Shifting blame to Jiangdong

Two years after presenting this "national gift," both individuals passed away, disappearing into the smoke and fire of war in the end times.

The former prodigy of the Music Bureau, Shi Changqing, who is also the master of A Qiu and Mo Yimingyue, Wan Qiqing, has also left the palace. With unknown thoughts, he wandered among the ruins of the old city and obtained this half of a brick on the streets of Jianzhang City.

Ah Qiu said, "So Master obtained this brick after both parties involved had passed away. This makes it even more puzzling."

Because if this person intended to use this brick as a pretext to cause trouble, the best time would have been while the two individuals were still alive. No one who sets up a scheme would be foolish enough to wait until the parties involved are long gone, or even until the dynasty has been overthrown, before seeking to provoke trouble.

Most of the people who stole the bricks back then were not the ones who instigated the current situation.

But this Han brick is neither valuable nor any famous or important item. Who would risk taking it out of the palace and then abandoning it on the streets of Jianzhang twice, more than ten years apart?

Gu Yi looked directly at Mo Yimingyue and said, "Master Mo Yimingyue seems to have Hu (non-Han) blood."

Mo Yimingyue casually replied, "Young Master guessed correctly." But he did not explain further, such as whether his father or mother was a Hu person, or which of the Five Hu tribes they belonged to.

Gu Yi asked, "Then does Master Moyi know which of the Hu tribes the Marquis of Guannei was closest to when he was in the north?"

Mo Yimingyue's smile faded, and she said, "Buying information from me comes at a price."

Gu Yi made no attempt to evade or conceal anything, stating frankly, "Over the years, I have devoted my energy to managing Jiangdong, and there is a shortage of manpower in the north. You can directly ask me for anything you want."

He was essentially admitting that his intelligence network in the north was inferior to the information network established by talents like Lanlingtang Moyi Mingyue, who himself had half-Hu blood, and who relied on the strength of Xingfengtang.

Aqiu immediately said, "Master has already made his stance clear, so it must not be the Northern Qiang."

Mo Yimingyue said with a smile, "You little girl, it seems like you're afraid your new master will suffer a loss in doing business with me."

A Qiu retorted, "Your martial arts skills are inferior to his, but who doesn't know your reputation as a thief under the guise of 'winning people over with virtue'? My master is a gentleman. If you try to fool him with some worthless information, this place is far from the northern border, and it will be time-consuming and difficult for us to verify it."

Mo Yimingyue was speechless with anger, and spread her hands, saying, "Is this how you see me?"

Yet he knew all too well that what Ah Qiu said was absolutely right. His reputation was known to everyone.

But being exposed to this by one's own people is a first, and it's truly embarrassing. After all, even the most cunning businessman wants to be seen as a good person.

After much deliberation, Mo Yimingyue finally smiled wryly and said, "The question asked by the Junior Tutor is indeed not very valuable in the North. Consider this information given away for free!"

He quickly said, "In fact, everyone in the North knows that the reason why the Shuofang Army is so powerful and the best in the Southern Dynasty, and is also known as the 'King of Soldiers in the World', is because most of its soldiers are Xianbei and Wuhuan, and their combat strength is even greater than that of the Northern Qiang. Among the Five Barbarian tribes, the Xianbei tribe has the best relationship with Li Chongyu."

He was actually being overly polite. Gu Yi did know that the Shuofang Army was composed of Xianbei cavalry, but to draw such a clear conclusion that the Xianbei tribe supported Li Chongyu was definitely not free information.

Mo Yimingyue, a powerful and shrewd man, appears intelligent and capable, but in reality, he has grander ambitions. Since he has decided to cooperate with Gu Yi, he will not be stingy with some gifts. He smiled and said, "Actually, I heard that Li Chongyu grew up drinking goat's milk in a Xianbei family when he was young, and was not taken back by General Li Mingyuan until he was seven or eight years old. Presumably, that is why he trusts the Xianbei people more."

This news was like a blow to Gu Yi's head.

If Li Chongyu's bloodline was not purely Han Chinese, then his intentions for coming south this time would be difficult to fathom.

The worst-case scenario is that the Shuofang Army will become the vanguard of the Hu tribes' southward invasion.

Gu Yi calmed down and carefully recalled all the details of his past interactions with Li Chongyu, leaving nothing out.

At that moment, the sounds of pipa and guzheng playing downstairs suddenly filled the air like flowing water.

Mo Yimingyue opened the window and looked longingly into the tunnel: "The performance has begun."

It turns out that this private box actually faces the stage downstairs and has the best view in the entire Luoyufang. However, because there is a double-eaved corridor outside the window that blocks the light, people here can see outside, but people on the stage cannot see inside.

Mo Yimingyue laughed and said, "This is Senior Brother's private room. It's rare that he's not free tonight, so I was able to make the appointment." After he finished speaking, he gave A Qiu a mischievous look.

A Qiu pursed her lips. So, all of Senior Brother's romantic escapades probably couldn't escape Second Senior Brother's notice. Ultimately, in terms of information access and the number of eyes and ears, no other hall in Lanling Hall could compare to Xingfeng Hall.

But just as he was giving a signal, he caught a glimpse of Gu Yi's expression suddenly change.

The next instant, Gu Yi had already extended a palm in front of A Qiu's eyes, just enough to block her view of the stage, and whispered, "Close the window!" This was directed at Mo Yimingyue.

Mo Yimingyue then looked up at the stage, and was immediately dumbfounded. She quickly closed the window and said awkwardly, "I don't come here often, not often."

Just now, a group of Hu women swirled into the arena. Hu women are inherently enthusiastic, and under the lights, their clothing was even more vibrant, bold, and flamboyant, with skin exposed on their arms, shoulders, backs, waists, and legs. At first glance, it truly gave the impression of a scene of debauchery and debauchery.

Furthermore, their dance moves involve a significant amount of hip and waist swaying, emphasizing certain curves of the human body.

Gu Yi felt an unbearable urge to watch after just one glance and immediately reached out to block A Qiu's view. After all, he wouldn't even give a second glance to a performance by a dancer dressed properly in a white silk robe.

His gaze toward Mo Yimingyue turned considerably more somber.

He said he doesn't come here often... but we're all men, who would believe that?

A Qiu pulled down Gu Yi's hand that was covering her eyes and rushed over to push open the window to look.

Mo Yimingyue blocked her with a large hand and hissed, "What are you looking at? Go back!" He gestured with his chin in Gu Yi's direction. The meaning was clear: If you keep looking around, your master will get angry.

Ah Qiu opened her beautiful eyes wide and argued, "But I just saw that wicked woman, Your Majesty."

Mo Yimingyue was taken aback and hesitated, "Are you sure it's her?" When he saw Gu Yi's expression, which was so dark it could drip ink, he immediately rushed to close the window and didn't take a closer look at the person on the stage.

Aqiu said in a deep voice, "It must be her. I would never be wrong. But she's really quite capable. She should be under house arrest at the inn right now, yet she's openly putting on a show here."

Mo Yimingyue looked at Gu Yi again, but Gu Yi calmly nodded, agreeing with A Qiu's opinion.

This time, it was A Qiu's turn to open her eyes wide and stare at Gu Yi: "Master can see very clearly too!" She even dragged out the last beat of her sentence.

Gu Yi, who was always serious, pursed his lips slightly and said in a good mood, "Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about your senior brother first. I didn't invite you here."

Mo Yimingyue was stunned that Gu Yi would shift the blame to Jiangdong; his mouth gaped open wide enough to fit a watermelon. He raised his hand and said with a wry smile, "I invited you here not to watch the Hu women's performance, but because..."

At this point, he suddenly lowered his voice and pointed towards the door.

Even without his pointing, A Qiu and Gu Yi had already heard the footsteps of someone quietly approaching outside the door.

Mo Yimingyue became extremely alert. Given his influence in the underground gang, the fact that someone would dare to eavesdrop on him knowing he was meeting someone here meant either they were tired of living or the person behind them was incredibly powerful.

Ah Qiu understood and immediately picked up where he left off, saying loudly, "No matter who that Princess Wanshou is, I will not allow her to leave this place alive tonight."

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a "thud" outside the door, the sound of something breaking.

As she raised her voice, Mo Yimingyue had already silently risen and crept to the door. Before the object hit the ground, he had already abruptly rushed out the door.

But all they saw outside the door was empty; the wine jug had fallen to the ground, spilling wine and shards all over the floor.

Gu Yi said in a deep voice, "Although this person has excellent lightness skills, he is not very brave. He must be a novice."

Ah Qiu said, "Entering this place under the guise of delivering wine, and with unusually light and agile steps, must be a woman." Her gaze returned to the closed window, where she saw light spots shimmering on the window paper and the lamplight shifting, suggesting the grand scale of the scene.

Recalling the other party's panicked reaction upon hearing her voice, she said, "I'm 80% certain that the person who came must be someone from the Princess's entourage, namely a dancer from the Kucha dance troupe. Therefore, although their skills are good, they lack experience in combat."

Mo Yimingyue smiled wryly and sat back in her chair, saying, "Your threatening words will surely make Princess Wansui restless tonight. After all, everyone in Luoyufang knows that I, Mo Yimingyue, am here."

The presence of Mo Yimingyue from Lanling Hall, who openly threatened to kill her during their conversation, was enough to make any person of any standing in Jianzhang tremble with fear.

Ah Qiu shrugged and said, "Senior Brother has plenty of scapegoats already, what's one more? Does Senior Brother think he's afraid of her?"

Mo Yimingyue smiled wryly, "The reason I arranged to meet you here is because Luoyufang is not only the restaurant with the most Hu women, but also the place with the most Hu people in Jianzhang. And I heard that the owner behind it is also a Xianbei."

He lowered his voice and continued, "The people behind these kinds of restaurants usually have their identities heavily hidden. However, Luoyufang has always been one of the places that our Xingfeng Hall keeps a close eye on, because those who come and go are either rich or noble, and a lot of news from the north is relayed here."

As soon as he finished speaking, all three of them showed expressions of concern.

This was because there was a distinct sound of footsteps moving in their direction, heading straight for the door of their private room.

Mo Yimingyue said to A Qiu, "Thanks to your auspicious words, they have come to our door."

He had clearly guessed who it was from the sound of footsteps.

A-Qiu focused her attention and could tell that the group of people coming were probably all women.

If she were a princess, it would be perfectly normal. Given how shrewish and difficult she is, rather than waiting in fear for Mo Yimingyue's subordinates to assassinate her, it would be better to come to her door and have a frank discussion.

Mo Yimingyue silently opened the window. The performance on the stage downstairs had already ended, and the audience was bustling with noise. He said in a low voice, "Please trouble the young master to take Aqiu out the window."

The next sentence is: "I suppose you don't want to confront her here either."