As the sun sets, the mountains are covered with a little dusk. There are fewer people on the road, and smoke rises from every household. Longkodo limps along the long street with a cane and wearing old clothes, and enters the Suo Mansion through a secret door.
He walked with his back hunched, looking around vigilantly, and was relieved when he saw that no one was paying attention to him.
Soetu, who was unemployed at home, came out to greet them personally. The two chatted as they walked into the study. Not long after, the door creaked shut.
…
On the night of the prince's wedding, Longkodo slept peacefully, waiting for the good news from the palace the next day. But there was no news the next day, nor the day after. He went from being confident to anxious, waiting until his eyes were bloodshot, and had to assume the worst - his plan had failed.
How could it fail?!
Chunlin and Chunping are both good at martial arts, and with the prince's wedding being the godsend opportunity, it would be a piece of cake to deal with a baby!
Even if things changed, they should have passed the news to him, instead of having no contact like now... Kodo didn't dare to think about it any further. If the two of them were exposed, they would reveal everything they knew...
He made a solemn promise, but until now there was still no news of the Eleventh Prince's accident. Those people really lost their patience. Even if they were respectful on the surface, they could not avoid ridicule and sarcasm. Despite this, they only felt sorry for the loss of two chess pieces, but did not think of another possibility.
It was because Chunlin and Chunping's loyalty was unquestionable. Once caught, they would find ways to end their lives. This was Chunlan's insistent answer.
What a ridiculous trust. He was the only one who knew how terrible the punishment of the Ministry of Punishment was. Even death had become a luxury. Not to mention them, even the toughest bones couldn't survive it!
After thinking it over, Longkodo was still uneasy. Unlike him who was demoted to a commoner, Suo Etu had been in business for many years, and even if he lost the emperor's trust, he still had a network of connections in the capital. And in the palace, Empress Renxiao would definitely leave some people behind, right
Therefore, he came here today to get information at great risk.
Longkodo tried to probe him tactfully for quite some time, but Soetu was clueless. When asked about the grand ceremony of the prince's wedding, he stroked his beard and smiled faintly: "It is inconvenient for me to enter the palace. Gelfen told me everything. The dowry of 128 sets was paid by the Ministry of Internal Affairs 60%..."
Although he was smiling, there was an imperceptible shadow in his eyes. Whether it was the selection of the Crown Princess or the wedding banquet, everything was contrary to his expectations.
But he could bear...
As for how the eleventh prince and Concubine Yi were, Soetu did not mention anything and knew nothing about the incident. Longkodo could not find out anything, so he had to suppress his anxiety and deal with them for a long time. Half an hour later, he smiled and said goodbye to them.
Limping out of the mansion through the secret door, Longkodo lowered his head and walked slowly along the wall. This alley was full of wealthy families, and his clothes were old and tattered, exuding a stale smell. A young man on horseback glanced at him with disgust, said "bad luck", waved his whip and ran away.
Longkodo stopped. He clenched his fists tightly, and a deep anger appeared in his eyes. After a long while, he moved his feet. He thought of the glorious Tong Mansion in the past, his loving father and mother, and the arrogant bitch Hesheli.
The more I thought about it, the more hatred filled my heart.
His four sons...
Even if he didn't want to admit it, he had to admit that he was now like a bug that had fallen into the dust and into a dark corner.
Moving slowly along the wall, Longkodo suddenly laughed, looking very creepy.
What's wrong with bed bugs
Even a bedbug can gnaw down a real dragon that stands tall. Your Majesty, cousin, don’t you agree
It took another two hours to finally move back to the dilapidated courtyard house on the outskirts of Beijing. Before he reached the front of the courtyard, Longkodo's hand on the crutch trembled and his eyes gradually widened.
The night sky was dotted with stars, casting a little moonlight. If you carefully look through the darkness, you can vaguely see some scenes. The gate of the courtyard was wide open and it was a mess. Everywhere there were guards and officials holding torches and wearing patched clothes, their faces were solemn, and their knives were stained with blood.
Someone shouted sternly, "Are there any fish that have escaped? Search carefully! There is no one in the east wing. I will find them even if I have to dig three feet deep..."
"If anyone resists, they will be killed without mercy..."
Longkodo's legs went limp, and he knelt beside a pile of trees covered with weeds. After a while, he regained some strength, his face was ferocious and full of disbelief, he threw away his crutches, and rolled and crawled out!
Longkodo spent a night in the ruined temple in fear and embarrassment. Even if he was filled with resentment, it was useless. The hall master trusted him but was also on guard against him. The hall passed on instructions through Aunt Qin, and he knew nothing about other strongholds. If his identity was exposed, where could he hide
He didn't dare to think about how many people had escaped capture, and how many people would be imprisoned or killed. Holding back his panic and unwillingness, he had no choice but to hunch over and knock on the secret door of the Suo Mansion again the next morning.
Suo Etu accepted him only because Longkodo showed his intention to form an alliance when he knocked on the secret door for the first time. "How can his master be worthy of his loyalty if he is not kind?", "The prince is in his prime, but the emperor is already old", these words touched Suo Etu's heart!
In order to avoid being isolated and helpless, the immediate benefits were enough for him to put aside his old grudge with the Tonggiya clan. They were grasshoppers on the same rope.
But on the third day that Longkodo was hiding in the mansion, the streets and alleys were suddenly filled with wanted posters, and the walls were covered with the word "traitor" in red.
The official document listed Longkodo's life, portrait, and fifteen crimes, big and small. This was not the end. The official document stated that anyone who could identify or provide correct clues would be rewarded with 100 taels of silver. This immediately shocked the world and the capital was in an uproar.
One hundred taels of silver is a considerable sum of money for officials, let alone ordinary people who spend one tael of silver in three months
At this moment, someone suddenly realized and then took a breath of cold air: "Longkodo, isn't he the... Second Master of that family?" The one who spoke was the scholar who could read. After being asked to read it again, he pointed in the direction of the Tong Mansion, his astonished expression turned into disgust, and said: "The one who robbed my father-in-law's concubine, murdered his wife, and was punished with fifty strokes of the cane..."
In an instant, like a drop of boiling water splashing into an oil pan, it swept across the entire capital city and the surrounding provinces at lightning speed, spreading radially.
Ordinary people don’t know that he is the Emperor’s cousin, and the court officials don’t know either
Oh my god. Shocked is not enough to describe their state of mind!
Is this person crazy?!
Fortunately, Tong Guowei was ill at home, and Longkodo had been demoted to a commoner long ago, otherwise, for the crime of treason, the execution of nine generations of the clan would have been a light punishment, and the Tonggiya clan would have ended up in destruction.
After being speechless, they sighed and said that Lord Tong’s choice was wise.
Having said that, every time when the court was in session, the officials looked at the clan leader Tong Guogang with a vaguely strange look in their eyes.
Tong Guogang was speechless and couldn't utter a word of argument. The frivolous ridicule of his rebellious son Orondai made him even more exhausted.
The Tongjia clan is finished.
Even though Longkodo was removed from the family tree and no longer a member of the Tong family, it did not prevent the emperor from venting his anger on him. First, the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree to reprimand him, and then after summoning him to the palace, he was scolded again. Kangxi's eyes were full of coldness.
"A good son taught by Tong Guowei." He said slowly.
How could Suo Etu not know about such a big event in the capital? Geerfen, who was standing by, was shouting about "Heaven and Earth Society" and "traitors". He was confused and uncertain when reading the wanted order, and his emotions could not stop fluctuating. Finally, he slapped the table with his palm!
"You are so good, Longkodo, I was also deceived by this..."
The Tiandihui could not get involved, and Longkodo had something that could cost him his life in his hands, so he tried to deceive his trust. Soetu almost instantly decided to kill him.
The Suo family was in a state of panic. That night, a trusted butler knocked on the door of his study and said in a low voice, "Master, Master Tong wants to invite you."
When he arrived at the wing room, he saw Longkodo staring at him motionlessly with a gloomy face and a fake smile, and said hoarsely: "I know that Lord Suo wants to kill me. Guess, after I die, will the Tiandihui avenge me? Will your good plan appear on the emperor's desk?"
Feeling the madness of a desperate gamble, Suo Etu's face suddenly darkened.
"Are you threatening me?"
*******
The arrest by the Jiucheng Bingmasi was unexpected, and the resistance of one of the eight major gangs was also extremely fierce. Aunt Qin was not there, Chunlan was killed on the spot; the handsome man, who was the "military advisor" assigned to Longkodo by the superiors, was tied up and taken to prison.
If the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple jointly interrogated him, it would take who knows when the truth would be extracted. They could not resist the emperor's anger, and that night, the military advisor was promoted to the Ministry of Punishment in the palace.
After three days and two nights of interrogation, the truth of Yinzhen's assassination came to light. Kangxi no longer hid the truth and summoned the prince to the Qianqing Palace.
It turned out that Longkodo had colluded with the Tiandihui and intended to cause chaos on his wedding night. Not to mention how shocked and angry the crown prince was, soon all the princes knew about it.
In the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Emperor's face no longer showed anger. "One force can defeat ten skills." He taught Yinreng softly for a long while, then smiled, "This time, the Tiandihui's power to take root in the capital has been mostly destroyed, thanks to your eleventh brother. Assassins are good at fighting, so escaping and protecting themselves is not a problem, but when the little eleventh sprinkles the chili powder..."
The unfinished words were full of pride, and at the end, Kangxi's face twitched and he felt his lips vaguely red and swollen.
After a moment of silence, he said incoherently: "Your mother Yi is really cruel."
The prince felt distressed and surprised about Little Eleven, and even a little grateful, with a moment of tenderness in his eyes. He carefully noted Yinzhen's love for peppers and salt, and he obviously adapted well to the rather jumpy words of the emperor's father, looking normal and showing no unusual expression.
The prince fell silent for a moment just thinking of the neatly bundled jade cream that Zhang Youde had sent him.
The father and son talked about politics and family matters. The prince touched his face, looking worried. He suddenly said, "Father, besides the sacred teachings, are there any other teachings?"