Through the dark tunnel, the three of them came to a remote alley, and after a while, they finally came to a very inconspicuous house.

"This is it?" Shi Min asked.

"That's right! According to Brother Hong's news, Qin Huaishan finally settled here. Xu San said, pointed to the window and said, "Childe, look, there is a little fire in the house, it seems that there are indeed people!" ”

Shi Min instructed the two: "Go! Check it out! ”

"General, slow!" Zhang Mufeng grabbed Shi Min and said, "Could this be a trap?" ”

"Stinky boy, you're too worried! There are at least a dozen of our people around here! If it's a trap, it's already been discovered, so why should it be your turn to worry? Xu San patted Zhang Mufeng and said.

Zhang Mufeng was stunned for a moment, Shi Min smiled at him and said, "Let's go!" ”

The three of them walked into the dilapidated courtyard and came to the door, where two wooden doors that looked a little dilapidated were hidden, as if Qin Huaishan was waiting for their arrival.

"Childe, I've been waiting for a long time! Please come in! Qin Huaishan's voice came from inside the house.

Shi Min didn't hesitate, gently pushed the door in, Qin Huaishan was already sitting there, and a seat was reserved for Shi Min opposite, and there was a simple table in front of him, which could not be more simple, except for a dim oil lamp, there was nothing else.

Qin Huaishan and Shi Min looked at each other, and the atmosphere was slightly awkward. Zhang Mufeng was in charge of looking outside, Xu San was guarding the window, and Shi Min sat directly opposite Qin Huaishan.

Seeing Shi Min sitting down, Qin Huaishan got up and knelt down and bowed, and said, "Old servant Qin Chuan, meet the young master!" ”

Shi Min was quite surprised by Qin Huaishan's move, but he was not too moved, what surprised him was that the remnants of the surviving beggar army of the year finally gathered together, but Shi Min's heart still had a grudge against Qin Huaishan's identity.

"You said you were from the Iron Guard, right?" Shi Min asked.

Qin Huaishan kowtowed and said, "Exactly!" The Ran family has a queen, it is really a sky with eyes! ”

Shi Min sneered and said, "But you are also a fine work of King Ning's Mansion!" ”

"Little master forgive your sins! Regarding the mistakes of the old servant, it is superfluous to make any explanation, and now the old servant has only one wish, to assist you in achieving the great cause of General Ran back then, and after the matter is completed, the old servant will listen to the young master's fate and have no complaints! ”

"You staged a bitter trick on the street that day, infiltrated the Xihuahou Mansion, and did everything possible to gain our trust, did you betray the old master just because of your father?"

Qin Huaishan raised his head, looked at Shi Min and said, "From beginning to end, the old servant didn't regard Shi Jian as his master and did things for him, but it was because he had the grace to save his life. ”

Shi Min frowned slightly, and ordered, "Get up and sit and talk." ”

Qin Huaishan got up and sat down, and said to Shi Min: "A very important reason why I agreed to Shi Jian to go to the Xihua Marquis Mansion to work as a fine worker is because the general is quite famous in the Central Plains. Since the fierce battle with Zhuhu back then, the beggar army no longer exists, and the life of the old servant was left from the corpses of the brothers! Over the years, I have always wanted to avenge General Ran, but in that vicious battle, the old servant was seriously injured, and now I can neither draw a bow and shoot arrows, nor can I wield a gun and a stick. ”

"That's why you have encouraged your father to raise troops many times."

Qin Huaishan nodded: "That's right, in the final analysis, the original intention of the old servant to enter the Xihua Marquis Mansion is like this!" ”

Listening to Qin Huaishan's words, Shi Min was silent, and Xu San on the side couldn't help but glance back at Qin Huaishan. Qin Huaishan said: "Today, the old servant expected that the prince would come, so he explained all the causes and consequences of the matter to you in person!" Of course, you may not believe my words, and the old servant is mentally prepared for this. ”

Shi Min asked, "Do you know that if I don't believe you, you may die at my hands immediately!" ”

"Yes!"

"Know you're still waiting for me to come?"

"Why run away from what you should face? If the old servant avoids you and doesn't dare to see you, it will seem that the old servant is a thief! If the young master takes my life today, I will never complain! The people of the Iron Guard Camp are born as people of the Ran family, and dead as ghosts of the Ran family! ”

"Humph! It's better to say than to sing! Xu San couldn't help but sneer: "You just relied on such rhetoric to deceive the general!" ”

"You're right! Qin is indeed worthy of the general's trust! Qin Huaishan said unabashedly.

"There's one thing I haven't figured out yet!" Shi Min looked at Qin Huaishan and said, "How did you know about the dark line that my Xihuahou Mansion has been operating in Yecheng for many years?" Even the code words of the joints, you know it. ”

"There is no impermeable wall in the world, and anything that is done, as long as it is done, will definitely leave a trace."

After Qin Huaishan finished speaking, he removed the oil lamp on the table, then lifted the corner of the table, turned it a few times, and he took off a section of the table leg.

"What are you doing here?" Shi Min was a little puzzled.

After a closer look, the table leg was actually hollow, Qin Huaishan stretched out his finger and picked it a few times, then took out a piece of rolled parchment paper from it, and then put the table leg back on, and put the oil lamp back on the table.

"What is recorded on this parchment is the distribution of the dark lines of the Xihua Hou Mansion and some secrets of the Ning Wangfu that I have secretly discovered in the hustle and bustle of the city for more than ten years!" Qin Huaishan said, spreading out the parchment paper, which was two feet square.

Shi Min held the oil lamp in his hand, carefully looked at the various detailed annotations on it, and his face changed slightly.

"Third Uncle Xu, come and see!" Shi Min beckoned to Qin Huaishan.

Xu San came to Shi Min's side, Shi Min pointed to the records on the parchment and said to him, "Take a look, are these marks accurate?" ”

Xu San picked up the parchment, approached the oil lamp, and looked at it carefully for a long time, his eyes were not only full of consternation. He glanced up at Qin Huaishan, who was calm and calm.

"Childe, the information recorded on this parchment is indeed very detailed, and it basically contains the layout of six or seven percent of our walk to Yecheng." Xu San said solemnly to Shi Min.

Shi Min was also quite surprised, and asked Qin Huaishan: "How did you get these clues?" Could it be that in the Xihua Marquis Mansion, someone was bought by you? ”

"The young master doesn't have to worry, and no one is bought by the old servant, which is also what the general is admirable, there is no scum under his command." Qin Huaishan stroked his beard and said: "There is no point in discussing this now, the meaning of showing you these is nothing more than one point, the old servant has not thought about harming the Xihua Marquis Mansion from beginning to end, and now that it is an extraordinary period, you must believe the old servant!" ”

"What's the use of believing you? The soldiers and horses of the Xihua Marquis Mansion are all in Handan, and Gongzi has no way to command these soldiers and horses now! I can't even get out of Yecheng! ”

"Just because you can't get out doesn't mean you don't have a chance to win!" Qin Huaishan glanced at Xu San, and then said calmly to Shi Min: "Now the Xihua Marquis Mansion seems to be in a weak position, but as long as he grasps a few weaknesses of Shi Jian, he will not be able to succeed!" ”

"Weakness? What weakness? Shi Min asked.

"This ......"

"Childe, isn't Concubine Zheng in our hands? This is the biggest weakness! Xu San interrupted Qin Huaishan's words.

"Concubine Zheng?" Qin Huaishan was taken aback.

"That's right!" Xu San responded.

Qin Huaishan nodded slightly and said, "With Concubine Zheng in hand, it is certainly a good move, but at the critical moment, it may not work!" ”

"Doesn't necessarily work? No way! Shi Jian was notoriously dutiful, and it was absolutely impossible for him to abandon his own mother. Xu San said.

Shi Min didn't speak, as if thoughtful.

"You underestimate Shi Jian's determination to become the emperor!" Qin Huaishan looked at Xu San and said, "He has endured for more than thirty years for the sake of the throne, how can he give up so easily?" Is it because of a Concubine Zheng that she is caught? ”

"You're right!" Shi Min said slowly: "This is also a problem that I am worried about, otherwise we would have been able to reveal the news of Concubine Zheng in our hands a long time ago!" ”

"It's a good thing that you didn't do it, young master! Otherwise, the Xihuahou Mansion would have been in danger long ago! ”

"Why? I don't understand what you mean! Xu San said.

"To put it simply, in Shi Jian's eyes, there may be nothing more important than the throne, including Concubine Zheng! Otherwise, who can forbear for so many years? ”

"Then according to you, what other weaknesses does Shijian have?" Shi Min asked.

"Now as long as you are in Yecheng, then the Thaning Wangfu has a very big advantage, 20,000 patrol battalion soldiers, and thousands of forbidden troops. But can the young master know, why didn't he Shijian do it to you for a long time? ”

"Because there are tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Handan, even if I am taken, there are still the second and third uncles, even if they can't avenge me at that time, it will be a headache for him."

"Young master, you are only partially right!" Qin Huaishan said calmly: "There is another reason, that is, he is not sure how many people the Xihua Marquis Mansion has in Yecheng, and he is not sure that the Xihua Hou Mansion will be wiped out in one fell swoop." In case you don't get caught by him, there will be endless troubles, so if he wants to do something to you, there will definitely be a fairly suitable reason for you to leave the Xihuahou Mansion. ”

"Then for him, the most secure place to do it is the palace!"

"That's right! Let's just say the palace! Qin Huaishan nodded.