Sword·Qinxin

Imperial City Chapter 9 Liao Envoy Visit

The imperial doctor diagnosed and treated Zhan Zhao, and the prescriptions they prescribed were just some common detoxification prescriptions. Gongsun Ce really couldn't understand, how good is Zhan Zhao's guard?In fact, except that Yunying personally took a certain amount of antidote for Zhan Zhao that night, and then quietly put a little into the boiled medicine every day, so that it was not easy to be noticed.

No matter what, seeing Zhan Zhao improving day by day, everyone is very happy.

This is not the only thing that is joyful. The Holy Spirit announced to the world a few days ago that in order to promote the friendship between Song and Liao, an envoy from the Liao Kingdom will visit in a month.

The preparations for envoys in the palace were already extremely busy, Yunying reckoned that Zhan Zhaode would not come for a while, and she still had one thing to find out, so she got up and hurried to Hejian that night.

Under Ding Xiaoyi's command, two people were killed in one night, one was the chief general of the battalion and the other was the general manager of his own family.Xu Meng pierced his heart with a sword and was obviously assassinated. Director Ma died in an abandoned house, but he was found to be disguised.Ding Xiaoyi didn't dare to be sloppy, he returned to Beijing to report the matter, the Holy Majesty didn't blame much, but it was beyond his expectation, he only advised him to be more vigilant and avoid singing and dancing.Ding Xiaoyi didn't quite understand the relationship between the two, but he still sent the dancer girl to avoid being talked about.

When Yunying sneaked into the mansion again, she found that there were twice as many guards in the mansion as before, but it didn't affect her.

The Nuanxiang Pavilion is full of things commonly used by women, and what Yunying is looking for is certainly unusual.

Zi Haitang is just a dancer, and she will have something to do with Qingfeng and Ma Teng. There must be a mastermind behind it. If the mastermind can be found out, maybe what happened 16 years ago can also be known.

Sixteen years ago, she was only a five-year-old child. Many officers and soldiers came to the house that day, saying that her father was collaborating with the enemy and plotting rebellion.At that time, she was playing with her nanny in the backyard, and she only remembered that her father picked her up in a panic and hid her in a secret place in the house.

She didn't know what happened, and she didn't dare to ask, she hid in the dark according to her father's words.I don't know how long it took, but she was still discovered by a man dressed as an officer and soldier. Fortunately, she was rescued by the guards of the mansion, who carried her and escaped from the Hou Mansion.

She still remembered that when she wanted to find her father, she looked back and saw the scene in a moment, in the courtyard, under the pear tree, dead bodies were strewn all over the place.

Yunying inspected methodically and carefully, inspecting the rouge powder box, pearl hairpin and silk one by one, and finally found a clue in the incense burner.

Although the censer on the table has not been used for a long time, the powder left in the censer is still smelled by Yun Ying with a faint fragrance of orchid grass.

Orchid incense used alone is just a general incense, the aroma is pleasant, refreshing and calming.Kelancao incense itself is not an ordinary thing. It is made from a kind of orchid grass in the Liao Kingdom and mixed with other spices. Even in the Liao Kingdom, only the royal family can use it.

The spices used by Zihaitang were definitely not given to her by Qingfeng and Ma Teng, the person behind it must have a lot of background.

But how to find Zihaitang in the vast crowd made Yunying fall into hard thinking.

"Gu... gu..."

Outside the screen window, a bird folded its wings and rested, and the moonlight still reflected the pattern of begonias on its neck.

Yunying opened the window curiously to have a look, the corners of her lips raised slightly, and a smile appeared.

When Yunying returned to the thatched cottage, Yinling was very puzzled, why did she go out and bring back a bird.

Yunying smiled and said, "You just have to give birth."

After Tianluoniao is domesticated, she can recognize people by smelling the fragrance. Since Zihaitang can use orchid fragrance, she uses this fragrance to find the person she is looking for.

The crescent moon is in the sky, and the stars are scattered like sand.

The sky-falling bird flew smoothly into a high wall, followed by Yun Ying, who hid in the dark and raised her head to see the three words "Rongwangfu" on the plaque on the gate.Before he could think about it, he found a secluded place, jumped up the courtyard wall, and entered quietly.Even if Tian Luoniao flew into the inner courtyard of the palace, she would resolutely follow.

The corridors and roads in the palace turn around, the flying towers are inserted into the void, and the embroidered thresholds are carved and embroidered. After passing through several pavilions and terraces, you can see the green streams pouring jade, and the stone steps piercing the clouds. It is magnificent and quite spectacular.

Yunying didn't care to appreciate the beautiful scenery, followed Tian Luo Niao to the southwest corner, turned over several courtyards, passed through several hanging flower gates, and heard voices faintly.

Not far away is the side hall, with faint candlelight hitting the screen window, revealing two figures.Yunying leaped up to the eaves, lowered her figure, and listened attentively.

A vigorous voice sounded: "Bao Zheng has identified Ma Teng's identity in Hejian, do you know?"

The soft voice replied softly: "I know."

Yunying was startled, Zi Haitang's voice!Judging from the tone of the two, could it be that the person who spoke just now was the one who instructed her?

A vigorous voice sighed: "You are the informant that the king planted in Hejian, and your identity may have been discovered by now."

Zi Haitang said softly: "The concubine was rescued by the prince when she was ten years old. She was cultivated by the prince, learned to dance and read, and lived a life of luxury. I dare not have extravagant expectations. I only hope that I can repay the prince in my lifetime."

Zi Haitang sobbed softly, and said slowly: "My lord, whoever I want to serve, I can serve whoever I want. The Marquis of Xiding is like this, and the governor of Ding is like this. I have no complaints or regrets. I know what happened to Hejian. The prince has already been dragged down, as long as the concubine dies, they will die without proof, and the prince will be fine."

Zi Haitang kowtowed three times, and said again: "My lord, take care, I can no longer serve you."

After a while, a slightly younger voice said: "My lord, she has committed suicide by taking poison."

Suicide? ... Yunying was startled, before she could hold her breath, the people in the hall were alerted, and said sharply: "Who is it?"

Suddenly, the man jumped up to the eaves, and saw a figure jumping several feet away, the man got up his breath and ran after him.

After half a stick of incense, the man returned to the hall and knelt down on one knee: "My lord, my subordinates failed to capture anyone, please punish me."

King Rong asked, "Are you from Kaifeng Mansion?"

The man replied: "Go back to the prince, the person who came is a woman."

"Woman?" King Rong frowned and murmured, "Woman...woman...that should be her."

King Rong ordered the man: "Go and find Qin Mu, he is needed for this matter."

"Your subordinate obeys, then she..." The man pointed to the corpse on the ground.

King Rong glanced at it, and slowly, as if choked up, he said, "Bury it."

The mighty contingent of envoys entered Beijing, cattle, sheep, horses and camels, desert warriors, foreign women, laughing and laughing, it was really lively, and the common people jumped for joy, watching wonderfully.

That night, the Holy Majesty hosted a banquet in hospitality, and all civil and military officials attended.

On the surface, the Liao envoy came to Beijing to discuss with Emperor Song about the next year's tribute, but in fact the two kings were planning important matters.

Yeluda is the real secret envoy sent by Liao Lord Yelu Zongyan.

The next day, Zhao Zhen secretly summoned Bao Zheng, Eight Worthy Kings and Yeluda to discuss matters in the imperial study.

After listening to Yeluda's dictation, the three people in the hall fell into deep thought.

Seeing that the three of them were silent, Yeluda said: "The Lord of Liao came to power not long ago, and the situation in the country is also very serious. The forces of all parties are ready to move, and the power of the King of the Southern Court is very important. This matter needs to be fully prepared and cannot be rushed."

Zhao Zhen said, "I understand."

Bao Zheng asked: "Master Liao, do you have evidence that the King of the South Courtyard contacted King Rong?"

Yeluda shook his head and said: "No definite evidence has been obtained. This is also the main concern of the Liao lord. It is inappropriate if the name is not correct. Besides, I heard that the king of the Southern Court secretly trained a group of secret guards. The Liao lord once sent some spies. To inquire, but unfortunately I couldn’t come back in the end.”

Seeing that the expressions of the three people were different, Yeluda took out an object from his bosom, raised it above his head with both hands, and said, "Your Majesty, the Liao Lord specially ordered his subordinates to hand over this object to your country this time to show the Liao Lord's sincerity."

Glittering in his hand, it was a dagger.

Eight Wise Kings approached Yeluda, picked up the dagger in his hand, the scabbard was covered with jewels, it was very luxurious, when the dagger was unsheathed, the cold air was overwhelming, he couldn't help praising: "What a magical weapon!"

Yeluda said: "This dagger is called Que Yue, and it is a pair with the other Shuoyue. This is the intention of the late emperor to give the Lord of Liao and the brothers of Nanyuan Great King. Seeing this thing is like seeing the person. I hope Your Majesty can understand. .”

Undercurrents surged in the imperial city, and at the same time, Qin Mu was ordered by the King of Nanyuan to meet King Rong secretly.

Qin Mudao: "The Liao Lord has sent his cronies among the envoys this time. I believe that King Rong understands the seriousness of the situation. Although it seems that the Liao Lord has not made a big move yet, it will happen sooner or later."

King Rong said: "This king understands."

"If the envoy died unexpectedly in the Song Dynasty, Your Majesty would be justified in attacking the Liao Lord's pro-Song policy, and then take the opportunity to win over all forces and overthrow the royal power. It will be just around the corner to achieve great things with the prince."

"Hahaha, what King Yelu asked, I will arrange it properly." King Rong looked at Qin Mu and changed the subject, "But there is one thing that needs the help of Mr. Qin."

Qin Mu raised his eyebrows and said, "What's the matter?"

King Rong said: "Master Qin should still remember the girl in the capital that the king mentioned earlier."

Qin Mu's face darkened, and he said coldly: "My lord, I also said that if she..."

"Young Master Qin, please don't get me wrong, this king has absolutely no intention of harming you."

"What does the prince mean?"

"This king asks Mr. Qin to help me take that girl out of the Song Dynasty."

"What does that mean?"

"I know that the girl offended King Yelu very much. If Mr. Qin can do it, I promise you that King Yelu will never pursue her fault."

Seeing that Qin Mu still had concerns, King Rong said again: "That girl has close contacts with the Kaifeng Mansion, which is of no benefit to anyone. I believe Mr. Qin can understand."

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I'll take my leave."

Three days later, the envoy of the Liao Kingdom died in the bedroom.

The sudden death of an envoy is unusual. If it is not handled properly, it will definitely cause disputes between the two countries, lead to war, and the peace of Song and Liao is at stake.

Zhao Zhen ordered Bao Zheng to investigate the case that day, and passed down an oral order to freely go in and out of the palace, and must find out the truth.

The Liao Kingdom dispatched more than 12 people, all arranged to live in the Jinyang Hall, [-] singing and dancing girls lived in the West Wing, four men performing wrestling lived in the South Wing, and the envoys and the rest of the attendants lived in the East Wing.

The east wing was clean and tidy, and there was no sign of fighting. The envoy's body was lying flat on the bed, with a serene face and perfect clothes, as if he was just sleeping.

Gongsun Ce inspected the corpse repeatedly, and finally felt some abnormality in the cerebellum at the back of the brain. After pulling away the hair, he found a thin pinhole near the base of the ear: "Look, my lord, this is the fatal place where the envoy died."

Bao Zheng took a closer look and found that the wound was extremely small, and asked, "What kind of hidden weapon is this caused by?"

"This wound is as fine as a cow's hair, and most of it is driven into the golden needle with internal force to seal the blood and prevent the blood from flowing." Gongsun Ce replied after examining it carefully, "As far as the students know, there is a medical book called a golden needle called the cow's hair. It is different from ordinary golden acupuncture needles. This kind of needle is as thin as a cow's hair. It requires extremely high mastery of the acupoints of the person performing the acupuncture, and a little carelessness will kill the person. Because it is extremely difficult to master, what I have learned The people who are famous are gradually lost. Unexpectedly, they will appear here."

While the two were talking, a purple-robed palace supervisor led a maidservant into the hall and saluted Bao Zheng: "I will report to Mr. Bao, and Fang Fang will bring it here."

Fangfang took a step forward and saluted: "Fangfang has met Lord Bao"

Bao Zheng said: "Miss Fangfang, please come up. Our government is ordered to thoroughly investigate the death of the envoy. Miss Fangfang can tell the truth as long as she knows what she knows."

"Fangfang understands."

Bao Zheng said: "Miss Fangfang, tell my government about the last meeting with the envoy yesterday."

"Returning to my lord, yesterday the Empress Dowager held a banquet to watch the Liao people's singing and dancing and wrestling performances. All the empresses and princesses of the palaces attended. I was ordered to bring supper, after which the servants returned to the palace."

Bao Zheng asked: "When you bring the supper, are there other people in the room?"

"My lord, when the servant came, there was only the envoy in the room."

Bao Zheng asked again: "Then did you meet anyone on the way here?"

"Back to your lord, the slaves came all the way and didn't meet anyone."

Bao Zheng sighed: "The government knows, you can go down."

Bao Zheng inquired about the maids and guards who had contacted the envoys but found nothing suspicious, so he ordered Gongsun Ce to go to the imperial dining room to see if there were any abnormalities in the ingredients, and ordered Zhan Zhao to go to the palaces to see if he could find out anything. So I went to Yongshou Palace to ask the Queen Mother about the banquet.

After Princess Yuyang played the song, the Empress Dowager liked it very much. The Empress Dowager often listened to the princess playing the piano, and rewarded some small things from time to time. The princess sometimes ordered the palace supervisor to bring some for Zhan Zhao to give to Miss Yunying.

Princess Yuyang was very happy to see Zhan Zhao, and it happened that some tributes from the Liao Kingdom that the Empress Dowager rewarded were still outside, so she asked Zhan Zhao to bring some of her favorite ones to Miss Yunying.

The gold hairpins are swaying, the glazed jade wares are placed in the makeup box, and the beautiful crowns and costumes are neatly placed in the hands of the maids.

Zhan Zhao flipped through the various tributes placed in the hall, the pearls and bracelets were unique in style, and at first sight he knew they were not from the Central Plains, thinking about what Yun Ying would look like if he wore these pearls and hairpins, he couldn't help feeling a little bit pale. Smiling.

Princess Yuyang looked at Zhan Zhao standing in front of the case in a daze, and joked, "Guard Zhan is thinking about Miss Yunying?"

Zhan Zhao came back to his senses and hurriedly apologized: "This subordinate is rude, I hope the princess will forgive me."

Princess Yuyang smiled indifferently and said, "My fair lady, a gentleman is so good, what does the Zhan guard have his eyes on?"

Zhan Zhao looked at the jewelry on the table, shook his head and said with a smile, "Miss Yunying seldom uses these, but she likes incense."

"Incense? It just happens to be available here. Among these tributes, this spice is the most suitable for the Palace. The fragrance is light and elegant, and the whole person feels comfortable after smelling it." Princess Yuyang praised, and ordered, "Qing Son, go to the dormitory and get a box for the Zhan guards."

Zhan Zhao thanked the princess with a smile, but after receiving the box of spices from Qing'er, he stood there in a daze for a long time.

Princess Yuyang noticed that Zhan Zhao was staring at the box of spices for a moment, so she asked, "Guard Zhan, what's wrong?"

Zhan Zhao collected his thoughts and asked, "Princess, is this spice also a tribute from the Liao Kingdom?"

Princess Yuyang nodded and said with a smile: "Of course, when the envoys paid tribute, they said that it was extracted from a special kind of orchid grass in the Liao Kingdom. In the Liao Kingdom, only the royal relatives and nobles can use it. It is very precious."

Zhan Zhao's heart was shocked, but he still smiled: "It's so precious... I believe Miss Yunying will like it." It's just that there was a bit of bitterness in the smile.

Bao Zheng searched this day and found no clues. After returning home, he called Gongsun Ce and Zhan Zhao to the study to ask them about their situation.

After hearing Gongsun Ce's report, Bao Zheng turned to Zhan Zhao for consultation, and found that Zhan Zhaoli and the side were thinking about something.

"Guard Zhan?" Bao Zheng called twice, but Zhan Zhao didn't respond, so he raised his voice and said, "Guard Zhan!"

Zhan Zhao came back to his senses and felt that he had lost his composure, so he hurriedly replied, "This subordinate is here."

Bao Zheng asked: "I see that you are preoccupied, but what clues did you find in the palace?"

Zhan Zhao lowered his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and said, "My lord, there is something that needs to be clarified, so I will take my leave first."

Before Bao Zheng and Gongsun Ce could react, Zhan Zhao quickly left the study and headed towards Qingyue Thatched Cottage.

Zhan Zhao had never been here at the end of the Xu Dynasty, so it was quite unexpected to see Yunying at this time.

Seeing that Zhan Zhao seemed to have something hard to say, Yunying said, "Master Zhan, what do you want to say to me?"

Zhan Zhao was taken aback, he came in a hurry, and he was only thinking about the spices, so he interrupted him suddenly, it was really abrupt.But this matter was unusual, and he had to think of a suitable reason.

Thinking secretly, he said slowly: "Master Bao...he has been busy with official duties for the past few days...I can't sleep at night, Zhan is very worried...Thinking that the spices here from the girl have the effect of calming the mind, the adult may be able to sleep after smelling it. Be more stable..."

Yunying smiled sweetly, got up and said: "So it's about this, I'll take some for you."

After a while, Yunying took out a small round box from the house and handed it to Zhan Zhao. Seeing his tired expression, she said with concern, "I see that you are also busy with business these days, so you can use some for yourself."

Zhan Zhao stared at the small box, and asked: "Zhan remembers that the girl once said that this is something from her hometown. I don't know what kind of herbal medicine from the girl's hometown can have such effects?"

Yunying said: "This is orchid grass fragrance, which is extracted from a special herbal medicine in my hometown, which is not available in the capital."

Zhan Zhao put the small box in his arms, watched Yunying hesitate to speak, and only spoke a few words after a while: "Thank you, Miss, Zhan will say goodbye."

Back in the mansion, he compared the princess's spice with Yunying's spice repeatedly. The color, fragrance, and fineness of the powder all revealed the similarity between the two.

Zhan Zhao lay on the bed and didn't sleep all night.

Tribute... Spices... Liao Kingdom...

Liao……

...she...could it be? ...

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