The Dong family's house in Baoding City was very well built, facing north and south. The two large stone lions at the door looked majestic and awe-inspiring even under the moonlight.
After entering the door and walking around the screen wall, you will see a large house with seven frames and two halls. The plaque at the top is shining brightly under the moonlight.
Dong Siyuan politely led them into the second courtyard and into the flower hall called Sifang, and then asked someone to prepare the wine and food.
Although it was said that wine and food were being prepared, they were served very quickly, still steaming when they were on the table. They were hot and there were many exquisite varieties, with good color, aroma and taste. They were in no way worse than the dishes in the princes' palaces in the capital.
He was just a Qianhu of a Qianhu Suo in Baoding, but his home was decorated so luxuriously, and he spent so much money on food, clothing, housing and transportation. Even the jade pendants he had were all Hetian white jade double fish jade pendants, with exquisite carvings and lifelike fish shapes... ...
No wonder the military households in Baoding are so poor.
Shen Chen's expression remained unchanged, and when he saw Dong Siyuan raising his glass, he smiled and said, "Lord Dong is so hospitable and warm to guests, it really makes me feel a little panicked."
Dong Siyuan laughed: "This is nothing..."
Before he could finish his sentence, someone came outside to ask to see him.
Dong Siyuan bowed to them, greeted them with a smile, and then walked out.
The one who came back was his confidant. As soon as he saw him, he hurriedly said, "There is news from the capital, sir. It says... it says that an envoy from the Ministry of War did go to Fujian, but he didn't go our way, and the time doesn't match. He's been gone for more than half a month."
Dong Siyuan's face was gloomy, and his eyes quickly became filled with hostility: "Go on."
The confidant answered yes without even a pause, and then said: "There's news from above, saying... ... that Shen Chen has left Beijing."
Shen Chen?!
Dong Siyuan didn't react to who Shen Chen was for a moment. He was stunned for a moment before his eyes widened: "Shen Chen?!"
Shen Chen from Linjiang Palace, now Shen Chen, the Marquis of Pingxi? !
He left Beijing
This means that it is possible that the person who came back this time is him? !
His heart suddenly sank, his right eyelid twitched violently, and he frowned and asked, "Really?"
But the question is, why would Shen Chen come to take care of this matter
After all, this matter was originally a transaction between the Linjiang Palace and the Xiao family.
The Linjiang Palace wanted the support of the Xiao family and also wanted the Xiao family's wealth, so it helped the Xiao family deal with this trouble and introduced the Prince of Zhennan as a scapegoat so that it could continue to help the Xiao family make money.
The Xiao family and the Linjiang Palace have long been in the same boat.
If the person inside is Shen Chen, could it be that he doesn't know about the relationship between Linjiang Palace's plan and the Xiao family
"It's true." The confidant leaned close to him and whispered, "You also know that the relationship between Pingxi Hou and the prince has always been bad. I heard that his relationship with the prince is better. They even had a fight over this matter. Later, I don't know how, Pingxi Hou changed his surname back to Shen and moved out of Linjiang Palace. Even the emperor reprimanded the prince and princess because of this matter."
Dong Siyuan seemed to have heard about this from someone.
He hummed, "You mean, he deliberately wanted to go against the prince, so he wanted to ruin the prince's business and embarrass him?"
"It's not impossible." The confidant coughed and said, "Considering the relationship between Shen Chen and the prince, if the prince ascends to the throne, it will obviously benefit him. If he can't stand the prince being good because of this and wants to do something bad to him, it is very likely. According to the news from the capital, Shen Chen had informed the emperor before coming out..."
Dong Siyuan's expression changed instantly.
Shen Chen did it on purpose. He came here to cause trouble for me.
No wonder he went straight to the home of the scholar elder brother. He knew that the scholar elder brother was a military household, so he went there specifically to get information. He also said before that he had already asked the Wen family... ..
He swallowed his saliva and said angrily: "This little bastard!"
In his eyes, Shen Chen was indeed a dandy boy whose hair had not even fully grown.
Apart from being playful and mischievous, he is no match for the Crown Prince Chu Jingxing.
He gnashed his teeth and cursed: "He is trying to kill the prince!"
The confidant did not respond, but just asked him: "Sir, what should we do now? Shen Chen is a hot potato. He can't be offended, and he is also a difficult person to deal with. If we can't deal with him well, something bad will happen."
What I mean is that Shen Chen is a difficult person to deal with.
Dong Siyuan was a little annoyed: "Did the higher-ups tell us how to deal with Shen Chen?"
The confidant hesitated for a moment, then calmly said, "The higher-ups said... if necessary, don't worry about his identity, you can kill him without mercy."
Kill without mercy?!
Even though Dong Siyuan was mature and steady, he was still shocked by these four words.
Shen Chen is a royal relative!
Why did Chu Jingxing and Xiao Mingyu talk about his life and death in a tone as if it was as simple as cutting radishes and vegetables
He struggled for a moment before coming back to his senses, saying "oh", but still couldn't make up his mind.
Kill Shen Chen? !
He knew that there was a conflict between Chu Jingxing and Shen Chen, and he also knew that Shen Chen had left the Linjiang Palace.
But the problem is that Prince Linjiang has always cared about Shen Chen, not to mention Chu Jingwu. Even Emperor Longqing is very good to his nephew Shen Chen and has plans to marry the princess to him.
Especially since Shen Chen had already informed Emperor Longqing, if he really died in Baoding Prefecture, he would be in a lot of trouble.
Shen Chen on the other side did not hesitate so much. He had already instructed Tan Xi: "Dong Siyuan is a cunning man. He must have suspected that the teahouse owner and the owner's wife said something to us. The scholar heard our conversation... You go and take care of the boss and the owner's wife's family and protect them."
Then he turned around and told Xuesong, "You should also go out and go to the Wen family to see what is going on. Try to find out as much as possible. We will deal with Dong Siyuan first and try to delay him."
Xue Song responded.
Han Bo immediately asked: "What about me? What about me?!"
Wei An glanced at him and said, "This is Dong Siyuan's house. When he invited us here, it was obviously a last-minute decision. He wanted to calm us down first, which means he didn't have time to make preparations. Home is the safest place. If you were Dong Siyuan, would you hide some important things in your study or living room?"
Han Bo immediately responded: "You want me to find evidence?"
Wei An looked at the exquisite meal and whispered, "He was able to find us so early, which means he had sent out secret sentries. Plus, he has a big backer behind him, so he might know our identities soon. So we don't have much time. You have to act quickly."