Eunuchs who traveled through the Qing Dynasty

Lan Qingzhuo smiled coldly, stepped forward and raised his head, staring at him with two sharp eyes and said: "I'm not talking about the winter hunting. Eunuch Xiao, at this time, we don't have to worry about it." I understand that I’m pretending to be confused. Let me ask you: What did you overhear at Su Zhongtang’s mansion that day?”

ah?Xiao Ran took a deep breath, and his eyes turned black.It turned out that Ma Chao sneaked into Sushun's mansion to inquire and was discovered?I thought I did this without anyone knowing or knowing, so where did I show my flaws?

Xiao Ran never expected that it was the heavy snow that exposed Ma Chao's tracks that day.No matter how good Ma Chao's lightness skills were, he couldn't walk on the snow without a trace after all, so the footprints left on the snow and the roof the next day were quickly discovered by the guards in the mansion.Later, he heard from Lan Qingzhuo that he met Xiao Ran nearby, and the time coincided, so Sushun naturally understood that it must be his fault.

Xiao Ran didn't think of this part at all, and under the shock, he also understood that this matter could not be denied.Turning his eyes, he sighed deliberately, and said: "Oh! My good intentions are in vain, it seems that I can't speak clearly all over my body! Come on, come on! Brother Lan will give me a happy life, and he will be clean after death! "

"What did you say?" Lan Qingzhuo was startled, wondering what the words meant.A voice came from behind and said: "What's going on? I asked you to pay respects to Eunuch Xiao. How could you be so rude? Stop it!"

Lan Qingzhuo and his subordinates quickly let go, bowed and said, "I've seen Zhongtang." Xiao Ran straightened up, and when he turned around, he saw Sushun's white, chubby and well-maintained face.It turned out that this mansion was the mansion of Sushun that Ma Chao had visited that day.

"Xiao Ran greets Mr. Zhongtang..."

"No, no, no, they are all our own people, so we don't need these clichés." Su Shun took Xiao Ran's hand, his attitude was very affectionate, and people couldn't help but suspect that the actions of Lan Qingzhuo and others just now had nothing to do with him . "Yesterday I heard that brother Xiao is ill. How is it? Is he recovering?"

"It's almost done, Kui Zhongtang is worried about it, how can Xiao Ran afford it!" While coping with it, Xiao Ran was thinking quickly in his mind.

"That's good, then I can rest assured." With a pun, Sushun dismissed the servants and brought Xiao Ran and Lan Qingzhuo to a study.This study is not big, but it is very delicately designed, surrounded by many books, as well as antique calligraphy and paintings.

The three of them sat down respectively, and Su Shun said: "Brother Xiao came to my house that day, why didn't he know what to say? It makes me feel uneasy to climb the ice and lie on the snow. Meishan (Lan Qingzhuo's word) and they are just blaming you I didn’t even say hello that day, it was too extravagant. I ran into my brother, and I will apologize for them, so don’t be offended!”

Xiao Ran smiled and said: "How could it be, Brother Lan and I are not outsiders."

"Okay, my brother really has a lot of adults, I admire it!" Sushun stood up and took two steps, and suddenly sighed: "Alas! The ancients said: A tree is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it. You and I, one is a close minister of the emperor, One is a famous person in the imperial court, so it is inevitable that people will hate him, and he will be calculated every time. Speaking of it, we are quite sympathetic!" He laughed, and suddenly changed the subject, staring at Xiao Ran with a smile in his eyes and said: "I was here that day, I don't know what my brother is What did you hear, what did you see?"

Xiao Ran knew it was useless to deny it, so he simply didn't hide it, "I dare not hide it: I saw Mr. Sheng and heard that there was Bei Shang, Qing Jun's side, and Governor Zeng. Also," Xiao Ran leaned forward slightly, and said in a low voice: " Be the first to strike first.”

Seeing what he said so happily, Sushun couldn't help but startled, although there was a smile on his face, his eyes changed.After a long time, he said: "My brother is open-minded and sincere. Since you have heard it, I will not hide it. Yes, King Gong became more and more restless in the capital, and secretly mobilized Zhuozhou soldiers and horses to go north. The three banners of the emperor and the emperor of the Qing Dynasty are intended to go up today. Zeng Shuai’s Hunan army is far away in Anqing, and it will not be able to come here for a while. We can only rely on Kezhai (Shengbao’s word). As for persuasion The emperor's winter hunting was really in a critical situation and there was no other choice. My brother was able to force the emperor to go hunting that day, affirming the righteousness, and his heart. It is really admirable. There is only one thing that is unclear: since you have the intention to help me, why did you sneak into me secretly? Investigate in this mansion? Is this your idea, or is there someone behind it?"

Hearing these words, Xiao Ran's heart skipped a beat.In fact, what he heard that day was only a few words, and he thought it was Sushun who was going to mobilize Zeng Guofan's troops to go north to King Qin, but he never expected that it was Prince Gong!Could it be that this scheming guy couldn't wait any longer and wanted to make a risky move and put all his eggs in one basket?But since this is the case, why do you call yourself "the wind and rain do not change"?Could it be that there...

Thinking about it, he said with a smile: "Sure enough, nothing can escape Zhongtang's eyes. Yes, the reason why Xiao Ran dared to offend is really ordered by others, and he has no choice but to do so."

"Ah?!" Both Sushun and Lan Qingzhuo were taken aback, Lan Qingzhuo stood up abruptly, his eyes revealed a fierce look, and his voice trembled slightly: "So, you are from Prince Gong?"

Xiao Ran laughed, and said calmly: "If that's the case, how could I persuade the emperor to hunt in winter? Let's be honest, the one who sent me here is none other than the present majesty!"

"Your Majesty?!" Sushun's smile froze instantly, even though he was scheming, he was stunned for a moment.It took a long time before he said suspiciously: "Although the emperor is not obedient to me, it can be regarded as an increase in trust. Brother Xiao, what you said is not deliberately trying to deceive me, is it sensational?"

"Believe it or not." Xiao Ran had already made up his mind, and said without blushing, "the previous Prince Gong submitted a secret letter, which was directly sent to the dragon case. I don't need me to say anything in the letter. You can also guess Zhongtang. That's why the emperor ordered the servants to arrange manpower, and boldly went to Zhongtang's mansion to investigate. This kind of errand is not a good job, Xiao Ran also understands it in his heart, but I have no choice but to do it against the emperor's order .Although I overheard some words, I have always had a bad memory, and I forgot everything when I returned to the palace, so now the emperor doesn't know anything. I'm Zhongtang, but it's just because of my passion. If you I'm afraid that if I say it, my mouth can be sealed forever, Xiao Ran has nothing to say."

Generally speaking, the memorials and battle reports submitted by various places must first be reviewed by the Military Aircraft Office. If there are any typos or slightly inappropriate wordings, they can be corrected and immediately forwarded to the Minister of Military Aircraft for another review, and then submitted in the yellow box.The emperor reviewed and approved it as he saw it, and those who needed to reply drew up the decree, which was still transcribed and proofread by Zhang Jing of the military aircraft. It is called "Ting Ji", and the silver seal of the military aircraft is used to approve the daily travel distance, which is divided into "four hundred miles", "five hundred miles", "six hundred miles", and "six hundred miles to step up". Delivered at the dispatch office.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the memorial to the emperor must first be selected by the Military Aircraft Department.But Yixin is different from other ministers, firstly, he is the assistant to Prince Gong, and secondly, he has the status of the emperor, so he has the right to directly submit letters to Xianfengjin.Xiao Ran also took advantage of this loophole to tell a big lie.That's why he didn't call it "Secret Book" but "Secret Letter".

This lie can be said to be impeccable.No matter how old and cunning Sushun was, he suddenly felt that his head would grow bigger.After going back and forth for a long time, he said in a low voice: "No wonder my four subordinates came to your residence last night and met many good fighters. I heard from them that the guards in your residence are not like people in the Jianghu. At first I was not very young. Believe it. So it is so! So, according to my brother, the emperor doubts me?"

Xiao Ran thought about it, and said cautiously: "It's not always true. It is obvious to all that Long Live Lord is close to you and Prince Gong. However, after all, you can't ignore Prince Gong's words. In my opinion, this is just a way to go. It’s just a formality. As for the guards, they were brothers from the Firearms Battalion, and the emperor ordered me to take them with them.”

Xiao Ran lied, just like hiccupping and farting, he could do it easily, and it was false and true without any trace, so he couldn't help but believe it.After pondering for a long time, he said slowly: "I never thought that my brother would be so sincere to me. It seems that I have really wronged you. So in your opinion, how should we deal with the current situation?"

Xiao Ran smiled and said: "First, Xiao Ran is a slave, even if he is extremely courageous, he would not dare to get involved in politics; second, I barely have some brain power, but I am just a little clever, and I will mess up when encountering major issues. Especially military affairs , that's something that a person like you, Master Zhongtang, can make a decision on, and I'm a slave who wants to break my head, so how can I have any insight?"

"My brother is too humble!" Sushun laughed, and suddenly his face became serious, "In this case, I will not be polite to you. Time is running out, and winter hunting is imperative. Although you It’s a shame, but the emperor’s trust in you is still there, I hope that my brother will do everything possible to let the emperor go out to hunt as soon as possible. My brother is a smart man, so I don’t need to say anything else, right?”

Xiao Ran turned over and knelt down, and said: "Meng Zhongtang trusts so much, how dare Xiao Ran shirk it? He will do his best, and he will not hesitate to die!"

"Okay, you go."

"But..." Xiao Ran obviously hesitated for a moment, and said anxiously: "My lord, look at my private money..."

...!Sushun and Lan Qingzhuo looked at each other with helpless expressions.Without waiting for orders, Lan Qingzhuo took the pile of things, and Sushun took two other 5000 taels of silver notes, and handed them to Xiao Ran.The money fan laughed until his eyes were closed, kowtowed and bowed to thank him, and then went happily.

"Zhongtang, are you really letting him go like this?" Lan Qingzhuo frowned thoughtfully.

Su Shun looked at Xiao Ran's back, and a cold smile suddenly appeared on his gentle face.

"This person is really not simple. Even I can't figure out what kind of thoughts are hidden. If I guess correctly, the illness of the elder brother and the princess is probably caused by him. But now his value is too high. It’s too big, rather than get rid of it, it’s better to use it. If it can be used by me, it will be a rare magical weapon; if it can’t..." Sushun raised his palm viciously and made a beheading motion.

"Yes." Lan Qingzhuo pondered for a while, and said: "Then, what about the Xiao residence?"

"All withdraw and spy on them secretly. Remember, you must not startle the snake!"

……

Xiao Ran didn't go to the palace, and went back to Xiao's mansion directly.Along the way, holding the half jade tablet tightly in his hand, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Yixin's strategy is definitely not as simple as diverting the tiger away from the mountain.With his city, of course one can guess Sushun's next move.That is to say, from the case of Tianzihao Bank, to the elimination of the Su party, to the deployment of troops to King Qin, he is pushing Sushun into a dead end step by step.But what good is this for him?

Could it be... knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger!These four words popped up in Xiao Ran's mind instantly, and he broke out in a cold sweat!But then I thought about it, and I felt something was wrong: Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army was not counted, and the pro-army and Shengbao's troops alone had nearly 2 troops.At this time, forcing Sushun to make a move, wouldn't it be digging his own grave?

If this is really the case, there is only one possibility: this Prince Gong must have buried a pawn quietly in an unknown place!A chess piece that can be detonated at any time and instantly reverse the situation of the battle!

No matter what, in order to save my life, I must dig out this deeply buried pawn now.And the first thing to do, and the most important thing, is to let that mysterious linker surface!

Back at the Xiao Mansion, they called Ma Chao and Wang Meng, and asked about the situation last night in detail.Only then did I realize that there were two groups of people who came to spy, the first group was before the third watch, a total of four people; the second group was close to the fourth watch, there were only two people, but their skills were extremely agile.

Xiao Ran nodded.That's it, four people were sent by Sushun, and the remaining two people are probably Yixin's subordinates.Alright, then next, we should lure the snake out of its hole!

After pondering for a long time, a plan gradually took shape.Immediately ordered to go down, all sentry posts were removed, and after dark, Ma Chao and others were ordered to lie in ambush in the dark, quietly waiting for the prey to appear.Then he called Baolu again, and gave him such orders...

It's night, and the drums are playing for the first time.The huge Xiao Mansion seemed unusually quiet.Houses, rocks, and trees are all dormant in the darkness, with strange and hideous outlines vaguely revealed, like countless monsters waiting to devour people.

Huh~~!A black figure lightly jumped up the bluestone wall, moving lightly like a civet cat, and the landing point happened to be in the shade of a tree, completely melting into the darkness.There are only two eyes that seem to emit a faint cold light, quickly and carefully scanning every inch of the yard.

The lights in most of the rooms have been turned off, and a few air lanterns under the eaves of the pavilion in the distance are shaking in the cold wind, casting flickering light.Everything seemed quiet.

After lying down for a cup of tea, the black shadow finally moved. He stretched out his hand and put it on the branch that protruded from the tree. The whole person fell to the ground like a leaf, without making a sound.Then it snaked like a snake and sneaked around several bushes.On the left is a huge Taihu Rock. Just as the black figure was about to flash over, he suddenly heard a sound of footsteps. He quickly lowered his body and lay quietly behind the bushes like a stone.

"Oh, I'm so sleepy! Yesterday I didn't know why I was tossing all night, and tonight finally calmed down, and it caught up with last night again. Er Mazi, why do you think our brothers are so unlucky?"

"Isn't it! Except for the two of us, they are all resting in love. I just saw that they were all sleeping there like dead pigs! You said that the master is really true. Yesterday, a noisy thief caught the whole night , Mao didn't catch it, but when we went to the night, he stopped again! What do you mean if this is not a poor toss?"

"Hush! Keep your voice down, if the master hears you speak ill of him behind his back, won't you be skinned?"

"Don't worry, he's sleeping soundly right now. Damn, it's only my brother who suffers!"

……

The two servants from Shangye walked over, yawning continuously, chattering non-stop.I see!There was a glint of complacency in Hei Ying's eyes, and he moved a lot faster.Instead of looking behind the stone to hide, he ran up the small pavilion, ran to the corridor and slipped all the way to the main room.

The man seemed to be very familiar with the courtyard, and he found the master bedroom very quickly.Using the shadow of the pillars to cover his body, he crawled on the window with his ears sideways for a while, and when he heard the dull and even snoring sound coming from inside, a little smile appeared in the corner of his eyes.Just as he was about to go to the study, there was a sudden noise from the door.With a serious look on his face, the black shadow climbed up on the porch pillar like a gecko. Using both hands and feet, he scrambled under the eaves and fell into the darkness.

After a while, a young and handsome boy ran over in a hurry, the lantern in his hand swayed from side to side, reflecting from time to time where the shadows were hiding under the eaves of the corridor.Black Shadow frowned, and pulled out a dagger from the leggings with his backhand, the blade was glowing with a cold blue light.

The handsome little brother didn't lift his head, he knocked on the door, he seemed very anxious.After knocking three or four times, a voice came out from inside: "Who is it? ***, no one will let you stop!"

The man seemed to have just woken up, and his voice was muffled, obviously displeased.I only heard the handsome little brother say: "It's me, Baolu. Open the door quickly, there is an urgent letter from Beijing!"