Chapter 90 Undercurrents Before the Lantern Festival
Two days later is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
With the "citywide hunt" operation coming to an end, the capital city seemed to have returned to its former prosperity and tranquility.
The streets and alleys are decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and all kinds of lanterns are hung from the branches.
The people eagerly anticipate the grand lantern festival held annually, where they can not only admire the moon but also catch a glimpse of the emperor's face and the regent's demeanor.
However, beneath this overwhelming expanse of festive red silk, Tangli's heart remained uneasy.
That elusive fish—"Lone Wolf"—was like a thorn stuck in her heart; she couldn't sleep soundly until it was removed.
Where did that guy hide?
In the afternoon, Tangli sat in the pavilion in the back garden, holding a handful of millet in her hand, seemingly feeding the birds, but in reality, her brows were furrowed.
The Black Armor Guards had already turned the land upside down, but still found nothing.
This indicates that the place where the other party is hiding is an absolute dead end that is inaccessible to humans.
"Fluttering—"
A sound of flapping wings rang out.
The plump "Sparrow King," accompanied by several of its minions, landed on the stone table with practiced ease and began pecking at the millet without any hesitation.
[Chirp! Good rice! Smells so good!]
Tangli stretched out a finger and gently tapped the Sparrow King's little head:
[Don't just focus on eating. Any news about what I asked you to find out? Where did that bad guy who wasn't caught go?]
The Sparrow King swallowed a mouthful of rice, tilted his head, and his small, beady eyes gleamed with the smugness of a "know-it-all":
【Chirp! Of course we found it!】
That bad guy is so cunning! He's not even on the ground! He scurried away like a big rat into the underground ditch (sewer)!
sewer?
Tang Li felt a chill run down her spine.
No wonder the Black Armor Guards couldn't find them; that filthy, interconnected underground pipe network was indeed the perfect hiding place.
What is he doing? Is he hiding and too afraid to come out?
That's not true at all!
The Sparrow King shook his feathers, his tone becoming somewhat hurried:
The rats living by the ditch say that the bad guy has been moving things around these past two nights!
He secretly transported the tightly wrapped black cloth bundles along the ditch to... the archway under that very large stone bridge where many people walked!
The large stone bridge that many people walk on?
moat……
A map of the capital city quickly appeared in Tang Li's mind.
The widest and most magnificent bridge, spanning the moat and connecting the imperial palace street with the bustling marketplace—
Bridge of Immortality!
That was the route the emperor and regent would take on their imperial procession on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, climbing the city tower to celebrate with the people!
boom--!
Tang Li scattered the millet in her hand all over the ground.
She understood.
That "lone wolf" had no intention of running away.
He planned to detonate gunpowder under the bridge called "Chang Sheng" on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, sending the two most honorable men of the Great Sheng Dynasty to meet the King of Hell!
This was a suicide attack! A final act of madness!
"No...we have to tell Pei Yunjing..."
Tang Li suddenly stood up, lifted her skirt, and rushed towards the study.
However, after running only two steps, she abruptly stopped.
How so?
Furthermore, is it because he was guided by a "reclusive master"?
no.
The last "feng shui diagram" could barely be fooled because it was still within the realm of human understanding.
But what about this time?
The spies were hiding in the sewers and were still smuggling gunpowder under the bridge.
Such precise intelligence, down to "a few meters underground," is simply inexplicable unless the expert is a mouse that has become a spirit!
Moreover, Pei Yunjing was already suspicious of the identity of that "expert" and even wanted to capture him to ask about the fate of the nation.
If she said it again, given Pei Yunjing's suspicious nature, he would definitely dig three feet into the ground to find that expert.
If they can't find her or discover any flaws, she, the "middleman," will definitely not have a good ending.
More importantly, there are less than two days left until the lantern festival.
If we were to conduct a high-profile search of Changsheng Bridge, we would inevitably alert the enemy.
If that madman were to become desperate and detonate the explosives prematurely, or even choose another location to perish together with the enemy, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"I can't say."
Tang Li bit her nails and paced back and forth in the pavilion, her eyes gradually becoming deep and unfathomable.
"Since we can't do it openly, then... we'll play dirty."
The spy wanted to blow up the bridge with gunpowder.
For gunpowder to explode, it must have a fuse.
Once the fuse is cut, it's just a pile of wasteland.
What in this world can silently infiltrate the sewers in such large numbers, and possess such indestructible teeth?
Tangli stopped and looked at the mouse hole in the corner of the wall.
A smile, more villainous than any villain's, slowly crept onto her lips.
Since you spies prefer to hide in the gutter like rats...
Then let the real "rat army" teach you what despair truly means.
...
Night falls, at midnight.
At the base of the back wall of the Regent's Palace.
Tang Li, wearing a black cloak, squatted in an inconspicuous corner.
In front of her was a small dish of peanuts mixed with sesame oil and a few crunchy walnuts.
"Squeak..."
With a soft rustling sound, the big gray rat "Zhaocai," who had once helped her dig out the gold ingot, cautiously poked its head out.
Behind it followed dozens of henchmen of varying sizes, all with equally shrewd eyes.
[Your Majesty! It's delicious!]
Zhao Cai's eyes lit up when he saw peanuts.
[Don't rush to eat it, it's a lucky charm!]
Tang Li extended a finger and pressed it against the plate, her expression as serious as if she were issuing a battle order:
[We have a major task today, one that concerns whether the entire capital's granaries can be saved.]
She pointed in the direction of the moat outside the Prince's Palace:
I need you to gather all the brothers in the city and go to the sewers under the Bridge of Immortality.
[Squeak? What are you going there for? It stinks there, and there's a fierce-looking human guarding it.]
Zhao Cai is somewhat resistant.
[That human buried many black threads (leverages).]
Tang Li's voice was deep and alluring, possessing a seductive charm:
Those threads were coated with kerosene; the taste was strange, but... they were crunchy and really good for grinding your teeth.
【I want you to infiltrate and, when that person isn't looking, steal all the moles he's planted…】
Tangli made a "snap" gesture:
[Bite them all off!]
[Take it into pieces! Tear it into crumbs!]
[Once the task is completed...]
She pulled out a pre-prepared "long-term meal ticket" from her pocket—
That's a map of a hidden ventilation shaft in the Prince's granary:
From now on, any rice leaking from the Prince's granary will be yours!
【！！！】
Zhao Cai and its minions instantly erupted in excitement.
granary!
That was the pinnacle of a rat's life!
[Squeak! Bite it off! It must be bitten off!]
For the sake of rice! Brothers! Let's grind our teeth!
Watching the swarm of rats disappear into the night, Tang Li stood up and dusted off her hands.
“Pei Yunjing, this time…”
She glanced towards the main courtyard, a smug glint in her eyes:
"Your life was saved by these rats."
"Let's see if you'll still find them dirty in the future."
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