wait a minute

Chapter 249

The scale of the new house is very large, and there are lanterns hanging everywhere just after moving, but there are not many people living in it, only the embroidery building on the east side and the courtyard on the west side are inhabited.

After the housewarming banquet, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. The big mansion had already quieted down, and it was midnight.

The lights in the master bedroom of Plum Blossom Courtyard had been turned off, but the lantern hanging outside the door still brought some light.

The pale gold curtain was hung on the tent hook, and the chilong ring head knife was hung beside the bed frame.

Ye Jingtang leaned on the pale gold pillow embroidered with mandarin ducks, staring at the carvings on the top of the bed, secretly thinking about messy things.

San Niang changed into a tulle nightgown, and lay on her side with her back facing her. The weather was not cold and the thin quilt was only draped around her waist, her plump breasts were still faintly visible.

After dinner last night, the two went back to their room to rest.

Sanniang drank a little too much, and I don't know if she was emboldened by drinking. After being intimate once, she actually said what she said and did what she said, which really made him mess up. She even went to take a bath to make herself white and clean, let you pick it up Pick.

Ye Jingtang was afraid that Sanniang wouldn't be able to bear it, so he didn't intend to come for the real thing, but he overestimated his concentration a bit, and Sanniang cooperated obediently, so he naturally borrowed something from Po.

It's hard to describe the process in detail, but Sanniang was indeed awakened from her drunkenness, and afterwards said that he was unruly, taking advantage of the drunken girl to mess around, and refused to admit that such a shameful thing was voluntary.

Ye Jingtang took advantage of it, and naturally had to take the blame. After coaxing the tearful Sanniang to sleep with good words, he lay on the pillow and secretly practiced the jade bone dragon image, which was a half-dream and half-awake state of doze.

After practicing for an unknown amount of time, light footsteps came from the veranda outside the courtyard, stopped at the courtyard gate to look at it, and then called out softly:

"Master?"

Xiuhe's voice.

Ye Jingtang opened his eyes, turned his head to look at Sanniang who was sleeping soundly beside him, then got up lightly, covered Sanniang with the thin quilt, then put on his robe, and went outside the door.

Because it was the first day of moving, lanterns were hung everywhere in the house, and according to the custom, the lights were lit all night.

At this time, the courtyard was very bright, and Xiu He, who was wearing a light blue dress, stood at the round gate at the end of the cross path, holding a stack of papers in her arms and looking at her head.

Ye Jingtang closed the door, beckoned Xiuhe to come in, and waited until he got close before asking:
"You didn't sleep all night?"

"I'm asleep too. The people below came over just now and said that they had inquired about the news overnight. They sent it here because they were afraid that the young master would need it urgently."

Ye Jingtang took the paper, and because it was inconvenient to see things in the yard, he and Xiuhe came to the study in the main room.

Sanniang manages all the big and small rooms in the house. Basically, you can use the expensive ones and never pick the cheap ones. The furniture is all expensive wood. It should be a bit presumptuous to say that luxury is light. It is used exclusively by princes and marquises, and ordinary people will be punished for using it indiscriminately.

However, two days ago, the imperial court sent a canonization edict. Although the Marquis of Yunzhong is false, the privileges of clothing, food, housing and transportation are still calculated according to the title of servants. , In the capital, a sedan chair carried by four people can also be used in a three-horse cart.

For this reason, Sanniang made a special trip to change a set of furniture for him in the past two days, making the house look like a Marquis's mansion. As for things like desks, because they are very important to the gentry, even if Yejingtang basically doesn't use them. On the table, I still made a special one. On the table were unopened pens, inks, papers and inkstones, as well as the little turtles and wooden donkeys he bought for Birds.

Ye Jingtang sat down behind the desk, and Xiuhe skillfully lit the lampstand and put it on the desk to help grind the ink.

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang raised his hand slightly: "No need, I don't write anything, you sit down too, and tell me about the official positions of these characters."

"Okay sir."

Seeing this, Xiuhe quickly moved a round stool from the side, sat next to the grand master's chair, picked up the paper and explained carefully:
"Wailang Chencang, a member of the Ministry of Rites, whose ancestral home is in Ningyuan County, Yanzhou..."

The Pei family has been doing business in the capital for many years, and secretly has a background in Honghualou. They don't know the official situation well, but they do know who the officials are, where they are from, and where they live. These information are basically ready-made. Xiuhe has worked as Sanniang's secretary all year round, and she is very professional by heart.

Ye Jingtang listened carefully to Xiuhe's explanation, and secretly analyzed the feasibility of these people committing chaos, such as mobilizing troops, arresting people, or those who have connections with the imperial army, as long as there is a possibility of assassination, they would rather kill the wrong one than let it go Write them all down and review them one by one.

Because the major imperial examination provinces are located in the middle and southeast of the Great Wei Dynasty, and Yanzhou is a frontier fortress, there are not many high-ranking officials in the capital. After listening to Ye Jingtang, they all feel that these people's rebellion is brainwashing. Holland reported the last person:
"There is a native of Yanzhou with a high status in the capital, and the son of King Yan, named Dongfang Shuoyue, who entered Beijing ten years ago. After studying at the Imperial College, the imperial court gave him a job in the Ministry of Rites, but he has a loose personality and has never been to the Yamen. Playing on Wutong Street, people gave him the nickname 'cup opener', and his gambling skills are the best in Yun'an..."

Ye Jingtang had heard the nickname of 'cup opener' before, his eyes moved slightly when he heard this, and he took the paper and looked it over carefully:
"Is Prince Yan's son very powerful in the capital?"

Xiuhe thought for a while: "It's hard to say about the power, but the status is very noble. In all dynasties, the two kings of Yan and Liang were respected. The son of King Yan is the future King of Yan. He is probably a head shorter than King Jing in the capital. You have to salute when you meet.

"However, I heard that Prince Yan is very easy-going, has no pretensions, and is generous. The top oiran on Wutong Street, as long as he hears that Prince Yan will come, he will not see the guests until the prince of Yan has finished picking... But now it should be There are exceptions, if the young master goes to Wutong Street, I guarantee that the Prince of Yan will have to stand aside, and those oirans will definitely surround you..."

Ye Jingtang shook his head, ignored the joke, and continued:

"Where does Prince Yan's son live?"

"It's hard to say. The son of King Yan is very good at gambling. He has won many shops and elegant gardens. There are industries in and outside the city. Because he loves to play, he runs around all day. Basically, he sleeps wherever he goes. If there is no industry around, he sleeps. The inn restaurant... I heard from the people below that Prince Yan's son is on Wutong Street tonight."

"Who are the masters around Prince Yan?"

"All the kings and princes are surrounded by expert guards. The one next to the King of Yan is Fang Shijie who I heard from Sanniang. He was originally a knight-errant in the Jianghu. Later, he made friends with King Yan's mansion and became a guest. Because there are no actual combat achievements for many years, and his martial arts skills are unknown. ..."

After Ye Jingtang listened to the information, he felt that it would be very difficult for such a person who has not left Beijing for ten years and worked tirelessly to make a fool of himself to secretly contact the Pingtian Sect or even use the Hongshan Gang. It is more likely that King Yan is the mastermind behind it, but no matter what , this person must check carefully.

Remembering this place, Ye Jingtang looked at the sky, got up and said:
"Continue to inquire, and let me know if there is any news. If Sanniang wakes up, tell her that I have gone to the Yamen and let her have a good rest."

"Good master..."

"You should go to bed early too, girl, don't stay up all night, what will you do if you don't look pretty in the future?"

"Hee~"

……
-
In the middle of the night, most of the streets and alleys in Yun'an City have been closed, and Fengyuechang, including Wutong Street, is a street that lasts all night. Although there are fewer pedestrians than in the evening, the brightly lit streets can still be seen. There are carriages and horses and drunken princes and gentry.

In the Jinping Building in the middle section of Wutong Street, there are voices of warblers and swallows and the chatter and laughter of romantic people, and in an elegant hall behind, a few rich families from Wende Bridge are accompanied by beauties, pushing Pai Gow in full swing.

Prince Yan's son, Dongfang Shuoyue, was invited to have fun today. He had a few drinks during the dinner, but was not very strong, so he let him rest in a nearby room on the way.

Because he had no choice but to gamble, and his status was too noble, the owner of Jinpinglou didn't pretend to be clever to arrange for the girl, but just sent sober soup and tea.

There was constant laughter around, and some ambiguous sounds could be heard faintly, but the room with a beautiful environment was quite quiet.

The lights in the room had already been turned off, Dongfang Shuoyue did not fall asleep, she was sitting on the tea couch very awake, her brows were tightly furrowed.

Fang Shijie, the old housekeeper with a goatee, sat on the opposite chair, rubbed his fingers lightly, and discussed in a low voice:

"Master Pingtian doesn't want to be with us. It's a bit troublesome. The two warriors are in the capital. If you want to deal with them, the risk is too great..."

Zhong Sunyan sat behind the sea of ​​tea, slowly boiling the tea and drinking it himself:

"You guys from the Great Wei like to keep your face here and plan far-sightedness. If it is placed in Beiliang, if you want to divert the tiger away from the mountain, you will dig someone's ancestor's grave. If the ancestor is dug up, no matter how big the devil is, he will have to go back and bury him personally... ..."

Zhongsunyan is good at strange and obscene skills, and his thinking has always been clear and strange. Several people have gotten used to it, so they didn't make any comments.

On the other side of the tea couch, there is a rather tough man with sword eyebrows and tiger eyes born with a bit of murderous look, his name is Teng Tianyou, he is the contact person between the Green Bandit and Prince Yan, at this time he said: :

"It's about the life and death of the Empress, not to mention digging graves. Even if Yuxu Mountain collapses, Master Xuanji will not leave Beijing at this time. Killing a person is only a moment, and it can make the Master Xuanji unable to rush to rescue for half an hour, and it will be done. I will let the higher-ups Just think of a way, don’t worry, my son.”

The Green Bandit is a very mysterious organization. Not only does the court know little about it, even Dongfang Shuoyue, who is an accomplice, doesn't know its specific structure and who is the leader. Even the name of the 'Green Bandit' was given by the court.

Fang Shijie is the personal bodyguard of King Yan's son. He is unavoidably wary of the unknown ally. He suspects that King Liang is behind the green bandit.

However, King Liang's power was in the northwest, and the green bandits recruited most of them from Beiliang. It was more likely that the Beiliang court was manipulating it. This guess has not been conclusive.

The prince actually has doubts in his heart, but the prince has been in the capital for ten years, and the empress obviously has no intention of letting the prince return to the fiefdom. In the end, it depends on who can't bear it first, the empress or the king of Yan. No matter who makes the move, the prince will be the first Sacrifice.

If the son waits until that time, what he will get will not be returning to his hometown, but a sword and axe. If he wants to survive this kind of predicament, he has to break the situation himself. If he succeeds, he will get everything. At first, no matter what, it was better than waiting to die in the capital.

So knowing that the green bandit may be a double-edged sword, the prince still has to use it without assistance.

Seeing that Teng Tianyou took over the matter, Fang Shijie thought about it a little bit, and said:

"This old man has always had doubts. This time, the king of Yan can get the imperial line, and the son will become the crown prince. It is reasonable to win the imperial power. But what Brother Teng and the people behind the scenes have done in the past ten years seems to be I just want to get the empress off the horse, but Fang can't figure out what to get after it is done."

Teng Tianyou said to this: "The organization at the top is strict. I only know an old man who led me in back then. I have never seen the real face. I joined because of the supernatural powers at the top. They rescued me from the death prison in Beiliang, Helped me clear my identity and gave countless family businesses a foothold.

"As for the request from above, I'm not very clear...As far as I know, the Green Bandits didn't appear ten years ago, and their purpose seems to be that they don't want anyone to rule the world; And now we are dealing with the empress for the same reason."

Hearing this, Fang Shijie frowned slightly: "You guys think that the empress can rule the world, and that's why she emerged ten years ago?"

Dongfang Shuoyue answered: "The empress is very ambitious. The three steps of bringing peace and prosperity to the people, reducing feudal vassals and centralizing power, and pacifying the world are almost clear. However, these three steps are usually completed by three generations of emperors. The empress wants to It's too unlikely to finish all of them in my lifetime."

Teng Tianyou said: "Teng is a martial artist in the Jianghu. I don't know much about other things..."

puff puff~~
While they were talking, there was a sudden sound of flapping wings from behind the noisy Jinping Tower, and the reflection of a jackdaw appeared on the window paper.

The four people in the room were silent. After Zhong Sunyan looked back, he frowned slightly, then looked at Fang Shijie, and gestured for the direction with his hands.

Fang Shijie knew that there was an uninvited guest, so he got up and straightened his clothes, picked up a crutch from the chair, and quietly left the room...
-
Behind Wutong Street is a deep and dark alley.

Although it is only a line away from the most prosperous street in the capital, the gap between the two sides seems to be two completely different worlds.

The main street is a place of fresh clothes and angry horses, while the back alleys are the residences of slaves and handymen. There are sundries everywhere in the alleys with nine bends and eighteen bends. Foreigners who can't afford it but want to go back to their hometown to brag about it on Wutong Street.

The time is estimated to be around three o'clock in the morning, the moon has already reached the horizon, half of the lane is moonlight and half is dark, and half of the pedestrians cannot be seen.

Ye Jingtang wore a bamboo hat, changed into a night clothes, and walked in the shadows of the alley with his sword wrapped in a black cloth. From time to time, he could hear a noisy voice from the depths of the building complex:
"Hmm~~ah——"

"Are you happy..."

"Come on, let's drink..."

Niao Niao, who was forced to work overtime again, was obviously not very energetic at this time, standing directly on the bamboo hat of Ye Jing Tang, looking left and right, observing the surrounding clues.

The purpose of Ye Jingtang's trip is to investigate and find the primary target. Just now, he learned from Xiuhe that the prince of Yan is on Wutong Street, because the prince of Yan never travels in a sneaky way. Location.

Seeing that there was still half a mile away from Jinping Tower, Ye Jingtang's footsteps became silent in order to prevent eyeliners from watching him, like a ghost drifting through the alleyway without any haste.

But when walking behind the Longyin Building, I heard several loud voices coming from the depths of the house:

"To be honest, Brother Ye just came to the capital, and I even had a sparring with him. I cut out three inches, and he hit his neck with the knife. Although Wang was defeated, you should know the weight of this battle in your heart. ..."

"Brother Wang, don't brag. You were obviously sent by King Jing to win you over. You almost got chopped up in the street after touching the knife from behind..."

"Hey! If it were you, would you be able to touch the knife leader's knife from behind? That is the contemporary knife leader. Last time I was invited to drink on Wutong Street and ordered a dozen girls to accompany me. Are you so lucky?"

"That's not true... By the way, Master Ye is here to play, can you let him go?"

"This kind of thing can only be understood but not explained..."

"Oh, I see……"

? ?
Ye Jingtang paused, and thought to himself: What do you understand? !

Last time he invited Wang Chihu to drink flower wine, but he didn't even touch it, he just went to accompany the wine, and this word got to Daben's ears, so he had to tear up his painting.

But Ye Jingtang knew for the first time that the first time he was stopped by Wang Chihu when he passed by Heiya, it was Benben who secretly directed...

Ye Jingtang was recalling the scene when he first entered Beijing, when Niao Niao, who was standing on the bamboo hat, suddenly raised his head and looked deep into the alleyway.

Ye Jingtang immediately came back to his senses, raised his eyes to look at the buildings deep in the alleyway, but saw the direction that Niao Niao was looking at, a bird spread its wings and then hid in the room.

"Anything?"

"Goo."

The bird is a bird of prey. It may be that the bird is afraid of it hunting at night and then escapes. It shakes its head and disarms.

Ye Jingtang frowned secretly, because he used falcons to plot people all the year round, so he was much more wary of the birds in the sky than ordinary Jianghu people, and if the other party was good at this, he probably would be the same.

At present, the investigation has just started, and Ye Jingtang is afraid of encountering his opponent and his identity will be revealed, so he will startle the snake. Thinking about telling the bird not to show his head, he leaps up the fence, looks around the buildings, and picks a pendant from the waist of a drunk boy. sword, and then continue to Jinping Tower...

----

Thank you [Qin Xiaoshi] for your rewards!

(End of this chapter)