Prince Li Chengqian, who had already fallen asleep, was woken up by someone. He left the palace with a gloomy face. When he saw the man in black who came to report in the reception room next to him, he felt inexplicably uneasy. Something big must have happened if he came here at this time.
The man in black quickly saluted and said: "Prince, Mr. Du He was attacked at night when he was visiting the head of the Lu family for a secret talk. The attack method was unknown. With a loud noise, the reception loft collapsed and burned to ashes. The head of the Lu family and Mr. Du He were both dead.
"
"What?" Li Chengqian's face changed drastically, and he was completely sleepless. This is not a big deal. This is life-threatening. Cold sweat broke out on his back.
Although the imperial court did not explicitly stipulate that the prince was not allowed to associate with the five surnames and Qi Wang, Li Er was a restricted area and could not be touched. Once Du He's identity was found out, it would inevitably lead to a fire. A overwhelming sense of crisis rushed over him. Li Chengqian panicked.
He collapsed and sat down on the soft couch next to him.
The man in black didn't dare to disturb him, he lowered his head and waited for instructions.
There was an oppressive atmosphere in the room instantly.
After a while, Li Chengqian finally calmed down and asked, "What other news is there?"
"The Holy Emperor sent the Supervisory Office to investigate. Master Qin has led people to surround the Lu Mansion. The details are unknown."
"Asshole, it's him again." Li Chengqian was furious. He lost control of his emotions and overturned the exquisite vase next to him. He was so angry that he couldn't control himself.
The man in black hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Prince, the killers of Fengyu Tower planned to take action tonight, but Lord Qin had an extra army beside him. He had no chance. He withdrew, but for some reason he was exposed. Lord Qin sent people
We were chasing and killing, and my subordinates rushed to report it, but they didn’t know what happened next.”
"Fengyulou ignores him for now. He is no match for me. Du He is a big trouble. Go and deal with it right away. Cut off the clues that are not good for me and silence the insiders. Some things were fabricated and caused Du He to act privately. This prince
If you don't know, do it cleanly, understand?" Li Chengqian explained coldly.
The man in black trembled in his heart. He was shocked by Li Chengqian's coolness and felt a little chilled, but he didn't show it. He agreed and hurried away.
Li Chengqian came outside the courtyard with a livid face, looked out the window at the night sky and murmured in a low voice: "Du He, don't blame me, it's really... I was too careless in what I did. I will avenge you when I get to that point.
"
"boom!"
A thunder suddenly exploded in the night sky, and then the wind picked up.
"Crack!"
The blazing lightning tore through the night and illuminated Li Chengqian's somewhat ferocious face, his eyes clearly showing a bit of madness.
…
Prince Wei's Mansion.
King Li Tai of Wei received the news from the Lu Mansion from his subordinates. He excitedly stood alone in the pavilion in the courtyard, admiring the sudden rainstorm. With a sneer on his lips, he stood with his hands behind his hands, his eyes contemplating.
After a while, King Wei seemed to have made a major decision, and couldn't help but said to himself: "Prince, even if I go to the fiefdom to become a vassal, I will not be without a fight, and it is still undecided who will win the position."
, so eager to recruit my connections and resources, I will help you."
After finishing speaking, he raised his hand, and a black shadow flew over, standing next to him, clasping his fists and bowing.
"Send an order to ask the major families and officials who have taken refuge in the king to switch their support to the prince. Let them do their best to praise the prince and write a letter to the father to let the prince take over the government affairs. Anyway, the king should leave in a few days. I have to find something for everyone to do.
, by the way, you can trick the prince and kill two birds with one stone."
The man in black hesitated for a moment, and then said: "King Wei, once it comes true, will you take advantage of the prince?"
"Hahaha, are you taking advantage of him?" King Wei said disdainfully: "You don't understand my father. With my father's absolute desire to control power, I will never allow anyone to pose a threat. In addition, we and the others will kill and protect us whenever we have the opportunity."
Duke, I want to make my father aware of the dangers of raising tigers. Once my father becomes wary of the Duke Protector, it’s time for us to take action. Go ahead and do it in a secretive way. Don’t be like that fool Du He.”
"Here!" The man in black bowed and took a few steps back, then hurried away.
"Crack!"
A thick bolt of lightning illuminated Prince Wei's palace. King Li Tai of Wei stood with his hands behind his back, looking motionlessly at the deep night sky, with a sneer on his lips, as if he was holding a pearl of wisdom and plotting the world.
…
In the Manna Palace.
Qin Huaidao didn't know that the two big nets were about to fall, so he handed the jade pendant and the letter to Li Er who hurried over. Li Er had already gone to bed. If it weren't for the important matter, Wang De wouldn't dare to disturb him, with a look of exhaustion on his face.
, first looked at the jade pendant. After seeing the words on it clearly, he was shocked. He lost all sleep and looked at Qin Huaidao.
"Your Majesty, I dare not make false claims. It is best to verify it." Of course, Qin Huaidao would not directly name Du He. Du He was not the only one with the word "Lo" in his name, so he would not be able to tell clearly at that time.
But Li Er was seventy-eight percent sure. He realized something and hurriedly opened the letter to check. It was just an ordinary letter asking for books. There was nothing wrong with it. If it were before, Li Er would never have thought too much about it. But after Qin Huaidao reminded him last time, he realized
Realizing the importance of technical books, he asked: "Have you found the book list?"
"Found it." Qin Huaidao handed over the book list.
Li Er glanced at the list in front of him without paying attention. When he saw the book list at the back, especially the books on smelting and manufacturing, although there were not many, they were enough to pose a threat to the Tang Dynasty. Anger rushed to the top of his head and he felt sleepy.
Wu, shouted: "What are they doing? They are simply ignoring my country."
"Your Majesty, the books were delivered five days ago. Due to Lu Dongzan's shrewdness, I suspect that they have been shipped away."
"Come here!" Li Er shouted, like a lion about to go mad.
Wang De quickly came in from outside.
"Send a message to General Xu, asking him to send people out of the city and notify the guards at all the passes from Chang'an to Tubo. They will strictly investigate all books sold to Tubo. Once discovered, they will all be detained and returned to Chang'an. Go and deal with it as soon as possible."
"According to the order!" Wang De hurried away.
"Tell me what you think." Li Er looked at Qin Huaidao, his face ashen.
It was a matter of great importance to the empire. Qin Huaidao did not dare to be careless and solemnly said: "The top priority is to recover the books. These books are crucial to Tibet. With Lu Dongzan's shrewdness, I thought that he would arrange for his trusted people to carry important technical books across the mountains.
Ling, I traveled all night and did not take the official road. It has been five days and it is very difficult to trace it."
"Is there any chance?" Li Er also knew this truth, but he was unwilling to give in.
Qin Huaidao thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, if Tubo can secretly transport five thousand people and horses to the hinterland of the Tang Dynasty, they must be familiar with many secret passages. It will be difficult to trace them, but -"
"But what?" Li Er asked, his eyes sparkling.
Qin Huaidao thought about the topography of Chang'an leading to Tubo, and said solemnly: "However, if you don't take the official road, you should take the secret road. It takes time to cross the mountains and ridges. You may not have left the country within five days. If the flying pigeon sends a letter, notify the border guard to take strict precautions."
If we hold on tight and send troops to search the mountains, we might still have a chance."
"This is a good idea. We must not let them take the books away easily. Fan Yanglu is traitorous to the country and swindling the enemy. I will take care of the book. Let's talk about this jade pendant." Li Er was so angry that his liver ached.
"It is better for the Holy Qiankun to make the final decision regarding the jade pendant." Qin Huaidao reminded, not wanting to get involved.
Li Er also knew that if it was really Du He, bringing out the prince would bring shame to the royal family. He could only cover it up, not make it public, and deal with it internally. He was very satisfied with Qin Huaidao's caution and intention, and said: "No wonder the Lu family stopped the investigation of the scene.
However, you did a good job, who else knows about this?"
"Apart from me, the only one left is the Holy One."
"If you are interested, this matter ends here."
Qin Huaidao also knew that only a piece of jade pendant could not help Li Chengqian, and holding on to it would be detrimental to him. However, it was enough to make Li Er more disappointed with Li Chengqian, and he agreed: "I understand, then the Lu family should
How to dispose of it."
"All of them are put into the custody of the Supervisory Mansion and are waiting for me to deal with it. You go and seize the Lu Mansion. The crime of aiding the enemy is tantamount to rebellion and will not be punished lightly." Li Er said with murderous intent. He finally caught almost almost. How could he do it?
Let it go.
"I obey!" Qin Huaidao agreed.
Li Er thought of something and changed his subject: "Were you the one who did what happened to the Lu family?"
"Your Majesty, your Majesty has been wronged. How could I do such a thing?" Qin Huaidao cried out decisively. How could such a big man admit it? Seeing that Li Er didn't believe it, he added: "Your Majesty, when I came to report the matter, I met a wave of killers on the road. Their identities were unknown.
, seeing that there were many people accompanying me, I quickly evacuated, and I asked Su Dingfang to lead people to pursue them."
"Another killer?" Li Er frowned.
Qin Huaidao took the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, I suspect that there are a group of killers lurking in Chang'an City. They were instructed by someone to deliberately create various major cases to blame the ministers and alienate the relationship between the emperor and his ministers. The Lu family is one of them, and they can make the ministers and the emperor mess around.
Guessing, killing people with a borrowed knife, excluding dissidents, and at the same time, attacking the minister whenever there is an opportunity, killing three birds with one stone."
Admitting it is impossible, Qin Huaidao deliberately emphasized the word "someone" very hard, but did not point it out and let Li Er guess. This is a kind of rhetoric technique.
Li Er immediately thought of his two careless sons. The Fan Yang Lu family had always supported the King of Wei. It was not ruled out that the prince secretly instructed Feng Yulou to kill the Lu family. In order to clear up the relationship, he made Du He an abandoned son and led Qin Huaidao to investigate the case.
An ambush can also cut off the strength of King Wei, killing three birds with one stone.
Thinking of this, Li Er felt an inexplicable chill in his heart. Wouldn't the eldest son who has been filial and benevolent since childhood be so cruel? Could it be that the King of Wei deliberately made a move before going to the fiefdom to frame the crown prince? Or maybe he found out that the Fan Yang Lu family had switched to the prince's family, and the atmosphere
But killing the chicken to scare the monkey?
The more he thought about it, the more confused Li Er became and his expression became uncertain.
Qin Huaidao saw that his random words had an effect, and he was determined. As long as Li Er did not doubt himself, it would be easy to handle. No emperor would allow his ministers to lose control. After waiting for a while, he estimated that it was almost done, and added: "Your Majesty, minister It is recommended that Chang'an City be inspected strictly, just in case. If you are a minister today, you may not know who will die tomorrow. There must be no chaos in Chang'an City."
"I have an opinion on this matter, go ahead." Li Er nodded, just as Wang De came back after delivering the order, he said: "Wang De, please take a few people to the Lu Mansion to assist Mr. Qin in ransacking his house and sealing up all the items. , bring it back to the inner treasury.”
"Old slave, I obey the order." Wang De agreed quickly, feeling a huge wave in his heart. The Lu Mansion of the Chang'an branch of the Fan Yang Lu family was ransacked. What happened? But he didn't dare to ask more.
After leaving the Manlu Palace, Wang De asked a group of internal servants to accompany him, and followed Qin Huaidao out of the palace in a hurry.
Su Dingfang came up to him with a look of shame on his face: "Master Qin, I am incompetent and did not catch up."
"You didn't catch up? Did you see it?"
"I saw a man. He was extremely fast. I was incompetent. When I chased him to the city wall, he killed several patrolling soldiers and jumped away from the city. The night was too dark and it was raining heavily. I couldn't see his shadow. I deserve death for my crime. Please Your Majesty, punish me." Su Dingfang quickly admitted his mistake, his face turned red with shame, he couldn't even catch up with the killer, it was so embarrassing.
The two teams who were accompanying him in pursuit also lowered their heads and remained silent, having no face to face them.
Qin Huaidao smiled. It would be great if there was a killer. It just fulfilled the previous match between the emperor and his ministers. If not, Li Er would have become suspicious, and the suspicion would be brought to his head. He comforted him: "Forget it, I won't do it next time."
The group hurried straight to Lu Mansion.
Wang De hesitated several times. Seeing that Qin Huaidao had no intention of revealing anything, he gave up the idea of asking and followed him to Lu Mansion. When Fang Yiai saw Wang De coming, he was a little curious, but he was smart enough not to ask any more questions. He cupped his fists and saluted: "Sir , nearby residents came to ask, and they were driven away, but nothing happened."
"Keep staring, make sure there are no mistakes."
"Follow the order." Fang Yiai also wanted to know what happened, but with Wang De around, she held back.
Qin Huaidao did not explain, but led people into the mansion and arrived at the scene of the accident. Li Yixie came up to salute and glanced at Wang De, curious in his heart. Qin Huaidao said: "Yixie, have everyone in the Lu Mansion be escorted to the Supervisory Mansion. There must be no mistake in finding a place to detain him."
"Follow the order." Li Yixie quickly agreed and made arrangements.
After all the people in the house were escorted away, Qin Huaidao gave an order and the soldiers began to search the house. Worried that their hands and feet were not clean, Wang De arranged for the servants to keep an eye on them, one for each team, so as not to make it unclear in the future, but he stayed at the scene. , holding a torch to inspect the ruins.
Su Dingfang led his troops to guard the surrounding area just in case.
An hour later, nothing valuable was found in the ruins. They were probably all burned. Qin Huaidao had no choice but to give up. He felt a little regretful. It would be better if he could find some more clues. However, the aristocratic family had always been close to King Wei, so why did Du Will He come to Lu Mansion?
Because the King of Wei was a vassal and had no chance to wait for the great treasure, the family began to change its appearance?
Or is Li Chengqian taking the opportunity to lobby and recruit the connections and resources of King Wei? Isn't he afraid of being poisoned?
Qin Huaidao stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the bright moon after the rain. He felt a little irritated for no reason. The two kings were fighting. Why should they be involved in these fights? They were simply seeking death and not being the son of a man!
"We are all waiting for a chance to settle this account properly." Qin Huaidao swore in his heart. When he saw Wang De coming, he stepped forward and asked, "Eunuch Wang, everything goes well."
"It's going smoothly, but there are too many things in Lu Mansion, so it will take some time."
"Why don't you, Prince Wang, stay here and let Li Yixie take everyone back to the palace after the copying is completed? The Supervisory Office still has something to do, so we have to take the first step, how about that?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"That's fine, Mr. Qin, go and do your work. The Za family will keep an eye on you."
Qin Huaidao said goodbye, and hurried back to the Supervisory Mansion under the escort of his own army. He went straight to the backyard and came to a miscellaneous room. Two guards at the door quickly saluted. Qin Huaidao waved his hands and said to Su Dingfang who was following him: "Everyone should step back ten meters."
Martial law is enforced outside, no one is allowed to approach."
"Follow the order." Su Dingfang quickly agreed, waved his hand, and led the people back.
Qin Huaidao opened the door and entered the room. A candle was lit in the room. Lu Dongzan was lying on the bed. When he heard the movement, he slowly opened his eyes. After adapting to the light, he saw clearly that it was Qin Huaidao. He suddenly became energetic and shouted angrily.
: "Master Qin, what are you going to do? I am a foreign minister, not a Tang minister. You can't do this to me."
"The anger is not low yet, it seems that it is not closed enough." Qin Huaidao said coldly.
"What are you going to do? Detain foreign ministers without reason. Do you want to stir up war between the two countries?"
Qin Huaidao sneered and said: "Tubo relies on the plateau terrain and hides in the mountains to survive. Do they dare to come down to the plains? It seems that the lessons from the battle of Songzhou last year were not enough. Believe it or not, I will lead troops up and crush you Tubo."
"Just you?" Lu Dongzan sneered, gradually regained his composure, controlled his emotions, sat on the edge of the bed and said coldly: "Tell me, how long do you want to be locked up?"
"Two million gold, I wonder if Songtsen Gampo would be willing to use it to redeem you?"
Lu Dongzan smiled, with a bit of coldness: "The foreign minister is just a minister. There are thousands of Tubo ministers like me. Maybe someone is already impeaching me and giving it up to replace him, let alone two hundred
Don’t even think about ten thousand or twenty thousand gold. If you don’t believe me, just try.”
Someone else would definitely reply, but Qin Huaidao knew Lu Dongzan's status and role in Songtsen Gampo's mind and didn't believe a word of it. He smiled and said: "Then try, if it doesn't work, you can ask your family to redeem it. It's not easy."
I can’t catch you in vain, can I?”
"I only have an ordinary family and only a hundred yaks. If Mr. Qin wants it, I can give it to you. No matter how much you have, I'm afraid I won't be able to get it."
Qin Huaidao teased: "Lu Dongzan, do you feel that you are hiding very deeply? No one in the Tang Dynasty knows your true identity and value. Without your help, Songtsen Gampo may not be able to suppress the backlash of those noble lords. As long as you don't
If we go back, Tubo will be in civil strife within two years at most. If I add more firepower, there will be a big fight within one year at most. The first family of Tubo should be replaced. Do you believe it or not?"
"You..." Lu Dongzan panicked.
"Are you trying to tell me how I know?" Qin Huaidao teased. Seeing Lu Dongzan's expression was cold, but a trace of panic flashed deep in his eyes, he continued: "Are you thinking that the Tubo Mountains are high and the roads are far away, and the language is difficult to understand? In the Tang Dynasty,
No one can penetrate it, so there is no way to get information and find out your true identity?"
"How did you do it?" Lu Dongzan stopped denying it, since it was useless to deny it, and simply asked directly.
But Qin Huaidao smiled and said: "Look, it's great to chat like this. Don't hide anyone. We are all smart people. Why pretend to be stupid? As long as you reveal who was the instigator of the sneak attack on me and who led the Tibetan army to infiltrate the country,
What do you think, I will spare your life?"
"I don't know what you are talking about. I would like to emphasize again that the five thousand Tubo soldiers were a private act and have nothing to do with Tubo or me. If you want to frame me, I admit it."
"It seems that you are still lucky and waiting for someone to save you, so let's not talk about it for now." Qin Huaidao smiled casually. Seeing the other party's expression, he knew he was right and continued: "You wrote to Lu
The head of the family has purchased a batch of books, many of which are technical, where are these books?"
"Of course the book... was shipped back to Tibet. Is it illegal to trade it normally?" Lu Dongzan asked rhetorically.
"Of course normal transactions are not illegal, but books containing controlled books on smelting, manufacturing and medical skills are suspected of purchasing Datang secrets."
Lu Dongzan became anxious when he heard this: "No, it's just some Confucian classics and Buddhist scriptures. There is no book you mentioned. You are framing it. If you don't believe me, you can ask Mr. Lu and see it face to face."
Qin Huaidao's eyes became cold and as sharp as a knife. He stared at Lu Dongzan and said coldly: "Do you think that the Fan Yang Lu family is the fifth surname and the seventh king, and has great influence that the court dare not touch easily? I hate traitors the most.
, So, before I came here, I had been ordered to seal up the Lu Mansion and get the evidence. As for you, you are suspected of stealing the secrets of the Tang Dynasty. You can never retaliate against Tubo in this life. I will blackmail Tubo into making compensation for your crime, otherwise I will
Leading troops to attack, speaking of which, I have to thank you for giving me the reason to send troops."
"you……"
Lu Dongzan was in a mess. If he really sent troops to Tibet for this reason, the Tibetan people would not care so much and would blame all the suffering on his family. The family would be ruined and he would definitely become an outcast.
Thinking of this, Lu Dongzan became even more panicked and asked: "What do you want?"
Qin Huaidao sneered and said: "I like you as soon as you go to the end. Don't compromise, it will damage your reputation."
Lu Dongzan reacted and said coldly: "Your real purpose is Tibet, I'm just an introduction."
"It is indeed a great Tubo theory. It is right to the point. From the moment you took action, you should have thought of the anger of the Tang Dynasty. You didn't know what to say. Don't blame me for taking action. However, you are a man of great wisdom.
I want to ask you a question. Wouldn't it be good if Tubo was included in the territory of the Tang Dynasty and the world was unified without war or disputes?" Qin Huaidao said at the end, his tone a little more sincere.
Lu Dongzan had a sullen expression and said nothing.
After waiting for a moment, Qin Huaidao lost the temper to continue asking and said: "Lu Dongzan, you are a great talent. It is a pity to die. Think about it carefully. If you die, what will happen to Tubo? No one knows better than you. Tubo is bitter and cold.
In this land, the people are hard-working and wars are constant. How can you bear to let Tubo live alone in a corner? It is different when it is merged into the Tang Dynasty. Not only will goods flow and people's lives will be improved, but the nobles will also gain more benefits."
Regardless of his position, Qin Huaidao still admired Lu Dongzan's ability. Tubo developed rapidly under Lu Dongzan's governance, people's livelihood improved, and the people were healthy. It would be a pity for such a talent to die.
After coming out of the room, he asked people to continue to guard him. He glanced at the side room, where the Japanese envoy Tian Zhong was imprisoned. He only felt disgust with this man and did not want to see him. When he came to the Yamen, Li Yixie hurried over: "Sir, everyone in the Lu Mansion is here."
He has been properly detained."
"Thank you for your hard work. After dawn, you go to the Tibetan embassy and say that Lu Dongzan is suspected of stealing the secrets of the Tang Dynasty. The evidence is conclusive. Ask Tubo to give an explanation and pay two million gold in compensation. No gold will be seen within fifteen days. Wait.
After collecting the body for Lu Dongzan, inform Uncle Cheng and ask him to release one person back to Tibet to report the news." Qin Huaidao warned.
"How can such a miserable place like Tubo get so much gold?"
Qin Huaidao smiled and said: "Don't underestimate Tubo. They believe in Buddhism. Even if the people starve to death, they will still give the best things to the Buddha. They like to give the Buddha a golden body. They are not short of this little gold. Besides, they won't give it.
It doesn’t matter, it’s just a matter of going through the process and being righteous.”
"Are you going to send troops?" Li Yixie grasped something keenly.
"Don't make wild guesses. Remember, it must be done after daybreak. The Japanese embassy also said that Tanaka was suspected of attacking me and asked them to pay two million silver coins as compensation, otherwise they will wait to collect the body." Qin Huaidao explained.
Li Yixie agreed wholeheartedly and couldn't help but asked curiously: "Sir, I heard that Japan is an island country. Can there be silver on an island? It shouldn't be possible."
"Even you don't know the details of the Japanese country. It seems that the Japanese country has hidden it very well. Let me tell you, there is silver on the islands of the Japanese country, and there is a lot of it. If you dig it with a hoe, the output will exceed that of the Tang Dynasty. Go ahead and do it."
Li Yixie became interested as soon as he heard this, and said: "There are so many, so let's just find a reason to capture the Japanese country. The Tang Dynasty is not short of silver."
Qin Huaidao was very happy when he heard this: "The idea is very good. Does the Tang Dynasty have sea ships? There is no way to get there. Let's make a deal first and talk about it later. Also, these words must not be spread randomly. Watch the people in Lu Mansion and don't cause trouble."
"Don't worry, I know the importance." Li Yixie left with a smile. He already knew in his heart that Qin Huaidao was preparing to attack Tubo and would capture the Japanese country when he had the opportunity. How could he tell such a good thing? Of course he kept it secret and looked for opportunities to participate.
Among them, if you already know everything, what else can happen to you?
Li Yixie made up his mind to go back home after dawn. This was such a big deal that he had to ask the old man at home to discuss it.
Su Dingfang, who was standing guard outside the door, also had suspicions in his mind. He also thought about it, but he thought that he was not familiar with Qin Huaidao and the relationship was not close enough. He could not act blindly. He had to find a suitable opportunity to recommend himself, expand territory and make contributions to the military.
mission and responsibilities.
Inside the house, Qin Huaidao looked at the night sky outside the window, not sleepy at all. The killer was most likely from Fengyulou. He was hiding in the dark and was hard to guard against. His ghost lingered. It was too dangerous and must be eliminated.
Despite the huge reward of 100,000 yuan, no one is tempted to report it. This killer organization is too secretive and powerful. Who is it hiring? Fan Yanglu, the prince, or the king of Wei?
If not, who is behind it? Or is it seeking revenge?"
After thinking for a long time and finding no clue, Qin Huaidao walked towards the place where Lu was imprisoned.