(2-in-1) Above the long street, the north wind is blowing. The sun was shining brightly in the past few days, but starting from this morning, the north wind began to become stronger and the sky was covered by clouds. Anyone with experience knows that the north wind
As soon as it stops, after a short period of warmer weather, there will be another heavy snowfall. It is already the ninth day of the first lunar month, and the New Year atmosphere is dissipating little by little. There are not many people wandering around the streets at night, and with this weather
, by the time of the second watch, the long street was already empty, with almost no one around. The strong wind made the treetops rustle, and the colorful lanterns on both sides of the street that had a strong festive atmosphere were also extinguished and damaged, and they swayed violently under the eaves. Occasionally, they shook violently under the eaves.
Shaking and falling to the ground, the fluttering round lanterns rolled with the wind on the cold streets, like tumbleweeds in the Gobi desert.
This kind of weather is actually conducive to movement. The clouds in the sky cover the new moon, and everything is dark. The cold weather is also a convenience. At least everyone is huddled in bed, which reduces a lot of unnecessary troubles.
Because of the murder, there were quite a few Imperial Guards patrolling the streets, and from time to time a group of cavalry troops would fly past. The patrolling infantrymen were holding lanterns and walking around the corner like ghosts with their heads shrunken. None of this could stop Lin.
Jue and others went to Tongfu Lane on Maxing Street outside Donghua Gate, where Wu Chunlai's mansion was located.
Wu Chunlai's official career has been smooth sailing since he exposed his mentor Fang Dunru, and he has established a firm foothold in the capital. With Lu Zhongtian's help, he married the daughter of the former Zhengshitang Pingzhang Zhengshi and held her tightly.
Lu Zhongtian's thigh has been in power in the powerful department of the Political Affairs Hall for many years. Over the years, he has been powerful in the imperial court and has made a lot of money. Wu Chunlai just bought a property and a big house in the land outside Donghua Gate.
In other words, this is not a purchase. The owner of this house is the house of Cui Zhongshi, the former privy envoy of the Zhou Dynasty. The Cui family is a big family in the capital, and this big house is also an ancestral property. In the 27th year of Jinxiu, Cui Zhongshi and Lu Zhongtian fell out.
In the palace, he cursed Lu Zhongtian as a treacherous prime minister. Afterwards, Wu Chunlai caught Cui Zhongzhong and dug out some evidence of Cui Zhongzhong's family exploiting and plundering the people. Finally, he united with thirty courtiers to overthrow Cui Zhongzhong.
The Cui family was confiscated and fined 50,000 yuan, and Cui Zhongshi was demoted from the capital. The Cui family's house was auctioned by the court. Wu Chun came to see the house and finally bought it for a mere 50,000 taels. Some people raised questions, Wu Chunlai
The man who got a bargain and acted like a good boy said that this house was a prisoner's residence and it was an ominous place to live. He bought it because no one would want it, so he spent a huge sum of money, even taking out his wife's money from the bottom of the box.
I bought this house. Because of this, my wife almost fell out and went back to her parents' house, which shows that this house is indeed ominous. If it were not for the Cui family to pay the fine, I would never have bought this house.
Who can believe this? In fact, there are many people who wanted to buy this house, but they were rejected due to lack of qualifications. Some people were willing to pay a high price, but they couldn't buy it. Therefore, it is better to say that this house was bought.
It was half bought and half robbed, but Wu Chunlai vindicated him. However, Wu Chunlai was the popular person in front of Prime Minister Lu, so everyone could only pinch their noses and remain silent. However, Yang Jun expressed his dissatisfaction at that time,
After all, it was someone from his Privy Council who was moved. But Cui Zhongshi had always relied on being a prominent family in the capital and did not have much respect for Yang Jun. Therefore, his downfall was beneficial to Yang Jun, and Yang Jun left it alone.
This house is located in the middle of Tongfu Lane, but in fact almost the entire Tongfu Lane belongs to the scope of this house. It is a luxurious residence with four in and eight out. In terms of housing prices in the capital, plus the Donghua Gate
In a luxurious area outside, the price of this house should be more than 300,000 taels. Therefore, the half-bought and half-robbed saying mentioned before is still inaccurate. To be precise, it should be bought for the price of sesame seeds.
It was a big watermelon. This was just like putting fists into people's eyes, making everyone think they were blind. But there was no way, the official power was high and the water was deep, and no one in the government dared to challenge him at that time, so these things fell into place.
In order to avoid the patrols on the street and hide their whereabouts, Lin Jue and his party took nearly an hour to arrive near Tongfu Lane.
It was obvious that the defense in this area had been strengthened. In just one moment, the three of them saw three groups of soldiers and horses coming out of the alley. Although the number was small, each group only had a dozen people, it was enough to prevent the three of them from entering.
It's in an alley. If you want to go in, you'll have to run into some patrolling soldiers.
Fortunately, Lin Jue and others had no intention of entering from the front yard. The three of them walked around the alleys and approached the backyard wall of Wu Mansion. They hid behind the low wall and observed for a while, and found that there were patrols outside the back wall.
Manpower, but the frequency was much lower. After a while, a group of soldiers holding lanterns and hunching their necks slowly walked past, separated by half a stick of incense. After figuring out the pattern, the three discussed in a low voice for a while and decided
Take action.
After a group of patrolling Imperial Guards who were cursing because of the cold disappeared around the corner of the wall, three black figures quickly appeared from the alley and quickly arrived outside the wall of Wu Mansion's back garden. The three of them huddled in the shadows under the wall and looked up.
Looking at it, I found that the problem was serious. The wall was high and smooth, but there was nowhere to start. Sun Dayong took out his dagger and pierced the wall, but the dagger could not penetrate. It seemed to be a smooth bluestone barrier.
Fortunately, the wind is strong tonight, and the lanterns on the wall cannot be lit, so it is completely dark. If it were a normal time, if a lantern was hung on the top of the wall to illuminate it, then there would be no possibility of entering.
"Bing'er, can you go up?" Lin Jue said softly.
Bai Bing said softly: "It should be no problem. It would be better if we lend some strength."
Lin Jue nodded and said: "Okay, let's give it a try. You go up first and see if there are any unmanned guards inside. Let's not fall into a trap."
Bai Bing nodded, turned around and walked away a few steps to get ready. Lin Jue and Sun Dayong were half-crouching under the wall, arms crossed and clenched, gathering strength. Bai Bing took a breath and rushed over, jumping on the two of them.
With their overlapping arms, Lin Jue and Sun Dayong simultaneously threw up Bai Bing's body with all their strength. Bai Bing soared into the sky like a light swallow, leaping up to a height of ten feet, and his body landed with his toes touching the bluestone wall.
Point, the body goes up two feet, and the arms are already on the top of the wall. With strong arms, he turns over, and the whole person is already lying lightly on the top of the wall.
"Beautiful!" Lin Jue and Sun Dayong both cheered lowly. Sun Dayong, in particular, knew the difficulties involved. It is actually extremely difficult to control when borrowing force in the air. It is even more difficult to borrow force on a smooth wall.
It is even more difficult, and it requires excellent physical coordination and internal strength. Because the power that can be borrowed is actually very small, it can only be achieved by controlling the lifting and control of one's own internal strength.
Bai Bing has lived in Mobei for many years. The land in Mobei is covered with ice and snow all year round. Bai Bing travels through the snow-covered mountains. That kind of terrain has invisibly developed the body's coordination and anti-skid ability. This may be
It is also one of the reasons why she can achieve this level of cultivation.
But Lin Jue and Sun Dayong's admiration was quickly interrupted by the sound coming from the wall. Although Bai Bing's movement was slight, it seemed to alarm the guard inside the wall. Someone repeatedly scolded and shouted: "Who is that person?
Who? Who is there?"
Bai Bing lay motionless against the wall. She saw almost instantly, a dozen black figures emerged from the darkness in the back garden. They were shouting and scolding and moving randomly. Bai Bing almost thought she had been discovered.
, but she soon discovered that those people did not actually realize where she was, but were shouting randomly.
"I saw you, if you don't get out, you won't come out to shoot arrows again." Several guards shouted at a wall.
Bai Bing saw that the direction they were facing was far away from where he was, and he concluded that they were shouting blindly. Maybe they heard the commotion when he climbed up the wall, so they became alert. Or maybe it was the care of the nursing staff.
A kind of deception. Sometimes nursing staff like to do this. They don't dare to go to those dark corners, so they just complain about them. Over time, this has become a trick.
"No one, there is a ghost. Damn it, Lao Chen, did your ears hear it wrong? Not even the footsteps of the patrolling people outside, you thought there was an assassin. You are suspicious."
"That's it, are you scared out of your wits? Our mansion is so heavily guarded now, which assassin would dare to come in? Unless it's really a ghost coming in, then we can't stop it at all."
The two nursing staff complained and cursed.
"But I really heard the sound of clothes hunting, and the sound on the wall. Could it be that I heard something wrong? Maybe it was the sound of the wind blowing the branches. I can't tell. Damn, I've been a little suspicious these past few days.
Well, it's not my fault. Who can stand it when I stay up late every night? I'm almost exhausted. This job is really not done by humans." Old Chen yawned and complained.
"What the hell are you talking about? Have you forgotten what Mr. Wu said? If anyone doesn't try his best, he won't be polite. You know the deputy prime minister's methods. If you want to die, don't hurt us. No matter how tired or sleepy you are, you have to do it.
Stay with me, if these complaints reach the ears of the deputy prime minister, I will all be implicated by you." Someone scolded.
"Yes, yes, Boss Zhao, that's all I said. I didn't mean to be lazy. Otherwise, would I have listened with my ears open just now? I was already fast asleep like you. In fact, in this cold winter night, what a ghost.
It will come. I'm just too nervous. No assassin can come in, unless it's really a ghost seeking life, then there's nothing we can do, and we can't stop the ghost."
"He also said, damn you. The deputy prime minister said that you are not allowed to spread rumors about ghosts seeking lives. Where did the ghosts come from in broad daylight? Did you do it on purpose? The ghosts and souls in the middle of the night, damn you.
On purpose."
"That's right, what you said to the bastard old Chen made our hair stand on end. Don't make such jokes. I don't want to hear these words."
"Shut up, Lao Chen. If you keep saying this, I'm going to report to the commander to let you patrol outside. You guys talk too much. Let's all disperse and go back to their respective positions. It will be dawn in a few hours.
Don't give me a surprise, just spend tonight peacefully."
Boss Zhao scolded and ended the discussion in the nursing home. The crowd dispersed and quickly disappeared behind the flowers and trees, and everything returned to calm.
Bai Bing on the wall breathed a sigh of relief and gestured downwards. Lin Jue and Sun Dayong acted quickly. Lin Jue took out the shooting rope and stepped back a few steps. A gust of north wind came, and the surrounding trees shook and made a whistling sound. Lin Jue took the opportunity to shoot the hook.
When the hook rope fell, the sound of the grapple hitting the wall was also masked by the whirring of the trees. Lin Jue pulled the hook rope and hooked it tightly on the top of the wall.
The two quickly climbed up the wall, and just as they were leaning on the top of the wall, a group of patrol soldiers and horses carrying lanterns walked slowly by below. They were talking in a low voice and shining their lanterns in all directions. Some people were still looking at them.
He glanced in the direction of the wall for a few times. The three people were leaning on the wall motionless. At this height, they were not worried about being seen by them. But they secretly said they were lucky. The commotion in the garden inside the wall just now delayed some time, and just now he just wanted to move.
If you were to go slower, you might be blocked by this group of patrols.
After the patrol soldiers left, Bai Bing told Lin Jue in a low voice the situation in the back garden. He estimated that there should be many hidden sentries in the back garden. If he climbed down the wall and entered, he would most likely be discovered by them. Lin Jue looked at the situation in the back garden.
Looking at the brightly lit houses nearby, I made a decision.
"Let's go around the wall and go down directly from the back house. There shouldn't be many nursing homes in the back house. After all, it's a residence for women. Even if there are, there won't be many of them. We can avoid getting entangled with these guys here."
Bai Bing and Sun Dayong nodded in agreement, and the three of them bent over and walked eastward from the top of the wall. The top of the wall was about a foot wide and smooth and flat, making it easy to walk. After walking for a while, they stopped and leaned down to listen to the sound.
Avoiding the patrolling soldiers outside the wall. After burning incense, the three of them arrived at the junction of the back garden and the back house. Bai Bing took Lin Jue's arm and jumped off the wall, followed by Sun Dayong. Don't look at Sun.
Dayong was tall and sturdy, and he jumped off the high wall without making a sound. The three of them hid behind a rockery, listened to the noise, and made sure that everything was normal before heading towards a courtyard ahead.
There were lights on in the small courtyard in front, but there was no sound inside. Looking in from the window of the side room, the east side room seemed to be a kitchen, where a maid and a woman were dozing against the pot. This small courtyard might be
It was the courtyard of one of Wu Chunlai's wives and concubines. The maids and mother-in-law were on night duty, ready to prepare tea and rice at the master's command.
"Do you want to go in and ask where Wu Chunlai lives? After all, it's not an option for us to wander around like this." Bai Bing whispered.
Lin Jue thought for a while and shook his head: "No, Wu Chunlai must not be in this courtyard. His residence is not so quiet around here. These servants may not know where the master is staying tonight. It will be difficult to deal with them if they are alerted."
.We just search ahead. If there are guards outside the courtyard, it is most likely Wu Chunlai's residence."
Bai Bing and Sun Dayong nodded in agreement. It was indeed useless to ask the two servants. It would be difficult to deal with them if they were awakened. If they tied their hands and feet and left them here, they would be discovered. They were afraid of hiding them in the flowers and trees outside.
It's meaningless if you're going to freeze to death.
The three of them continued forward and passed several courtyards one after another, and had to stop. Wu Chunlai's house was so big that the three of them were a little confused. They had to turn left and right to avoid the nursing home.
They were a little confused and didn't know where they were. Just as the three of them were confused, voices suddenly came from the corridor in front of them. Someone was walking along the corridor carrying a lantern, talking as they walked.
Lin Jue waved his hand, and the three of them quickly walked to the shadow of the rockery near the turning point of the corridor. They waited for the people on the corridor to slowly approach and listened attentively.
Seven or eight people walked along the corridor, two middle-aged men in robes held lanterns one after the other, and in the middle were several fully armed guards surrounding a young man in brocade robes who walked quickly. Lin Jue poked out half of his eyes.
Peeping at it, he suddenly pulled back his head in surprise and was speechless.
"Guo Xu, it's Guo Xu. Why did he appear in Wu Chunlai's house in the middle of the night?" Lin Jue whispered in shock.
Bai Bing and Sun Dayong were also startled. They looked over to see, and sure enough, that young man in brocade robes who was surrounded by people was Guo Xu or who else?
At this time, a voice came from the corridor: "Your Highness, Prince Huai, be careful where you step. The floor here is uneven and you may sprain your feet. My elders have long said that they would tidy up these three courtyards, but they have been busy. I'm afraid they have to wait until spring."
Let’s talk about it when we get there.”
Guo Xu said in a deep voice: "It doesn't matter, where does Deputy Prime Minister Wu live? How long will I have to go? Your master is very arrogant."
"Oh, you have misunderstood my lord. My lord has suffered from insomnia in recent days and has nightmares every day. He just fell asleep at midnight tonight. Just when the villain reported this, he got up in a flash. This is not
Are you afraid that Your Majesty, you are anxiously waiting in the hall? So I invite you to meet me at your residence. You should be dressing and washing up, so you can't be rude, right?" The middle-aged man holding a lantern in front said with a hurried smile.
Guo Xu nodded and said: "I see. Your elder has nightmares every day? What is he afraid of? Is he afraid of ghosts seeking his life? Hey, your elders say they are not afraid in front of others, but it turns out they are afraid too."
The middle-aged man apologized and said with a smile: "The little man doesn't know. But the people in this city are talking about innocent souls asking for their lives. Who can not be afraid? The little man can't sleep recently."
Guo Xu sneered and said: "You can't sleep either? What does it have to do with you? If Fang Dunru, the solemn and solemn man, really turns into a ghost and seeks his life, it will only be a worry for your family and has nothing to do with you. That's all, hurry up.
Lead the way, I am anxious to see your master, but I have no time to chat with you."
The middle-aged man claimed yes and quickened his pace. The group of people walked quickly along the corridor with jittery steps.
After the rockery, Lin Jue and the other three slowly poked their heads out.
Sun Dayong said in a low voice: "There is no place to look for after wearing iron shoes, and it takes no effort to get here. We are still worried about not finding the place, no, here comes the guide. We have wandered around until Sanjin, but we are really confused.
Already."
Bai Bing nodded and said softly: "Not only did I get it without any effort, but I also spared a Huai Prince. It just happened to be all in one pot. I can cross out two names from my husband's list."
Lin Jue looked solemn, frowning and thinking deeply. His focus was not on anything else, but on the purpose of Huai Wang Guo Xu coming to Wu Chunlai's house in the middle of the night. When they met in the middle of the night, there must be something fishy going on. As for whether they could share the pot.
After killing the two guys on the list, Lin Jue was not as optimistic as Bai Bing and Sun Dayong. Wu Chunlai must have many people guarding him, and with the few people brought by Huai Wang Guo Xu, he must be a bodyguard with high martial arts skills.
Guards, it would be extremely difficult to successfully assassinate.
"Let's go, follow. Let's see the situation first before talking." Lin Jue waved his hand.
The three of them chased along the shadows on one side of the corridor, but soon, the three of them had to stop. Because the lights were shining brightly in a flower hall at the end of the corridor in front, and Guo Xu and others were entering the flower hall. And
In the corridor outside the flower hall, next to the rockery, and on the side of the corridor, many dark shadows swayed back and forth in the light and shadow. It was obvious that the guards who protected Wu Chunlai had formed a tight protective net outside the hall. They were thirty or forty steps away from the flower hall.
The distance can no longer be approached, otherwise the traces are very likely to be discovered.
