Chapter 399 Chess Pieces
"Sister Zhuangyuan, sister Tanhua, you are finally back!"
As soon as Chu Xin, who had just returned from telling stories in the teahouse, entered the door, he saw Zhu Qingyan and Zhu Lan who had been waiting in the courtyard for a long time, and a smile immediately spread across his little face.
There were several dishes on the table that Zhu Qingyan brought back from Yuxiang Pavilion, and Chu Xin sat down happily.
Then he asked them whether they had a smooth journey and whether they had encountered any strange things. The chatter was as lively as usual.
Zhu Lan smiled as he helped her pick up some dishes and talked about the customs and culture of Yunzhou. Chu Xin's eyes lit up and he was filled with longing.
As Zhu Lan was speaking, he suddenly changed the subject without leaving any trace and took out the "Collected Annotations of Various Philosophers" from his arms.
"By the way, last time you used the Goose Formation to unlock the secrets in this book, and we followed the clues to find Chen's mother and daughter, but the clues we found turned out to be unfavorable to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
I have always wondered, since your aunt is the personal maid of Concubine Lan, how could she do something that would harm the Crown Prince? "
"This... I don't know either." Chu Xin scratched his head in confusion.
"I just extracted the information from the book according to the Goose-shaped formation. But why is it so? I'm not as smart as the top scholar sister, so how can I know..."
"It's okay." Zhu Lan smiled reassuringly and handed her the book.
"I just want you to take another look to see if there is any information that you may have missed before."
Chu Xin took the book and flipped through it again with a very serious look on his face.
After a long time, she raised her head and shook her head:
"No, according to the solution of the Goose Formation, the solution is still the same as what I told Sister Zhuangyuan last time, nothing else.
I am so stupid, could it be that the top scholar sister discovered something again? "
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhu Qingyan's expression changed slightly. He looked at Zhu Lan and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.
Zhu Lan still had a smile on his face, but the smile had changed in meaning.
Her tone was meaningful.
"Chu Xin is not stupid at all. He can interpret the same information from the pages that were shuffled. How can he not be considered a gifted person?"
When Chu Xin heard this, the aggrieved expression on his face suddenly froze.
Her eyes slowly moved downwards, and she noticed that the white cotton thread binding this copy of "Collected Annotations of Various Philosophers" was newly replaced. She didn't have a photographic memory, so how could she find out that the contents of Zhu Lan's book had been rearranged! ?
Zhu Lan's eyes no longer had the gentleness they had before, and he stared at Chu Xin with scrutiny.
Zhu Qingyan stood up suddenly. The feeling of being deceived made her extremely uncomfortable.
"We have helped you so many times, but we never thought that you were the mastermind behind this and played us around!"
"You're wrong." Zhu Lan corrected, but his eyes stayed on Chu Xin's face.
"She doesn't have the ability to lay out such a big chess game."
Chu Xin laughed when he heard that, but when he spoke again, the voice of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child was no longer there.
"Hahaha... You really are worthy of being the top scholar. It seems you have already guessed it."
Zhu Lan narrowed his eyes slightly, "If I'm not mistaken, the crisis in the northern border has been calculated by that person a long time ago, and he has it under control, right?"
Chu Xin did not answer directly, but his approving expression said it all.
"What's going on? Stop telling riddles!" Zhu Qingyan was almost dying of anxiety.
Zhu Lan glanced at her and asked, "Who do you think could have plotted against the East Palace, Prince Qi's Mansion, and even the Prince of Zhenbei?"
Zhu Qingyan thought about what she said and couldn't help but take a breath. There was only one answer in his mind that he couldn't believe, but had to believe -
"……His Majesty!?"
Zhu Lan closed his eyes and let out a sigh filled with mixed emotions.
“I thought this was a game between me and King Qi.
But I didn't expect that from the very beginning, we were just two pawns in His Majesty's hands."
…
There was a drizzle. A long queue formed outside the gate of Yunzhou City to enter the city. The length of the queue was more than three times that of usual days. The people were talking about it.
"What's going on in Yunzhou City recently? Why is the inspection so strict?"
"Who knows? My son is a soldier in the Northern Frontier Camp. I went to bring him some clothes and had to go through here, but the soldiers stopped me from entering!"
"Yes, yes. And it is said that recently in this city, people can only enter but not leave!"
"Is something going to happen..."
At the prefectural government office, the legal advisor hurriedly knocked on Ding Wangyuan's study door.
“Sir, the inspections have been so intense recently that the people in the city are already a little panicked.
If this continues, I’m afraid…”
Ding Wangyuan's brows were tightly knitted, and his face looked like he hadn't rested for several days.
"This is a special period, and we must not let our guard down." He thought for a moment and said, "Let's say the government office was robbed and we are searching for the thief."
The master nodded, and Ding Wangyuan asked him again: "How is the training of the city guards going?"
The master replied, "We have increased the training time and it has been quite effective. We will also follow your instructions to strengthen the city defenses and try to do it at night so that there is not much noise."
Ding Wangyuan nodded and let him leave, but the worry on his brow did not diminish in the slightest.
Judging from the date, Zhu Lan and the others should have returned to the capital. I hope she has reported the affairs of Yunzhou to the emperor.
Otherwise, once the Prince of Zhenbei rebelled, the small number of troops stationed in Yunzhou City, plus the self-raised militia, would not be able to delay him for too long.
At this time, someone suddenly came to report:
"Sir, we found a guy acting suspiciously and said he was going to the northern border.
This person doesn't behave like an ordinary citizen, but he refuses to reveal his identity, so I brought him here!"
Ding Wangyuan frowned. Could it be that, as Zhu Lan had expected, Prince Qi had already fled the capital to seek refuge with Prince Zhenbei?
But isn’t this too fast?
"Bring someone up here."
Ding Wangyuan sat upright with a serious look on his face, thinking about what to do when he saw King Qi.
The man was brought up quickly. When Ding Wangyuan saw his face clearly, his expression suddenly became very surprised.
"six……"
Yan Yuze was dressed in a black robe. Even in such a critical situation, he still looked calm and smiling.
He raised his hand slightly, and Ding Wangyuan understood and asked everyone to go out.
Only Ding Wangyuan and Yan Yuze were left in the room, and Ding Wangyuan then knelt down to pay his respects.
"Your Highness, I, Ding Wangyuan, the prefect of Yunzhou, come to see the Sixth Prince."
"Master Ding, please stand up."
Yan Yuze's voice was clear, with an innate grace and nobility, which actually calmed Ding Wangyuan's originally anxious mood a little.
As soon as he saw him coming, Ding Wangyuan seemed to have finally found his backbone, and hurriedly asked Yan Yuze what plans he had for this trip.
"Did your Highness bring the military token with him?"
"Only myself."
"Ah?" Ding Wangyuan was stunned.
The Sixth Prince came here alone without bringing anything. How could he resist the King of Zhenbei?
Seeing that Ding Wangyuan was getting anxious again, Yan Yuze's beautiful fox eyes revealed a sly smile.
"Master Ding, don't worry. I came to see you because of the matter in the Northern Frontier."
"My Lord...what should we do?"
"Don't worry about anything else. I want your prefect to issue a warrant to leave the city and head to the Northern Frontier Camp."
Since Yan Yuze said so, Ding Wangyuan didn't dare to ask more.
The warrant was quickly drafted and stamped with the prefect's seal.
Yan Yuze got the warrant and did not linger for long. He walked out, but suddenly stopped.
“Just restore the city’s security to normal, there’s no need to be so nervous.
There are so many people waiting outside, it's very tiring in the wind and sun."
"Yes..." Ding Wangyuan hesitated, but had to do as he was told. When he looked up, Yan Yuze had disappeared.
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