77 Chapter 77

◎Autumn Hunt◎

Juxianfang in the south of the capital.

A man who looked like a porter, wearing dirty shorts, was pulling a cart of wood of uneven thickness. The wood was piled high and fixed on a flatbed cart with hemp ropes. He passed through the alleys of the market town and stopped at a private house.

This place is close to Dongzhimen.

Each of the nine gates in the capital has its own characteristics. Dongzhimen has always been used for timber and brick and tile carts, but it is not limited to timber and bricks. Anything needed for people's lives, such as firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, can pass through this gate.

Li Fu knocked on the door.

Soon, the door opened, and a man poked his head out, glanced at the wood, and said, "Okay, leave it here. You can go now."

Li Fu laughed innocently and held out his rough hand. "Money, money."

A few copper coins were casually thrown to the ground, and the person inside said unhappily, "Take them and leave."

Li Fu bent down to pick up the copper coin and walked away in his straw sandals.

After waiting for a while, there was nothing unusual around. Suddenly, three people rushed out from the door. They were all wearing tattered shorts and had cloth towels wrapped around their heads, just like the porter who had just been dressed.

They pulled the timber cart hard and headed for Dongzhimen.

The laborer who had just walked away reappeared in the alley, signaled his men to go into the house to search, and he took some people to follow the timber cart.

Ten miles outside the city, the Goryeo delegation stopped to rest by the roadside.

They had stayed in the capital for five more days and had to return today.

Li Si was squatting on the side of the road, his clothes almost torn apart, when he finally saw a timber truck slowly approaching.

There was no one around, and the joy of his plan's success made him lose most of his vigilance, and he called his followers to go and meet him.

They pulled the timber cart into the woods nearby, removed the ropes and wood, and took out several muskets from the gaps between the piled wood.

Li Si frowned: "It's different from what I saw on the Wanshou Festival."

"Your Highness, it took a lot of effort to make these. If it weren't for Nakudin's greed, he wouldn't even be able to get the old version."

Li Si understood this principle. After counting the eight muskets, he asked, "No blueprints?"

"He said no." The attendant snorted coldly, "I think he must be lying to me. His eyes were obviously wandering when he spoke."

Li Si: “You can increase the price.”

"No matter how much I raise the price, it's useless. I guess they've already found a buyer," the attendant consoled himself. "But if we take these muskets back and study them carefully, we'll definitely be able to make them too."

"Well, keep it secret." Li Si instructed his men.

Inspections are inevitable when passing through customs, and he doesn't want to cause any trouble.

Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, dozens of Jinyiwei suddenly appeared around him. Each of them was burly and strong, holding an embroidered spring sword, and their cold eyes fell on the musket that was about to be hidden.

Li Si: “…”

When the news reached the palace, Xie Mingzhuo was trying on new clothes sent by the Imperial Wardrobe.

Five months later, she had grown taller and was so busy that she didn't notice that the hem of her clothes had become shorter. Fortunately, Ayu was thoughtful and asked the people from the Wardrobe to come and measure her again and make a new dress for her.

Ah Yu knew what she was thinking, so she asked the people in the Imperial Wardrobe to make changes to make it easier to work. The palace maids in the Imperial Wardrobe were all very clever and skillful, and after the changes, the clothes looked neat and smart.

"This style is really beautiful," Jiang Qing couldn't help but praise it again and again, "Your Highness, if you wear this, it will definitely start a new round of trends."

The five masters in the palace often made shocking remarks, and the people below would learn from them when they heard them. Many new words emerged, some of which spread outside the palace and gradually became popular among the people.

Xie Mingzhuo smiled and said, "If you like, go get a few and wear them out for a walk. It will have the same effect. Same with Ah Yu."

The two of them agreed happily and discussed what pattern to make.

Suddenly, a palace maid came to report: "Your Highness, Commander Yang requests to see you."

"Send him in."

Xie Mingzhuo simply put on her new clothes, opened her arms, and let Feng Caiyu fiddle with her belt.

This was the scene Yang Yun saw when he drove in.

He quickly lowered his head and bowed, then respectfully said, "Your Highness, Prince Li Si secretly bribed the Military Equipment Supervisor, Ku Ding, to purchase eight muskets. They were then hidden in timber carts and transported out of the city. All those involved have now been apprehended."

"Only eight muskets? No blueprints?"

"No."

"Has Kudin been caught?"

"Already in the imperial prison."

Xie Mingzhuo thought for a moment, waited for Feng Caiyu to straighten her belt, put down her arms and sat on a wide chair beside her.

"First, detain Li Si in the Heavenly Prison. Send a message to the King of Goryeo, explaining this matter. If you want to spare his son's life, it depends on his sincerity."

"yes."

"Interrogate Ku Ding and find out where the blueprints are."

"yes."

I just wanted to catch Li Si in the act, but I didn't expect Ku Ding to be the key character.

"Did you find anything in the teahouse?"

"I was stupid and sent someone to sneak into the teahouse, but I found nothing unusual in the tea or candles."

It's not just drugs that can bewitch people, there are also hints of scenes, patterns and sounds, but there are very few people who can do that.

Xie Mingzhuo knew this and did not feel disappointed.

"Teahouse owner, storyteller?"

"We checked the bottom of the matter and found nothing abnormal."

The Jinyiwei couldn't find anything unusual, either there was really nothing wrong, or their disguise skills had reached perfection.

In this case, if we continue to investigate, we will only alert the enemy.

"First, remove the surveillance from the teahouse and preside over the trial, Ku Ding."

Yang Yunkai took the order and withdrew.

After a while, Xie Mingshuo came over again. When they met, he first praised her new clothes and then got down to business.

"The wealthy families in the capital are all connected to each other in some way. It's really not easy to check a person's network of contacts and obtain useful information from them."

Xie Mingzhuo quipped, "Are you tired of being a reporter?"

"My body is tired, but my spirit is satisfied, hehe." Xie Mingshuo propped up his head and tried to open his eyes. "I've found something about the person in charge of the Sichuan Qingli Division of the Ministry of Revenue you asked me to investigate. Guess who he's related to?"

"If you ask that, then you must be at least the head of one of the six ministries."

“He who knows me is an iron pillar.”

"Hurry up and tell me."

Xie Mingshuo smiled proudly: "After much investigation and sorting out the connections, I finally discovered that his wife's niece is the concubine of Fang Ji, the brother-in-law of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

The relationship is quite distant, but it is enough to maintain interests.

"I've asked Lao Yang to write to the Sichuan Jinyiwei. Although these things are very likely coincidences, it's better to investigate than not to worry."

"You're right." Xie Mingshuo shook his head and stood up. "I can't do it anymore. I have to go back to sleep."

He walked to the palace gate and turned back to ask, "Are you going with the autumn hunt in a few days?"

"Why not go?" Xie Mingzhuo looked up in confusion.

"I'm afraid you'll be worried about state affairs and don't want to waste your time."

"A balance of work and rest is the key to longevity," Xie Mingzhuo smiled. "The court will function just fine without me."

Xie Mingshuo also laughed: "Don't, our family really can't do without you."

Since the princess came to the court, the emperor very calmly gave up his power. He spent the whole day playing chess and painting with his ministers, and often studied painting skills with court painters. He lived a very leisurely life.

The Queen and the Prince of Qi built a "laboratory" in the Armoury Bureau and stayed there all day, not knowing what they were researching.

The queen no longer interferes in politics, but the princess is obviously going to take over power.

The royal affairs had already spread throughout the capital.

But no matter what outsiders think, the family unanimously agrees that without the iron pillar, they would never be so comfortable.

"Okay, go and rest." Xie Mingzhuo waved his hand to send him away.

In mid-September, the emperor, accompanied by a group of noble ministers and their families, went to the Nanhaizi enclosure under the escort of his personal army.

A temporary palace was built in Nanhaizi enclosure, built beside the lake and surrounded by dense woods. Many birds and beasts were raised in it for the emperor's hunting and enjoyment.

Xie Changfeng himself had no interest in hunting, but he had not left the palace since he traveled through time. The crisis of national destruction had passed, and he felt relieved. In addition, he felt sorry for his daughter who was busy with paperwork all day, so he decided to go hunting.

All the nobles and important officials in the capital had to accompany him. They would bring their families, mostly girls and boys of the same age, who might even be able to keep Shao Shao company and relieve his boredom.

The emperor's procession entered the palace, and the palace servants had already made all the arrangements in advance.

Xie Mingzhuo's family enjoyed a palace complex alone, while the rest of the people were arranged with residences according to their status.

The Lu family is the most popular family in Beijing right now.

Everyone knows that the four members of Weining Marquis' family are all highly regarded by the emperor and the princess. This time, except for the eldest son who was exiled, the other three are accompanying the emperor.

Lu Fang had just packed his bag and took out a book on poultry farming to study when he heard shouting outside the door.

"Lu Er! Lu Er! Let's go out and play together!"

The official hunting will begin tomorrow. Today everyone can move freely. Just be careful and don't disturb the emperor.

Rather than going out, Lu Fang would rather find a corner to read quietly, and he had no idea who that person outside was.

"I'm not going. You guys go."

The man shouted again, "I saw Her Royal Highness the Princess come out too. Lu Er, are you really not going?"

His hand paused as he turned the page. Without a second thought, Lu Er stood up and put the book on the table. "Go."

The late autumn sun has lost some of its warmth, shining through the broken dead leaves, casting large patches of mottled light and shadow.

The entire paddock was covered with fallen leaves, a golden ground that complemented the blue sky.

Xie Mingzhuo bent down and picked up a ginkgo leaf. The color was extremely bright and the shape was perfect. He couldn't help but feel happy.

"Ah Qing, A Yu, find a few more beautiful ones and take them back to use as bookmarks."

The three of them bent over and stared at the ground, not paying any attention to the footsteps behind them.

"Wei Zheng, the third son of the Earl of Xuanping, greets Her Royal Highness the Princess."

"I, Lu Fang, wish the princess good health."

Xie Mingzhuo straightened up and came back to his senses, then waved casually at the two of them, "You've come just in time. Help me find a few ginkgo leaves. They should be beautiful, no less beautiful than the one I have."

She raised the leaf between her fingers, and her handsome eyes and eyebrows sparkled against the backdrop of the blue sky and autumn leaves.

Wei Zheng was stunned for a moment. Princess Rong'an, who was said to be extremely powerful, actually had such a beautiful appearance. Yet, she was looking for leaves on the ground like an ordinary naive young lady.

He had attended palace banquets, but because of his low earldom, he sat at the back and had no idea what the emperor's family looked like.

Today is the first time I saw it up close.

He didn't bother to think about why the princess was looking for leaves, and subconsciously said, "I'm the best at finding things, Princess, I'll help you."

Lu Fang also responded and squatted down to look for ginkgo leaves.

With help, Xie Mingzhuo took Ayu and Aqing to stand aside to rest, and palace servants immediately brought chairs.

Her eyes fell on Wei Zheng inconspicuously.

He has an outstanding appearance and a famously gentle temperament. Although he is a bastard and has achieved nothing, he is considered a good match in the marriage market of the noble circle in the capital.

However, according to the intelligence of the Jinyiwei, the owner of the teahouse where Mr. Gu worked was originally the first wife of the Duke of Xuanping. His first wife passed away early, leaving behind a son, who inherited the shop.

Later, the shop went bankrupt due to poor management. At that time, the house was managed by Tong, the concubine of the Earl of Xuanping. The prince did not want the shop to fall into her hands, so he rented it out without thinking.

Wei Zheng was born to the Tong family and was quite loved by the Duke of Xuanping.

"Princess, I found one. What do you think of it?" Wei Zheng held up a ginkgo leaf and looked at Xie Mingzhuo with great concentration.

His expression was full of genuine feelings and his tone was just right, as if he was a young boy who had just fallen in love and was trying to please the girl he liked in a subtle way.

To avoid making a mistake in his judgment, Xie Mingzhuo deliberately raised his chin and said in a domineering tone, "Ugly, find another one."

Wei Zheng is indeed a representative of a good-tempered person. He did not feel embarrassed or unhappy at all, and continued to squat down happily to look for leaves.

"Princess, how about this film?"

"Look again."

"What about this piece?"

"Change."

This happened many times in a row, and although Wei Zheng looked tired, he did not complain at all.

Lu Fang was not far from him and had already picked up a few pieces. Every time he wanted to present them to the princess for tasting, he was frightened by Wei Zheng's failure.

In his opinion, what Wei Zheng found was perfect, but the princess didn't like it.

He silently looked at the ginkgo leaves in his palm. These were not as good as others, so he didn't want to show off his wealth.

"Lu Er, let me see yours." Xie Mingzhuo suddenly said.

The princess gave the order, and Lu Fang dared not disobey.

He walked forward slowly and presented a pair of carefully selected ginkgo leaves. Each leaf was not perfect, but each had its own unique shape, making it easy to remember at a glance.

Xie Mingzhuo praised them generously: "These are all very good and deserve a reward. Ah Yu, please send my magical bow to Lu Erlang later."

"As you command."

Lu Er couldn't believe it, and raised his head in surprise, "Thank you, Princess!"

Wei Zheng, who had been searching for Ye in vain, was confused.

Could it be that the princess doesn't like perfection and only likes the ugly ones?