"Young Master, something happened." In the yard, Cao Jie, who was sitting alone under a tree playing chess with him, was disturbed by Cao Mao who suddenly broke in, and frowned in displeasure.
"What happened?" Cao Jie raised his head and asked.
Cao Mao's face turned pale, and he frowned and said, "Sun... Sun Ci, is dead."
"What?!" Cao Jie's face darkened, and the chess pieces on the chessboard instantly became a mess. He looked at Cao Mao coldly and said, "Are you sure?"
Cao Mao said in a trembling voice: "Sun Ci was killed outside the city, and his head was cut off. The people we put next to Sun Ci are also missing."
Cao Jie said in a deep voice: "What is he going to do out of the city?"
"Sun's family said that he hurried out after receiving a letter without saying anything," Cao Mao said.
Cao Jie stood up and walked back and forth around the table twice before saying, "Go and check immediately to make sure the person who died is Sun Ci."
Cao Mao nodded and said: "The Sun family has identified the body. Now that the body has been taken to Jingzhao Yamen, our people may not be able to contact it for a while. Don't worry, Master, he doesn't know much, as long as he doesn't
Have we attracted the attention of the imperial court? We..."
Cao Jie said coldly: "Find a way! We must confirm that Sun Ci is really dead!"
"yes!"
"Master Qi, someone brought a box outside the door." The guard came in holding a box and reported respectfully.
Cao Jie and Cao Mao both turned to look at the ordinary box held by the guard. Cao Mao asked, "Where is the person?"
The guard said: "The man put down the box and left. Our people didn't catch up."
Cao Mao turned his head to look at Cao Jie and said, "Master, it's not safe here anymore. Should we move to another place?"
Cao Jie sneered and said: "What to change for? Have you never changed it? Bring it here, I want to see what he is giving me!"
Cao Mao walked over and took the box. Before he opened it, he smelled a faint smell of blood. Cao Mao couldn't help but look up at Cao Jie.
Cao Jie said coldly: "Open it!"
Cao Mao slowly opened the box, and the strong smell of blood immediately hit his nose, making Cao Mao want to vomit.
He quickly turned his head away from looking at the thing, but Cao Jie's eyes fell firmly on the box.
There were two bloody fingers in the box, and Cao Mao said in a trembling voice: "Eldest Young Master, Sun Ci... I heard that Sun Ci's body was also missing two fingers."
"Dongfang!" Cao Jie's face was gloomy, and the two words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
"La la la..." Luo Junyao happily stepped into the dungeon of the Prince Regent's Mansion. The slightly dark dungeon did not affect her good mood.
As long as she thought about Cao Jie's expression when he received the gift from her, she couldn't help but feel happy.
"Prince... Young Master." The guard guarding the entrance to the innermost room of the dungeon saw Luo Junyao coming towards him and quickly raised his hands in greeting.
Luo Jun waved his hands and said, "Excuse me, who is in there?"
The guard said: "Go back to me, Mr. Xie, Mr. Xie and Mr. Qu are inside."
"Thank you Xiao?" Luo Jun raised his eyebrows. It seemed that Sun Ci couldn't get out. She had to change her clothes for nothing.
Xie Xiao is the eldest son of Prince Ancheng, and Sun Ci would not appear in front of Xie Xiao even if there was a slight possibility that he could go out and go out well. Even if Sun Ci does not know him now, he will never meet him in the future.
The guard opened the door and Luo Junyao strolled in. In the cell, a middle-aged man in his forties wearing a brocade robe sat in a narrow chair in the center of the room with some restraint. His brocade robe was stained with a lot of dust, and his hair was also dirty.
A little messy and no longer as neatly dressed as before.
Xie Xiao sat behind the desk a few steps away from him, while Qu Tiange stood leaning against the wall, holding his sword and saying nothing.
When they saw her coming in, they immediately stood up and saluted, "I've met the princess."
Hearing the names of the two people, Sun Ci was shocked and opened his eyes that were a little sleepy.
He had not closed his eyes for a day and a night, but he was still shocked by the identity of the visitor and lost all sleep.
"Prince...Princess?" Although Sun Ci was not a high-ranking person, he was not stupid. He quickly reacted, "Are you the regent princess?!"
Luo Junyao played with the folding fan and said with a smile: "Master Sun is indeed a smart man, so you should know why we came to you?"
Sun Ci gritted his teeth and said: "Princess, Sun is an official of the imperial court! Even if you are the princess, you cannot do it in private..."
"Master Sun, do you mean that you need an official document from the government to confiscate your home and put you in jail?" Luo Junyao asked.
The words "Searching the house and imprisoning" made the muscles on Sun Ci's face twitch. He still said: "That's right! If the official has made any mistakes in his conduct, please ask the princess to provide evidence, otherwise he will hijack the imperial official secretly, even if
You are a princess..."
Luo Junyao said with a smile: "If I do this, Mr. Sun, you don't have to worry. Mr. Sun, you are already dead in the eyes of outsiders. As for whether you can walk out of this cell again, it depends on whether you are sensible."
"What?!" Sun Ci looked at Luo Junyao in shock.
Xie Xiao, who gave up his position to Luo Junyao, stood aside and said with a smile: "I forgot to tell Mr. Sun before that your body is still lying in Jingzhao Yamen."
Sun Ci naturally understood what they meant. If he was already dead in the eyes of outsiders, it would be impossible for a person to die a second time. So now that he no longer existed, it was up to them to decide what would happen in the future.
No one will look for him, and no one will come to save him.
Sun Ci said bitterly: "What exactly do you want to do?"
Xie Xiao said: "Master Sun didn't understand the questions I asked before, but now he has changed his mind?"
Luo Jun flipped through the confession file that Xie Xiao put on the table, and said with some disgust: "Xie Xiao, you can't do it. Sure enough, this kind of matter should be left to Mr. Qu."
Xie Xiao didn't care and said: "Princess, this is a real scholar. Mr. Qu is very powerful. What should I do if I accidentally kill him?"
Luo Junyao said: "I think you have misunderstood the people in the world. Mr. Qu is probably more sophisticated than you in doing this. Mr. Qu, right?"
Qu Tiange said lightly: "The princess is full of praise."
Luo Jun shook his head and looked at Sun Ci, who had a look of fear on his face, "Master Sun, you suddenly fell into the hands of the Regent's Palace. It is impossible to escape unscathed. I only look at you now because I want to replace you."
Will the Cao family be loyal until death, or will they seek a way out for themselves and their family?"
Sun Ci turned pale and said, "What...the Cao family? I don't know what the princess is talking about."
Luo Junyao smiled and said: "Don't you know? Mr. Sun thought we were drawing lots at home and you were caught because of bad luck? Cao Jie is in Shangyong now. I have seen him. You said...if I
If someone kills Cao Jie, what will Cao Mian think of you? How will he treat the Sun family?"
Sun Ci's expression changed, he lowered his head and refused to speak.
"Do you think I'm deceiving you?" Luo Junyao raised his eyebrows.
Luo Junyao smiled and said: "Actually, you have to blame Cao Jie for being in this situation. Who asked him to cause my villa to be closed down by the government? I haven't even lived in it for a day. So I have to give him a generous gift in return. I
I gave him two fingers, who do you think they belong to?"
Sun Ci suddenly raised his head, met Luo Junyao's smiling eyes, and said in a voiceless voice: "It's you?!"
Luo Junyao blinked his eyes, "Oh, it seems that you know me, and the Cao family quite trusts you. The affairs of my other courtyard...could it be your fault?"
Sun Ci's originally barely composed expression became a little unbearable, and his hands on the armrests of the chair began to tremble.
He obviously didn't want people to see his panic and wanted to put his hands down, but his hands were tied to the armrests and he couldn't move, so he had to clenched his hands tightly into fists.
That... mysterious young man who made the eldest son fearful and angry, turned out to be the regent princess?!
Sun Ci couldn't help but feel a little despair in her heart. The Princess Regent was playing tricks on the eldest son. The Prince Regent's Palace had obviously set its sights on the Cao family, but the Cao family didn't even know who their enemies were.
This situation is really terrible.
The enemy is hidden and we are clear, does the Cao family really have a chance of winning?
There was silence in the cell, and the sound of pushing the door came from the door.
Xie Yan walked in from outside, glanced at Sun Ci in the center of the room, and strolled up to Luo Junyao.
"You haven't done anything yet?" Xie Yan asked calmly.
Luo Junyao turned around, looked up at him and smiled: "Master Sun still has some backbone, but I don't know how long this backbone can support him?"
Xie Yan raised his eyes, looked at Sun Ci calmly, and said in a deep voice: "I don't know, but I don't know that the royal salary originally asked you to be a slave of the Cao family?"
The corners of Sun Ci's mouth moved to say something, but nothing came out. Under Xie Yan's sharp eyes, he lowered his head in frustration.
Dui Ying, who came in behind Xie Yan, handed a file to Luo Junyao. Luo Junyao opened it with some curiosity and found that it was a file about Sun Ci.
"Hey, Mr. Sun has quite a rich resume." Although Sun Ci is still a fifth-rank official, he spent time in the Hanlin Academy, served as a local official, and was later transferred back to Shangyong to join the General Affairs Department.
For a fifth-grade imperial official, his resume is too rich, but for a second-grade official, his current grade is not considered high.
Luo Junyao can see things very fast, which can be said to be ten lines in one glance.
Xie Yan's information was more detailed than the previous one. Luo Junyao looked up and said with some surprise: "You were initially awarded the sixth grade as the head of the Ministry of Industry. This starting point is not low at all. Two years later, you were promoted to
From a fifth-rank magistrate, your promotion speed is no slower than that of the top pick in the same ranking. At your speed, as long as nothing big happens during your term, you should be able to rise to a fourth-rank official and return to Beijing within ten years. But you are less than three years old.
I returned to Beijing in 2011, and for the rest of the years... I have been unknown in the General Affairs Department, and I have only been promoted half a level in total. It seems that the concubine in your family was taken in by you when you were posted abroad, right? She was caught
What's the reason? Or do you really just love beauties and would rather give up your official career?"
Sun Ci raised his head and looked at Luo Junyao, silent.
Luo Junyao turned around and asked, "Where is Mr. Sun's side room now?"
Xie Xiao smiled and said: "It's next door." When they attacked Sun Ci, the side chamber was also with him. Naturally, they couldn't catch one and let go. Wouldn't that be a waste of time?
"That girl's bones are harder than Master Sun." Xie Xiao said.
"What did you do to her?!" Sun Ci finally moved and asked a little hastily.
Xie Xiao smiled and said: "Master Sun has a different identity, so we shouldn't be too rude. But... Master Sun, you are not an easy concubine. You almost hurt one of our people."
"What's going on?" Xie Yan asked.
Xie Xiao looked solemn and replied respectfully: "Master Qu said he is a well-trained death warrior."
Luo Junyao looked at Sun Ci with admiration, "You are so courageous. How can you still sleep after all these years?"
Sun Ci's expression changed again and again, and he quickly looked away and stared at the ground, as if he had not heard Luo Junyao's words.
Xie Yan raised his hand to straighten the hair of the princess who was obviously unhappy, and said: "It's just a hidden stake to monitor the court. He may not know any valuable information."
Luo Junyao was a little dissatisfied: "Is that all?"
Xie Yan said calmly: "Isn't the princess angry with Cao Cao? Give him the news that Sun Ci is alive in two days."
Luo Junyao blinked and said nothing. Xie Yan said, "If anything happens, the Cao family will deal with the aftermath themselves."
As soon as these words came out, Sun Ci's expression immediately changed, "Your Majesty?!" If the Cao family thought he was dead, it would be fine. If the Cao family knew that he was not dead or suspected that he had betrayed...
However, Xie Yan had already stretched out his hand to pull Luo Junyao up, led her out, and turned around and ordered: "Put him and that woman together."
"..." Looking at the two people walking out, Xie Xiao touched his chin and looked at Sun Ci with interest: "It seems that the prince is indeed not interested in you. I hope Mr. Sun can live a few more days. By the way, if
If you regret it, you can call for help."
Since the so-called concubine was a deceased member of the Cao family, she naturally asked for anything useful. If Sun Ci was locked up with her, there was a high probability that Sun Ci would not survive a day.
but……
Many years ago, the Cao family placed dead soldiers next to a low-level official who had just entered the officialdom. It seemed that it was not easy.
How many people like Sun Ci are there?
The two walked out of the dungeon hand in hand. Luo Junyao said melancholy: "I really thought I could ask something from Sun Ci?"
Xie Yan smiled, looked down at her and said, "He won't tell you if you ask again."
Luo Junyao said: "How do you know? I don't think he is a hard-boned person."
Xie Yan pinched her slender fingers and said, "Does it look like he doesn't admire power?"
Luo Jun shook his head.
Xie Yan said: "He was the second-ranked Chuanlu back then, and he was supposed to have a bright future. But he was willing to stay in the General Affairs Department for so many years for the sake of the Cao family's obscurity. The Cao family's ability to hold him back was definitely not an ordinary thing.
In addition, in his position, it is impossible for him to know too many inside stories about the Cao family, and speaking out easily will completely lose value, and he knows it in his heart."
"He thinks he can bargain with us?" Luo Junyao said.
"How will you know if it doesn't work if you don't try?" Xie Yan said, "There is no need to waste time with this kind of person, it's not worth it."
"Okay." Luo Junyao was a little curious, "What exactly is Marquis Wen Ding going to do?"
Xie Yan's eyes were deep: "Who knows."
Buzz——
Buzz——
Buzz——
Far away in the direction of the palace city came the sound of heavy bells, one after another, as if they were about to penetrate into people's hearts.
The two people who were strolling forward hand in hand immediately stopped and looked at each other with shock and grief in their eyes.
That was the sound of the bell coming from the direction of the palace.
It's a death knell.
The Empress Dowager passed away!
"Ayan..." Luo Junyao looked at Xie Yan, who was standing quietly, and said with some worry.
Xie Yan quickly came back to life. Luo Junyao stretched out his arms and hugged him and whispered: "Ayan, let's go find Acheng. Let's go into the palace to see off the Empress Dowager."
Xie Yan held her hand and nodded slightly, his voice becoming hoarse for a moment.
He whispered: "Okay, let's go together." Feeling the warmth in his arms, Xie Yan took a deep breath.
