son-in-law

Chapter 1279: I Still Suspect You Until Now (VI)
The emperor, who had waited in vain, returned to the palace in his carriage.

In the courtyard at the other end of the city, Pu Xinggui was collecting news from all sides from the intelligence reports he received. There was a full picture of the conflict that took place in the city today, the criticism of Chen Shuangran among the green foresters, and the praise for his heroic act of saving people. During this period, his confidant also received the scolding from the two old men, which were all nonsense that he had expected.

Near the hour of midnight, he sat at the window on the second floor of the courtyard and wrote on the letter his judgment on the current situation and his enlightening remarks to the elders. When the letter was almost finished, Cao Jinlong, the "Four Seas Hero", came, and Pu Xingui asked someone to bring him up and made tea.

"Mr. Pu made a big move today, and he didn't even give us a heads up."

"Since Chen Heipi doesn't treat us as human beings, we should just take advantage of the situation. Hasn't this matter been agreed upon long ago?" Pu Xinggui smiled and poured him tea.

"I'm not talking about this. Killing Wei Sanhua, Xu Shizhao and others in the street was a bit too much. Now people are saying that we haven't even started fighting the emperor yet, but we've already started killing each other..." Cao Jinlong paused here, "Especially the chase in the evening. Although there weren't many casualties, it was a big shock to the outside world..."

"Oh? What shocked you?"

"It is said that Master Pu has finally revealed his trump card. Who would have thought that such a master who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Master Tunyun was actually commanded by Master Pu."

“Hahahaha.” Pu Xinggui laughed and waved his hands, “Not at all, not at all. Not at all driving…”

He laughed for a while before lowering his voice: "Actually... my relationship with that young hero is the same as my relationship with Brother Cao. We are allies, not subordinates, so I can't suppress him, just like he killed Wei Sanhua and Xu Shizhao. I couldn't stop him. And, after all, this matter was caused by Chen Heipi. What a huge grudge."

Cao Jinlong looked over from the opposite side, stared at him for a while, then took a sip of tea and frowned slightly.

"If we can't suppress it, it will be troublesome... Actually, I came here today because I was scolded by Master Ai. He still wanted me to bring you a message. He said that the times are different now and we need to unite... In my opinion, women are in charge and the walls and houses are falling. We must compete with the black people, but after all, we are comrades against the court. We fought in the street and risked our lives. It would not be good for our comrades to see it. We still have to persuade them." He said here and looked around, "By the way, where is the young hero? Is he here? If it is difficult for you, Master Pu, to say it, I will go and say it. At least, I want to get to know him..."

"We have an appointment to meet tomorrow morning, but he is not here right now. The young man has his own place. You know, the Fish King is his man..."

"Gao Xing Zong has finally found a powerful figure." Cao Jinlong laughed.

"The Fish King is a local tyrant. He has been silent for half his life, but now he is finally willing to help us." Pu Xinggui praised him, took a sip of tea, and then said, "As for the instructions to the elders, I am writing a letter here... As I said before, I have no objection to Chen Shuangran's plan. She can carry out her plan, but she can't treat the lives of us brothers as nothing. Even if I disobey her orders, I have to stand up and say something. Whoever she treats as an abandoned child, I have to come out to save him. You see, many people, including Master Yan, have promised to help me. I have also explained to the elders. I also have a plan for coming to Fuzhou this time."

"That's right. It's exactly what I should do at my age." Cao Jinlong held the teacup and sighed softly, "Are you still thinking the same thing as before?"

"Yes. The emperor said he wants to take a concubine. We have to make trouble. There are two large warehouses and an armory near Fuzhou. I have already made a plan. We will find one and take it out. We will raise the flag and go up the mountain. It will be clean and neat. We are rebelling. We are not as roundabout as Heipi. Brother Cao, I have been in the underworld for so long. I have realized that the simpler the plan, the easier it is to succeed."

"That's a priceless statement." Cao Jinlong nodded. "Although the emperor made a big fuss this time, it was just a feint. After the incident at the beginning of the month, dozens of families sent their children to the military academy. He has decided to take the matter of taking a concubine lightly. Look, he has sent someone to the palace in a few days."

"We have to do it. Not everything can go as planned. If that were the case, our family members wouldn't have died. Brother Cao, what do you think?"

"Of course I agree." Cao Jinlong raised his teacup and clinked it with his. "Master Pu knows which one to move, right?"

"I have already chosen one, and some of the arrangements have been made, but it is better to announce the specific location when we start."

"Do count me in."

"of course."

The two men smiled at this point, and then chatted for a while about the situation in the city. Cao Jinlong said, "Since Master Pu has already made his statement to the elders, I will not say more about this matter. However, if you see that young man tomorrow, please try your best to give him some advice, otherwise, everyone will be worried."

"Ah, I understand this matter, and I tried my best to mediate." Pu Xinggui sighed, "But you know, the grudge between them is really too big."

"I think maybe Master Pu can use some tricks..."

"What kind of means..." Pu Xinggui frowned.

Cao Jinlong looked around and hesitated for a while before leaning forward and lowering his voice: "Actually... Mr. Pu, don't misunderstand... When I came here, I received a message..."

"..."

"Outside... there are people saying that the day before yesterday... Chen Shuangran had a grudge with that young man at Jiuxian Mountain, and she did think about using the government's knife to kill him, but before she could do anything, the incident had already happened, and then Master Pu rescued the young man surnamed Sun... If that's really the case, Master Pu, this is a good plan, but in my opinion, there's no need to make the hatred between that young man and Chen Shuangran so deep... I'm afraid it will be difficult to resolve in the future..."

Cao Jinlong said all this in a low and conspiratorial voice, staring quietly at Pu Xingui. He saw that Pu Xingui's expression changed, sometimes confused, sometimes angry, sometimes sneering, and finally it became calm. He turned his head and looked at the darkness outside the house.

With a bang, Pu Xinggui slammed his palm on the table.

"Fuck that little bitch—" He laughed angrily, "Ha, bitch..."

Cao Jinlong stared at him: "...In fact, the source of this news is quite...lifelike. He has an insider in the government..."

"Ha, who is that gossipy person who heard this? Brother Cao, I must kill him later—"

"Mr. Pu, why bother with this kind of person..."

"Don't buy his news in the future. Don't buy his news in the future. It's fake, I tell you, fake... Humph!"

Pu Xinggui said these words hatefully, then leaned back in his chair. Opposite him, Cao Jinlong raised the teacup to his lips and took a few sips. The two did not speak for a while, until the room became empty in the night, Cao Jinlong spoke again.

"Master Pu, is this really not your plan?"

"Even if it was me, would I admit it?" Pu Xinggui laughed and asked back.

"Mr. Pu is right." Cao Jinlong also laughed, and then tapped the table with his fingers. "However, if this is really Mr. Pu's plan, then I really have to say that it is unfathomable, unfathomable."

“Hahahahahahaha…” Pu Xinggui laughed, then suddenly stopped and pointed, “Don’t buy any more news about that person!”

"I understand!" Cao Jinlong slapped the table and stood up, "Let's go."

"Look, if we fight like this, if I don't kill her, she will kill me."

"Ah, who says it's not true? It's so difficult..."

The two of them had a chatty conversation. Pu Xinggui sent Cao Jinlong out. After watching him disappear into the streets outside, he turned around and called Qian Dingzhong in.

"That damn bitch, now that she knows we recruited that guy surnamed Sun, she's started to throw dirty water on us..."

He repeated the information he heard from Cao Jinlong.

……

Night spreads.

Occasionally, chaos could be heard in the distance of the city.

In a house belonging to the Secret Investigation Department near the city wall, Cheng Zhouhai read the message on the note, thought about it for a moment, and then threw it into the brazier beside the table and burned it to ashes.

This is a pigeon house. There are roughly two groups of messages submitted from outside. Some have been archived, and some have been sealed with wax, waiting to be opened by people of his level. Only a small part of the messages will be burned after reading, and most of them will be included in a larger message archive.

The person in charge of the pigeon house here is an old man who has followed him for many years. He even met Ning Yi during the Qin Siyuan era. Cheng Zhouhai looked for a while, rubbed his eyes, and called the other party in.

"Is there no more news from Lin'an?"

"It has been reported to me all the time, but there was no prior arrangement. Lin'an is also in the midst of war right now, and the news I got in a hurry is hard to be credible. The credible ones are all here."

"I know that, too." Cheng Zhouhai rubbed his forehead, "But I have a bad feeling. The news about Jiangning last year that has been discarded should be taken out and screened again. Our attention has been drawn to a few major events. I must know what these clowns in Lin'an are doing."

"Yes."

The man in charge of the pigeon room intelligence nodded and said, "Do you want me to take a few people to the front line? After collecting the refugees, I can piece the information together."

"We have already sent someone there. I told Zuo Wenhuai my thoughts. He understands my considerations and will conduct a targeted investigation."

Cheng Zhouhai stood up from his seat and stretched his muscles. He said, "Si Yao just sent a message saying that Miss Yue is looking for you."

"I understand." Cheng Zhouhai sighed.

He waved his hand, walked out of the pigeon house, got on the carriage, and the carriage passed through several short blocks before stopping at a yamen. Cheng Zhouhai got off the carriage and saw Yue Yinping in the backyard of the yamen.

"Have both monkeys gone back from their wild life?"

"Yes."

"What's the matter with you coming to see me?"

"That monkey said it was extremely urgent and he insisted that I come to see you tonight." Yin Ping curled her lips, then walked forward and whispered, "He wants...your short musket. He said he could find a way to...kill Tunyun."

"He chased someone for an hour in the evening, but got nothing. It's obvious that they were teasing him. They can be killed with a gun..." Cheng Zhouhai muttered to this point, and without waiting for Yin Ping to speak, he said, "This is really as Ning Yi said, a powerful weapon that came from the southwest..."

"Then... should we let him try..." Yin Ping's eyes lit up. It was obvious that she was also very interested in this matter. "Yue Yun and I can also help. If we can really kill this guy who runs fast, many things will be easy. Fan Zhong won't be that difficult to kill."

"Go back and tell him that I won't give it to you."

"Ok?"

"You are so young, but you only think about the present. You don't even look at where he is now... There are so many important people coming and going in the Princess's Mansion. Even His Majesty goes there from time to time. If you give a young man from the Chinese Army a gun, what will you do if he shoots anyone? His Majesty has feelings for the Chinese Army and may meet him in the future. Will you take responsibility?"

"...Ah?" Yinping felt something was wrong, but in the face of Cheng Zhouhai's majesty, she could not refute it.

"Tell him that Wu Dynasty's affairs will naturally be handled by Wu Dynasty's people. There is still law here. Don't keep yelling about killing people and ask me to cooperate with him! That bald guy is extremely vicious. If he can kill him, I have nothing to say. If not, tell him that I will deal with him... Do you really think that there is no one left in Wu Dynasty..." Cheng Zhouhai shook his hand, "Go back, that's what I said."

Yin Ping's eyes twitched. She knew that Cheng Zhouhai had been ruthless in the past, and all the wealthy families in Fuzhou were very afraid of him. But now facing a martial arts master, she didn't know why the other party could say such brave words. But after a while, she finally scratched her head and said goodbye and left.

She really wanted to see the methods used by the Chinese army to kill the Grandmaster.

Watching Yinping leave, Cheng Zhouhai stood in the yard looking at the thin moon in the sky, took a long breath, and then exhaled tiredly.

Then he walked into the room, took out a pen and paper, and wrote down what had just happened.

"Si Yao."

He called the servants who accompanied him: "Your Majesty has returned to the palace, right?"

"Yes."

"Has today's report been delivered?"

"Preparing to send it."

"Add this one."

He handed over the paper that recorded what had just happened, then sat down at the desk and rubbed his forehead.

Because the unreliable emperor wanted to know everything about Ning Ji, the national affairs reported today were mixed with several times more trivial information, which made Cheng Zhouhai feel very helpless. Although his work style was different from that of ordinary Confucian scholars, he was one of the most orthodox disciples of the great Confucian Qin Siyuan, and in the Confucian hierarchy, he was even more orthodox than Li Pin.

I've been playing house lately.

……

The moon in the sky is like a bow, and the stars are blinking.

The curfew was approaching, and Cao Jinlong quickly walked through the city streets.

He entered from a secluded courtyard, and in a room lit only by starlight, he saw the girl he had been thinking about.

"Cao Lang..."

"Frostburn..."

Cao Jinlong couldn't help but hug the other person and kiss him.

When I tried to rub her hard, she pushed me away.

"...Every move I make is watched by others...I don't have much time to go out..."

"Okay, I've roughly figured out Pu Xinggui's arrangement..."

He suppressed his thoughts, sat down on the seat in the room, and whispered about what Pu Xinggui was going to do next. In fact, a lot of information had been clear before, but Pu Xinggui had manpower on his side who dared to disobey orders, which was a new situation.

"Do you want me to report back to Mr. Ai more harshly and convince him to suppress him?" Cao Jinlong asked.

Chen Shuangran shook his head: "These things will always be settled. I don't want you, Cao Lang, to become a gossiper in the eyes of Elder Ai and the others..."

"For your sake, actually..."

"I'm a woman, it's better for me to file a complaint."

"Okay." Cao Jinlong nodded and said a few more words from his heart before he remembered something, "...Also, Pu Xinggui's reaction to the matter you told him in the evening was very strange."

"how?"

"It doesn't look like he was the one who told the secret."

The room was silent for a while: "Could it be...he is pretending?"

"I have known him for many years. The situation at that time was... I have confirmed repeatedly that he thought it was us who were behind this and he was very angry..."

After Cao Jinlong finished speaking, the night air became quiet again. Chen Shuangran's profile was looking at the moonlight outside the window, and she was extremely beautiful. Cao Jinlong couldn't help but hug her and let her sit on his lap. Perhaps because she had something on her mind, Chen Shuangran did not resist this action. It was only after a long time that a creepy smile gradually appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Cao Lang, do you believe it..."

"what?"

"I didn't do it either..."

"…Really?"

"Pu Xingui suspected me, and I suspected Pu Xingui... No one knew that Cao Lang was the one who reported the news for me. If it weren't for Cao Lang's identity, no one on either side would have believed it when others talked about this matter..." Chen Shuangran murmured in the moonlight, and a smile gradually spread across his face.

"That... this matter..."

"I didn't do it... Bo Xinggui didn't do it either..."

Chen Shuangran opened his eyes wide.

……

“…Someone is behind this.”

The wind whistled past as midnight approached.

……

The eldest princess's mansion.

In the courtyard at the back, Qu Longjun, in a long skirt, sat under the eaves of the courtyard with her knees together, watching Ning Ji practicing sword slowly not far away.

She seldom saw Ning Ji practicing swordplay, but after returning tonight, the young man first meditated quietly in the yard for a long time, and then he actually started dancing with the sword.

His swordsmanship was methodical, grand, and solemn. Every time he thrust his sword, the leaves that passed through the tip of his sword were almost split in the same way. He was really unlike Ning Ji who practiced swordsmanship on weekdays. Even when he paused occasionally, it seemed as if he was thinking.

While practicing sword skills, he didn't make the same laughter-like noises as when he practiced with the knife, and he didn't speak for a long time.

With the moonlight shining down, if he wore white clothes, or even said he was a well-read nobleman, people might believe him.

"Why do you practice swordplay?"

When Ning Ji was standing there with his sword in his arms, Qu Longjun subconsciously asked. Sure enough, after she asked, Ning Ji also answered. There was no saying that he could not be disturbed while practicing.

——Or maybe, she is special.

"In my family, the aunt with the best martial arts skills practices sword."

Ning Ji answered.

"But the way of the sword requires sincerity, and it cannot be arbitrary. I have never liked it very much."