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Chapter 433 Yanjing
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As the morning dawned, the distant bells rang from the Bell and Drum Towers, spreading throughout the majestic capital city in the spring of March.

Under the city tower hanging the Beiliang Dragon Flag, the city gates were wide open, and caravans and people poured in one after another, quickly turning the wide streets in the city into a rush of people.

Among the crowd, more than a dozen guards with knives were moving forward slowly, pressing down a number of carriages loaded with goods. Occasionally, a few chatter could be heard on the street:
"This seems to be Wanbaolou's car..."

"Is the most talented woman in Yanjing back?"

"Miss Hua!..."

……

Ye Jingtang rode a horse and walked in front of the team, wearing a bamboo hat on his head and a saber hanging on his waist. He scanned the dense crowd on the street and felt that the scene in front of him was similar to when he took the escort team to Yun'an last year. He was also bathed in the spring sunshine and led the team. With the team and the car full of family members.

The only difference is that last year he was confused and didn't know where to go, but now he has a clear goal and only the imperial city at the end of the road can be seen.

It took four days to come from Chengtian Mansion. Except for the encounter with a horse thief who had enough trouble on the first night, the rest of the time was uneventful and there was nothing to say.

Seven gangsters were suddenly killed. Hua Junchen originally wanted to inform the government, but Ye Jingtang was worried about attracting the attention of the court, so he used Hua Ning to persuade Hua Junchen.

The meaning is that since the master outside the world has not shown up, he must not want idlers to disturb Qingxiu. It is not good to go out and talk nonsense; if the news spreads, the master has no choice but to change his place to live in seclusion. The master will see the Hua family. If you are ignorant, you might even become enemies.

Hua Junchen thought it made sense, but seven people died, the ground was covered with blood, and there were people passing by at any time on the official road, so he couldn't just bury them on the spot.

So when he reported it to the government, the righteous act of eradicating the horse thieves fell on him, the most powerful person in the team.

Hua Junchen wanted to keep a low profile and expose this matter, but the Nanning County Sheriff was so happy that he was able to eliminate the wanted criminals for nothing. He specially gave Hua Junchen a large plaque saying "Chivalrous, righteous and courageous", which was a gong. Playing the drum, I wish I could send it to the gate of Washington in person.

Hua Junchen knew it was not his fault, so how could he dare to accept this reputation, but he could not reveal the news that the reclusive master was living in seclusion in Wayaogou, so he could only accept it with vague words.

When I came to Yanjing at this time, because the Hua family has always been low-key, they always used the banner of 'Wanbao Tower' when going out, and did not advertise the background of the Hua family widely. There were no idlers who came to admire the Huada Sword Immortal. But there are many people coming to see Hua Qingzhi.

As the "most talented woman in Yanjing", Hua Qingzhi's name can be said to be well-known to everyone. The princes and generals know that she is the granddaughter of the Hua family, but the common people only know that she is the eldest lady of Wanbao Tower. She does business in the family, and The Hua family in Chengtian Mansion is somewhat related, and she is probably the character of a "little rich woman who has an empire, a huge wealth, extraordinary literary talent, but her legs are disabled and she can't get married".

There are a lot of people in this world who want to live a life of ease. A rich and powerful daughter like Hua Qingzhi, whose legs are disabled and unable to marry into a princely family, will most likely end up marrying an honest son-in-law, and the threshold for a son-in-law is Obviously not too high.

For this reason, whenever Hua Qingzhi passes by, she can always see many young cream boys on the street looking familiar, hoping that they will be lucky enough to be noticed by Miss Hua and soar into the sky.

Ye Jingtang drove his horse down the street, looking at a group of crooked melons and cracked jujubes on the street that wanted to eat swan meat, and some people who were waiting for the carriage to pass by and read poems loudly to attract attention. I didn't know how to complain in my heart. He slowed down his horse and came to the car window and asked:

"How far is it to the residence?"

In the carriage, Hua Qingzhi was obviously a little tired after riding in the carriage for several days. She leaned on the soft couch to rest, playing with the birds performing backflips; Luzhu slightly raised the curtains and looked at the familiar streets and alleys of the capital.

Hearing the words outside the window, Hua Qingzhi resumed her elegant sitting posture and arranged her hair:
"We just arrived at South Street. Wanbao Tower is in the center of the city. It will be a while. Are you tired?"

Although Ye Jingtang had hardly taken off his clothes in the past few days as he had fulfilled his duties, he was used to traveling as escorts all year round and was not tired. He glanced at the capital city, which was as prosperous as Yun'an, and whispered:
"I'm not tired, but I just wanted to ask where Chunmanlou is."

"..."

As soon as these words came out, Hua Qingzhi and Luzhu's eyes changed obviously. They glanced at the handsome and sunny Hua An and hesitated to speak.

After all, the Chunman Tower in Yanjing has the same status as the Jinping Tower in Yun'an. It is famous for its young and beautiful girls who are good at oral skills. They are excellent at playing, playing and singing, and are highly praised by the poets in Yanjing.

Ye Jingtang came all the way to Yanjing, and immediately asked where the most famous brothel in this place was, which obviously made people think a lot.

Hua Qingzhi's red lips moved slightly, and she hesitated for a moment. She first looked at Lvzhu, but felt it was inappropriate, and then looked back at the car behind her:

"Hua An, if you...if you need it, I can arrange a private hospital for you. In the evening..."

Seeing that Hua Qingzhi had misunderstood, Ye Jingtang whispered:

"Don't think blindly, just go over and do something."

What else can you do in a brothel?
Isn’t it fun to act on occasion...

Hua Qingzhi knew that Ye Jingtang was not a lecherous person, but she always felt weird giving directions to Ye Jingtang, and finally said:

"As soon as I introduced my daughter's house, how do you know? Go and ask Hua Ning."

Lu Zhu was quite enthusiastic and sat closer to the window:
"How about I show you the way and go with you?"

Hua Qingzhi felt that this suggestion was acceptable. Ye Jingtang would take care of the girls by herself, and then she could get some green beads to socialize with her. It would also be considered that the wealth would not go to outsiders, so she nodded and said:
"Luzhu knows the place, let her take you there."

Ye Jingtang went to Chunmanlou to meet up, and it was not to play with girls. Seeing Hua Qingzhi thinking nonsense, she could only wave her hand and said:

"It's really just a private matter, that's all. I'll ask Hua Ning later. In the past, I would be back in a few quarters of an hour at most."

Luzhu blinked: "So fast?"

"..."

Ye Jingtang loves what he does, so when he heard this, he couldn't help but flick Luzhu's forehead to discipline the maid who doubted his strength.

As the three of them chatted, they drove the motorcade through the bustling streets and slowly arrived at the Central Street of Yanjing.

Although Hua Qingzhi was studying in the Imperial College, because of her inconvenient legs and feet, she needed help all the time. She did not live in the dormitory of the Imperial College, but in the Wanbao Building, where she took care of the family business while studying.

What Wanbaolou sells are all rare treasures from all over the world, Kitkat toys, etc., as well as famous knives and swords obtained from outside through various channels, including those made by Mrs. Zhou himself.

For this reason, there are many people visiting Wanbao Building on weekdays, and the store size is also huge. It is a three-story building with six doors. Outside the door are several plaques with pens by famous writers. On the side is a place for parking horses and carriages, and there is a building behind it. The mansion is regarded as Washington's private residence in the capital.

Ye Jingtang led the convoy and entered from the alley on the side of Wanbao Building. After stopping outside the porch with white walls and blue tiles, he got off his horse and, together with Qinghe Yunli, helped move various items into the house.

Hua Junchen had been sitting in the carriage for several days, and it looked like he couldn't take any more time. As soon as he got off the carriage, before entering the door, he greeted his daughter:
"I'm going to see some old friends as my father. You stay at home and have a good rest. If you want to go out for a stroll, remember to bring your bodyguard with you."

Why didn't Hua Qingzhi understand her father's temperament? She parked at the door in a wheelchair and turned around and said:

"Hua Ning, you go out with dad. If anyone provokes a discussion, you must dissuade dad. If I hear about it in the city tomorrow, you don't have to come back."

Hua Ning's eyes were a little innocent, and he thought to himself: How can I persuade the master?

Hua Junchen was a little unhappy when he heard this and frowned:
"As a father, I have my own sense of responsibility. I haven't been to the capital for more than a year. I just went to visit a few old friends, not to hang out in the world. Hua'an, send the lady back to her room to rest."

Looking at Uncle Hua's appearance, Ye Jingtang knew that he was going to play with his friends in the world. He, a little servant, definitely couldn't care about this kind of thing. He just pushed the wheelchair up the steps and entered the house.

Hua Qingzhi couldn't do anything about her father. After her father disappeared in an instant, she sighed softly and ordered:
"Luzhu, go and prepare some hot water for washing, and arrange a few rooms for Yunli and the others to stay. There is nothing to do at home. Let's have a good rest and go to the Imperial College to meet Master Song tomorrow morning."

"okay."

……

Ye Jingtang still had important matters to attend to. When he arrived in Yanjing, he naturally couldn't accompany Hua Qingzhi to go shopping. After pushing Hua Qingzhi to the door of the residence courtyard, he lowered his head and said:
"I'll go out first and come back later."

Hua Qingzhi still remembered the conversation on the road, and turned around and said hesitantly:
"Going to Chunmanlou?"

Ye Jingtang wanted to find a hidden stake joint, but he couldn't tell the truth. Seeing the complicated look in Hua Qingzhi's eyes, he said helplessly:
"It's just business, don't think about it."

"..."

Hua Qingzhi pursed her lips when she saw this, and without saying much, she slid her wheelchair into the yard...
-
Both the Northern and Southern Dynasties had many informants on each other, but the core was placed in the army in order to know the other side's war intentions in advance.

But inside the imperial city, infiltration is much more troublesome. Ordinary palace maiden guards, even if they are in the palace, may not see the emperor once for several years, so there is no point in laying a hidden stake.

As for the emperor's personal guards, they are all chosen after meritorious service or by members of the clan, which ensures absolute loyalty at the root. It is extremely difficult to instigate rebellion, and it is difficult to accomplish great things even if you do succeed. After all, the emperor has eunuchs and dead soldiers around him as the last firewall. , there is no way to instigate rebellion by cultivating one from an early age.

The Wei Dynasty has many secret agents in Yanjing, and the most powerful one is said to hold an important position in the Ministry of War. Secret agents of this level will definitely not be easily used until the critical period of the war between the two dynasties. Ye Jingtang's trip is to enter the imperial city. The other party couldn't help him if he stole the dragon picture. For this reason, he would definitely not contact him. The only people who could contact him were the spies hiding in Yanjing.

After coming out of Wanbao Tower, Ye Jingtang changed his clothes and dressed up as an ordinary knight-errant. Together with Qing He, who had been to Yanjing before, he went to Jinliu Hutong in Nancheng.

The geographical location of Jinliu Hutong is equivalent to that near Wende Bridge in Yun'an. It is full of private houses. Most of them are private properties purchased by the housekeepers and retainers of the princes, generals and prime ministers' families. The concubines who are not allowed to enter the house will normally be hung up. The housekeeper lives here. Generally speaking, it is a place where everyone is a mixed bag of dragons and snakes.

Ye Jingtang and Fan Qinghe came to Jinliu Hutong according to the location provided by the court and found a tea shop nearby.

The shopkeeper inside the shop is estimated to be in his 60s, a little hunchbacked, and looks unattractive. He is just a tea vendor in the market.Fan Qinghe looked around at the entrance of the alley and said uncertainly:

"Are you sure it's here?"

Ye Jingtang didn't see anything special about the old shopkeeper, but the information provided by the court was here. Seeing that there were no other customers at noon, he sat down in the shop and spoke the code:

"Shopkeeper, bring a pot of Xuefeng Maojian, add a penny of money willow, and let it soak for a quarter of an hour. Pour out the water and soak it again."

Hearing this, the old shopkeeper looked at the Nightmare Hall and came to him with a teapot:

"No, only big leaf tea."

"Then steep the big leaf tea for a quarter of an hour, pour in the water, brew again, and then serve it."

"Big leaf tea still tastes good after being brewed like this? Why don't you just order a pot of boiling water?"

"..."

If the Night Terror Hall hadn't known the code in advance, he would have thought he was a fool when listening to this question and answer, and he nodded immediately:

"Then bring a pot of boiling water."

"Would you like to soak for another quarter of an hour?"

"It's okay, but it's too hot to eat."

After the old shopkeeper confirmed the connection code, his expression changed and he looked around a few times.

Ye Jingtang raised his hand and said: "There is no one around, I am paying attention."

The old shopkeeper put down the teapot and didn't salute or anything. He just sat down next to the Night Terror Hall naturally, as if chatting with the tea guest:
"My subordinate Zhou Mu, Lord Ye, just call me Old Man Zhou. In the past two days, news has been sent from the south. I really didn't expect Duke Ye to be so young and promising. It's disrespectful."

Ye Jingtang raised his hand slightly to show that he didn't need to be polite, and looked at the surrounding small houses in a blink of an eye:

"I didn't expect Mr. Zhou to hide in this place. Are you sure you can find useful information here?"

Old man Zhou turned over the tea bowl and poured tea for Ye Jingtang and Fan Qinghe:

"I have been here for 20 years and know everyone in Jinliu Lane. I usually drink tea here and often chat with the housekeepers and guests. Although I rarely see the dignitaries in person, I can basically tell from the mouths of the servants. Understand the trends of each family and the situation at home.”

Ye Jingtang nodded thoughtfully: "Does Mr. Zhou know the purpose of my trip?"

Old man Zhou nodded slightly: "Master Ye wants to enter the imperial city. It seems that there are only two ways at present. One is the Twelve Institutes. The masters from the north have been killed by Duke Ye too many times. The warriors no longer dare to eat the imperial food. The Twelve Institutes are anxious. We are short of manpower, and we have been recruiting people recently, and the review is not as strict as before. As long as I do a little bit of digging, you have a good chance of sneaking into the Twelve Institutes, but if you want to sneak into the palace, you must first purify yourself. I don’t know, Sir... …”

?

Fan Qinghe was just drinking tea and listening, but when she heard that she wanted to woo her man, she naturally became anxious and said:

"How does this work..."

"Eh."

Ye Jingtang raised his hand slightly, stopped Aunt Fan from speaking, and said softly:

"I've practiced the Minglongtu. Normally, I can't cut with a knife, but my secret will be exposed when I go to the cleansing room. I'm afraid this is not advisable. Hmm... what's the next way?"

Old man Zhou saw that Ye Jingtang was so young and handsome, and knew that he would definitely not be able to take this path, so he immediately said:
"It has only been more than ten years since Emperor Liang took the throne, and the old queen mother is still there. The old queen mother was a strong person. When she chose the queen for Emperor Liang, she chose someone with no background. As a result, Emperor Liang spent a lot of effort before he truly came to power.

"Now that the old queen mother has lost her power and is lonely in the palace, she often lets the eldest princess come to stay in the palace. The queen mother and princess of Beiliang are not as virtuous as our queen mothers and princesses. The eldest princess has to keep her appearance, and people in the capital don't care about it. Everyone knows that the Queen Mother often calls the eldest princess to spend the night in the palace. The meaning of this is naturally intriguing...

"The old queen mother and the eldest princess did not interfere in the government affairs. Emperor Liang was already grateful to God and turned a blind eye to this..."

Ye Jingtang didn't expect that the royal family in Beiliang was so chaotic, and that the queen mother and the princess actually shared a face in secret...

In fact, the Southern Dynasties were pretty much the same...

After listening for a moment, Ye Jingtang understood what the second way was. He was speechless and didn't know what to say.

Fan Qinghe frowned and said:
"Emperor Liang is in his 40s, and the Queen Mother must be seventy, right?"

"No, the Queen Mother gave birth to a prince when she was 16 years old, and the eldest princess was born when she was 17 years old. She is now sixty years old. It is said that she is well maintained and looks like she is 40 years old..."

Ye Jingtang raised his hand to stop talking and tried his best to calmly say:
"Is there a more reliable way? A more normal way?"

Old man Zhou touched his goatee and sighed:

"Master Ye, don't be ridiculous. The two paths I mentioned have the best chance of getting the phone, especially the last one. If you are lucky, it can be said to be effortless. As for the normal ones, under normal circumstances, it is impossible for outsiders to enter the palace, let alone Needless to say, there is no need to break into Emperor Liang’s palace to steal things.”

Ye Jingtang knew that Old Man Zhou's proposal was brilliant, but he was obviously not in a good mood. After thinking about it, he said:
"I secretly contacted the Qinglong Club and asked them to help clear the way. Do you think there is a chance, Mr. Zhou?"

Old man Zhou thought about this for a moment and said in a low voice:
"The Qinglong Society is so big and hasn't been wiped out by the imperial court. The financial backers behind the scenes must be extraordinary. It's hard to be sure who it is, but I guess it really has this ability. A glass lamp was lost in the palace before and it was obtained from the northwest royal court. It is said that the treasure was something that the First Emperor put on his desk. It was kept in the inner treasury by Emperor Liang, but disappeared. Emperor Liang killed many eunuchs for this, but in the end he could not find it..."

"Did the Qinglong Society do this?"

"I don't know, but half a year after the Liulizhan incident, the Qinglong Society grew rapidly, and several new halls were added. It cost money to open a hall and recruit people. During that time, the Qinglong Society didn't assassinate any big shots, and the assassinations were just mediocre. You can't get rich overnight with just a few thousand taels of silver, but there might be some origins behind it..."

Ye Jingtang nodded, thought about it for a moment, and then asked:
"How much money do we have here?"

Old man Zhou frowned and thought for a while: "The situation in the two dynasties has been severe recently. The money approved by the court has a purpose, and I am not responsible for the details. If Master Ye is in urgent need of money, the court can transfer it to Yanjing, but if there is too much money, it will be necessary Take some time..."

Although silver was used as currency in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the silver notes issued by the Wei Dynasty obviously could not be exchanged for cash at the Beiliang bank. If you wanted to use it, you could only send the silver to the Beiliang bank and exchange it for silver notes. The quantity If there are too many and the source cannot be explained, the bank will naturally notify the government. Although it is convenient and fast to use underground banks to withdraw cash outside the customs, it usually takes [-]% of the money.

Ye Jingtang brought a lot of official tickets from Beiliang on this trip to prepare for emergencies, but it is obviously not enough at the moment. It is transferred here from other places. Not to mention the trouble of reporting at all levels, and the time is still a bit long, so I asked again at the moment road:

"Where is the Jingyang Marquis Mansion?"

Old man Zhou raised his hand slightly and gestured to a block near Jinliu Lane:
"The princes of Yanjing all live near Bell Tower Street. You can find them by looking at the door. But Jingyanghou is not at home today. In the morning, I heard the brother-in-law of the housekeeper of the Hou Mansion chatting. He said that Jingyanghou was meeting friends and went to Chunman today. building……"

"..."

Ye Jingtang blinked. He didn't expect to assassinate the target and run to the meeting place with his head. This would save trouble.

Now that he understood the general information, in order to prevent the hidden stake from being exposed, he did not stay, stood up and said:

"Then I'll take my leave now and come back to see Mr. Zhou if necessary."

Old man Zhou didn't say goodbye or anything, he just joked:

"The boiling water has been soaking for a quarter of an hour. Master Ye, don't you want to take a few sips before leaving?"

Ye Jingtang thought about it, picked up the tea bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and wiped his mouth:
"The secret code for this joint needs to be changed. If anyone else hears it, they won't think that I have water on my head. I'm leaving."

After saying that, Ye Jingtang pulled his young daughter-in-law, who was about to pour a large bowl of water into her stomach, out of the tea shop.

I found Qinghe drinking water from a large bowl, and some water oozed from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the skirt of his clothes. Ye Jingtang walked not far away, and raised his hand to wipe it on the soft skirt of his clothes:

"I'll just drink. You can drink whatever you want."

Fan Qinghe was afraid of being seen, so he quickly grabbed his hand:

"Do you want to do as the Romans do? You've already drank and I can stop drinking. What should we do now?"

"You go back and take a shower. I'll ask Yunli to kill someone to give her some experience."

Fan Qinghe wanted to nod, but immediately felt something was wrong:

"Why did you tell me to take a shower?"

Ye Jingtang turned his head to look at Aunt Fan with suspicious eyes, shook his head and smiled:
"It doesn't matter if you don't wash them, they all smell good anyway."

"you……"

Fan Qinghe's face turned red, he raised his hand and hit Mr. Se Biao on the arm, and followed him to Wanbao Tower...

(End of this chapter)