Chapter 293 Big Wave

After the intense lovemaking, Dou Zhao was held in Song Mo's arms and fell into a deep sleep.

However, Song Mo was casually stroking Dou Zhao's slender curves, not feeling sleepy at all.

What exactly does King Liao want to do?

Liaodong is rich in resources, with white mountains and black waters, far from the capital, with many soldiers and generals, and is an independent region. When the emperor first made the decision to enfeoff the vassal, he considered it over and over again.

If he was just short of money, he could have taken over several coal mines outside the Great Wall; if he was worried that the dispute over the temple would affect his relationship with the emperor, he could have expressed his filial piety through the empress...

Could it be that, as Dou Zhao guessed, the emperor was already terminally ill, and Prince Liao was afraid that the crown prince would be unfavorable to him after he succeeded to the throne, so he made preparations in advance?

Or, does he have other plans?

Thinking of the so-called "other plans", Song Mo couldn't help but sit up in shock.

The quilt slipped off and cold wind blew in, causing Dou Zhao to moan in his sleep.

Song Mo hurriedly covered Dou Zhao with the quilt, and patted him gently. Seeing Dou Zhao turned over and fell asleep again, he let out a long sigh.

It would be great if Dou Zhao woke up so that they could talk.

He leaned over and kissed Dou Zhao's temple, but this earned him a disgruntled grumble.

Song Mo laughed and felt much better. He put on some clothes and leaned against the head of the bed, daydreaming.

I watched as the light in the inner room gradually brightened up.

Outside, there came the sound of maids getting up and washing.

Dou Zhao, who was used to waking up at dawn every day, opened his eyes and saw Song Mo sitting quietly beside him.

His expression was dignified, and his bright eyes sparkled like stars in the dimly lit tent, making his entire face come alive with a kind of quiet beauty.

Dou Zhao admired it quietly for a while before turning over.

Hearing the noise, Song Mo lowered his head and saw Dou Zhao's shining eyes.

He couldn't help but smile and said, "Are you awake? Would you like a glass of warm water?"

"Yes!" Dou Zhao enjoyed the feeling of being served.

Song Mo, who was still naked, smiled and got out of bed to pour her a cup of tea.

Dou Zhao glanced at his waist and lower body, then smiled with his lips pursed.

"What are you laughing at?" Song Mo handed the water to Dou Zhao, sat on the bed and watched her drink the water, then took the teacup and put it back.

"Nothing." Dou Zhao lay down again, looked at him with a smile, and asked about what happened yesterday, "...How did you talk with the Earl of Dongping?"

"Very good." Song Mo smiled, "He thought I was a dandy boy who didn't know the world, and advised me not to act on impulse. After he and Mr. Huang discussed it, they would decide whether the Duke of Ying would pay a large sum of money for the reward. However, in order to prevent them from shirking responsibility, I decided to go to the palace today and ask the emperor for the title of a few guards."

Before he went to see the Earl of Dongping, he had told Dou Zhao about the huge reward.

"Dongping Bo's worries are not unreasonable," she said, "Some people are willing to kill for a full meal, not to mention that in addition to the bounty, you can also be recommended to join the guardhouse to eat the royal rations. You really can't be careless."

Song Mo smiled and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, I know what to do."

Dou Zhao always believed in Song Mo's ability, so he stopped asking questions and urged Song Mo: "Hurry up and put on some clothes, or you will catch a cold. I will ask the maid to come in and help you wash and dress."

Song Mo laughed and patted her head: "You should take a rest! Anyway, there are no elders at home. I will go to the palace after breakfast. If anyone asks about my whereabouts, just tell them directly."

"I know." Dou Zhao really didn't want to get up, and said, "Just spread the news!"

"So smart!" Song Mo talked to her about some meaningless but interesting gossip, "It seems that I have to tell you everything in the future. As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one. If the two of us discuss together, maybe we can also be better than Zhuge Liang..."

After chattering for a while, he changed his clothes and went to have breakfast.

Dou Zhao lay in the quilt, smiling, and fell into a deep sleep with a sweet mood.

As expected, the Duke of Dongping and Huang Qi sent people to inquire about Song Mo's whereabouts. Knowing that Song Mo had gone to the palace, the two of them waited in the yamen without any prior agreement.

In the afternoon, news came from the palace that the emperor had granted Song Mo three places in the five-guard camp's small flag.

The two of them took a deep breath. One of them, with a sullen face, ordered the servant to send an invitation to Lord Dongping, inviting him to dine at Donglaishun Restaurant; the other one urged the servant to send an invitation to Huang Qi, inviting him to drink at Zuixianlou.

At this time, Ji Yong was sitting in a private room of Donglaishun Restaurant, having dinner with a burly man.

The man's surname is Xun and his name is Zhong. He is the owner of the largest escort agency in Kyoto, the "Ping An Escort Agency". He is also one of the people supported by the Ji family in Kyoto. He is usually responsible for helping the Ji family to find out some news in Kyoto.

Only after Ji Yong passed the imperial examination could he legitimately use the Ji family's connections in Kyoto.

Hearing that Ji Yong wanted him to help find out about the thieves who robbed the Duke of Ying's Mansion, Xun Zhong couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Sir, if anyone knew about those thieves, they would have gone to the Duke of Ying's Mansion to claim their rewards long ago. How could it be our turn to pick up the spoils?"

Ji Yong was stunned and asked, "What's going on?"

"Now the news has spread all over Kyoto. In order to catch the culprit, the prince of the Duke of Ying is offering a huge reward and is seeking information about the thief on the run. The starting price is 1,000 taels of silver, and there is also a chance to be recommended for military service. The knights and warriors in Kyoto, whether they are from the underworld or the white world, are leaving the capital one after another. Some are afraid of being caught by the government as thieves and taking the blame, so they rush out of the capital to avoid the limelight; some go to Cangzhou to inquire about the whereabouts of some thieves, hoping to get a chance to get promoted and make money; some people spread the word that three thousand Two pieces of silver to buy a thief's corpse, just for a chance to talk to the prince of the Duke of Yingguo... Kyoto is now in chaos, the previous rules have been broken, and few people care about the code of conduct!" Xun Zhong advised Ji Yong with emotion, "Sir, at this time, whoever steps in may be in trouble. Although the Dou family is related to our family by marriage, there are serious matters. The Dou family has been operating in Kyoto for several years, so they may have some ways. I hope you will think twice before acting."

He thought Ji Yong was asked by the Dou family to find out the news about the thieves.

No one thought Song Mo could be so reconciled. The two words money and power turned Kyoto upside down.

Ji Yong could not help but remain silent.

A young man who looked like a clerk from the escort agency ran in, hurriedly saluted Ji Yong, and approached Xun Zhong to whisper something.

Xun Zhong's face suddenly turned ugly.

"Sir!" He looked at Ji Yong in awe. "News just came from Cangzhou, saying that countless martial arts masters have flocked to Cangzhou in the past two days, and several murders have occurred. The government and the brothers in the underworld in Cangzhou have already known about the reward offered by the Duke of Ying. The government has not responded yet, but three highly respected martial arts masters in Cangzhou have jointly issued a hero invitation. , invited masters from Shaolin, Wudang and other sects to come to Cangzhou for help, and asked fellow martial artists not to come to Cangzhou to fight with weapons to avoid bloodshed or death, but also promised that they would be responsible for finding out the identities of the thieves and posting them on the gate of Guanyin Temple ten miles away from the city. Whoever caught the culprit would be the one to be punished, and all martial artists in Cangzhou were not allowed to participate. "

Ji Yong was surprised and said, "Will the martial artists in Cangzhou agree to this? If this happens, the people in Cangzhou will lose the qualification to receive the bounty from the Duke of Ying's Mansion!"

Xun Zhong looked at the guy.

The waiter hurriedly said, "You have to agree whether you like it or not - they had already had an internal fight in Cangzhou before, and the three elders won, so they got the right to speak. Now many people have gathered in Guanyin Temple, questioning whether the information about the thieves given by the three elders is true... I'm afraid there will be more bloody storms in Cangzhou." As he said this, he shrank his neck as if he remembered those bloody scenes.

Ji Yong, however, did not notice this. He murmured with a blank look in his eyes, "What a good trick to 'divert troublesome water to the east'! No wonder he is favored at such a young age..." A dazzling light flashed in his eyes, "No wonder Zhou Gongjin said 'If there is Yu, why is there Liang'!"

A fighting spirit gradually gathered between his brows, making his aura slowly become as sharp as a knife.

Xun Zhong was shocked.

Another employee came to report: "Boss, news has come out from Shuntian Prefecture and Wucheng Bingmasi that the emperor has rewarded the prince of Yingguo with three small flags of the guards."

"What?" Xun Zhong cried out in shock, "Are you serious?"

"It couldn't be more true." The waiter said with a tearful face, "The people from the Six Gates were all in a panic. They all went to the Tongzhi and asked if they found the man and whether they could collect the reward from the Duke of Ying's Mansion. The Tongzhi is now sweating with anxiety, but he doesn't know where Lord Huang has gone. Shuntian Mansion is in chaos!"

"It's over, it's over!" Xun Zhong said in despair, "Dongping Bo has just taken office, and he has no way to control the people of Wucheng Bingmasi..." At this point, he suddenly came to his senses and saluted Ji Yong, "Sir, our escort agency has been wandering between the black and white worlds for many years. I'm afraid that we will inevitably be forced by the government and the brothers in the underworld to inquire about the news. We also have to avoid the limelight... There is no time to waste, I have to go back and make arrangements, please forgive me. If you still need me to do anything, just ask a guy named Xiao Liuzi in the teahouse at the entrance of Yuqiao Hutong to give me a message. I have to go back quickly, otherwise something might happen."

We already know what we need to know.

Ji Yong waved his hand.

Xun Zhong bowed respectfully to Ji Yong and hurried back to the escort agency with his two assistants.

Ji Yong seemed to be lost in thought, so she went to a teahouse alone to while away the afternoon.

Gu Yu was extremely excited when he heard the news.

He immediately rushed to Yizhitang.

Song Mo was talking to Yan Chaoqing and others.

He walked into the study holding up the deed with Dou Shiying's seal.

Yan Chaoqing and others were all stunned.

Gu Yu shouted with a look of fear that the world would not be in chaos: "Brother Tianci, you wanted to deal with those bastards in Kyoto, why didn't you tell me?" He handed the deed to Song Mo and said, "How is it? I did a good job, didn't I?" He acted like a child who wanted to be praised, which made it impossible for Yan Chaoqing and others to get angry.

Song Mo did not disappoint him, and praised him a few words, then motioned him to sit down, and continued the previous topic with Yan Chaoqing and others: "...Since it is already so chaotic, it won't matter if it gets even more chaotic - I'll set a deadline!" He thought, "I remember that the emperor gave Shuntianfu and Wucheng Bingmasi a two-month deadline... Two months is the limit...If all the thieves are caught within two months, the reward will be valid. If there are still thieves not caught after two months, the reward will be reduced by half. What do you think?"