change
"yes."
The subordinate responded and immediately retreated from this unsettling room.
As soon as the door closed, the quiet room returned to its usual state with only the two of them.
Xizhen leaned his head lazily, his gaze lingering on the place where his subordinate left for a while, then moved to Yu He.
"How about it? Which one do you want to choose?"
Yu He had a calm expression and kept reading the documents.
"One in two."
He paused when he saw a word on the document in his hand, then lowered his eyes indifferently.
"That depends on how he positions himself this time."
"Be the rat that leads the way into the oil barrel, or be the cat that escapes from the ditch."
"...", Xizhen's pupils shrank slightly, then he smiled and said, "So there is such a method."
"It is my fault for not caring enough."
Yu He slowly moved his eyes away from the document, folded the paper and put it into a spare envelope.
"Tomorrow afternoon, you will deliver this letter to Duke Xiao."
Understanding the meaning behind his words, Xizhen curled her lips slightly and reached out to take it.
"Okay, let's do as the commander wishes."
—
Youguan Mansion
Returning to the room, Jiang Nian closed the door and then looked at Ai, who looked thoughtful.
"How are they?"
“It’s not going particularly well.”
Ai looked at her quietly.
"The Fifth Prince has been deeply enslaved and has become convinced that he is saving Cang County."
"He plans to distribute the medicines throughout Cang County, and then... ask His Majesty for a reward."
Please reward?
It seems that Meng Yao will not give up until he sees the Yellow River and will not cry until he sees the coffin. Has he been brainwashed by the Wu Mi people to believe that he is doing things that will get rewards from Emperor Changde?
A scam tailor-made for this era.
Jiang Nian said "hmm" and asked, "What about Princess Qingping?"
"..." Ai was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "She's nowhere to be found. The Fifth Prince seems to be intending to detain her as a hostage, using this to blackmail everyone and force them to obey his will."
Is it as expected?
The soldier was right.
If Princess Qingping is not found sooner rather than later, she will be in great danger.
Not knowing how good her swordsmanship was, Jiang Nian didn't dare to think further. He just lowered his eyes to block Ai's gaze.
"Are we too late to act?"
Sensing Jiang Nian's faint worry, Ai calmly reassured her, "Miss, don't worry. Although we couldn't bring the princess back immediately, we have found her whereabouts and are on the way to rescue her."
"That's good."
Perhaps the words the soldier brought to her had been weighing on her mind, and only after hearing these words did Jiang Nian finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Did someone provide information?"
Ai nodded: "Yes, it was a soldier. The intelligence source has already verified it."
"The progress of reporting this matter has been stopped by the Pavilion Master. As long as the princess is found in a short time, His Majesty will not be suspicious."
At present, both the Pavilion Master and Duke Xiao are maintaining superficially stable relations with Emperor Changde. At this critical juncture, it is better not to create unnecessary trouble.
Jiang Nian caught the key words in her words and was suddenly startled: "Aren't they on the same side as Emperor Changde?"
"Well, that's certainly the case at the moment."
Ai nodded and looked at Jiang Nian calmly: "But even if we belong to the same side, people's hearts are divided. The emperor is suspicious, and we can't know whether he thinks so."
"That's right." Jiang Nian suppressed the fleeting thought in his mind and sighed softly, "I hope there won't be any more trouble in the future."
"By the way, I went to the rockery with Yan today and searched around, and we found a piece of paper with a bishop's image on it."
"Ai, do you still remember what the thief looked like?"
Unexpectedly, the person he had forgotten would pop up again the next day. Ai was puzzled for a moment and replied, "Yeah."
"But he..." Ai hesitated for a moment, then shook his head at Jiang Nian, "I don't smell the same scent on him as someone like the bishop."
"Miss, do you want to track down that person? I can help you."
The question was answered before it was even asked, and Jiang Nian suddenly laughed.
"Well, please check it out. Thank you very much."
After all, she has already cooperated with Meng Zheng, and it would be unreasonable if she didn't contribute. Besides, she really cares about this matter.
From this morning till now, there really wasn't anything wrong with what the soldier said. Although they were a little concerned about why the term "apology" came up, since he had no intention of hindering them and their stance seemed to be the same, they decided to just follow the hints he gave them.
Otherwise, there would be no opportunity to intervene in the investigation.
Cang County was still too unfamiliar to her.
Suppressing the vague discomfort of being taken away, Jiang Nian found an excuse to rest and said goodbye to Ai, then picked up the candle snips on the table and cut the candle wick.
The light in front of me went out and the house became dark instantly.
There is no moon tonight, and the paper window is only covered with a faint light.
Jiang Nian sighed, washed up, and lay back on the bed.
She pulled the soft quilt up to her neck and blinked at the ceiling. It was late at night, but her mind was still clear.
What happened these days is still vivid in my mind, and a clear picture emerges when I think about it.
Apart from working as a maid at Zuihua Tower, Meng Zheng and I are investigating the long-disbanded sect.
It is better to say that only by following the clues of this sect that has almost dissipated in the long river of time can we know how Shouzan came to this era and how he went back.
However, there are only two people who can give her clues at the moment, one is Qin Lan and the other is Meng Zheng.
But considering the matter of Princess Qingping, Qin Lan should be very busy recently.
Let’s go ask Meng Zheng first.
—
The time I spend closing my eyes and falling into darkness is always very short. When I wake up again, it is already the next morning.
The third day of the Flower Festival.
Jiang Nian got up as usual and went to the closet to look for the servant's clothes. However, the person outside seemed to sense that she had woken up, and the moment she reached out to take the clothes, he knocked on the door.
The knock on the door sounded familiar, it was Ai.
After spending some time with her, Jiang Nian almost felt that his way of getting along with her had become the same as that between him and Guizhi Fuling and the others.
Having said that, there are still many differences.
For example, Ai’s acting skills as a noble lady are very poor. For another example, apart from the murder, torture and investigation, she is half-confused in everything else.
He looks very smart, but sometimes when he speaks he gives people a dull feeling.
Jiang Nian closed the wardrobe, picked up a coat from the bed and put it on, then opened the door for her.
"Good morning, Ai, what's up?"
"Yeah." Ai responded, and then got straight to the point, "No need to go to the Huachao meeting."
"The whereabouts of 'Lu' have been confirmed."
“!”
Last week they were still discussing how to find this slippery man, but they didn't expect him to show up now.
"Who discovered him?"
Jiang Nian took a few steps back, leaving space for Ai to enter the house.
Ai shook her head. The situation was urgent, so she wanted to make it short and spoke a little faster.
"Miss, do you still remember that the Pavilion Master sent a group of troops to track down the Second Prince? The Second Prince has been quite active recently, so this gives us an opportunity to take advantage of it."
"When his troops were tracking him down, Lu stepped forward to act as a shield to protect the Second Prince."
After finishing the very long sentence, she paused for a moment, then looked at Jiang Nian with a serious expression.
"Miss, please wash up first. After that, go to the meeting room. The plan will become easier."
The situation suddenly became serious, and Jiang Nian's relaxed heart was weighed down. She nodded and didn't argue with Ai Keri.
"Well, you go ahead and do your work. I'll change my clothes and wash up and then go."
—
Zuihualou
There is a skylight on the top of the pavilion, and strands of warm yellow light shine through the window onto the wooden floor inside.
The long skirt of the silk dress dragged to the ground, the edges passed through the shadows, the intricate patterns fell under the skylight, and the shiny surface of the dress instantly shone with a golden glow.
The woman sat in front of the dressing table, her fingertips stained with rouge. She moved closer to the mirror, slightly parted her lips, and applied the rouge little by little on her light-colored lips.
The room was filled with fragrance, and beneath the gorgeous screen were piled up jewelry that made all the women in Beijing envious. The clothes and silks hidden behind the attic seemed to be richer than those in the largest silk shop in Beijing.
The hourglass on the table dripped down fine white sand, telling her that time was passing. Someone was knocking gently on the door outside, but the woman's movements were still unhurried.
Only when the sunlight shifted and her reflection in the mirror reached her most satisfactory level did she slowly put down the pen.
Polar's long black hair moved forward a little as she tilted her head, and the woman's voice sounded.
"Come in."
The person outside the pavilion seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then carefully pushed the door open and bowed to her.
"Your Excellency, the Second Prince wishes to see you and has been waiting outside for a long time."
The goddess reached out and stroked her long hair that was scattered in front of her, looked at her coldly, and then smiled faintly.
"Is he blaming me?"
The maid who knocked on the door was startled and immediately knelt down and kowtowed.
"I said the wrong thing! Please forgive me, Goddess. I didn't mean it!"
Afraid that the goddess would not respond, the maid nervously lifted her sleeves, exposed her arms to the air, and showed them to her.
"Please Goddess, I have absolutely no second thoughts."
The maid looked like a normal person, but the exposed part of her arm was completely gray-black, like the decayed skin of a dead person.
It is caused by long-term use of the medicine given by Wu Mi Zhong.
This type of medicine can keep the maids inside from having other thoughts and can also reduce hunger, thus saving a lot of food expenses.
As long as the dosage is reduced, the color of the arm will fade and return to its original state.
Although the drug itself is not fatal, the maid will not live long if she is without it.
The goddess glanced at her, and slowly lowered her hand that was stroking her hair back to her knees.
"Forget it, let him come up."
"I want to see what he wants."
After receiving the order, the maid felt relieved. She immediately stood up and bowed. After carefully closing the door, she raised her hand to tidy her hair to cover her red forehead and hurried to report.
The goddess blinked slowly, a hint of gloom in her eyes.
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