Chapter 128 Are they crazy?
When Pei Lin and Pei Zhiwei arrived at Prince Rui's mansion, the lanterns in front of the gate were swaying gently in the night breeze. Under the warm yellow light, the guards bowed and let them pass.
As soon as I stepped into the main hall, I saw Xie Ji pacing back and forth anxiously, clutching a teacup in his hand. I didn't know if he had forgotten to drink it or if he simply didn't realize he was holding something.
Seeing them come in, his eyes lit up, and he quickly went to greet them: "You've finally arrived!"
He said he had important business to attend to, but insisted on waiting for us to arrive before discussing it further.
I was so anxious! If you had been any later, I would have gone to the Pei residence to urge them!
In the main seat of the main hall, Xiao Yunzhan, dressed in casual clothes, casually rested his fingertips on the edge of the table, but his expression was much more solemn than usual.
Once everyone had arrived, he didn't wait for them to sit down. He lowered his voice a bit more than usual and got straight to the point: "Just now, the Imperial Guards reported that a large amount of gunpowder has been secretly accumulating in the capital recently."
"A large amount of gunpowder?" Pei Lin paused, his composure vanishing instantly, his brows furrowing tightly.
Pei Zhiwei's heart sank, and she subconsciously gripped the strap of her brocade bag tightly.
Xie Ji jumped up in anger, slamming his teacup down on the table with a thud: "What are they trying to do? Are they planning to bomb the capital?"
Xiao Yunzhan shook his head and continued, "The squad leader who came to report said that these gunpowders were not transported in through the same city gate; a little bit was transported in through each city gate every day."
It was the end of the year, and the firecracker workshop would naturally stock up on gunpowder to make firecrackers, so the city gate guards didn't pay much attention at first.
It wasn't until yesterday, when the team was chatting and someone mentioned that a batch of 'firecracker raw materials' had also been transported by water, that the team leader realized something was wrong.
Only then did they conduct a clandestine investigation, which revealed that an astonishing amount of gunpowder had been stockpiled in the capital in recent days.
Pei Lin frowned and walked to the desk, sitting down. His fingertips tapped the tabletop unconsciously. After a while, he said, "Has this matter been reported to His Majesty?"
“That’s natural.” Xiao Yunzhan nodded.
"His Majesty's intentions coincide with mine; these gunpowder powders are most likely aimed at us."
However, the palace is not taking this lightly; they have already secretly arranged for personnel to conduct a thorough investigation, prioritizing the safety of the palace.
"Coming after us?" Xie Ji's eyes widened, his tone filled with disbelief.
"Are they crazy? Do they want to blow us all up?"
I told you they weren't up to any good!
Putting aside how many innocent people this will affect, just considering our identities, I am the heir of the Marquis of Ding'an, my maternal uncle is Cui Yanwu of the Cui clan of Qinghe, Lord Pei is from the Pei clan of Hedong, and you are Prince Rui!
Aren't they afraid of incurring public wrath and having their entire families executed for doing this?
"With my life hanging by a thread, how can I care about public anger?" Xiao Yunzhan's tone was calm, yet it carried a hint of coldness.
"They knew in their hearts that once Cui Yanwu arrived in Beijing, the evidence he brought would be enough to ruin them forever."
If we can't get through this hurdle, nothing else matters.
As long as His Majesty doesn't have solid evidence, they can simply push out a few insignificant people to take the blame, and then use mutual benefits to reconcile the parties involved, thus minimizing the damage.
But if I don't live to see that day, all my scheming will be in vain.
Xie Ji opened his mouth, but couldn't find a rebuttal for a moment. After a long pause, he sat down, scratching his head, his face full of confusion: "But I still can't figure out how they plan to use this gunpowder."
If you're going to bomb someone, you need to have a target, right?
We still don't know that...
He suddenly stopped talking, turned his head warily to look outside the main hall, and seeing only guards standing far away, lowered his voice, "...We are not even sure where the evidence is, so naturally they don't know either."
Our three families' residences are all in the open, but if we want to blow up these three places, let alone whether we have enough gunpowder, even if we do, they won't be able to get into the inner quarters.
Transporting gunpowder to the vicinity of the mansion? There's no guarantee it will successfully kill us.
So what do they intend to do with all this stuff they went through all that trouble to bring in?
This question reflects the sentiments of everyone.
The main hall fell silent instantly, with only the occasional sound of the wind coming from outside the window.
Pei Lin frowned, and the light tapping of his fingertips gradually stopped, clearly he was also pondering this problem.
Pei Zhiwei looked at the map of the capital city spread out on the table, which marked the locations of the three mansions. They were quite far apart from each other, making it virtually impossible for them to act at the same time, unless their target was not the mansions at all.
“Regardless of their goal, the most important thing right now is to find this gunpowder before Brother Cui enters the city,” Pei Lin said slowly, breaking the silence.
Xiao Yunzhan nodded: "The Imperial Guards have already begun a covert investigation throughout the city."
However, the capital city is too large, with numerous markets and countless residences.
We can't make a big fuss about it, lest it cause panic among the people, and it seems unlikely that we'll see any results in the short term.
"In that case, I actually hope that Brother Cui can enter the city later," Pei Lin murmured, his tone tinged with helplessness.
The sooner Cui Yanwu arrives, the sooner the evidence can be presented to His Majesty. However, the threat of gunpowder remains, and the sooner he arrives, the greater the danger.
Silence fell once again in the main hall, and everyone felt a heavy weight on their hearts.
Xie Ji couldn't sit still and started pacing back and forth, muttering to himself, "No, I have to send someone to investigate the area around my mansion."
"And the Pei and Wang residences, we need to assign more people to keep an eye on them, just in case they really do set their sights on the mansions."
Xiao Yunzhan did not stop him, but said, "I have already increased the manpower. There are secret guards and Golden Guards watching inside and outside the three mansions, but it is impossible to guard against them all. In the end, it is not as safe as finding the source of the gunpowder."
In the following days, the capital city remained outwardly calm, with bustling streets, vendors' cries filling the air, and the festive atmosphere growing stronger. However, the covert investigations never ceased.
Pei Zhiwei, however, became the most restless person. She was not familiar with the terrain of the capital, unlike Xiao Yunzhan and Xie Ji, who were able to mobilize manpower and were native to the capital.
Although she was skilled in forensic examination, they were unaware that gunpowder had been smuggled into the city until much later. All traces were easily concealed by the other party and had long been lost in the flow of people.
In addition, she knew that apart from her excellent lightness skill, her actual combat skills were really lacking. Xiao Yunzhan and Xie Ji repeatedly told her not to act alone, for fear that she would be kidnapped or encounter danger.
She herself was also afraid that she might accidentally hinder the investigation.
So she could only stay in the Pei residence all day, repeatedly simulating the best hiding places by looking at the various streets on the map of the capital.
They even had Xiao Yunzhan bring the records of the Jinwu Guard city gate, trying to find some clues related to gunpowder from the messy clues, but after looking at them countless times, they found no useful information.
The anxiety in my heart grew wildly like weeds. I knew that being anxious was useless, but I still couldn't help but feel restless.
After two days of such torment, Xiao Yunzhan suddenly came to the Pei residence in person at dusk.
Without much pleasantries, he went straight to Pei Lin and said, "Lord Pei, why don't you and your whole family move to the Prince's residence temporarily? We can't let the incident of you being robbed on your way to court happen again."
"Zhiwei and Madam Pei's martial arts skills are ultimately lacking. Living in the Prince's residence, with guards and secret agents watching over us, I can rest assured when we're in court."
These words were so direct that they left no room for refusal, and Pei Lin nodded after a moment's thought.
Now, after court, he still has to go to the Dali Temple to be on duty, and he is indeed worried all day long, fearing that something might happen to the mother and daughter, so he has no heart for official duties.
If they stayed in the Prince's mansion, it would indeed be the safest option.
Yan Jinghong had no objection and immediately ordered his servants to pack their bags, which they did very quickly.
After moving to Prince Rui's residence, Pei Zhiwei felt a little more at ease.
But seeing Xiao Yunzhan and his father going to court before dawn every day...
After court, Xiao Yunzhan went to the Imperial Guard to oversee the progress of the investigation, while Pei Lin shuttled between the court and the Court of Judicial Review. Xie Ji also led a group of people to conduct covert investigations throughout the capital.
They would often come to the Prince's Mansion to exchange information.
When I had nothing to do, the guilt in my heart gradually resurfaced.
That night, Pei Zhiwei tossed and turned, unable to sleep. So she put on a thick coat and sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard.
The night wind carried a chill, making her tighten her collar, but her mind was filled with thoughts of gunpowder. Where exactly was that gunpowder hidden? Would they really make their move when Cui Yanwu entered the city?
I don't know how long I sat there, but then I heard soft footsteps behind me.
She turned around and saw that Xiao Yunzhan had returned. He was dressed in black, and the auspicious clouds embroidered with silver thread looked even softer in the moonlight.
"It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?" Xiao Yunzhan approached and asked softly.
"It's so cold outside. Be careful not to catch a cold sitting in the yard."
By the moonlight, Pei Zhiwei saw the bloodshot veins in his eyes, and realized that he must not have rested well these past few days.
She sighed softly, "I can't help much, I'm worried and can't sleep. You came back so late today, did you have any news?"
Xiao Yunzhan sat down on the stone bench next to her and pressed his index finger and thumb against the bridge of his nose: "We originally found a suspicious location, an abandoned granary in the west of the city."
They led men to search the area, but all they found were hidden contraband salts; it was all for nothing.
"Don't worry," Pei Zhiwei said softly, trying to comfort her.
“We are in the open, they are in the dark. This concerns the life and death of so many families, so they must be hiding very well and will not be easily found.”
I'm anxious because I can't help, but you can't be anxious. The more anxious you are at a time like this, the more likely you are to miss clues.
After saying that, she deliberately changed the subject, saying, "You probably didn't eat well today, did you?"
There's some food keeping warm in the kitchen; eat something before you rest.
Xiao Yunzhan didn't respond, but simply looked up at her.
In the darkness of night, his eyes were exceptionally deep, as if they contained the entire starry sky. He stared intently, with a focus that made one's heart race.
Pei Zhiwei felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and asked softly, "What's wrong? Is there some bad news you haven't told us?"
Xiao Yunzhan seemed surprised by her question, paused for a moment, then lowered his head and chuckled a few times before saying, "No..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stopped, and the two of them stood up almost simultaneously.
Without any prior agreement, and without even exchanging glances, the two quickly stood back to back, their sharp gazes sweeping across the courtyard, as if they had rehearsed countless times.
Pei Zhiwei held her breath and slowly reached for the dagger at her waist with her right hand.
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