wait a minute

Chapter 430 The eldest lady’s personal killer

Ye Jingtang followed the steward of the Washington Palace to a small room at the back of the bookstore. There was a desk in it, and a dark blue robe on it. The clothes he wore as a guard were not made of very good materials, but the craftsmanship was good. It's not bad, there's a waist card on it.

Manager Wang sat behind the desk, taking the talisman and copying it on the roster. At the same time, he told some miscellaneous rules:

"Our master, in the past years, when paying homage to the imperial court officials, no matter how old the official was, he had to dismount his horse and pay his respects when he passed the door. As the saying goes, if the seventh-ranking official in front of the prime minister can work in Washington, even the county magistrate will give you some thin noodles.

"However, there are differences between people here. Those who have just entered the door are called handymen, and they can only do some work such as washing clothes and brushing horses. After two years, if you are diligent and smart, you can be promoted to a foreman and manage a few people under you. .

"The foreman is in charge of things. Those like me have a different status. They specialize in one thing. The young master will call him Uncle Wang in private. If he works for ten years without making any mistakes, he will be respected by the master. If you trust me, you will have the opportunity to become a housekeeper. This housekeeper is not ordinary, his status is equivalent to that of a grand duke in the palace, and his words are more important than those of concubines in the harem..."

Ye Jingtang was still thinking about Hua Qingzhi and his daughter. After listening for a moment, he casually answered:
"I also have to start by brushing horses?"

Manager Wang was obviously the HR manager of Washington. He shook his head and said:
"You are not a servant, you are a guard, responsible for security. If you are good at martial arts and smart, you will be promoted faster.

"The guards are also divided into four grades. The lowest grade is not equipped with horses and is only responsible for following the steward to collect accounts or patrolling the house; the second grade is equipped with horses and is responsible for escorting the aunt and the young master of the side house; the first grade is Hua Ning, who has the elders They are the bodyguards of the house; but when they go up, they are no longer called guards, but called 'doormen'. They are free, and the owners of the house treat each other with courtesy..."

Ye Jingtang nodded thoughtfully:
"Am I a low-level guard now?"

"Originally, it should be considered, but the lady is very fond of you, and you will have to follow her in the future, so I will temporarily settle on the second grade, with a monthly salary of eighty taels, including food and accommodation, and two days off in one month; after three months, if you do well, He will be converted into a formal guard, his monthly salary will be doubled, and he will receive routine red envelopes during holidays..."

"The treatment is really good."

"That's natural, otherwise we wouldn't call it a wealthy family. You are still young, work hard for two years, and if you perform well, I will help you solve the marriage problem. In the past two years, Hua Ning got married to the girl from Madam's courtyard, and I also gave him a gift. A house with three acres of land..."

"yes……"

……

After talking a lot, Manager Wang finished writing all the registration information and asked Ye Jingtang to make a pledge.

What Ye Jingtang was looking at was a three-month short-term probationary job. It was not a contract of betrayal. He didn't say anything at the moment. After pressing his fingerprints on the paper, he took his robe and went to the courtyard beside the bookstore with Manager Wang. .

Manager Wang led the way and warned:

"Do you know why you are asked to lift a [-]-pound stone lock before entering?"

Night Terror Hall responded: "The eldest lady weighs 120 pounds?"

Manager Wang frowned: "What's that look in your eyes? How can the eldest lady have a weak body like Liu Fufeng's body of [-]? The eldest lady has inconvenient legs and feet. She always uses a wheelchair when going out. You have to carry the wheelchair up and down when you go upstairs and get off the bus. You have to do it lightly without losing the dignity of a big family, but you can’t do it if you don’t have the strength..."

Ye Jingtang followed and listened, and unknowingly reached the entrance of the courtyard.

At the corner of the courtyard corridor, guard Hua Ning was leaning against the wall with a saber in his arms, guarding the door for the eldest lady.

Hua Ning was the son of a tenant farmer and was adopted by the Washington government when he was young. He used to be Hua Junchen's martial arts punching bag. Later, when he got older, he became the foreman of the eldest lady's bodyguard. His status in the Hua family was not low.

Originally, Hua Qingzhi's head guard was only Hua Ning, but just now he heard from the steward that there was a new person in the family, and the young lady was particularly fond of him. As an old man in the family, he was naturally a little stressed.

Although it is not good to say these complaints in front of the master and the lady, as the foreman, he must teach the newcomers these rules, so as to prevent the newcomers from being arrogant in the future and not taking the old man seriously.

Hearing Manager Wang's words coming from far away, Hua Ning's face also showed a calm and intimidating look. When two figures, one in front and one behind, came out of the corner, he opened his mouth and said:

"You're the new one...hiss-"

plop~
Halfway through the words, there was a muffled sound of knees hitting the ground in the corridor, and then there was a dead silence.

???

Manager Wang was talking, and in a blink of an eye he saw Hua Ning neatly kneeling on his knees to salute. His old face was stunned. After being stunned for a moment, he quickly raised his hand to help:
"Hua Ning, what are you doing? Did you make a mistake? If you made a mistake, kneel to me. What's the use of kneeling to me?"

Hua Ning's eyes were filled with shock and his face was white. Looking at the face of the young man standing behind Manager Wang, he felt like he was having a nightmare.

But the real feeling of his knees touching the floor tiles still reminded him that he was the real King of Hell in front of him, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Ye Jingtang had seen Hua Ning in Yun'an before and knew that he was kneeling on her. He felt quite embarrassed and quickly raised his hand quietly to signal Hua Ning to get up.

But Hua Ning was kneeling in front of the Lord of Hell, already thinking about his life as a servant. He was dumbfounded, and Manager Wang didn't respond no matter what.

Fortunately, the courtyard was not deserted, and the noise in the corridor still alerted the masters and servants in the courtyard.

But after a moment, the courtyard door was opened, and Lu Zhu poked his head out from inside.

Seeing Duke Ye Daguo standing at the corner and Hua Ning who couldn't kneel down, Luzhu understood very well and said quickly:

"Hua Ning, go watch the wind. Who is that? Come in. The lady has something to say to you."

Hearing Lu Zhu's voice, Hua Ning came back to his senses. He didn't dare to let out a fart, and quickly ran to the corner of the yard on the other side to stand guard.

Guan Wang really couldn't figure out why Hua Ning wanted to give him such a big gift, so he asked:
"What happened to Hua Ning? Did you make a big mistake?"

"No, I just want to take leave to visit my wife. Manager Wang, please go back first and leave this place to me."

"Just ask for leave and just say it. Why do you need to give such a big gift? Alas, this kid is really..."

Ye Jingtang didn't interrupt. He watched Manager Wang turn around and leave, then he carried his guard robe and entered the courtyard on the side of the bookstore.

The courtyard should be a 'private room' where literati and students usually play chess. There is a stone chess table in the center, and various flowers are planted next to it. In spring, hundreds of flowers bloom, and the scenery is quite elegant.

At this time, Hua Qingzhi, who was wearing a long skirt, was sitting in a wheelchair next to the chess table, with her hands folded on her legs. She looked a little anxious and kept looking at the door.

After Lu Zhu entered the door, she quickly locked the door. Her generous expression dropped and she turned into a cowardly little maid, helping Ye Jingtang hold the robe:

"Master Ye, why are you here? This is an enemy country..."

?

When Ye Jingtang heard this, he almost couldn't stand it. He felt that this maid had the potential to be a traitor.He smiled warmly and said:

"Just come here for a walk. Don't be so formal. Don't leak my information, otherwise it will cause trouble for Washington. You go to the side to rest for a while, Miss Hua and I will talk alone."

Naturally, Lv Zhu didn't dare to say anything, so she quickly ran into the room holding her clothes.

Hua Qingzhi sat upright in the wheelchair and saw the living night terror hall. She still found it unbelievable. After Lu Zhu left, she asked in a low voice:
"Mr. Ye, is Nanchao preparing to enter the border?"

Ye Jingtang came to the front, thought for a while and said:

"I'm just the commander of the Hei Yamen, and I haven't entered the court. I don't know whether we will fight or not. I came here just to arrest those important criminals who fled to Beiliang. For example, Zhao Dong from Baihe Wharf..."

Hua Qingzhi didn't believe that key figures like Ye Jingtang would go north to take risks because of a few wanted criminals. She slid her wheelchair closer:

"Young Master is a person who cares about the people without seeking fame or fortune. I can also see the situation between the two dynasties. If there is no war now, there will be a fight sooner or later. I only hope that no matter what the situation is in the future, the Young Master can care about the people. Don't let the war affect innocent civilians..."

Ye Jingtang raised his hand slightly and said: "I am from Jianghu, and I came from a poor place. Whether you say it or not, I will pay attention to these things. In addition, you and I have some friendship. If the situation really changes in the future, As long as you convince the family to review the situation and not get involved in the dispute between the two dynasties easily, I can still have a say in the safety of the Hua family..."

"..."

Hua Qingzhi's lips moved. They were facing each other, but they were in two countries standing at opposite angles. No matter what they said, it seemed that nothing was right. After being silent for a while, she asked again:

"Why did the young master come to Washington to become a servant?"

Ye Jingtang opened his mouth, but it was not easy to explain, so he thought for a while before saying:

"The last time we robbed Snow Lake Flowers in Tianlang Lake, a lot of people ran away, didn't they? Snow Lake Flowers are a thing of the tribes in the West Sea. I am the orphan of King Tianlang. When the things were robbed, I naturally took them back, so I’m going to visit Yanjing.

"Originally, I wanted to find a reasonable identity. The local dental shop said they were looking for guards here, so I came to take a look. I didn't really think about it. Who would have thought that I would run into it like this..."

Hua Qingzhi is quite convinced by this statement.Last time Ye Jingtang spared her and her father in prison, and even General Chen spared his life. She was very grateful, but as long as she assisted Ye Jingtang, she would be treason. There was no way she could open this mouth. After thinking about it secretly for a moment, , sighing faintly:

"Young master wants to use my identity to sneak into Yanjing to get Snow Lake Flowers. I am a weak woman, how can I refuse..."

?

Ye Jingtang frowned, raised his hand and said, "I'm not that kind of person, as long as Miss Hua doesn't spread the news..."

Hua Qingzhi shook her head gently: "I am a citizen of the Northern Liang Dynasty. I know that Mr. Ye is going to deal with the imperial court, so how can I hide it and not report it? Mr. Ye has gone deep into the hinterland of the Northern Dynasty. Since his face has been exposed, how can he leave with peace of mind because of a little friendship? . Since the young master is serving the country, I understand all the hurtful words he said and will cooperate with the young master from now on. This is also for the safety of my children in Washington..."

"I really didn't mean that, it was just a coincidence..."

"Ah~"

Hua Qingzhi raised her hand slightly: "Young master, there is no need to say anything. The matter is now here. If you came to Washington unintentionally and left without wanting to bring harm to Washington, how should I deal with myself? Isn't it right to hide it and not report it? Loyalty and unrighteousness, informing the court is heartless and unjust, you might as well kill me with a knife."

"..."

Ye Jingtang was speechless by these words. He also knew in his heart that Hua Qingzhi was looking for someone to help him under the steps. After thinking about it for a while, he nodded:
"That's what Miss Yihua means. From now on, I will be a robber. I will kidnap you and take me to Yanjing. You will do whatever you are told."

Hua Qingzhi saw Ye Jingtang showing her 'true face' and nodded:
"I only help you get Snow Lake Flowers to repay your kindness last time. Even if you kill me, I won't be able to do anything that endangers the people of Beiliang."

Ye Jingtang thought this topic was quite boring, so he turned to the main topic:

"When are you going to Yanjing?"

"You can leave at any time. Young Master is here alone?"

"Well...I also brought two helpers..."

"They're all women?"

"..."

Ye Jingtang was slightly startled: "How do you know?"

Hua Qingzhi responded truthfully: "Young Master is away from home, and it seems that he has never brought a man with him. The Queen is here too? I can tell my family and buy two more maids, and then I can ask Prince Jing to come and serve me... "

Ye Jingtang did not expect that Hua Qingzhi was so evil and wanted Benben to be a maid. He shook his head and said:
"Prince Jing is not here. They are two friends from the world. If it is convenient for you, you can arrange it. If it is not convenient for them to follow, that's fine."

As the eldest lady of the Washington Palace, Hua Qingzhi wanted to have two maids, which was not a matter of words, so she didn't say much about it at the moment.After looking at Ye Jingtang for a while, he said:

"Since the young master wants to hide his identity by pretending to be a guard, I can only take advantage of the situation. You're welcome. From now on, I'll call you Shiro..."

"Actually, it's okay to call him Hua An. Shiro is too familiar. I used to call him by his pseudonym Ye Shiro."

Hua Qingzhi always felt that the name Hua'an was not worthy of the status of Ye Jingtang, but Ye Jingtang did not dislike it, and she no longer insisted. She smiled and said:
"I'm more difficult to serve than the queen. I have weak legs and feet. You have to carry me up the carriage and across the steps. I don't have a good appetite and can't eat solid food. Before dawn, you have to buy fresh vegetables and let Lvzhu cook them. …”

Ye Jingtang came to the back of the wheelchair, tried to push it, and then lifted the wheelchair to feel:
"It's not serious, it's just a small thing."

This may be the first time in her life that Hua Qingzhi encountered such a casual guard. She was suddenly lifted up and quickly held on to the armrest:

"Mr. Ye, be gentle and handle it with care."

"Oh."

Ye Jingtang gently put down the wheelchair and said:
"That's all, right? I have to go back and deal with some things before I can come and take office tomorrow. How about meeting tomorrow?"

Hua Qingzhi asked:

"Are you going to arrest Zhao Dong?"

"That's not true. He has just been killed. He just went back to prepare."

"..."

Hua Qingzhi was stunned when she heard this. Looking at Ye Jingtang's sunny and warm face, she couldn't connect it with the murderous Living King of Hell.

But there were dozens of dead people she had seen with her eyes, and she couldn't believe it.

Hua Qingzhi didn't want to interfere with these fighting and killing matters, so she just complained:
"Why are you either just coming back from killing someone or preparing to go out and kill someone? Alas..."

"I am an official. There are always evil people in the world, and the killings will continue day by day. Miss, you must understand."

"..." Hua Qingzhi considered it for a moment, but did not refute, and turned around and said:

"Then I won't give it away. Come here early tomorrow. If you are late, your monthly salary will be deducted."

After Ye Jingtang nodded and smiled, he took the robe from Lu Zhu and walked out of the courtyard.
-
On the other side, Huangmei County.

Huangmei County is only more than a hundred miles away from the capital city. If there is any disturbance in the surrounding area, Yaxing will naturally be the first to receive the news.

The moon is on the fingers → the moon is on the branches. In the study room of Huofengzhai in the county town, Situ Yanfeng sat next to the sea of ​​tea, slowly making tea. The helpers who were returning one after another were reporting news from various places as usual:
"There is a ship stranded on the other side of the Yan River. I can't pull it out. I want to find some powerful masters..."

"This kind of bad thing should also be reported. Is there a talented person in the world who can do the work of a tracker? Can't he pull a boatload of silver into the boat?"

"Sigh, it's not easy to get involved in the world now. There are people to pick up the 30-two-kill masters. Pulling a boat is easier than killing people..."

……

While several people were talking, rapid footsteps suddenly sounded outside.

Situ Yanfeng paused in the act of pouring tea, then turned around to look, only to see the gangsters in charge of Fucheng running over, looking anxious and panicked, and shouted when they entered the door:
"Gang leader, no... it's not good, something happened... Zhao... Zhao..."

Situ Yanfeng specially asked the gang to pay attention to the movements at Baihe Pier today. When he heard this, he secretly thought something was wrong and stood up quickly:

"Zhao Si is dead?"

"No."

The gang members were obviously a little confused, and they didn't care about the gang rules at this time. They ran to the tea sea and drank a large amount of water, and then said:
"Zhao Dong is dead!"

"what?!"

Situ Yanfeng was stunned and frowned, as if he was wondering if he heard wrongly:
"The leader of the Thunder Eagle Gang is dead? Did you read that correctly?"

Everyone in the gang nodded like they were talking: "It's absolutely true. The perpetrator was vicious. The body was hung directly at the door. The house was set on fire. I don't know how big the vengeance was.

"The prefect personally ran over. Hearing from the master that it was a killer, he caught the owner of the Song family shipyard on the spot, hung him up and beat him. Gang leader Song was also tough and refused to admit that he was the killer he hired no matter how hard he beat him... …”

"You're not talking nonsense. The killer is not his business. Can he admit it?"

Situ Yanfeng was confused: "Did Zhao Si kill him?"

The gang spread their hands and said: "Zhao Si left in the morning and died in the afternoon. Who else could he be? This matter has caused a lot of noise and the government is investigating. Should we give the government a break..."

"Fuck your mother's fart."

Situ Yanfeng immediately became angry when he heard this:

"It's state-owned and state-owned, and there are rules and regulations in the industry. If we go out on errands, we turn around and kill people, how can we still hang out in the world? Besides, they can even kill Zhao Dong, do you think it's difficult to kill me?"

The gang members thought about it and said, "Then we should be more strict with our mouths. We will kill everyone without knowing it."

Situ Yanfeng really didn't expect that with only 30 taels of silver, Zhao Si really killed the target. Isn't this a big deal?

No wonder he fled to the Northern Dynasty. In the past, in the Southern Dynasty, Baoding was also a demon who took dozens of lives in his hands and took pleasure in killing people. Otherwise, how could he be able to do such a loss-making business?
Situ Yanfeng was so distraught that he couldn't talk about anything anymore, so he raised his hand to drive away the gang members, wanting to wait in the room for Zhao Si to come back to pay errands.

As a result, as soon as he left the gang, he turned around and saw an additional figure beside the Gendiao Tea Sea where he had just been sitting.

The figure was dressed in a green robe and a bamboo hat, dressed like a guard of a wealthy family, but the rather handsome face was very familiar, and he was pouring tea by himself.

? !
Situ Yanfeng staggered, and was so shocked that he almost fell to his knees like Hua Ning. Fortunately, after so many years of practicing teeth, he still had some courage, so he finally regained his composure and hurriedly stepped forward with a smile on his face:
"Ouch~ I'm just a little blind. I really didn't see what Mr. Zhao was capable of two days ago. I'm disrespectful..."

After Ye Jingtang left Washington, he did not return to the inn. He immediately flew here using Qinggong. He poured a cup of tea to moisten his throat before speaking:
"Master Situ, there is no need to be so polite. Sit down and talk."

Situ Yanfeng faced this ruthless person who could kill someone for 30 taels of silver. He dared not sit down. He immediately ran to the desk, took out 30 taels of cash, and put it on the table:

"Master Zhao is really quick in doing things. I don't have to do this pumping anymore. Let's just make friends."

"Hey, friends are friends, and rules are rules."

Ye Jingtang used a tea knife to divide part of the 30 taels of silver and gave Situ Yanfeng's commission to him:

"Now that the matter is done, when can we see the people from the Qinglong Club?"

"When the errand was sent out, I said hello to the Qinglong Club. Now that the person is dead, the people of the Qinglong Club must have received the news. Let's just go there now."

While Situ Yanfeng was speaking, he was about to turn around and lead the way when he noticed that the young man in front of him flipped the brass tea knife with his fingers and pointed the tip of the knife at the round stool next to him.

Situ Yanfeng's expression froze and he sat down on the stool with a knowing look, and said with a smile:

"Situ is a dentist and knows the rules. Even if you kill Mr. Zhao, you won't reveal a single word about him. Traveling in the world is risky. In the future, you may need to go to Situ to cut off your escape. It’s not appropriate…”

Ye Jingtang took off the waist badge engraved with '华' from his waist and placed it in front of Situ Yanfeng:
"I am now a second-class guard in the residence of Grand Master Hua. You know the rules of the Jianghu people. You love what you do, and you must do your duty when you get money. You said this morning that you have a good job in Washington. Let's hear it. .”

Situ Yanfeng didn't expect Ye Jingtang to be so professional. He said he wanted to be a guard, so he actually started working as a guard. He said awkwardly:
"Oh, Fourth Master Zhao misunderstood. It's not a matter of harming the Hua family. It's just what I said yesterday. Someone offered 3000 taels of silver and asked Situ to find a young and handsome knight-errant to seduce Miss Hua. Fourth Master Zhao's martial arts skills , this appearance, this demeanor, 100% can become..."

Ye Jingtang actually guessed that this was an errand, otherwise Situ Yanfeng would not have persuaded him to go to Washington. He immediately asked:
"Who paid for it?"

"Uh……"

Situ Yanfeng slightly spread his hands: "If I can betray my employer, I can betray Mr. Zhao tomorrow. There are rules in the industry. If you kill me, I can't say anything. But this matter is obvious. Mr. Zhao will understand a little bit. You can guess the situation.

"This is indeed a good job. Mr. Zhao can take it regardless of whether he wants it or not. As soon as the employer and I reply, you can receive a deposit, and no one else will come to call you in the future. Miss Hua’s attention.”

Ye Jingtang definitely had no intention of hooking up with Hua Qingzhi and running away, so he said:
"You have received the deposit but nothing has been done. You want to compensate the employer, so you are so generous in giving me a deposit?"

Situ Yanfeng is good at this business, and his strength is that he is very accurate in judging people. As long as Ye Jingtang follows his arrangement, he will go to Miss Hua and spend time with her day and night. If nothing happens in the end, he dares to pay double the amount of money to the Wang family.

However, it was difficult to say these words clearly. Situ Yanfeng just said:
"How about this, leave the deposit with me first, and I tell the employer that I have found the person, so that no one will bother Miss Hua again, which is a temporary measure. If it doesn't work out in the future, I will return the deposit to the employer, just in case it does happen. , Fourth Master Zhao will come back to get his reward?"

Ye Jingtang didn't care about taking the little money, so he didn't say much at the moment, stood up and said:
"Let's go and meet the people from the Qinglong Club."

Situ Yanfeng completed three pieces of business at once, and could immediately get paid by the Qinglong Club. In his heart, he regarded Ye Jingtang as the God of Wealth, but on the surface he was not too complacent, so he quickly got up and led the way to the county market.

The headquarters of the Qinglong Society is in Anxi Mansion in Dong'an, Tianlang Lake. It is not far from Chengtian Mansion. However, in Huangmei County, Jianghu people from the Southern Dynasties come here all the year round to find a place to take root. It is considered an important place to recruit disciples. There are always contact person.

Ye Jingtang followed Situ Yanfeng out of the martial arts gym. He followed the reminder on the way, covered his face with a scarf, took off his waist tag to hide his identity, and then walked to an alley with hooked railings.

In the middle of the night, strange sounds of "um um ah ah" can be heard everywhere in the hook bars hidden in the deep alleys. The light in the alley is also very dim, and the pedestrians are all in a hurry.

Situ Yanfeng walked in front. Because he talked a lot, he said:

"If I finish my work later, I'll invite Fourth Master Zhao to have a drink in the building..."

"I'm not good at it."

"Really? I actually don't have much interest, but there is nothing I can do about socializing and receiving favors..."

While Ye Jingtang was chatting casually, they reached the end of the alley. When Situ Yanfeng spoke, he stopped and looked up at the eaves on the left.

In the backlight above the eaves, there is a figure wearing night clothes sitting, with a black scarf covering his face and only revealing a pair of eyes. His aura is very stable and he seems to be good at hiding. However, unlike a normal killer, he is also carrying a box on his back.

I found him looking up at the dark figure sitting on the eaves, with obvious surprise in his eyes, and said hoarsely:

"Your Excellency has good eyesight."

Situ Yanfeng raised his head when he heard the noise, and then quickly held his hands in his hands:
"Hall Master Chen, I've been waiting for a long time. This is the Zhao Si I'm talking about. He just took care of the Thunder Eagle Gang. Mr. Zhao, this is Hall Master Chen, the contact person of Qinglong Club in Chengtian Mansion. I'll tell you the rest." I don’t know, let’s talk.”

After Situ Yanfeng finished the introduction, he turned and left the dark alley, leaving only the two people standing next to each other.

Ye Jingtang raised his eyes and looked at the figure above. Judging from the aura, his martial arts skills were not very high, but he still raised his hand and saluted:
"Happy to meet."

The man in black on the eaves didn’t talk much nonsense either:

"Being an assassin by licking blood from the edge of a knife is mostly due to the pressure of life. You only charge 30 taels for killing a person. It doesn't look like an assassin's style. You probably don't just want to join the Qinglong Society, right?"

Ye Jingtang felt that this contact was quite smart, so he immediately said straight to the point:

"I'm not short of money, I just heard that the Qinglong Society has great magical powers, and I want to get some information from you."

Hall Master Chen was not too surprised by this and asked:
"What news do you want to know?"

"I heard that there is a precious sword in Beiliang called 'Red Fox'. It was the sword of a great master in Beiliang hundreds of years ago. Do you know where it is?"

"The sword 'Red Fox' is not simple. It has been circulated in the world for many years. Finally, it was acquired by Emperor Wen and regarded as a treasure. It is said that it is now hidden in the Yangxin Pavilion in the imperial city. You can't get it."

Ye Jingtang said casually: "It's hard to buy a good heart. I've been coveting this sword for a long time. I'm pretty good at Qinggong. I want to try it. Is there any way to do it in the Qinglong Society?"

Hall Master Chen said directly: "It is a taboo to enter the palace, as it will lead to a purge by the Imperial Master's Office. The Qinglong Society generally does not seek the imperial city. However, the Qinglong Society only recognizes money. As long as the money is enough, it is not impossible to kill the emperor." If you need someone, we can help you clear the way, but are you sure you can afford the price?"

Seeing that Qinglonghui was really capable, Ye Jingtang became more energetic and asked:
"How much?"

Hall Master Chen did some calculations: "The Imperial City is not an ordinary place. If you want to steal something, you must first get the map of the Imperial City and the schedules of Emperor Liang and the Twelve Attendants. To find these, you must first buy the contents. The situation of the eunuchs in the Imperial Prefecture, the Forbidden Army, the Twelve Institutes, and the Yangxin Pavilion must all be found out, and the key figures must be bribed. If they are all taken care of, tens of thousands taels of silver are considered small.

"If you risk yourself to steal, these paved roads are barely enough, but you will most likely not be able to get out alive. If you plan to hire someone to steal, it is not easy to contact the Thief Saint, but the Qinglong Society can help you contact Tian Mu. The king of thieves in Taoism is 'Ghost Hand Li', but if he goes to the palace to steal, he will basically die for a lifetime. Without the sky-high price, he will not take the risk at all. Even if he agrees, this matter is likely to be a waste of money..."

When Ye Jingtang heard this quotation, he thought it was a bit outrageous, but if he wanted to steal the emperor's things, it would be good if the Qinglong Society could find a way. He couldn't say that he was a lion, so he thought for a while and said:

"The Qinglong Society has been rooted in the Jianghu for many years, so it must be familiar with Jianghu. Do you have any of those Jianghu people who came from the Southern Dynasties and were offered bounties? It is best to operate near Yanjing."

Seeing that Ye Jingtang couldn't get the money, Hall Master Chen prepared to make money on the spot and smiled:

"The rivers and lakes in the Southern Dynasties looked down upon the Gou Gou from Beiliang. Nine out of ten people who could run over there were extremely vicious people. There were basically no mediocre people. Although the reward was high, ordinary people couldn't deal with it. Your Majesty, I'm sure you want Qinglong Qinglong knows how to make money and how to spend it?"

Ye Jingtang responded: "You won't know until you take it if you can handle it. Try it first."

Hall Master Chen didn't say much when he saw this. He opened the book box, rummaged through it, and took out a note:
"Deng Shuan is a retainer of Jingyanghou Mansion on Bell Tower Street in Yanjing. He often travels with Jingyanghou. He is good at claw skills, sword skills, and light skills. His martial arts is unknown, but he must be above the master. He will be rewarded with 4000 taels of silver for killing him. Your Excellency thinks this How are people?"

Ye Jingtang frowned and thought. He had never heard of this person before and asked:

"Is he from the Southern Dynasties?"

"I sent an assassin before, but he failed. He was said to have used the 'Wasp Finger' and 'Seven Star Sword' moves. This is the martial arts of the Seven Star Pavilion in the Southern Dynasties..."

Ye Jingtang frowned after hearing the two moves:
"The skinned scholar?"

Hall Master Chen’s eyes showed surprise:
"Your Excellency is really knowledgeable about the Southern Dynasties."

Ye Jingtang had just arrived at Hei Yamen and had seen this major case when he was taking on the errand of 'Wingless Owl', but he didn't dare to take it at that time. He said to this:
"The skinned scholar was wiped out because of his gang. He killed officials, skinned and hanged himself outside the yamen in the Southern Dynasties. This incident directly alarmed the emperor. How could I not have heard of it? I thought he had died long ago, but I didn't expect him to be hiding in Yanjing."

Hall Master Chen threw the note to Ye Jing Hall:
"For specific information, go to the back alley of Chunmanlou in Yanjing and find the local contact person to get it. Since this is the first time we cooperate, we can only give you a 500% deposit. However, if the matter is completed, we will reward you with an additional [-] taels of silver in accordance with the rules. , as a lucky start."

Ye Jingtang took the note and read it:

"Aren't you afraid that I will leak the news?"

"We have already assassinated him once, and the information is clear, otherwise I would not give it to you so easily. Deng Shuan knows that the Qinglong Society will send people to assassinate him again, so be prepared. This matter is very difficult, but you can rest assured about the reward.

"Even if you can't get it, you can still leave an address. Even in the Southern Dynasties, the Qinglong Society will send you a lot of money. Qinglong's success relies on credibility, not only for its employers, but also for its assassins. .”

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang stopped asking any more questions and put away the note:
"Then please help Hall Master Chen find out the connections for me first. When we get to the capital, I will send Deng Shuan's head to Chunmanlou, and the reward will be a deposit."

"When you're done, remember to leave the name of the Blue Dragon Club on the wall. Goodbye."

Hall Master Chen stood up with the book box on his back and jumped off the ridge of the roof.

After Ye Jingtang bowed his hands and bowed, he glanced at the note with his name and address in his hand, and then he disappeared into the dark alley...

(End of this chapter)