Something's fishy!
There's definitely something fishy going on!
Xie Yuan became secretly alert.
"What about Helian Cong? How is he doing?"
Xie Yuan put the note away and burned it on the candlestick.
She didn't look up, and asked the question casually.
Three days ago, Helian Jue sent someone to the Chu Prince's residence to deliver an oral edict, ordering the Fifth Prince to go to Fayuan Temple in the suburbs for quiet meditation.
The fifth prince was naturally filled with grief and indignation, but he was also afraid of imperial power, so he could only obediently accept the order.
Early yesterday morning, the Fifth Prince left the capital with a small entourage and arrived at Fayuan Temple around noon.
It was lunchtime, so we had a vegetarian meal.
The vegetarian food at Fahua Temple is said to be quite delicious, but the Fifth Prince was not happy at all during his meal.
What's there to be happy about!
He's not a monk.
"Well done, well done, Helian Jue! What a saint who spouts golden rules and laws!"
Standing on the hillside behind Fayuan Temple, gazing in the direction of the capital, the Fifth Prince's only remaining left eye was filled with resentment and malice.
His mind was already warped, and now that he had been unjustly "expelled," his hatred for Helian Jue had reached its peak.
"I'm useless, a complete scoundrel! What's the point of living like this?"
The Fifth Prince clenched his fists tightly, and waves of dark energy almost engulfed him.
However, although the Fifth Prince was blind in one eye, he was not stupid.
He knew that Helian Jue's sudden action against him was not just a matter of settling scores later.
Helian Jue must have discovered something, or planted spies around him.
If I act rashly, Helian Jue will definitely take action.
If he could achieve it himself, that would be fine; if they died together, his death wouldn't have been in vain.
But what if we fail?
He couldn't take his enemy with him, and he couldn't die in peace.
so--
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince of Chu is at Fayuan Temple, where he was chanting sutras with the monks this morning."
Zheng Yurong bowed slightly and replied methodically, "After morning prayers, I will go to the dining hall for vegetarian meals."
"In the morning, he will stay in the Buddhist hall to copy scriptures. He will have lunch in the dining hall. He will take a half-hour nap, and in the afternoon, he will play chess and brew tea with the abbot or senior monks of the temple!"
The King of Chu has been staying at Fayuan Temple for two days, and his schedule is very regular.
He had almost no contact with the outside world, and he rarely spent time alone with even the maids he brought with him.
"almost?"
Xie Yuan, however, astutely grasped the key point.
"So, he still occasionally interacts with outsiders, and also occasionally spends time alone with servants, guards, etc."
Xie Yuan's gaze was intense, unwilling to overlook even the slightest flaw.
"..."
Zheng Yurong thought for a moment and objectively recounted the message sent back by the person who went to keep watch: "Yesterday evening, the King of Chu went to the bamboo forest behind the mountain to digest his food and happened to meet a woodcutter."
"The King of Chu was in a bad mood and picked a fight with the woodcutter."
"This morning, the King of Chu went to the mountaintop to watch the sunrise, and his guards escorted him up there."
“The master and servant stayed alone on the mountaintop for a quarter of an hour.”
Apart from these two "unexpected" events, the King of Chu's performance was almost flawless.
After Zheng Yurong finished speaking, she quickly added, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already sent people to investigate that woodcutter and to secretly monitor that guard."
If these two people show any unusual behavior, the Embroidered-Robed Envoy can follow the clues and get to the bottom of the matter.
Fifth Prince, don't even think about making a fool of yourself under the watchful eye of the Embroidered Robe Envoy.
Xie Yuan nodded.
However, she remained cautious and added, "Not only do we need to keep a close eye on people, but we also need to check certain places!"
In later generations, Xie Yuan watched many spy dramas.
For those agents, it's not just people who can transmit intelligence; even a stone, a code, or a piece of clothing can facilitate "communication."
The Fifth Prince was already dangerous; a freak like him would be even more uncontrollable.
Now, it seems that Empress Dowager Ashina has also gotten involved.
...This person is truly despicable.
Although Xie Yuan wasn't afraid of the repeated antics, she couldn't stand the fact that there was always someone lurking in the shadows.
We might as well catch her red-handed, or turn the tables on her.
Anyway, in the time before the capital is moved, Xie Yuan must eliminate any future troubles!
"yes!"
Zheng Yurong agreed, already planning in her mind how to instruct her subordinates to conduct the search.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing."
Zheng Yurong secretly noted this matter down and then began to report on the others, "The restaurant on East Street has been investigated. On the surface, it was run by a foreign merchant, but in reality, it has some connection with the Turks."
Xie Yuan raised an eyebrow. "The restaurant on East Street? The one that's somewhat related to Fang Dafu?"
After leaving the palace, Fang Dafu used his savings and the retirement money bestowed upon him by Empress Dowager Ashina to buy a three-courtyard house in the capital.
It's not too big, but it's not small either.
He was just an old eunuch who had long since lost all his relatives.
Although some maids, old women, and servants were bought, these were still servants after all.
Having only one master and living in a three-courtyard mansion is already considered a luxury.
After leaving the palace, Fang Dafu lived a secluded life and did not travel around making connections.
When I occasionally go out for a stroll, it's usually in bustling areas like the East Market, West Market, East Street, and West Street.
Enjoying wine and tea, watching song and dance performances, and teasing the Hu women, life is very carefree.
He seemed to be a retired old eunuch who had left the palace to live out his days, and there was nothing unusual about him.
But who is the Embroidered-Robed Envoy?
The special intelligence agent, who had been tracking Fang Dafu's activities for less than a month, gradually figured out the pattern.
Then, they screened and eliminated options, and finally found that something was wrong with the restaurants on East Street.
There seem to be quite a few "Hu people" there.
"They look like Hu people, but they are actually Turks!"
These foreigners had high noses, deep-set eyes, and tall statures, and they also had a strange smell about them.
The Hu people who came from the Western Regions to do business mostly smelled of spices.
The Hu people in the Hu Ji Restaurant smelled very good, but if you listened closely, you could also detect a hint of muttony smell.
The embroidered-robed envoy who went to investigate secretly concluded: "That place should be a stronghold of the Ashina clan in the capital."
It wasn't the work of Empress Dowager Ashina; it was likely an arrangement by the Turkic royal court.
Of course, Empress Dowager Ashina was, after all, a Turkic princess, and she should have been aware that the Turks had established a stronghold in the capital.
After all, the Turks were unfamiliar with the land and people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and they needed a powerful backer to "infiltrate" properly.
Empress Dowager Ashina was the best candidate.
That's why Fang Dafu had some connection with Hu Ji Restaurant!
Xie Yuan ordered his men to keep an eye on Fang Dafu, and they indeed made a discovery.
"I heard the Turkic delegation is arriving soon; that restaurant must be getting busy!"
Xie Yuan's brain was working at lightning speed.
She tried to connect all the clues she knew, and then she discovered that she and her children seemed to be shrouded in some conspiracy again!
"...You'd better not harm my children, or this time, I really won't let you off the hook!"
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