This night, which is a time for all living beings to relieve the pain of their deceased parents and relatives in the afterlife, is destined to be unusual for Pei Xiaoyuan.
Chen Shao had been waiting secretly at the street corner outside the southeast gate.
In order to avoid attracting attention, he is still on duty in the Yanping Gate area, but his position has been promoted from a captain without rank to an eighth-rank military officer, the military officer in charge of the Yanping Gate, and he has also obtained the qualification to accompany the emperor.
He saw Pei Xiaoyuan's figure among the bustling crowd, looked around to make sure that no one was following or stalking him, and was about to go up to him and talk, when he suddenly noticed that under the reflection of the dim red lotus light nearby, the man's face looked a little stiff, as if he was in a trance.
This had never happened before, and he could not help but hesitate for a moment. Soon Pei Xiaoyuan saw him and cast his gaze. At this time, his expression seemed normal, and his eyes were focused.
Chen Shao thought that it was because of the dim lighting that he saw things wrong.
"I just received the news."
"The person we were looking for before has been caught," he said.
In the southwest corner of Yiningfang in the northwest of Chang'an, there is a Didian. The owner has a full beard and dark skin. He claims to be a businessman from Anguo and can speak fluent Anguo dialect. The identity documents he holds also confirm his self-description, showing that he is a foreigner who has just arrived. In Chang'an, there are countless foreigners, and Yiningfang is next to Kaiyuan Gate, where many foreigners who look different from the people of the Holy Dynasty live. Therefore, after this person came here two or three years ago and bought this Didian, he settled down smoothly like a drop of water into the sea.
The reason why this seemingly flawless Anguo merchant caught Pei Xiaoyuan's attention was that after carefully searching several foreign settlements in Chang'an, he selected a list of people whose arrival time was most consistent with the Xiban man he was looking for. This person was one of them.
A few days ago, Pei Xiaoyuan sent Chen Shao to enter the Didian under the pretext of a normal inspection, and unexpectedly called out Chada's real name in Xifan language. This person did not reveal any major flaws at the time, but the next day, the owner and several foreign helpers went to the store and absconded. After a secret search of the Didian, a secret room was found, which contained a lot of valuables and goods that had not been processed in time. The types were varied and looked like loot. The porter in the store was tortured and confessed that the Didian was located in a corner, with few neighbors around, and the business was light. The owner of Anguo store was not very concerned about the business and often closed the door. Instead, he would take his foreign helpers out for a few days every month and then drive back. As for what he did when he went out, he didn't know.
Obviously, this is a ruthless person who runs a shop during the day and robs merchants and travelers at night. He fits the characteristics of the person we are looking for more.
Chen Shao immediately searched everywhere. Just tonight, he received news that a group of five or six An Guo people who escaped with gold and silver were captured in the barren mountains near Lingao Posthouse west of the city.
"He admitted his identity. He was Chada, who surrendered with the deceased Xifan noble. Because his mother was from Anguo, he could speak Anguo dialect. Three years ago, after his master died, he killed a newly arrived Anguo merchant outside the city and hid himself by stealing his identity."
"But he refused to confess no matter what and said he had to see the victim."
Pei Xiaoyuan quietly left the city from Yanping Gate and walked to the field where he had a secret meeting with He Jin and others not long ago. Chada, a Xiban man, was lying on the ground with his hands and feet tied with ropes. When he saw Pei Xiaoyuan walking towards him in the moonlight, he shouted, "It's you!"