Zhao Mian had been away from home for so long and so far, so it was impossible for him to take only Shen Buci and Zhou Huairang with him. Wherever His Royal Highness went, there were many shadow guards secretly protecting him and ready to send him anywhere and at any time.
The shadow guards were all well-trained, and within half a day, they had thoroughly investigated Li Er's background.
There is indeed a fisherman named Li Er in Chongzhou City. He has been killing fish honestly for 20 years. His parents have both passed away, and he has never been able to marry a wife due to his poor family background. At the age of 32, he is still a single man - an ordinary citizen with nothing special about him. At first glance, there seems to be nothing suspicious about him.
The Miss Zhao, the most beautiful girl in the world, who he talked about, really existed. She was the daughter of a tofu seller, and had an engagement with Li Er. She died of illness at the age of sixteen. Later, the Zhao family moved away, and Li Er gradually lost contact with them.
Zhou Huairang was a little moved after hearing this: "Miss Doufu has been dead for more than ten years, but Li Er still remained chaste for her and vowed never to marry. Once you have seen the sea, you will never be impressed by the water."
"What are you feeling?" Zhao Mian said, breaking Zhou Huairang's beautiful fantasy. "Li Er is black and poor. Even if he wants to marry someone, no one is willing to marry him."
Zhou Huairang hesitated to speak, and finally said, "Your Highness is right."
In addition to Li Er's background, Shen Buci also brought Zhao Mian a piece of news: "Your Highness, a total of 120 people from the Liu Mansion in Chongzhou disappeared last night."
Zhao Mian was slightly surprised: "Missing?"
Shen Buci: "Yeah."
Zhao Mian waited for a while, but nothing came of it. He said with a cold face, "When I asked you a question, I meant for you to elaborate. You can be taciturn, but you can't be more thrifty than I am, because it will make you, a guard, appear more majestic and cold than me, the prince - do you understand what I mean?"
Shen Buci: "Understood."
Zhao Mian: “…”
Shen Buci: “…”
Zhao Mian held his forehead with his hand: "... Keep talking."
Shen Buci said, "The day before, the Liu family was still preparing for Miss Liu's funeral. The next morning, everyone from the Liu family's mistress and grandmother to the maids and servants disappeared. There were no signs of struggle or fighting in the house. No one knew where they went. It was as if more than a hundred people in the family disappeared into thin air. There are rumors among the people that Miss Liu's suicide angered the imperial teacher and implicated the entire family, resulting in no one seeing her alive or dead."
Zhao Mian asked: "What is the situation in Chongzhou City?"
Shen Buci said: "People are in panic, and dare not speak out."
Zhao Mian was puzzled: "If it was really the Imperial Master who did it, they could just massacre the Liu residence directly, killing the chicken to scare the monkey would be more effective."
Shen Buci said: "Some people say that everyone in the Liu Mansion was taken to Nangong and used to feed the Gu."
Although it was a matter of another country, Zhao Mian couldn't help but frown when he heard it: "The national teacher of a country is so careless about human life, and the queen mother indulges him without limit. Even Beiyuan doesn't need to take action, Dongling will be destroyed sooner or later."
Shen Buci said, "Yes." He thought for a moment and added, "Your Highness is right. Even without Beiyuan's intervention, Dongling will be destroyed sooner or later."
"Wait," Zhao Mian thought to himself, "Beiyuan?"
Zhao Mian remembered that the prime minister once taught him that the simplest and quickest way to determine who was the mastermind behind an event was to see who would benefit the most if the event was successful.
If Wan Huameng gets worse, it will arouse people's resentment, attract the censors to remonstrate, and finally force the Queen Mother to step in to stop it. The brothers turn against each other, and Dongling is in turmoil. The biggest beneficiary is undoubtedly Beiyuan, who has always been eyeing Dongling's territory.
Zhao Mian came all the way to Dongling in order to get something from Wan Huameng. He was sure that such a thing would also be attractive to Beiyuan, and it was not surprising that Beiyuan's secret agents would take action in Chongzhou.
Dong Ling, Wan Hua Meng, the male and female Gu, the black-skinned fishmonger who doesn't look simple... It's already chaotic enough. If Bei Yuan gets involved, it will be even more difficult to control the situation.
"Send someone to investigate the disappearance of the Liu family." Zhao Mian said, "This may not be the work of Wan Huameng."
Shen Buci: "Yes."
"By the way, Your Highness," Zhou Huairang said, "Li Er has finished his bath. He said he wanted to talk to you."
Zhao Mian collected his thoughts, took the veil from Shen Buci and put it on: "Pass it on."
Li Er was forced to take a bath for an hour until the fishy smell on his body disappeared. A layer of skin was washed off. Today he changed into clean clothes and looked much taller, but his face was still ugly.
Zhao Mian sat on the sandalwood chair and glanced at him: "What's the matter?"
Li Er took a step closer and asked curiously, "Why are you wearing a veil in the house?" To show respect, he added, "Sir?"
Zhao Mian said calmly: "Then why did you make yourself dark-skinned?"
Li Er was puzzled: "How can they be the same? I was born with this."
Zhao Mian was too lazy to talk nonsense with the fish killer: "If you have something to say, just say it."
"Oh, that's right, I..."
"Kneel down and speak."
Li Er tilted his head and looked at the young man in front of him.
She was dressed in exquisite and gorgeous brocade clothes, and her face was hidden behind a veil, so only a vague and hazy outline could be seen.
But even though I couldn't see his face clearly, I could still imagine the boy's expression at that moment—the kind of expression that seemed as if everyone in the world should kneel down to talk to him.
Zhao Mian said: "Don't you want to?"
"Not really." Li Er smiled, "But you are not my mother-in-law, why should I kneel to you?"
"Because I like to see others kneeling." Zhao Mian said as a matter of course, "and because your life is in my hands now, I can do whatever I want with it."
Li Er didn't seem to be frightened: "But what can you do to me? I'm not afraid of death, and we are now in the same boat. If we can't find the antidote, you will kill me and I will be poisoned alone. Then you will die more miserably than me."
"You seem to have overlooked one thing. Although it is not convenient for me to take your life right now, I can torture you slowly." Zhao Mian said slowly, "For example, I can grab your hair and slam you against the wall, or hang you on a beam, and then save you when you are about to die, and repeat this cycle over and over again."
Li Er was silent for a moment: "I'm sorry, sir. I admit that my attitude was a little bad just now, but..."
"But you still don't want to kneel, right?" Zhao Mian said meaningfully, "I don't know where your proud character comes from."
"You misunderstood." Li Er laughed, "How can a fishmonger like me have any integrity? I'm just old and my legs and feet are not flexible. Of course I don't want to kneel if I can avoid it. But you've threatened me to this extent, I'm also afraid. If you really like to see others kneel, I'll kneel."
Having said that, he knelt down.
Zhao Mian was born as a prince, and he had lost count of how many people had knelt before him, from the common people to high officials and ministers. Now there was another person who knelt before him, Li Er, but for some reason, he did not feel that he was so high and mighty.
Li Er knelt in front of him like this, not deliberately straightening his back to show his inner dissatisfaction, but he didn't respond perfunctorily either. He knelt so casually, as if he didn't take the matter to heart at all, and there was no humiliation or resentment.
Li Er raised his head and looked at him: "Can you tell me what happened?"
Zhao Mian suppressed his dissatisfaction and said calmly, "Speak."
Li Er said: "We should go to Kyoto to find the Imperial Master now. I want to ask about our strategy."
Zhao Mian said: "There is no plan."
Li Er sighed, with a tone that said, "Young people nowadays really don't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is." "I am the Protector of the Nation of the Great Eastern Mausoleum, one of the Four Great Grandmasters. In such a big world, only three people can compete with him. We want to snatch the antidote from him, not go to the Kyoto market to sell fish. How can we do it without a strategy?"
Zhao Mian asked back: "What do you think?"
Li Er waved his hand: "No, I get a headache when I use my brain."
"Then what's the point of you looking for me?" Zhao Mian said coldly, "I'm sorry to bother you with nonsense. Come on, get out of here."
After he finished speaking, Shen Buci came to Li Er.
Li Er hurriedly said, "No, no, no, I'll walk by myself. My arms hurt when I cross my arms."
When Li Er reached the door, Zhao Mian suddenly called him again: "Your sweetheart, Miss Zhang."
"Miss Zhao," Li Er corrected seriously, "It's Miss Zhao."
Zhao Mian said "Oh", "How old was she when she died of illness?"
Li Er lowered his head, feeling sad: "When she left, she had just turned sixteen. I still remember that day, when I came home after killing fish, she..."
"That's enough." Zhao Mian interrupted unhappily, "You remember it clearly."
Zhao Mian said coldly: "I hope you remember everything."
The next morning, Zhao Mian and others packed their luggage and left Chongzhou with Li Er, heading for Dongling Kyoto.
There were two carriages on this trip. One was bright and luxurious, with Zhao Mian and Zhou Huairang in it; the other was simple and friendly, with the luggage and Li Er in it, and was looked after by Shen Buci.
The closer we get to Kyoto, the more cautious we have to be and the more careful we have to be to hide our whereabouts. When there were still fifty miles to Dongling Kyoto, Zhao Mian and his group turned onto a sparsely populated path.
Unlike Nanping, where the terrain is mostly plains, the Dongling Mountains are continuous, with many dense forests and swamps in the wild, rich in miasma, and countless kinds of legged and feathered insects, many of which are poisonous. You have to be extra careful when walking outside.
Nanjing values literature and has a profound cultural heritage, making it a popular place for scholars and writers. Beiyuan values martial arts, with 100,000 cavalrymen able to charge thousands of miles. The reason why Dongling likes to play with poison has a lot to do with its terrain.
After traveling for half a day, Zhao Mian ordered everyone to take a short rest by the river and have lunch.
Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was dining in the wilderness, he could not be perfunctory or vague. Zhou Huairang unloaded the pots and pans from the carriage that Li Er was sitting in, as well as the vegetables, meat, eggs, and fish purchased in advance in Chongzhou, and finally Shen Buci, the only one in the team who could cook, took charge of the cooking.
As a secret guard of the Eastern Palace, Shen Buci only needed to ensure that he would not starve to death when he was out on a mission, and his cooking skills were limited to roasting the ingredients. But one month before the prince left Nanjing Shangjing City, the emperor specially summoned him and said with a smile: "Buci, why don't you go to the Shangshi Bureau for further study for a month? I will give you a salary increase."
In short, everything is for the extremely noble and beloved Crown Prince.
Shen Buci's study at the Shangshi Bureau yielded encouraging results. A whole chicken wrapped in lotus leaves was roasted in the mud, and soon the woods were filled with fragrance, making people salivate.
Zhou Huairang opened the lotus leaf and carefully arranged the dish, even garnishing it with fresh fruits and vegetables. "Sir, please enjoy your meal."
Zhao Mian said: "Divide it into three portions and eat together."
"Three servings?" Li Er asked eagerly, "Then what should I eat?"
Zhao Mian didn't even raise his head: "I only said I would take you to Kyoto, but I didn't say I would take care of your meals."
Zhou Huairang kindly reminded: "There is a river over there, you can eat fish."
Li Er said: "I just kill the fish, not catch them."
Having said that, Li Er still went into the river due to his livelihood.
The river water in early spring was cool and clear, with sand and rocks visible at the bottom. Li Er swam in the shallows, the water covering his calves. He leaned over and groped for a long time, and his black skin showed no signs of fading.
Zhao Mian withdrew his gaze from Li Er and asked Shen Buci, "Have you heard any news about Beiyuan Fuxue Tower recently?"
Fuxue Tower is to Beiyuan what Nangong of Wanhuameng is to Dongling and Qianjiyuan is to Nanjing. Half of the top masters in Beiyuan are working for Fuxue Tower. These people have their own unique skills and are mostly hidden in the dark, quietly lurking in foreign countries - Xixia, Dongling, and even Nanjing may have their shadows.
Without Fuxue Tower, which controlled all the intelligence in the world, Western Xia would not have been destroyed by Beiyuan in just two years.
Shen Buci said, "No." He paused, "There has been no news about Beiyuan Fuxue Tower recently."
Zhao Mian snorted coldly: "It's hidden deep enough."
At this time, Master Li, who had been busy for a long time, finally had a harvest. With a splash, Li Er emerged from the river, holding a big crucian carp that was jumping and wagging its tail wildly in his arms. It looked like it weighed at least five or six kilograms.
Li Er came towards Zhao Mian, holding a large crucian carp, all wet. His soaked clothes stuck to his chest, revealing his thin, solid black skin. He shook his head, causing water to splash everywhere: "Can I use your fire?"
Zhao Mian did not respond, which was considered as tacit consent.
Li Er put his hands together and bowed to Zhao Mian to show his gratitude. He threw the big crucian carp aside, wrung his wet clothes and said, "Actually, I don't like fish. I eat it every day, every day, and I'm tired of it." He turned to Zhou Huairang, whose temper was much better than his master's, and said, "Little brother, can I exchange the fish for the chicken wings in your bowl?"
Zhou Huairang was not stupid: "Who knows whether your grilled fish tastes good or not."
"You won't know until you try it." Li Er began to gut the crucian carp skillfully. "By the way, do you like spicy food?"
Zhao Mian knew Zhou Huairang's taste quite well. Zhou Huairang had a typical taste for Nanjing Shangjing, preferring the taste of the ingredients themselves and not liking oily or spicy food. Most Dongling people were just the opposite, liking both spicy and numbing food, as if they couldn't cook without spicy food.
Li Er asked this question... quite casually.
Just as Zhou Huairang was about to answer, Zhao Mian asked, "Why eat fish? Can't chicken satisfy you?"
His Highness had spoken, so how could Zhou Huairang disobey? "Yes, I don't eat fish, I only eat chicken!"
Li Er shrugged, as if he didn't care: "Oh."
After lunch, everyone continued on their journey. Zhao Mian was reading a book in the carriage, while Zhou Huairang was sitting beside him serving tea.
The carriage was very spacious, and could even accommodate a desk and a small bookcase. On the desk were preserved fruits and melons. Zhao Mian sat at the back, supporting his chin with one hand and studying a book on military strategy with the other.
Zhou Huairang handed the washed winter dates to Zhao Mian and asked, "Your Highness, why didn't you let me switch with Li Er just now?"
Zhao Mian turned a page of the book: "What do you think? I don't eat dates."
Zhou Huairang took it back and ate it himself, thinking: "Could it be because he would poison it?"
"Because your taste is too southern, it might expose our identities," Zhao Mian was furious and could no longer bear it, "You idiot."
Zhou Huairang was scolded but still smiled: "So that's how it is, Your Highness is so smart. But I didn't want to eat fish myself, I know Your Highness likes to eat fish, and I wanted to give it to Your Highness."
His father once described Zhou Huairang as "silly and innocent", and said that this kind of person has a special charm, but Zhao Mian didn't see it at all. But facing Zhou Huairang's heartless smile, he retreated inexplicably in the middle of his temper.
Although Zhou Huairang was naive, he had never held him back, not even once.
Zhao Mian said in a neutral voice: "I don't really like fish that much."
Outside the carriage, Shen Buci was riding a black horse, hurrying along steadily but not hurriedly. He not only had to keep an eye on the two carriages, but also had to pay attention to the situation around him, not wanting to miss even the slightest movement.
They were the only ones on the narrow path in the afternoon. There was no wind and the trees were still, and the only sounds along the way were the sound of horse hooves and wheels.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, making the leaves rustle. Shen Buci's ears moved, and he vaguely caught a hint of unusual breath in the wind.
He reined in his horse and stopped, looking sideways, trying to identify the source of the anomaly without making a sound, so as not to alert the enemy. Only when he was sure of what he was thinking did he turn his horse around and report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince: "Sir, someone is following us."
Zhou Huairang spat out the date pit in his mouth: "Ah!"
Zhao Mian's heart moved, and he asked, "Are you sure?"
Shen Buci nodded and said, "I am sure there are at least two of them. They are quite skilled and their footwork is light. They are most likely women."
"It's an assassin!" Zhou Huairang stood in front of Zhao Mian in a panic, "Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor quickly! Old Shen, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and call back the shadow guards who are scouting the way ahead!"
"Don't panic." Zhao Mian pushed Zhou Huairang's head aside and said calmly, "This 'assassin' may not be coming for me."
He had been away from home for half a year, and from Nanjing to Dongling, he had never encountered any assassins - not counting the sinister old man Wan Huameng, because he could not rule out the possibility of coincidence.
Even if his identity was exposed, the people of Nanjing would not touch him, and Dongling and Beiyuan would not dare to touch him. The assassin did not come earlier or later, but he came as soon as he brought the fish killer with him, which was enough to explain some problems.
"It's not coming for His Highness?" Zhou Huairang was completely confused. "It's coming for me?"
Zhao Mian had a complicated expression: "No wonder when my father asked you to be my companion, the Prime Minister strongly opposed it and the two of them almost had a fight over it."
When Zhou Huairang heard about this for the first time, his face turned pale and he murmured, "What? I actually made such a huge mistake..."
Shen Buci said: "Your Highness means that the 'assassin' may have come because of Li Er."
Zhou Huairang was even more confused: "But why would he be so worthy of assassination as he is just a fish killer?"
If the assassin did not want Li Er's life, then most likely he wanted to save Li Er's life.
Zhao Mian made a prompt decision: "There is a simple way to judge the intention of the visitor." He looked at Shen Buci, "Watch my eyes and act accordingly."
Shen Buci said: "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Your Highness."
(End of this chapter)