Yan Cigui.

Chapter 439: Not an Abandonment but a Bait (Two updates in one, please vote for me)
Eunuch Tong was taken down.

Lin Yunyan took out the handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to Xu Jian.

A fine silk handkerchief, embroidered with two peonies, also smells of the spices she usually uses in her daily life.

Xu Jian didn't answer, but wiped his hands with an old cloth lying on the table in the lobby.

Let the waiter's saliva stain the veil?
You can't waste your resources like this.

Seeing this, Wantang was asking his men to bring some tea to soothe his throat. He turned around and saw this scene. He didn't tighten his lips and smiled happily.

How else can we say that young couples are particular about it?

Not like an old married couple like him.

Ugh!
After a hard night's work, my clothes were all covered in dust.

I will be talked about by my old wife again when I go back.

Wantang secretly shook his head and cleared his throat: "My lord and princess, it is a great reward to catch this person tonight. We have worked hard for so many days, and it has not been in vain.

To tell you the truth, I was worried earlier, because I was afraid that King Jin and his gang would have run away long ago and that none of us would be able to catch them.

Firstly, I can't get the job done, and secondly, I'm afraid they will come back.

Now, it's open. "

"How can all this work be in vain?" Xu Jian said, "But the protagonist tonight is not him."

Wantang was stunned when he heard this.

What do you mean?
Isn’t this eunuch a protagonist?
He was the one who mastered the poison recipe, and he was the murderer who poisoned Prince Ding and the man in Yongji Palace.

Turns out it's just a supporting role?
So what is the origin of the protagonist? Could it be King Jin himself?
"Where is the protagonist?" Wantang rolled up his sleeves and asked, "Lao Wan will go with you to capture him!"

"Don't worry," Xu Jian said, "I captured the three people who reported the news. They are the key."

Wantang half understood and half didn't understand, so he asked, "Can you bring me up a question?"

"Bring them together," Xu Jian said, "Let's see which one is smarter."

My men went to work.

Wantang has a long neck and so on.

Lin Yunyan stood next to Xu Jian, no one said anything, and she understood with just a few glances.

Not long ago, after receiving the note from Su Chang, she and Xu Jian felt a little weird.

For Eunuch Tong to stay in Beijing is an extremely abnormal thing.

As Lin Yunyan just said to Eunuch Tong, as a chamberlain, once he is arrested, he will have fewer opportunities to quibble than others.

Eunuch Tong seems to rarely show up, but he is actually not safe.

Su Chang had definitely seen him.

Judging from the fact that Li Du did not cut off his tail in the previous battle, but instead led the troubled waters to the east to protect Eunuch Tong, there was indeed a deep master-servant friendship.

But if he was so reluctant to part with Eunuch Tong, Li Du shouldn't leave him in the capital this time.

The number of manpower worthy of Li Du's complete trust is indeed tight, but it is not to the point where two or three more people cannot be found.

Therefore, Eunuch Tong's stay in Beijing has other meanings for Li Du.

Before the arrest, Lin Yunyan and Xu Jian could not determine the meaning. After arresting two groups of people, they basically had a definite answer.

Eunuch Tong is not an abandoned child, but bait.

Of course, Eunuch Tong himself seemed to have no idea of ​​this, and when he was provoked and interrogated by Lin Yunyan, his reaction could not deceive anyone.

Eunuch Tong sincerely believed that he stayed here only because Li Du trusted him.

Lin Yunyan thought that they still had a friendship between master and servant.

Li Du had protected Eunuch Tong when he could, and at least he was much better than Dao Heng and Wang Qi.

But when Li Du couldn't protect himself and had to be cautious at every step, Eunuch Tong was abandoned, or in other words, used in exchange for more benefits.

Because Li Du's great cause of rejuvenation needs Su Yi.

Li Du believed in Su Yi, but he was not completely assured of Su Chang.

The root of this matter is still in Chenmi Hutong.

At the beginning, in order to force the person behind the scenes and put pressure on him, Xu Jian once said something to Li Shao in the East Palace, mentioning that "the envoy from Gu Yue came in and out of the house, so he left the golden note."

Those things were said on purpose, heard on purpose, and spread to the other person's ears on purpose.

And that person only cut off Dao Heng's tail after he knew that Xu Jian had known about Chen Mi Hutong.

Since the person behind the scenes was Li Du, how would he view the envoy Su Chang?

Xu Jian's original words were conservative. He did not identify who the envoy was, nor did he reveal that it was Eunuch Tong who met the envoy. Even on the day of the siege of the Jin Palace, Eunuch Tong's visit to Chenmi Hutong was concealed. Get up.

But with Li Du, I guess I have to be on guard.

A year later, Xu Jian did not check the eunuchs who came in and out of Chenmi Hutong, but it was not until Feng Chang spoke that there was any movement.

Of course it wasn't that Lin Yunyan and the others didn't want to investigate, but that Su Chang couldn't answer any questions except Tong.

In Li Du's opinion, this is more like Xu Jian only knowing one thing but not the other.

In other words, Xu Jian knew the identity of Gu Yue's envoy and even Su Chang, but he did not know or recognize Eunuch Tong himself.

Only Su Chang recognized Eunuch Tong.

Once Eunuch Tong is arrested, Suchang will be extremely suspicious.

As Su Chang is judged to be untrustworthy, all subsequent actions of Li Du and Su Yi will be adjusted accordingly.

Using Eunuch Tong as bait to test Su Chang's loyalty was the reason why Li Du kept him in the capital.

It was with this in mind that Lin Yunyan and Xu Jian arranged their arrest tonight.

Eunuch Tong will definitely be arrested, and Li Du will have to mess with his other plans.

The one who recognized him was Aunt He.

After the garrison yamen was evacuated, Lin Yunyan left with Aunt He's family in plain sight.

This is not only to protect Suchang, but also to prevent Suchang.

Xu Jian Huangque was behind and caught three people following him, showing that he was well prepared.

At the same time, he also "let go" one.

That one was in Xiaoci Hutong, he seemed to have lived here forever, and all the neighbors knew him. Even though the guard Yamen checked twice, he couldn't find him.

The only thing that shows off is the body shape.

When standing and walking, an expert can tell whether it is Lianjiazi.

Moreover, the man looked at Lin Yunyan and Nanny He secretly, his eyes were not curious, but scrutinizing.

Xu Jian did not arrest the man, but asked Xuan Su to follow him carefully to determine where he would go next.

Not long after, the three people were lifted up together, their noses were bruised and their faces were swollen, and they were in a very embarrassed state.

Wantang asked: "Everyone's name, surname, and what they have done should be explained."

No one answered.

Wantang was not surprised by this. He chuckled, turned to Xu Jian and said, "It's so naive to be tougher than in the yamen."

"It's naive." Xu Jian answered.

He has seen tough-talking people.

Like Wang Liuliu, it is extremely difficult to dig out a word of truth from his mouth. But if it were three accomplices, it would be easier to handle.

"You can just freeze if you want. We'll starve for three to five days before the trial. Whoever speaks first will eat chicken legs, the second one will be fed two mouthfuls of rice porridge, and the last one will be hungry."

"Turn around and come back again, still the same rules, repeat for a few days."

"You three, look at each other. Can the other two survive better than yourself?"

"If you hesitate a little longer, the chicken drumsticks and rice porridge will be gone."

"If I were you, I would tell you everything I can say right now to avoid starving you for three to five days."

After hearing what Xu Jian said, Wantang burst into laughter: "The Duke of Guo is still kind-hearted. He also gave me chicken drumsticks and rice porridge. If you ask me, Lao Wan, I won't hit the one who speaks first, the second one will be beaten, and the last one will be beaten." It's twenty boards.

Our brothers here know how to beat him. It hurts like hell but he won't die.

Sigh, I think you three don’t quite believe it?

Then let's take ten boards each to taste them. "

What they say is a beating is a real beating.

After hitting each of them with ten boards, the wailing sounds grew from loud to soft, and finally the pain was so painful that I couldn't even shout out, and all I could do was gasp for air.

Wantang asked his men to give each of them some water, and repeated the previous question: "Name."

Some hesitated, some blurted out.

With this start, subsequent interrogations became much simpler.

Xu Jian kept listening to Wantang's question, and abruptly interrupted with a question: "Eunuch Tong went out for a trip. Who did he meet?"

"Master Ding!" one person said hurriedly.

Another hurriedly said: "Master Ding from the Jingwei Command and Envoy Department!"

Wantang took a breath: "Ding Yunian?"

"I don't know what it's called. I live in Xique Hutong."

Wantang was puzzled and thought he had remembered it wrong, so he asked Xu Jian, "Ding Yuannian didn't live there, did he?"

Xu Jian said: "He raised one there."

The corners of Wantang's mouth twitched.

养？
Besides the outer room, what else can be raised?
Ding Yuannian looked honest. He relied on the support of his in-law family to climb up to the level of commanding officer of the third rank, but he didn't expect to buy another room.

But how come Duke Fu knows everything?

After working all night, the garrison Yamen made another achievement.

Relying on the competition between these three people, two more private houses in Beijing were provided. Although they were unoccupied at this time, some old documents were copied from them.

At dawn the next day, all the progress was sorted out and presented to the Jinluan Palace.

Although there is still no whereabouts of King Jin and Li Rong, the capture of Eunuch Tong is considered a big progress.

After Xu Jian finished speaking, he turned to look at Ding Yunian: "Master Ding seems to be very uneasy?"

Ding Yuannian's face darkened: "Master Guo, what does this mean?"

"It means that Eunuch Tong's mouth is not as reliable as Mr. Ding thinks," Xu Jian said calmly, "The people who followed Eunuch Tong also saw him go to Xique Hutong. Mr. Ding can't say that he didn't know that Xique Hutong is What's going on?"

Ding Yuannian snorted coldly and was about to clear it up when he was stared at by a sharp gaze.

The dragon's face is majestic.

Ding Yuan's neck was sweating.

If Duke Fu had asked him this question from the sidelines, Ding Yuannian would have waved his sleeves and left, but this was in the Jinluan Hall.

"I, I am scared," Ding Yuannian knelt down with a plop, "I have indeed seen a person, but he was a rickety old man with a beard. I did not connect him with the father-in-law beside King Jin at all. He opened his mouth, "Master" I didn't know what he was talking about when I kept silent about my master. I bothered him and found him in Magpie Alley, so I drove him out. If I had known that he was from the King of Jin, I would have arrested him long ago."

Ding Yuannian's "unexpected wisdom" obviously did not cover up the doubts of others.

"What happened to Magpie Alley? Why did Mr. Ding go there?"

"If you didn't know him in the past, why would he come to you at this time of life and death?"

"Master Ding, I would like to advise you to make meritorious service for your crime."

Ding Yuannian was confused by the persuasion and questioning here and there. When he looked at the bright yellow figure on the dragon chair, his vision went dark and he passed away.

For a moment, some people were pinching people, while others were pointing.

The Holy Master coughed twice and asked the guards to take Ding Yuannian down. He asked the imperial doctor to ask him when he woke up.

After leaving the court, the Holy Master walked up to Xu Jian and patted his shoulder: "Thank you for your hard work."

After finishing speaking, he said to other courtiers: "Everywhere should step up, we can't let Li Du cause trouble again."

In the next few days, there were some gains one after another.

The man Xuan Su was following wanted to release homing pigeons, but was intercepted on the spot, and more than twenty of them were collected.

The pigeon breeder was interrogated and learned that the pigeons would fly to Jinzhong.

Lin Yunyan simply compiled all the accounting issues found in Jinzhong Chang Yuntang and other charity halls into a book, and hid it in a private house that was previously discovered. It was dug out during the second inspection of the Yamen.

Through the hands of the elders at Qianbulang who were good at handling accounts, they figured out a way that King Jin had accumulated wealth over the years.

In Cining Palace.

Lin Yunyan chatted with the Queen Mother.

"It's definitely not just in Jinzhong. Such easy and secret money is blooming everywhere. If you ask me, people as rich as Jiangnan will definitely not be able to escape the scourge of the King of Jin."

After hearing this, the Empress Dowager said, "Li Du is much more patient than the Ai family thought. If we hadn't caught him out this time and let him hide, it would have been hard to predict the future."

There was no one else in the hall, so Lin Yunyan said: "His Highness originally believed in him."

The Queen Mother sighed.

What is something that I didn’t believe in before?
It’s a matter of how to proceed.

Regarding Yun Yan, she had conflicts with Li Shao several times, and the Queen Mother had always been worried about this.

Li Shao's position as crown prince was deposed, but both the Empress Dowager and Lin Yunyan knew that the Holy Emperor was willing to re-establish him.

If Li Shao could really realize the truth and be upright to the king and people, the Queen Mother would not object to giving him a chance, but the actual situation is that she just lacks a little confidence.

However, Li Du has not been eliminated, and the court is not stable enough. It is not wise to talk to the Holy Emperor about the crown prince at this moment.

"I don't know if the people who went to Jinzhong to investigate will be able to gain anything..." The Empress Dowager sighed, "It is difficult to conquer a country, but it is even harder to defend it.

When the Holy Emperor ascended the throne, the world was poor and he had to recuperate and recuperate for more than ten years before he finally achieved the Tai'an state he has today.

If the war breaks out again, the muscles and bones will be damaged again. "

Lin Yunyan thought for a while and said: "It is also a good thing to remove the hidden danger as soon as possible. While Xiliang and Gu Yue have not moved yet, while the veteran generals can still fight. Otherwise, in ten or twenty years, the veteran generals will raise If I don’t use the knife anymore, my descendants won’t be able to take over, and the trouble will be even greater.”

When it comes to the lack of jobs, the Empress Dowager is also helpless: "The Ai family heard that the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture often scolds the dandies in the capital? He wants to scold them. They all come from noble families and do nothing all day long. As long as half of them are willing to make progress. It’s not like he has no successor.”

Just as he was talking, a call came from outside, saying that Princess Derong had arrived.

Soon, the eldest princess came in, greeted the empress dowager with a smile, and supported Lin Yunyan who was saluting.

"I heard that Duke Fu has made great contributions this time," the eldest princess smiled and said to the empress dowager, "the husband you chose for Ning An is really good and can do things well."

The Queen Mother laughed.

"I really don't understand the second brother," the eldest princess said again, "Not only did he go crazy himself, he also caused trouble to his sister-in-law and Li Rong. How did he come up with the idea of ​​​​faking death and escaping! Speaking of which, you can guess Ning'an. It’s amazing that he’s waiting for something like this.”

Thanks to Bookstore book friend Yuzi Hehe for the tip. Thanks to Red Sleeve Book Friend liebro for the tip.