Chapter 268 How about using the beauty trap?
Song Jingning had thought about exposing Su Chengzong's thoughts before.
But he was afraid that he would have no way out and become radical, so he did not take action.
Now with Qi Yanzhou's help and the rescue troops arriving soon, they can indeed put some pressure on Su Chengzong.
As soon as the news came out, Su Chengzong must have been very panicked and wanted to dispel the rumors.
At this time, he would stand up and help Su Chengzong clarify the matter by offering the release of students as a condition.
When the enemy is at the gate, he can just regret it.
This is what Song Jingning thought and said.
Qi Yanzhou smiled and said, "We have the same idea, so let's do it this way."
After listening to this, Sun Chu gave a thumbs up in admiration.
"Luckily I'm not on your side, otherwise I would be sold out and happily help you count the money."
He never thought that he was stupid, otherwise he would not have been able to fully understand those military strategies.
But when it comes to political intrigue, he is completely defeated by these "natives" who play political games!
Qi Yanzhou pressed down Sun Chu's hand and said, "It's good to know. Since you have recognized my wife as your master, you should not have any second thoughts."
This statement is to show the relationship between Sun Chu and Ye Chutang.
Although Sun Chu was somewhat disgusted with the word "master", he did not refute.
Because before he completed the ten things Ye Chutang asked him to do, he was indeed under her control.
Song Jingning picked up a piece of cake in a good mood and put it in his mouth.
It was soft, sweet and very delicious, and it made him feel much more cheerful after a day of heavy mood.
After eating, he said: "I hope that the crisis in Ningzhou City can be resolved before the Mid-Autumn Festival, so that the people can have a good reunion festival."
Qi Yanzhou said affirmatively: "I definitely will."
There are still ten days until Mid-Autumn Festival, which is enough time to break the situation in Ningzhou City.
These words made Song Jingning completely relieved.
He used a paperweight to hold down the fine rice paper, picked up a wolf-hair brush, and began to write poetry.
Sun Chu looked at Song Jingning's handwriting, which was comparable to calligraphy, and asked, "How much silver is Master Haoyue's calligraphy worth?"
Song Jingning: “…”
He coughed lightly, "It's only for giving away, not for selling."
"Change your mindset in the future and learn from Madam Qi, and focus on both fame and money."
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Song Jingning's lips.
"Madam Qi is a wonderful person, no one else can compare to her."
"That's true. Never mind. It would be better for me to exclusively sell her calligraphy in the future."
Qi Yanzhou looked at Song Jingning who was concentrating on writing poetry and reminded him, "Mr. Song, no matter what happens, you must protect yourself first. Your family is waiting for you."
Song Jingning thought of Ye Chutang and nodded heavily.
"I will. After all, people are selfish."
He will do his best to protect everyone as long as it does not threaten his own safety.
If you can't protect yourself, just take care of yourself.
After all, meaningless sacrifice is the most stupid.
Qi Yanzhou felt relieved after getting Song Jingning's assurance.
After he got the written poem, he asked Sun Chu to chat a few words about literary talent, and then stood up to say goodbye.
When the two of them came out of the main room of the academy where guests were received, the servant boy just came back with the brewed tea.
"Are you two guests leaving now? This tea..."
Sun Chu pointed at the calligraphy in Qi Yanzhou's hand and said with a smile: "We have already got the most important thing. Why don't you stay for dinner? You can drink this tea by yourself. It is definitely not as good as my Qianjin Gambling House."
When the soldiers guarding outside the door heard this, they took the paper from Qi Yanzhou's hand.
After confirming that it was just a sour poem, he returned it to Qi Yanzhou.
Then he made a sarcastic remark.
"When a rough man talks about poetry, it's like a young wife showing off her sword skills. It's ridiculous!"
Qi Yanzhou put away the poem and said with a smile, "Sir, please don't let General Su's daughter hear what you said."
These words made the officers and soldiers change their expressions.
He quickly explained, "Don't talk nonsense, Miss Su is a heroine, not some little wife!"
"Your Excellency is right. I have learned my lesson."
Sun Chu urged, "You have already got the calligraphy you wanted, why are you still hesitating? Hurry and leave."
"Yes, shopkeeper."
Because Sun Chu came with Su Chengzong's handwritten letter.
The two were not questioned when they left.
Returned to Qianjin Casino.
Qi Yanzhou did not leave immediately, but pulled Sun Chu back to his room.
"How much do you know about the garrison in Ningzhou City? Are there any loopholes to exploit?"
Sun Chu not only had some knowledge of business affairs, but also knew everything about the officials in Dingzhou City.
He has a cooperative relationship with officials, as well as a bargaining relationship.
If you don't have something in your hand, it will be eaten up.
"If you ask me about the loopholes of the officials, I can tell you one or two, but as for the garrison, I can't do anything."
He was doing business and had nothing to do with the garrison, so he didn't know much about it.
Qi Yanzhou knew that it was difficult to inquire about the garrison matters, and did not expect Sun Chu to say anything.
"Then let's talk about the officials."
“The governor of Dingzhou City is a little greedy, but he knows when to stop and is generally a good official.
There was a tigress in the governor's family who was fond of men and gave birth to a son who was also like that.
Su Chengzong was strict in military discipline, but he was lustful and favored his concubine over his wife. ”
At this point, Sun Chu's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I have thought of a way to deal with Su Chengzong."
Qi Yanzhou looked at Sun Chu's mischievous face and felt that his method was definitely not very good.
"Tell me about it."
Sun Chu raised his eyebrows and uttered three words.
"The Beauty Trap."
"Why? You want me to seduce his favorite concubine and use our internal and external forces to deal with him?"
"The plan is correct, but we need to change someone."
Qi Yanzhou immediately went over in his mind the men who could use the beauty trap.
None of his confidants are ugly, but they are not around.
The subordinates who coordinated inside and outside Ningzhou City were not only inconspicuous, but also unfamiliar faces.
No matter who appears next to the favorite concubine, they will be targeted by Su Chengzong and will not be able to implement their plans.
Thinking of this, his eyes fell on Sun Chu's face.
Sun Chu felt uneasy when he was looked at, and continued what he had not finished saying before.
"The target of the beauty trap is not the concubine, but her daughter. It is said that Su Chengzong had a woman whom he loved but could not get. The concubine resembled the woman 50%, and the daughter she gave birth to resembled her 70%, and was very favored."
Qi Yanzhou smiled and said, "That's right, he's about the same age as you."
Hearing this, the corners of Sun Chu's mouth twitched.
"Don't try to hit on me. I'm allergic to women."
Although he is not great or glorious.
But he would not use his feelings to deceive an innocent woman.
After all, it wasn't him who wanted to take over Ningzhou City.
He is not a love cheater!
Qi Yanzhou coaxed, "If you succeed, I'll let Atang count you as one..."
Before he could finish his words, Sun Chu crossed his arms over his chest and refused righteously.
"It doesn't matter what benefits you offer me, I won't do it!"
After saying that, he explained.
"That girl always does good things, so don't do anything immoral to her."
Qi Yanzhou looked at Sun Chu speechlessly.
"Didn't you say the beauty trap was yours? And no matter what the girl's personality is, he and Su Zhengzong will suffer together and will inevitably die."
Su Chengzong committed the heinous crime of confiscating property and exterminating the entire clan, and many innocent people in the family were implicated.
At least, this girl enjoyed the wealth and glory brought to her by Su Chengzong!
Sun Chu pulled the corner of his mouth and coughed lightly.
"I was just teasing you, why did you take it seriously? If I ask you to use the beauty trap, Ye Chutang will definitely kill me."
After saying that, he thought about it and came up with a compromise solution.
"You don't need to use the beauty trap. Since the concubine's daughter is doomed to die, just capture her."
It's okay to take advantage of someone, but it's too much to deceive their feelings.
Although it is impossible for Su Chengzong to compromise for his daughter, it is always a good idea to have multiple bargaining chips.
Seeing Sun Chu's firm attitude, Qi Yanzhou did not force it.
"Okay, tell me about the appearance of the favored concubine and how to catch her?"
If he were to rush into the military base to capture them, he wouldn't have the ability to do so.
Sun Chu: “…”
He had never seen the girl, so how could he know what she looked like.
"I heard that Su Xuerong lives up to her name. She has a face like a lotus and is the most beautiful girl in Ningzhou City. However, she was ill in her mother's womb and has always been in poor health. She has to take medicine all year round. Occasionally, she stays at Wanfu Temple and gives alms to the poor. Maybe she can try her luck."
Qi Yanzhou asked, "Where does Su Xuerong live when she is not living in Wanfu Temple?"
"Emperor Su Chengzong loves Su Xuerong very much and often brings her with him, so she lives in the garrison for a long time. The rest of the time she lives in the Su Mansion in the city and Wanfu Temple. Let me check where she is now."
"Okay, if you have any news, send me a message with a stone."
After Qi Yanzhou finished speaking, he returned to the inn.
After using potion to soften the disguise cream, the face was reshaped back to its previous appearance.
His disguise skills were average, and he only restored his appearance to 80%.
But it was enough to hide it from people who had only met him once.
He looked at the darkening sky, went out and headed for the winery that brewed barley wine.
Highland barley wine is a specialty of Ningzhou City, and there is an entire street full of wineries.
You can smell the mellow and intoxicating aroma of wine from a distance.
After nightfall, there was an endless stream of people coming to drink.
Qi Yanzhou mingled among them and chose a tavern with the most families to sit down.
He tasted the wine while listening to everyone chatting.
Then extract the information that is useful to you.
Because Ningzhou City was under martial law, the people knew something was going to happen, and they tried all kinds of information and made speculations.
"It feels like a war is about to break out. There have never been so many soldiers in the city."
"It seems that General Su is planning to rise up and establish himself as king, so he blocked the academy and forced the Song family to become his helper."
"Yes, I also heard that General Su wants to marry his daughter to the son of General Qin in Haixi County."
"Not only that, General Su's legitimate son is also planning to marry the daughter of the governor of Wuhai County."
"If the three states and counties form an alliance, General Su will have nearly 200,000 soldiers and horses at his disposal, and he will be able to conquer the world in no time!"
"I don't think highly of General Su. He is just a lustful and reckless man. If he becomes emperor, he may not do a better job than the current emperor."
This statement was recognized by many people.
When Su Chengzong was only the deputy general of the garrison, he did a lot of corrupt and illegal things.
After he became the commander of the garrison, his behavior became even worse.
That favorite concubine was the wife he stole!
Of course, calling her a married woman is a bit of an exaggeration.
That favorite concubine was only engaged, but not married yet.
But the concubine and her fiancé were childhood sweethearts and had a very good relationship.
After the favorite concubine was taken away by Su Chengzong, she felt that life was worse than death, so her fiancé asked her to jump into the river to commit suicide.
In the end, only the fiancé died, and the favorite concubine was saved by Su Chengzong.
Perhaps because she had died once, she accepted her fate and became Su Chengzong's most beloved concubine.
When the drinkers talked about this, they all sighed.
Lamenting that lovers can never be together.
Someone got drunk and leaned over the table and said vaguely: "It is still unknown whether the concubine's child is General Su's!"
His voice was not loud and was drowned out by the noisy discussions.
Qi Yanzhou was relatively close to him and had excellent hearing, so he heard it clearly.
A gleam of light flashed across the deep eyes.
He joined in the discussion and poured a glass of his best barley wine for the man sitting opposite him.
"I heard that Aunt Fang gave up the idea of committing suicide because she had a child."
The man drank the wine in one gulp.
"This Qingcui is indeed the signature of Liji Winery. Great wine!"
After saying that, he put down the cup and responded, "You are right. Seven months after Aunt Fang fell into the water, she gave birth to Miss Su."
When everyone heard that Qi Yanzhou bought the best wine, many of them came over and sat down.
He was not stingy and ordered another bottle of wine and poured a glass for everyone.
Then he got the news he wanted.
The child Su Xuerong born to Su Chengzong's favorite concubine, Aunt Fang, is most likely her fiancé's child!
Regardless of whether it is true or not, Qi Yanzhou intends to find out the truth.
Moreover, he had used a few bottles of wine to find out the whereabouts of Aunt Fang.
Aunt Fang loves to listen to opera.
She would go to Qunfang Garden to listen to opera on fixed days every month.
And the most recent one will be the day after tomorrow.
Qi Yanzhou paid for the wine, came out of Li’s Winery, and casually visited a few other shops.
Then he used the gold ingots given to him by the rich businessman to order a hundred jars of strong barley wine from Li Ji.
Li Ji does not have so much inventory and needs to allocate it to its peers.
"I'll come pick up the goods in five days, and after confirming everything is correct, I'll pay for the rest of the wine. How do you think?"
"Of course, here is the receipt, please keep it."
Qi Yanzhou planned to give the wine to Ma Weiyuan.
Winter in the north is hard to bear, and drinking can drive away the cold.
When he returned to the inn, he found that some officers and soldiers were staying nearby.
It was obvious that the officers and soldiers knew that he had ordered wine from the winery and wanted to steal his money before he paid!
Qi Yanzhou pretended to know nothing.
He asked the waiter to bring two dishes and a soup to his room, and handed the medicine bag to the waiter.
"Just like at noon, add three bowls of water to one dose of medicine and boil it into one bowl."
The waiter took the medicine bag and the reward money and nodded happily.
"Yes, sir. I will bring you medicine later and then come to clean up the dishes."
"When you deliver the medicine, please also deliver a few buckets of hot water. I want to take a hot bath and sweat."
Qi Yanzhou deliberately coughed twice to indicate that he was still sick.
"Okay, sir."
Not long after the waiter left, the food was delivered to the room.
After Qi Yanzhou tested the poison with a silver needle, he took a small bite of each dish.
He only ate after making sure that he had not been poisoned.
Not long after I finished eating, the waiter brought in the boiled medicine.
"Sir, this is candied fruit for you."
Qi Yanzhou stood by the window, looking at the bright lights on the street and nodded slightly.
"Leave it there. I'll drink it when it's cooler. Go get some hot water."
The waiter slowly cleared the dishes on the table and said, "Sir, this medicine must be taken while it's hot, otherwise it won't be very effective."
These words made Qi Yanzhou alert, and he glanced at the steaming medicine.
"knew."
Seeing that Qi Yanzhou didn't take his words seriously, the waiter stopped trying to persuade him, fearing that he would be suspected.
"I'll go get some hot water for you, young master."
After saying that, he left with the leftovers.
Qi Yanzhou quickly came to the table, picked up the bowl and smelled it.
The bitter taste of the medicine was mixed with the smell of knockout drugs.
The dosage is so strong that you will fall asleep after taking one sip.
Qi Yanzhou held the bowl and listened to the waiter carrying water and walking up the stairs, with the corners of his mouth raised in mockery.
When the door of the room was pushed open, he pretended to be frightened and dropped the bowl in his hand to the ground.
"You scared me. Why didn't you knock on the door?"
As soon as the preconceived words came out, the waiter apologized repeatedly.
"Sorry, sir. I was negligent. I will fry another bowl for you later."
"No, if the medicine is spilled, it means you shouldn't drink it."
When the waiter heard this, he became extremely flustered.
"Mr....Mr. is right. Taking a hot bath and wrapping yourself in a blanket to sweat is not bad."
After saying that, he took two waiters with him and poured the hot water into the bathtub.
Then he cleaned up the broken bowls and medicine stains on the floor and left.
After taking a bath, Qi Yanzhou stood by the window and threw down the stone that Sun Chu had thrown to him.
Then a bell was placed on the door bolt and the window.
If someone breaks in, you can detect it immediately.
He was tired after a long day and fell asleep on the bed.
Nearing midnight, Qi Yanzhou smelled the scent of incense.
As the heir to the Chen Palace, he has been trained to resist various drugs since he was a child.
Ordinary medicines have long been ineffective for him.
He immediately got up from the bed, picked up his bag and hid behind the door.
After a while, the bell fell to the ground.
"bite!"
The two soldiers who were trying to pry the door open were so frightened that they almost turned around and ran away.
Then he remembered that the person in the room had been drugged, and continued to pry the door bolt.
With a very light "creak", the door opened.
There was a lantern hanging at the top of the stairs, casting a faint light into the room.
Two soldiers disguised as thieves tiptoed towards the bed.
After Qi Yanzhou and the other two were two steps away from the door, they quickly left the room and closed the door.
He shouted, "Help! A thief has broken in! This inn is a shady place! Everyone, check to see if your things have been stolen and report to the police immediately!"
The loud voice woke up the sleeping people, and the inn suddenly became lively.
The officers and soldiers trapped inside the door became frantic and pulled the door hard.
But the two of them tried their best but failed to open the door.
The only option was to escape through the window.
The third floor is not too high for officers and soldiers who know some martial arts.
The two men immediately gave up pulling the door, ran to the window, pushed it open and jumped down.
When the first person jumped down, Qi Yanzhou pushed open the door.
"Someone come! The thief is trying to escape by jumping out of the window!"
Before he could finish his words, the soldier who jumped down stepped on a stone and screamed in pain.
"ah!"
The painful sound just came out and then stopped abruptly.
Because he was hit by the next soldier who jumped down and passed out.
At this time.
All the rooms in the inn were lit up.
The quick man had already left the inn and stopped the masked soldiers who were trying to escape.
But his small body was no match for the officers and soldiers, and he was thrown to the ground.
"Help! Someone come! Robbery and murder!"
While howling, he did not forget to hold tightly onto the legs of the unconscious soldier.
Seeing more and more people coming out of the inn, the officers and soldiers had no choice but to abandon their companions and flee on their own.
When Qi Yanzhou came down from upstairs, he was holding his bag tightly with a furious look on his face.
"Where's the shopkeeper? Come out quickly!"
The innkeeper came quickly from the backyard.
“Sir, I have heard about the thieves and I have sent my waiter to report to the authorities.
Don't worry, this inn is not a shady place. Since you let the thief break in due to negligence, I will waive three days' room fee for you. ”
After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he said to the other guests, "I am really sorry for disturbing you all. I will waive one day's room fee for everyone."
As soon as he finished speaking, the guest who was pushed to the ground dragged the unconscious "thief" into the lobby of the inn.
"Boss, I was heroically injured while catching a bad guy. How do you want to compensate me?"
The shopkeeper's eyes darkened when he saw the officers and soldiers having their face coverings taken off.
Going crazy!
It would have been fine if General Su's men were discovered stealing, but they were actually caught!
He took a deep breath, took out a tael of silver from his sleeve pocket and handed it to the injured guest.
"Thank you, sir. I will have this thief sent to the authorities immediately!"
Only when a person is in his hands can he prevent him from escaping.
Qi Yanzhou certainly knew that the shopkeeper was spending money to clean up the mess for Su Chengzong.
He suddenly said, "Why does this person's face look so familiar?"
After saying that, he quickly walked up to the officers and soldiers and checked them carefully.
"His right hand is covered with calluses, especially around the base of his palm. These are from years of holding knives. This person can't be..."
Before he could finish his words, someone answered.
"It's an officer! I've seen him before!"
The shopkeeper was so frightened that his heart stopped beating.
"Please don't make false statements. The consequences of slandering officers and soldiers are not something we ordinary people can bear!"
This successfully stopped everyone from discussing.
Qi Yanzhou's goal had been achieved, and he followed the shopkeeper's words and said, "This man could also be a bandit who has been robbing people all year round."
"Yes, yes, it's the bandits! People look alike, and we don't see Bing Ye very often, so it's understandable that he made a mistake."
Although the guest was sure that he had not made a mistake, he was not stupid enough to refute the shopkeeper.
He couldn't afford to offend the officers and soldiers.
Seeing that he had stabilized the situation, the shopkeeper immediately asked the waiter to take the soldiers away.
Qi Yanzhou extended his hand to the shopkeeper.
"Refund my room fee. I don't dare to stay in this inn any longer!"
After the shopkeeper made repeated assurances, seeing that Qi Yanzhou was still determined, he had no choice but to return the money for his stay to him.
"Sir, it's curfew at this hour. Please stay overnight before leaving. I promise to strengthen security and never let thieves in."
"No, I'll stay at the Qianjin Casino next door. Even though it costs more, it's safer!"
Although there was a curfew at this time, the gambling house was still very lively.
As long as the people who go to the gambling house don't hang out in the middle of the night, the officers and soldiers will not care.
The shopkeeper had no reason to persuade him anymore and watched Qi Yanzhou leave.
Qi Yanzhou naturally moved into the gambling house.
The fourth floor of the gambling house has various special rooms, and staying there for one night costs five taels of silver.
He chose a room close to Sun Chu.
When he entered the room and looked at the room decorated as a wedding room, his eyes twitched.
The room is very large and is divided into two rooms, inside and outside.
The room was filled with a strong scent of powder, which made Qi Yanzhou frown.
He opened the window to let the smell out and went into the inner room to rest.
There was a tray on the low table next to the bed, which was filled with strange things.
There are soft whips as long as your palm, and strange-looking dog leashes...
Qi Yanzhou shook his head and went to bed to rest.
As soon as he lay down, Sun Chu came.
"Hehe, I didn't expect that Master Qi would have such a refined taste that he would live in the special wedding room alone."
As he said this, he picked up a small whip and slapped the palm of his hand.
Qi Yanzhou met Sun Chu's mischievous eyes and stood up.
"I'm not as elegant as Mr. Sun. Change rooms!"
After saying that, he took his bag and coat and went to Sun Chu's room.
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