Late at night, mass grave.
Several figures were sneaking around, digging the ground with shovels.
Dust is flying.
The faint flames looked like two ghost lights from a distance.
Mass grave, no one should go near it.
Not to mention at night, even in broad daylight, there was not a single living person to be seen within a radius of four or five miles.
Bang!
This is what was dug out.
Several people dropped their shovels, jumped into the pit and dug the soil with their hands.
In the distance, wild dogs were waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Once you relax your vigilance and reveal a flaw, these wild dogs that are accustomed to eating human flesh will rush up and tear you to pieces.
"We found someone."
"Get the person out quickly."
"First make sure if he is the boss."
He swept the dust off the body, turned it over, and took a closer look with a candle.
"It's the boss. Master, we found the boss's body."
In the darkness, there was another person.
He was dressed in a gray robe, had a gentle and scholarly appearance, and looked very young, perhaps in his twenties at most.
He walked out of the darkness, came to the edge of the pit, and looked at the face of the corpse.
Then he nodded and said, "It is indeed my father. Load the body and we will leave Beijing tonight."
Several subordinates lifted the body, put it into the body bag that had been prepared long ago, tied it tightly, and prepared to carry it down the mountain.
"Sir, are we going back to Jiangnan?" asked the subordinate.
"You guys go back to Jiangnan and bury the boss. I'm going to stay in the capital and continue my studies."
"Young Master?"
Under the moonlight, a young face smiled faintly. "Don't you understand yet? Piracy has no future. My father's fate is enough to serve as a wake-up call for everyone."
The subordinates were furious. "The eldest prince killed the eldest boss. Young Master, won't you avenge the eldest boss?"
As expected, the body in the body bag was Zhou Jin who had died.
The young man was undoubtedly Zhou Jin's eldest son, but his surname was not Zhou. Instead, he took his grandmother's surname, Yuan, and his name was Yuan Yong.
Yuan Yong's expression turned cold, and his gentle and handsome face was instantly covered with gloomy clouds and filled with murderous intent.
Several subordinates became nervous, holding their swords, ready to be on guard at all times.
Yuan Yong snorted coldly, "You can get revenge by being a pirate? Foolish! I tell you, you'll never get revenge by being a pirate. If you want revenge, you can only become an official, a high-ranking official."
Several subordinates looked at each other.
After a moment, one of the subordinates said, "Young Master is right. Liu Zhao is always protected by guards. It would be extremely difficult to assassinate him. The only way is to become an official, a high-ranking official, and kill Liu Zhao with a borrowed knife."
"How to kill someone with a borrowed knife?" others asked.
Yuan Yong chuckled softly, "Of course, let the emperor kill Liu Zhao."
"Sir, this plan is brilliant, but I don't know how many years it will take."
Yuan Yong said, "You don't need to worry about this matter. I have my own ideas. After you transport the body of the great leader back to Jiangnan for burial, you can go home."
The subordinate said, "But the boss ordered us to stay by the young master's side to protect him."
Yuan Yong said, "This young master does not need your protection. The headmaster is dead, and in the eyes of the world, 'this young master' also died a year ago. Now, apart from you, no one knows my true identity, and no one has ever seen my true face. More importantly, I am now a scholar, and you are no longer suitable to stay by my side."
"Young Master is right. If we continue to stay with you, we will only bring you trouble."
After some discussion, several subordinates finally decided to follow Yuan Yong's advice, take Zhou Jin's body south, and then return home to be good citizens and live a good life.
After the discussion was completed, several subordinates took turns carrying Zhou Jin's body down the mountain, put it into the coffin prepared in advance, and drove the carriage south along the official road.
Yuan Yong stood by the roadside and watched them leave under the moonlight.
At some point, an old man appeared beside Yuan Yong.
"Uncle Chen, I'll leave the rest to you."
The old man nodded and said, "After they bury the big boss, I will deal with them one by one and let them go down to accompany the big boss."
Yuan Yong nodded, "Uncle Chen, please go and come back sooner rather than later. I can't live without you."
"Don't worry, sir. I will rush back to the capital as soon as possible to help you study."
“Very good!”
Uncle Chen quickly disappeared into the night, like a ghost, and was gone in a flash.
In the night, Yuan Yong stepped lightly on the ground, his figure was vague and ghostly, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
…
Hu An stayed in the capital for a few days, explained all the matters, and then set off south to Jiangnan.
His roots are in Jiangnan, and he is willing to return to Jiangnan.
The eldest prince needs him to come forward to integrate the pirates.
He was sure that as long as he could prove himself useful, the eldest prince would not abandon him, and he might even have a chance to get promoted, make a fortune, and rise to prominence.
Luring Zhou Jin into a trap and killing him was the most amazing thing he had ever done in his life.
So he was very proud.
He took a boat south and specially asked two prostitutes to accompany him.
They spent the whole day in debauchery, with the boats stopping and starting frequently.
That night, the passenger ship docked at a provincial capital pier for rest.
As usual, he went off the boat to drink and got drunk.
On the way back to the boat, he burped.
There were flickering lights in the distance and it was quiet. It seemed that everyone had gone to bed.
Suddenly, a pair of hands climbed up his neck.
My hands are cold, like a poisonous snake.
Juan shuddered suddenly.
He paused, intending to turn back.
As soon as I turned my head, snap...
A crisp sound.
He felt his head drooping, an angle he could never normally achieve.
No, he seems to be dead.
His neck was broken.
He saw a speck of gray out of the corner of his eye.
This was his last moment on earth, lingering on the dusty corner of his clothes.
Bang!
Heavy objects fell into the water!
In the quiet night, it did not attract any attention.
Only two lights were lit on a nearby boat, but they quickly went out.
Yuan Yong took out a handkerchief and gently wiped his palms.
A gentle breeze blew, lifting the corners of my clothes.
The gray robe made him look like a down-and-out scholar.
There was a smile on his lips, a gentle and harmless one.
Throw the handkerchief into the river.
The handkerchief floated down the current, curling up in the water and raising a few drops of water. In the blink of an eye, the handkerchief disappeared from the water.
Yuan Yong said softly, "The traitor must die!"
He left quickly under the cover of night.
…
Juan disappeared.
No one is seen alive, and no body is seen after death.
Qian Fu reported the news to Liu Zhao immediately.
Liu Zhao frowned, "Where are the people following him?"
"I was drugged and unconscious. I don't know anything. This old slave is incompetent."
"It's none of your business. If he really wants to escape, he'll always find a way. A thief can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can never be on guard against thieves for a thousand days."
Qian Fu speculated, "Could it be that Zhou Jin's people killed him?"
"That's possible. People like Juan usually don't end well."
Liu Zhao was not surprised whether Hu An was alive or dead.
It's a life-or-death job, and those who kill will always be killed. What's more, Juan is a traitor.
Qian Fu asked, "Do we need to send someone to look for him?"
Liu Zhao shook his head. "Don't waste manpower on such a person. If he's dead, that's fine. But if he's alive, one day he'll have nowhere else to go and will come to us on his own."
"I understand."
Juan's death didn't even cause a splash, and everything was over.
…
Zhou Miao is not dead.
He drank the antidote in time and survived.
A few days later, he came to Xiaozhu in person to meet Gu Jiu.
He didn't mention a single word about Jiang Yan or the poisoning.
"The matter that Madam asked us to investigate has yielded results."
Gu Jiu invited him to have tea, "You got the result so quickly, you are worthy of being called Eunuch Zhou."
Zhou Miao said cheerfully, "There's nothing we can't find out when we take action. After asking around, we finally found the source of the rumor."
"Which lady in the palace dislikes me and deliberately makes up gossip about me?" Gu Jiu asked.
Zhou Miao said, "Madam, why don't you take a guess?"
Gu Jiu shook her head, "I won't guess, just tell me who it is."
Zhou Miao chuckled, "It's Concubine Shen."
"It's her indeed."
Gu Jiu laughed sarcastically.
Zhou Miao was surprised, "Has Madam already guessed it?"
"She was the biggest suspect, but I didn't expect it to be her."
"Madam, aren't you curious? With all these rumors going around, why is there no movement at the Weiyang Palace? And why didn't Empress Pei send anyone to tell you?"
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you know the reason?"
Zhou Miao lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously, "It seems that Empress Pei agrees with the rumors. After all, for so many years, the eldest prince has only had his wife. Not to mention concubines, he doesn't even have a maidservant. The maids who served him were also driven out of the palace.
Many people say that Madam is very resourceful. Although she is jealous, she still has the protection of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Many people in the palace want to ask Madam for advice on how to control her husband.
Gu Jiu looked at Zhou Miao with a half-smile, "Don't tell this lady that you are also one of the spreaders of the rumor."
"Madam, you are innocent. No matter how big my mouth is, I can never fabricate gossip about you." Zhou Miao swore and threatened to be struck by lightning.
Gu Jiu raised his hand and lightly pressed it down to stop Zhou Miao from continuing.
"Alright, I just said it casually. You look so nervous and guilty."
Zhou Miao felt wronged, "Our family is proving our innocence, not feeling guilty."
Gu Jiu said: "For this matter, this lady owes you a favor."
Zhou Miao smiled and said, "Madam, you don't have to owe us a favor."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled knowingly, "No more money?"
"The one who understands me is my wife." Zhou Miao didn't feel embarrassed at all.
Gu Jiu clapped his hands, and soon the maid Aqing came in with a wooden box and placed it on the table.
Zhou Miao rubbed his hands, looking excited.
He wanted to reach out, but was stopped by Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu placed his hand on the wooden box and said to him, "For the next period of time, keep an eye on Concubine Shen's movements for me."
Zhou Miao said excitedly: "Don't worry, Madam, we promise not to let you down."
Gu Jiu smiled and pushed the wooden box forward.
Zhou Miao picked up the wooden box with both hands but didn't open it to take a look.
He completely trusts Gu Jiu's credibility.
He said: "Madam, please wait for my good news. If Concubine Shen has any movement, I will tell you the first time."
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