The young eunuch looked around, and then whispered: "Can you please lend me a moment to speak?"
Li Xiuyuan nodded and immediately walked to a secluded place.
"Sir, originally this matter was not allowed to be spread in the palace, but I thought it had something to do with you, so I pretended to be brave and told you secretly." The young eunuch said cautiously.
"What do you want to tell me? Please speak frankly, father-in-law. Don't worry, father-in-law, I will not talk nonsense about things in the palace, nor will I tell others that I heard it from my father-in-law." Li Xiuyuan saw this little man.
The eunuch was worried. While talking, he took out a few Dongzhu from his arms and stuffed them into
into his hands.
The young eunuch was a little happy after taking Dongzhu, but then he pretended to be solemn and said: "Last time, didn't you ask me to take care of the beautiful girl who entered the palace?"
"Is she that girl?" Li Xiuyuan thought about it for a moment and realized that this was indeed the case.
The young eunuch whispered: "I specially screened out the girl according to the adults' instructions, and planned to send her out of the palace together with the other unsuccessful beauties in a few days. However, I never thought that a queen in the palace would be short of several
The palace maid temporarily selected a few, and unfortunately, the girl was chosen.
No, after leaving the palace and not being successful, I went to serve the empress."
Li Xiuyuan said: "This is indeed a troublesome matter. It seems that my care has not worked. The girl is still left in the palace."
"Sir, that's not what I'm talking about. The person in charge of the queen's palace asked about it. The girl you took care of seems to have disappeared. It happened a few days ago. There has been no trace for several days.
"The little eunuch said.
"You're saying that a living person has disappeared in the Imperial City's harem?" Li Xiuyuan frowned.
"Yes, yes." The young eunuch said hurriedly: "She is indeed missing. I have clicked the dots in the palace several times. The girl is indeed missing."
"Is she the only one missing, or is she just one of the missing people?" Li Xiuyuan asked.
The young eunuch said: "That girl is the only one missing. The other beautiful ladies are all fine."
Li Xiuyuan pondered for a moment and said, "I would like to visit the harem, can you help me?"
The young eunuch was a little confused: "It is not impossible for the adults to go to the harem. If the commander of the imperial army can give permission, there will be no problem there. But if the imperial army does not agree, there is nothing I can do."
"Let's give it a try and see if the Forbidden Army can be accommodating." Li Xiuyuan said, "I'd like to thank you for leading the way."
The harem in the imperial city was not strictly guarded and no one was allowed to enter or leave. Although the court had such regulations, the laws of the court were so numerous that no one really cared about it.
Moreover, it is impossible for the officials to control even this trivial matter. As long as the imperial guards on duty turn a blind eye, they can enter and leave the harem.
Of course, the premise is that your rank must be high. If your official position is not high enough, the Forbidden Army will not sell you this face.
"My lord, please stop. The court meeting is over. The road you want to take out of the palace is the road that leads to the harem. No one is allowed to come in or out at will." Sure enough, we didn't go far.
, there were two Imperial Guards on duty blocking Li Xiuyuan's path on a trail.
The young eunuch who led the way said: "This is Mr. Li, the governor of Yangzhou. Today I have some official business and I need to go to the harem. I ask you two to be accommodating and promise to come back within two hours and not cause any trouble to you two."
"
After saying that, feeling a little pained, each person stuffed an Dongzhu into their hands.
The newly arrived treasures were given away before they were warmed up.
The two Imperial Guards looked at Li Xiuyuan and saw that he was wearing a vermilion court uniform and a jade sword. He was indeed a military general and a court official who had reached the fifth rank. Although he looked unfamiliar, they had heard a lot about him.
After passing the deeds of a man named Li Xiuyuan in the capital, I heard that Cui Wei of the Six Gates
They all work under him and are very capable.
I dared not sell this face, and one of the Imperial Guards immediately said: "Master Li wants to go to the harem. Naturally, we can accommodate him. It's just that I will wait for two hours to change. It's already half an hour. Master Li wants to go to the harem."
If you do, be sure to come back within an hour and a half, otherwise the brother who will take over at that time
I don’t know if I will give Mr. Li a little face."
After saying that, he stepped aside and gestured with his fists.
"You two don't need to worry, I will come out within an hour and I won't embarrass you two." Li Xiuyuan also gave a gift to express his gratitude: "Thank you both for your accommodation. I will go to Ruyifang for a drink another day and report this to you."
The names of the officials count as two invited by me."
"Thank you, sir." The two of them were a little surprised.
I didn’t expect Mr. Li to be so cheerful. A drink at Ruyifang wouldn’t cost more than a few dozen taels of silver. Moreover, staying there for a night is also a very honorable thing. Compared with the Dongzhu I got.
Much stronger.
"There is no need to be polite. You two are willing to accommodate me. I should thank you both." Li Xiuyuan said.
The two Imperial Guards temporarily lent a waist badge to Li Xiuyuan to avoid being stopped by other Imperial Guards. If you show this token, other Imperial Guards will let you go. This is an unwritten rule.
The Imperial Guards all relied on this method to benefit each other.
"I heard that Emperor Daojun's temple is also in the harem, I don't know where it is? Can you take me to see it?" Li Xiuyuan said.
When he entered the harem, it was naturally impossible for him to go to such great lengths just for the disappearance of the woman. His purpose was still for the Book of Life and Death.
"Sir, do you want to visit Daojun Temple?" the young eunuch asked in surprise.
"Since you're here, why not go take a look." Li Xiuyuan said, "I'm quite interested."
Thinking that this was an easy matter, the young eunuch agreed and led Li Xiuyuan to the Daojun Temple in the harem.
Daojun Temple was built by Emperor Daojun during his lifetime. Because Emperor Daojun was obsessed with spiritual practice, he ignored government affairs all day long and hid in the harem to build a Taoist temple and meditate. After Emperor Daojun passed away, it was enshrined here.
The statue of Emperor Daojun was changed to the Daojun Temple. Every year, officials bring civil and military statues with them.
Officials came to pay homage several times.
As for weekdays, there are only eunuchs cleaning the house and patrols by the Forbidden Army will not come here.
After arriving in this garden, it was indeed very quiet, with rockeries, flowing water, green bamboos, and an inconspicuous small temple standing in the center, with a faint smell of incense wafting over it.
"My father-in-law, please wait for me here for a while. I will come out after I go to Daojun Temple to pay homage." Li Xiuyuan said.
"Don't worry, sir. Very few people come here on weekdays. You just need to be careful not to miss the time." The young eunuch said.
Li Xiuyuan walked towards Daojun Temple without hesitation at this moment.
He looked around, and there was indeed no one there. Moreover, the palace was a place where ghosts and gods could not come and go. Even if the spells could not be cast, there was nothing to worry about.
Daojun Temple.
An exquisite and luxurious Taoist temple appears in front of you.
This Taoist temple has been around for some time, at least several decades have passed, and even the temple built by the best craftsmen now looks mottled and has an old feel.
The temple is not big.
As soon as I entered, I saw a statue of a god sitting in the main hall. This statue looked like a Taoist monarch and emperor, but it was just wearing a Taoist robe, holding a fly whisk, and dressed like a Taoist.
In the other hand of the statue, a simple book was simply placed there. The book was shrouded in a layer of black smoke, making it invisible to mortals.
"Sure enough, the book of life and death is here." Li Xiuyuan's eyes lit up and he was about to get it.
But what he didn't expect was that there was a sudden movement behind the statue, which made him stop and immediately became alert.
"Master Li, are you here to get the Book of Life and Death after all?"
An old man who looked like a monk and had a kind face and kind eyes slowly walked out.
"National Master, you are actually here?" Li Xiuyuan frowned: "So this is a trap?"
The Imperial Master smiled and said: "Master Li has already figured it out, right? The book of life and death is placed in the Daojun Temple in the harem of the imperial city. Master Li has to come to pick it up no matter what. Master Li is really vigorous and resolute in doing things. He will come as soon as the court meeting is over.
The harem has taken the book of life and death."
"Does the Imperial Master want to take my life in the palace?" Li Xiuyuan put a hand on the jade sword at his waist and stared at him calmly.
The jade sword was not the one awarded by the imperial court, but was decorated with his Tai'a sword.
It is a magical weapon that can kill people.
"Master Li is joking. To kill a master like Master Li, you have to dispatch at least three teams of halberd-bearers and mobilize one or two hundred forbidden troops. And this is under the circumstances that Master Li's strength is limited to this. Although the palace's luck
Suppressed, the God of Thunder in the sky and the ghosts and gods everywhere could not support me, but I did not
I don’t think this method can be used to deal with Mr. Li.”
The Imperial Master clasped his hands together and said with a smile: "The book of life and death is here, please take it away, Mr. Li."
"What the Imperial Master said can't be hidden from others, can it be hidden from me?" Li Xiuyuan said at this moment: "I have already heard the sound of weapons shaking and the heavy footsteps of soldiers coming. My martial arts has reached my level.
There is no difference between some abilities and those of a cultivator, although
I'm not a Taoist, but I still have some ability to sense danger."
"If you mobilize the halberd-bearers and the imperial army in the palace to surround and kill a court minister, is it possible that the national advisor is already capable of covering the sky with one hand in the palace?"
"It depends on whether Master Li takes the Book of Life and Death," said the Imperial Master.
"It seems that Shi Hu has convinced the Wutong Sect yesterday to let them join you. Otherwise, it would be impossible to know the information about the Book of Life and Death in Daojun Temple. This is a bait, a bait for me, but I want to know about Shi Hu's Book of Life and Death.
In my hands, who does this book of life and death originally belong to?" Li Xiuyuan said.
"Does it matter who owns this book of life and death at this moment?"
The Imperial Preceptor said: "Thanks to Mr. Li's help during this period, most of the officials in the imperial court are now under my control. They have impeached Mr. Li too many times. Every time they impeach Mr. Li, the benefits will be reduced."
The salary gave me an opportunity to take advantage of it. Now Du Ze from the Ministry of Punishment,
Zhang Yuan of the Ministry of Personnel, the commander of the Forbidden Army, and several empresses in the imperial palace are all under my control. If not for the good luck of the palace of the Ministry of Rites and Fu Tianchou of the Ministry of War, the court would almost have changed hands."