Seeing that Xue Shu was not a good person, the old Taoist priest dared not act like a spoiled brat anymore and finally behaved himself.

Although he stopped shouting, he still played dumb: "My dear friends, I am just a poor Taoist priest. I dare not do evil things. At most, I pretend to be a ghost and scare people at the foot of the mountain to make some money to make a living. If any of you have bought talismans from me, I will refund you as much as possible."

Yin Chengyu was too lazy to listen to his nonsense. He took out the salt-inducing paper he got from Taoist Wangchen from his sleeve and waved it in front of him: "Do you recognize this?"

The old Taoist stared at the salt bait and suddenly became as quiet as a duck with its throat strangled.

After a long while, he trembled and said, "What is this? I don't know."

Although he said this, his expression had already turned into one of fear.

"Wangchen Daoist was your disciple, right? He is already dead. Someone killed him and left his body on a mass grave."

Just by looking at his guilty and fearful expression, Yin Chengyu was certain that he knew about the involvement of Taoist Wangchen. Throwing the paper to Xue Shu, he turned and walked towards the carriage: "I'll leave the person to you."

Xue Shu bowed in response, watched the carriage leave, and then dragged the old Taoist priest into the Taoist temple.

——The inn is crowded with people and Wan Youliang's spy is there, so it is not a good place for interrogation. However, this Taoist temple is remote and suitable for interrogation.

Xue Shu dragged the man to the main hall of the Taoist temple, and the first thing he did was to dig out the old Taoist's knee bones with his own hands.

No one expected that he would torture people as soon as he came in without asking any questions.

The old Taoist priest had lived for more than fifty years and had traveled all over the country. He claimed that he had experienced many ups and downs, but at this moment, he was also frightened by his cruelty. All the tricks he had in mind to deal with the situation disappeared under this torture. He was shocked, afraid and in pain. Finally, he could not bear it anymore and fell to the ground crying and begging for mercy: "I will tell you, I will tell you everything."

However, Xue Shu was not in a hurry to interrogate him. He threw the bloody dagger aside, took the handkerchief handed to him by his subordinate, and slowly wiped the blood stains from his fingertips: "Do you know why I dug your knee bone?"

Without waiting for the old Taoist priest to answer, he asked himself and answered: "Those who are disrespectful to Your Highness should be punished."

As he said this, his brows were sinister and his voice was chilling, like an evil ghost from hell ready to devour someone; even the statues of the Three Pure Ones behind him seemed to be tainted with some evil, and the corners of his smiling mouth seemed to carry other meanings.

It is so eerie and strange that people dare not look directly at it.

Everyone present shuddered at the same time, especially the soldiers from the four guard camps who followed. Fear appeared in their eyes, and they all lowered their heads and hunched their shoulders, wishing they could shrink themselves into the wall.

Xue Shu, however, did not care about how he looked in the eyes of others. He wiped his hands clean, ordered people to bring out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and said to the old Taoist priest: "Go ahead, tell me everything you know." He glanced at the bloody knee bone that was dug out and thrown aside, and said straightforwardly: "If you miss anything, I will dig out a piece of your bone if you ask one more question."

Knowing that he was not just trying to scare him, the old Taoist priest no longer dared to hide anything and told him everything he knew.

The confession filled a whole sheet of paper, and it was only finalized after he signed his name on it.

Xue Shu put away the confession and wanted to order someone to get rid of the old Taoist priest, but then he changed his mind and thought about the last time he killed two assassins and His Highness was angry. So he changed his mind and said, "Lock him up and keep him alive."

After dealing with the old Taoist priest, he ordered people to find a shovel to dig out the things buried under the statue of the Three Pure Ones. According to the old Taoist priest, the fake seal used by Wan Youliang to forge the documents of the Ministry of Revenue was not engraved by Taoist Wangchen, but was made by him.

Taoist Wangchen was good at manipulating others, but he had no strategic knowledge. The old Taoist pushed him to the front, while he made plans behind the scenes. He knew that these adulterations would cause disaster sooner or later, so he left a way out for himself.

In addition to the gold and silver he shared with Wangchen Daoist, he also kept several forged seals of the Ministry of Revenue, copies of documents, correspondence, etc. He buried all these things under the statue of the Three Pure Ones in the main hall. The reason why he risked returning to Baihe Temple was that he was reluctant to part with the money he had hidden.

As for the salt-inducing paper that Wangchen Taoist hid before his death, the old Taoist also explained that it was a life-saving talisman that he asked Wangchen Taoist to keep - the salt-inducing paper was a fake one, but the official seal of the Salt Administration on it was real. Wangchen Taoist found an opportunity to trick Wan Youliang into taking out the official seal and secretly stamped it.

The fake salt whistle had a genuine official seal on it, which was enough to control Wan Youliang.

However, he probably didn't expect that he would never be able to use this paper until his death. Instead, he made wedding clothes for others.

Xue Shu ordered his men to transport the gold and silver that had been dug out, while he himself took the forged seal and documents back to report to Yin Chengyu.

Yin Chengyu played with the fake seal, then carefully identified the fake salt ink, and finally found a slight difference in the printed ink. He put the things away and sighed: "That old Taoist priest is a genius."

No wonder he couldn't find any flaws in the forged letter in his previous life.

"Keep the person here for now, and deal with him later when this matter is over."

After saying this, he recalled what Zheng Duobao had just reported, and continued, "The subordinates reported that Wan Youliang had sent someone to deliver an invitation. You were not there at the time, so Zheng Duobao told his subordinates to say that you were punished to go to the woodshed to reflect on your mistakes, and you haven't come out yet. Don't remember the wrong words."

Xue Shu agreed and stared at Yin Chengyu again.

His eyes were eager, as if full of expectation.

Yin Chengyu looked at him for a moment, and considering his great contribution this time, he finally called Zheng Duobao in: "Take him to the storehouse and help him pick out some things." Then he turned to Xue Shu and said: "The things in the inn are all gifts from the subordinates. There is nothing good. I will make up for it after we return to Beijing."

"I don't want those." Xue Shu shook his head.

"Then what do you want?" Yin Chengyu was in a good mood at the moment, so he asked in a good temper.

Xue Shu hesitated for a while, and finally said, "I want spices, the kind that His Highness often uses."

He really liked the scent of cold plums on Yin Chengyu, but the fragrance on the handkerchief had gradually faded.

Yin Chengyu was a little surprised when he heard this. In his memory, Xue Shu never liked elegant things like tasting incense and burning incense. But since he asked for it, Yin Chengyu would not be stingy with a box of spices, so he agreed: "Zheng Duobao, take him to get two boxes of Xuelingmei."

Xue Shu got the reward and left with Zheng Duobao feeling satisfied.

He followed Zheng Duobao to get two boxes of spices, then went to Zhao Lin to get Wan Youliang's invitation, and then returned to his room.

It was already dusk, the sun was setting, and night was about to fall.

Xue Shu read the invitation, wrote down the time and place, and threw it aside.

Then he placed two boxes of snow plums in the middle of the table.

He sat at the table, staring at the two boxes of spices for a long time, then suddenly stood up and went to the bathroom - the scent of snow plum was light, and he had been running around outside all day, and his body was full of filth, and he was afraid that it would pollute the fragrance.

After bathing, Xue Shu took out the Boshan stove that Zheng Duobao had brought to him, and carefully ignited the spices according to Zheng Duobao's instructions.

The aroma gradually spread out, strong at first, then fading after a while. The fragrance was light and vague, floating in the cold air, hovering at the tip of the nose.

Xue Shu closed his eyes and sniffed, catching a scent similar to Yin Chengyu's.

After just a moment, he frowned and opened his eyes with some displeasure - the smell was wrong, and it was somewhat different from the smell of His Highness.

He frowned and stared at the incense burner, thinking for a moment, then stood up and took out the handkerchief that was pressed under the pillow. He lowered his head and sniffed, and the smell was right. But it was very faint, and he had to be very careful to smell it.

After hesitating for a moment, he placed the handkerchief over the Boshan stove. After fumigating it for a while, he placed the handkerchief on his nose again, and then he finally smiled with satisfaction.

The cool fragrance of plum blossoms exudes a lingering sweetness.

The taste is right.

Xue Shu slept very well that night, and when he went to the banquet the next day, he was full of energy.

Wan Youliang had invited him to have a drink at Nanchuanlou, and this was the fifth time.

However, this time, there were no dancers or actors by the side, and there was also a garrison commander, Guan Haishan.

——After testing each other for so long, they finally got down to business.

The maid served the wine and food, then left quietly.

There were only three people left in the house.

The two men did not speak, and Xue Shu did not ask any questions. He just drank and ate slowly.

After three rounds of drinking, Wan Youliang finally spoke: "Officer Xue has been in Tianjin for more than half a month, right?"

"Seventeen days."

Wan Youliang sighed in a pretentious manner: "Over the past half month, Supervisor Xue has also seen the situation in Tianjin. He should know that Zhao, who took the opportunity to complain to the historian, is really slandering us!"

Xue Shu nodded and waited for his next words.

As expected, Wan Youliang said, "Now that this matter has been brought to the attention of His Majesty, it has become a thorn in my side, as well as in the hearts of the officials of Tianjin Guard! We will not be able to sleep or eat well until this matter is resolved. We are all looking forward to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince returning to the court as soon as possible to clear our name." He paused and said, "Does Supervisor Xue also want to go back soon?"

When he mentioned Yin Chengyu, Xue Shu's eyebrows moved and he put down his wine glass: "Oh? What do you mean?"

Seeing him take the lead, Wan You's conscience was settled. He exchanged glances with Guan Haishan, who then took over the conversation and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is enjoying life in Tianjin Guard and doesn't want to return. Supervisor Xue was sent to Tianjin Guard just after he won the emperor's favor. If time drags on for a long time, I'm afraid that Your Majesty will change his mind and rely on Eunuch Gao wholeheartedly."

This was also one of the reasons why they pulled Xue Shu under their wing.

The eunuchs relied on nothing more than the emperor's favor. Although he had made great contributions in saving the emperor and was promoted to the imperial guards, the emperor's mind was unpredictable. He had no foundation in the palace and had been out for so long. It was hard to guarantee that the emperor would still remember him after he returned.

When it comes to the Crown Prince's return to the capital, Xue Shu's interests coincide with theirs.

Xue Shu heard their hidden meaning and threw out bait: "But the prince is not close to our family, and we can't persuade him. If you want the prince to return to the capital as soon as possible, I'm afraid you have to start with Eunuch Zheng."

"Monitor Xue is thinking in the wrong direction." Wan Youliang stroked his chin meaningfully and said, "There are more than one way to get the prince back to the capital."

"That's right." Guan Haishan also echoed, "Officer Xue is in charge of the soldiers of the Four Guards Camp. The safety of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince depends on you. Imagine if the Crown Prince accidentally encountered pirates or bandits while traveling and got injured, wouldn't he have to return to the capital as soon as possible?"

The two of them sang the same tune with smiles on their faces, but the method they proposed was extremely vicious.

Xue Shu's face suddenly darkened, and he was filled with murderous intent that he could hardly suppress.

He stared at Wan Youliang and Guan Haishan in silence for a long time. If looks could kill, these two would have been skinned alive by him.

But he still had a bit of rationality. When the two of them were stunned by his sudden silence, he pinched his throat and said word by word: "It's a good idea, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is precious. Even if he gets a little skin broken, my family will be responsible."

Wan Youliang always felt that his voice seemed to suppress something, but he didn't have the time to delve into it. He only wanted to convince Xue Shu: "You don't have to worry about this, Supervisor Xue. Tianjin is close to the sea, and pirates often come ashore to burn, kill, and rob. We are not traitors, and we don't necessarily have to hurt His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. When the Crown Prince encounters pirates, Supervisor Xue can just slow down and go to rescue him. By then, the Crown Prince will be frightened and may want to return to the capital. Wouldn't that make everyone happy?"

Xue Shu lowered his eyes as if thinking. After a long while, he raised his eyes and smiled at the two of them: "It's a good idea. We will listen to you two adults."

The author has something to say:

Dog hook: When beating the owner, you also have to look at the dog hook.

Gou Gou: You are dead.