In the shade of the green trees, the gentle breeze caressed the forest, and the fresh air in the forest blocked out the heat of summer. A pavilion surrounded it. In the exquisite octagonal pavilion, the Mingyue King gently twisted a grain.
After thinking about it for a long time, the white chess piece was gently put down, and he said warmly: "Prince-in-law, this is a huge blow to the bottom of the cauldron. You have no way out."
Opposite him was none other than the Prince Consort Yi Chenyuan.
Putting down the chess piece, Yi Chenyuan sighed: "King Mingyue, what kind of hospitality are you doing? If you invite me over, won't you let me suffer the pain of failure? You defeated me in three games.
"
King Mingyue laughed loudly and said: "It is said that the Prince Consort has a broad mind. Could it be that he is prejudiced against me just because he lost two games of chess?"
"Losing two games of chess is nothing." The prince-in-law said slowly with a charming smile on his lips: "But if you lose in life, it will be too late to regret it."
The Mingyue King stood up, put his hands behind his back, looked at the gurgling stream in the forest, and said calmly: "The words of the Prince Consort seem to have other meanings."
Yi Chenyuan stared at the chessboard on the stone table and said calmly: "You are the Mingyue King... You may feel very uncomfortable sitting here."
King Mingyue smiled softly, his voice still gentle: "Chen Yuan, you and I have been playmates since we were young, so you should understand me. What I love is this elegant and quiet place. Living here, I feel relaxed and relaxed, and you are the best.
Companion, playing chess and playing the piano is so beautiful, how can it not be uncomfortable?"
"You will always get tired." Yi Chenyuan sighed softly: "If you do too much of anything, you will get tired. Although the scenery here is beautiful, it is not suitable for you. You have become accustomed to the wind and sand in the northwest... It won't take long
, these beautiful scenery will become boring in your eyes, and you will miss Yongzhou...the wind there, the sand there...!"
King Mingyue's body moved slightly, and his hands behind his back were shaking slightly at this moment, but in just a moment, he regained his composure and said softly: "I was born here... Yongzhou... is not my destination...
…!”
"You are wrong." Yi Chenyuan stood up suddenly and looked at Mingyue King: "The royal family originates from Yongzhou. You are the descendant of the royal family and the prince of His Majesty Yang Wu. Yongzhou... will always be your hometown."
Mingyue King's slender brows wrinkled slightly, glanced at Yi Chenyuan, and said calmly: "There are only you and me here...!" He looked at Dou An, who was sitting under a tree not far away with his eyes closed and relaxing, and said: "He is me
Your confidant is also me, so you don’t need to beat around the bush when you say something, just say it if you want to say it!”
Yi Chenyuan pondered for a moment, and finally said: "If you stay here, you will never get ahead...or, in other words, you may not be able to leave for the rest of your life. Your subordinates in Yongzhou, those who are loyal and loyal, can do anything for you.
In the coming days, without your protection, our emperor will quickly use all means to eradicate the subordinates who have been through life and death one by one. You know this better than me!"
Mingyue King's originally gentle eyes became sharp in an instant, and he glanced at Yi Chenyuan, with a faint sneer at the corner of his mouth: "Are you trying to sow discord between me and the Holy One? This is not what a minister should do, and it is not what you should do.
What you are doing is that you are Sister Qiong’s husband. Sister Qiong has been protecting the Holy Sage. As her pillow, you should not have thoughts that run counter to her!” After a pause, he said calmly: “What are you doing for?”
"Look at me!" Yi Chenyuan said coldly: "Do you still remember Yi Chenyuan twenty years ago? He was young and frivolous, holding an eight-foot long sword, singing and drinking, full of passion. At that time, you made a promise with me
, will lead my great Chu warriors together, march the army northward, annihilate Beihu, and complete the unfinished business of Chuhou... But look at my hands, now I can only play the piano and jade, and can no longer lift a sword or a gun.
Already."
King Mingyue sighed and said nothing.
"As long as you live here for one or two years, you will become like me... unable to pick up a sword or a gun, unable to pull a bow... you can even only sit in a gorgeous sedan and lose the interest in riding a horse...
...!" Yi Chenyuan's voice was calm but extremely cold: "Your fighting spirit will be worn away bit by bit, and the Mingyue King that the northwest is proud of will become a degenerate mediocrity in the hearts of his people... Then
Is that what you want to see?"
King Mingyue said calmly: "Six ministries and three divisions jointly signed the petition, and the Holy One was so gracious that he asked me to stay in the capital... Do I still want to refuse?"
Yi Chenyuan suddenly laughed and said: "King Mingyue, although you tried your best to hide it, I still heard dissatisfaction and a touch of blame from your voice...!"
Mingyue King's eyes were as calm as water, and the calm expression on his face did not change because Yi Chenyuan saw through his thoughts.
"The Ministry of War has issued a document and ordered the three states of Qingzhou, Yizhou and Huizhou to prepare full camps and prepare for war... They keep saying that they are preparing to go to war with Beihu, but these three states are located in a place surrounded by
To the south of Yongzhou, Mingyue King, do you think they are here to deal with Beihu?" Yi Chenyuan said with a sneer on his lips.
King Mingyue frowned slightly: "You mean, the imperial court wants to deal with Yongzhou?"
"I don't know!" Yi Chenyuan said calmly: "But to deal with Beihu, we should send more troops to the border. But in the current situation, not only are the three states reorganizing their armies, but the Ministry of War seems to have planned to mobilize troops from other states.
Gather to the northwest...the imperial court’s thoughts are self-evident?”
Mingyue King pondered, his eyebrows twitching slightly.
…
From all sides of the Liuheyuan, there are elite soldiers of the Yulin Guard watching every move of the entire Liuheyuan.
Ximen Lei Zang personally took charge of Liuheyuan, and his consort Yi Chenyuan came to Liuheyuan. In his eyes, this was not strange.
He personally sent the invitation to Yi Chenyuan on the orders of King Mingyue, and when Yi Chenyuan came to Liuheyuan, he was the one who greeted him at the main gate.
He observed Yi Chenyuan with the unique vigilance of the Yulin Guards, and could not find any problems.
King Mingyue once had a good relationship with Yi Chenyuan, and this matter was known to the upper echelons of Kyoto. Being bored in this Liuheyuan, King Mingyue invited Yi Chenyuan to play chess and enjoy flowers. It was not a strange thing.
The order from the Chief Guard was to monitor King Mingyue, but it did not really treat King Mingyue as a prisoner.
When Yi Chenyuan's gorgeous carriage slowly came out, Ximen Lei Zang immediately tensed up his nerves, but greeted him with a respectful look on his face: "Consort, are you leaving now?"
Yi Chenyuan opened the curtains: "Sir Ximen, it's so hard for you to work hard to guard in the hot summer. Hey, today I played chess with King Mingyue to relieve my boredom. I lost several games in a row. It seems that I am in bad luck. I
It’s better to stop early, so as not to lose more miserably and make yourself unhappy, haha...!"
Ximen Raizo said with a smile: "The Prince Consort's chess skills are second to none in the entire Kyoto, but Mingyue King can actually win. From this, it seems that Mingyue King's chess skills are also exquisite." As he spoke, a pair of sharp eyes came through.
The curtain looked into the carriage.
The space inside the carriage was not very spacious, so Yi Chenyuan wisely opened the curtains as much as possible so that Ximen Lei Zang could see clearly.
After all, the consort is a relative of the emperor, so it is difficult to get in the car for inspection. And Yi Chenyuan also understands that the inspection work of Liuheyuan is extremely strict and harsh. Maybe King Mingyue will be hidden in the car and taken away. These feathers
It was Lin Wei's duty to conduct strict inspections, so one of them opened the curtains seemingly casually, and the other looked casually but extremely cautiously scanning the situation in the carriage. While joking and joking, the inspection was completed quietly.
.
"King Mingyue's chess skills may not be exquisite. It's just that I was fascinated by the beautiful scenery of Liuheyuan today and was negligent for a moment." Yi Chenyuan smiled, his handsome face full of kindness: "I will come to fight with him in the future.
Let’s see who is more powerful.”
Amid laughter, the carriage passed the inspection and drove away slowly.
"Can you see clearly under the carriage?" Ximen Lei Zang's expression became serious and he asked in a deep voice.
A Yu Lin next to him said: "Don't worry, sir. I've bent over and checked. There will be no problem."
Ximen Lei Zang's face was slightly relaxed, and he nodded: "That's good. The Holy Emperor and the General Guards gave this place to us because they trust us. We must not be negligent in the slightest, otherwise... we will grow a few more heads.
It’s not enough to chop.” He paused and waved his hand: “Send someone to see if King Mingyue is still in the yard.”
…
…
Xue Poye is in the Ministry of Household Affairs. He is the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs and has his own room where he can do errands. However, at this time, he is not as busy as other members of the Ministry of Household Affairs preparing food, grass and military pay. He is just waiting, waiting.
As a huge conspiracy hidden underground slowly surfaced.
According to the news, those weird noises all come out at night. In other words, those thieves only dare to act at night, and they must not dare to approach the bank easily during the day.
The "Netherworld Soldiers" he received from Kyoto Prefecture have been fully utilized by him.
Since this group of people could disappear in the woods and not be seen in the epicenter of the earthquake, they must also be able to cover up their whereabouts in the seemingly nowhere-to-hidden warehouse. They are mentally prepared to encounter "ghosts", so
They will transform into a wall in the warehouse, quietly waiting for the "ghost" to appear.
What Xue Poye was waiting for was how these "ghosts" would appear.
It is almost dusk. As usual, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue can go back to rest, but this time it is different. In order to prepare as much food and military pay as possible, under the personal leadership of Wang Dezhao, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Household Affairs made an announcement.
Xiang made resolutions one after another and issued orders one after another. It can even be said that these officials in the Ministry of Household Affairs sometimes went to the extent of forgetting to sleep and eat.
This is not because these people have high consciousness, but because Wang Dezhao followed the instructions of the little emperor and issued a death order. If the standards are not met, a large number of officials from the Ministry of Revenue will lose their jobs. For the sake of the future, everyone can only do their best.
It's easy to get rid of the hard work that you are burdened with.
"Master Hou!" Wang Dezhao entered Xue Poye's room with a tired look on his face: "Master Hou, if you are sleepy, you might as well go back first. I will take care of it here."
Xue Poye shook his head with a smile and murmured: "Waiting... I'm waiting...!" He raised his head, looked at Wang Dezhao, and asked: "Master Shangshu, did the preparation of the money go smoothly?"
Wang Dezhao sat down on the chair next to him, shook his head and said: "Master Hou, this is not the time to collect taxes. Money is extremely difficult. Now we are just doing our best to let the yamen in the wealthy land collect taxes as much as possible. In addition,
It just requires officials and merchants from all over the country to sell the goods on hand as soon as possible and buy grain and grass instead... However, these matters are still very complicated to deal with."
Xue Poye smiled and said warmly: "Everyone should do their best." After thinking about it, he suddenly laughed.
When Wang Dezhao saw Mr. Xue Hou suddenly laugh, he felt a little strange and asked: "Master Xue, what are you...?"
Xue Poye shook his head with a smile and said: "I was thinking that our country, Chu, has dozens of states, which are considered to be vast and rich in resources. It is quite difficult to raise money at this time. So, if we want to raise money, food and grass in Yongzhou... wouldn't it be more difficult?
Tricky?"
…
Xue Poye waited until late at night in Hubu and finally got the news. The strange sound from Hubu's bank rang again. The Yulin guards strictly followed the instructions of the chief guard and monitored from a distance.
Who dares to come close.
Standing in a corner of the Hubu compound, he looked at Warehouse No. 23 from a distance. It was already far away and ordinary people could no longer hear the sounds coming from the warehouse.
Although his hearing was very vague, he still vaguely heard a strange sound coming from the warehouse.
"Master, listen!" Zhao Tianda whispered: "This is the sound."
Xue Poye touched his nose and sneered: "I was worried that this sound would not appear... Now that it has appeared, we will soon be able to solve the mystery in the middle."
"Sir, will something happen to those purple clothes?" Those purple clothes were secretly planted by Zhao Tianda at dusk. Almost no one knew that if they wanted to hide their traces in an empty house without being discovered, the only way to do it was those purple ghosts.
can do it.
Xue Poye smiled confidently: "Master Wei has trained you for so many years, and the people he has trained are not idiots."
In the quiet environment, strange sounds that were difficult to detect were vaguely heard from the warehouse from time to time, but Xue Poye was sitting against the wall, smiling, closing his eyes and concentrating.
Zhao Tianda was very anxious, but seeing that the General Guard was calm and composed, he knew that some of the steps had already been planned and there was no need to worry, so he sat down and waited patiently.
That weird sound only disappeared near dawn, and Xue Poye and Zhao Tianda sat in the corner all night.
"Sir!" Zhao Tianda tried his best to keep his sleepy eyes open: "Are we...are we going to take action?"
Xue Poye opened his eyes, rubbed his face, looked at the sky, and said with a smile: "***, it's getting light so soon." He had been leaning against the corner to practice his strength silently that night.
miles.
He stood up, stretched, looked at the bank bathed in the dawn light, and said, "Wait a moment."
After more than half an hour, when the morning sun appeared, Xue Poye finally said: "Open the door and enter the warehouse!"
…
Stepping into the dark passage, there was silence inside, as if nothing happened. The warehouse was still empty, with only turbid and muggy air.
Zhao Tianda couldn't help but admire in his heart: "Those purple clothes are really amazing. Staying in such an environment for a whole night is not something that everyone can do."
When Dali's treasurer opened the door of a warehouse, Xue Poye and Zhao Tianda quickly entered. They saw that everything in the room was as usual, without any change, and they couldn't help but glance at each other.
"Sir!" Zhao Tianda asked in a low voice: "Where is the purple clothes?"
Xue Poye looked around and was a little confused. Yes, there should be a Ziyi arranged here, but where is he now?
At this moment, they heard the powerful warehouse official behind them scream "Ah", so Xue Poye and Zhao Tianda saw that in the northwest corner of the warehouse, at the seemingly flat corner of the roof, the originally extremely solid wall turned out to be
Squirming slightly.
Zhao Tianda pulled out his saber and guarded Xue Poye, looking at the wall in horror.
In his opinion, it must be a ghost. Maybe the purple clothes hiding in the warehouse have been eaten by the monster.
I saw something seemed to fall off the wall, with a "pop" sound, like a small piece of wall collapsing. However, after the thing fell off, the corner of the room remained normal, with no damage at all, and what fell on the ground
"Wang Qiang" had already stood up, walked over quickly, and knelt down: "I have seen the Marquis!"
Only then did Zhao Tianda realize that Qingqing Ziyi was hiding in the corner of the roof, but he was so clever that he couldn't tell who was hiding.
The color of the purple clothes is almost exactly the same as the color of the wall. If it were actually attached to the wall, it would be difficult to tell the difference.
"A blinding trick!"
Ziyi said respectfully: "My subordinates have already investigated the mission assigned by the Marquis... There is indeed a mechanism in this room."
Xue Poye looked serious and said in a deep voice: "Where is it?"
Ziyi stood up, looked around, and said respectfully: "Master Marquis, please take a look!" He quickly ran to the left wall, stretched out his hand, and pressed it up and down seven or eight times. Then he walked to the corner of the warehouse.
Pointing to one place, he said: "Master Hou, the mechanisms here are very hidden. There are ten places that need to be activated, and it seems that there is a strict sequence. This is the last place that needs to be activated. If the order is wrong, or ten
If everything is not activated, the mechanism cannot be opened!"
Xue Poye nodded. The place where Zi Yi pressed his hand just now seemed ordinary, but when he stepped forward and looked carefully, he could find that there were gray marks like mosquitoes and ants on these places.
I thought they were just inherent marks on the rocks, but I never thought they were machine marks.
This Ziyi was able to memorize the order of the agencies, and could also quickly and rationally analyze the doorways. He was indeed very experienced. From this point of view, it makes sense for the terrifying Yamen of Kyoto Prefecture to be feared by the late emperor.
Xue Poye walked to the east corner and pressed lightly on the place where Ziyi directed. There was no feeling of depression or any touching of the mechanism. It was just a cold wall. But after touching it, everyone in the room heard it.
There was an extremely weird sound, and the even more amazing scenery in the room was suddenly revealed at this moment.dd