Chapter 169 You Should Pay Attention
"Gunpowder is scarce and has not arrived yet. Beware of villains."
Lu Qianshan's letter was simple. He described his predicament in just a few words, and there was a seal of the Zhennan Protectorate at the end.
After Chang An entered the palace, he finally caught his breath and said hurriedly: "I am the governor of Zhennan Prefecture--"
Xie Chengyan raised his hand to interrupt him and said, "You are Lu Qianshan's deputy general. I have seen you before."
Chang An nodded blankly, then began to say: "The Marshal felt that the gunpowder incident was suspicious. The gunpowder sent to the capital has not arrived. We sent a letter to the prince, but there is no news. The Marshal thought that it might have been robbed on the way, so he asked me to go there in person."
Xie Chengyan paused. He had indeed not received any letter from the Zhennan Protectorate, so he thought that there was no problem with the transportation of gunpowder. There was no news at all, and it was surprisingly calm. It turned out that they were waiting for him here.
Lu Qianshan told him to beware of the villain, but he didn't say where this villain was. However, Xie Chengyan felt that he should be in the official post station. The gunpowder and letters were all sent by the official post station, but neither he nor Lu Qianshan received them. There was only one reason for this, that is, the official post station swallowed up the news and abruptly cut off his connection with southern Xinjiang.
Zhang Qiyue just mentioned that he'd worn out two horses. If he'd taken the official route, officials would have been responsible for changing horses at each post station, so why would he have worn out his horses? It seems Chang'an must have taken a dirt road to reach Shangjing. If he'd taken the official post station, he'd have disappeared long ago.
"Does the Ministry of War still have a batch of gunpowder that has not been shipped away?" Xie Chengyan asked Zhang Qiyue.
Zhang Qiyue nodded and said, "The last batch will leave tomorrow morning."
"Okay, tomorrow I'll go to Southern Xinjiang with that batch of gunpowder. I want to see where this gunpowder can be thrown away."
"But..." Zhang Qiyue was about to open his mouth, but was stopped by Xie Chengyan's eyes. He understood that there was someone else in the room, so he shut his mouth, nodded and listened.
Xie Chengyan turned to Chang An and said, "I am a close friend of Marshal Lu. I cannot ignore the incident with the gunpowder transportation in Southern Xinjiang, but I am under restrictions and cannot leave Shangjing without permission from above."
Chang An didn't understand what Xie Chengyan meant by this for a moment, but seeing his gloomy eyes, he was obviously confident that he could control the situation.
The next moment, Xie Chengyan patted his shoulder and said, "You go with me tomorrow, remember to shut up."
Don't tell anyone that he left Beijing.
Is this just a verbal warning?
Obviously not.
Xie Chengyan's hand on his shoulder suddenly exerted force with great strength. Chang An was stunned for a moment, but facing Xie Chengyan's eyes, he didn't dare to say anything.
"If anyone in the capital knows my whereabouts, they will be in great danger of your death."
This was full of threats, and under Xie Chengyan's powerful aura, Chang An had no choice but to nod in agreement.
He waved his hand, asking the servants to settle him down. When he and Zhang Qiyue were alone in the room, Zhang Qiyue finally couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up, "You want to go to Southern Xinjiang with me? How many people in Shangjing are watching you? If it weren't for Yuan An's presence when you went to Nanyang before, the Empress Dowager would have known about your whereabouts long ago. What about this time? Are you still looking for Yuan An?"
Zhang Qiyue felt anxious after hearing his decision, but Xie Chengyan himself seemed much calmer. Seeing him like this, Zhang Qiyue suddenly realized something and nodded, saying, "That's right. Marshal Lu is Yuan An's husband, so he should pay more attention to this matter."
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