Wei Jing and Shao Qing also discussed the hunting trip in Shanglin Garden during the Wanshou Festival.
After New Year's Day, Wei Jing went out to contact his old informants for more than ten days, and it has been almost the same now.
Han Xi successfully passed the court celebration and basically contacted his spies. Logically speaking, this trip was a success. After Han Xi passed the Wanshou Festival, he should return to Anyang County smoothly and wait for the big changes to happen.
But in fact, it is not like that. Although Wei Jing’s contact with the spies is almost complete, there are still some shortcomings.
First, there is none in the palace.
Just as Ding Hua said to the emperor, with the combined strength of a country, there are people in the palace who are as skilled as the King of Qi, and there are more than one of them. If the King of Qi sneaks into the palace to assassinate him, he will be walking into a trap.
Therefore, for safety reasons, Wei Jing had no intention of contacting the spies in the palace from the beginning.
Second, among the many spies outside the palace, there is still a lack of a leader that satisfies him.
After Wei Jing contacted his former informant, the first thing he did was to abandon all previous means of contact and make new ones. All communication is done through a single line, and the spies are unaware of each other. In this way, even if one is exposed or has problems, it will never affect the others.
In this case, it is very necessary to have an absolutely trustworthy confidant to serve as the head of Luojing intelligence.
Contact your spies, gather intelligence and organize it, and be able to act flexibly when an emergency occurs. Ability and loyalty are both indispensable.
This is a special type of talent.
There are many people who are loyal to Wei Jing, but it is not easy to find someone who can perfectly perform this position.
He thought carefully about the spies he contacted this time, and even screened the Qing Zhai Guards who had been sent to the capital before. There are two that are passable, but to be honest, they are still not satisfactory.
At this time, Wei Jing couldn't help but think of someone, his former Luojing intelligence chief, Tao Hong.
Being the current intelligence chief of Luojing, he must have no problem with his ability and loyalty, and Wei Jing didn't suspect that he would betray him.
Then why not contact Tao Hong?
The reason is very simple. Tao Hong was a eunuch and was confined within the palace. As for the imperial palace, it was excluded from Wei Jing's contact range from the very beginning.
Wei Jing used to be a prince who was deeply favored by the emperor. He lived in the imperial palace before he was crowned king. Although he had his own palace after being crowned king, he lived in the northern border and seldom returned to the capital. Naturally, he stayed close to his parents.
Tao Hong's identity was perfect in the past, but now it has become a problem.
Originally, Wei Jing had given up on Tao Hong, but who knew that the Wanshou Festival would be held in Shanglinwan.
Shanglin Garden, a royal garden and hunting ground inherited from the previous dynasty, has reached perfection after being expanded and renovated by successive emperors of the Great Chu Dynasty. There are towering mountains and tall forests, where all kinds of wild animals thrive naturally; there is a large lake with misty waves and many kinds of fish and birds; there are even eight rivers.
Eight, eight natural rivers, you can see how big Shanglin Garden is.
Once inside, if you are willing, you will not have any contact with the emperor. Take Han Xi for example. He was nervous during the imperial congratulations, but he was quite relaxed during the Emperor's birthday celebration.
Let’s talk about Tao Hong.
He was an eunuch in the Imperial Chariot House.
The Zhongchefu is in charge of the imperial carriage. Tao Hong was one of the minor managers, inconspicuous and unimportant. However, if the emperor and his concubines moved to Shanglin Garden, departments like the Zhongchefu would be unable to cope with the situation, and all the stewards, big and small, would have to accompany them.
Although the Zhongchefu, an institution that was not a close attendant to the emperor, could accompany him on his hunting trip, it was absolutely impossible for them to accompany him on hunting trips.
There is no doubt that all the elite masters in the palace are protecting the emperor.
"Then if we enter Shanglin Garden, we can easily contact Tao Hong."
Shao Qing easily understood Wei Jing's meaning. After thinking about it for a while, he realized that this trip to Shanglin Garden was actually similar to Wei Jing's trip to Beijing to contact his spies. Although it sounded very worrying at first, it was actually quite low in danger.
"Then let's go in. We don't have to worry about attracting attention if we stay."
Why did Shao Qing say that?
Because she, Wei Jing and Shao Qing all had the chance to enter Shanglin Garden.
Hunting in Shanglinyuan, to put it bluntly, is similar to entering a wildlife sanctuary, where wild animals of all sizes reproduce naturally, and ferocious beasts such as tigers and bears are not uncommon. It is a place of both excitement and danger.
The emperor was certainly not afraid, but there were so many people coming to the capital to pay tribute, and although there were imperial guards, each individual would not have too many. Moreover, the foreign officials certainly would not dare to entrust their lives to strangers. The emperor did not deliberately make things difficult for anyone when celebrating his birthday, so it was natural that the twenty guards brought into the capital were already included in the scope of this trip.
With the idea that less trouble is worse than more, Shao Qing originally preferred not to go. But Wei Jing's side was a bit troublesome. After all, he was a guard. If he didn't go at this critical moment, it would attract attention. He was afraid that he would have to pretend to be seriously ill to deceive people.
She was in a dilemma before, wondering what serious illness to get? How can it be reasonable and not reveal the truth?
Okay, don't bother now.
Wei Jing said: "Well, let's get ready."
Small risk, big reward, being too cautious is not his usual style.
Moreover, Shanglinyuan is different from the imperial palace. Once you enter the vast jungle, you will lose all trace of it. Even if the worst happens, he is confident that he can bring his wife away safely.
The couple discussed it briefly and decided on the matter immediately.
Shao Qing immediately started to prepare.
What are you preparing for?
Her own new disguise.
Entering Shanglinyuan is different from entering the capital. The former requires a body search to prevent assassins, and it is not appropriate for women to wear men's clothes.
But it doesn’t matter much, as these twenty accompanying personnel can have female relatives. She also has women's clothing ready, so she can just disguise herself as a maid.
…
On the 16th day of the first lunar month, the emperor moved to Shanglin Garden.
The palace gates opened early in the morning, and a huge guard of honor and imperial guards marched out in formation, followed by the emperor's dragon chariot, the empress dowager's and empress's phoenix chariots, and the concubines' carriages. Behind them came the princes, royal family members, and ministers both inside and outside the court.
The foreign officials followed in line at the back, and it was not until mid-afternoon that the Yizhou Posthouse was notified to get ready to go out and join the team.
"Oh, this is too long of a wait." Shao Qing couldn't help but mutter.
She was now dressed in a light blue maid's outfit with two buns on her head. Her skin was slightly yellow with some spots. Her big almond-shaped eyes had slightly drooping corners, but her pair of lacquer-like pupils were sparkling.
This pair of pupils added a lot of color to her ordinary appearance, barely reaching the average level, but still not very noticeable.
Wei Jing was quite satisfied and whispered some instructions in her ear. Then the two of them went out to meet up with the main force.
Han Xi deliberately delayed a little. Now only Anyang Jun and his party were left outside the second gate. As soon as she went out, she quickly got on the carriage.
The curtain of the carriage was lowered, and Han Xi led the team, walking quickly to catch up with the main force and ranked last in Yizhou.
Wei Jing was very familiar with the procedures for traveling to the palace and the steps to enter Shanglin Garden, so it was easy for him to take advantage of the loophole.
By the time we arrived at Shanglinyuan, it had already gotten dark. There were flaming staffs and rows of soldiers in front of the gate of Shanglin Garden. Only after Cai Yu, the second-to-last officer from Yongchang County, entered did Shao Qing jump out of the car and follow Han Xi.
"Yizhou Anyang County?"
"yes."
Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged, fair-faced eunuch. He took Han Xi's badge, looked at it carefully, and then ticked the three words "Anyang County" on a booklet.
"Come in."
After counting, there were exactly twenty people behind, each holding a temporary badge with "Pass" written on it. The eunuch waved his hand.
"Next."
Han Xi and his team can proceed to the next inspection.
After walking a little further in, there was a row of rooms on each side, with men on the right and women on the left. No one knew each other. Shao Qing entered one of the rooms and came out quickly.
There were relatively few women, and she was even faster than Wei Jing and others.
Passed smoothly.
…
Tomorrow is the Wanshou Festival, so I have to spend a night in Shanglinyuan first.
There were a lot of people in Shanglin Garden at that time. It was fine for the masters, but the living quarters for the guards and servants were very crowded. A eunuch hurriedly led the way and assigned two rooms to the twenty people from Anyang County. He left after saying, "The well is over there, and the kitchen is in front."
No one to serve you, you have to take care of yourself, which is exactly what Wei Jing, Shao Qing and others want.
It was already the end of the night after all the hard work. The night was dark, so the couple had their meal and randomly chose an inner room of a house to rest after washing up.
"Husband? Do you know where the Central Chariot House is?" Shao Qing asked quietly.
In the front of Shanglin Garden is a two-story palace garden. The first floor has densely packed buildings, which is where they are now. The building density on the second floor is very low. You can see the lake and waterside pavilions up close and the mountains in the distance. It is mostly used by female officials and civil servants to enjoy the scenery. Further back is the vast hunting ground.
When Shao Qing entered just now, he saw that the palace was surrounded by three layers of armored soldiers inside and outside, with fire sticks flying everywhere. Even in the dark night, it was as bright as day, and the access control was extremely strict. There were teams of armored soldiers patrolling inside. She listened carefully and could hear faint footsteps.
With this level of defense density, she was always worried about being exposed. After all, Wei Jing would definitely not let her go. One more burden can make a big difference.
"It's okay. The Central Chariot House is on the edge of the second-level palace." A lot of space is needed to place the carriage.
Wei Jing comforted her: "Tomorrow we will be touring the garden, and a large number of imperial guards will be accompanying the emperor, so there will definitely be fewer guards."
With limited protection forces, the remaining imperial guards will almost all retreat to the second floor of the palace tomorrow. Because the concubines, civil servants and female relatives who do not hunt will stay here to visit the garden, and everyone can walk around freely at that time.
They all have legitimate identities, so Han Xi can just find an excuse to come back from the hunting ground early.
Shao Qing was relieved: "That's good."
…
The next day, everything went as Wei Jing had expected.
The emperor first moved to the second floor of the palace garden to visit. Even Han Xi could not get in, not to mention Wei Jing and others who were always arranged to wait outside.
More than an hour later, the emperor mounted his horse and headed for the hunting ground in a grand procession. It would be impossible to hunt prey with tens of thousands of people following them, so he gave an oral order that everyone could do as they pleased.
The ministers who were not very close to the emperor dispersed tactfully. Those who loved hunting went hunting, and those who didn't like hunting went back to continue touring the garden.
Han Xi hunted with several governors of Yizhou for a while, but they soon got separated due to his deliberate efforts. Everyone immediately pulled the reins of their horses and turned back.
"Fifth brother, let's go."
Because she had to appear in front of everyone in Yizhou this morning, Shao Qing changed into the clerk's uniform that she asked her companion to bring in for her. This outfit would attract a lot of attention when she walked around the palace, so she changed into the light yellow palace maid's dress that Wei Jing had gotten from somewhere.
Wei Jing also changed his clothes. They were from Wei, but not from Yizhou. The dark blue one belonged to an unknown state.
This way, they can move around openly with less risk; and even if something happens, Anyang County will not be exposed.
Shao Qing gave him a satisfied look, then she picked up a small tray, put a box on it, and then took out two volumes of documents and handed them to Wei Jing.
The two of them went out one after the other.
Wei Jing was in front, holding two rolls of documents, as if he was sent back to get something; and Shao Qing was holding a tray, as if he was delivering something to his master.
Smoothly, the two arrived near Zhongchefu.
It was very abrupt for an outsider official to enter the Imperial Chariot Mansion with his guards, so the two men stuffed the props into their arms. Wei Jing took a quick look, picked up Shao Qing, and jumped in on tiptoe.
Tao Hong was soon found. He was a middle-aged eunuch with a round face. Wei Jing tested him as usual and then contacted him.
In Shao Qing's opinion, Tao Hongying should be extremely loyal.
Wei Jing had changed his appearance and his clothing style was also very different from before, but he recognized his master just by a quick glance at his back.
At this moment, she clearly saw ecstasy in Tao Hong's eyes. After a long drought, he finally burst into tears. The environment did not allow it, so he covered his mouth, trembling all over as he cried.
A hint of warmth also flashed in Wei Jing's eyes. He personally helped the other person up and entrusted him with the important task again.
Tao Hong only asked whether his master was healthy and didn't say anything else for fear that someone might hear him. After Zhengzhong accepted the task, he heard Wei Jing ask him if it was convenient to pass on the message to the outside of the palace. He hurriedly said, "These days, I have been observing my subordinates. Master, don't worry, I will contact a few more later."
He naturally knew that he had to be extremely cautious now, and was afraid that he would make a wrong judgment, so he quickly told Wei Jing the name of the person he had his eyes on.
Wei Jing thought for a moment and said, "Yes."
…
We contacted Tao Hong very smoothly, and even had an informant in the palace, so the trip was a complete success.
Wei Jing hugged Shao Qing and returned to the woods not far from the Zhongcha Mansion.
This second-level palace is full of trees, lakes and other places, and palaces of varying sizes are scattered across hillsides and valleys. There are ample and luxurious resting areas, while the original appearance of nature is preserved as much as possible, making it seem like a fairyland on earth.
Such an environment is very conducive to stealth. The two men calmly adjusted their clothes. Shao Qing carefully checked Wei Jing's makeup. After making sure there were no mistakes, they took the props and walked west along the gentle slope, intending to return the same way after leaving the woods.
But who knew that just as she took a step, Wei Jing suddenly reached out and grabbed her.
Shao Qing's heart skipped a beat.
Wei Jing had already put his arm around her waist and quickly slipped into the depths of the woods.
Someone is coming this way, and more than one.
Wei Jing did not want to cause any trouble, so he was about to take his wife out of the woods from the other side. Unexpectedly, as the man opened his mouth, he suddenly stopped.
"Your Highness!"
The voice was unfamiliar, and Wei Jing couldn't recognize it at first, but he soon understood it.
"Your Highness, the Yellow River ice flood has begun! What should we do?!"
It’s Dinghua!
Wei Jing turned his head slightly and saw two people walking quickly towards the depths of the woods not far away. The person who was speaking anxiously was a middle-aged man wearing a scarlet official robe, a silver seal, and a three-color blue ribbon. He was one of the Nine Ministers.
He immediately determined that this person was the upstart Wu'an Marquis Ding Hua.
The other man had fair and rosy skin, long eyes and a straight nose, and was quite handsome. Even without looking at the blue royal robe, Wei Jing recognized him at a glance.
It was Prince An.
These two people actually got together privately and were very familiar with each other.
There is no doubt that this is a big secret.
When Prince An frowned and waved his hand, and two rows of personal guards quickly surrounded the guard, Wei Jing's mind raced, his body moved slightly, and he retreated silently behind a huge rock more than ten feet away.
It is impossible for an ordinary person to eavesdrop from this distance, and there is a steep slope several meters high behind him, which must be a weak point in defense, and the lush vegetation happens to be suitable for invisibility.
Wei Jing was not an ordinary person, and this was a downwind position, so he could just barely hear the conversation in front.
He squinted through the gaps between the branches and leaves, only to see Ding Hua's face flushed red, and he growled in frustration: "Your Highness! You said before that if it came to the last resort, even if you faked your own death, you could help me escape!"
"The Fugou River embankment is showing signs of collapse. If we don't do anything, it will be too late!"
…
Ding Hua was King An's man, and he had been one since a long time ago.
Prince An got married early. Since Ding Hua's eldest daughter was married to Prince An's Consort six years ago, he has been Prince An's man.
At the beginning of this summer, he followed the instructions of Prince An and submitted a memorial to the emperor on the proposal to restrain the water and attack the sand.
From then on, he had been sending people to keep a close eye on the Yellow River embankment in Chenliu Fugu section involved in the incident.
This year's spring came early and the temperature rose rapidly after the beginning of spring. The day before yesterday, he received an urgent secret report from his confidant in Fugu.
The Yellow River has begun to thaw, and the turbid river water mixed with large and small pieces of ice is flowing slowly, but there is no sign of thawing further north downstream.
The ice flood has arrived.
Arrived a little earlier than expected.
Ding Hua couldn't help but be extremely anxious. Once the dam broke, the emperor would not be able to appease the public anger unless he killed him as the proposer. He had to escape in time before the incident happened.
But his master, Prince An...
Prince An arrived in Beijing half a month before the New Year. At that time, Ding Hua wanted to discuss this matter with him, but both of them were too busy to do so, so they had to put it aside for the time being.
After the New Year, Prince An became even busier. Every time Ding Huaxun went, he would encounter him being summoned by the Emperor to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, and various things that could not be delayed.
If he hadn't shown some emotion today due to his urgent situation, he probably wouldn't have been able to pull back Prince An who was wholeheartedly accompanying the emperor.
Ding Hua actually had a bad feeling in his heart, but he refused to believe it.
Now, this premonition came to my mind again, mixed with anxiety and worry, and suddenly exploded into an extreme panic and burning sensation.
He took two quick steps forward.
"Your Highness! I have been loyal to you..." for many years! You can't abandon the rabbit after it's dead!
Halfway through his words, Ding Hua's high-pitched voice suddenly stopped.
He suddenly felt a pain in his chest and abdomen, a sharp pain as if a sharp weapon was stabbing into his body, which came unexpectedly.
He subconsciously lowered his head and saw a gold-wire dagger inlaid with rubies being held in a white and slender hand. The dagger had already penetrated his chest and abdomen. A streak of crimson slowly seeped out, staining the scarlet official robe with a bit of bright color.
Ding Hua's eyes suddenly widened and he raised his head abruptly.
"you!"
The author has something to say: King An has actually made preparations for the back-up plan and is not acting rashly. We will talk about it in the next chapter.
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