On the school grounds, Yan Ling was not surprised at all when he saw her during the riding and shooting class.
He said: "My father has long suspected Yu Chong. He has been secretly expanding his power, and the marriage partners of his several sons are all powerful people in the court."
"What about King Duan?" Xu Yin asked.
Yan Ling shook his head: "I didn't pay attention to him."
Although King Duan had a good reputation among scholars, he had no real power in his hands. The emperor had so many sons, so who would care about him?
Xu Yin was thoughtful.
"What's wrong?" Yan Ling asked.
"It's understandable that Yu Chong has military power in his hands, so it's understandable that he has some ambitions. Why does King Duan have this?"
Yan Ling was stunned for a moment and asked, "Do you suspect there is someone in his palace?"
Xu Yin nodded. King Duan was the one who came to power from the palace. The prince passed away in his previous life, and King Duan took control of the palace during the emperor's serious illness. This could not be achieved in a day or two. Judging by the time, he has probably made arrangements by now.
Good game.
Another piece of evidence is the memorial that his father sent to the capital to report the Nan'an County King's plot to murder him, and the other party handled it very perfectly. This is enough to show that he had relevant arrangements in the court, and even how to deal with the memorial.
Able to get involved.
Yan Ling's mind turned and she soon had a goal. She smiled and said, "I know, I'll try it later."
Xu Yin continued: "Based on the current situation, King Duan wants to win over Yu Chong, but he has not succeeded yet. If they really collude, the capital will be in danger."
It is very likely that King Duan has taken control of the palace, and with the military power in Yu Chong's hands, these two people are really going to collude, and the throne will be changed.
By that time, the capital city will be in turmoil again, which is not a good thing in any case.
However, their power is not here, and they are more than capable.
The two looked at each other, and an idea came to their minds at the same time.
"Is that what you think?" Yan Ling asked softly.
Xu Yin nodded lightly: "However, some things need to be arranged in advance."
"There's no rush," Yan Ling curled her lips, "Let's take our time."
…
In the back kitchen of Deyi Restaurant, a little girl of thirteen or fourteen was lighting a fire.
A voice came from the yard: "Is anyone there? The firewood has been collected."
The little girl put down the fire stick, wiped her hands, and ran out quickly: "Here."
The man wearing a bamboo hat was carrying firewood and said, "The shopkeeper asked me to deliver firewood. Is this here?"
The little girl nodded: "It's here, please put it over there."
"Okay!" The man walked into the woodshed carrying firewood.
"Third Miss specially asked me to come to see you." He whispered while unloading the firewood, "You did a good job and made a great contribution."
The little girl's eyes were filled with surprise: "Really? Is that news useful?"
"Hmm." It was Chai Qi who came to deliver firewood. While carefully observing his surroundings, he sent a message to Xiao Sang, "Now we have a new mission."
Xiao Sang looked excited: "What is it?"
"Find a way to let the big fish know that the shrimp has a suspicious origin."
Xiao Sang's mind was running rapidly and he asked: "What is the goal? Xiao Xia has an ulterior motive? Or is it leading to that person?"
"Lead to that person. But the third lady said that he should find out by himself, so you can't make the hint too obvious."
Xiao Sang frowned, thinking this was a bit difficult.
Seeing her embarrassment, Chai Qi reminded softly: "If you can't do it, don't force it. Your safety is more important."
He paused: "This is my idea and the third lady's request."
Someone came outside, and the two stopped communicating. Xiao Sang sent him out and said, "Thank you, brother. Please go to the shopkeeper to get the firewood money."
Chai Qi nodded, picked up the pole and walked away.
Xiao Sang went back to light the fire. After finishing the rough work, the sky became dark.
Deyi Restaurant has a front building and a backyard. The front building is for ordinary individual customers, while the back room is a more private box, mainly for entertaining dignitaries.
This back kitchen provides meals for the guests in the backyard. It is not busy at ordinary times, and there is no work until nightfall.
When Xiao Sang saw the familiar girl coming in, a thought came to her mind.
Just listen to the girl say: "Prepare a table of noodles and send it to Fangfei Pavilion. The taste is stronger. If you want it salty, pick out the ginger..."
The steward nodded repeatedly: "Yes, we will prepare immediately."
The ingredients in the kitchen were all prepared, and the chef worked quickly. In a short time, a table of noodles was ready.
Xiao Sang mingled with a group of maids and went to serve the dishes.
The steward didn't notice her. There were many little girls like her in the backyard.
So she carried the dishes, followed a group of maids, and quickly entered an attic.
But she didn't see the guests here. The maids had already put the food and wine on the table.
She could only follow the instructions and then exit.
At this time, a voice came from inside: "Wait a minute."
A group of maids stopped.
The girl said: "Leave someone waiting outside the door, remember to stay away, and don't come in if you have nothing to do."
Xiao Sang's eyes lit up, he said yes, and quickly stood outside.
The other maids looked at each other and finally left.
Xiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, most of the maids in the restaurant signed living contracts, and they were not as hierarchical as at home. Otherwise, she had just arrived and would not have been able to take her turn to serve her.
The banquet began, and she heard low voices and laughter coming from inside. Unfortunately, she was standing far away and could not hear the content clearly.
There were occasional instructions, and the girl would come out to deliver a message, or to twist a towel, or to ask for a vinegar dish, which she would bring over and then she would carry it in herself.
Then, the sound of cups and cups stopped, and ambiguous sounds came from time to time in the room.
After a long time, the sound finally stopped, and the girl came out to send a message: "Bring some hot water."
Xiao Sang hurriedly said yes and went out to call someone.
After all the fuss, the girl said: "Okay, you can go back!"
Xiao Sang suppressed the anxiety in his heart, said yes, and slowly left the attic.
Judging from the past time, that person will leave before the third watch. It is now the first moment of the second watch, which is still half an hour away.
What to do? According to her senior brother, the reminder must be very subtle, and it is best not to alert the mission target. But the other party was so on guard, and she had no chance to see Big Fish alone.
As Xiao Sang walked along, suddenly an idea flashed across his mind.
She quickly returned to her room, took out her pen and ink, and wrote a note.
Then he took this note and waited patiently in a hidden place outside the attic.
After a while, there was movement inside, as if the person was about to leave, so Xiao Sang pretended to be in a hurry and walked over here in a hurry.
When she saw the figure with the entourage, she stepped aside, lowered her head and waited.
After they passed, she got into the attic.
"Sister Xiaotao." Xiao Sang called from the yard, just loud enough for people outside to hear the last part.
The girl came out and looked at her suspiciously: "What's the matter?"
Xiao Sang quickly walked up to her, leaned over and whispered: "The tea soup recipe my sister gave me the day before yesterday was accidentally lost in the kitchen. Could you please give me another one?"
The girl frowned and scolded: "How do you do things? You can even throw away this?"
Xiao Sang apologized repeatedly and said: "It was our fault that we did something wrong, so I would like to ask my sister to make it easier for me and do it again."
The girl glared at her impatiently: "Wait!"
She turned back to the house and came out after a while, holding the newly written prescription in her hand and handing it over, warning: "If you lose it again, don't blame me for telling your boss!"
Xiao Sang apologized and said, "Yes, thank you very much for your generosity, sister."
She took the prescription and walked out of the attic. She looked around to see if there was no one around. She took a lonely path and soon came to a corner. Then she stuffed the paper ball into a thin bamboo tube and hid it behind a brick.
After she left, two figures came out of the darkness.
"General?" someone called in a low voice.
In the shadows, Yu Chong clasped his hands behind his back and frowned: "Go and have a look."
"yes."
The follower opened the brick, pulled out the bamboo tube he had just hidden, and took out a note from inside.
He handed the note to his master and blew the huozhezi himself.
Under the light of the fire, I saw a line of words written on the note: "If you want to reach heaven, what should you do?"