Men in Black Night Exploration
After the "Yuzhou Counter-killing Case", Xiao Bo was praised by the emperor himself for his insight and incorruptibility.
Everyone in the Dali Temple believed that Xiao Bo would have a bright career from now on, and there were many people flattering him.
Some people also said disdainfully:
"Your Majesty praised him because his last name was Xiao. Do you really think he has any real ability? Your Majesty is so respectful to the Grand Marshal that you can even praise a pheasant that flew out of the Grand Marshal's family as a phoenix!"
Xiao Bo turned a deaf ear to all the praise and criticism, buried himself in the files, did his job well, ate in the Dali Temple dining hall, stayed in the Dali Temple dormitory, did not make friends, and did not flatter the emperor.
A colleague came to visit and sighed:
"I'm really fed up with this shabby dormitory. It's all because the land in Beijing is expensive, otherwise I would have to move out. Xiao Bo, you are really something. You have a home but don't go back. You have to endure hardship even if you don't have one."
The so-called family is the Xiao family, that is, the Grand Secretary's Mansion. Xiao Bo explained briefly:
"Although the conditions in the dormitory are ordinary, at least I'm not bound by any constraints and can follow my heart. Without being bothered by red tape, I can still live peacefully."
The colleague had been with Xiao Bo for a long time and probably knew that Xiao Bo was in dire straits in the Xiao family, so he tactfully changed the subject:
"Let me tell you, I've just been assigned a strange case! Hey, there's a rich young lady in the south of the city. She's from a royal merchant family, doted on by her parents, and half the street in the south is her private property. But she suddenly became blind for no apparent reason, and she went to the police crying, saying someone must have poisoned her."
Xiao Bo's eyelids twitched:
"Can you find out who did it?"
"Under my wise and brave investigation, of course I have found out that the person who poisoned her is—her brother from the same clan!"
His colleagues noticed a flash of discontent on Xiao Bo's expressionless face, and he spoke proudly:
"You must be wondering why her brother, from the same clan as her mother's family, poisoned her. It's because her brother was afraid that the family fortune would fall into the hands of this capable daughter! It's like a family ghost harming the family, and the hearts of wealthy families are even more unpredictable."
"I'll go to the file room, you can do whatever you want." Xiao Bo frowned, took the key and held the sword, and walked quickly to the file room of the Dali Temple.
This case of his colleague gave him inspiration.
He always thought about how to protect Pei Zhaoying from now on and avoid being assassinated in the future.
However, he never thought that the two assassination attempts were not isolated incidents. Perhaps they had the same mastermind behind the scenes. After failing once, he lay dormant for many years, determined to achieve his goal.
Xiao Bo opened the door of the file room and flipped through the records of Pei Zhaoying's assassination case under the light of a lamp.
The conclusion is unclear. It is said that after the rebellious King Qi died, his remaining followers were unwilling to give up and turned their spearhead against Pei Zhaoying. After failing, they all committed suicide by taking poison.
This statement is the biggest doubt -
What the King of Qi wanted to fight for was the throne. The person he and his men hated the most should be Emperor Pei Heng. It would be better for them to rush into the palace and die together with Pei Heng, and put all their manpower into killing Pei Zhaoying, which would have no impact on the throne.
His colleague's words "house ghosts harming family members" made his heart beat wildly and he couldn't calm down for a long time.
Unfortunately, the evidence was so scant. At the time of the crime, Xiao Bo was still serving as a local judge, completely unaware of the situation in the capital. Silently, Xiao Bo returned the files to their place and stepped out of his humble room, his steps heavy as the moonlight shone.
As he turned the corner, he saw a figure nimbly climbing over the wall into the courtyard, cutting off the lock of the file room with a sword, and slipping inside.
Xiao Bo was startled and drew his sword to chase after him.
Recalling the flash of the black-clad man's sword handle, which was very different from the unified standard of military equipment, Xiao Bo immediately distinguished his origin from his own forces in the capital.
In a flash, Xiao Bo confirmed the identity of the person who came. He guessed that even if he didn't chase him and catch him red-handed, the person would definitely turn around and look for him.
It’s better to hold back and wait for the fish to bite.
Xiao Bo returned to the dormitory with a smile, and then read a book as usual, admired the moon, and even watered the weeds growing in the corner of the wall with great interest. When he was bored, he would take a walk on the deserted path beside the bamboo forest.
In short, he deliberately ignored the figures that flashed by in the dark.
"Hey, are you so bad at martial arts that you didn't even notice me? I've already deliberately exposed many flaws in front of you."
Xiao Bo worked calmly for less than half an hour, and the man in black who had sneaked into the file room earlier could not help but reveal himself in front of him.
When Xiao Bo heard it was a male voice, his face fell.
He actually didn't know that there was such a trustworthy man beside Pei Zhaoying.
"If the princess has any instructions, just tell her directly." Xiao Bo was as cold as ice and did not give a good look.
"How do you know I'm the eldest princess's man?" The man in black examined me suspiciously. He even covered his handsome face tightly! How could he be recognized?
"Next time you go out, remember to wrap the hilt of your sword with cloth."
Xiao Bo really wanted to draw his sword and chop him.
He imprinted Pei Zhaoying's painting skills and brushstrokes deeply in his mind.
The pattern on the hilt of the man in black's sword was obviously drawn by Pei Zhaoying first and then made by a craftsman. The man in black was able to get the handwriting of Pei Zhaoying personally, which shows that he has a close relationship with Pei Zhaoying.
Xiao Bo's blood surged in his chest, his fingers pressing against his sword uncontrollably. In a flash, he decided where to hide the body... If Pei Zhaoying was missing a needed helper, he would definitely be able to fill the gap left by this close friend if he surrendered...
Reason controlled his madness, and Xiao Bo resisted the urge to look at the delicate and smooth auspicious cloud pattern again.
"You seem quite sensible. I won't beat around the bush with you. The court is in chaos right now, with many parties trying to take advantage of the situation. Few are working for the country and its people. Are you willing to serve the princess? You'll get benefits, and you'll have a clear conscience."
"Yeah." Xiao Bo responded.
The perfunctory answer made the man in black angry:
"Your Highness has a heart for talent and good intentions. He wants to take you under his wing so that you can better display your talents and protect the people and justice. What do you mean by this?"
"Didn't you hear me, sir? Does my 'hmm' mean I agree? You are working for the eldest princess, so you need to improve your self-control." Xiao Bo gave people a smooth smile, without any flaws, but it was just enough to make people angry to death.
"Without words, you have no intention of surrendering?"
"Is it not enough to allow you unimpeded access to the archives? I will fully cooperate with the eldest princess in whatever she wants to investigate. I would also like to ask you to buy a new lock and bury the key in the flowerbed by my window, so that no one will notice the thief and I will be embarrassed to report him."
Xiao Bo complained in his heart, how could Pei Zhaoying trust such a reckless and reckless man?
The broken lock at the Dali Temple could be opened with a piece of wire without leaving any trace, but this person just chopped it off, fearing that no one would notice anything was wrong. In terms of meticulousness, this person couldn't compare to him in the slightest!
The man in black suddenly realized: "So you let me in on purpose."
Xiao Bo gritted his teeth and said, "Are you so sure that your martial arts skills are definitely better than mine?"
If he wanted to stop it, not even a fly could get into the file room!
"You weak scholar, you are so arrogant. Then I will let you see my swordsmanship and open your eyes."
The man in black could not stand Xiao Bo's repeated cold treatment with a gun and a stick, so he drew his sword and a white light attacked Xiao Bo's face.
He only thought that Xiao Bo was an ordinary civil servant. Although he was angry, he did not want to take Xiao Bo's life. This move left a lot of room for strength.
You came just in time.
Xiao Bo's eyes were fixed on the tip of the sword. The dragon-like sword technique was broken down extremely clearly in his eyes. This sword showed the profound internal skills. He felt that it was barely enough to help Pei Zhaoying climb over the wall and run errands.
But Xiao Bo had been suppressing his jealousy for a long time, and was worried that he could not find an opportunity to fight with the man in black. He did not avoid his attack at all, but drew out his three-foot green sword and rushed forward to block it.
This sword, filled with jealousy and anger, made the black-clothed man's palm numb.
The man in black looked suspicious. He never thought that a thin civil servant could defeat him in just one move. Before, he even thought that the sword Xiao Bo carried with him was just a decoration and at most a show of skill.
This moment of distraction allowed Xiao Bo to seize the initiative in the battle. He used a set of sword techniques that were as swift as stars, swinging them freely with murderous intent hidden in his eyes.
The man in black secretly cried out in alarm. When two masters fight, distraction at the critical moment is the most fatal. However, his pride would not allow him to be suppressed by Xiao Bo like this. He increased his internal strength and fought against him.
Ordinary people only know that Xiao Bo's father is an ordinary person, and Xiao Yucheng even disdainfully mocks his father as a gangster. But in fact, more than 20 years ago, that man was the world's number one swordsman, but he retired because he fell in love with Miss Xiao.
Xiao Bo has been learning sword from his father secretly since he was young, and he has been careful to hide his abilities and not to be the first to stand out. He has a lot of martial arts skills, but only today has the opportunity to display them. The man in black is a rare opponent who can fight with him. Xiao Bo feels more and more comfortable as the fight goes on, and his whole body is full of true energy.
Wherever the two men's swords swept, a row of bamboos were cut in half with a "swish" sound, and fell to the ground with a loud bang, causing quite a commotion. Gradually, footsteps were heard. It was the patrol officers of the Dali Temple who came to check the situation after hearing the noise.
The man in black cursed him inwardly, "You madman!" and made a feint, trying to find a way to escape.
"I still have to report to His Highness, so I don't have time to compete with you. Since you are willing to surrender, His Highness will definitely not treat you unfairly. Farewell."
Xiao Bo looked at the black-clad man as he flew away with a look of a fool.
Pei Zhaoying is helpless and lonely, like a floating duckweed. Even if he wants to reveal his heart to her, she will stop and refuse to believe it.
But there was another man who had already gained her trust.
Is he born to be one step behind others?
In the past, he was behind Xiao and Cheng, but now where did this man come from? He is so foolish and stupid, yet he can still serve in front of you.
Xiao Bo flicked his sleeves and snorted coldly, his blood gradually turning colder as the night went on. After returning to his room, he lit a solitary lamp, spread out a piece of paper, and wrote a few words.
They are: the emperor, the empress dowager, Xiao Yucheng, the former subordinates of the King of Qi, and others.
The Emperor and the Empress Dowager could be considered one and the same in some cases, but there were previous examples of Empress Lü's regency and Emperor Wu's reform of the Zhou Dynasty, and the interests of mother and son might not necessarily be mutually exclusive. Furthermore, as Pei Heng aged, he was undoubtedly unwilling to follow his mother's lead. Unconsciously, the hearts of mother and son were divided.
Xiao Yucheng will definitely take the path of rebellion again, but it is not certain whether it is related to the assassination of Pei Zhaoying.
The reasons that the former subordinates of King Qi could come up with were just excuses.
What Xiao Bo feared most was that there were other people causing trouble that even he couldn't detect.
Given the chance to do it all over again, he left no room for himself and threw all his calculations and considerations onto Pei Zhaoying, willing to risk his life to pave the way for her.
If someone was secretly plotting something and even his spies were able to bypass the critical Pei Zhaoying, could he stop them?
When it was too late to save her, he would rather die before her.
Xiao Bo crumpled up the paper and carefully burned it to ashes, making it resemble his feelings that could never see the light of day.
He was destined to dedicate his life to her. If she didn't come over to him, he would slowly walk towards her.
It has to be said that after being accustomed to Xiao Bo's clean and concise handwriting, Pei Zhaoying was furious when he saw his subordinates copying in a dog-crawling handwriting.
She rolled the paper into a tube and hit the person on the head with it, cursing:
"Look at you, what kind of writing is that? Do you know all the characters? You look like you're completely uneducated, and it's really hindering my investigation!"
"Don't be angry. I was afraid the people in the Dali Temple would find out. It's just a little sloppy. It won't affect the overall situation."
Jiang Yubai let Pei Zhaoying vent her anger and said:
"By the way, Xiao Bo had already discovered me. He allowed me to go in and copy the files."
This surprised and not surprised Pei Zhaoying. Perhaps, for him, this was just a favor, not necessarily because he was on her side.
Everything Xiao Bo did was upright and for the country and the people, but Pei Zhaoying could never guess what was behind his dark eyes.
But if someone else wanted to brazenly enter the Dali Temple, Xiao Bo would not allow it. Pei Zhaoying understood this and felt a warmth in her chest.
"Then we should find an opportunity to thank Master Xiao Bo properly."
"I have also conveyed your intention to recruit talented people to him."
Pei Zhaoying pulled his sleeves tighter, secretly cursing himself for being useless. He shouldn't be so nervous about recruiting talents as a young girl in love.
"He...what did he say?"
"'Um'."
Pei Zhaoying was stunned and blinked twice, afraid that he might have missed a word.
"He just said, 'Yeah.'"
Pei Zhaoying's strength suddenly drained away.
He had hinted to her that he wanted to be the sword in her hand.
Before officially extending the invitation, Pei Zhaoying had guessed all his possible reactions and sorted out all the complicated interests in the court: the emperor, the Xiao family, the aristocratic families, the rising star from humble backgrounds, the local lords...
It turned out that Xiao Bo was really like a banished immortal, with nothing in his heart and eyes, no fluctuation at all, and that reaction was not even a reaction.
Then why did he hint at her with every word and get closer to her step by step?
"Okay, don't worry about Xiao Bo. I'm back to help you."
Jiang Yubai took a step closer, softened his voice, and reached out to rub her hair like he did when they were young, but Pei Zhaoying rudely slapped his hand away and gave him a glare, warning him to mind his hands and feet.
When Pei Zhaoying was young, relying on her status as a royal family girl with no sense of existence, she acted boldly, went out into the people in disguise, observed their lives, and spent a long time enjoying herself in the martial arts world.
It was at that time that she and Jiang Yubai became acquainted with each other. After she came to power, she promoted Jiang Yubai and made him her most trusted confidant.
When he first became disabled, Pei Zhaoying cried all day long and was frowning, ignoring Jiang Yubai's encouragement and comfort. Jiang Yubai got angry, resigned from his official position and lived in seclusion in a thatched cottage outside Beijing, and the two of them had a quarrel.
Now was the time when people were needed, so Pei Zhaoying sent someone to surrender. Seeing that she had regrouped, Jiang Yubai took the opportunity to withdraw and returned to his original position, commanding the imperial guards.
Jiang Yubai found another topic to discuss:
"I heard that the Queen Mother arranged for the imperial physician Lu Yunqi, who specializes in acupuncture, to come to your residence every three days to treat you. I don't know how skilled this physician Lu is, but you must always keep yourself together. No matter what the road ahead holds, just keep moving forward step by step. Your body is your own, so please take good care of it."
Pei Zhaoying was filled with regret for Xiao Bo. He responded to him a few times and then sent him away. He sat alone at the desk for a long time without turning off the lights, sorting out the clues presented by the old case.
There is a thick sourness inside, which accumulates and spreads, turning expectations into helplessness.
She has already found out Xiao Bo's background. He is the son of Xiao and Aunt Cheng.
His father came from a humble background and married into the Xiao family. After Xiao Bo's mother died young, he became disillusioned with the world and became a monk in Feng'en Temple.
Pei Zhaoying thought that Xiao Bo lost the protection of his parents at a young age, and he could get a glimpse of Xiao Yucheng's attitude towards him in the officialdom. He must have suffered a lot both inside and outside the officialdom working alone.
She had even planned to arrange a banquet to welcome him, to show him that now that he was under her wing, she would no longer treat him as a member of the Xiao family or be on guard against him. Then, she would nervously discuss with him whether he would be willing to become her consort, as she had no other choice. It would be another form of mutual dependence and shared honor and disgrace between lord and advisor.
But Xiao Bo didn't care at all.
But she... began to care about this person.
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