Gel makeup

Chapter 237 Yangzhou Night Talk
Yuan Lingbo dressed up as Siqing's accompanying drug boy, and the two of them traveled by land after Anyi.Because of the hot weather, there were a lot of time to rest during the day and rush on the road at night, and I didn't encounter any trouble along the way.

Although Siqing and Yuan Lingbo were going well, the chaos in the imperial capital was further aggravated by the disembarkation of Siqing and Yuan Lingbo.Shen Jiangdong, Fan Ziran and others who stayed in the imperial capital this time never imagined that Han Shouchen was dead, and the situation would still be chaotic.

After Jinshang left the ship, the cabinet and Yining Palace got the news that Jinshang left Yuzhou and did not contact the nearest Junzhou outpost at almost the same time, which caused the cabinet and Jingwei a big headache.

Before Jinshang left Beijing this time, the reason why Jingwei set up Jingwei sentry points along the way was because he was afraid of a repeat of the last time that Yining Palace lost contact with the imperial court in Jinshang.As a result, he left Yuzhou today without saying a word, and did not contact the Jingwei sentry point. The Jingwei sentry point was equivalent to being scrapped on the spot.

What is even more frustrating is that the matter of disembarking and disembarking today can almost be said to be "not a secret".

Jiang Feng and Cheng Yingzhou were very puzzled, why didn't they trust the Junzhou sentry today? Could it be that there was something wrong with Xu Huaimin from the Jiangnan Division of Jingwei?
The news that Jinshang left Yuzhou and did not contact Junzhou whistle came back to the imperial capital. From Yining Palace to the cabinet, they all urged the empress to return to Beijing in advance.After all, before leaving Beijing today, he personally said that major matters can be decided by the queen.

This time the queen has such authority, but she herself is unwilling to come back, and insists on going to Weiyang Palace to "wait" for Imakami.

Half a day later, Jiang Feng was not surprised to receive a letter from Siqing to speed up his journey south. Shen Jiangdong said: "The queen was bitten by a snake once, and she is afraid of well ropes for ten years."

But what gave Jingwei a headache was that Xiao Yi and Si Qing all left Yijia and acted alone, and the risks were multiplied.Just when all parties were ambiguous, the entire imperial capital was "ready for battle".After all, the last time he was "ill" in Yining Palace, Xiao Xu turned around and rebelled in the capital of Prince Kang's mansion.Last time there was an empress, although this time there is an empress dowager, but her prestige is no match for Siqing, the empress of the middle palace.

Cheng Yingzhou patrols every day, Jiang Feng is busy communicating with Xu Huaimin one by one to confirm where he is now, Shen Jiangdong and Fan Ziran are closely watching the counter-insurgency incident in Diangui.

The next day, Shen Jiangdong and his wife finally got together for supper. Jiang Feng said, "I feel something is wrong. According to Xu Huaimin, His Majesty must have disembarked from a royal boat before arriving in Junzhou. So where did His Majesty go? Why not tell him?" Xingyuan contact? How did the news that His Majesty left Yuzhou leak out?"

Shen Jiangdong asked: "What do you think?"

"Two possibilities," Jiang Feng said, "the first is the worst possibility. There is also a problem with the Xingyuan, the location, or even... the person hiding behind Xiao Xu in King Kang's Mansion wants to repeat the old trick. .”

Shen Jiangdong said: "It's unlikely, right? Haven't you all checked out the matter of Xiao Xu twice?"

Jiang Feng shook his head, "There's no bottom line. Why don't you say the Queen returned to Beijing? Why didn't you go to Weiyang or Daming Mansion according to the original itinerary? Because the Queen is also afraid. Since His Majesty Yuzhou can calculate it, then I will calculate the Queen's itinerary." , wouldn't it be more appropriate?"

When Siqing was mentioned, Shen Jiangdong felt helpless, "Where is the queen?"

Jiang Feng said: "I don't know. His Highness said that he will pass Weiyang Realm before the end of the month. His Highness and Ling Bo sent a letter back through the Anyi sentry point when they passed Anyi, and they should not lose contact with the government army and guards."

Shen Jiangdong narrowed his eyes, "Can Xu Huaimin be trusted?"

Jiang Feng said: "At least it's credible for now."

Shen Jiangdong thought for a while, "To the north of Junzhou, what is the next sentry point of Jingwei?"

Jiang Feng said: "The nearest one is An He. Up to now, An He hasn't sent back any news from His Majesty." She paused, "We have to prepare well in case something happens."

Shen Jiangdong's eyes dodged, "Li Yuanzhen loses the chain at the critical moment." The last time Imam returned to the Imperial Capital from Xijing, he passed by Yining Palace and disappeared, and his accompanying cabinet minister Li Yuanzhen disappeared with him.This time it was still Li Yuanzhen who was driving, and Li Yuanzhen left Yuzhou today without giving the cabinet any news.

Jiang Feng asked, "Yes, what is Li Yuanzhen doing?"

Shen Jiangdong sighed, "I heard that he is ill."

Although Han Shouchen died in Xinjian, the imperial court's use of troops against Jingjiang was not smooth, and the cabinet was in a state of desperation.

At the same time, the news that Jinshang left Yujia is still fermenting. In order to stabilize the overall situation, the Empress Dowager of Yining Palace, the cabinet, and the Jingwei, Xu Huaimin, the Jingwei commissioner at the scene of the incident, claimed that Jinshang will follow the "original" plan. On the [-]th day of the eighth lunar month, we will take the water from Yanzhou to Daming Mansion and spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with the Empress in Daming Mansion.

This date was chosen because Siqing's letter to the military guard of the government said that she would arrive at the Daming Mansion on August [-]th, and with a buffer of three days, it should be "safer".

This quickly quelled the rumors, but a new problem arose again, that is, Imagami must appear in the Daming Mansion before August [-]th.Otherwise, even if Jinshang does not appear in Daming Prefecture, but appears in other state capitals, it is easy to generate new rumors.If it doesn't show up today, one lie needs ten lies to cover up, and there will always be a moment when it will be revealed.

---

The weather was too hot, and it was hard to walk by land after Anyi, so Siqing and Yuan Lingbo changed to the waterway.Siqing wrote a letter to Jiang Feng at the next sentry point after Anyi, asking her not to leave the imperial capital and go south to avoid being suspected by outsiders.This whistle was in a busy city, and it was very lively today, so Si Qing had to avoid Yuan Lingbo to inquire about the news.Yuan Lingbo came back and told the cabinet that he would spend the August Festival with the empress at the Daming Mansion today, and that Fengjia was still on the waterway going south. The reason for contacting is because someone harmed the third brother, why didn't you take the opportunity to harm me too? Is it too obvious?"

Yuan Lingbo didn't understand, Siqing said again: "Perhaps you want to catch them all? You have to choose the place where my third brother and I appeared at the same time... Could it be in Weiyang?"

Yuan Lingbo was taken aback, "We have hidden clues in Weiyang!"

Siqing asked, "How many people are there?"

Yuan Lingbo said helplessly: "Five. Weiyang is a big city, but it is close to the Anhe sentry point, so five were released."

Siqing sighed, "Too little, too little. At the beginning, it was just to spread the word, who would have thought that something would happen?"

Yuan Lingbo suddenly started to break out in a cold sweat, Siqing said: "Fan Ziran, Shen Yuanxi and the others did this to stabilize the court for the time being, but it also limited the time, we must find the third brother as scheduled, otherwise it will be bad immediately."

Yuan Lingbo said: "I still can't figure out why your Majesty didn't contact Junzhou and Anhe sentry points nearby?"

Siqing thought for a while, "As you said, the Jiangnan Division is short of manpower, and there are only two or three people for each whistle. Once something happened to Yuzhou and the third brother disappeared, it would definitely not work to rely on a few people to find each whistle. Xu Huaimin must share it with the local government. This means that the whistle of the Jiangnan Division in the north of Junzhou and south of Daming Mansion has all changed from dark to clear. If there is something untrustworthy in the place, then the third brother will not dare to take risks."

What did Yuan Lingbo think of, "Girl, it was okay when we lived in Anyi, but we passed Fanshui today..."

Si Qing also thought of this, and felt chills down her spine: "We may be being targeted."

Yuan Lingbo said: "Even if the people in the Jiangnan Division are fine, once Xu Huaimin has an intersection with the local government, the local government will find and stare at the out of order post. We have few people, but the local government has many people..."

Siqing asked, "The next checkpoint is Zhuhu Lake?"

Yuan Lingbo said: "It's Zhuhu Lake."

Siqing counted the days, sighed and said, "The more I think about it, the more I feel that the rumor is wrong. The cabinet is so anxious to say that the third brother will go to the Daming Mansion on the August Festival. Could it be that the news about the third brother's disembarkation has leaked? It shouldn't be, last time In Yining, there is no leak of the noise. There is no way, we have to make a circle back to Anyi, and say at the Anyi sentry point that we will go north, and then we will go south without going to the sentry point. The day is very close, I am afraid Traveled all night."

Yuan Lingbo took a breath, "If there is a problem with the place, and we don't know who it is, then at least the Jingwei post in Nanzhili has been abolished! But girl, even if we get to Weiyang first, just the two of us, How can I find His Majesty? What if His Majesty changes the itinerary?"

In the past in Beijing, Wu Zhenying helped in finding someone.From the beggar Hanako, the tortoise slave in the brothel, the gambler in the gambling house, and the waiter in the restaurant, all can help to grow eyes.Coupled with the military guards of the government, it can almost be said that black and white eat everything, and there is absolutely no fish that slips through the net.But as soon as he left the imperial capital, he was out of reach, and he didn't know what happened to the place, who was causing the trouble, and Siqing also had a headache, "Let's take a bet, if you can't find it, go back to Daming Mansion before August [-]th."

Siqing and Yuan Lingbo re-crossed Fanshui as quickly as possible and returned to the Anyi post, but there was still no news from today.Yuan Lingbo made it clear to Anyi that he would go north and return to Beijing, and then he and Siqing went out of the city and returned to the alley outside the city of Yining where they disembarked that night.The moonlight was not good that night, and it was hazy, as if it was going to rain.Siqing said to Yuan Lingbo: "Go to the Daming Mansion."

Yuan Lingbo was afraid that he had heard it wrong, "What did the girl say?"

Siqing sighed, "No matter what, I won the Daming Mansion on the August Festival. I have thought about it carefully along the way. If Xu Huaimin really has a problem, then I have to consider the worst situation. Jiangnan Sihe The point of contact between the military and guards of the government is Daming Mansion. No matter what, there can be no more troubles in Daming Mansion. Ling Bo, I believe in you, so you go back to Daming Mansion first, and contact the Imperial Capital nearby. You must ensure that Daming Mansion is on the August Festival. No problem."

Yuan Lingbo hesitated, "Your Highness suspects Xu Tisi?"

Siqing smiled, "I didn't doubt it at first, but now... Tang Peng can have problems. To be honest, I have lingering fears." This person didn't know him well, and Jiang Feng's evaluation of Xu Huaimin was relatively conservative before.

Yuan Lingbo said: "But Your Highness, you are alone..."

"It doesn't matter if I'm alone." Si Qing said.

Yuan Lingbo tentatively said: "Then I will go to Weiyang with the girl, and then I will return to Daming Mansion."

Siqing shook her head, "No, time is too tight, and Ling Bo, if we go separately, the possibility of getting damaged together will be less, isn't it?"

Siqing insisted on letting Yuan Lingbo go to the Daming Mansion to ensure that there would be no more problems in the Daming Mansion. After thinking about it, Yuan Lingbo felt that he had no reason to refute, so he had to agree.Siqing found a fast boat in Anyi, and the two said goodbye at the bow. Siqing's figure gradually disappeared into the lake under the misty rain.

Siqing grew up in the south. Although she has spoken Mandarin for several years, she still speaks Wu fluently, just with a Zhejiang accent.She said that she went south from Shandong to visit relatives and returned to her hometown, and no one doubted it.

The boat passed through the lake area of ​​Yining and Fanshui, and entered the Zhuhu Lake. The weather was still gloomy and breathless, but the Caohe River became more and more crowded.So Siqing disembarked and bought a horse, galloped all the way down, and finally arrived in Weiyang City before the city gate was closed on the evening of July [-]th.The area around the Baobao River was brightly lit, and the sound of silk and bamboo was heard, causing everyone to look there frequently.Siqing thought to herself that although the Fenzi Hutong in the Imperial Capital is also lively, it does not have such an elegant string and bamboo sound.

The rain was pattering down again, and the shadows of the sheepskin lanterns cast light on the road one after another.

Siqing had never been to Weiyang since she was a child, and that year she returned to Beijing with Ye Lancheng, and was in a hurry, so she didn't stay in Weiyang.

The human way is "Huaihai Wei Yangzhou", "Yangzhou is good, overseas Chinese live in semi-official circles, buy garden pavilions and guests are also masters, manage salt, codes and official business, and riches and honors do not return to their hometowns." Siqing can't appreciate how prosperous Weiyang is in this rainy night up.

The first thing she did after entering the city was to look for the Jianlong Temple in the west of the city.Originally, the area in the west of the city was full of singing and dancing, but it suddenly became deserted near Jianlong Temple.The silver vines of Jianlong Temple have always been famous, but the flowering period has passed, and the temple gate is covered by vines, which is even more eerie, like a cave in a ghost story.Fortunately, although the surrounding area of ​​the temple was quiet, there were still some pilgrims in the temple, so Siqing stepped forward to inquire, asking if there was a family surnamed Lan nearby who made jade carvings for a living.

Unexpectedly, Weiyang is so rich that even a monk has a pair of "intelligent eyes". Seeing that Siqing is plainly dressed, speaks a Zhejiang accent, and carries a medical kit. In the end, it was a little novice who showed her the way, which was the most secluded alley in the southeast corner of the monastery. Badgers and feral cats in there."

Siqing originally wanted to borrow a lamp from the monastery, but looking at the monk's expression, it was probably impossible.To steal one, although there are not many pilgrims, it is not easy to have people coming in and out all the time.Looking around, there were no houses with lights on, so Siqing had no choice but to go into the alley alone.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and Siqing held an umbrella in one hand and a suitcase in the other, and walked into the alley with one deep foot and one shallow foot.The alley is very dilapidated, I don’t know why no one lives there, every inch of land in Siqingnahan City is so dilapidated, and I don’t know how long I walked, I heard the sound of the river, I thought I had reached the deepest part of the alley.

She put away her umbrella, stood under the eaves, stood on tiptoes and tried hard to see the crooked plaque on it, but unfortunately it was too dark to see clearly.Siqing sighed, saw that the door was unlocked, and was about to push the door, when suddenly, a familiar feeling approached her.

(End of this chapter)