Cloud of the Qing Dynasty

Even in the bloody rivers and lakes, this kind of beheading and killing is rare. Qin Wuqi was so angry that he didn't care about the exhaustion of repeated battles, so he chased them with lightness kung fu, and vowed to use blood to teach them an unforgettable lesson. .

The soldiers of the Iron Wolf Cavalry had never seen such a situation. Someone could run with two legs and four legs. They could only continue to gallop while turning their heads and shooting arrows at the chasing evil star.

But Qin Wuqi swung his sword to block the arrows, and still kept up with them like a gangrene. He didn't give up until he killed more than ten cavalrymen who were running at the back, and felt that his strength was gradually exhausted.

In this way, he also chased a considerable distance. When he snatched a horse and went back to look for the remnant soldiers, he found that he had been caught by Lu Zhiqian's plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain. The only people who greeted him were dead bodies and already dead soldiers. Enemy gone.

The other party sent another cavalry to go around and take advantage of the time he was chasing out, slaughtering the remaining remnants. Only a dozen people fled into the nearby forest and returned one after another several days later. To Jinghong Mountain Villa.

This battle ended with the annihilation of the Iron Guards at Jinghong Villa.

What is even more tragic is that the hidden weapon master Jiang Shi was also involved in this fierce battle. This hidden weapon master was originally mediocre in martial arts and only good at brain skills. , Although he was taken out by the guards in the village desperately, he still couldn't make it back to the village, and died halfway.

If you lose a battle, you can win it back, if you lose your soldiers, you can recruit, and if you lose your generals, you can practice again. But such a talent can't be replaced by anyone else in the world.

***

At this time, the capital was still calm, and the rebellion in Wuling did not make the people in the capital feel much nervous, but some people were still busy running around, intending to find out the potential crises hidden under the peaceful appearance.

Zhang Chi followed the palace guards who led him to a pavilion by the lotus pond, where a woman surrounded by many eunuchs and maids was sitting. Kneeling down: "Zhang Chi, the deacon of the Eagle League, see the imperial concubine."

This woman is Li Guifei, the most favored woman by the emperor's side, she gently raised her jade hand and said softly: "Get up and talk."

"Yes." Zhang Chi sat on a stool brought by a eunuch, and Concubine Li Gui said, "Do you have any important news to tell me?"

"Qin Wuqi, the owner of Jinghong Villa, rebelled, I must have heard about the imperial concubine."

"It is for this reason that I am willing to meet you. I heard that you have gone deep into the rivers and lakes to inquire about news, and you know Jinghong Villa very well. Do you know where Cheng Xiayue, the owner's wife, is now?"

This Concubine Li is Cheng Xiayue's close friend in her boudoir. The two have had a deep relationship since they were young. Even now that one has entered the palace and the other is married, they have always kept in touch with each other. Cheng Xiayue has no news at all, which makes Concubine Li Gui, who is concerned about her, feel like sitting on pins and needles.

"She is in Jinghong Villa, so the imperial concubine does not have to worry about her. At least no one will hurt her before the fall of Jinghong villa. Compared with her, the safety of the imperial concubine is more important."

Concubine Li Gui said: "Why, am I in any danger in this palace?"

"Qin Wuqi's desire to rebel was not a sudden whim. He had been planning for a long time. He frequently went to Beijing some time ago. I'm afraid it was not purely for business as it appeared on the surface. By inquiring about his whereabouts, I found that he went to the capital one day. I found a jeweler to create some jewelry."

"Is this strange? Even if he doesn't need it himself, he can give it away."

"I have met Mrs. Qin a few times, and I feel that she doesn't like to wear gold and silver ornaments, and even if she really wants to give something, it should have been given before the wedding. After thinking about it, I still feel that this matter is revealing Seeing something strange, I went to ask the craftsman, and the craftsman explained that he had talked about the purpose of these jewelry with the servant who came to pick up the goods, but the servant said that he had slipped his mouth, saying that it was going to be sent to the palace for the imperial concubine. .”

The only imperial concubine in the palace was puzzled and said: "But I have never received anything from Qin Wuqi."

"I don't think Qin Wuqi would give gifts to the empress in his own name, otherwise it would be inappropriate for both emotion and reason. The empress might as well recall, since last year, have you received any jewelry from anyone?"

Concubine Li Gui frowned and thought for a moment: "Apart from the emperor's reward, I only received a box of things from Xiayue a few days ago, but it doesn't look suspicious. The letter is written by her, and the things are all hers." The things mentioned in the letter. I believe that even if Xiayue remarries to that Jianghu grass, she will never harm me because of her husband."

"I also believe that Mrs. Qin would not do such a thing, but there is no guarantee that Qin Wuqi will not tamper with the things she gave you." Zhang Chi said, "The craftsman also explained a detail, Qin Wuqi She didn't buy the finished product, but took the blueprint and asked him to customize it. Maybe what Mrs. Qin sent was indeed the jewelry mentioned in the letter. After passing through his hands, it was changed. If Qin Wuqi really moved The items sent by Mrs. Qin must not be aimed at the empress, but to harm the emperor, and I also ask the empress to fetch all those jewelry and check it carefully so that I can rest assured."

"It's about the emperor's safety, the more prudent the better." Concubine Li Gui did not object to this impolite request, and called a court lady to fetch the jewelry box Cheng Xiayue gave her. The royal jeweler was called, and the two of them sat on the stone table, took out the exquisite jewelry in the jewelry box and examined them carefully, even the box was carefully checked for interlayers and traps.

The old craftsman who has been dealing with jewelry for decades found an abnormality. He took a gold hairpin and looked it over and over again, and looked at it repeatedly in the sun.

Concubine Li Gui also leaned over curiously. It was a golden hairpin she liked very much. The head of the hairpin was a flying phoenix with outstretched wings, holding a bunch of slender grapes in its mouth. The grape beads were polished with gemstones of different colors. The red, green, and purple baskets are colorful, each bead is less than the size of a mung bean, but it is polished to a round and smooth shape, supported by gold, and connected together with hair-like fine rings, it is really extremely delicate.

But no matter how she looked at it, it was just a beautiful golden hairpin. Concubine Li Gui asked in confusion, "Is there anything wrong with this phoenix holding a pearl hairpin?"

The old craftsman said: "Returning to your mother, this old slave is just a little strange. I have seen countless gems and jades in the world, but this scarlet bead, its color and texture, is not like any one I have seen before. Jade, but maybe it’s just that the old slave is ignorant or old and dim-sighted, so it’s not surprising that he can’t recognize it.”

Zhang Chi didn't think so, he took it over and examined it carefully: "In my opinion...it looks like a pill."

"...It's really similar!" The old craftsman also suddenly realized.

Concubine Li Gui ordered her left and right to find people from the imperial hospital to identify it. Several imperial doctors studied the red bead the size of a mung bean for a while, and the leading old imperial doctor said: "Madam, according to my humble opinion, this is Danzhu Chisha. It was a strange poison developed by Qin Wushang, who was known as the "Genius Doctor of Poisonous Hands" in Jianghu back then. It is rumored that its color is red like cinnabar. , it is colorless and odorless, it can kill people invisible, and there is no medicine to cure it."

The jewelry craftsman also said: "Hiding the poison pill in the gold hairpin is indeed an excellent idea. This kind of pure gold backing is not reliable. Even if a bead is missing, most people will not suspect it. It's just for wearing it." It fell into some corner and crevice."

Zhang Chi said: "But there is a problem in this way, the poison pill will not fall into the wine drunk by the emperor at the right time, there must be someone hidden in the palace who is responsible for picking it from the golden hairpin of the empress. Come down and throw it into the emperor's cup."

Concubine Li Gui didn't expect that there was such a person with ulterior motives hiding beside her and the emperor, and her tone became a little panicked: "Who is it?!"

Zhang Chi comforted, "Don't worry, my lady, I will definitely find this person."

This matter was quickly reported to the emperor. The emperor first praised Zhang Chi for being cautious and astute. He was able to sense something was wrong from the seemingly innocuous news of "Qin Wuqi went to shop for jewelry", so he dug deeper. , Finally dug up such an amazing conspiracy.

He gave Zhang Chi great power, allowing him to thoroughly investigate any chief eunuch or senior nun in the palace, as long as they have the opportunity to come into contact with the emperor's diet, they will all be carefully screened.

Under the personal intervention of the emperor, these people were quickly gathered together, and the entire room was filled.

Zhang Chi didn't speak, just walked in front of them silently, looking at them one by one, from head to toe carefully.

Some people were indifferent to his scrutiny, while others were tense and stiff, but Zhang Chi did not make hasty judgments because of who was more nervous. Sometimes he would stop in front of someone without warning and ask a trivial question. Even inexplicable questions, such as where are you from, what kind of work do you do on weekdays, or what did you eat last night.

The emperor was also a little curious, and temporarily put aside his busy government affairs to watch his interrogation, wanting to see what kind of supernatural powers this young man he was planning to entrust had, but no matter how he looked at it, Zhang Chi was just asking about some insignificant details. Could it be that the clues to solve the case are hidden in these details?

Zhang Chi stood in front of a cook in the imperial dining room again: "Where are you from?"