Yan Cigui.

Spice shop backyard.

Suchang sat beside the stone bench, his body upright, his head lowered and silent, and he did not raise his head to look at Shen Chen.

Not long ago, Su Yi's secret letter was delivered to Su Chang. After reading the content, he didn't dare to make any decisions and just lit the lantern after dark.

I originally said that as long as there is news, click on it no matter day or night.

Later, I thought that lighting a lamp during the day was unnatural and abnormal, which was a demon. If someone was caught by an eye-catcher, it would be a bad thing.

Therefore, when it is dark, the candle at the bottom of the string of lanterns on the right will be replaced with a new candle when there is news. The candle will be higher and brighter.

After closing the shop and waiting for two quarters of an hour, the young man came.

Su Chang had dealt with him several times, but he always covered his face and refused to reveal his identity.

Su Chang was not stupid. Even if he was curious, he would avoid looking at the other person. He would lower his head and speak without meeting his eyes.

Speaking of it, Su Chang was in a state of confusion about what Su Yixin had told him.

Something is wrong, everything seems wrong!

Shen Chen didn't care what Su Chang was thinking, he read the letter in his hand carefully.

Su Yi's handwriting was no different from the handwriting he had received previously.

This time the letter stated that Su Yi had contacted Li Du again.

After Li Du left the capital, he did not go far and lurked in the mountains south of the capital.

The mountain stretches so long that Li Du built Zhuangzi in it in his early years. Because of the deep forest and mountains, it was very hidden from people's eyes and ears.

Su Yi had heard Li Du talk about it before, but he had never been there, and he didn't know the detailed location.

Although he formed an alliance with Li Du, alliances are not forever. It is impossible for Li Du to completely reveal his hidden hiding place to him, just to guard against "today".

However, what is certain is that Li Du is in that village, because there is a town called Ji'an at the foot of the mountain. In the past two months, people from the traditional Chinese medicine shop in the town came to buy a lot of medicinal materials for treating coughs.

As for Li Du, according to Su Yi's correspondence with him, he contracted a cough when he escaped from the imperial city and never recovered.

Zhuangzi's position has not yet been fully figured out, but Su Yi and Li Du made an appointment to meet at the Yishan Temple five miles southwest of Ji'an Town at midnight on September 24th.

"Li Du is very scheming. If he comes in person, we can catch him on the spot. If he doesn't come in person, someone should lead me up the mountain to the village. You should bring fewer people and follow me quietly to avoid being discovered. , and when Zhuangzi is found, we will deploy additional manpower to capture him."

Shen Chen looked at the letter and frowned: "Zhuangzi?"

Su Chang thought about it and took the initiative to say: "Brother, I have to talk to your master about this matter and think about it more."

"What?" Shen Chen asked him.

Now that Su Chang had surrendered, no matter how hesitant he was, he still made up his mind.

"Don't worry about whether there is Zhuangzi on the mountain or not. Once there, it will be Su Yi and Li Du's territory. What we want to do is to bring less manpower and follow us. Someone might ask you to come in and pull the big net to wait for us. If we don't have enough manpower, we will fall into the trap. In the pit, they were all caught in one fell swoop!”

Shen Chen naturally thought of this, but seeing Su Chang's worried look, he asked again: "What should we do? With more people, we can alert the enemy."

Su Chang laughed bitterly.

What good idea does he have?
If he was a flexible person, would he still be caught in the middle and act as a spy on both sides?
Oh, wrong.

Now it's three spies.

He was still singing in front of Dashun's royal highness.

Thinking about it this way, it's still quite flexible, right?
Su Chang was enjoying the hardship, and after hearing Shen Chen tell him to rest and wait for dispatch, he agreed.

As soon as the little brother left, he looked at the bright moon in the sky and licked his lips. After this incident, when can he bring his family to live together in peace?
On the other side, Shen Chen handed the letter to Lin Yunyan.

Lin Yunyan finished reading and didn't speak for a long time.

When she spoke again, she said: "I'm sure, Li Du's plan was either for him to join forces with Su Yi, or for him to use his strength knowing that Su Yi was fishing for him. But from my point of view, it was still the two of them who joined forces. "

After hearing this, Shen Chen was surprised. Why could the princess make such an assertion?

Before he could think of how to ask, Xiang Wanyue asked first.

Lin Yunyan's tone just now was very calm, and Shen Chen couldn't detect any emotion, but Wan Yue was familiar with her and knew that the princess was angry.

Wan Yue was very concerned, and was afraid that the princess would lose her judgment in anger.

"On September 24th, the third update begins," Lin Yunyan pointed out, "that means in half an hour it will be the 25th."

Wan Yue's eyes suddenly widened.

September 25th, still early in the morning.

That, that was the time of the fire at Dingguo Temple, and it was the death anniversary of the late Queen and Madame.

"This, this..." Wan Yue was stunned, "It's so abominable! It's so vicious!"

"There are so many days, but we chose the late night of September 24th. Once a conflict breaks out, it will soon be the 25th," Lin Yunyan said, "According to the letter, the date was agreed upon by Su.

Su Yineng has been planning with Li Du for many years, so he cannot be a confused person. If he wants to 'vote' to Li Shao this time, he will naturally understand Li Shao's situation.

Knowing clearly what day the 25th was, Su Yi didn't dare to provoke Li Shao like this. If it exploded, his path would be cut off.

Catching him to make a fuss on the anniversary of the late Queen's death was something only Li Du could do, such a heartbreaking thing. "

Wan Yue asked again: "Princess, you can tell it at a glance. Could it be that His Highness just saw it..."

Don’t you doubt Su Yi and Li Du?
"I was angry when I saw it," Lin Yunyan asked Wan Yue, "What do you think Li Shao saw?"

Wan Yue understood.

His Highness will only be angrier than the princess.

The princess is angry, but the princess will not be impulsive and will analyze the situation.

His Highness is different. When he gets angry, he won't listen to other people's advice. And knowing that Li Du is making trouble there, he will do whatever it takes to catch him.

Then, you fell into a trap.

"Li Du will not let His Highness be caught easily. He is plotting against His Highness," Wan Yue thought about it and asked, "He wants to deceive His Highness and kill him?"

When I asked this question, I was so frightened that I covered my mouth and did not dare to say anything further.

Lin Yunyan shook her head.

It doesn't look like it.

It was once easy for Li Duruo to kill Li Shao. Feng Chang and Wang Gouzi were all closely guarding Li Shao. Before the killing of Li Jun, either of them could easily drug Li Shao.

It can't be that all the painstaking planning is ruined in one move, and you want to kill Li Shao to vent your anger, right?

Is that taking Li Shao hostage?
But what can this hostage be exchanged for? Force the Holy One to give way?
No matter how much the Holy Emperor favored Li Shao, he could not give up the throne because he was the emperor, he had so many ministers, and the destiny was vast, but not all of it belonged to him alone.

So, what is the use of Li Shao?

Lin Yunyan closed her eyes, and faces flashed through her mind.

Mrs. Enrongbo was angry when she heard someone talking about the madness of the late empress. The empress dowager recalled her tears when she decided to be the king. Mrs. Xu’s pain and hatred when she tore off Liu Jing’s disguise for Xu Jian. Their father traveled thousands of miles to find them. , the reluctance and concern before dying...

In the Cining Palace, the Holy Master talked about Li Shao's worries and entanglements.

The deep love that parents have for their children.

Li Shao is the sharpest blade that stabs the Holy Emperor.

What hurts the most?
When the Holy Master held the knife and stabbed it into the chest, the blood was dripping most. To make Li Shao so doomed that even the Holy Emperor could not hold him back and had no choice but to let him go, this was the situation Li Du laid for Li Shao.

Just as he was thinking about it, Mother Ma called out from outside.

Lin Yunyan let people in.

With a serious look on her face, Grandma Ma reported: "Reporting from Quzhou, the man is missing."

Lin Yunyan blinked.

Quzhou refers to the place where Liu Xun was exiled.

The case was decided that day. Liu Jing was expelled from his official career and repatriated to his native place. Liu Xun was exiled and moved away. The two of them had already gone back to the capital and the government of Fuguo.

It is said that there is no possibility of meeting each other again in this life, and Xu Jian and Lin Yunyan do not want to see those two people again, but they also need to guard against some changes.

Furthermore, Liu Xun was born and raised by Mrs. Xu after all. No matter how cruel a mother is, she cannot really let go of her son. It's just not easy to mention it again.

Mrs. Xu didn't dare to mention it, but Xu Jian was thinking about her mood and promised her that if she had any news about Quzhou, he would tell her, which moved Mrs. Xu very much.

Xu Jian also told Lin Yunyan later that she had to keep an eye on the person anyway, just say a word or two about things that were not in the way, so as not to really become a knot in Mrs. Xu's heart and get into trouble again.

Xu Jian has always been afraid that Mrs. Xu is crazy.

For this reason, Liu Xun arrived in Quzhou. Liu Xun's arm was injured, but it did not affect his life. Such news would be told to Mrs. Xu.

I just didn't expect that the news this time was "missing".

Lin Yunyan would not mention this to Mrs. Xu. She would only ask Mother Ma: "What did you say specifically?"

Mother Ma said: "That person was still honest at first. He worked during the day and went back to sleep at night. Suddenly he found that his body shape had changed and his appearance didn't seem right. Only then did he realize that it was someone else. After checking again, it was almost the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s changed since then.”

"If you change someone like this, there won't be any reaction. It seems that someone let him go on purpose." Lin Yunyan said.

Mother Ma nodded: "The people who were following me thought so too. They didn't dare to make any public announcements to scare the snake. They just pretended that they didn't know anything and immediately sent a letter to Beijing."

No matter how fast it was, it took ten days for the letter to be delivered.

But Liu Xun disappeared, and it has been a month since he disappeared.

Lin Yunyan pondered for a while and said: "If you think about it, it's probably Li Du who flirted with Liu Xun. Liu Xun started all the way from Quzhou. If he comes to the capital, he can probably get there by carriage."

But whether he will come or not, what day he will arrive, whether he will enter the city or Gyeonggi, or whether he will be settled nearby, how can he guess?
Lin Yunyan starts from things she can control well.

She told Shen Chen, "Let's explore the mountain temple first, and remember to be careful."

Shen Chen agreed and asked where Li Shao was.

Lin Yunyan said: "There are still a few days until the 24th. It's going to cost him. Tell Su Chang..."

Undoubtedly, Li Shao was even more anxious at this moment.

Seeing that there had been no news from Su Chang for a few days, Li Shao came to Fu Guogong's mansion again.

"Then what's going on with Su Yi?" he asked, "You want to cooperate, but why are you procrastinating like this? Even if he and Li Du planned to plot against me, it's time for him to take action, right? If he doesn't take action, how can I take the bait?" "

Lin Yunyan frowned, with a hint of irritation in her eyes.

Li Shao saw this and asked, "Am I right?"

"Perhaps it was a delay? I can't say, Su Chang didn't send any news to Shen Chen."

Now it was Li Shao's turn to be confused.

Ning'an is acting weird today.

The people in the palace follow the rules and when talking to people, they should look at people with suitable status. Those with low status should keep their eyes down. There is no one with flying eyes, which will show a guilty conscience at first glance!

Guilty?

Li Shao suddenly felt energetic.

Peace of mind, that's a lie!

Su Chang gave the news, but Ning An didn't intend to tell him.

What a peaceful time!
If you are timid and afraid of getting into trouble, you must be timid and afraid of getting into trouble!

Li Shao was too lazy to argue with Lin Yunyan and was afraid of starting an argument. Ning An was afraid of getting into trouble and went to the palace to complain. So how could he make any merit?

Leaving behind the words "Tell me if you have any news", Li Shao left in a hurry.

If he doesn't say it, don't say it. He can go to Su Chang.

The man said before that he was a spice trader on West Street. How could he not find one here?
The carriage went to Qianbulang and passed West Street. The street was busy when Li Shao suddenly called to stop.

Eunuch Gao asked: "Your Highness?"

Li Shao said: "Look for anyone who is in the spice business. The rarer the better, the better. My mother likes to play with incense. It will be her death anniversary soon. I will order something unusual for her then."

Since there was such a good reason for the explanation, Eunuch Gao couldn't bear to violate it, so he explained it to the guards following him outside the car.

Soon, the guard came back and reported: "There is a spice shop not far ahead, it is, it is the Gu Yue business..."

At war with Gu Yue, this shop is now deserted and no one wants to buy anything.

Li Shao was the complete opposite. He knew it was Gu Yue's shop as soon as he heard it was Gu Yue's shop: "Let's go to this shop first!"

As soon as I walked in, the waiter saw that I was a distinguished person and greeted me with a smile.

"Looking for your boss," Li Shao said, "Do you have a private room? Let the boss come and try the fragrance for me."

The waiter hurriedly agreed and invited Li Shao to go upstairs to the private room, and then invited Su Chang.

Su Chang knew what was going on as soon as he heard it, and hurriedly carried the incense box upstairs.

"The shop makes ancient moon spices, which are used in food and for burning incense." Su Chang said with a smile.

Li Shao was impatient to hear this and only let Dian come and try.

Su Chang followed suit.

The rich fragrance lingered, Li Shao closed his eyes, then opened his eyes and told Eunuch Gao: "You go and stand outside, don't block me from smelling the fragrance."

Eunuch Gao:...

He exited and closed the door, but he kept his ears open to listen to what was going on inside.

There was nothing wrong inside. After introducing the incense and changing to another incense, what he didn't know was that Li Shao nodded on the table, and Su Chang took out a letter from the incense box and handed it to him.

Li Shao was furious when he read that letter and gritted his teeth.

Su Chang took back the letter, and Li Shao came out of the private room with an unhappy face.

Eunuch Gao asked: "Your Highness?"

"They say the fragrance will calm you down, but I'm getting more and more angry when I smell it," Li Shao strode out of the shop, "If you don't buy from him, try another one!"

Li Shao visited four spice sellers on West Street. In addition to local ones in Dashun, there were also ones from across the ocean. In short, none of them were satisfied with their products.

After Eunuch Gao returned to the palace, he reported to Eunuch Cao: "His Highness has always looked bad and was very angry. I originally thought that His Highness was referring to Sang and scolding Sophora japonica, and was disgusted with Gu Yue before saying that Gu Yue's spices were not good. Later, I thought about it, maybe it was for the sake of the First Queen. thing."

It was said that the first empress lit incense to control her madness and calm her mind, but His Highness insisted on saying that she lit incense to make her angry and uneasy. (End of chapter)