"Then what?"
Su Su looked at Fu Xiaoguan in astonishment, "There's nothing else. They're both dead."
"No, I mean where did the killer go?"
"Oh, he went to that mountain. I didn't go near that mountain because there are masters there."
Fu Xiaoguan was very surprised, "How did you know there were masters in that mountain?"
Su Su looked at Fu Xiaoguan as if he were an idiot, and pursed her lips. "I understand bird language."
“…”
Can we still have a pleasant chat like this?
"You don't believe it?"
Fu Xiaoguan certainly didn't believe it. Su Su raised her eyebrows and continued to eat her candied haws, muttering, "I have many talents. Don't think you're great just because you can write some poetry!"
Su Rou raised her head and looked at Fu Xiaoguan with her narrow eyes, somewhat gloating, "Sixth Junior Sister really understands bird language."
"Then tell me what the bird said to you?"
Su Su cackled, "You're so stupid!"
Fu Xiaoguan suddenly felt that he was indeed stupid for asking this question. He touched his nose and walked to Taoranting to sit down. Then he heard Susu say, "A little sparrow said that you can't go to that mountain. The atmosphere is extremely murderous. Run, run... So of course I ran away."
I don't believe you!
Su Jue also came out at this moment. He straightened his hat and said solemnly, "Sixth Junior Sister, you are right. I have visited Purple Gold Mountain before, and there is indeed a master there."
Fu Xiaoguan was stunned. Since Su Jue said there was an expert, there must be an expert. Su Jue was much more reliable than Su Su.
"How high?"
"At least first-class, maybe even semi-saint."
Uh, this is indeed a bit high. "How tall are you?" Fu Xiaoguan looked at Su Jue and asked.
"Me? I'm very short."
Su Su giggled again, her laughter was like a bell, clear and pleasant, very nice to hear.
"Doesn't that mean it will be difficult to explore Purple Gold Mountain?"
"Unless you have a letter from His Majesty, or you can accompany His Majesty on the annual Zhongyuan Festival, the Yu Dynasty's grand sacrifice, otherwise... only Master can possibly avoid alerting that master."
This is a mess. It seems that this matter will end here for now.
He was not a royal relative, so of course he had no reason to ask His Majesty to write a letter to explore the royal cemetery. Instead, he would try to see if there was a chance to go in and take a look during the Ghost Festival.
Su Jue handed Fu Xiaoguan a note and said, "The results of the investigation into Confucius Temple are out. There's nothing on it except that dilapidated temple."
Fu Xiaoguan took the note and looked at it. Something was wrong. Last year, when he and Dong Shulan went hiking on a rainy night, they were indeed stopped by someone on the mountainside. But why was there nothing there?
Could it be that that night was just a coincidence?
But Lin Hong clearly said that Ji Linchun from Yanzhilou had also been to Confucius Temple. Could it be that this was also false?
There was no way Lin Hong could have lied to him about this, so what was going on?
The note was quite detailed: no signs of human activity were found in the Confucius Temple, the Taimiao on the top of the mountain was covered with cobwebs, the shrines inside were covered with thick dust, the golden bodies of the statues had long been peeled off, and no secret doors were found in front of or behind the temple, so no one had been here for a long time.
Fu Xiaoguan frowned. Who was on the mountain that night? What was he doing there? And why did Ji Linchun go to the Confucius Temple?
…
All the clues were cut off. Fu Xiaoguan had nothing to do all day long. He wandered the streets and alleys of Shangjing City, waiting for someone to assassinate him, but no one took the bait. It seemed that those who originally wanted him dead had disappeared and were hibernating in this cold winter.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month in the ninth year of the Xuanli reign, the snow stopped and the sky cleared.
Fu Xiaoguan was about to go out for a stroll, but he didn't expect Yan Xiwen to come.
"Shouldn't you be leaving?"
"Yes, we'll set off early tomorrow morning."
"Are you here to say goodbye to me?"
Yan Xiwen glared at Fu Xiaoguan and said, "You should be the one saying goodbye to me, okay?"
"Grandpa invites you to visit his house."
Fu Xiaoguan was stunned. Yan Beixi?
Why did the Prime Minister invite me?
I have met the Prime Minister several times in the court, but we only communicated twice.
One time was when he was explaining disaster relief strategies in the Imperial Study, and another time was when Yan Beixi wanted to promote him in the Secretariat, but he refused.
"What's the matter?" Fu Xiaoguan asked in surprise.
"How would I know? Perhaps it's because of that article 'Yu Dynasty Youth Talk'. Grandpa rewrote it, framed it, and hung it in the central hall of our house. I say, you're quite shameless, kid. This is the first time in all these years that Grandpa has paid so much attention to an article."
Fu Xiaoguan touched his nose and said with a smile, "Have you ever lit a stick of incense for that calligraphy from nine to five?"
"roll……!"
I can't have a good chat with this guy. Do you think you are a saint?
The two of them rode in a carriage to the Yan Mansion. After getting off the carriage, Fu Xiaoguan stopped and looked around very seriously.
This is Xilai Lane, located in the southern part of Jinling. The lane is old and quiet. At the entrance stands a huge memorial archway with the Chinese characters "Xilai" inscribed on it, and on both sides are a couplet:
The refreshing air comes from the west, and the clouds and mists sweep away the regrets of the world.
The great river flows eastward, its waves wash away the sorrows of the past and present
Fu Xiaoguan raised his eyebrows and asked, "Who wrote this?"
"The great scholar of the previous dynasty asked about the wind."
"Oh...!" I seem to have heard this name before, as if this great scholar has left poems and articles on thousands of stone tablets.
The Yan Mansion’s presence is more grand than the Shi Mansion’s.
In front of the vermilion gate, two large white marble lions with jade beads in their mouths are showing off their power and sparkling in the sun.
The two characters "Yanfu" on the lintel are written in a majestic and majestic manner with flying dragons and phoenixes.
Two guards stood upright in front of the door. They were wearing shiny armor and stood solemnly with spears in their hands.
"Is this okay?"
"As a reward from the late emperor, the Yan Palace can furnish 300 soldiers in armor."
Well, this is the only one of its kind in Shangjing, so Fu Xiaoguan can only envy it.
Pushing open the vermilion gate, Yan Xiwen walked in with Fu Xiaoguan. He looked around again and was very happy, because this mansion was not as big as his own!
This is a bit shameless. His Fu Mansion was the prince's mansion of the previous dynasty and was ranked among the top five in this huge Shangjing City. Naturally, the prime minister's mansion cannot be compared with it.
In fact, the prime minister's residence is already very large, but Fu Xiaoguan followed Yan Xiwen and was unable to see its entire appearance.
The mansion was bustling with activity, with maids and servants frequently passing by, and laughter emanating from the courtyards on either side. Yan Xiwen offered no explanation as he led Fu Xiaoguan through the gates and alleys, heading deeper into the Yan Mansion.
Then it gradually became quiet, and then we arrived at an exquisite courtyard.
The snow on the rockery had not melted, and the lotus pond below it had long been frozen. Several plum trees scattered in the yard were in full bloom. There was a pavilion under the largest plum tree, and a beautiful woman in white was standing in the pavilion.
She had long hair, a sharp gaze, a radiant complexion, and a gentle voice like a fragrant orchid. (Note 1)
She was Yan Xiaolou. At that moment, she was standing in the pavilion. She stretched out a slender hand, grabbed a plum blossom that had extended into the pavilion, and brought it in front of her.
The red plum blossoms, the white clothes, and the rosy face came into Fu Xiaoguan's sight.
This little girl...is becoming more and more beautiful!
Looking at Yan Xiwen again, well, the gap is quite large.
The two are cousins, and it seems that Yan Xiaolou's mother was also a lovely girl.
Fu Xiaoguan withdrew his gaze. A gentleman should be lustful but get it in a proper way. He had no intention of having any interest in the daughter of the Yan family.
Yan Xiaolou, in the pavilion, also saw them. She let go of a plum blossom, and it sprang apart, scattering a shower of fine snowflakes. She walked towards them from the pavilion, smiling, and as she drew closer, her face was even more beautiful than the blossom itself.
"Hello, young master!"
Yan Xiaolou bowed gracefully. Fu Xiaoguan was stunned for a moment, then clasped his fists and returned the greeting, "Hello, young lady!"
Then Yan Xiaolou lowered her head shyly, and followed Fu Xiaoguan step by step, and walked into Wenyuexuan with Yan Xiwen.
There was an old man sitting in Wenyuexuan, and there was another old man standing behind him.
The old man sitting there was naturally Yan Beixi, and the old man standing behind him was someone Fu Xiaoguan had never seen before, but the old man attracted Fu Xiaoguan's attention.
Because the old man was carrying a knife!
A very long knife!
The old man kept his head down, as if he was dozing, and never looked up at them from beginning to end.
Yan Beixi put down the scroll in his hand and raised his head, his eyes falling on Fu Xiaoguan. After three breaths, he waved his hand calmly, "Sit down."
Fu Xiaoguan bowed and saluted, "Thank you, Yan Zai!"
Yan Xiwen and Yan Xiaolou also bowed to Yan Beixi. Yan Xiwen sat next to Fu Xiaoguan, while Yan Xiaolou sat on the left and took some water to make tea.
"I heard that you and Shulan are getting engaged?"
Fu Xiaoguan was slightly stunned. You, the prime minister, are actually paying attention to a small fry like me?
It was not surprising that Yan Beixi knew this. After all, he and Dong Shulan had visited those relatives on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and Yan Xiwen had also been to Dong Shulan's third uncle's house.
"Well, I'll settle this matter once my father arrives in Beijing."
Yan Xiaolou's hand trembled slightly as he turned the kettle, and Yan Beixi's eyebrows twitched slightly. Yan Xiwen didn't show any reaction on the surface, but he sighed inwardly.
"I asked you to come here today because I have some doubts in my mind and I wanted to hear your opinion. As for the matter between you and Shulan... I think it will be difficult to proceed smoothly until the matter between you and the Ninth Princess is resolved."
Fu Xiaoguan thought about it carefully. This sentence did not mean that his Yan family still had any feelings for Shulan, but that the matter involved the Ninth Princess. There was a hierarchy. Even if His Majesty agreed to marry the Ninth Princess to Fu Xiaoguan, the Ninth Princess would still rank before Dong Shulan.
Although Fu Xiaoguan had never thought that there was a need to distinguish between the two, in the eyes of others, the difference in status must be clear.
Then... naturally, I can't propose to the Dong family first.
But why didn’t Minister Dong raise any objection at that time?
Fu Xiaoguan nodded slightly and said with a smile: "I have given this matter some thought. May I ask what doubts Yan Zai has?"
Yan Beixi stroked his beard and asked, "I once planted a bed of chives in this yard, but due to neglect, it has become overgrown with weeds, and it's hard to tell which are the chives and which are the weeds. I want to ask you... should I remove all the chives and weeds and start over, or spend more effort to remove the weeds?"
(Note 1: From The Goddess of Luo River)
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