The bait has been released, and now you just need to wait patiently for the fish to take the bait.
As the fifteenth day of the lunar month was approaching, Zhao Mian took some time out and went to the pharmacy to check on Bai Yu's progress in refining the antidote, and Wei Zhenfeng also followed him.
The pharmacy was filled with smoke, and bottles and jars were piled up all over the room. A few straw baskets were lying on the ground, and dried blood stains could be vaguely seen.
As Wei Zhenfeng entered the room, he stepped on something slippery. He looked down and found that it was freshly peeled snake skin and half of a scorpion's corpse.
Wei Zhenfeng was silent for a moment, then lifted his feet from the snake skin: "I suddenly feel that it's not a bad idea to not tell me the formula for the antidote."
What the hell are these things? Can they really be eaten
Bai Yu heard the young prince's voice and poked his head out from the thick fog: "The prince is here?"
Bai Yu, who was obsessed with refining medicine, looked completely different from her usual appearance. Her long black hair was all tied up, with only a silver needle for testing poison coiled behind her head. There were several gray spots on her unmade-up face, and two dark circles under her eyes, obviously she did not sleep well.
Zhao Mian emphasized: "I am here too."
"Your Highness?" Bai Yu quickly wiped her hands with the hem of her skirt, moved a chair from somewhere, and made tea for Zhao Mian.
"No need to bother, I just came to see you and will leave soon." Zhao Mian said, "How is the antidote being prepared?"
Bai Yu was delighted: "The progress is encouraging, Your Highness. At the current rate, we may be able to prepare the antidote a few days in advance, and then Your Highness will be able to have a good Lantern Festival."
Zhao Mian was very pleased: "That's right, but you also need to pay attention to rest. Combining work and rest is the best strategy."
"Your Highness is right." Wei Zhenfeng agreed, "Today the snow has stopped and the sky has cleared up. Why don't you arrange for Doctor Bai to go shopping with Yunyong Huaju? Dongling Kyoto still has many new things that Beiyuan and Nanjing don't have. As for the expenses and costs, just put them in this king's account."
Bai Yu smiled and shook his head: "Thank you, Your Highness, and the young prince for your concern. I am not tired."
Wei Zhenfeng smiled and said, "Godly doctor, there is no need to be so arrogant. It is settled. I will let Yun Yonghuaju come to accompany you right away."
Bai Yu: “…”
Zhao Mian acquiesced to Wei Zhenfeng's suggestion. The emergency was not just for a day or two, Bai Yu really needed a rest.
Bai Yu sent the two masters to the door, and suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Your Highness, I have something else to give you."
She found a porcelain bottle among a pile of bottles and jars, handed it to Zhao Mian, and asked with some concern: "Does Your Highness know how to use it?"
Zhao Mian nodded in understanding: "Thank you."
Wei Zhenfeng came over curiously and asked, "What is this?"
Zhao Mian closed his palms and said calmly, "You don't need to know."
Bai Yu first had a long and sound sleep, and then was dragged by Yun Yonghuaju to go shopping.
The three girls walked around for most of the day and bought a lot of new and rare things, including rouge, powder, silks and satins, and they also packed up a lot of hot food.
Zhao Mian was eating freshly baked fish belly pancakes, thinking that girls were indeed considerate. For example, his younger brother would only bring him a spinning top when he came back from playing in the palace.
In addition, the girls also shared an interesting story with His Royal Highness.
The young prince stole the show in Lanyuexiang that day, becoming not only the focus of the children of the aristocratic families in Kyoto, but also the topic of conversation among the noble ladies. In particular, the unusual double teardrop mole on his face was first imitated by the ladies of the Jiaofang Bureau, and then somehow spread to the circle of noble ladies, so that now everyone, whether human or ghost, has a pair of double teardrop moles under their eyes.
Wei Zhenfeng himself was speechless. As a grown man, he could actually lead the trend of Kyoto makeup. Isn't it too outrageous
"What's so good about these two teardrop moles?" Wei Zhenfeng said depressedly, "If they didn't leave scars, I would have wanted to remove them."
The most important thing for people in Fuxue Tower is to hide their identity. Because appearance is too easy to be remembered, Wei Zhenfeng has very limited time to use his face. Whenever he is doing business outside, he has to put on a thick layer of makeup, which makes him almost annoyed.
Zhao Mian was shocked and asked in surprise: "What nonsense are you talking about - are you crazy?"
Wei Zhenfeng has a rare advantage that he admires, but he still wants to pick on him. Is he seriously ill
The young prince did not expect that his casual remark would cause such a big reaction from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince: "Who is crazy? Me?"
Zhao Mian reasoned with her: "You only have a face that can attract people, why do you always have to toss and turn. If you don't have these two moles, you won't be so good-looking and unique."
Except for the fifteenth day of last month, when Zhao Mian confided in him that he could eat just by looking at his face, this was the first time Zhao Mian praised him for his good looks. Wei Zhenfeng couldn't help but raise his hand and gently touched the pair of teardrop moles that had caused him countless troubles since he was a child, and asked: "So, you like them?"
"Yeah." Zhao Mian said frankly, "I quite like it."
Wei Zhenfeng was prepared to be ridiculed by Zhao Mian, but he didn't expect that he would admit it so readily, leaving him speechless for a while.
When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gets frank, it's really... a little hard to handle.
Wei Zhenfeng thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how to respond to Zhao Mian's "like". Fortunately, the real business came to them at this time.
Marquis Anyuan came to report: "Your Highness, there is movement at the Beiyuan Embassy."
Wei Zhenfeng breathed a sigh of relief. It was better to do business, with clear goals, simple and direct, unlike his and Zhao Mian's private affairs, which made him feel complicated and at a loss from time to time.
When the business came up, Zhao Mian no longer cared about the life and death of Wei Zhenfeng's double tear mole: "Well, let's do it."
After returning from Lanyuexiang, Gu Ruzhang's seal had been kept in the Beiyuan Embassy. It was placed in the warehouse, with no one guarding it, quietly waiting for the fish to take the bait.
Tonight, it finally got its due date.
When Zhao Mian and Wei Zhenfeng arrived, the guards of the Beiyuan Embassy had already been fighting with the assassins, and the scene was in chaos.
In order to see the situation clearly, Wei Zhenfeng took Zhao Mian to the watchtower and watched the show from a high vantage point.
The full moon was high in the sky, and the battle situation was clearly visible under the bright moonlight.
There were about a dozen assassins, wearing black night clothes and half of their faces covered with black cloth. Each of them was very skilled, especially the young man in the lead, who was an expert among experts. He had obtained Gu Ruzhang's seal, which he protected with one hand and held a sword with the other. He could fight against many enemies alone and shuttle between the enemy and us with ease.
"This skill is amazing." Wei Zhenfeng praised, "But this person seems a little familiar."
Zhao Mian said calmly: "Is that so."
Wei Zhenfeng was attracted by the young man. He had just defeated two secret guards from Fuxue Tower when he was attacked from both sides by Yun Yong and Hua Ju.
The young man found that his opponents had become two girls. The action of swinging the sword paused for a very short moment. When he attacked again, the strength and speed were obviously a bit slower. Most of the time he was just defending and blocking, and the occasional sword strikes avoided the opponent's vital points.
Could it be that this Xixia assassin is also a playboy who cherishes women and is kind to women
Wei Zhenfeng pondered for a moment and understood everything. Zhao Mian's move seemed to be to lure the snake out of its hole, but in fact... it was like a mantis stalking a cicada while the oriole was waiting behind.
He smiled and said, “I found something interesting.”
Zhao Mian said: "Tell me about it."
Wei Zhenfeng asked: "Where did Guard Shen, who always stays by the side of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, go today?"
Zhao Mian sneered: "You just discovered it."
Although the young man was skilled, he could not stand up to the overwhelming force of Beiyuan's people. Seeing that he was about to be surrounded by the people of Fuxue Tower, the young man did not care about his companions, and immediately put the seal on his chest, stepped on the enemy's shoulders and jumped up, climbed over the high wall, and his agile figure disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.
Hua Ju shouted "Chase", and together with Yun Yong, he took the lead to catch up.
Zhao Mian said: "The show has ended here, let's continue somewhere else."
It was late at night, and there was no one on the street. Every household had already turned off the lights and gone to sleep. The young man had checked the route out of the city beforehand and knew it very well. He shuttled between the roofs and eaves at high speed, with Yun Yong and Hua Ju chasing closely behind him, but he gradually left them behind.
Seeing that he was about to leave the city, the young man quickened his pace again. Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened. On the road ahead of him, a dozen big men in black suddenly fell from the sky, each holding a sharp weapon, obviously they came prepared.
The young man stopped in time, and the hand that was not holding the sword was vigilantly protected in front of his chest. He said in a low voice: "Who?"
"I should be the one asking you this." The leading man said in a rough voice, "Who are you and why did you steal Master Gu's things?"
The young man said coldly: "It has nothing to do with you, get out of the way."
The big man grinned, "That's easy. Little brother, you took such a big risk to help us get the Prime Minister's Seal from the Abyss Bandits. We are grateful for your kindness and don't want to embarrass you. As long as you hand over the seal on your chest, we can not only let you go, but also help you deal with the two girls chasing you. What do you think?"
The big man said, "Don't ask too many questions, little brother. Curiosity will only hurt you."
There was a big man blocking the road in front of him and a girl chasing him from behind, but the young man was surprisingly calm: "Not necessarily."
As they were talking, Yun Yong and Hua Ju had already caught up. The big man knew that they had no time to waste, so he shouted, "If you don't accept my toast, you will be punished. Come on, brothers!"
The young man took off the black cloth covering his face without hesitation, revealing a handsome, expressionless face - who else could it be but Shen Buci.
Hua Ju was stunned when he saw Shen Buci's face: "Guardian Shen... ? What's going on?"
Yun Yong was also stunned. At this moment, she saw two figures standing side by side on a tall building not far away. Lanterns were hung under the eaves, shining on their brocade clothes, one in black and the other in gold. The two of them watched everything leisurely, as if they had expected a good show to be held here.
Her mind raced, and she quickly understood: "Go help Guard Shen."
Seeing the young man and Yuan Gou suddenly join forces, the big man didn't have time to be stunned. He instinctively raised his hammer to fight back. Halfway through the fight, he said, "Damn it, how did I fall into the trap again!"
Wei Zhenfeng watched with great interest and said, "Why didn't you tell us in advance? Swords have no eyes. What if Shen Buci is injured?"
Zhao Mian said coldly: "Just you guys?"
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is really confident in Guard Shen." Wei Zhenfeng observed the situation and said slowly, "However, the Xixia people are not easy to deal with."
What Wei Zhenfeng said was true. Zhao Mian had given Shen Buci an order in advance to try to leave him a few alive, so Shen Buci would naturally not kill him. But after these Xixia people knew that they had been trapped and surrounded, they were in a desperate situation and were determined to fight them to the death.
It was relatively easy for Shen Buci to deal with them, but it was hard to say about Yun Yong and Hua Ju.
Wei Zhenfeng took off the cloak behind him and threw it to Zhao Mian: "I'll go help."
Zhao Mian looked down at the dark red cape in his arms, frowning: "What are you yelling about."
Wei Zhenfeng blinked: "Ah?"
Zhao Mian stuffed Wei Zhenfeng's cloak back into his pocket, and then took a longbow from the guard behind him.
The young man holds the tail end of the arrow with his slender white fingers and draws the bow under the moonlight. His wide and gorgeous sleeves rustle in the north wind, and he looks heroic and domineering.
The bow is full and the arrow is released.
When shooting a person, shoot the horse first; when capturing a thief, capture the leader first.
The leading burly man let out a shrill roar, and in an instant his right shoulder was pierced by an arrow, blood spread out, and the sledgehammer in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, and he was then completely subdued by Shen Buci who had rushed forward.
Wei Zhenfeng looked at Zhao Mian's profile and silently repeated "pure your heart and desires, stay away from beauty" three times in his heart, but he still couldn't move his eyes away. It was not until Shen Buci and others had already started to clean up the mess that he reluctantly found his state of doing business: "You didn't shoot him to death with this arrow, did you?"
"No vital injuries." Zhao Mian threw the longbow at Wei Zhenfeng, who caught it steadily. "He won't die."
These assassins had prepared for failure in advance. Seeing that they were doomed to fail, they bit the poison hidden in their mouths and died in a short while. The only survivor was the leader shot by Zhao Mian. Shen Buci knocked him out, removed his jaw, and took out the poison in time.
Shen Buci carried the big man to Zhao Mian to report. Zhao Mian nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work. This month's salary will be doubled."
Wei Zhenfeng walked forward, pulled off the black cloth covering the big man's face, and after seeing his face clearly, he said, "It's not Gu Shaodeng."
Zhao Mian asked: "Who is that?"
Zhao Mian just asked casually and didn't expect Wei Zhenfeng to answer. Unexpectedly, Wei Zhenfeng really knew this person: "Huo Kangsheng, one of Gu Shaodeng's most trusted confidants. We have caught a big fish this time."
Zhao Mian corrected him: "It wasn't you who caught it, it was me who caught it."
Wei Zhenfeng coaxed him: "Yes, yes, yes."
Huo Kangsheng was taken back to the Nanjing Embassy by Zhao Mian and was treated by the doctors in the embassy.
Zhao Mian's attack was very measured. Although Huo Kangsheng lost too much blood and one of his arms was broken, his life was not in danger. After being unconscious for a day, he woke up in the embassy.
Huo Kangsheng was awakened by the pain. But he had been through life and death for many years, and had been on the brink of life and death several times. This little pain was nothing to him. He wrinkled his bearded face and opened his eyes with difficulty. When he saw this, his blood boiled and he was furious: "...Wei dog!"
"How are you, Chief Huo?" Wei Zhenfeng stood by the bed with a smile on his face. "I haven't seen you for two years. How come you are so weak?"
Huo Kangsheng struggled to get out of bed, but his movements were so big that they pulled on his wound. He didn't care that blood was oozing out of the bandage. "I, I'm going to fight you!"
Shen Buci stepped forward and pushed Huo Kangsheng back. Zhao Mian said coldly: "If you want to fight, go out and fight. Don't go wild in my territory of Nanjing."
Huo Kangsheng, a burly man, was pinned to the bed and unable to move. He covered his wound and glared at Wei Zhenfeng hatefully, his facial features twisted by strong hatred: "I know what you want to do, Wei Zhenfeng. I tell you, you will never succeed!"
Wei Zhenfeng smiled and said, "This sounds so familiar. Before I attacked Lingzhou, when you were standing on the city wall, did you also shout the same thing?"
Huo Kangsheng seemed to have been hit in a sore spot. He became so angry that his face turned pale and he spit out a large mouthful of blood with a "grunt".
"That's enough. Stop provoking him." Zhao Mian said unhappily, "Do you want to piss him off to death?"
Wei Zhenfeng admitted his mistake readily: "Okay, okay, I won't say anything."
Huo Kangsheng and Wei Zhenfeng had fought for many years, but this was the first time he saw Wei Zhenfeng bow his head so quickly. Surprise flashed in his eyes, and he looked at Zhao Mian: "Are you Xiao Jue from Nanjing?"
Zhao Mian said: "Yes."
"Who is Xiao Shiqing to you?"
Zhao Mian's eyes suddenly turned cold: "If you call the Prime Minister by his name again, not only your other arm, but also your two legs will be lost, understand?"
Huo Kangsheng laughed loudly: "A real man should not fear death! People from Nanjing, don't think I don't know what you are up to. You want the Xixia treasure? Okay, kill Wei Zhenfeng, and I will tell you where the treasure is."
Wei Zhenfeng laughed: "Your plan of sowing discord is too blatant. Do we look like fools in your eyes?"
"People die for money, birds die for food." Huo Kangsheng spat, spitting out the blood foam in his mouth, "Don't you want to take my Xixia treasures for yourself? Stop pretending, Wei Gou, how many people from Beiyuan died in my Xixia land, are you really willing to give Nanjing a share?"
The smile on Wei Zhenfeng's face disappeared completely: "You don't have the brains to do that - did Gu Shaodeng ask you to say that?"
Huo Kangsheng ignored him and said to Zhao Mian, "People of Nanjing, if Beiyuan relies on the Xixia relics to grow stronger, can you still maintain your position as the overlord of the Three Kingdoms? Emperor Yuan wants to unify the world, first Xixia, then Dongling, and finally it will be your turn in Nanjing!"
Zhao Mian fell into deep thought.
Wei Zhenfeng glanced at Zhao Mian.
Of course he wouldn't be fooled by such a crude counter-espionage plan, and Zhao Mian... probably wouldn't be either, right
It's hard to say. In the heart of His Royal Highness, Nanjing's interests always come first. If he really turns against me because of the Xixia treasure in the future, it seems that he can understand it, right
Seeing that the atmosphere between the two had become tense, Huo Kangsheng grinned and said the last sentence: "I can tell you the location of the treasure, but I can only tell you one person. As for who it is, you decide for yourself!"
Wei Zhenfeng wanted to say something, but Bai Yu knocked on the door and walked in: "My Lord, my Lord, excuse me for disturbing you."
Zhao Mian asked unhappily, "What's the matter?"
Disturbing him at this time, don't you know he is busy with something
Bai Yu said gently, "I just wanted to remind you that it's almost midnight. And today is November 14th."
Zhao Mian: “…”
Wei Zhenfeng: “…”
Huo Kangsheng was keenly aware that as soon as the woman spoke, the atmosphere between Wei Gou and Nanjing people suddenly changed, from one kind of anxiety to another indescribable... anxiety.
Wei Zhenfeng pressed his eyebrows and said, "Let's stop here for today. We still have important things to do."
Zhao Mian nodded: "Okay."
Huo Kangsheng watched the two of them leave without any lingering feelings, and was a little confused: "You..."
What's going on between these two people? What could be more important than the clue to the Xixia treasure? ?
(End of this chapter)