At this time, Liu Zhenyi had already forgotten about his son being beaten. He pondered for a long time and then said: "Brother-in-law... then how do you think you should handle this matter?"
Shen Liancheng frowned and said with a wry smile: "If Liu Bin was beaten and captured because Liu Bin was right, even if it was an excuse to bully a small one, he still said it... But now it's true..." I am waiting for an excuse to bully others."
During the conversation, Gu Yanchun also entered the hall, sat down and said to Shen Liancheng: "Brother, according to your instructions, I have put her master and servant under house arrest in the "Zhuxin" building in the back garden of Xingya. Jiao and others will take care of you first..."
The layout of the Longwu Army's office is quite beautiful, just like a garden in the south of the Yangtze River. There is a garden inside the office. There is a first floor next to the pond in the garden, named "Zhuxin", which is where the officials in charge occasionally rest.
Shen Liancheng nodded, "Junior brother, what do you think of this matter?"
"In my opinion, this matter should not be taken lightly. With the identity of this girl, she came to Jingnan... to assist the King of Nanping in suppressing the rebellion, or she was instructed by the Liao Dynasty court."
Shen Liancheng also thought of what Gu Yanchun said, and after hearing the words, he said: "If this is the case, how did the Liao Dynasty know about our Tang Dynasty's plan to rebel against Gao Congyi? You must know that the emperor's brother has been secretly planning this matter for many years, even if it is like Zhenyi, the dragon and tiger The identity of the military commander was only known when I was ordered to send you to Jingnan."
Gu Yanchun nodded after hearing this: "Xiao Yanbei sent us the Tang Dynasty this time because he wanted to join forces to attack the Zhou court in the Central Plains... It should be that the Liao Dynasty also wanted to win over Jingnan to fight against the Zhou Dynasty, and Gao Ruoyu, the princess of Jingnan, was in charge of the guards. Ma, has the spirit of not giving in to women, or Xiao Yanbei asked her daughter to win over... I think it is easier for the two women to talk."
Shen Liancheng narrowed his eyes: "Junior brother is saying that when she arrived in Jingnan, she happened to encounter Gao Congyi's rebellion, so he helped her?"
Gu Yanchun nodded, "That should be the case, or else Gao Congyi and the emperor's brother might have someone working from the Liao Dynasty around them."
Liu Zhenyi, who was sitting on the throne, was shocked when he heard this. He frowned and said: "Gao Congyi's rebellion was defeated. The emperor's brother was also wondering why Nanping Wanghui had known about it for a long time and took precautions. He only thought that it was because Gao Congyi himself did not act secretly... ... Judging from the appearance of Xiao Yanbei's daughter, this matter may really be related to the Liao Dynasty's work."
After hearing this, Shen Liancheng pondered for a moment and said to Gu Yanchun: "Junior brother, please tell me again in detail the martial arts moves of the young man that we fought against at that time." He arrived at Jiangning Mansion from Luzhou three days ago and asked what Gu Yanchun did in Jingnan. This matter was mentioned by Gu Yanchun the day before yesterday when he was at Liu Zhenyi's house.
After Gu Yanchun told Shen Liancheng the moves used by Luo Xiaoyao, he added: "I have never seen that young man's sword style before. It is similar to the master's "Liu Ren" sword style, but there is one move that is different. Like the sword technique, it is similar to the moves used by Miss Xiao during the day." When Luo Xiaoyao fought with him, he did use the "Jade Plate Thousand Hairs" move in the Yueshuang Sword Technique.
Yi Wuwei joined the army in his early years and never walked in the world. After being frustrated, he hid in Taibai Mountain. His "Xingxiu" swordsmanship was never known to people in the world. Even though Shen Liancheng was familiar with swordsmanship, he had never seen it before. "See It is not easy to come to this young man's school... let's just say that Miss Xiao has not only obtained the true biography of senior Mu Daochengmu, but also possesses the unique skill of "Tai Su Eleven Swords" of "Jingxin Temple" in Hengshan. In the past few decades, The world is in war, and many masters of martial arts are hiding in the mountains and fields... Junior brother should be careful if he meets this young man in the future, and try not to make enemies with him unless necessary."
Shen Liancheng served as a minister in the army and served Liu Yanzhen of the Shenwu Army. Although he was introduced by his wife's brother Liu Zhenyi, it was also related to his own greed for utilitarianism, but he was not a person who forgot his life at the sight of profit and acted cautiously.
Gu Yanchun nodded and said, "If that young man comes, what will Senior Brother plan?"
"Now that Xiao Yanbei's daughter has been captured, naturally she invited them to live in the "Zhuxin" building temporarily, and this matter is related to Xiao Yanbei..." Shen Liancheng smiled and thought for a moment. He said to Liu Zhenyi: "Now that her daughter is captured in this yamen, we can only think that she is a member of the Gao family in Jingnan. As for her identity as the daughter of Xiao Yanbei, we should pretend to be suspicious at the moment and write a letter to Xiao Yan." If Yanbei pretends to seek proof, he will have a way out, what does Zhenyi think?"
Shen Liancheng and Gu Yanchun were only serving in the military, but had no power to make decisions. They had a nepotistic relationship with Liu Zhenyi, so they dared to make their own decisions first.
Liu Zhenyi's face looked like he was thinking, and he muttered: "What my brother-in-law said is true... But this matter is related to Xiao Yanbei. Zhenyi does not dare to make the decision without authorization. After he has been informed by the Emperor's brother, he can only follow the instructions of the Emperor's brother. Do what you want."
Shen Liancheng and Gu Yanchun looked at each other, nodded and said: "This matter is related to the diplomatic relations between the court and the court, so it should be."
At this time, a soldier came to the entrance of the hall, bowed and said: "See you, sir. I have something to report."
Liu Zhenyi saw that it was still the soldiers he sent to investigate Luo Xiaoyao's residence, so he said, "Come in and talk."
The soldier followed the instructions and entered the hall. "Following your Lord's instructions, my subordinates found out the identity of the owner of the house. According to an official from the Household Registration Department... the owner of the house is a tea merchant named Lin from Yangzhou, the eastern capital. This house is Wherever he came to do business in the capital, the housekeeper of the businessman named Lin usually lived there."
"Dongdu people?" Liu Zhenyi frowned, "Okay, I understand, you can go down first."
After the soldier retreated, he looked at Shen Liancheng and muttered: "Brother-in-law, this...is this businessman named Lin related to the Liao Dynasty's fine work? Or is it related to Xiao Yanbei? Do you want to go with someone?" Dongdu wants to find out the details of this person?"
Shen Liancheng smiled and said, "As for this matter, it would be best if Zhenyi and the emperor's brother make it clear." He knew that the final decision on this matter rested with the emperor's brother Li Jingsui, so he did not want to waste his time.
Liu Zhenyi smiled coquettishly when he heard this, "What my brother-in-law said is true... As for the whereabouts of that young man, Brother-in-law Lao and Mr. Gu are involved. Zhenyi will go and report it to the emperor's brother."
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In Prince Yan's Mansion in Jiangning City, on the hexagonal pavilion in the garden of the mansion, Li Hongji, who has not yet left the capital for his residence in Runzhou, is wearing a jade crown and a floral brocade robe, sitting on the edge of the stone table in the pavilion, looking at the black and white chess game on the stone table. , sighed, put down the black chess piece in his hand, and said to the scribe with a thin face and short beard who was over forty years old and played chess with him: "Mr. Fan's chess is so good that I admire him."
This scribe's surname was Fan and his surname was Jinchuan. He was Li Hongji's confidant. Seeing that Li Hongji had abandoned his son and said he was losing, he smiled and said: "On weekdays, His Highness King Yan and his subordinates are evenly matched. Today, he is undecided. He has lost two games in a row. I think he has something in his heart. How can I be superior in playing chess?"
Li Hongji was waiting for a reply when he suddenly saw Qu Yuan walking on the corridor above the pool. He said with a smile: "Here comes the person who relieves worries, haha..."
Qu Yuan came to the octagonal pavilion, bowed and said: "Qu Yuan met His Highness King Yan and Mr. Fan."
Li Hongji chuckled lightly, "There's no need to be too polite, Lao Qu. How about the matter you're exploring?"
I think he was very close to Qu Yuan, and there was no hierarchy in his words.
"This morning, my subordinates contacted the informants in the Emperor's Taidi's Palace and confirmed that Xiao Yanbei's daughter and her servants are indeed under house arrest in the Longwu Army Siyanei."
As the King of Yan, Li Hongji also led the Longwu Army and led the Longwu Right Wing Army to garrison Runzhou to suppress the Wuyue invasion. Although he was Liu Zhenyi's superior, he had no right to interfere with the Left Wing Army guarding the capital. .
Liu Zhenyi was very close to the emperor's younger brother Li Jingsui, so Li Hongji also planted an internal agent in the Longwu Army's office. When Liu Zhenyi's son was beaten, Shen Liancheng captured Xiao Muyun. Someone informed Li Hongji that after Li Hongji got the news, he Follow Qu Yuan to contact the informant in the palace of the emperor's brother to confirm.
Li Hongji frowned, "How will the emperor arrange it?"
"After hearing what the informant said, the emperor's brother wrote a letter and handed it to Liu Zhenyi, ordering Gu Yanchun to go north to deliver it to Xiao Yanbei overnight."
"Oh?" Li Hongji was slightly surprised when he heard this. He looked at Fan Jinchuan and said, "What do you think Mr. Fan has to say?"
After hearing this, Fan Jinchuan pondered for a moment and said to Qu Yuan: "Fan is poor in martial arts. If one can tell a person's identity through his moves, Captain Qu, do you think Shen Liancheng can..."
Qu Yuan understood the meaning of his words, shook her head decisively and said: "With Qu's skill, one can also tell a person's origin from his moves. Shen Liancheng's cultivation level is still higher than that of Qu. There is no reason to make a mistake."
"That's strange..." Fan Jinchuan muttered: "There must be something fishy about this matter. If it weren't for the intelligence of the emperor's younger brother, he would never have done such a stupid thing."
Qu Yuan was stunned, and Li Hongji also seemed puzzled. He looked at Fan Jinchuan and said, "What do you mean, sir?"
"If Liu Zhenyi reports this matter to His Highness King Yan...how will His Highness deal with it?" Fan Jinchuan said with a smile.
"It seems that this matter is really as what Mr. Liu said, and there is a hidden secret... If Xiao Yanbei's daughter is captured just because Liu Zhenyi's evil son was beaten, even if Liu Zhenyi is stupid and comes to ask me to deal with him regardless of his face, I will naturally not Come forward and participate..."
"Privately, Liu Zhenyi was asked to pretend that he had been deceived by the evil son and mistakenly arrested Xiao Yanbei's daughter. He released her and apologized. Even if he had doubts about her identity, he would not confirm it with Xiao Yanbei and let the Liao people I laugh at the fact that there are no prohibitions in the laws of the Tang Dynasty, because... I protect the nobles' children who do evil, but they arrest the people who are heroic and righteous."
"Yes," Fan Jinchuan continued: "Besides, although Liu Zhenyi is arrogant, he is not a reckless man. If he accidentally arrested Xiao Yanbei's daughter just to protect his shortcomings, he would have no shame to accuse the emperor's brother, and the emperor's wife If I don't release him first and then confide in Xiao Yanbei, there must be something important hidden in this."
Li Hongji nodded, "According to what you see, sir...?"
Fan Jinchuan touched his short beard and said slowly: "If my subordinates' predictions are correct, the emperor's brother must have thought that letting Xiao Yanbei's daughter go was because he had a huge friendship with Xiao Yanbei, so he dared to talk to Xin I'll send Gu Yanchun there."
"Oh?" Li Hongji frowned, looked at Qu Yuan and said, "But there's something inside?"
Qu Yuan shook his head, "According to what the eyeliner said, after Liu Zhenyi met Jin, he said that he had caught Xiao Yanbei's daughter, and was invited to the study by the emperor's brother for a secret discussion, but he had no way of knowing the details."
Fan Jinchuan looked at Li Hongji, who looked thoughtful, and said: "The emperor's brother went with the letter to show his love to Xiao Yanbei... His subordinates guessed that he was asking Xiao Yanbei to propose to him on the condition of joining forces to attack Zhou. Emperor Liao’s kind words, when the time comes…”
Li Hongji was stunned for a moment, but then he heard Fan Jinchuan say again: "The Emperor's brother and His Highness both have the desire to join forces with the Liao people to invade the Central Plains... The emperor is benevolent and treats his ministers courteously, but the officials headed by the Jiangnan gentry and plutocrats are in favor."
And arrogant, pursuing quick gains and disregarding the interests of the court. Although these people are close to the emperor's brother, they are not willing to support the emperor's tea-horse trade policy..."
"This time the Liao people traded fifty kilograms of tea for a horse, which was for the benefit of both parties. In the market of tea horses, seventy kilograms of tea can be exchanged for a good horse, and in exchange
If a horse is redeemed and sold in the south of the Yangtze River, the silver it turns into can buy about a hundred catties of tea."
"These noble tycoons would rather exchange seventy pounds of tea leaves for a horse. Why don't they support the court's fifty pounds of tea leaves for a horse?" Qu Yuan couldn't understand it for a moment, so he asked.
"Do you know where the horses bought in the tea market go?" Fan Jinchuan said to Qu Yuan with a smile.
"Mr. Fan, are you saying that these tea merchants exchanged seventy catties of tea for horses and then sold them to the military camp at a price equivalent to the amount of silver that can buy a hundred catties of tea?" Qu Yuan finally understood the key and exclaimed in shock.
Said: "How dare these people act like this?"
"For me, in the Tang Dynasty, tea is a good seed, but war horses are rare...Liao people mainly eat meat and vegetables. Without tea to remove greasiness, all kinds of diseases will breed. The reason why the court trades tea with horses is because of the needs of the country, and in the Central Plains
Under the control of Zhou Ting, it was not easy to transport tea to Liao. When it arrived in Liao, the price of silver sold was nearly twice as much as the price in Jiangnan."
"But the war horses I need for the Tang Dynasty are more than 3,000, and the tea exchanged by the Liao Dynasty can be used for three to five months. As the saying goes, scarcity is more valuable. By then, the Liao people will be saturated with domestic tea, so the price will naturally drop.
.”
"If Jiangnan tea merchants want to change horses again, they must increase the number of pounds of tea. Now it is seventy pounds, and then it will be ninety pounds. One hundred pounds is exchanged for one horse. Once the price rises, it may be difficult to fall again.
…”
Li Hongji, who was listening attentively, suddenly said: "Does Mr. Do you think Xiao Yanbei will contribute to this matter?"
"The emperor's brother knew that she was Xiao Yanbei's daughter, but he still kept her in the office, so he must have someone to rely on. Zhuoxin and Xiao Yanbei must have wanted to verify the identity of this woman, but they also had the intention of threatening...
Fan Jinchuan pondered for a moment and said, "It's a pity that I don't know the real reason why Xiao Yanbei's daughter is under house arrest."
"If Xiao Yanbei accepts the love of the emperor's brother because of his daughter, with his status as uncle in Bali Kingdom, his brother Xiao Dilu as the prime minister of the Northern Courtyard, and his son Xiao Siwen as the prince-in-law, the Liao Emperor will give it to him
For the sake of his face, he will not mention the conditions for gifting the horses...if he agrees to buy the horses with silver taels instead of exchanging them for tea, the difficult officials of this dynasty will naturally agree."
Those officials who opposed the exchange of tea for horses naturally calculated their own profit gains and losses. If they bought horses with silver taels, it would have little impact on the price of tea and horses in the market. And the silver taels were taken out of the national treasury. Even if they had to be raised from the public, it would be nothing more than a waste of money.
Increasing taxes will not harm their interests.
Li Hongji's face turned solemn when he heard this, he thought for a moment, then looked at Qu Yuan and said: "How can the guards of the Secretary's Office take care of Xiao Yanbei's daughter?"
Qu Yuan was stunned and said hurriedly: "She and her servants are under house arrest in the 'Zhuxin Tower' in the back garden. During the day, Lei Jiao is on duty with six guards. In addition to the total number of guards on duty in the office, there are twenty
For the rest, Shen Liancheng will personally take care of them at night."
"Shen Liancheng?" Li Hongji was greatly surprised and chuckled, "It seems that the Shenwu Army is so leisurely that even the chief minister in the army can work part-time in the Longwu Army."
Fan Jinchuan sneered and said: "Liu Yanzhen, the commander of the Shenwu Army, has always followed the lead of the emperor's brother. It's not surprising that Shen Liancheng helped guard Xiao Yanbei's daughter... His Highness inquired about the security situation. Could it be that he wanted to save Xiao Yanbei's daughter?"
Li Hongji chuckled and asked, "Mr. Yi, what do you think this king should do?"
Fan Jinchuan stroked his beard for a moment and said slowly, "If we can join forces with the Liao people to attack the Central Plains, the emperor's brother's prestige will be greatly improved. The northern officials in the court have always wanted to take over the Central Plains. At that time, His Highness King Yan will ..." After a pause, he looked at Li Hongji and made a slashing gesture with his right hand.
Li Hongji was courageous and courageous, and was highly supported by officials from the north in the DPRK. If the emperor's brother Li Jingsui brokered an alliance this time, those northern officials who were bent on conquering the Central Plains might switch to him.
How could Li Hongji let something like this happen if he aspired to the throne? Hearing Fan Jinchuan's words and seeing his gestures were exactly what he thought, he smiled and said to Qu Yuan: "With Chen Liancheng’s martial arts, Laoqu, which of the Longwu right wing soldiers do you think can kill him?”
Qu Yuan's brows jumped, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Looking at the Dragon God of the Tang Dynasty, the three heroes, the three warriors, the three guards and the six soldiers, the guest ministers, the ministers, no one can be his opponent in a single fight."
Li Hongji was startled for a moment, squinted his eyes and pondered for a moment, and then said: "If I try to divert Shen Liancheng away, Lao Qu, are you sure you can break into the office and kill Xiao Yanbei's daughter?"
Qu Yuan's heart was shocked. After listening to Li Hongji's words, he also guessed his intention, which was to make the emperor's brother take the blame if his love failed. He had always obeyed Li Hongji's orders. After a moment of thought, he said: " There are not many experts on duty at the Si Yamen, but there are many people. If you bring two people with the same level of cultivation as your subordinates, you should be able to do it within a quarter of an hour. However, with Shen Liancheng's level of cultivation, he will definitely be able to do it from the deceased's body. The injuries reveal the identity of the assassin..."
Li Hongji frowned and thought for a long time before saying: "The informants in the imperial office have the idea of setting fire to the 'Zhu Xin Tower'... They will definitely flee by then. Lao Qu, you bring a few dead soldiers who are skilled in archery." , is it possible to take it from afar?"
Qu Yuan felt that this plan could work, nodded and said: "If so, it should be feasible...but how will His Highness lure Shen Liancheng away?"
Li Hongji smiled and said, "I am also the commander of the Longwu Army. I will make a tour of the Secretary's Yamen tomorrow afternoon. I will invite Liu Zhenyi, Shen Liancheng and Lei Jiao to sit at my house. I believe they will not dare to refuse."
Qu Yuan felt that Li Hongji's move was too obvious and couldn't help but look suspicious. Li Hongji smiled and said, "Don't worry, Old Qu. As long as you don't show any flaws, even if the emperor's brother is suspicious, he won't dare to do anything." Lies...The Emperor has always disliked suspicious words. If there is no evidence, it is suspected of false accusation, haha..."
After laughing, his face changed, "After the matter is completed, you must not leave any clues."
Qu Yuan also understood his intention to kill people and silence them, so he bowed and said, "I understand."
"I heard that there is another fish that slipped through the net? Does the Yamen spy have any information about his whereabouts? If this person can be captured, I think we will know the intention of the emperor's brother to put Xiao Yanbei's daughter under house arrest."
Qu Yuan smiled bitterly and said: "According to the informants in the office, the guards Liu Zhenyi sent to follow him were all killed without knowing it."
"Oh?" Li Hongji said in surprise: "This matter seems to be even more complicated... What do you think, Mr. Fan?"
Fan Jinchuan shook his head, "No more extraneous matters can be caused at this time. Xiao Yanbei's daughter and servants should be eliminated first, and the rest of the troubles should be solved by the emperor's brother, Liu Zhenyi and others... His Highness can request an order from the court tomorrow morning and return the day after tomorrow.
Runzhou, Lieutenant Qu will be able to lead people to do things tomorrow night..."
Li Hongji pondered for a moment after hearing this, nodded slowly, looked at Qu Yuan and said: "If things change, Lao Qu, you must escape unscathed..."
Qu Yuan's face showed gratitude, he nodded, bowed and left. Li Hongji looked at his leaving figure and let out a long sigh. Qu Yuan was loyal to him and even sacrificed his life during the battle with Wu Yue.
Li Hong hoped to be grateful for saving him, but he was worried that something might happen to Qu Yuan.