The moon was at the top of the sky, the drums were ringing at midnight, the palace door creaked and opened from the inside, and two tall figures appeared at the palace door, it was Cai Dabao and Wang Pin.
The emperor was drunk and talked a lot to the two of them, so it was already midnight when the two of them left the palace.
After leaving the palace gate, the two did not immediately board their carriages, but asked their family members to follow them from a distance.
It was inconvenient to talk about some things in front of the emperor just now. Neither of them felt sleepy at the moment, so they talked while walking.
Cai Dabao lowered his voice and said: "Consort, I didn't mean to discredit you just now. You also know that the emperor is very suspicious, and the ministers in the court are at odds. This is a good opportunity to revitalize the court, so ..."
Wang Pin waved his hand and said: "Master Cai, you are worrying too much. Why didn't I think of this level? Although the dynasty has been established for five years, the three tigers of Northern Zhou, Southern Chen, and Northern Qi are surrounding them. People's hearts are unstable, and some scholars I am indeed wavering."
"Nowadays, with the protection of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the subjects are still docile. However, it is better to take the initiative in one's own hands than to place hope on others. However, the emperor wants to take advantage of the disputes between the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the Southern Chen Dynasty to benefit from it. Could it be that Do you agree?"
Cai Dabao sighed and said: "If you eat the emperor's salary, you will eat the emperor's salary, you will be loyal to the emperor, and you will worry about the emperor! Your Majesty has always been worried about the capture of Jiangling by the Western Wei Dynasty. If you make clever use of the Three Kingdoms War, your Majesty will be even more worried about our country." It is beneficial. However, this benefit is really limited and is not enough to fundamentally change the current situation of our country's dependence on the Northern Zhou Dynasty."
Some words cannot be said openly. If Cai Dabao speaks a little bit, Wang Pin will understand.
The Back Liang was born in dependence on the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and everything was based on Chang'an in the north. If the friction between the Northern Zhou, Northern Qi, and Southern Chen dynasties continued, the role of the Back Liang would gradually become prominent.
It may even become a vital weight at certain moments, enough to determine which side the balance of victory tilts towards. This is also the way of survival for some small countries, and it has been well played by politicians as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
Wang Pin cheered up and said: "Not bad! Use it well. The status of our dynasty will be greatly improved!
Cai Da nodded and said: "In this way, the imperial court is firmly on the side of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, but it can also take this opportunity to see the attitudes of the other two countries towards me."
Wang Pin heard what he meant, his eyes flashed slightly, and he said: "The emperor's plan is great, but the current situation is worrying. As long as the war does not reach Jiangling, the victory of the Northern Zhou Dynasty will be beneficial to our country, and the victory of the Northern Qi Dynasty will also be beneficial to our country. Advantageous."
"Speaking of which, Northern Zhou, Northern Qi, and Southern Chen are all our enemies. We cannot let Northern Qi and Southern Chen feel that we are secretly contacting them behind Northern Zhou's back. We cannot let Northern Zhou know that we are relying on them. He also flirted with his enemy. This matter must be kept strictly confidential, otherwise it will be a huge disaster!"
Cai Dabao said: "Exactly! In addition to investigating the details of the Northern Qi Dynasty, I am planning to recruit some more people. These people are not from the imperial court on the surface, but are actually controlled by the imperial court."
Wang Pin stopped and looked directly at Cai Dabao: "It's good to find another way, but are these people reliable?"
Cai Dabao said: "Prince-in-law, this is exactly what I want to discuss with you in detail. I have initially thought about it. There should not be too many candidates, and they must be carefully selected. They must be loyal and capable."
Wang Pin smiled faintly: "Even confidants will inevitably not reveal the truth under torture. If you want to use them, their wives, children, and children will naturally have to be controlled."
"What the consort said is absolutely true!" Cai Dabao nodded repeatedly, "I have thought about it, and since ancient times, the people who have been used most for subversion, instigating rebellion, and collecting intelligence are merchants. They can come into contact with all kinds of people when traveling north and south. It is only the loyalty of these merchants. The degree of violence is the lowest. They can sell everything for profit. How to control it?"
Wang Pin nodded slightly when he heard the words. Now that the imperial court's national power is weak, it needs to rely on others, and it is unlikely to reward others with heavy profits. Cai Dabao's proposal is theoretically feasible, but it is too difficult to implement in practice, and it is a risky move.
Cai Dabao said: "I don't have a complete plan for this matter, so I didn't tell everything in front of your majesty. Consort, you are very thoughtful, so please help me with the details!"
Wang Pindao: "Master Cai, I think this matter cannot be rushed. Although it is an opportunity for Northern Qi to do something carefully, it is extremely risky to act rashly. It is better to deal with this matter slowly."
"Exactly, exactly!"
After discussing this, the two of them both felt that it was necessary to establish an intelligence organization that was independent of the imperial court, outside the government but firmly controlled by the imperial court. This matter has since been put on the agenda, and will be announced once specific regulations are in place. Your Majesty, after all, personnel appointments and operating expenses require your approval.
After talking for a while, the two of them went back to their homes.
When Wang Pin returned to his mansion, he summoned one of his confidants, whispered a few instructions, and the confidant walked away.
When the moon penetrated into the clouds, the light in the row of rooms behind the small restaurant became darker and darker, and there were large shadows all around. Only a trace of residual moonlight came in through the window and slanted on the ground, like a slender handful. The sharp sword shot straight into the room, contrasting clearly with the surrounding shadows, making it even more dazzling, and conveying a vague and sinister meaning.
One long and one short intermittent snoring came from the house. The restaurant clerk Fugui was so busy during the day that he climbed onto the couch early at night, lay down and fell asleep.
He was the only clerk left in the store, and he was snoring so loudly that he didn't have to worry about disturbing others.
In his sleep, Fugui felt a cold feeling on his cheeks. He cursed and turned over. He wanted to continue sleeping, but the cold feeling on his cheeks did not disappear and he opened his eyes in a daze.
But he saw a masked man in black standing in front of him, with a bright, narrow-edged sword stuck to his face. He couldn't help but be shocked to the point that Qihun lost his soul. He wanted to speak, but found that his throat
There was a rattling noise, and I couldn't help but feel a burst of despair.
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"Don't make a sound if you are wise, otherwise don't blame me for not recognizing people with the sword in my hand!" The man in black said something through his teeth, and with a slight flip of his wrist, he placed the single sword on Fugui's neck.
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"Spare your life, spare your life, yes, yes, yes..." Fugui said tremblingly. He was just frightened, not really lost his voice. "All the money... was taken away... by the shopkeeper."
..."
"I just want to ask you one thing. I heard that Beiqi's masterpiece appeared in your restaurant yesterday afternoon..."
Before the man in black finished speaking, Fugui defended himself: "This... this has nothing to do with the shop. That... that fine work... is also the first time I come to the shop..."
The man in black shouted in a deep voice: "Stop making any noise! You just need to tell the whole story in detail!"
Fugui was sweating from behind, and said hurriedly: "Yes, when I was young..."
Although he was afraid, he was usually very smooth-talking and had a good memory, so it was not difficult for him to tell the story. He was a little stuttered at first, but later he became more fluent and talked about some details. The blade of the man in black also came from him.
Take it away from your neck.
"What does this person look like?"
Fugui thought for a while and replied: "Appearance... he is very handsome, but it is different from the gentlemen that I usually see... As for how different it is, I can't tell! However, following him
The woman looked like a fairy in the painting. She was wearing a red embroidered sleeves with eight pleats and a purple skirt..."
There was a "pop", but it was the man in black who slapped Fugui, "You remember women clearly!"
Fugui covered his red and swollen cheeks and said, "I don't dare, I don't dare..."
"Where did these two people go?"
Fugui said with a bitter face: "I don't know what happened to this little one. At that time, the shopkeeper asked me to pack up the cups, plates, dishes, chopsticks, etc., but I didn't pay attention to their whereabouts..."
The man in black said coldly: "That's all, if someone asks you what happened tonight, how should you answer?"
Fugui pondered the words of the man in black, rolled his eyes, and said hurriedly: "Tonight... I slept like a dead dog tonight. I dreamed of getting married... Ahem, it was a very sweet sleep..."
p>
"You know what's interesting!" The man in black sneered, "If you reveal even a single word, you may risk your life!"
Until the man in black walked out of the house, Fugui didn't dare to move. He listened carefully until he couldn't hear any sound, and then his body collapsed on the couch, and his clothes were soaked.
Although Fugui was still frightened, his mind was not idle. He quickly figured out that the man in black broke into the room just to find out about the scholar.
Oops, no, it must be the accomplices of Bei Qi's Xizuo who came here to seek revenge. That scholar's life is in danger.
However, he could only be anxious about this matter. He didn't know where the man and the woman had gone, so he had no way of reporting them.
Then again, even if he knew the scholar's whereabouts, how dare he have the courage to report it?
Fugui was lying on the couch, tossing and turning like a pancake, but couldn't sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, morning drums announced the dawn from Jiangling City, and the majestic red light dispersed the cold night. The Big Dipper was finally swallowed up by the glow and disappeared, and the sky gradually grew brighter.
Fugui got up and washed himself, then went to the hall of the restaurant. He first removed the fir door panels one by one, and then wiped the tables and tables again.
Shopkeeper Li said that although the store was damaged, business cannot stop. Even if you make breakfast, you can still make some money.
Shopkeeper Li won't be here today. He still has to buy furniture and tableware, so this is the place for Fugui.
Fugui's movements were very quick, and he was already covered in sweat after finishing cleaning. He didn't bother to rest and started making water biscuits again. This kind of water biscuits is broken into pieces with a foot, and the shape is similar to thin leek leaves.
When the water was about to boil away, he went to get the water cake on the table, but when he turned around, he was stunned.
I saw a person walking across the street, waving to him with a smile.
When he saw the man's face, Fugui's legs softened, and he could barely lift his hands onto the red-hot iron pot. All the water cakes in his hands fell to the ground...
This chapter has been completed!