wait a minute

Chapter 450 Peering together?

March [-]th, Grain Rain.

The sky has been gloomy since the morning, but the rain has never fallen, causing the streets and alleys of Yanjing City to become dull and look like calm stagnant water.

In Dongcheng Imperial College, Ye Jingtang was still dressed as a guard, holding a knife and waiting outside the building for Qingzhi to finish school.

What was different from the previous few days was that Xiao Yunli also dressed up like a courteous maid, stood obediently in front of her, and looked towards the school building:
"Cousin Jing, have you ever attended a private school?"

"Nope, what about you?"

"Me neither, but when I was in Nanxiao Mountain, I was taught by Protector Zhang and the others. Because I was naughty and couldn't sit still, they complained to my master and my wife every day, and then my wife beat me... How long do we have to wait?"

"almost……"

When the night sky gets dark, Ye Jingtang has to wait for the signal outside the imperial city, while Qinghe and Yunli are responsible for responding outside. Yunli is obviously a little anxious because it is a bit boring in the Imperial College.

After Ye Jingtang comforted him and waited for a while, the students in the school began to salute the master one after another. Hua Qingzhi, who was wearing school uniform, was also pushed out by Luzhu in a wheelchair.

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang stepped forward to help push him out. When he reached a quiet place, he said:

"I have to go out later. I don't know when I will come back. If I never come back, you will say that I have an emergency at home and went back to visit my relatives."

Hua Qingzhi found out that Qinghe and Yunli had followed them out today, so she had a vague premonition. When she heard Ye Jingtang say this, her eyes were full of mixed feelings, maybe because she was afraid that Ye Jingtang would become friends if they left. Farewell, she thought for a while and said:

"If I go back to visit my relatives, will I come back to work as an errand? I haven't been paid this month's wages..."

Ye Jingtang estimated the situation ahead and said with a smile:

"Whether the two dynasties get back together or whatever, I will definitely come here again. You have to take good medicine and take care of yourself. Don't wait until then when I come. You are still sitting in a wheelchair and want to go out for a walk together. You are afraid. It’s too conspicuous to be discovered.”

Hua Qingzhi pursed her lips and smiled, feeling a little relieved, but then she remembered the dagger 'Qinghe' given by the Queen.

Although the talented girl from Dayan did finally meet someone, it was already decades later.

If she were like this, the endless hope and loss for decades would probably be more difficult than the heartbreak on the spot.

Hua Qingzhi was so confused that she didn't know what she was thinking.After the wheelchair was pushed out of the grand archway of the Imperial College and onto the carriage, she opened the curtain and looked at the Night Terror Hall:
"Okay, let's go to the city for a walk. Pay attention to safety and come back early."

Ye Jingtang was not sure when the two parties would see each other again after finishing this matter. Seeing Hua Qingzhi's uneasy look, he comforted her again:

"Don't worry, Miss. I'll be back when I finish my work. It won't take long."

Hua Qingzhi made a natural smile, nodded slightly, and lowered the car curtain.

But when the sound of horse hooves moved towards the distance, she opened the curtain further and looked at the back of the horse leading the horse. She didn't come back to her senses for a long time...
-
At the same time, Bishui Forest.

There was a sudden undercurrent in the capital, and it was impossible for the court not to notice something strange. Today, the security in the dark areas of the Bishui Forest was obviously much tighter than in the past.

In the afternoon, craftsmen with thousands of machine doors were knocking between the manors; guards wearing supervisor robes patrolled the gardens, which can be called three steps, one post, five steps, and one sentry.

Eunuch Xu, who was stationed here, stood on the white stone avenue outside the manor with a fly whisk on his arm and several small yellow doors standing behind him.

After waiting quietly for a moment, the sound of wheels came from the river, and a carriage with a "Hua" sign came speeding from the direction of the capital.

Hua Junchen was sitting in the car and saw the eunuch waiting outside the manor from a distance. Before the carriage stopped, he jumped down, quickly came to him and bowed:
"Eunuch Xu urgently invites Mr. Hua to come, but do you have something important to say?"

Eunuch Xu looked neither happy nor angry, and responded calmly:

"Mr. Zhongsun wants to see Mr. Hua, please."

"Mr. Zhongsun..."

When Hua Junchen heard that Zhongsun Jin wanted to see him, he was really shocked and said blankly:

"Mr. Zhongsun, what do you want to see me for?"

Eunuch Xu sighed softly:
"Last time, thieves from the Blue Dragon Society sneaked into this place, causing the news to leak. In recent days, there have been undercurrents in the city, and many people have made crooked ideas..."

Hua Junchen was stunned and quickly spread his hands: "This matter has nothing to do with me. Eunuch Xu checked last time and I am innocent..."

Eunuch Xu raised his hand slightly: "Our family knows that Mr. Hua is innocent, but everything must be taken just in case. And asking Mr. Hua to come here is not because he wants to ask questions, but because Mr. Zhongsun is considering whether to give Mr. Hua a big gift." Opportunity.

"Mr. Hua's swordsmanship has been seen by our family and Mr. Zhongsun. According to Mr. Zhongsun's evaluation, although he lacks experience, his swordsmanship talent is at its peak. As long as he takes the elixir refined by the imperial court, it is possible to enter the holy realm in the future. .”

"?"

When Hua Junchen saw Zhongsun Jin praising his swordsmanship, he actually blushed a little. But when he heard that the court was considering whether to give him a pill, he became confused again, thought for a while and said:

"This... I'm afraid Hua deserves it. There are so many masters in Daliang waiting in line..."

Eunuch Xu shook his head and said: "There are not many people who are more powerful than Mr. Hua at the moment. Yin Shicheng is far away in the Heavenly Lady's Way. He has not made any achievements and has no background. There are extra pills that can be given to him, but if there are more people on the list, A hero who has been loyal to Daliang for generations, he will definitely have to be postponed."

Hua Junchen blinked and said: "I don't have an official status, and I haven't made any great achievements in the past..."

Eunuch Xu shook his head and said: "As long as Mr. Hua has this intention, he can make contributions at any time. Today, the Holy Spirit went to Yugeng Mountain and took away six imperial eunuchs. If there are thieves who commit crimes, Mr. Zhongsun may not be able to do anything. If Mr. Hua is like this The performance was outstanding..."

"..."

When Hua Junchen heard this, he understood the meaning - the imperial court was short of manpower, so it was a big deal for him to come over and work for free.

And they may have some doubts about him, but because of his status, it was difficult to impose restrictions, so he was allowed to come directly as a guard.

In this way, even if he is really unclean secretly, and his every move is under the eyes of Zhongsun Jin, he will not dare to guard himself and steal, and he will even have to help the court wholeheartedly to avoid being accused of dereliction of duty and laziness.

After understanding the court's intention, Hua Junchen couldn't refuse, so he handed over his hand in an upright manner:

"The imperial court thinks highly of Mr. Hua, and Mr. Hua is naturally obligated. Mr. Hua will stay here today?"

Eunuch Xu brought Hua Junchen in, which was equivalent to house arrest. He couldn't leave until the matter was over. He didn't hide anything at this time:
"The imperial medicine refining workshop is located in the clear water forest. The news was leaked by the Qinglong Society a few days ago, which attracted many thieves to secretly spy on you. Today, your Majesty leaves the capital, which is the best time to take action. So from now to tomorrow, Your Majesty Before returning to the palace, Mr. Hua had better not leave the Bishui Forest and not send any messages to the outside world, so as not to cause misunderstandings from above..."

When Hua Junchen heard this, he frowned, thinking that this matter might not be easy to handle.

But it was definitely his son-in-law who sneaked into the Bishui Forest last time.

And it seems that the only one who has the ability to come here to steal the elixir today is his son-in-law.

Since he can't stop this matter, the only thing he can do at the moment is to protect himself. When the time comes, he should be arrogant and reveal his identity in advance to let his son-in-law know that he is there, so as not to accidentally kill the future father-in-law, and then let him know. Play a show with him to fool him through this level.

After roughly figuring out the context of the matter, Hua Junchen didn't say much. He followed Eunuch Xu to the outside of the manor and began to serve as the master in charge, waiting for nightfall...
-
Changyang Gate in the east of the city is the palace gate where the eunuchs often come in and out. In the afternoon, there are many vehicles transporting all kinds of household garbage out.

The neighborhoods outside the palace gate were mostly the residences of eunuchs or royal chefs. They were not considered poor places, but they were not considered wealthy either.

The sky is getting dark. In an alley outside Changyang Gate, the Night Terror Hall is hidden on the wall, carefully observing the entrance and exit of the palace gate.

Fan Qinghe and Zhe Yunli, on the other hand, had both changed into night clothes and were keeping an eye on the alley with Niao Niao to avoid any accidents.

After the Night Terror Hall observed for a long time, as the dusk drum sounded, the imperial guards who were originally guarding the palace gate left their posts and disappeared outside the palace gate because it was time to change shifts. However, the imperial guards who changed shifts did not come to take over in time.

Soon after, several young eunuchs returned with the water cart. When they went out in the afternoon, there were only two people, but now when they entered, there were three.

Ye Jingtang looked carefully and could see that the two in front were real eunuchs, and the person following behind was taller and not very decent although he was wearing a eunuch robe. As he walked, he could see through the hem of the robe that he was wearing a suit underneath. Wearing a young master's robe and long boots, his temperament and manners are much better than those of the previous two eunuchs.

Zhe Yunli, who was originally watching the surroundings, saw this scene and quietly came forward and whispered:

"Is this the face of the Queen Mother? Does she look handsome?"

Ye Jingtang tapped Yunli on the head:
"What's so good about a freeloader? Stay away from such people in the future."

Zhe Yunli didn't see his appearance either, but he was just curious about what he looked like so that he could be favored by the Queen Mother and become the emperor's stepfather.

After being knocked by Ye Jingtang, Zhe Yunli put away his distracting thoughts and asked:

"When will you go in?"

Ye Jingtang heard from Qinglonghui Lao Liu that he saw the fireworks and the masters in the palace left before sneaking in.But who knows when the thieves in Bishui Forest will take action. The opportunity to infiltrate is perfect now. If you wait and miss it, it will be difficult to get in.

Ye Jingtang waited for a while, and after the team that sent him away, he stopped delaying and signaled Yunli and Qinghe to wait outside. He jumped to the side of the palace gate and ducked in.

As he entered the palace gate, the majestic palace walls blocked out the noise inside and outside, and the whole world seemed to be dead silent.

Night Terror Hall was dressed in night clothes, even his hair was covered, only a pair of eyes were exposed, his back was against the palace wall, and he first carefully looked at the internal environment.

Changyang Gate is located on the east side of the imperial city. Inside is the imperial dining room, laundry room and other places. The two-foot-high wall isolates the buildings on both sides. Basically, only a straight corridor can be seen.

According to the directions on the map, walk further in to the East Palace, which is the residence of the prince. Pass through from the side and go up to the palace of Empress Dowager Liang.

The Treasure Pavilion that houses the famous sword 'Red Fox' is located in the Mingle Palace where Emperor Liang lived, across the entire East City.

Ye Jing Tang camped step by step and moved forward along the corridor. He was extremely cautious at first, but after walking for less than half a mile, he found that this move was a bit redundant.

This route for bringing noodles to the palace can be said to be quieter than going back to your own home. There are no palace people walking on the road, and some intersections are specially blocked with objects to prevent palace people from accidentally entering and seeing things they shouldn't see. .

Ye Jingtang estimated that even if he ran over, no one would notice him. However, just to be on the safe side, he still held his breath and quietly followed the route through the eastern part of the imperial city to the Mingle Palace in the central area. outside.

The Queen Mother secretly summoned the audience, and she must have only cleared the route to the palace. When she reached the limit near Mingle Palace, she had to rely on her own ability to go further.

Ye Jingtang knew that there must be twelve servants serving as sentries in the Mingle Palace. The leader, Eunuch Ziliang, must be in front of Emperor Liang. There would also be several people in Bishui Lin to help defend. At this time, he did not know how many people were left in the palace. clear.

The twelve servants had all practiced Ming Shen Tu, and their perception was no worse than his. For this reason, Ye Jingtang was extremely careful and waited with bated breath under the palace wall. It was not until half a quarter of an hour later that a few figures passed behind the palace wall, and they could still hear There was some chatter:

"The rumors outside have been bad these past two days. I'm afraid there are thieves trying to get the elixir. Eunuch Mao and the others have gone out. Why don't my adoptive father go over and take a look?"

"When we work in the palace, we must first learn to be obedient. The superiors have told us that you must never give up. But if the superiors have not told you, you must stay honest and never leave your post without permission..."

"Oh...what is this place?"

"This is the Dongchui Gate. Going from here is the East Palace of His Royal Highness. The doors are closed at night. The Holy Lord is not here today, so I will bring you in first to show you the way. You performed well in the Chunmanlou case last time, Mr. Li Guangjing. I have given you a few nice words, and you will be promoted to the rank of junior commander of the inner guard in two days. You must remember this favor..."

"My child understands..."

……

Ye Jingtang leaned against the wall and looked a little surprised when he heard Cao Aning's voice.

The other speaker should be Eunuch Yin, the third son of the twelve servants, whom he had met once in Tianlang Lake.

From listening to the conversation between the two parties, it seems that Eunuch Yin recognized Cao Aning as his godson because he saw Cao Aning's cleverness, and took him to get familiar with the daily business of Ouchi's guards.

Although he knew both of them, Ye Jingtang obviously didn't want to jump out to chat at this time. He waited behind the wall with bated breath. It wasn't until the two of them were far away that he quietly jumped over the palace wall and arrived at Mingle Palace. .

Mingle Palace was the residence of Emperor Liang. Because Emperor Liang left, all the palace servants who served in food and daily life followed. At this time, the palace was quiet and there were not many lights.

Ye Jingtang followed the map provided by the Qinglong Society, bypassed the open and hidden sentry posts, and arrived at Emperor Liang's Treasure Pavilion without any effort. The door was locked and there was no guard inside.

If the Night Terror Hall really came to steal the precious sword 'Red Fox', then the trip can be said to be smooth sailing. After taking the sword and returning along the way, I am afraid that no one will find out that there is a thief in the palace tomorrow morning.

But the goal of Night Terror Hall's trip was obviously not this. After arriving at the Treasure Pavilion, they quietly went inside to search.

The treasure pavilion is filled with treasures and antiques that Emperor Liang liked, such as calligraphy and painting vases, swords and famous knives, etc. Although they are all very valuable, like Benben's treasure house, they are not really unusual items in the imperial city.

Ye Jingtang just glanced at it and knew that it was unlikely that the Screaming Dragon Picture was hidden in this place. He wanted to leave, but before leaving, he still looked at the weapons platform.

In the center of the weapon table, there is an old knife. The appearance is not gorgeous, the scabbard is dark red, and the handle is not much decorated. There is only a tassel on the back of the handle. It should be made from the tail hair of the fire fox later. It should be the famous sword 'Red Fox'.

Although the blade has not been unsheathed, Ye Jingtang has been playing with knives for many years. Just by looking at the shape, he can tell that it is a good knife, and it has such a great reputation. Big Benben will definitely like it. If he takes it back and offers it as a treasure, Benben might be able to reward him for playing fox. Tail……

"..."

Thinking of this, Ye Jingtang was not polite to Beiliang who had robbed countless treasures from the Northwest Royal Court. He came to the front, carefully checked, picked up the red fox sword, wrapped it in black cloth and inserted it into the back of his waist, and then quietly Leave the Treasure Pavilion and explore in the direction of the dormitory.

Although the emperor is not at home and the palace's defense is much looser than usual, this place is a forbidden area in the imperial city after all, and it is not as if it is an uninhabited land.

The Night Terror Hall was still hundreds of meters away from the dormitory, and I found that the level of alert was obviously higher.

Eunuch Yin, who was familiar with the route with Cao Aning, would always go back and forth from the dormitory hall no matter where he went to patrol Mingle Palace.

Another unnamed twelve servants also patrolled the palace with their entourage. Although the directions were different, the routes of the two sides intersected here.

The twelve attendants have all practiced Ming Shen Tu, and their six senses are sharp enough to hear the movement within a hundred feet. The two of them alternately go back and forth, and they are already far away. The window period during which they cannot hear the movement in the dormitory is probably only about half a minute.

Ye Jingtang held his breath and hid in place for a long time, until he figured out the coming and going pattern of the two patrolling eunuchs. Then he took advantage of the gap between the two passing by and walked away, walked through the small garden on the side of the dormitory, and came to the window. Open the window and get in.

Ye Jingtang quickly suppressed all his breath in the window, and even his heartbeat slowed down to almost stop. He waited in place for a long time, and after confirming that nothing was wrong, he quietly started searching in the dormitory until an empty window appeared again.

Because the Northern and Southern Dynasties share the same origin, the architectural layout is not very different. They both have bedrooms on the left and study rooms on the right, with the main hall for rest in the middle.

Ye Jingtang quickly came to the study. He looked around for a while, then held his breath and waited. He didn't come to the calligraphy and painting in the study until the next gap appeared.

It turned out that the matter went more smoothly than he expected. After just a few checks, he discovered the hidden grid that Long Zhengqing had mentioned behind a landscape painting.

Ye Jingtang used his secret strength to shock the lock of the secret compartment, and quietly opened the fine iron secret compartment.But it is a pity that Emperor Liang was not as careless as he imagined, and there was only a pile of paper in the secret room.

Ye Jingtang picked up the paper and looked at it carefully. It could be seen that the papers were written by the Fat Prince when he was young. They were all carefully corrected. They ranged from three or four years old to the most recent ones. Some of them were praised and some were scolded. But they could be kept here and hidden. Obviously they have not been returned. Give it to the prince and let him go back and reflect.

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang could roughly confirm that Emperor Liang had never intended to change the crown prince. The rumor that he was indifferent to the prince and favored the third prince and wanted to change the prince was probably just to spur the prince to grow up early.

This news related to the inheritance of Guozuo of the Northern Dynasties may be considered a big deal, but it is obviously of little use at the moment.

After Ye Jingtang looked at it for a while, he put the original paper back into the secret compartment and started looking for it in the study again.

But the emperor's bedroom is too huge, and the picture of the singing dragon is just a piece of paper, hidden in a book without a trace. It is not easy to find it in the entire Mingle Palace.

Night Terror Hall was stuck in the gap between the two waves of guards patrolling back and forth, carefully observing the clues in the room, trying to find the hidden dark room or storage box through the route that Emperor Liang usually walked.

But after working hard for nearly an hour, apart from discovering that Emperor Liang loved reading history books, occasionally playing the piano, and boxing on the terrace, he could not find any place to hide the picture of the singing dragon.

Seeing that time passed by little by little and it was almost late at night, Ye Jingtang gradually frowned, feeling that this trip would be a waste of money.

But just when he was hesitating whether to give up and go to the Bishui Forest to try the elixir formula, a slight sound suddenly came from outside:
Call ~
Judging from the sound, someone climbed over the wall in the distance, and their lightness skills were extremely high.

? !
Ye Jingtang was sure that Eunuch Yin had just passed by and it was a window period. When he suddenly heard a movement, he was naturally startled and quickly came to the window and looked out through the gap.

Because it was a cloudy day and there was no moonlight outside, I could only see the light and shadow outside the dormitory through a few lanterns.

Ye Jingtang squinted his eyes to check carefully, only to see a figure in night clothes quietly leaping into the garden, hiding behind a landscape stone, completely holding all his breath, and even he could hardly detect the position without moving at all. .

But a moment later, another twelve attendants appeared from the lakeside verandah holding a lantern. He glanced in the direction of the dormitory and then walked over.

tata tao~
As the footsteps disappeared, there was movement behind the landscape stones.

The black figure emerged quietly, and moved smoothly to the outside of the side hall, opened the door and walked in, then silently waited for the next opportunity.

"...?"

When Ye Jingtang saw this scene, he knew that this man had also figured out the patrol patterns of the two eunuchs. He was stealing things in the palace, and he never dreamed that he would meet his colleagues.

Qinglonghui eats two fish and another one comes in...

Since there are still masters in the palace, his actions will definitely be easily exposed.

After some deliberation, Ye Jingtang gave up the search first and took advantage of the gap between the guards. He suppressed his breath and left the dormitory. He came to the outside of the side hall, ready to see what this bold colleague wanted to do...

---

Not sure what time it will be updated tomorrow or2!

(End of this chapter)