The sun was turning westward, and Du Zhai was in panic.
With tears in her eyes, Qinglan helped Lu Fengniang sit down slowly in the front hall.
"How could this happen?" Lu Fengniang cried and had no idea at all. She wiped her tears and asked: "Manager Quan, what do you think we should do now?"
Quan Rui is an experienced old steward who has become the only backbone of the Du family. He muttered: "This is such a heinous crime... the prince must be notified immediately."
"Yes, yes." Lu Fengniang said hurriedly: "Then send someone quickly."
"Quan Fu, go quickly." Quan Rui quickly ordered his son: "The Prince does not live in the East Palace at the Ten Prince's Residence, so go to the Ten Prince's Residence."
"Eh."
Quan Fu responded and immediately ran out.
"Don't worry, Madam." Quan Rui's eyes were full of fear, but he still managed to stay calm and said: "Alang has always been cautious in his words and deeds. It is completely baseless to say that he 'made false predictions, constructed the East Palace, and criticized Chengyu'! Come to think of it,
, he will be released once he is found out."
Lu Fengniang patted her heart and murmured: "That's good, that's good."
Suddenly someone in the hall said something -
"The official didn't search Du's house just now."
Everyone turned around and saw that the person speaking was Xue Bai, who had only been taken in for three days.
"You kid." Quan Rui said: "There are no 'prophecies' in Du's house, no letters of 'interpretation' with others, and no words of 'criticism'. Is there anything worth searching?"
Xue Bai asked: "There is no evidence in Du House. All the managers know about this matter, but how come the officials also know about it? In this case, how can they dare to take people directly?"
"this……"
Quan Rui thought about it and murmured: "Yes, then they should also know that Alang was unjustly accused."
Xue Bai asked again: "When they take someone, they must intend to convict him, but how to convict him?"
"How to convict him?" Quan Rui thought, "Could it be that we set up an altar today to make Xiaoxiao falsely accuse Tulu? Master Fang is still in the house, so we have to find a way to send him away and burn those magical instruments."
"No." Xue Bai reminded: "They did not take away Taoist Fang and the magic weapon, which shows that these are not the key to conviction. If we cover it up on our own initiative, we will appear guilty."
"Yes." Lu Fengniang asked with a tearful voice: "It's just a ritual, isn't it?"
"The legal affairs have just been completed, there must be more than this reason." Xue Bai pondered and asked: "Does the Du family really have no other reasons?"
By this time, everyone had stopped crying and looked at Xue Bai with wide eyes, surprised that this childish young man was so calm.
Not only was he calm, but he actually dared to question the master, as if he was the judge in charge of the case.
Quan Rui couldn't help but scolded: "You kid..."
"Let Xue Bai take the details." Du Wulang said quickly: "He has an extraordinary background, and the people he associates with are all noble concubines, Jiedu envoys and such figures."
Quan Rui was slightly surprised, then nodded and sighed: "Although Alang is a minister of the East Palace, his duties are only empty. He usually doesn't even dare to talk to the officials nearby. How can there be any clue? There is no clue! Except..."
"Apart from Liu Lang's son-in-law?" Xue Bai asked.
Quan Rui suddenly shuddered, reacted, and exclaimed in shock: "Is it true that Liu Lang's son-in-law has the evidence of his crime in the hands of others?!"
This is exactly what Xue Bai planned to ask Du Wulang just now, whether someone deliberately did Liu Ji take him to Pingkangfang?
Obviously, anyone who looks at Liu Ji knows that he is a man with great ambitions and little talent, who can easily be exploited.
"What a coincidence." Quan Rui murmured: "Not long after Wu Lang's accident, Liu Lang's son-in-law had an argument with A Lang in the morning, and someone came to pick up A Lang in the afternoon. From the looks of it, the officials came in a hurry. It must be."
"Who else could he be if he wasn't that idiot?!" After hearing this, Lu Fengniang burst into tears and cursed: "I've known for a long time that this crazy person is going to harm the Du family! I've known for a long time... wuwu... this disaster! "
"Madam." Quan Rui said anxiously: "Liu Lang's husband-in-law has a mixed circle of friends. We have to send someone to ask him if he has fallen into the hands of someone..."
At this moment, a servant hurried back and almost tripped on the threshold.
"It's not good! Quan Fu was arrested as soon as he walked out of the back door!"
"What?"
Quan Rui was shocked and finally confused.
"Let's climb over the wall." Xue Bai reacted quickly, pulled Du Wulang and left, "We must find Liu Ji, the prince, as soon as possible."
"I...I don't know where the prince lives."
"I know." Qinglan said, "I once went with my wife to visit Prince Liangdi."
"quick."
Qinglan hurriedly followed two steps, but then turned back to Lu Fengniang and asked: "Madam, are you leaving?"
"Go quickly and let Wulang come back."
However, Xue Bai had already pulled Du Wulang out of the front hall.
Qinglan stamped her feet and hurriedly caught up...
~~
Xue Bai calculated in his mind that Du's house has one gate, one back gate, three west gates, and two east gates. Jingzhao Mansion sent about 20 people. It is possible to guard these seven gates, but it is unlikely to surround him. Courtyard wall.
There may be official patrols, but he knows that the government must follow procedures when doing things, so he has to grab the word "quick".
He first rushed to the stable in the front yard to get a rope, then went to the storage room to get a ladder, turned to the backyard, and rushed directly to the rockery on the east side of the fifth entrance yard.
This is the farthest away from the side entrance, the quietest outside the courtyard, and it is easy to climb over the wall.
"Follow up."
Xue Bai put up the ladder on the rockery, climbed up the courtyard wall first, looked around, and called to Du Wulang and Qing Lan to come up.
"Come."
Xue Bai tied the rope to the courtyard wall, climbed down along the rope, and helped Qing Lan first. Du Wulang was much clumsy and almost fell down and gnawed in the mud.
"Ouch."
"Don't shout."
"Going to the Ten Kings' Residence?" Qinglan said, "Go this way."
"No, let's find Liu Ji first. It's more urgent to confirm the evidence."
"Liu Lang's son-in-law's family is in Dunyifang, to the west."
~~
The city of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty was square and square, with 25 crisscrossing streets dividing the city into two cities and 108 squares.
With Zhuque Street as the central axis, the east and west of the city are governed by two counties respectively. The east is Wannian County and the west is Chang'an County, which means "Chang'an Wannian".
The Du family is located in Shengpingfang, which belongs to the east and is under the jurisdiction of Wannian County.
Shengpingfang is the standard "four gates and sixteen districts" layout of Tangfang. The four gates are said to be "gates", but in fact there are pavilions above the gates, and Wuhou can keep sentry in the pavilions.
When he reached the west gate of the square, Du Wulang was very nervous. He lowered his head and walked with his hands and feet.
"Don't be afraid." Xue Bai whispered: "We are not fugitives yet, and the officials cannot recognize us."
"oh."
"Keep your head up."
After finally leaving Shengpingfang, Xue Bai slowed down and looked around, but did not see any familiar scenery.
Qinglan found that he was very unfamiliar with the outside of the house, so she gave him directions.
"We have to walk three blocks to the west to get to Zhuque Street. After crossing Suzaku Street, we have to walk five blocks to the southwest to reach Donui-bo. It's not that close..."
Xue Bai had already found out whether Du's house was in the Leyouyuan area two days ago. Now, after listening to Qinglan's explanation, it finally became clearer.
This place was probably near the junction of Xiying Road and Qujiang Road in later generations. You have to go to Chang'an Middle Road to reach Zhuque Street, which is only a small half of the way.
The entire walk is equivalent to walking from Qinglong Temple to Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, which is really far.
"Is there a carriage?"
"We have to find a coachman and hitch up the coach. It's too late."
"There's going to be curfew soon."
"Use to run."
None of the three people were in good physical condition. After running for half an hour, they were all out of breath.
"I...I...I can't do it anymore..."
Du Wulang finally stopped and rested for a while, holding his knees and almost unable to stand up.
"Really, I have no energy left."
The last rays of the setting sun receded, and the majestic outline of Chang'an City became darker and darker.
"Boom."
As soon as the sun set, the sound of dusk drums sounded in the city.
If you are still on the street after six hundred dusk drums, you have violated the law and will be caught and beaten.
Qinglan encouraged: "It will be there soon."
"Walk."
Xue Bai frowned, and together with Qing Lan, he picked up Du Wulang and ran into the night of Chang'an under the urging of the drum.
"Boom."
"Boom."
"Leak everything! Close the door!"
As the last closing drum sounded, the gate of Dunyi Square slowly closed.
A curfew has begun in Chang'an and will last until the fifth update of the next day.
The drums are gone and people are scattered, but the moon is the only one in the nine roads.
…
Three figures stood panting in front of a house in the square.
Liu Zhai is just an ordinary house with two courtyards. It looks a little shabby and does not match Liu Ji's brocade.
"No official duties?" Xue Bai looked around vigilantly, with doubts in his eyes.
"Let's run fast." Qing Lan said before she could catch her breath, "Besides, this is under the jurisdiction of Chang'an County. Are they slow to mobilize people?"
They knocked on the door knocker, and soon a woman's voice sounded inside.
"Who is it?"
"Liu Shang. It's me, Qinglan, and Wulang are here too."
Soon, with a "squeaking" sound, a thin maid opened the door.
"Why is Wulang here at this time? Is this... running here?"
"Let's talk after we go in. Have any official officials been here?"
"Official official? No."
Xue Bai was a little surprised and said to himself: "The official messenger hasn't come yet?"
~~
The daughter of the Du family was named Du Mei, and she was known as Mrs. Du.
When she heard the commotion, she rushed to the front hall with a candle in hand. Seeing that it was Du Wulang who had brought people, she quickly asked what happened.
There are two siblings. The younger brother is not good-looking, but the elder sister is very beautiful.
Xue Bai was a little surprised at first sight, but after thinking about it, he realized that Du Wulang was born by a stepmother, and his appearance was more like Lu Fengniang, while the first few children of the Du family were born by Du Youlin's first wife.
Presumably Mrs. Du Er was also beautiful, so she was able to marry into the East Palace.
At this time, Du Wei heard about her father's arrest, and her beauty turned pale.
Xue Bai took a closer look at her in the candlelight and noticed that her dress was different from the gorgeous style of the world. She was quite frugal and plain-faced.
In addition, her eyes were red, she must have cried.
After she calmed down a little, Xue Bai asked, "Is Liu Lang's son-in-law not at home?"
"Lang Jun...isn't here."
"Did he come back at noon?"
"Yes." Du Wei responded, wiping her tears.
"Did you tell me that the Du family asked him to reconcile?"
Du Wei didn't want to talk about these things to outsiders, and she wasn't familiar with Xue Bai, so she didn't know why he was so imposing at a young age. But the situation was urgent, so she nodded and thought about the consequences of the whole thing.
It happened suddenly and no one reacted.
Xue Bai asked again: "What did he say?"
Du Wei hesitated for a moment, then opened her lips and responded: "He said, 'As long as our relationship between husband and wife is strong, according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, neither the government nor the father-in-law can separate us.' So I must be as solid as a rock."
"How do you answer?"
Du Wei felt uncomfortable when she was asked. She turned her head and replied in a low voice: "The rock is square and thick and can last for thousands of years."
"Then what?"
"Mr. Lang said, 'That's good,' and went to the study. He didn't stay long, and left in a hurry. He still hasn't returned yet... Sigh."
With an unconscious sigh, Du Wei had already guessed the outline of the matter.
"He didn't say where he was going?"
"I asked my husband, and he said I was looking for help from a friend."
"Can I go to the study and have a look?"
"Normally no one is allowed to enter Lang Jun's study, but since it is..." Du Wei knew that the situation was urgent, so she stood up and said, "Please come this way."
The front hall of Liuzhai is clean and tidy, with no decorations, but there are many paintings and calligraphy hanging in the study room.
When you open the door, you will see a painting and calligraphy hanging on the wall, which contains a poem.
Xue Bai stepped forward and took a closer look. He could barely make out the last sentence clearly in the weak candlelight.
"No matter how rich or poor you are, I hope we can get to know each other."
The calligraphy is excellent and flowing, even a layman can tell at a glance that it is the handwriting of a famous artist.
"This is Li Beihai's handwriting." Du Wei stepped forward and said, "Lang Jun once gave him gold objects, and he gave them back to Lang Jun with calligraphy, paintings, and famous horses."
"Li Beihai?" Du Wulang exclaimed: "Li Beihai who's 'the right army is like a dragon and the Beihai is like an elephant'?"
"The right army is like a dragon" refers to Wang Youjun Wang Xizhi. It is remarkable that Li Beihai is as famous as Wang Youjun.
Now that Du Wulang knew it was his calligraphy, when he took a closer look, he felt it was different from the first glance.
Liu Shan murmured dissatisfiedly: "But the gold vessel that Lang Jun gave away is clearly the wife's dowry."
"Talk too much."
Du Mei lightly scolded the maid, carefully held the candle, and looked around the study, her eyes filled with sadness and wonder at the same time, and said: "My husband likes to make friends with famous people, and here are all famous paintings and calligraphy that you can't find in ordinary times, and...
...Trouble that you don’t normally get into.”
She didn't give the candle to Xue Bai, as she was habitually afraid of damaging any calligraphy and painting.
Xue Bai checked the desk in the darkness.
There was an inkstone on the desk. When I touched it with my hand, I found that the ink was not completely dry yet. It must have been polished in the afternoon.
Suddenly, there was a rapid and fierce knock on the door in the front yard.
"Open the door!"
"Jingzhao Mansion is handling the case, open the door!"
Several people in the study were startled. Du Wulang immediately panicked and asked, "What should I do?"
"Get the candle closer," Xue Bai urged, "Look for traces."
"Wha...what traces?"
"Where did Liu Ji go? Did he exchange letters with the Ji family or anyone else? Or is there any evidence left in the study? Find it."
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Du Wei didn't care about anything else. She put the candlestick on the table, took out a box from the drawer and rummaged through it.
These are obviously communications between Liu Ji and people, and there are indeed many of them.
Seeing this situation, and then thinking about the crime of "constructing the East Palace", it becomes even more disturbing.
"Open the door! Open the door!"
Liu Sheng was so frightened that he almost cried, and asked: "What should I do? Should I go and say that my wife is not here..."
"Find quickly."
Xue Bai flipped through the paper on the table that was slightly stained with ink, but found nothing. He took the candlestick in Liu Shan's hand and shined it around.
He even saw Du Fu's words on the wall.
If the situation wasn't urgent, he would really be amazed.
Suddenly there was a loud "bang" in the front yard, and an official shouted: "Crash in!"
"Bang."
"Bang."
The candlelight flickered, and two paper balls suddenly came into view on the ground. Xue Bai hurriedly put down the candlestick, picked up the first paper ball, opened it, and saw only the words "Heli Shu".
Opening another paper ball, he couldn't help but look at it and said to himself: "So that's it."
"What did you find?"
"Let's go." Xue Bai put away the two pieces of paper, pushed Du Wulang, and said, "Go over the wall."
"But...there's a curfew."
"Walk."
Xue Bai pushed the others away, took two steps and then stopped, looking back at the box that Du Wei took out.
Many letters were scattered all over the table, and there was no time to clean them up.
Thinking of Liu Ji's temperament of great ambition and limited talent, and then looking at the calligraphy and paintings by famous artists in the room, Xue Bai's eyes showed hesitation.
But he hesitated only for a moment, and another word suddenly flashed in his mind.
——Be cautious in your words and actions, as if walking on thin ice.
He then pulled Du Wei, took the candlestick from her hand, and looked at her.
Du Wei understood the meaning in Xue Bai's eyes, covered her face with her hands, and turned around.
Xue Bai reached out his hand decisively.
The candlestick lit the silk, and the flames quickly jumped up and swallowed up the calligraphy and paintings of Li Yong, Du Fu and many famous people.
Burn the harp and cook the crane, burning fiercely...
There will be paintball chapters in the first few chapters. Some information, maps, and paintball chapters will be sent for review. If you missed it, you can go back and browse the table of contents. Please vote for the new book and follow it up. Thank you everyone!
