Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 30 Power Network

At night, shortly after the sound of evening drums stopped, a gorgeous carriage stopped at the gate of the Prince's Courtyard of the Ten Kings' Residence.

The curtain of the carriage was pulled up, and several beauties in palace costumes slowly got out of the carriage.

Li Jingzhong rushed out to greet them, bowed slightly, and welcomed them into the room.

The thin moonlight shines on the courtyard, the long corridor is silent, only a few houses are lit with candles.

When the beauties who had just arrived saw this situation, they couldn't help being a little scared, their eyebrows were slightly frowned, and they all showed pitiful gestures, even the eunuch Li Jingzhong found them very moving.

"You wait here and wait."

"Here."

After the beauties were settled, Li Jingzhong hurried to the hall, only to see Prince Li Heng sitting by the candlelight and drinking alone.

The candlelight is not bright, but the half head of white hair is somewhat obvious.

"His Royal Highness, happy event, happy event!" Li Jingzhong saluted hurriedly, and said: "The sage pities His Highness's loneliness, and just gave His Highness five beauties."

Li Heng put down his wine glass, and made a slight movement of getting up.

He was quite moved when he heard it for the first time.

But only for a moment, he sat down again, restrained the little movement, and shook his head.

"Your Highness?" Li Jingzhong asked doubtfully, "Aren't you going to take a look?"

Li Heng waved his hand and sighed slightly.

"Don't read it, it will only increase your troubles. Send it back."

"Your Highness, it's okay." Li Jingzhong reminded in a low voice: "It's true that His Highness is too lonely around you. This is the kindness of a saint. It's okay to accept it."

Li Heng poured himself a glass of wine, drank it slowly, and said in a low voice: "Since a sage rarely finds kindness, how can I be satisfied just because of five beauties?"

There was a wind blowing, and the candlelight in the hall flickered slightly.

Both of them were startled, they turned their heads nervously and glanced at the door, and when they saw that no one was coming, they each felt relieved.

Li Heng beckoned, and Li Jingzhong hurried over.

"I heard that the Zhang family intends to marry a daughter, so there is no need to lose the big because of small things..."

Li Jingzhong was slightly taken aback, and immediately understood.

The saint's cousin, Zhang Quyi, has a daughter who can speak eloquently since she was a child, and is loved by the saint. If she can marry the Zhang family, it will be beneficial to the crown prince, and she will not lose to the Wei and Du families.

"Your Highness is wise."

"Go."

"Here."

Soon, Li Jingzhong's figure disappeared in the corridor, and those beauties must be sent away soon.

Li Heng sighed again, sipping the bad wine in the cup, and silently muttered to himself.

"It doesn't matter, there will be some sooner or later... When you make up with each other, I will give you a hundred."

~~
After a while, Li Jingzhong rushed back to the hall, but his expression was different from before.

He hurriedly walked, knelt down in front of Li Heng, and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, it's not good. The chess piece of Zuo Jinwuwei was pecked out by Suo Douji."

The wine glass that had just been picked up shook, and the wine spilled all over Li Heng's lapel.

"How is it possible? He has always been careful in doing things."

"The news that just came in is... it's Xue Bai. Xue Bai went to find him today, but he didn't dare to do anything. He didn't dare to send the letter until after the curfew."

"Hurry up and let our people hide, and the connection with the west will be cut off for the time being."

"The old slave will do it now."

"Also, tell Jiang Hai to calm down."

"Here, old slave, save yourself."

Li Jingzhong hurried out.

~~
Daozhengfang, facing Qingmen Restaurant, has a brightly lit courtyard.

The hall is covered with soft carpets, and three orchids are dancing.

They have tall eyebrows and deep eyes, long curly hair hanging like waves, half-exposed breasts and slender waists under the red gauze, bare feet, standing on tiptoe, nails painted red with flower juice, making the skin more beautiful Look fair.

"Damn."

The man leaning on the couch drinking wine cursed, saying: "Turn around every day, every day, every day, your grandpa's eyes are dazzled."

There were more than a dozen people who drank with him, and they laughed loudly.

"Then what do you want?"

"I don't want to! Although he is a good man made of iron, his body is weak after working out every day, so why can't he go out for a breath of air?"

"I've said it all, Jiang Dalang has been arrested, and he's been getting better and better recently."

"I don't want to be safe? But I came to Chang'an because I want to be a general one day, buy a big mansion, and make a fortune for my children and grandchildren. I don't want to drink with you smelly fools day and night."

"Who are you talking about without great ambition? Be patient, and sooner or later you will have a day of prosperity, with the same air as Suo Fighting Cock."

"I think what Tuoba said is right!" Jiang Hai turned out from the back hall, and said, "I'm bored in this house every day, why don't I go rescue my brother and go to Longyou to vote for General Wang!"

"Mother, give me peace of mind."

"Jiang Sanlang, it stands to reason that you should have been prepared to die in battle long ago, but you are still alive after being captured, what does it mean?"

"What did you say?!"

"Stop arguing, the quarreling has made me very anxious, watch the dance, watch the dance, and drink."

"Cough cough."

Suddenly someone coughed and strode in from the front yard, and said with a sullen face, "Old Wu has been found by the cockfighter."

"Then who will bring us wine? I'm tired of seeing these orchids."

Everyone laughed.

A person who licks blood with the blade of a knife has a feeling of indifference to everything.

"Shut up, I'm not joking with you guys! Tuoba, remember the kid we buried alive? The one that was marinated in the big water tank with the girls."

"Ah."

"It hasn't been dealt with cleanly. Now he has turned to Suo Douji and is tying us. Jiang Sanlang, he found out your brothers."

"How to say?"

A cold light flickered in the candlelight, and a dagger was pulled out.

"You want us to go again? Clean it up."

"Damn it! If you make a negligence, you have to confess and hide your head in your trouser belt for a while! I'll clean it up, Grandpa will clean you up first."

suddenly.

There was a knock on the door in the front yard.

"Boom, boom, boom."

The big men immediately fell silent.

"Who?"

The old servant's shout sounded in the yard.

"Jinwu guard patrolling the streets! Open the door!"

"..."

The creaking sound of the door opening came into the hall.

Jiang Hai had already brought out the crossbow from the back hall, put the crossbow on the window pivot, and looked out through the small slit of the window.

Across the entire courtyard, the light of the lanterns came in through the gate bit by bit.

A few armored Jinwu Guards were standing outside the door, and a young maidservant in a Chinese dress stood among them.

Jiang Hai narrowed his eyes and recognized the other party.

That was the Xue Bai they were talking about just now who was buried alive but did not die. Jiang Mao was also there the day he was taken.

The angle of the crossbow was slightly adjusted, pointing at Xue Bai.

A Jinwu guard in armor moved, took two steps forward, and stood in the courtyard looking around.

"There are burglars tonight, and the Jinwu Guards are searching! Whose yard is this?"

Jiang Hai then sneered.

Sure enough, the old servant stepped forward unhurriedly, and replied: "My Alang's surname is Wang, he is taboo, and he works in the household department."

~~
"excuse me."

Guo Qianli forced a smile on his face, nodded to the old servant guarding the courtyard, and led them out.

"The next one."

"Who is Wang Bao?" Xue Bai asked.

He always felt a little strange tonight, and in the end he urged Guo Qianli to follow Wu Kangcheng's night patrol route to check, knocking on the door of each house to inquire and register, hoping to find some clues.

"You don't know Wang Jian, but do you know Wang Chi?"

"I've heard of it." Xue Bai recalled the names he heard before going to Dali Temple that day, and said, "He's also the right minister?"

Guo Qianli nodded, stretched out a hand, and said while counting: "Hebu Envoy, Changchun Palace Envoy, Hukou Sex Envoy, Supervising Censor, Interview and Dismissal Envoy in Gyeonggi Pass... In short, Wang Ji has more than ten positions. It is the right-hand man of the prime minister, the celebrity in front of the sage, and his younger brother's other courtyard, which we cannot investigate. It is impossible for the prince's dead man to hide in it."

Xue Bai couldn't help but glanced back, thinking that the prince's dead man might be hidden in Li Linfu's mother's other property, why couldn't he be hidden in Wang Yu's younger brother's other property?
Of course, this is just one of the many houses he visited tonight, and all he can do is write down all of them.

~~
"gone."

In the lobby of the house, Jiang Hai turned around and saw a group of big men still drinking.

No one regarded the Jinwu Guards as the same thing, and calmly put away the Mo Dao and dagger in their hands.

"There are only a few armored ones in total, they are lucky not to come in."

"Ha, the old one, Guo Qianli of the Jinwu Guard, was also a veteran of Longyou before. He couldn't speak. He was relegated to the Jinwu Guard and joined Suo Douji."

"Whoever he is, if he dares to come in, he will be chopped up."

Jiang Hai smiled, in fact, he was a little eager for those Jinwu guards to come in.

Ever since he worked with Dong Gong, he always felt overwhelmed and made him want to kill something.

~~
Xue Bai went up to the watchtower again, glanced at the several squares in the northeast corner of Chang'an City, and lowered his head to write and draw on the paper in his hand, completing the map.

When he was doing these things, he often forgot about loyalty and treachery, and just accepted the documents from the prime minister of the empire normally and did things normally.

Compared with other perfunctory people, he is much more serious.

He believed in his own judgment that Wu Kangcheng probably used the Jinwu Guard's position as a street patrol envoy to contact the Longyou veterans for Donggong, and sent a letter to Donggong in some way tonight.

"Walking around, I'm sober." Guo Qianli yawned and said, "Is Mr. Xue Lang right? There is no evidence to prove that Wu Kangcheng is related to the Jiang Brothers."

"Bold assumptions, careful verification." Xue Bai said: "It's okay, let's investigate slowly."

Guo Qianli sighed, and said, "I thought I could make a contribution in front of Prime Minister Right... Where does Mr. Xue Lang live? I'll send someone to take you back."

"Ascension Square."

"Then I'll take you back, I live in the practice workshop."

"Thank you."

After walking down the watchtower, Xue Bai turned his head and took a look. If he realized something, he took out a pen and paper and drew a stroke on his own paper.

~~
"Huh? What's this? A map?"

At noon the next day, Du Wulang walked into Xue Bai's room, and soon saw the notes he had placed beside his bed.

"The result of the investigation last night." Xue Bai replied in a daze before he woke up.

"You don't have to hand it over to the Prime Minister?"

"The right minister is not in a hurry to persecute the prince, why are you in a hurry."

"I'm in a hurry?" Du Wulang said: "I have something to worry about, but what should I do? The crown prince killed you and Qinglan, and you have made a feud. If this matter is not resolved, the right minister will always force you .”

"Then you made a mistake." Xue Bai yawned and said, "I told you earlier that this is a struggle for power, not seeking right and wrong."

"what for?"

"The struggle for power is about bargaining chips and interests, not seeking results, so there is no rush."

Xue Bai responded casually, got up, took back his notes from Du Wulang's hand, glanced at them, and put them away.

"what."

Du Wulang seemed to understand a little bit, and asked in a low voice: "Did you find something, and deliberately refused to give it to the right?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Didn't I ponder what you told me?"

Xue Bai shook his head and smiled wryly, not knowing whether it would be good to teach Du Wulang these things.

"Hey, get up, it's already noon." Du Wulang said, "Grandpa wants to see you."

"Really?" Xue Bai looked at the sky and asked doubtfully, "Did he go out this morning?"

"No, but a visitor came."

"Who?"

"In short, he is a member of the Jingzhao Du family."

Xue Bai nodded. For some reason, he thought of Du Hope, the governor of Shanzhou who had defeated Tubo, whom he had heard about a few days ago.

He checked Longyou recently and realized one thing——

Li Linfu's inability to catch the evidence of Donggong is not because Donggong is really powerless. On the contrary, it is because Donggong's network of relationships is too deep and too wide, so that they can cover each other and hide their secrets.

As far as he knows, there are Jingzhao Webster, Jingzhao Du, Taiyuan Wang, Anding Huangfu, Hedong Xue...

(End of this chapter)