting the cold wind was, it didn't make Yuan Ji even shiver.
Because, his heart had already become cold, and his whole person was like a walking zombie, unconscious.
A long shadow lengthened, walking slowly behind Yuan Ji, and then an old voice sounded: "Shiji, are you still complaining that I didn't let you go to Nanyang?"
Yuan Ji slowly shook his head, sobbed, and added a handful of millet stalks to the charcoal fire again: "My nephew understands that my uncle is also thinking about the overall interests of the Yuan family, and that's why he did this."
"That's good."
Yuan Wei took off his mink velvet cloak, stepped forward, grabbed a handful of millet stalks, threw it into the charcoal brazier, and said softly: "Remember, as the head of the family, you cannot put the Yuan family in danger at any time."
Yuan Ji nodded. He had heard such words more than a hundred times, but this time, he really couldn't bear it. After all, he was his own brother:
"That's what my uncle taught me."
When these words came out of Yuan Ji's mouth, they seemed so pale and feeble.
Yuan Wei could hear the secret dissatisfaction, but he didn't care. After all, the dead Yuan Shu was Yuan Ji's biological brother. Blood is thicker than water. This is reasonable.
"Don't worry."
Although Yuan Wei's voice was calm, it had a hint of toughness: "Dong Zhuo has sent our people to sneak into Nanyang, codenamed Night Owl, and asked him to come forward and use Dong Zhuo's power to take revenge."
"Nite Owl?"
Yuan Ji frowned, with a look of disbelief on his face: "Our people?"
Yuan Wei nodded affirmatively: "Well, don't worry, I have already written to your fourth uncle, asking him to secretly help Ye Xiao. Nanyang's Winter Festival to Heaven Ceremony must be King Hongnong's memorial day."
hiss-!
Yuan Ji was surprised and took a breath.
He seemed unable to believe it.
His uncle was already controlling everything. Instead of accepting his fate, he chose a rational way to take revenge.
"Who is Night Owl? Can he do it?"
Yuan Ji's thoughts suddenly came back and he asked.
"You should be able to guess."
Yuan Wei's eyes fell on Yuan Ji.
"Can I guess?"
Yuan Ji frowned and thought for a moment: "Could it be..."
A familiar figure appeared in Yuan Ji's mind.
That’s right!
This man, like himself, had a sworn feud with King Hongnong.
He must feel what he is feeling.
Yuan Wei nodded and stood up slowly: "Well, don't worry, the road's revenge will definitely be avenged. Even if we can't kill King Hongnong, we still have to defeat his spirit!"
Although Yuan Wei wanted King Hongnong to die from the bottom of his heart, he naturally knew that King Hongnong had many personal guards around him, and they were all highly skilled in martial arts and acted extremely cautiously, making it difficult to attack him.
If Yuan Ji really let Yuan Ji take action, once he failed, it would give King Hongnong a reason to attack the Yuan family in Runan. Therefore, Yuan Wei could only kill people with a borrowed knife and use Dong Zhuo to achieve the purpose of killing King Hongnong.
Taking a step back, even if Ye Xiao failed, Dong Zhuo would still be there to fight the thunder, which had nothing to do with the Yuan family. King Hongnong could only spread fire on Dong Zhuo, and would never take action against the Yuan family.
Although the Yuan family's influence in Nanyang Hanting is small, Yuan Wei must protect these two small flames. Even if there is only one chance in ten thousand, he will never give up.
No matter at any time, the Yuan family must remain invincible. This is Yuan Wei's principle!
Yuan Ji quickly bowed his head: "Uncle, my nephew is wrong. I shouldn't treat you..."
"That's all."
Before Yuan Ji could finish speaking, Yuan Wei waved his hand to interrupt, not caring at all: "I can understand your deep brotherhood, but things have happened, so don't dwell on the past and look forward. Do you understand?"
Yuan Ji nodded: "My nephew understands, uncle, don't worry."
Yuan Wei slowly turned around and said: "I'll give you two days to cheer up. Although the road is gone, the original foundation is still there. We should help him."
Yuan Ji nodded: "Uncle, don't worry."
Immediately.
Yuan Wei stepped away.
The old back looks extremely solid and reliable.
*****
Nanyang, Wancheng.
Emperor's palace.
Warm Pavilion.
Liu Bian handed the "Wealth of Nations" to Lu Su and said softly: "Zijing, take this book back and read it carefully. It contains the thoughts of Xunzi, Guanzi, Fan Li and others. It may be of some help to you.
.”
"The Wealth of Nations?"
Lu Su took the book and couldn't help but frowned: "Is it possible that this volume is another ancient book written silently by His Majesty?"
Liu Bian had foreseen this, so he replied with great calmness: "I wrote it silently, but it was extracted from many volumes. It can be regarded as a collection of the essence of the palace's collection of books."
"certainly!"
At this point, Liu Bian added casually: "The title of this book was given by me, which expresses my expectations for you, and this is only part of it. When you study this book thoroughly and I have time, I will not be able to write any more.
Late."
Lu Su casually opened two pages and wrote:
"The way to fulfill a country is to use it prudently to enrich the people and make good use of the rest."
...
"If the people are prosperous, the people will be rich; if the people are rich, the fields will be fertilized with ease; if the fields are fertilized with ease, the harvest will be a hundredfold."
...
Lu Su knew.
This passage comes from "Xunzi·Fuguo"
I turned over two more pages and read:
"The country has ten years of savings, but the people don't have enough to eat. They all use their skills to hope for the emperor's salary;"
...
"If the grain is noble, all things must be cheap; if the grain is cheap, all things must be noble."
...
And this paragraph comes from "Guanzi·Guoshu"
What shocked Lu Su most was that in the annotation column of the book, His Majesty the Emperor also provided his own interpretation of the descriptions in it, and even put forward his own opinions in some places.
This is enough to prove that His Majesty the Emperor has his own unique interpretation of business affairs, and even has his own strategic system for business affairs, which is by no means a whim.
Lu Su felt at ease.
After all, throughout the ages, agriculture has been emphasized over business, and the status of merchants has been relatively low. If you were engaged in business and politics, even if you could become a central figure in the imperial court, your status would not be too high.
But......
When Lu Su saw His Majesty the Emperor's annotation, he completely dispelled his doubts. If he wasn't interested in it and even had his own unique insights, how could he add an annotation to it?
At that moment, Lu Su didn't hesitate at all, he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will study hard and live up to your Majesty's high expectations."
Liu Bian nodded calmly: "Well, some of the contents may be a bit obscure. If Zijing encounters something he doesn't understand, he can come to the palace to find me and we can discuss it with each other."
Lu Su once again felt His Majesty's emphasis on business affairs, and felt even more confident: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Liu Bian immediately stood up, walked to the wooden stand nearby, and picked up the mirror he had prepared in advance: "Zijing, this is the glass we produced. It is smooth and clear, just like the surface of a lake."
"Is this Liuli?"
Lu Su couldn't help but be stunned, staring at himself in the round mirror with eyes as wide as bells.
The colored glass in his impression could not reach such a pure level. It was so colorful that one could not even see the face clearly. It was completely different from the mirror in His Majesty's hand at the moment.
"That's right!"
Liu Bian said with great certainty: "In the past, all homes used bronze mirrors. If we have them, we can replace them. Especially the ladies from wealthy families will definitely like them very much."
"certainly!"
Speaking of this, Liu Bian quickly added: "We have already mastered the process of making colored glaze. We can have whatever appearance we want in the future. The one you have in mind is not a problem."
Lu Su knew the value of Liuli very well.
If this kind of thing can really be sold, the financial pressure on the imperial court will definitely be alleviated, and it is also possible to even obtain additional income.
"Your Majesty, don't worry."
Lu Su said with confidence: "I will do my best to bring revenue to the court and ease the financial pressure."
Liu Bian nodded: "Yes! I have never doubted Zijing's ability. In addition to colored glaze, you can also sell some paper. We are the only ones who have this stuff at the moment. You must fully research the market and set a reasonable price."
Lu Su cupped his hands: "Here."
"alright."
Liu Bian sighed, waved his hand and said: "Zijing, go ahead. Recently, a large number of merchants have poured into Wancheng. The burden on you is very heavy, so I won't waste your time."
Lu Su was indeed quite busy: "Just in time, Fengxiao asked me to meet at Hongbin Tower. The hour has come and it's time for me to leave."
Liu Bien said: "Okay, let's go and get busy."
Lu Su agreed and immediately bowed and left.
At the same time, netizens in the live broadcast room were discussing:
"Haha! Lu Su's expression just now was so funny, I almost died laughing."
"Those eyes almost didn't pop out, but luckily, I'm finally calm."
"Sister Tang Ji was so funny when she saw the mirror before. I made it into an emoticon."
"Glass makes money, paper makes money. I didn't expect that the things I come into contact with every day can still make a lot of money in this era."
"If I had a Doraemon, I would call him Tinker Bell, Bamboo Dragonfly and Time Tunnel. He could go to the place at the end of the Han Dynasty and exchange mirrors for antiques and antiques for banknotes. Ang. Ang. Ang. Tinker Bell would help me become rich.
wish.”
"..."
hehe!
When the Military Advisor Alliance was away, there were quite a few netizens on 24k Shaduo.
After Liu Bian finished handling the matter, he left the Nuan Pavilion and went straight to the inner palace, ready to enjoy this rare free time.
Let us say that after Lu Su left the palace, he immediately took a carriage and rushed to the Hongbin Tower at the north gate.
Go straight up to the third floor and find the private room on the east side.
really!
Guo Jia and Shi Zixuan are already here.
Lu Su hurriedly greeted him, raised his hands and apologized: "I'm really sorry, I was delayed because of something else."
Guo Jia nodded and smiled: "It doesn't matter, I've just arrived."
Lu Su sat on the futon: "Fengxiao, what do you mean when you come to us?"
Shi Zixiao twirled his beard and frowned: "Yes, the process is still being perfected recently, and our time is very precious."
"Don't be impatient, you two."
Guo Jia hurriedly waved his hand to interrupt and went straight to the topic: "Let me tell you in detail, this is actually what happened. Originally, His Majesty didn't have that many things to do about the Winter Festival Sacrifice Ceremony."
"But I propose..."
"..."
At that moment, Guo Jia told the whole story: "The Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony is of great significance and safety must be ensured, so we must catch them all before the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony begins."
"Therefore, the large-scale purchase of things now is just incidental. Your Majesty's real purpose is to make the hidden thieves move around so that they can reveal their flaws."
Lu Su and Shi Zixuan suddenly realized: "So that's it."
Guo Jia bowed his head and said, "I hope you two can help me."
Shi Zixuan nodded without hesitation: "It is my duty to do so. If Xiaodan orders me, I can send someone to notify Pindao at any time."
Lu Su also nodded: "Your Majesty's safety is a top priority, and I will do my best to help you."
"very good!"
Guo Jia nodded with satisfaction.
Immediately.
He took out a drawing from the bag beside him and laid it flat on the eucalyptus: "This is the schematic diagram of Wancheng, with four walls, six gates, a total of 106 post houses and wine shops in the city, and 23 warehouses.
There are seven seats in the gambling house and four in the inner palace."
"The defense of the city gate is in charge of the city gate captain, with the assistance of Man Chong, the commander of Wancheng. There are hiding places in the city. I have sent people to monitor at fixed points. Reports are made daily and there is a shift every two days."
"..."
Guo Jia briefly described his deployment in Wancheng.
Lu Su couldn't help but sigh: "Fengxiao's deployment is watertight, but it failed twice before?"
Guo Jiadan smiled and shrugged: "The school affairs office has expanded its staff, this time three times the number before, so that it can barely cover the whole city. If we really encounter Ye Xiao again, we will definitely not let him escape."
Lu Su nodded: "That's definitely the case."
"alright."
Guo Jia was too lazy to talk nonsense and said loudly: "Now I will introduce the current strategy. I hope you two will listen carefully. If there are any shortcomings, you can point them out and we will revise them."
The two simply responded: "Okay."
Guo Jia said softly: "In the middle of winter, all businesses are shut down. Only merchants are still traveling to and from Wancheng. This is their main way of entering and exiting Wancheng."
"Since I have killed most of the assassins in Wancheng before, the number of assassins in the city is seriously insufficient. This night owl has just appeared recently. I think he is a new transfer."
"If your guess is correct, this person must have come for the Winter Festival to Heaven Ceremony. The traffic of the caravan in front of him provides him with an excellent opportunity to gather people, and he will not let it go."
"therefore!"
When Guo Jia entered the critical stage, there was a hint of sinisterness in his voice: "Let's start from here, look for the assassin lurking in the caravan, and then follow the clues to find out the night owl behind it."
"Man Chong, the commander of Wancheng, is in charge of the city gate. We have been working together before and his responsibilities are already clear. You can rest assured that if he discovers the assassination, he will be arrested immediately to avoid exposing any flaws."
Because Guo Jia and Man Chong have been working together for a long time, they have become opponents on the surface of the enemy's assassination. Since they have lost their mystery, if they continue to hide it, they will expose their flaws.
Moreover, now is the critical moment. If the city does not strengthen the investigation, it will definitely arouse the suspicion of assassination hidden in the dark. Therefore, Guo Jia simply puts Man Chong on the table and directly exposes it to his opponents.
For Guo Jia, the real trump card is his doubled personnel strength and the participation of the two control terminals, Lu Su and Shi Zixiao.
"Zijing!"
"exist."
"I heard from Wen Ruo that you are now in charge of the court's business affairs, right?"
"kindness."
“Very good.”
Guo Jia nodded with satisfaction and breathed a sigh of relief: "You are familiar with the merchants in and around Nanyang. You are responsible for all the things purchased by the imperial court."
"This is a record sheet designed below."
Then, Guo Jia took out a piece of paper from the cloth bag again and handed it to Lu Su: "Zijing temporarily sent someone to record on this form to facilitate daily intelligence verification."
Lu Su took the paper, and there were information on the goods, number of people, carriages, warehousing and other related information on it. It was obvious that he had learned about the way he purchased winter clothes before, so he had this form.
"good!"
Lu Su agreed without hesitation: "Don't worry, Fengxiao. Every time a batch of goods is put into the warehouse, I will record it in detail and prepare it. It will definitely not delay your work."
Guo Jia nodded.
He naturally knows Lu Su's abilities.
"also."
Immediately, Guo Jia turned his head and glanced at Shi Zixuan: "Shi Taichang can lead people to practice the process from time to time. Firstly, it will prove that the court attaches great importance to this heaven-sacrificial ceremony. Secondly, he will also inform the assassin of our course of action for that day."
"kindness?"
Shi Zixiao was slightly startled: "Fengxiao, are you trying to..."
Guo Jiadan smiled: "Don't worry, if we haven't caught them all by the time the Winter Festival is coming, we will make a temporary diversion. I don't dare to make fun of His Majesty's life."
Shi Zixuan felt relieved and nodded affirmatively: "Don't worry, I will fully cooperate with you."
Guo Jiayi cupped his hand and said, "In that case, I'll leave it to you two."
"Fengxiao, don't worry."
The following days.
All parties have entered into orderly work.
Information is sent to the school affairs office every day, and a large number of personnel are constantly screening for useful information.
"At the west gate of Wancheng, a caravan entered the city at three o'clock. A total of twelve carriages entered the city. At two o'clock in the morning, they entered the northwest warehouse. There were only ten carriages of goods. When they left the city the next day, there were twelve empty carriages."
"Can I find out which inn I'm staying at?"
"Heavenly fortune, good fortune and longevity are all possible."
"Can someone keep an eye on it?"
"Dispatched."
...
"At the north gate of Wancheng, a caravan entered the city at a quarter past noon, with a total of eleven carriages and thirty-two people. It entered the southeast warehouse at two quarters, and there were eleven carriages. When it left the city the next day, there were still thirty-two people."
"What's the problem?"
"The whereabouts are strange, and there is suspicion of someone being replaced midway."
"Can I send someone to keep an eye on me?"
"Dispatched."
...
"The east gate of Wancheng..."
"..."
...
now.
The main hall of the school affairs office.
Guo Jia leaned against the charcoal fire, closing his eyes slightly, feeling the warmth rushing towards him like fine waves, and said softly: "So, in the past ten days, there has been no movement from the other party?"
"No!"
The man opposite nodded and said softly: "Those guys just eat and drink every day and stay in the post house all the time, as if they didn't receive orders."
"The assassins I caught and were tortured can also prove this. They just entered Wancheng in accordance with the order and need to wait for further instructions."
The man's name was Manchong, the magistrate of Wancheng County.
Now, he is the most capable player to assist Guo Jia.
"Nite Owl?"
Guo Jia asked tentatively.
"kindness!"
Man Chong responded, took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Guo Jia: "This is the picture of the Night Owl that I copied based on the thief's confession."
Guo Jia took the picture and took out a piece of paper from the other side. After a little comparison, he found that they were eighty similar, with only slight differences in parts.
Apparently!
The information they received was true.
Man Chong frowned and sighed: "This Night Owl is very cautious. He seems to be a little distrustful of this new group of people. It doesn't feel like they are from Chang'an."
"kindness."
Guo Jia nodded.
He also had the same feeling: "It is true. If we were from Chang'an, we would not turn a blind eye to Dong Zhuo's assassination that had been latent for so long."
"certainly!"
Guo Jia added: "The other party may also be cautious and very cautious."
Man Chong nodded and nodded slowly: "He should be a cautious person, otherwise it would be impossible for him to become the leader of the assassination in the direction of Chang'an when he first arrived."
"only......"
Man Chong thought hard and couldn't figure it out: "Why hasn't he made any movement until now? This is really unreasonable and suspicious!"
Guo Jia breathed out, thinking like lightning: "If we want to assassinate His Majesty, we will definitely not be able to rely on the power of Night Owl alone. He is trying to be patient with us, and at the same time he is testing whether these people have been exposed."
"Well, that makes sense."
Man Chong seemed to have some understanding and nodded affirmatively: "However, the time he has to wait is too long, right? If this continues, we may not have enough people to arrange."
"Don't worry."
Guo Jia still remained calm: "Night Owl must be waiting. When he is completely sure, he will gradually start to contact you. Now it is a hunt, and the competition is the patience of both parties."
"Bo Ning." Guo Jia turned around and looked.
"Here." Man Chong bowed.
Guo Jia thought for a moment and then ordered: "The information we currently have should be sufficient. Send someone to tell Shi Zixuan to stop the drill in two days, and tell Lu Su to hurry up and purchase without further delay."
Man Chong frowned: "But, there is still half a month before the Winter Festival celebration."
Guo Jiadanran: "That's enough. Next, the county magistrate and the general are going to enter the city. Don't let them cause trouble. If the Night Owl still doesn't make any move, find an opportunity and kill them all!"
Man Chong cupped his hands and cupped his fists: "Here."
A hint of sinisterness flashed in Guo Jia's eyes: "I really don't believe it anymore, how long can you endure it?"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Thanks to [Beautiful Scenery] Da Lao for the 100-coin reward!