Lao Mu returned home at dawn and told Gu Ling and Su Liang that there were no assassins in the palace last night.
Su Liang asked Lao Mu to rest. Cen Man went to Min's Mansion again to monitor Min Rui. Although it seemed that Min Rui was not capable of doing anything, his father-in-law might look for him again.
Gu Ling was at home, and he and Su Liang made breakfast together.
After breakfast, Ji Xiaoshu said that he promised Mr. Qin to go to the Duke's Mansion to climb a tree today, but he also promised the emperor's uncle to visit the palace today. What should he do?
"You choose one, and I'll take care of the other one." Zheng'er said calmly.
Ji Xiaoshu immediately shook his head, "That's not possible, the secret will be revealed. I want to go to Qin Taigong's place in the morning and go to the palace in the afternoon. Is it okay?"
"No." Gu Ling shook his head and handed Gu Xiaonuan to Su Liang. While standing up, he picked up Ji Xiaoshu who was sitting on the stool next to him and walked out.
Ji Xiaoshu waved in Gu Ling's hand, "Master, help me, Master is going to throw me away!"
Zheng'er: ...while shouting for help and smiling broadly, there was no one left.
Su Liang chuckled, "Your master is taking you to the palace to play. Don't run around. This is a secret operation."
Ji Xiaoshu's eyes widened, and he was immediately thrown onto Gu Ling's back. He put his little hands around Gu Ling's neck and smiled, "Master, let's go quickly! What is the secret mission? Are we going to assassinate the emperor's uncle? Is he a sanctimonious person? You hypocrite and villain? It’s not appropriate to commit an assassination in broad daylight, isn’t it?”
Gu Ling patted Ji Xiaoshu's buttocks and said, "Quiet."
Ji Xiaoshu shouted, "Master, Master is beating someone! Sister, your father is beating me!"
The sound quickly faded away and the surrounding area became quiet. Su Liang lowered her head and saw Gu Xiaonuan smiling at her, her eyes narrowed.
Zheng'er came over and asked, "Sister, do you want to go out to play? I'll take her there."
Su Liang put Gu Xiaonuan in the stroller, and Zheng'er pushed her out. Now Zheng'er is not so keen on going out to play. He has been to all the places that can be played in the capital, including Ji Xiaoshu's entertainment items in the Qin Duke's Mansion and the Imperial Palace were basically leftovers from Zheng'er's entertainment, so it was naturally impossible to compete with him.
While Su Liang was cleaning the dishes alone, he was thinking about how to interrogate Mrs. Min and Min Rou's mother and daughter. They were brought back last night and locked in a secret room in the underground maze of Yuanming Pavilion. They should not be awake at this time.
Gu Ling entered the palace again to see if the black mist between Duanmu Chen's brows was still there. The enemy was very strong and it was impossible to fully deduce his action plan, so he had to remain cautious.
…
Min Mansion.
Early in the morning, Old Minister Min received a report from his servants that Min Rou was missing. There were no signs of fighting in the room and the bedding was neat, but several of Min Rou's clothes and the books that Old Minister Min had given her were missing.
Old Minister Min immediately felt a thump in his heart and hurried to Min Rui's place.
Min Rui looked bad because he didn't sleep much last night and had been waiting for Mrs. Min to come back. According to the original plan, only Min Rou was leaving, but Mrs. Min was nowhere to be seen until dawn, so Min Rui guessed that he had been deceived. .It is possible that Mrs. Min had no intention of leaving, but He Wei insisted that both mother and daughter leave. It is also possible that Mrs. Min decided to leave with Min Rou after meeting He Wei, but deliberately lied to Min Rui that she would come back.
Min Rui felt that it was the former for a while, and was sure it was the latter for a while, with mixed feelings.
Old Minister Min entered the door and saw that Min Rui was the only one in the room. His face immediately darkened, "Where are Rou'er and her mother?"
Min Rui shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I don't know."
Master Min frowned, "How could you not know?"
"I went to bed early last night. I don't know when Madam disappeared." Min Rui sighed deeply, "I guess it was because of the marriage gift yesterday that Madam decided to run away with Rou'er. Her biggest wish in this life is hope. Rou'er lives a carefree life and will marry someone she loves in the future. What will happen if she enters the palace? Dad should also know very well. I haven't mentioned it yet, Qianqian knows martial arts, and Rou'er has also learned some."
Old Minister Min has calmed down, "She really didn't discuss it with you?"
Min Rui shook his head, "No. She was afraid that I would stop her. After all, they ran away, and the emperor blamed them, and it was the Min family that suffered. If she had asked me beforehand, I would have disagreed, but after they left, I was relieved. Take it easy. I am just a daughter. I hope my father can understand my feelings. If the emperor blames me, I will bear all the responsibilities."
Mr. Min shook his head, "Now that the matter has come to this, what are you talking about? I will go to the palace to plead guilty."
Min Rui suddenly mentioned Mr. Qin, "Why don't you go and discuss with Uncle Qin to see if he can help intercede? His only daughter was also given a marriage and died in a foreign land. He should be able to understand my wife's feelings. move."
When Old Minister Min heard Min Rui mentioning old things, he frowned again. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head again, "It's inappropriate. This is a matter of the Min family. If you bring your relatives in rashly, I'm afraid it will anger the emperor even more. What happened has already happened. Only by sincerely apologizing can the emperor be given a lighter punishment. Any further deception and conspiracy will only make matters worse."
When Min Rui heard this, he got out of bed, "It's my turn to apologize. I'm feeling better and can go out."
Old Minister Min sighed again, "That's fine, you can come with me."
When the Min family father and son were riding a carriage to the palace, Gu Ling had already taken Ji Xiaoshu into the imperial study.
The two came in secret. Ji Xiaoshu didn't change his appearance today. When he saw Duanmu Chen, he lay on Gu Ling's back and waved happily, "Uncle Emperor, I'm here!"
Duanmu Chen yawned while laughing. He thought there would be an assassination last night, so he didn't sleep much.
Ji Xiaoshu looked at Duanmu Chen's lips raised and his mouth open as he yawned, and suddenly felt that this uncle had become much cuter and less pretentious.
Ji Xiaoshu went down to the ground and ran to the dragon chair. He climbed up and sat down on his hands and feet. He picked up a booklet on the dragon table without opening it. He just looked at the embossed patterns on the booklet and touched it with his little hands. He said with a smile, "This is different from my father's. Our zhizihua is smaller."
Duanmu Chen hugged Ji Xiaoshu and laughed twice, "Which one is more beautiful?"
Ji Xiaoshu raised the book in his hand and said, "Uncle Emperor's house is beautiful."
Although it was just a meaningless comparison and praise from a child to the previous Duanmu Chen, Duanmu Chen just felt very happy at the moment. Even if Ji Xiaoshu sat on his dragon chair, he only thought the child was very cute, not Something else.
"Your master has gone back, and you came here to see if I was okay?" Duanmu Chen said with a bit of ridicule. It feels really good to be cared about, especially for Gu Ling, who seems to care about everyone except his family. People who don't care.
Gu Ling did not answer Duanmu Chen's question. His eyes were fixed on Duanmu Chen's eyebrows, and the black mist was still there.
Ordinarily, they would just continue to wait for the assassin tonight, but Gu Ling thought of what happened last night. Mrs. Min and her father met outside the city. The old man did not accompany Mrs. Min back, nor did he send his granddaughter away. Apparently there was something else going on last night. It needs to be done, and it’s an urgent matter.
Gu Ling didn't follow the old man and didn't know what he did after last night. But if that man's mission was to kill Duanmu Chen, he did something last night, but he didn't enter the palace to assassinate him. Could it be that he planned to do something else?
How to kill Duanmu Chen?
Change the method... Gu Ling thinks it is very possible. After the failed assassination a few days ago, the group lost most of their lives, and the possibility of using the same method to assassinate again is very small. What method would it be?
While Gu Ling was thinking, Duanmu Chen said to Ji Xiaoshu, "Look at your master, he is as motionless as a sculpture."
Ji Xiaoshu asked seriously, "Will it fall if I push it?"
Duanmu Chen patted Ji Xiaoshu's shoulder and said, "Go ahead and give it a try."
"Uncle Emperor, why don't you go? If I go, I will be beaten by the master, which is terrible." Ji Xiaoshu said that he would not be fooled.
Duanmu Chen coughed lightly, "If I go, I might get beaten."
"Wow! My master even dares to beat the emperor's uncle? How audacious! Then he will definitely dare to beat my father, I'm so looking forward to it!" Ji Xiaoshu has long been good at cheating his father.
Duanmu Chen laughed loudly and said that he was also looking forward to it.
"Gu Ling, what are you thinking about?" Duanmu Chen asked.
At this moment, Chang'an's report came from outside the door, "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Ministry of Works and his son are outside the palace asking for an audience."
Duanmu Chen was stunned for a moment, "What are they doing here?"
Gu Ling said, "Min Rui's wife and daughter disappeared last night."
Duanmu Chen frowned. He didn't really like Min Rou in the first place. Business was more important, and he wouldn't feel embarrassed because Min Rou ran away. He just thought of the fact that Gu Ling had been staring at Min Rui and his wife, so he asked him, "You
You didn’t do anything and just let them run away?”
Gu Ling shook his head, "I haven't gone far, he is at my house."
Duanmu Chen's lips twitched slightly, "Okay. Interrogate him quickly and see what we can find out."
"Min Rui thought they had left the capital." Gu Ling added.
Duanmu Chen nodded, "They really wanted to run, but you intercepted them halfway? Then I know what to do. Everyone else in the Min family is fine. How about putting Min Rui in a prison and killing her on another day?"
Gu Ling shook his head, "Don't deal with Min Rui for the time being, let him go home." He Wei said last night that he would deal with Min Rui, but he hasn't done anything yet, which means that he is doing something and can't get away. If Min Rui goes to the prison, He Wei
If you break into a prison to kill people, you will inevitably hurt innocent people.
"You have the final say." After Duanmu Chen blurted out, he felt that this should not be what an emperor said to his ministers, but then he thought about it, why should he use the "experience" of emperors in history who mostly did not die well to restrict them?
What about myself? It makes no sense to show the majesty of the emperor in front of Gu Ling, and it will look ridiculous. Gu Ling did not regard him as the emperor, nor did he regard himself as the de facto emperor, but just talked with him as a friend.
Duanmu Chen said loudly outside, "Chang'an, let them come over in an hour."
Chang'an took the order and left.
"You..." Gu Ling glanced at Duanmu Chen's eyebrows again.
"What are you?" Ji Xiaoshu asked.
Gu Ling did not answer. He stood up and walked to the window. When he opened the window, he saw that the sky was cloudy. There might be a thunderstorm today. The dark clouds in the sky and the black mist between Duanmu Chen's eyebrows were intertwined, making Gu Ling feel very unhappy.
wonderful.
"You don't want to stay in the dormitory tonight." Gu Ling closed the window, turned around and said to Duanmu Chen. He was worried that if the group attacked again, they might use the explosive weapons he originally thought of, which would make things much easier. But for
Duanmu Chen is much more dangerous.
Duanmu Chen immediately looked stern, "Am I in danger tonight? More dangerous than last time?" He felt that hiding in a secret room, carrying a nail gun for self-defense, and being protected by many secret guards, it would be difficult for the enemy to succeed. But Gu Ling thought
After such a long time, asking him to change places tonight must be dangerous that he could not imagine.
Gu Ling explained, "I suspect that one of the people in that group has fought against me before. He has a very scary weapon."
Duanmu Chen was shocked when he heard the word "terrible" from Gu Ling for the first time.
"In short, don't stay in the palace tonight, and avoid staying in the imperial study during the day. It's best to go to a place where no one knows as soon as possible." Gu Ling said.
"You mean, I will hide from now on?" Duanmu Chen felt very uneasy.
Gu Ling nodded, "There is a secret passage somewhere, go in and don't come out again."
Duanmu Chen understood, "Okay, I will go back to the palace later, and then go to the library through the secret passage."
Gu Ling also knew for the first time that there was a secret passage leading to the library in the emperor's palace. He didn't know who dug it, but it would be useful.
Ji Xiaoshu looked surprised, "What about us?"
"You can come with uncle." Duanmu Chen took the initiative to invite Ji Xiaoshu.
Ji Xiaoshu immediately slid off the dragon chair and ran towards Gu Ling, "Master, let's run quickly, it's so dangerous in the palace!"
Duanmu Chen: ...it was the wrong payment after all...
But Gu Ling had to leave. If the other party wanted to use explosives, staying by Duanmu Chen's side would not only be of no help, but would also put himself in danger.
After Gu Ling and Ji Xiaoshu left secretly, Duanmu Chen reviewed two more memorials. Feeling really uneasy, he asked Chang'an to bring the Min family father and son over.
When Old Minister Min and Min Rui saw Duanmu Chen, they noticed that the atmosphere was tense, but they did not know that Duanmu Chen was not angry because Min Rou ran away, but was worried about the danger that might come at any time.
Old Minister Min had typed up the manuscript. He had just said a few words when he was interrupted by Duanmu Chen, "I have a headache today. I don't want to hear this. You can go back."
Mr. Min was confused, and when he went back... was something wrong or was everything okay?
"I already know about Min Aiqing's granddaughter." Duanmu Chen said with a cold face, "Min Rui, if your wife and daughter never set foot in Qian Kingdom again in this life, I will never let me know about them.
!Back off!”
Min Rui was dumbfounded. Although he had thought that Duanmu Chen would not really do anything to the Min family, he did not expect to let them go so easily? Especially him. He originally thought that Duanmu Chen would doubt Mrs. Min and Mrs. Min.
He was an accomplice in Rou's disappearance. He had already thought of ways to defend himself, but he couldn't use it at all.
Old Minister Min pulled Min Rui, who was dazed, and the two of them bowed their heads and exited after thanking the emperor for his kindness.
After they left, Duanmu Chen called Chang An in and said, "I have a headache. I'm going back to the palace. You can take these notes with you."
Chang'an responded, packed up the memorial, and followed Duanmu Chen out of the imperial study and back to the palace.
Duanmu Chen rarely stayed overnight with his concubines recently, and always stayed in his own palace. After he entered, he ordered no one to disturb him, and then took Chang An to the library through the secret passage. It was usually a forbidden area, and there were few
Someone can enter. Su Liang often went to the library to borrow books before, and it was a privilege given by Duanmu Yi.
The reason why Duanmu Chen did not take the Queen Mother and concubines with him was because the assassin was clearly targeting him alone. Gu Ling did not say that others were in danger, which meant that there was no need to think so much.
…
As soon as Gu Ling returned home with Ji Xiaoshu, he heard thunder and it was going to rain.
Ji Xiaoshu lay on Gu Ling's back and looked up at the sky, "Master, will the Emperor's uncle be okay?"
"I don't know." Gu Ling put Ji Xiaoshu down and entered Yuanming Pavilion.
Ji Xiaoshu hurriedly ran to catch up, "Master, I'm bringing Master back!"
But Su Liang was nowhere to be seen on the first floor, and even on the second floor.
"It's going to rain. Where are my wife and sister?" Ji Xiaoshu turned around to ask Gu Ling, but saw no one behind him. He rubbed his eyes, and Gu Ling was clearly there just now.
"Is Master really a god and can he become invisible?" Ji Xiaoshu muttered and ran downstairs again.
Zheng'er just happened to push Gu Xiaonuan through the door, "Xiaoshu, you're back! It's going to rain outside, but my sister is not afraid of thunder at all. She's worse than me. I was afraid of thunder before."
"Brother, where is my wife?" Ji Xiaoshu asked.
"Master Madam has some business to do, she's down there." Zheng'er pointed to the ground.
Ji Xiaoshu understood instantly, "Master must have gone too, let's go too!"
"That's not possible, we have to take care of our sister." Zheng'er looked serious.
Ji Xiaoshu lay down next to the stroller and asked Gu Xiaonuan, "Sister, are you a god?"
Gu Xiaonuan stretched out her hand and waved it with a smile, "Yeah!"
Ji Xiaoshu looked surprised, "Elder brother, you heard it, my sister said she is a fairy!"
Zheng'er:......
…
In the secret room below, Su Liang sat opposite Min Rou, looking at her calmly.
Min Rou had woken up for a while, and Su Liang asked her a question, "Where is your home?"
But Min Rou didn't say a word, she just looked at Su Liang coldly.
Su Liang looked indifferent, "Gu Ling went to give your father acupuncture before. After leaving, he went to the Duke of Guo's Mansion to visit Grandpa Qin. As a result, he accidentally discovered that your mother had sneaked into the Duke of Guo's Mansion secretly and didn't know what she was going to do. Then she stared at him.
She heard something from every move she made. The first thing is that your parents conspired to kill Grandpa Qin."
Min Rou frowned when she heard this, "Impossible! You are slandering others! You are talking nonsense without any basis! We have no grievances. I don't know what your purpose is in arresting me, but I don't believe a word of what you said!"
"
Su Liang nodded, "It's not surprising." After saying this, he stood up and said, "If you don't believe what I said, let your mother say it herself."
When Min Rou heard Su Liang's words, her expression suddenly changed, "What do you mean?"
Su Liang didn't answer, and closed the door after going out. After a while, Min Rou heard her mother's voice coming from the next door, "Su Liang? What are you going to do? Why are you arresting me? Where is Rou'er?"
Min Rou suddenly felt uneasy, but it was not because she was worried about her own safety...
In the next room, Su Liang looked at Mrs. Min who was tied up and said calmly, "Gu Ling accidentally discovered that you were secretly coming in and out of the Duke's Mansion, so he kept an eye on you and heard something. This is why you were arrested.
reason."
Mrs. Min looked at Su Liang in disbelief, "You...I didn't do anything! I just didn't want my daughter to become one of the emperor's many women! What's wrong with this?"
"Indeed. You are just planning other things, and you haven't waited for the opportunity to take action." Su Liang said, "You want to kill Mr. Qin, just for this reason, I can kill you."
Mrs. Min's face was dark, she didn't know how much Su Liang and Gu Ling had eavesdropped, and she pursed her lips and said nothing.
"You didn't refute, is this your acquiescence?" Su Liang snorted.
In the next room, Min Rou's face suddenly turned a little pale.
The next moment, Mrs. Min's angry voice was heard, "Since you are spying on me, you should know that it was not me who wanted to kill the person named Qin, but Min Rui. I was forced by him! And I didn't do anything! Even if I didn't do anything! Someone is responsible for this, and you should kill him instead of troubling me!"
Min Rou seemed to have been beaten hard. She was sitting upright with her back straight, but her shoulders suddenly collapsed...
On the other side, Gu Ling was about to enter the underground chamber of Yuanming Pavilion when he heard a burst of thunder, followed by another rumble from the direction of the palace.
Gu Ling closed the entrance to the secret room and went up to the roof of Yuanming Pavilion. He saw thick smoke billowing in the direction of the palace. His hunch came true. The group used explosives to blow up Duanmu Chen this time. And with their strength , if you want to sneak into the palace in broad daylight without being noticed, it can be done just as easily as Gu Ling.
So Gu Ling suspected that the group did not use explosives for the first assassination. Perhaps they were confident in their strength and did not have explosives on hand. The ones used this time were secretly made in the past few days after the last failure. In this case, what happened That makes sense.
The palace is very large. Judging from the sound and smoke, there was only one explosion, which should be Duanmu Chen's palace. Gu Ling felt that Duanmu Chen was always cautious and should have avoided it after listening to his words, but he still decided to go to the palace to confirm. .
At this time, in the palace, Duanmu Chen stood at the highest point of the library, staring dumbly at the thick smoke coming from the direction of the palace. He held his hands on the table, his face turned pale, and after a long while he sighed softly, "Gu Ling, you are such a magic stick who can predict the future. Bar."