The carriage rumbled along the bluestone road, turning left and right in Yanjing City, and finally arrived at a small courtyard that looked very elegant.

The aide Xi Chengfeng jumped off the carriage and knocked gently on the door of the courtyard. Soon a girl who looked like a maid opened the door and said in a coquettish voice, "Miss Haitang is taking a nap now, please don't disturb her."

Xi Chengfeng handed her a piece of silver and said, "My young master is not here to have fun. Do you have any bamboo leaf wine?"

The maid's expression changed immediately. She put the silver away and asked quickly, "What kind of bamboo leaf wine is it?"

"Three parts bamboo leaves and one drop of water, six parts mountain mist and half a tael of wine."

The maid smiled again, "You are an expert. Please come in and invite yourself." As she said that, she opened the two doors and stepped aside.

Xi Chengfeng then invited Zhao Jin to get off the carriage. In fact, Xi Chengfeng was also a little curious. He wondered who the owner of this courtyard was and why he was so cautious.

Zhao Jin did not explain, but took him directly through the courtyard and went to the side courtyard. Someone was already burning incense and brewing tea in the courtyard. It turned out to be Luo Xian, the current commander of the Red Armor Guard.

Xi Chengfeng failed to contain his surprise and was seen by Luo Xian, who chuckled, "It seems that this brother is Lord Zhao's confidant."

Xi Chengfeng quickly said in a serious tone, "My name is Xi Chengfeng."

Luo Xian laughed, "Brother Xi, don't be nervous. Since we serve the same master, you can call each other brothers from now on."

Xi Chengfeng couldn't hide his shock this time, and looked back and forth at Luo Xian and Zhao Jin in suspicion.

Luo Xian's expression also changed, and he asked suspiciously: "Has Lord Zhao not told you yet?"

Zhao Jin found a seat and sat down, and took a cup of tea before saying: "No."

Luo Xian's expression suddenly became serious: "Lord Zhao, how can this matter be treated as a joke?"

Zhao Jin chuckled: "Marquis Jian has not made it clear yet, but Commander Luo has accepted the master."

Luo Xian suppressed his anger and said: "The Marquis just has a knot in his heart that has not been untied. He is the legitimate son of King Wei, and he may even be the crown prince in the future. The Marquis must see this situation more clearly than you and me. Otherwise, how could he be willing to accept King Wei's kindness?"

Xi Chengfeng was already shocked by the news. However, Zhao Jin still looked leisurely: "That may not be the case, Commander Luo. I am kindly teaching you this. The most taboo thing for a subject is to guess the intention of his superiors."

These words were like a basin of ice water poured directly on Luo Xian's head in the cold winter, making his back feel a little cold for a moment, but he quickly came to his senses and forced a smile: "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Zhao."

Zhao Jin curled the corners of his lips: "You're welcome. But we are not here to talk about this today. Lord Luo, please tell me if you have any news."

Xi Chengfeng finally came to his senses from his confusion and began to listen carefully to Luo Xian's words. This was also the most important reason why Zhao Jin brought him here today.

Luo Xianbi was a man of great ambitions. Even though he had lost his composure earlier, he immediately recovered and said solemnly, "There is news from the palace that His Majesty will die in a month or two."

Zhao Jin and Xi Chengfeng were both shocked. Although they had known that Emperor Yongning's health had deteriorated, they had never thought that it would be this bad. Zhao Jin was even more shocked when he thought of the fact that Emperor Yongning was still in control of government affairs as usual, and he did not look exhausted at all.

To make sure, Zhao Jin asked again: "Is the news true?"

Luo Xian said: "The news came from Prince Wei. As for why your majesty still does not look seriously ill, His Royal Highness Prince Wei said that there is a secret medicine called 'Scorpion' in the palace, which can make people forget their illness and be full of energy, but this medicine consumes vitality. Now it seems calm, but the imperial doctors are locked in the Qinzheng Palace, and the concubines in the harem are not allowed to move around at will. Doesn't this loose appearance and tight inner appearance verify what His Royal Highness Prince Wei said?"

Zhao Jin fell into deep thought. Compared with what others said, he was more willing to believe what he saw. Although your majesty was still the same as usual in recent days, he still noticed the spots on the back of your majesty's hands and the white hair under the crown. Your Majesty is in the prime of his life, and he has aged so quickly. I am afraid it is because of the drug that consumes your vitality.

Luo Xian said, "I want to explain this matter to the Marquis and ask him to return to Yanjing as soon as possible."

Zhao Jin shook his head and said, "The war in the northern border is in full swing now. I am afraid that the Marquis will not be able to come back."

"The reason why the Marquis wanted to go to the Northern Frontier was to gain military merit in order to prepare for the future. But now the situation has changed. I think it is time for a different time. For now, it is better to ask the Marquis to return to Yanjing."

Zhao Jin did not speak, but cast his eyes on Xi Chengfeng: "What do you think?"

Xi Chengfeng said cautiously: "I don't think this matter is urgent. After all, the Northern Frontier is not only about the Marquis, but also His Majesty the King of Chu."

Zhao Jin nodded: "The King of Chu has been operating in the Northern Frontier for many years. No matter what Your Majesty does, "I plan to not let him leave my sight at this critical moment. I think there will be an imperial decree to the Northern Frontier by then, and you just need to pay attention to this point."

Luo Xian hesitated and said, "Although your majesty seems to trust the King of Chu in recent years, why did he recall the King of Chu to Yanjing? Is he worried that the King of Chu will threaten the new emperor and wants to take this opportunity to get rid of him?"

Xi Chengfeng glanced at Zhao Jin, but saw him shaking his head inaudibly. He immediately understood and swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

However, Zhao Jin did not intend to explain Luo Xian's doubts, but said, "It's hard to say how this matter will turn out now. Please ask Commander Luo to pass the news and let the Marquis decide for himself."

"That's the only way." Luo Xian frowned, but soon relaxed and asked Zhao Jin, "Lord Zhao has been in the Dali Temple for some time now. Have you discovered anything?" He was asking about what Jian Yu had asked Zhao Jin to do before he left. Jian Yu wanted to find out what happened when he was born. Although Jian Yu had doubts about this, and even with the goodwill from the King of Wei, every piece of evidence showed that Jian Yu was the son of the King of Wei, but Jian Yu didn't care on the surface, but he was always suspicious in his heart, so he asked Zhao Jin to investigate.

Zhao Jin showed a strange look on his face: "This is an extremely strange thing. There are no records of all the cases back then. I have looked through all the files of the Dali Temple, and there are no records of those three years. It is clean and tidy, as if someone has deliberately cleaned it up."

Luo Xian couldn't help but be disappointed. He knew that Jian Yu was very concerned about this matter. This was not only his heart knot, but also represented his identity.

Luo Xian was ambitious after all. He also knew that the King of Wei sent someone to contact Jian Yu. In his opinion, the King of Wei was capable and had status, and the hidden lines he laid were even more shocking. If Emperor Yongning died, how could those princes be his opponents! In this case, it is naturally better to follow a marquis who has the merit of following the dragon than to follow the future prince.

Luo Xian really wanted Jian Yu to recognize the King of Wei, but based on his understanding of Jian Yu, he would never recognize the King of Wei without solid evidence. Besides Jian Yu, the son he never raised, did the King of Wei have any other sons in these years? Now he could take the initiative to show his goodwill, but if Jian Yu repeatedly refused, would he be angry in the end? These things almost made Luo Xian's hair turn white with worry.

Luo Xian said disappointedly: "I think the people who cleaned up these case files should be Luo Hong and Lan Jingyi. Do we have to go underground to ask them?"

"That's not necessary." Zhao Jin said again, "Although the case files were cleaned up very cleanly, I still discovered one thing. There is no slave of Gao Jinwen in the entire Dali Temple."

Luo Xian wondered: "Didn't the madam be given to..." by Marquis Decheng... He didn't dare to say the rest of the words.

Zhao Jin shook his head: "All those who were used as official slaves will have slave status in the Dali Temple. Even if the Duke of Decheng wants to take them away, it is impossible to eliminate their slave status."

"Then..."

"I'm afraid Gao was pregnant at the time, but someone kept it a secret, and even paid a huge price to eliminate her slave status. I can't think of anyone else who would do this except the child's biological father." After all, in this era, a slave-born child cannot be called the master's child. A slave-born child is born a slave, no matter how noble his father is. If the King of Wei really ascends the throne in the future and wants to make Jian Yu the crown prince, if Gao's slave status is exposed, no one in the world will recognize it.

Luo Xian's eyes widened in surprise: "Doesn't that mean..."

Zhao Jin said very calmly: "I'm afraid that the Marquis of Decheng is a die-hard fan of the King of Wei. The Marquis of Decheng's mansion has been passed down for so many years, and it doesn't rely on the money in the mansion, but on years of prudence. Such a person is willing to take such a big risk for the King of Wei. Don't you think about how much power the King of Wei has in his hands?"

"Isn't that just perfect?" Luo Xian didn't understand.

Zhao Jin snorted coldly: "If the King of Wei really wanted to acknowledge this son, why did he wait until now and hide it like this? You also know what kind of life the Marquis has lived these years. Do you still have expectations for the father-son relationship between the King of Wei?"

Luo Xian was stunned. He had never thought of this. Just hearing what Zhao Jin said, he felt cold sweat on his back. Was it because of seeing all this that the Marquis had always maintained an ambiguous relationship with the King of Wei and was not overly intimate?

Zhao Jin sighed: "It's up to you and me to know about this matter. The decision should be made by the Marquis himself. Remember to send someone who is absolutely trustworthy to deliver the letter."

"Of course." Luo Xian didn't dare to sneer at Zhao Jin's words anymore, and quickly responded.

Zhao Jin then stood up

and said, "In that case, I'll go first." Luo Xian bowed to him, and Zhao Jin took Xi Chengfeng away.

When they left the small courtyard, Xi Chengfeng breathed a sigh of relief, but in his heart he admired this adult even more. He didn't dare to say anything more on the way, and went around Yanjing City for a few circles before returning to the mansion.

Zhao Jin seemed a little tired, and said to him, "You go first."

Xi Chengfeng respectfully took his leave. Zhao Jin naturally saw the change in his attitude. He knew that Xi Chengfeng was indeed talented, but talented people were a little arrogant. Although Xi Chengfeng hid it well, he still saw it. He had promoted Xi Chengfeng to a higher position with the intention of cultivating him, otherwise he would not have brought him to see Luo Xian. However, this was also a kind of warning, and now it seems that the effect is indeed good. The

maidservant beside him saw that Zhao Jin wanted to rest, and knew that he didn't like people to serve him closely recently, but she still walked forward shyly, her eyes full of affection slightly flowing, and said in a coquettish voice: "I will help you untie your clothes."

Zhao Jin didn't say anything, so the maidservant took it as his tacit consent, and was delighted. She shyly untied his belt and took off his outer clothes for him, but when her fingers reached out to Zhao Jin's inner clothes, Zhao Jin grabbed her wrist.

The maid's eyes turned red from the pain of the force, and she begged for mercy softly, "Sir, you hurt me..."

Zhao Jin raised his eyelids slightly and sneered, "Just do it."

The maid's body shuddered, but under his gaze, she began to undress tremblingly. The girl's peach-like body leaned gently on Zhao Jin, her rosy face already covered with shame. She held Zhao Jin's hand and put it on her chest, while the other hand reached towards Zhao Jin's lower body.

But before she could touch him, Zhao Jin's face suddenly changed drastically, and he pushed her to the ground in anger: "Get out!"

The maid's face turned pale immediately. Seeing that Zhao Jin was already impatient, she did not dare to dawdle any longer. After all, Mrs. Die's fate was still fresh. She hurriedly took a coat and put it on, stumbling out of the room.

After the maid left, the room suddenly became very quiet, with only the sound of dripping.

Zhao Jin closed his eyes, took a few quick breaths, and his face finally improved. He slowly opened his eyes, but it was not the usual slightly cold expression, but a sense of hostility. He stood up, walked to the bedroom, twisted a few mechanisms, and a cabinet slid open silently. He picked up an oil lamp on the table and walked into the passage behind the cabinet.

As his figure gradually disappeared into the darkness, the cabinet slowly slid back to its original position, as if nothing had happened.

The "tap, tap" sound of footsteps echoed in the narrow passage, but Zhao Jin's expression did not change at all, as if he was already very familiar with this passage.

At the end of the passage was a small secret room. The secret room was very simple, with only a bed, a table, and a chair. Two thick iron chains extended from the wall. The person locked by the iron chain was curled up on the bed. The person did not move, as if he had already lost his voice.

Zhao Jin placed the oil lamp on the table, and then slowly approached the figure.

As he approached, the figure suddenly jumped up, roared and rushed towards him, but was caught by the iron chain when it was very close to Zhao Jin. And

it was also because of this that people could see his appearance clearly, he was a faceless man. His face was peeled off by someone in some unknown way, and then healed with the best golden abscess medicine, but the flesh and blood were tangled, making it unbearable to look at. His tongue was also cut off, so he could only make "ahhh" sounds.

From his eyes full of hatred and fear, it can be understood that it was the man in front of him who put him in such a situation.

The faceless man's screams of pain and the sound of the chains being pulled intertwined, but Zhao Jin was not moved at all. He even leisurely admired the faceless man's miserable condition.

The faceless man knew that he could not do anything to Zhao Jin. He was in extreme pain and hated him to the bone. He suddenly spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm from his mouth. Although Zhao Jin turned his head in time, the phlegm still sprayed on his face. Zhao Jin paused

, but did not wipe it with a handkerchief immediately. Instead, with a murderous look in his eyes, he kicked the faceless man to the ground with his foot, then stepped on his face. Regardless of his screams, he lowered his voice and said, "I told you not to make me angry. Why don't you learn your lesson?"

The faceless man's hands were handcuffed, and he could only maintain a backward folded posture, and he had no way to move Zhao Jin's feet away from his face. However, Zhao Jin maliciously rolled his feet on his face until the faceless man was tortured to the point of only half a breath left before slowly letting go.

Zhao Jin sat on the only chair in the room, which was right behind the table, opposite the direction of the bed. At this time, Zhao Jin took out a handkerchief and wiped the spit on his face. He seemed to remember something interesting, and suddenly laughed: "Come to think of it, this handkerchief seems to be embroidered by a woman. Let me think about what it is called?" He propped up his chin as if thinking, and then suddenly said, "I remember, the servants seemed to call her... Madam Die?" The

faceless man paused, raised his head and looked at Zhao Jin.

Although Zhao Jin was smiling, the anger in his eyes could not be concealed. He loosened his hand and the handkerchief fell to the ground, covered with dust. Zhao Jin's voice was as cold and vicious as a poisonous snake: "She broke into the study room at noon. I had her beaten with ten boards and dragged her directly from the study room to the courtyard. Now I'm afraid that the news has spread to the whole mansion."

The faceless man was emotional again, and the chain was shaking because of him.

Zhao Jin laughed: "It is said that she was the most favored in the past. Now she has been humiliated like this. I don't know if she can live with dignity. Oh, yes, and your wives and concubines have been suffering under her hands for who knows how long. Now that they have the chance, I don't know what they will do to her. It sounds really pitiful, just like you, isn't it, my good brother?"

It turned out that this Zhao Jin was actually Zhao Xueqin, and the one locked in the chain was the real Zhao Jin.

Zhao Jin humiliated Zhao Xueqin wantonly in the past, but he didn't expect that one day the situation between the two would be reversed.

Zhao Xueqian touched his face with a disgusted expression: "Although I have to wear this thing every day, I feel particularly disgusted when I think that it comes from you, big brother." At this point, he seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly showed a relieved expression, "Big brother boasts of his noble status and always looks down on us bastards, but those outside are People don't care whose skin this is. As long as there is this face, it doesn't matter whether the blood flowing in this body is that of a legitimate son or a bastard. Thinking of this, I don't hate this face anymore. "

Zhao Jin wanted to drink his blood and eat his flesh, but he was restrained by the chain and could only scream. Tears even flowed from his eyes, not caring about his wrists that were already bleeding.

Zhao Xueqian couldn't help laughing, but his eyes did not show the joy of revenge, but the resentment that accumulated deeper and deeper.

Zhao Jin was exhausted and fell heavily to the ground. His eyes were blank, and he seemed to have no idea why he had come to this point.

However, Zhao Xueqian seemed to think it was not enough and said, "I am now a popular figure around His Majesty, and I have also established contact with the newly appointed Marquis Loyalty and Bravery. Oh, I seem to have forgotten to tell you that Marquis Loyalty and Bravery Jian Yu is the only son of the master you have always been loyal to."

Zhao Jin's confused eyes suddenly became bright again. He stared at Zhao Xueqian, his mouth opening and closing, but no one knew what he was saying.

Zhao Xueqian smiled and said, "You hid your secret deeply enough. If you hadn't revealed your whereabouts when you were protecting Gao family, no one would have known about it. The Zhao family is not the one implicated at all. You are the one who is loyal to the King of Wei." At this point, he changed the subject and said, "I think this is what you were planning to do, and you want your master to rescue you."

Zhao Jin seemed to have understood what Zhao Xueqian had not finished saying. Fear and despair appeared on his face, which no longer resembled a human. His body trembled violently, as if he wanted to get closer to Zhao Xueqian, but it was of no avail.

Zhao Xueqian smiled maliciously and said, "Your master may not be unaware of your situation, but he would rather keep me, a fake one, because I am more useful than you. You are loyal to him, but you probably never thought that he would just abandon you."

Zhao Jin made a painful sound in his throat, as if begging Zhao Xueqian to stop talking.

Zhao Xueqian ignored him and continued, "Speaking of which, this human skin mask was made for me by the Loyal and Brave Marquis. But think about it, where did he get such a manpower? I am afraid he borrowed it from the King of Wei. The craftsmanship is so superb that even I can't tell it clearly." The

last bit of light in Zhao Jin's eyes was extinguished. He stopped shouting and fell to the ground as if he had lost his soul.

Zhao Xueqin wanted to say all this to make him suffer, but when he saw him like this, he stopped talking, walked over and kicked Zhao Jin. However, he did not hear the scream he wanted to hear. A cruel look flashed across his face, and his voice became gentle: "Brother, can't you bear it? I overestimated you. I thought you could endure the pain of cutting your face and tongue. Why do you look like this just because I said a few words?"

Zhao Jin closed his eyes slightly and did not move no matter what he said.

Zhao Xueqian sneered, "It seems that I really overestimated you. You are still the sissy you were back then. You haven't changed at all."

Zhao Xueqian scolded Zhao Jin for a long time but there was no response from him, so he didn't bother to do it anymore. He stretched out his hand to strangle Zhao Jin's throat and said slowly, "Brother, I won't let you die. If you die, who can I tell about my achievements?" As he spoke, he thought of something again. With a gloomy face, he reached out and touched his shoulder blade, where there was a blooming peony flower. This was an indelible mark and the humiliation he had suffered. He had to remember it all the time and who gave it to him.

Zhao Xueqian released Zhao Jin and took out a gorgeous hairpin from his sleeve, which was very similar to the one Zhao Jin had branded on his back. He roasted the hairpin over the fire and pressed it against Zhao Jin's back.

"Ah-ah-ah-ah-"

After leaving the secret room, Zhao Xueqian's mood did not change because he returned to the sunlight. Since he was locked up by Zhao Jin and treated like that, his heart was locked in that secret room forever. Only by torturing Zhao Jin could he get a moment of pleasure.

Zhao Xueqian asked the servant to pour water, and he washed for a full hour before coming out. He did not let the maid serve him, but put on his clothes himself. The enchanting peony blossomed on his shoulder, beautiful as if it was full of human blood. As layers of clothes covered his body, he gradually returned to the cold Zhao Jin in front of others.

Zhao Xueqian leaned back on the recliner and closed his eyes to rest. A maid knocked on the door and walked in carefully after getting permission. She came over tremblingly to wipe Zhao Xueqian's hair, fearing that she would hurt him. You

could hear a pin drop in the room. At this moment, the sound of knocking on the door startled the maid, and she accidentally pulled a strand of hair. She was so scared that she quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.

Zhao Xueqian frowned but ignored her and said indifferently, "Come in."

The person who came in was the steward of the Zhao mansion. He knelt down before Zhao Xueqian. Zhao Xueqian glanced at the maid and said, "Go and receive your punishment yourself." After the maid escaped alive, he picked up the teacup to moisten his mouth and asked casually, "What's the matter?"

The steward said cautiously, "It's... the concubine who lived in Shui Miao Temple passed away..."

"Bang!"

A teacup fell to the ground and broke into pieces.