The wind lantern was swaying, and the cold wind was blowing across Chang'an City as it was approaching midnight. The city guards were still patrolling every street in the city in an orderly and vigilant manner. There were fewer and fewer carriages and sedan chairs, but the horseshoes The sound and the footsteps of the bearers became more and more urgent.
Chang'an City was destined to be unrest that night. The leader of the city's military guards listened to the watchman's call and realized that midnight had arrived. In a few hours, it would be time to go to court again.
These officials who are still running back and forth in carriages seem destined to be unable to sleep tonight. I wonder if they will doze off when they go to court tomorrow? He tightened his collar so that the cold wind could be slightly farther away from his neck, and continued to lead the city guards to patrol Chang'an City at night.
Lin Shiling frowned. Both he and Jinghui had memorized the secret letter from His Highness the Crown Prince, but they still couldn't figure out what His Highness the Crown Prince's move meant!
The strong tea was changed from pot to pot, and the bloodshot eyes were getting more and more. Jinghui washed his face with cold water and walked in refreshed from the outside. He breathed the hot air and rubbed his hands. Shivering, he said, "It's so cold. I can't survive in this damn weather. I wonder if the weather in Tubo will be even worse than this!"
"It's definitely bad. As long as our bones don't freeze to death, it'll be good. But before that, if we can't pass His Royal Highness's last school exam, I'm afraid we won't be able to go to Tubo to enjoy the even worse plateau cold. Lin Shiling covered his forehead with a cold wet towel, trying to keep his mind clear.
Jinghui sat down and glanced at Lin Shiling, who was looking up. He didn't even need to read the secret letter. He had already memorized it. Except for not knowing the purpose of the secret letter given to them by His Highness, he didn't know anything else. All have been resolved.
Even where the penny went, he and Lin Shiling figured it out in less than half a quarter of an hour, just by thinking from a different angle and in a different direction.
As long as you don't think about the problem from the perspective of the three customers, but start from the shopkeeper's point of view, then all problems will be easily solved.
"Then what do you mean by His Highness the Prince's letter to us? It can't be just to play this upside-down game, right?" Jinghui tilted his chin, the dim and flickering lights and the warm spring-like room made him I can't afford to be half asleep.
"If I had figured it out, I wouldn't have been sitting with you all the time. Whether I can go to Tibet or not is now written in this secret letter. Your and my destiny and career are determined by this simple secret letter." Lin Shiling's tone was filled with helplessness. She was thinking a lot and didn't know what His Highness the Crown Prince's intention was.
He took off the cold wet towel on his forehead and continued to put it on. He was afraid that the cold wet towel would freeze his head.
"Don't look at it. It's just ordinary paper, ordinary characters, ordinary pens, no hidden palindrome, etc. It's just a sharp turn." Lin Shiling looked at Jinghui holding the secret letter in boredom. I shined it on the light, and then put the secret letter on the fire to heat it, but after tossing and tossing, the piece of paper was still lifeless and unresponsive.
"Could it be a hint?" Jinghui weakly put down the secret letter, feeling that it seemed a bit reliable.
"Go on, is His Highness the Crown Prince hinting at something...? By the way, what did you just say?" Lin Shiling was suddenly startled and grabbed Jinghui's hand urgently and asked.
"I... did I imply something to us? What happened to you? You were shocked."
"Hint, hint, hint? How to hint? Use this question? Use the people in it? Use the numbers? Or use...?"
"The shopkeeper, the customers, the clerks, the corruption, the numbers, are they all useful?" Jinghui seemed to have caught something and hurriedly opened the letter again.
Lin Shiling quickly prepared a piece of white paper and pen in a tacit understanding. The two looked at each other again, and then exchanged the things in their hands in a tacit understanding. In terms of speculation, even ten Jinghui was not Lin Shiling's opponent, so this Lin Shiling had to leave it to Lin Shiling to figure out the secret letter, while Jinghui was responsible for taking notes.
After reading it carefully, Lin Shiling's face looked surprised and pale for a while. His lips trembled and he didn't speak for a long time. It wasn't until Jinghui urged him that he put down the secret letter in his hand with trembling hands, looked at Jinghui and said: " We were so stupid that we almost missed His Highness’ important event!”
"Why do you say that?" Jinghui started to feel confused again. What important thing had he missed
"What are you and me doing now?"
"Isn't this the interpretation of this secret letter?"
"No, what are we doing these days? His Highness intends to let Mr. Pei Xingjian serve as the right servant. However, Fang Xianzhong, who was originally thought to be the most vocal, has become difficult because of the incident at the Ministry of Industry. He will be able to save his life in the court tomorrow. Even if it’s good, there is still someone who covets the position of You Pu She, and he is the one His Highness wants to eliminate!”
"Pei Yan!" Jing Hui was startled. The brush in his hand shook, and a drop of ink fell on the white and precious rice paper.
These things are all open secrets. At least those of them who are considered subordinates of the prince know the reason why the prince suddenly transferred Pei Xingjian back and arranged for them to go to Tubo.
Moreover, in order to keep King Pei and prevent King Pei from secretly colluding with Pei Yan, the prince had already begun secretly planning to eradicate Pei Yan when he transferred King Luo Bin, Yang Jiong and others from Anxi and placed them in Jiangnan on standby.
If Pei Yan, Li Yifu, Xu Jingzong and others had not been the first to advise His Majesty to abolish the former Crown Prince Li Zhong, and if Pei Yan had not always followed the Queen's lead, the Crown Prince would have taken action to remove him, right
What's more, when His Majesty and the Crown Prince were trapped in Liujing City during their trip to Liaodong, Pei Yan did not immediately go to the palace to protect the Queen. Instead, he cowered down and pretended to be sick, forcing the Queen to leave the Thousand Pagodas left behind by the Crown Prince. Transferred to the harem in case King Pei suddenly rebels!
"Yes, it's Pei Yan!" Lin Shiling's eyes flashed with a cold light, staring at the candlelight on the table like a poisonous snake.
"But what can we do? Pei Yan plotted rebellion with the British public, but this matter was not realized. As for colluding with King Pei, because he wants to protect King Pei, His Highness cannot involve King Pei. Without it, The handle." Jinghui's hand holding the brush trembled anxiously, and a piece of precious rice paper became useless paper.
"What we can do..." Lin Shiling smiled mysteriously, pointed at the secret letter with his finger, and whispered: "His Highness's meaning is very clear, that is, to hide the truth, just like this penny that originally existed, let's turn him into a It’s okay if it’s gone.”
"It's gone?" Jing Hui frowned. If this penny was paid in the way of accounting, he could indeed have lost it, but how to put it on Pei Yan...: "The shopkeeper?"
"Yes, the shopkeeper's account is the account book, and the penny was embezzled by Pei Yan, but Pei Yan was not corrupt, so we want to turn him into a corrupt person." Lin Shiling was determined in his heart. He was sure that this was definitely the intention of His Highness the Crown Prince, but As the prince of the Tang Dynasty, he could not say anything famous, and it was impossible to leave any evidence to frame the ministers, so he used this magic question to hint them.
"But since Pei Yan became an official, he has never been interested in money. He is an honest and clean official, and he has no restraint except for his excessive greed for power..."
"So I want to put the penny that was not lost on Pei Yan as if it was lost." Lin Shiling stood up and walked out. There was a lot of information about Pei Yan's salary over the years in the account books of the Royal Bank and the Accounts Department. , as long as you understand these things, make some accounts, and then hand them over to a censor to take to the court according to His Highness's wishes.
As for who this censor is, it has nothing to do with His Highness the Crown Prince. It is a matter between him and Jinghui. We can't let His Highness arrange everything. In that case, what else do they need to do!
Jing Hui looked at Lin Shiling running out like a gust of wind, and after thinking about it, he decided that it was okay, but if he wanted to successfully frame Pei Yan, there must be a convincing person in court tomorrow to testify against Pei Yan.
"Brother Lin, wait a minute, do you need to remind His Highness that someone needs to testify against Pei Yan in the court tomorrow for this plan to work..."
"Don't worry. Since His Highness asked you and me to do the accounting, it's obvious that he has already arranged for someone to testify against Pei Yan in the court. Of course, don't be curious as to who it is. I can't guess what His Highness will do. Let someone testify." Lin Shiling looked through all the accounts about Pei Yan and said without looking back.
Just as it was about to pass, the night-shrouded streets of Chang'an City still heard the occasional sound of horse hooves, or the slowed-down bearers carrying the sedan forward with their heads lowered.
Yang Sijian and the unhappy Yang Yu said goodbye to Bai Chun at the gate of Prince Pu's Mansion. Yang Yu reluctantly returned the greeting to Bai Chun, and then got into the carriage when Yang Sijian looked at Bai Chun's disappointed face.
"Miss Bai, today's incident has caused a lot of trouble for me. I just hope that Miss Bai will not tell His Highness the Crown Prince. Such humble behavior is really unworthy of my status as the prince's young master. It's just related to my daughter's future. I have no choice but to do so." I came up with this trick, and I hope Miss Bai will forgive me." The red lantern hung high at the entrance of Prince Pu's Mansion, Yang Sijian looked around and said to Bai Chun in a low voice.
"Young Master Yang filtered it. Today, Bai Chun has been staying in the house. He has not seen anyone, and no one has come to the house. Please rest assured, Master Yang." A rare smile appeared on Bai Chun's face, Said to Yang Sijian.
It's just that there is still a word in my heart that I haven't said. If I don't say it, it doesn't mean that no one will see it. Prince Pu's Mansion seems clean and peaceful, but who knows if there are dozens or hundreds of pairs of eyes staring around.
Yang Sijian looked at Bai Chun looking around, obviously reminding him that just because he didn't tell, it didn't mean others wouldn't know.
After thinking for a moment, he raised his hand again and said: "I am not afraid of others knowing, but I am afraid of disturbing Miss Bai too much. After all, Miss Bai has been serving His Highness the Crown Prince all year round, and one sentence is worth as much as hundreds of words."
"Master Yang, please come back. Bai Chun has taken note of your instructions." Bai Chun nodded lightly and watched Yang Sijian get into the carriage.
But until the carriage left, even after turning around the alley and heading to another street, Bai Chun still stood at the door, letting the cold wind blow his long hair into chaos, and making fangs and claws behind his back.
"How did you know I was coming?" Li Hong suddenly stepped out from the dark shadow and protected Bai Chun, who was looking around.
(End of chapter)