Chapter 711 Following the Clues
While Li San Niang was busy with her drug rehabilitation center in the suburbs of Beijing, Li Da Lang was also preparing to leave Chang'an with the Shen family's caravan and head towards Jiangnan East Road.
Yes, Li Dalang, along with Wang Dadan, Gao Haiping, and a dozen other soldiers disguised as a small merchant caravan, had already arrived in Chang'an.
And they not only arrived in Chang'an, but they had already stayed in the West Market of Chang'an for seven or eight days.
He kept an eye on the Shen family caravan, and only after seeing that they had almost finished the handover with the Shen family shops did he quickly sell off the leather goods and other merchandise he was holding, and quickly bought some other items, intending to continue following the Shen family caravan to Jiangnan.
Inside the caravan's inn, Wang Dadan was eating a flatbread. He looked at Li Dalang standing by the window, feeling the cold wind. He didn't want to speak, but Gao Haiping winked at him. Helpless, Wang Dadan quickly chewed the flatbread in his mouth and asked Li Dalang by the window in a casual manner, "Boss, why don't you sneak home and take a look?"
Although we're leaving tomorrow, there are still several hours to go.
"Boss, if you want to go home and visit, go back and see your family. It's been almost a year, hasn't it?"
Upon hearing Wang Dadan's words, Li Dalang smiled and once again stood at the second-floor window, gazing towards Changshoufang.
Turning his head, Li Dalang still had a smile on his face. He closed the window, walked to the round table and sat down. After pouring himself a cup of tea, Li Dalang drank half of it before saying to Wang Dadan and Gao Haiping, who were looking at him with concern, "It's nothing."
Now is not the best time to go back. Besides, we're still on a mission, so it's best to be careful.
Although I can't go home, I'm sure everything is fine there.
Seeing Wang Dadan chewing on the dry sesame flatbread, Li Dalang reached out and poured him a cup of tea. Gao Haiping also got a cup of tea.
"Once this matter with the Shen family is settled, when we come to Chang'an again next time, you must come with my family to visit. My aunt is a very famous female doctor in Chang'an, and she has a very powerful acupuncture technique."
"Dadan always has a dull ache in his chest, and Haiping can't stand for long on his right leg. I'll have my aunt take a look at them and give them a few acupuncture treatments; they'll definitely be much better."
Wang Dadan and Gao Haiping exchanged a glance. Seeing that Li Dalang was no longer looking gloomy, they replied in agreement, "Of course!"
The boss's aunt is my own aunt! I'll be counting on her for everything!"
After exchanging a few more jokes, there was a knock on the door.
The soldiers who arrived were the ones Li Dalang had arranged to keep an eye on the Shen family's caravan. "Boss, Shen Fangming has gone out."
"How so?"
"I followed the boss's instructions and followed Shen Fangming. He was honest at first. He went to get the goods, then went to the pawnshop at the east end, ate soup noodles, and went to the teahouse to listen to music."
After killing most of the day, just as it was getting dark, they hailed a horse-drawn carriage by the roadside to head to the outer three cities.
The seventh brother, who went with them, just sent back a message.
Li Dalang took the small soft leather bucket, opened it, and his expression changed instantly after seeing the dozen or so words on the paper scroll inside.
"Boss? What's that?"
Li Dalang's expression hardened. He looked at the messenger and said, "Tell Lao Qi to retreat carefully. I will inform the Bad People about the rest."
Just as the man was about to turn and leave after clasping his hands in greeting, Li Dalang once again instructed, "Tell Lao Qi to be careful. A man like that can't possibly be without bodyguards."
"Boss, who is it? What has Seventh Brother spotted?"
Seeing that Wang Dadan wanted to know, Li Dalang handed him the scroll. Wang Dadan didn't recognize all the characters; Li Dalang had taught him them bit by bit in his spare time.
Stuttering as he read those dozen or so words, when he saw the words "Ministry of War," even the boldest Wang Dadan knew that this was a really big deal.
Gao Haiping, who was face-to-face with Wang Dadan, naturally saw the words on the scroll. He took the scroll from Wang Dadan and placed it on the oil lamp beside him. "Boss?"
Seeing that Li Dalang nodded, Gao Haiping lit the paper roll in his hand with the candlelight. Only after watching the paper roll burn away did he feel relieved.
"You two stay here and make sure Lao Qi returns safely."
I'm going outside to contact some of the thugs; we need to talk to them about this.
Following the method he had been told beforehand, Li Dalang left a message for the Bad Guys in the West Market and then waited at a teahouse.
The West Market was still brightly lit at night, with the sounds of acrobats, hawkers of snacks, and vendors urging customers into their shops rising and falling. Li Dalang, who had ordered a pot of tea and two plates of snacks at a teahouse facing the street, sat alone for more than a quarter of an hour. Then an inconspicuous man entered the teahouse and, as he passed Li Dalang's table, seemingly bumped into it unintentionally.
Li Dalang knew this was a code. He left some silver on the table and followed the man out of the teahouse, two steps behind.
After winding through several streets, the man finally stopped at the back door of a house a few blocks away, and then turned around to face Li Dalang.
It was a completely ordinary face. Li Dalang bowed to the man and was led into the courtyard.
After Li Dalang told the person sitting behind the screen about the information that Lao Qi had seen, and there was no reply, he said again: "Our mission this time is to keep an eye on the Shen family's caravan all the way to Jiangnan, and then cooperate with the local garrison to wipe out the Shen family in one fell swoop. It would be best to find that foreigner who is called the Archbishop."
The matter concerning the Vice Minister of War that Seventh Brother witnessed this time is, in principle, not under our jurisdiction. I'll trouble you, sir..."
"Don't worry, the Bad People have taken over. Just do things according to the original plan."
"yes."
Li Dalang cupped his hands in greeting to the screen, then opened the door and went out of the room. He nodded to the plain-looking man outside and then walked out.
When Li Dalang returned to the inn, Lao Qi had already returned.
Seeing Wang Dadan, Gao Haiping, and Lao Qi who had been waiting for him, Li Dalang nodded to the three of them, then turned to Lao Qi and said, "I've already spoken with the Bad Guys about this matter. They'll handle it. Our task is to follow the Shen family; we can't get involved in this mess."
"You're the one who's got your eye on him, don't worry. When you ask for credit later, I'll definitely give you a reward."
After speaking with Lao Qi, Li Dalang said to Wang Dadan and Gao Haiping, "Alright, it's getting late. We have to get up early to queue up tomorrow, so go to bed early and keep the brothers alert."
Meanwhile, a carrier pigeon flew out from the Bad Guys' stronghold in the West Market.
Li Dalang, who fell asleep to the sound of the watchman's clapper, had no idea that the home of the Vice Minister of War would be surrounded that very night.
In Emperor Wu's words: "Special cases should be handled specially. He's already a traitor, should I still give him face?"
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