The sky was getting brighter, and the city of Tokyo, which had been silent all night, became alive again. In addition to the ordinary people who have to get up early and go out early for three meals a day and survival, those wealthy mansions also slowly open the middle door to prepare for each family to go out as officials in the court.
Naturally, the Tong Mansion is no exception. Several domestic slaves have skillfully pushed open the red lacquer door that is several feet wide. At the same time, they have also moved the one-foot-high threshold in front of the door to one side, and then stood up one by one with their hands tied. , just waiting for the carriage to see off my master.
At this moment, Sun Tu came on a horse. When he came not far from the door of Tong's Mansion, he got off his horse, straightened his clothes and came forward to salute: "The stewards are polite, please report it to Tong Shuai. , just say that Sun Tu has something to ask for and wants to see."
Although Sun Tu's visits to the house have been much less frequent since Tong Mu left Tokyo a few months ago, these Tong family servants in front of the door still recognize him and do not dare to put on airs like they do to other visitors. He cupped his fists in return and said, "It turns out that Mr. Sun is here. But my master is about to go out. If you have anything to report, you should come back later."
"This matter is so important that we can't delay it." Sun Tu said with a serious look: "Is Manager Rui in the mansion? Please ask someone to go in and inform him so that he can make a decision." He indeed ignored what was going on at this time. It was the time when Tong Guan was going to the Privy Council for duty, and the other party really didn't have time to see him.
"This..." Several servants looked confused. Their status in the mansion was low, so it was not easy for them to meet Tong Rui. Moreover, they would not dare to pass it on at will unless Sun Tu fully informed him of his purpose.
At this moment, a luxurious and spacious carriage pulled by four horses slowly drove out, accompanied by about a hundred attendants and escorts. Accompanying it was Tong Rui, the steward. He saw Sun Tuli standing in front of the door at a glance, and he had some questions and went over to greet him first: "Why did Mr. Sun want to come here today, but did something happen?"
"Manager Rui, I came here to see Tong Shuai to report an important matter, but right now..." Sun Tu said as he glanced at the approaching carriage, showing a look of embarrassment.
Tong Rui was a little disapproving: "Master Sun, now I am rushing to the Privy Council. No matter how important the matter is, I can only wait until he comes back from duty." After saying this, Sun Tu followed him without waiting for more explanation. Today it was his turn to serve in front of Tong Guan, so he naturally did not dare to neglect.
Seeing this, Sun Tu knew that it would be impossible to see Tong Guan without a surprise move. If he delayed for a whole day, the matter would be completely out of his plan, and maybe those Pink Swallows people would have fled without a trace.
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, stepped forward and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Tong Shuai, your subordinate Sun Tu has something important to report. This matter is related to the safety of Master Tong Yuan. I hope you can take the time to see me." .”
Seeing him suddenly take a step closer, the guards who were guarding the carriage quickly turned around, drew their swords and pointed their guns. Two people even took aim at the crossbow machine. It seemed that as long as he made any move, these weapons would be fired. Without hesitation, they were all sent into Sun Tu's body, so that he could only raise his hands high and take a step back.
Just when the atmosphere at the scene was getting a little solemn, someone finally lifted a corner of the drooping car curtain, revealing Tong Guan's old face: "Qianli? Since I have something to report, let's come up and talk."
It wasn't until they heard their master say these words that the guards put away their weapons and made way for Sun Tu to reach the front of the car. Someone also quickly put a wooden stool behind the car for convenience.
Sun Tuneng stepped into the carriage.
Sun Tu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and things finally got off to a good start. After bowing to the people in front of him, he walked forward and entered the large and comfortable carriage.
This carriage can indeed be considered luxurious. Not only is it spacious enough for a dozen people to sit around, but both the carriage and the seats inside are made of fine brocade. The seat facing him is There was also a table in front of Tong Guan. On it were not only many wine vessels, candied fruits and other food, but also several books and even a chessboard. As for why everything in the carriage could be clearly seen by Sun Tu, it was because several luminous pearls were inlaid on several walls of the carriage, emitting soft light and illuminating the entire space. The carriage that brought Tong Guan to and from the Privy Council was probably worth tens of thousands of coins, and his daily luxury was evident.
Tong Guan glanced at Sun Tu with a half-smile but not a smile, then pointed to a seat nearby and said, "It's not too late to talk about things after sitting down for thousands of miles." After the latter thanked and sat down, his face darkened: " You are really brave. I have been an official for many years and have never been stopped in front of my house. If word gets out, people will definitely laugh and impeach me. Tell me, why are you here? , if you can’t satisfy me, I won’t be able to spare you!”
"Tong Shuai, please forgive me. The matter is really important and urgent, so I had no choice but to make this move." Sun Tu hurriedly apologized again, and then got to the point: "Tong Shuai must have known that Xianguan was checking Fen Yanzi recently. One case, right?”
After seeing Tong Guan nodding, he continued: "Just last night, Fen Yanzi's people suddenly set up a conspiracy to attract the official and his subordinates to the Xicheng area, but they wanted to do something cruel to my girl."
"Is it because of this?" Tong Guan frowned. Of course he knew that Fen Yanzi was causing trouble to Tokyo, but he never thought about it. Because in Tong Taiwei's view, this was just a trivial matter, not worth any thought for him. What did it have to do with him if women and children in common people's homes were abducted
Sun Tu hurriedly added: "However, I still captured all these thieves and got some relevant clues from them. This matter involves the powerful people in the court." At this point, he looked at the other party again and looked at the other party. The most important point came out: "In addition, I also recognized that one of the thieves was actually the trafficker who abducted young master Tong Yuan last year. He escaped while he was in trouble, but he didn't expect it to be Fen Yanzi's person."
It wasn't until he heard this that Tong Guan's expression suddenly changed, and murderous intent suddenly appeared in his eyes: "Really?" He would not take it seriously when the people in the city were harmed by Pink Swallow, but when the victims became his own By then, his attitude had completely changed.
"It's absolutely true, I don't dare to deceive Tong Shuai about this matter. Moreover, that person admitted that he was ordered to do this in the first place, and the person behind it was an important person in Fenyanzi. figure."
Tong Guan leaned back slightly, and then quickly understood: "Because you think this matter is difficult, do you want to use this matter to get me to help you?"
"I think Tong Shuai doesn't want the thieves who wanted to harm the young master to be free. Moreover, there must be someone behind these thieves. If they are left alone, the threat to the young master will always exist. Tong Shuai While helping the officials to eliminate harm for the people, I can also eliminate future troubles once and for all. Isn't that the best of both worlds?" Sun Tu said trying hard.
Tong Guan stared at him thoughtfully for a long time, then slowly asked: "Do you want the old man to
How can your husband help you? Now that you have captured Fen Yanzi's important figures, you can catch them all by following the clues, so why bother to borrow any more help? "
"The manpower available to the lower officials is really insufficient. Even if we follow their instructions at this time, we may not be able to capture them. Maybe they will sneak out of the city when the opportunity comes. Once we let them escape from Tokyo, it will be impossible to capture them again in the future." It will be difficult." Sun Tu said solemnly: "So I hope that Tong Shuai can come forward and order to temporarily close all the gates in the capital so that they can't hide."
"This is impossible. Unless the emperor orders it, no one in Tokyo dares to issue such an order, and I can't do it." Tong Guan immediately shook his head like a rattle. What a joke, even if he is a dignified privy envoy, even if he has the trust of the emperor and holds the power of the capital, he would not dare to issue such an order. As long as he does this, he will immediately be regarded as having evil intentions. He will die without a burial place.
Sun Tu hurriedly said: "The official is not asking Tong Shuai to actually order the Tokyo city gate to be closed. He is just looking for an excuse to make the inspection at the city gate stricter so that the thieves will not dare to leave the city easily. I think this will be helpful to Tong Shuai. It’s not too difficult, right?”
Tong Guan pondered for a moment, and then said: "If it's just like this, I really have a way to do it." As long as he sends an order that a suspicious Liao spy has stolen important military planes and wants to escape from Tokyo, it will be enough for the people at the city gates to do it. The defenders conducted strict interrogations of relevant persons.
Seeing him nodding, Sun Tu felt certain, and said: "In addition, I hope that the soldiers and horses of the Street Department can cooperate with me to catch the thief, and follow my instructions when necessary."
"It's not difficult." Tong Guan agreed quickly this time. The Street Department was under his control, and the matter could be solved by passing a warrant. But after nodding, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Sun Tu: "Qianli, you haven't told me yet which dignitary is involved in the Pink Swallow case. If you don't explain this matter clearly, I won't help you. "
Sun Tu hurriedly moved forward. Even though he knew that the conversation between the two people in the carriage could no longer be known to a third party, he still tried to lower his voice as much as possible and revealed the most critical clues he had found. After hearing what he said, even though Tong Guan had experienced many storms, his expression suddenly changed and he could not recover for a long time.
After being stunned for a while, Tong Guan looked at Sun Tu: "Sun Qianli, you, a small ninth-level official, dare to compete with such a powerful person. Aren't you afraid of being crushed into powder?" To be honest, even he may not be able to do it. Be sure to confront that powerful man head-on.
However, Sun Tu's face became serious and he said sternly: "Just from Fen Yanzi's daily behavior, we can know the intentions of the mastermind behind it. They want to mess with our Tokyo. As a minister of the Song Dynasty, I should be loyal to the country, even if This matter is absolutely difficult, and I will not regret it, nor will I retreat!" As he spoke, he looked directly at Tong Guan to prove his determination.
Tong Guan looked at him thoughtfully for a while, and then said: "I will help you make arrangements at the city gate and at the street department. But other than that, it is up to you. If anything goes wrong... "
"I will shoulder the responsibility as a subordinate, and I will never dare to implicate Tong Shuai!" Sun Tu immediately answered. He knew very well that with his status as Tong Guan, it was impossible for him to get involved in such a fight when it had nothing to do with him. He could help these because of his previous achievements and because he wanted to know the truth behind Tong Yuan's abduction.
Seeing that he knew the opportunity so well, Tong Guan just nodded with satisfaction. At this time, the carriage slowly stopped, and Tong Rui's voice came in from outside: "Master, we have arrived at the Privy Council!"