When Zhu Yi left the Imperial Garden, a young eunuch led the way and took him to receive his reward.
After receiving the reward money, Zhu Yi did not leave the palace directly, but ran towards Zhaotai Garden where the Queen Mother lived.
He knew very well that the old eunuch was a tight-lipped person and was not the kind of person who would gossip. Without Zhu Qiyu's permission, he would not tell the empress dowager about Princess Changming keeping a gigolo. If he ran quickly, he could sell the information again.
Half an hour passed in a flash.
Zhu Yi left the palace contentedly, stepped onto the carriage, and asked the driver to go straight to the brothels in the capital, and to meet up with a few friends.
Having made a lot of money this time, he wants to take his wife and daughter on a long outing. He hopes everyone can give him some advice on which wife and daughter to take.
…
At the desk in front of the window, Zhu Qiyou picked up his brush to paint, his mind was in a mess and he couldn't concentrate. A picture of a phoenix spreading its wings ended up with a floor full of chicken feathers.
He threw down his brush, closed his eyes and said, "It's been an hour, why hasn't Yu Tao come to see me yet? Xuanyin Division is known for its extensive network of forces, and has countless hands and eyes. It would take a long time to investigate a dog thief named by name, what use do I have for him!"
"Your Majesty, please be patient. Intelligence work is very tedious and there is no need to rush..."
Seeing Zhu Qiyou's concern, the old eunuch hurried to comfort him. Halfway through his words, his face turned strange: "Your Majesty, Lord Yu wants to see you. He has already found out everything."
"My dear Lord Yu is truly my right-hand man. Please announce it to me soon." Zhu Qiyu praised.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
A strong man with broad shoulders and a tall body walked in, stopped five steps in front of Zhu Qiyu, and knelt on one knee and bowed.
This man has dark skin, a square face, strong bones and muscles. If he were a general on the battlefield, he would be so powerful that no one could defeat him. However, he was not. He was an intelligence officer and one of the biggest intelligence chiefs in Wu Zhou.
Xuanyinsi, Xuanwei, Yutao.
There are five ranks in the Xuanyinsi, from top to bottom: black, purple, blue, gold and silver. The darker the color, the higher the rank. There are only two Xuanwei with the highest rank, one in charge of external affairs and the other in charge of internal affairs.
Yu Tao was in charge of all intelligence work in the twelve states and eighty-four counties of the Wu Zhou Dynasty. He held a high position of power and influence. If you judged him by his appearance, you would be deceived by his rough appearance.
"My dear, please don't be polite. Please take a seat."
In front of his ministers, Zhu Qiyou suppressed his impatience and calmly picked up his brush to paint, leaving Yu Tao with a very stressful back.
"I dare not."
Yu Tao knelt on one knee without moving, and raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"My dear minister, you are my right-hand man. You have done a great job in the Xuanyin Division. Why can't you sit down?"
Zhu Qiyou smiled lightly, and the old eunuch understood what he meant. Two young eunuchs walked into the room with their heads lowered and brought in a large chair.
Seeing this, Yu Tao became even more frightened and wanted to say something else, but under the pressure of the old eunuch's friendly visual, he sat on the chair with a bitter face.
"My dear, have you found any clues about the person I asked you to investigate?"
"Your Majesty, there is some progress." Yu Tao said with a dry throat.
Zhu Qiyou slowly turned around and frowned at Yu Tao. Seeing that he was fidgeting, he said thoughtfully, "My dear minister, just speak frankly. No matter if he is a royal relative or the descendant of a powerful official, you just need to speak clearly. If there is any problem, I will take care of it for you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Yu Tao felt bitter. With Zhu Qiyou backing him up, he dared to do anything except rebel. But the problem was...
Afraid that the truth would be revealed, Zhu Qiyu flicked his sleeves, rescinded his order and refused to protect it.
The palace has issued an order that a thief named Lu is close to the eldest princess Changming, and the princess has been deceived by him. This involves the reputation of the royal family, so she must not make her actions public and must investigate thoroughly within one stick of incense.
Yu Tao knew that one stick of incense did not limit the time, but meant that it was extremely urgent. The emperor was already furious, and he had to give a reply as quickly as possible.
He did not dare to delay and called upon capable and powerful generals. For a moment, the Xuanyin Division was in chaos and everyone was busy like ants on hot pot. Even the hidden agents planted inside the Huangji Sect were activated.
After checking, I immediately found some clues.
The reason was simple. Zhu Qilan met Lu Bei at the Demon Cultivator Trade Conference. Seeing that Lu Bei had extraordinary skills, he wanted to recruit him to serve as his lackey. However, since he did not know Lu Bei's identity, he used his power as the commander-in-chief to order a thorough investigation.
If the Huangji Sect cannot find the answer, then the Xuanyin Division will be used to investigate.
As everyone knows, the Huangji Sect and the Xuanyin Division are closely connected, and there are many people who receive two, three, or even four salaries.
Often, some people forget who they are while they are doing something.
Zhu Qilan used the Xuanyin Division to find out Lu Bei's identity. He followed the path of the Huangji Sect and did not hide anything. This matter was known once it was investigated. Yu Tao followed the clues and soon found out Lu Bei's identity, and then...
The most outrageous thing is coming.
The ** thief surnamed Lu has an independent file inside the Xuanyin Division, serves as the Ningzhou Qingwei, works diligently, has made many outstanding achievements, and TNND is still one of our own.
After seeing this information, Yu Tao wanted to die. He wanted to rush to Ningzhou with a knife in hand, grab Lu Bei by the collar and question him loudly.
Ningzhou and Yizhou are far apart. Why would a mere Qingwei like you run so far for no reason
Not only did he run so far, but he also slept with the princess quietly. Did he ever ask for his superior's opinion? Did he ever respect his superior's head
But soon, Yu Tao understood why Lu Bei was so bold.
There are two files about Lu Bei, one visible and one hidden.
Ming's expression was very official. At first glance, Lu Bei seemed to be a hard-working man who worked honestly from nine to five.
The secret copy has a very high level of authority and can only be viewed by those at the Xuanwei level. If Yu Tao doesn't personally inquire about it, it cannot be retrieved at all.
There were few words written during the period, and it was more perfunctory than simple. The column for recommender was filled with 'Fox Three', and the column for code name was filled with 'Fox Four', which made Yu Tao gasp.
No wonder he dared to touch the emperor’s sister. It seems that he has a backer to support him, so he is not panicked even when his belly is big.
Seeing this, Yu Tao felt relieved and rushed to the palace to meet the emperor.
I guess, if the emperor had any sense, he would know that this time it is not his fault for not being able to manage his subordinates well, because he has no control over them at all.
Having said that, serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Zhu Qiyou was still a little uneasy in front of him, fearing that he would be implicated.
"Master Yu, please don't be distracted. His Majesty is waiting for your reply!"
Hearing the old eunuch's urging, Yu Tao took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, according to my investigation, the offender is named Lu Bei, 21 years old, from Langyu County, Dongyang County, Ningzhou. He inherited his master's will and is the head of the Yuhua Sect of Sanqing Peak in Jiuzhu Mountain, and..."
"What? Tell me quickly!"
Zhu Qiyu gritted his teeth secretly when he heard this. He was just in his early twenties and hadn't even grown all his hair yet he dared to touch his imperial sister. He was truly a gigolo.
"And... and..."
Yu Tao paused for a long time and whispered, "Besides, he is in charge of the Xuanyin Division and is a Ningzhou Qingwei. He has made considerable achievements."
Snap!
The sound of the brush breaking was crisp and pleasant. Zhu Qiyu's face was expressionless, showing no joy or anger. The old eunuch lowered his head slightly, restrained his breath and became like a wooden man again.
The warm sunlight shines in obliquely from the gold-patterned hollow windows, falling on the spotless floor tiles, leaving some mottled light and shadows.
Yu Tao felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles, his back was soaked with cold sweat, and he dared not even breathe.
"How can this be possible!"
Zhu Qiyou slapped the desk with his hand, staring at Yu Tao with blazing eyes, a fierce look popping out from between his teeth: "You bastard, kneel down, who told you to sit down?"
Bang!
Yu Tao's body trembled, and he slid down the wide chair and knelt on his knees: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I haven't finished speaking..."
"Don't say anymore, I'm tired."
Zhu Qiyou turned and looked out the window. The Xuanyinsi was known as the emperor's personal guards. He was stationed in the central capital, and the Xuanyinsi was his eyes and hands extending to the world.
Now, he has become powerful, presumptuous, and disrespectful to others, and even dares to touch his own sister.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get.JPG
"Yu Tao, you go to Ningzhou in person and don't make it public. Bring the young man to the capital to see me." Zhu Qiyu ordered.
"Being afraid, being afraid is not okay..."
Yu Tao finished speaking in a dry voice, and without waiting for the emperor to get angry, he held up a file in both hands and had the old eunuch pass it to Zhu Qiyu.
Zhu Qiyu's heart trembled, he suppressed his anger, and looked at the file.
What he saw was a face pretending to be innocent with a smile, which made him furious. He thought to himself that the man with greasy hair and powdered face was obviously a person with evil intentions.
Then, when he looked at the columns of Ming dynasty name and recommender, Zhu Qiyou was stunned and remained silent for a long time.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Lu Beihe..."
"roll."
"I obey your orders."
Yu Tao was as if he had been pardoned. He bowed and slowly stepped back. After three steps, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said again: "I have two more things to report to Your Majesty, both of which are related to Princess Changming."
May our ancestors bless us and the country be ours. Please do not let my sister be pregnant.
Zhu Qiyou's body swayed, and he shook his head to dispel the worst-case scenario, his eyes piercing into Yu Tao like knives.
"explain."
"As far as I know, Princess Changming has already left Yizhou and is on her way to the capital. This is one of them."
Yu Tao spoke quickly: "Secondly, Her Majesty the Queen Mother heard the news from somewhere and asked me to investigate Lu Bei. I dare not make a decision on my own. Should I... "
"roll!"
Yu Tao got the order and left quickly, not daring to stay for a moment.
As for how the Empress Dowager would respond, that was another matter from the Emperor's. As it involved the reputation of the Princess, it was not right for him, a minister, to speak rashly. It would be troublesome whether he said anything or not. He decided to wait a little longer, wait for Zhu Qilan to arrive in the capital, and then report the details the next day.
In this way, although you will inevitably be reprimanded, you can also avoid being reprimanded.
Yu Tao left, and the master and servant stood in the room.
Zhu Qiyou looked at Lu Bei's file again, his eyelids twitching, not knowing whether it was a disaster or a catastrophe: "What does Second Master mean by sending this bastard close to the Imperial Sister? What exactly is his plan?"
"If your majesty has any doubts, why not ask Mr. Xuan Er in person?"
"Forget it, I'd better go and see her, otherwise she will come alone and the Queen and the others will give me the cold shoulder."
Zhu Qiyou rubbed his temple with a headache. At this point, the truth was gradually coming to light. His years of experience in ruling the world told him that this matter might be mixed with a lot of misunderstandings and hidden secrets.
First of all, Fox Two would not send anyone to approach Zhu Qilan. Even if there is such a possibility, there must be a deeper meaning behind it.
Thinking of this, Zhu Qiyou looked at the file again.
He pretends to be innocent, and it's clear at first glance that he's not a good person. There's no misunderstanding, he's just a pretty boy!