After the wooden box is opened, on the left is a cooked skin ink sac,

Embedded on the right is a short tube of inch-sharp brushes and a roll of rough-edged paper.

This is specially prepared for long-distance business trips, with a box as a cushion, which can be written on camel or horseback. On the 14th day of the first month of the third year of Tianbao, it was not corrected.

Chang'an, location unknown.

A second time several open, double-wheeled wagons drove into the remote warehouse, this time loaded not with barrels, but with rows of blue-yellow bamboo poles, nearly a thousand, at least, standing upright like countless spears. These bamboo poles are all three-year-old Hunan bamboos, about the thickness of an arm, and three feet long. Both ends of the bamboo poles are carefully sawn into circular wedges, which are supposed to be designed to do some kind of chimerism. At the end of the car, there is still a lot of wet river mud.

With the car came more than a dozen grassland craftsmen. They all had fat bags under their eyes, their faces were tired, and they held on to the side of the car as they walked, and their steps were slightly vain. They've been working overtime for days and barely closing their eyes.

As soon as the convoy entered the warehouse, several wolf guards immediately picked up brooms and went out, cleaned the nearby ruts, and then closed the courtyard door.

Cao Poyan jumped out of the first car and directed the car to slowly stop at the edge of the trestle. The entire Chang'an City was in a state of excitement before the Shangyuan Festival, and this small convoy was not transporting dangerous goods, so it did not attract any attention.

Long Bo walked over munching on mint leaves. He circled around the car, took out a few bamboo poles to examine, and then tilted his head to signal that the car could be unloaded. The door of the stack was creaked open, and a foul and pungent smell wafted from inside, as if something was boiling on the fire. The steppe craftsmen knew that it was the soul of Quelehodo, and they shouted excitedly, and some people knelt down on the spot.

The final process is about to begin, and Quelehodo is about to merge into one, and no one can stop the destruction of Chang'an.

"Alright, let's get it in and assemble it." Long Bo gave instructions.

A few guys came out of the stack, and they all covered their mouths and noses with sackcloths dipped in water. They first handed the same linen towels to the steppe craftsmen, and then methodically carried the bamboo poles out of the cart and carried them to the storehouse in bundles.

Cao Poyan stood with his arms crossed, silently watching the whole process. Long Bo walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder: "There is an order to kill the nobles on the right, your last job is to control the wind here, do you understand?" ”

Long Bo deliberately emphasized the "last one", and Cao Poyan nodded slowly. Since he was taken the top hair, he was destined to be sacrificed in Chang'an City, and he had already been mentally prepared for this.

It's just that Cao Poyan is still a little dissatisfied in his heart, on such a critical occasion, the right to kill the nobles did not come in person, but instead assigned a Qiuzi person to point fingers. The right killer said that he had more important things to deal with, but what was more important than Que Lehodo?

Long Bo picked up a linen towel to cover his face and walked into the warehouse. Behind him, the door of the barn creaked and closed again. What happened inside, outsiders have no way of knowing.

Cao Poyan slowly sat down at the door of the warehouse, leaned his back against the pillars, took out the string of colored stone necklaces from his neck, and played with them in his hands. It was a round beach stone that his daughter had picked by the river and strung it with her own hands with a rope made of white horsehair, and mixed with her three hairs and a breath. It is said that in this way, no matter how far apart the two people are, the souls can communicate with each other. Cao Poyan's fingers deftly glided over each colored stone, like a monk in the Central Plains rubbing a rosary. The stone surface is extremely smooth, and he doesn't know how many times it has been rubbed, and every time it makes his heart calm.

Cao Poyan has already had his hair cut off by the nobles who killed him on the right, and according to the shamans of the grassland, if he has the heart of betrayal, even if he dies, his soul will be tormented in the underworld. However, Cao Poyan didn't care at all, what he really cared about was not the boring matter of his own life, but whether the task could be successfully completed and whether the will of the Great Khan could be implemented.

Just endure one more hour and it will all be over. Cao Poyan held the necklace and smiled for the first time.

It didn't take long for there to be a banging knock outside the courtyard gate, repeated four times in a rhythm of three short and four long. Cao Poyan hung the colored stone necklace back around his neck, but he didn't rush to open the door, but climbed up to a nearby high platform and looked out of the door.

He saw Ma Ge'er and two other people standing outside the door, and a Central Plains woman was also holding him hostage, and his brows furrowed unexpectedly.

They went to kidnap Wang Zhonghe's daughter, and this Cao Poyan knew. But she should be locked up in the Wanquan Mansion in Xiuzheng Fang, how can she bring here? And there are a total of eight wolf guards who went, why are there only three wolf guards left?

He quickly opened the courtyard door to let them in, and then quickly closed it. Cao Poyan grabbed Ma Ge'er by the collar and asked fiercely in Turkic, "What the hell is going on?" ”

Ma Ge'er was a little ashamed to say that they were raided by the Tang spies, but fortunately they had a plan to retreat in advance, so they were lucky to escape. In order to show that he was not lying, he also took out a copper token and a purse. The token was written with the words "Jing'an Ceping", and the pocket contained cigarette pills, ox tendon ties, and a handful of sheets*. It was all taken from that fierce spy.

Cao Poyan counted it, and his face became solemn. These items are exactly the same equipment as the soldiers who raided the Bingliu Warehouse before, and it can be seen that they are the same group of people - this is a very dangerous signal, indicating that Jing'an Si has dug up the connection between the Wanquan Mansion and the wolf guard.

Cao Poyan didn't dare to underestimate this opponent at all. The other party is like a spider entrenched in Chang'an City, and the slightest touch on the spider's web will lead to death.

It's not a pity to have a perfect house, the key is how did the Tang people know about it? Will other Wanquan homes also be exposed? Perhaps, Jing'an's army is already on its way here. The stupid plan of killing the nobles on the right really got into trouble and was likely to jeopardize the resurrection of Quelehodo.

Seeing that Cao Poyan's face was not good-looking, Ma Ge'er hurriedly flattered: "We brought out Wang Zhonghei's daughter, and we didn't let them take it away." ”

Cao Poyan asked, "I remember arresting two women at that time, how did you judge her identity?" Ma Ge'er replied a little proudly: "After we took them back to Wanquan's house, we realized that the fragrance on her body was stronger." After saying that, he roughly pinched Wen Ran's shirt and pulled it to both sides, revealing the pink middle coat, Wen Ran screamed, but his arm was clamped tightly, and a fragrance came to his nose.

Cao Poyan looked at Wen Ran, made a gesture, and ordered her to be temporarily taken to the well pavilion not far away, and then walked to the front of the warehouse. He knocked on the door. Soon the crack in the door opened, and a pungent smell came out first, and then Long Bo impatiently poked his head out and lifted the linen towel from his mouth.

Cao Poyan said that it may not be safe to do so now, and it is better to evacuate immediately. But Long Bo categorically denied: "Now is the critical moment of assembly, you can't move-are you sure that Jing'an Division has already touched it?" ”

Cao Poyan said: "The Wanquan Mansion in Xiuzheng Fang has just been attacked by the brigade army, and less than half of Ma Geer's people have escaped. So you'd better think about whether there have been any omissions or oversights in your recent actions. ”

Long Bo was very unhappy, he was the hero who saved the whole plan, but this Turk who did not fulfill his responsibilities was nitpicking: "Hey, I am only a cooperative relationship with the right killer, but not a subordinate of your wolf guard, don't interrogate me like this." ”

Cao Poyan raised his arm to block the front, and insisted: "Your foothold, the people you come into contact with, is it possible that there is a connection with the mansion of Xiuzheng Fang?" ”

Hearing this, Long Bo's face changed. He suddenly thought of a possibility, but it could never be declared. He asked rhetorically, "That mansion is close to Qujiang and is a backup location for evacuation, what are your people running to do now?" This question was asked to the point, and Cao Poyan could only remain silent.

The two of them had their own unspeakable secrets, so they were deadlocked. Long Bo scratched his head and said helplessly: "Okay, okay, okay, I arranged this warehouse separately, even if they find out about the cultivation workshop, they won't be able to pull this place." So, you're relieved? ”

Cao Poyan's arm was still in the way.

Long Bo stared into his eyes and sighed: "The wolf of the steppe, are you as suspicious as you?" - Well, there is a sick shop under the flag pavilion at the west end of the outskirts of this warehouse. There are dozens of idle beggars all year round. You hire a few to keep watch around so that they can notify you in advance if someone suspicious approaches. ”

"Beggar? What else are they doing? ”

Long Bo said: "As long as they give money, they can do anything." Then he leaned over and whispered a few words to Cao Poyan, and then slammed the door of the warehouse back behind him—the matter of Que Lehodo waits for no one.

Cao Poyan didn't like Long Bo, but he had to admit that Long Bo's suggestion was indeed the best choice at present, solving the trouble of insufficient vigilance manpower. Cao Poyan turned around with a lot of concern, and was thinking about how to find the beggar leader, when he raised his eyes, he was furious.

He saw Ma Ge'er in the well pavilion, riding on Wen Ran, excitedly tearing her clothes. When he was in the Zhengfang, Ma Ge'er had already burned himself, and just now he fled all the way with Wen Dye, his skin rubbed against each other, and the fragrance entered his nose, which had already made him unable to hold it. Wen Ran twisted his body and struggled desperately, but he couldn't stop the rough invasion, so he could only cry and shout "Daddy", begging for help that would not come.

Cao Poyan pulled Ma Ge'er up from the woman and slapped him hard. When has this been, and these things are still being done! Are there any priorities?

Ma Ge'er had red eyes and screamed, wanting to grab Cao Poyan's shoulder. Cao Poyan dodged his body and smashed his throat with a punch, making him speechless in pain. Ma Ge'er remembered that when he joined the Wolf Guard, it was Cao Poyan who taught them the art of fighting.

"Now that the warehouse is short of manpower, all three of you will get in and work. We're only one last step away from Quelehodo, so don't get me in trouble here! ”

Ma Ge'er lifted his pants stupidly and walked towards the warehouse with two of his men. Wenran lay on the ground panting, his chest heaving, his hair torn in a mess. Cao Poyan leaned over to pull her up, but Wen Ran stood up, grabbed a piece of gravel from the ground, and slammed it into his forehead. Cao Poyan didn't expect that in this situation, this woman would actually try to resist. He dodged and flew up with a kick that hit her wrist. The gravel was thrown to the mouth of the well and fell into the water with a thud.

Smell is really desperate this time. The murderous aura of this guy in front of him is far stronger than that of the gangsters of the Xionghuo Gang and the pig just now. She rubbed the sharp pain in her wrist as she watched as the man slowly reached into his arms and closed his eyes in a dejected manner.

Unexpectedly, what Cao Poyan took out was not a knife, but a portable boxwood box.

When the wooden box is opened, there is a cooked ink sac on the left, and a short inch edge brush and a roll of rough-edged paper are embedded on the right. This is specially prepared for long-distance business trips, with a box as a cushion, which can be written on camel or horseback.

Without saying a word, Cao Poyan spread out the wool paper, poured out the ink in the ink sac, washed it away with well water, and then handed the brush over. Wen Ran didn't know what medicine he was selling in his gourd, so he refused to accept it. Cao Poyan handed the brush over again, and said in stiff Tang dialect: "You are going to die, leave a last word for your father, otherwise he must be very sad." ”

What does this mean?

Cao Poyan knew that she would soon fall into the hands of the right-hand killer, and the end would be extremely miserable. But the appearance of Wen Ran crying and shouting "Daddy" just now seemed to touch something in his heart - not the heart of the Turkic wolf guard, but the heart of a father.

This woman is the prey of the right killer nobleman, and even if Cao Poyan opposes it in his heart, it is impossible to disobey the order and let her go. All he could do was let her leave some last words.

Wen Ran suddenly reacted, these Hu people and the Xionghuo Gang were not all the way at all, they obviously mistook themselves for Wang Yunxiu, and planned to kill her. Wen Ran hurriedly shouted that I was not her! I'm not her! My name is Sniff.

But Cao Poyan didn't believe it at all, he thought that this girl was just making an excuse not to accept this cruel fact. He slowly pulled out the dagger at his waist and inserted it into the ink cartridge with a "poof", indicating that it was better not to struggle in vain, and it was better to write down the last words of his life honestly.

Wenran bit his lip and clenched the brush again, but tears welled up uncontrollably in his eyes. Kidnapped twice in a row in two hours, exhausted, and now forced into such a desperate situation, she can't hold on. Exhaustion, horror, and fear of death all hit at the same time, breaking down her defenses.

She remembered the terrible thing that happened to the Wen family last year, when she was as panicked as she is now. If it weren't for Engong's protection, I'm afraid she would have gone crazy. Extreme grievances welled up in Wen Ran's heart, what did I do? I just want to live a normal life!

Wen Ran suddenly threw the brush away and hit Cao Poyan with his head. Cao Poyan's body shook a little, but he didn't move. Wen Ran picked up a sachet from his waist and threw it at him, a cloud of smoke blooming on his chest. Cao Poyan grabbed Wen Ran's arm and forcibly pressed her to the edge of the well.

Wen Ran burst into tears.

Cao Poyan was not angry, he felt it was a good sign that the other party's resistance was crumbling, like the yellow sheep on the grassland, when they realized that they could not get rid of the wolves, they would get down on their front legs and bleat.

So he didn't get angry, leaned over to pick up the brush, and stuffed it back into Wen Ran's hand. At this moment there was a heavy rumbling sound from the warehouse, and it seemed that a large vat had rolled to the ground.

Cao Poyan was attracted by the sound, but in a few snaps of his fingers, when he turned back again, the pavilion was empty inside and outside, but the figure of Wen Ran had disappeared.

More than a dozen martial marquis rudely lifted the lid of the row of wide-mouthed large urns, and reached in with the wooden poles in their hands to stir it. The poles had several reverse openings at the ends, and when they were lifted up from the urns, the cracks hung with wet, brown oil.

These are freshly squeezed sesame oils, and they still have a scent. The sunlight shone down from the gap above the shed, and the seven or eight presses in the shed had all stopped, and the arms of the pressers stood aside with their arms crossed, watching the Wuhou search blankly, not knowing what to do.

Not far from them, several Confucian officials were holding oily account books, checking the number of piles of rapeseed cakes, turnip seed cakes, and sesame seeds at their feet. In the backyard storeroom, another group of people counted more jars and urns, even the stove where cooked oil was processed.

The owner of the oil mill hurriedly ran out, and when he saw this chaotic situation, he was furious at first, but he was immediately called over by an official and said a few words in his ear, his attitude changed greatly, and he nodded his head again and again.

Similar things happened at the same time in more than a dozen meat and vegetable oil mills in Chang'an City. Whether it was the imperial workshop or the private square in the palace, without exception, they were thoroughly searched, and they were also asked to show the transaction details in the last month. Some owners tried to resist under the pretense of having a backstage, but were unceremoniously suppressed.

These transactions and inventory figures were all summarized in the main hall of the Jing'an Division. There, Xu Bin led dozens of officials to work hard to check these figures with the oil declaration records of the city gate supervisor to see if there were any discrepancies.

"Qi Yu Si Cheng, no." Xu Bin held the scroll with ink in his hand and carefully reported to Li Mi, who was standing in front of the sand table.

"Nothing?" Li Mi's tone was not very good.

"Within a month, all the transactions of meat and vegetable miscellaneous oil larger than five stones, except for the use in the palace, have been traced back to the physical inventory, and there is no doubt - here is the list."

"Where's the warehouse outside the city?"

"The oil declaration has always been a separate category in the city gate supervision, focusing on inspection, hey...... There are no anomalies either. Xu Bin stammered easily when he was nervous.

Li Mi's face sank, and he threw the dust on the edge of the sand table: "There is no abnormality!" No anomalies! Hmph, wait for the fire to rise, I'll see what you say! Xu Bin bowed his head, not daring to talk, and he didn't need to talk. He knew that his boss was not so much reprimanding as venting.

In fact, not only Li Sicheng, but everyone in the Jing'an Division Hall was a little nervous. Mo Yan was accidentally knocked over by his hand, his footsteps slipped on the floor, a few sighs of nothing, the bump between the tea cover and the edge of the book, the paper roll slipped and fell to the ground, and all kinds of small situations began to appear frequently.

Xu Bin knew that this was a sign of too much stress. Since then, there has been a steady stream of bad news, doubling their workload each time and requiring them to complete in a shorter and shorter time. Originally, when these scribes were working as planners in various departments, their work was measured in days or tens, which was like Jing'an Division, which was simply measured in terms of hours.

Now, the whole Jing'an Division is like squatting on the stove, restless, and I don't know when something will go wrong.

But what can he do about being a mere principal? Xu Bin turned his head to look at the corner of the sky outside the hall, and could only hope that his good friend could send back some good news as soon as possible, so that these scribes who were drowning in the calculation could take a breath.

At this time, Li Mi's voice sounded again, stern and impatient: "Keep checking for me!" After checking the oil, let's go check the firewood! After checking the firewood, go and check the coal! There are also hemp, forage, paper, bamboo and woodware, and silk! Everything you can light up, give me a thorough check! ”

For this unrealistic request, Xu Bin did not protest, but respectfully responded, and then handed the scroll to Tan Qi and bowed down. Just kidding, now that Li Sicheng is angry, it is purely death to confront him, and he will figure it out by himself after a while.

At this time, after all, it was January weather, and although the four corners of this hall were lit with fires, I still felt a little frozen. Xu Bin clasped his hands in his sleeves, passing through the rows of hard-working scribes, his ears filled with the sound of rumbling paper rolls and the sound of chips colliding. Looking at these tired little officials, Xu Bin couldn't help but straighten his chest, revealing a little emotion.

Xu Bin's memory is very famous in the entire Chang'an City. He can knock over the near-endgame Go board and return it one by one. It's a pity that his career has not improved, and he has always been a small official who is not in the stream. This expedition of the Jing'an Division made Xu Bin see a glimmer of light. At present, his title is the head of the Jing'an Division, if he can make a great contribution and take the line away, it will be a serious official! From the eighth pin!

So the more troublesome the situation, the easier it is to make contributions!

A burst of excitement surged in his heart, and he grabbed a handful of calculation chips casually, and Li Yu's almost arrogant order suddenly jumped into his mind: "Everything that can be lit, give me a thorough check!" Xu Bin pondered at this point, and suddenly his eyes lit up, as if he had captured some inspiration.

Xu Bin stopped, wanting to gather a few scribes and go through the file again. But when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back. Now that everyone is busy to death, it's a bit risky to let them devote their energy to a whim-spur conjecture.

I can't say it, so I have to do it myself. Xu Bin sighed, grabbed a scribe next to him, reported a series of numbers, asked him to go to the file, and then returned to his front of the stage, half rolled his sleeve, and picked up a thin Zhu pen.

I can't charge into battle like Zhang Xiaojing, if I want to get merit, the case is the battlefield. Thinking of this, Xu Bin's eager eyes involuntarily looked at Li Sicheng not far away.

It's a pity that Li Mi was unaware of Xu Bin's actions, and even if he was aware, he didn't care. In his eyes, there was only the big sand table of Chang'an, as if he only had to stare for a while, he could find out how those Turkic wolf guards transported fuel into Chang'an without realizing it.

The water clock in the corner of the temple was still dripping unhurriedly, and it was less than three hours before the lantern festival, but there was still no real progress in the matter.

Zhang Xiaojing was ordered to live up to expectations, and miraculously dug up a clue, but this advantage was lost in a blink of an eye. Now that both directions of investigation have been interrupted, Li is annoyed. He originally believed in Taoism and paid attention to quiet and inaction, but since he took up this position, the whole person's mood has been ups and downs, which is contrary to the righteousness of Taoism.

Worldly affairs, it will really destroy a person's Dao heart, Li Mi thought impetuously, but there was nothing he could do.

At this moment, Tongchuan rushed into the hall, and the footsteps stepped on the bluestone slab, and everyone's movements were slightly stagnant. Another piece of news has come in, whether it is good or bad, and will determine the atmosphere of the entire Jing'an Division next.

It's a pity that this time the communication did not announce loudly, but walked straight to Li Sicheng and handed him a letter. This indicates that the matter is confidential and cannot be transmitted through the watchtower, but must be delivered in the form of a confidential letter. Tan Qi, who was closest to him, observed with the corner of her eye uneasily, and she saw that Childe tore open the seal, and his face changed drastically, first red, then iron, and then shrouded in a layer of gray gloom, and even a small movement of clenching his fists.

How bad is this news? Tan Qi was a little worried and a little curious.

What Li Mi was holding in his hand was a secret report sent by Cui Qi, and there was only a simple sentence on it: After investigation, the wolf guard kidnapped Wang Zhonghei's daughter, and her whereabouts are unknown.

Those wolf guards who escaped from the Jiuguan Drum from Xiuzheng Fang actually kidnapped Wang Jiedu's daughter?

Wang Zhongsi is not an ordinary court official, he is the dignified General Zuo Jin Wuwei, the governor of Lingzhou, and the envoy of Shuo Fangjiedu! He is the most prestigious general in Datang today, and he is highly trusted by saints.

This time, the Tang Dynasty used troops against the Turkic Khan, and it was Wang Zhonghei who presided over it in the center, and commanded the grassland tribes to attack and suppress it with his prestige. At this juncture, if the Turks were allowed to openly plunder his family in Chang'an, the imperial court would be completely disgraced, and it would probably affect the war in Mobei. At that time, the saint was furious, and the court was shaken, even if he was deeply favored by the saint, he might not be able to keep the head of Xiang Shang, and the crown prince Li Heng would be affected.

Thinking of this, Li Mi's spine couldn't help but feel a chill.

It seems that the strategy against the Turkic wolf guard must be revised immediately. Even if you find out where they are hiding, you should not attack rashly to avoid hurting the life of the king's daughter. Jing'an Division has been heavily constrained, and now it has added another layer of restrictions, which is undoubtedly worse. But Li Mi didn't have a choice.

Only then did Li Mi realize that Li Heng wanted He Zhizhang to serve as Jing'an Ling. The fact that the princess was tied up couldn't be hidden for long, and soon there would be pressure from all sides. Only an old Jianghu like He Zhizhang can skillfully deduce the next court movements and make preparations in advance.

He may have a way of arresting people, but he is still too immature to deal with those political enemies with ill intentions.

Li Mi thought to himself, do I have to personally invite the sick Eunuch He back again?

"Get some ice!" Li Mi gave the order in a loud voice, driving this unpleasant thought out of his mind.

Tan Qi froze in place, and it wasn't until Li Mi gave another order that she came back to her senses, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. It's still the New Year, who will have this thing in the house? Tan Qi looked around for a while, and then asked someone to get a bucket of water mixed with ice ballast from the canal in the backyard, filter it and hand it over with Jinpa.

Li Mi grabbed Jinpa roughly, and without waiting to wring it out, he threw it in the face with ice water. The sharp chill was like thousands of fine needles, stabbing his whole face painfully, and he couldn't help but bare his teeth. But the originally chaotic Lingtai has also been restored to clarity.

The more moments like this, the more you have to be calm.

Li Mi re-examined this secret report and compared it with the previous watchtower report. He found out that the Turkic wolf guard who kidnapped the princess was hiding in a place provided by Long Bo, who stole the map, that is, the two things were done by the same people.

But the burning of Chang'an and the kidnapping of the princess are different in nature, one is the destruction of madness, the other is the threat of rational hostage, and the direction of force between the two is very different. A good archer who does not aim at two rabbits at the same time; A good planner should not execute two interfering goals at the same time.

Li Mi, who regained his composure, sniffed a hint of incongruity from it.

Maybe it's an opportunity. The more objectives there are, the more difficult it becomes. As long as the pressure continues to be exerted on the Turkic Wolf Guards, they may be pressured to make more mistakes and expose more flaws.

Li Mi wiped his face with an ice handkerchief again, and cast his eyes on the sand table, looking for the unique gray chess piece. There is only one person who can help him at the moment.

"Where is Zhang Xiaojing now? What's he doing? Li Mi asked loudly.

Zhang Xiaojing was inside the Qixia Gate, and he was walking his dog.

This is a long-snouted dog of Hedong species, with pointed ears and narrow faces, gray hair and white spots all over the body, and a huge black nose that moves rhythmically. It has long and thin limbs, and it runs vigorously and vigorously, and Zhang Xiaojing has to hold on to the rope tightly to barely keep up with its speed.

In order to "lend" this dog, there were many twists and turns.

The dog shop of Xuanhui Yuan is located in the southernmost Tongji Fang of Dongcheng, which is specially designed for raising and playing dogs and hunting dogs in the palace. When Cui Qi came to the door to borrow it, the head of the dog shop refused, they belonged to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and they didn't care about the face of Jing'an Division. Originally, Cui Qi was a little afraid of offending the eunuchs, but Zhang Xiaojing said coldly, don't worry about doing things for Jing'ansi, he can only bite the bullet.

Cui Qi is both soft and hard, and the other party is not accommodating. In the end, Zhang Xiaojing stood up impatiently, pointed a crossbow arrow at the head of the supervisor, and snatched a garden hound. This simple and rude style of acting made Cui Qi only smile bitterly. The supervisor has already threatened to sue the two of them for robbing the palace property, and after the Shangyuan Festival, I am afraid that the entire Jing'an Division will have * trouble.

But then again, if the current crisis is not resolved in time, I am afraid that even today will not be able to survive. In order to quench your thirst, you have to pinch your nose and drink even wine.

The hound was quickly brought to the Qixia Gate, the last place where the Turks were determined. Zhang Xiaojing let it sniff the fragrance left behind, whistled in its mouth, the hound put its nose on the ground and shrugged it a few times, its ears stood up suddenly, and it turned around and galloped towards the west.

Zhang Xiaojing held the rope, followed by Cui Qi, Yao Runeng and a brigade of Benjun soldiers, forming a wonderful queue on the street. Pedestrians stopped one after another, thinking that it was another Shangyuan gimmick made by a wine shop.

The hound runs freely, stopping at every intersection to sniff and discern the direction. Over time, the number of hesitations in the hounds began to increase. In the afternoon, the number of people watching the lanterns gathers more and more, and the smell becomes more and more mixed. The barbecue in the walls, the horse manure on the road, the crowd of people, the smell of camels, and the smell of wine wafting from the liquor store all caused great disturbance to the hounds.

Every time the hound hesitated, Zhang Xiaojing would take out a sachet, which was specially taken from the Wenji incense shop, which could strengthen its sensitivity to fragrance. But soon this trick was about to fail, and the residual breath was so thin that even the hounds could hardly distinguish it. The silk thread that is like nothing is quietly disconnecting.

Zhang Xiaojing tried to drive away the hounds, hoping to get as close as possible before the last trace of aroma disappeared. The hound barely ran for a while and finally came to a stop at an intersection. It raised its head and sniffed, whining, and then spun in circles in irritation, digging at the earth with its front paws, but refused to go any further.

Zhang Xiaojing sighed, knowing that it had reached its limit.

At this time, Cui Qi and Yao Runeng also rushed over. Seeing the appearance of the hound, my heart was cold. Cui Qi angrily kicked the dog, kicking it so much that it let out a whimper. Cui Qi was about to kick, but was stopped by Zhang Xiaojing.

"Don't stop me, this lazy beast doesn't beat up, it's always lazy!" Cui Qi shouted angrily. Zhang Xiaojing squatted down, stretched out his hand to wrap his arms around the hound's neck, and tried his best to comfort: "The dog is the most sincere, neither lazy nor lied." It's done a good job, so why blame it? He touched the hound's head, and there was a little pity in his tone.

"Is there anything to eat?" Zhang Xiaojing asked Yao Runeng, and Yao Runeng hurriedly turned out a piece of pork jerky from his belt. Zhang Xiaojing tore it into strips and fed it to the hounds.

Yao Runeng watched from the sidelines, wondering in his heart. This person's attitude towards the dog is like a good friend who cares about him, but when he interacts with other people, he has a strong sense of alienation. It seems that in his mind, humans are far less trustworthy than dogs.

Originally, the task given to Yao Runeng by Li Mi was only to monitor whether Zhang Xiaojing had defected, but now, Yao Runeng has become curious about this person himself - what has he experienced? What makes him such a style?

Cui Qi was not interested in any of this, he only cared about one thing: "Duwei Zhang, what should I do next?" Zhang Xiaojing didn't answer, but looked around and first identified his position.

Just now, the hound went all the way west from Qixiamen, crossed the Vermilion Bird Royal Road, and brought them into the jurisdiction of Chang'an County, Xicheng, and finally stayed in Guangxing Anle.

Chang'an Zhufang is arranged on a chessboard, each crossroads, and the four corners are connected to a square; And the four corners of each square will be adjacent to a crossroads. Chang'an people are accustomed to referring to the street entrance with the name of the east and west diagonal squares, first east and then west, so each street intersection has a unique name, which is not easy to confuse. This street entrance, the northeast corner is Guangxing Fang, and the southwest corner is Anle Fang, so it is called Guangxing Anle.

It is located at the southern end of the West 1st Street of Suzakumen Street, and you will reach the city wall by walking a square to the south. Although the hounds could not further determine the direction, they could guide to the large area of Nancheng, which was enough for Zhang Xiaojing to judge the Turkic people's thinking.

The distribution of Chang'an City is dense in the north and sparse in the south, the more dense the households are in the north, and the Zhufang in the south is often vast and deserted. The people are deserted, and the square is overgrown with weeds.

Cui Qi's eyes lit up: "I will immediately gather people and thoroughly search the nearby residences!" I can't believe you can't catch those bastards! ”

Zhang Xiaojing shook his head: "This is just a place where the aroma is interrupted, but it may not be a hiding place for the wolf guard." The Turks had too many options in this area. He stretched out his hand and drew a circle in the void, almost encompassing the entire southwest corner of Chang'an City, where the fifteen or sixteen squares were relatively deserted, and it was not strange that the Turks hid in any of them.

"In this situation, you can't startle the snake-" Zhang Xiaojing's speech slowed down suddenly, and Cui Qi heard what he meant. Since Li Sicheng knew that Wang Zhonghe's daughter had been kidnapped, he specially issued an order to instruct that a tough raid like the Bingliu Warehouse in Xishi was no longer feasible. Any action taken must ensure the safety of the princess, and be cautious.

"It would be nice if my brother was still here......" Cui Qi sighed, suddenly feeling that something was wrong, and hurriedly explained, "He grew up in the west and is very familiar with the whole of Chang'an, but it doesn't mean Zhang Duwei." ”

"That's why the Turks will look for him to draw, right?"

"Hmm." Cui Qi's eyes were slightly red, and he clenched his fists. The death of his brother made him chaotic and made frequent mistakes, and he was more eager than anyone else to find out Cao Poyanlai.

Zhang Xiaojing suddenly frowned slightly, feeling that something was wrong, but it felt that it was fleeting. He shook his head and looked ahead at the same time as Cui Qi, at this time the sun was slightly tilted, and the gray-white walls that extended into the distance could not be seen at a glance. Cui Qi smashed his helmet to the ground in annoyance, and for the first time, he felt that Chang'an City was simply irritating.

The hound was chewing on the dried meat, and was so frightened by him that he dodged behind Zhang Xiaojing's legs.

Yao Runeng cautiously suggested, "Can you gather all the people from the nearby watchtowers, street shops, and fang guards to see if they notice anything abnormal?" ”

Zhang Xiaojing and Cui Qi sighed at the same time, noncommittal. There are few people in the south of the city, the street administration is lax, and the number of soldiers stationed in the city is small and of poor quality, and it is more difficult to expect them to find anything than to let the monks of the Temple of Mercy and Grace open meat.

But this matter could not be left undone, Cui Qi immediately mobilized fifty soldiers of the brigade of Benjun, in groups of two, without weapons and armor, only carrying cigarette pills and horns into the nearby Zhufang to investigate, to see if he could find any clues.

As for Zhang Xiaojing, he led the dog with his left hand, dusted the dust in his eye socket with his right hand, and looked at several watchtowers nearby. This has become his habit, and when there is anything to do, he will look at the watchtower to see if there is any updated news. However, his mood was somewhat conflicted, since he took over the matter, almost all he received from the watchtower was bad news.

"I hope there will be some good things occasionally...... Zhang Xiaojing let out a burst of emotion, rubbing his fingers against the thick neck hair of the hound, and whispered a strange word. The hounds did not understand human language at all, and only snapped in response. It didn't know that if this sentence was heard by other humans, it was afraid that it would cause an uproar.

Daning Fang is in the fourth street east of Zhuque Street, adjacent to the imperial city of Yanxi Gate in the west, and only one square away from Daming Palace in the north. Therefore, most of the people who live here are officials. Interestingly, although the residents are all noble, the mansion is far less luxurious than Anren, Qinren and other squares, most of them are seven rooms and three into the Qingji tile house - no way, this is too close to Daming Palace and Xingqing Palace, as long as the Son of Heaven climbs the city wall to overlook, you can see who is simple and who is extravagant.

Today's Shangyuan Festival, the Son of Heaven and the people are happy, and the ministers cannot be left behind. So the fang is also full of lights, every ten households erect a lamp wheel shelf, but there is always a smell of restraint, and the scale of the lanterns is only considered to be medium-level. Therefore, there are very few people watching the lanterns, and the road is not as crowded as outside.

Feng Dalun rode towards his mansion, avoiding the galloping carriages from time to time. In the shadows, he is the boss of the Xionghuo Gang that is rampant in Wannian County, but here, he is just a small Ministry of Industry from Jiupin in charge, in charge of Yu Ministry affairs, and the etiquette that should be observed must be kept.

Although the grade of the head of the Yu Department is small, he is in charge of the repair and repair of the entire Chang'an City, and the craftsmen must be selected, the materials must be purchased, and the camp type must be supervised, which is an errand of fat and oil. Although Feng Dalun was born in a poor family, his vision is much higher than ordinary people. He took advantage of his position to support the forces of the Bear Fire Gang, and many things could not be moved in the open, so they let them do things from the shadows. This combination of light and darkness almost monopolized the project of half a Wannian County, and it was extremely profitable.

If it weren't for last year's case, the current Feng Dalun would only be afraid that he would be promoted early, and he would be proud of the spring breeze - forget it, the matter has passed, and the guy who made him unhappy has almost cleaned up.

Today he bumped into Wen Ran, and the old grudge came back slightly, she was the only person in the case who was not imprisoned. So Feng Dalun sent a few of his subordinates and decided to punish her lightly - the punishment process was not important, the important thing was to let everyone know that anyone who offended him would have to pay the price, even if the matter had already been revealed.

Now, this little * should be crying bitterly, right?

Thinking of this, Feng Dalun's eyebrows stretched slightly, and a trace of eerie pleasure appeared on his lips. He rode to the door of his house and was about to dismount, when suddenly a person jumped out from behind the tree next to him, stared at a pair of protruding toad eyes, grabbed the reins and shouted: "Feng is the master!" Seal the master! ”

Director Feng looked down and recognized that it was the death row of the Chang'an County Ya, and his expression was very different: "Why are you?" The section level had obviously been waiting for a long time, and said urgently: "Zhang Yanluo, he, he is out of death row!" ”

In a word, the seal almost fell off the horse. He hurriedly straightened his body and asked with a gloomy face, "How did you escape?" ”

Jiejie looked sad with a sad face: "Where is the escape, it is for people to be transferred away." ”

"Promotion?" The head of Feng quickly crossed the official office that has the right to raise prisoners, Dali Temple? Criminal Department? Goshidai?

"No, it was taken away by Jing'an Division, and the seals are complete, and I can't refuse my humble position."

"Jing'an Division......" Feng Dalun felt slightly familiar when he heard this name. He recalled the Tianbaodi newspaper in the past six months, and his eyes suddenly condensed into two sharp needles.

"When?"

"More than two hours ago, I was waiting for you here for a long time."

"What did Jing Ansi send him to do?"

The section level shook his head: "The official document only says that it should be needed by the secretary. But as soon as he was released from prison, he took off his shackles, and when he left, he didn't use a car, and he and the messenger of Jing'an Division walked side by side. ”

Feng Dalun suddenly shook his hands, turned the horse's head around, and raised his whip to leave. Jiejie hurriedly flashed to the side and shouted, "You...... Where is this going? Feng Dalun ignored it and galloped away towards the road where he came.

Staying in place, he remembered that the fingers that held the reins just now were trembling slightly.

Feng Dalun galloped wildly, all the way to the south, straight to Jinggongfang.

Jinggongfang is in the easternmost part of Chang'an City, close to the city wall. This workshop is quite famous in Chang'an, because there is a horseback riding and bowing field inside, called the oil sprinkler ground, which was built by Yang Shenjiao, the concubine of Princess Changning. Excluding the palace, Chang'an has the largest bowing field, and the princes and nobles love to come here to play polo.

As soon as he entered the polo field, he heard a burst of cheers in the distance. After passing through a deliberately manicured shrub slope, you can see a wide earth field at the bottom of the slope. The earthy yellow field is about 150 paces wide and about 400 paces long, and the fences are wrapped in colored silk on all sides. There are more than 10 thick velvet curtains on the side of the field, surrounded by willow trees, and the Xuanzhu flags with the name of the family are scattered and lined up, and each flag represents a famous family in the capital.

In the middle of the dirt field, more than a dozen knights wearing hoods were entangled on their horses. The figures were staggered, the horses' hooves were chaotic, and the small Jumaru loomed in the dust, bouncing back and forth. Suddenly, a knight in brocade clothes broke out of the encirclement, and with a slam of the high moon pole, Ju Maru slashed through a golden arc in mid-air, straight through the dragon gate, and smashed heavily on the cloud board. The curtain around them rang out with the cheers of the ladies, and the knight rode his horse and raised his staff, and ran around the field with a proud posture.

This is a regular ball game held on the day of the Shangyuan Festival, called the Spring Festival. After the dragon gate, the Jinyun version should be erected, and the Ju Pill should also be replaced with the Embroidered Gold Fu Pill. Whoever can gallop first will be the golden dragon ascending the clouds, which is a great good omen, and this year will be smooth and auspicious.

At this time, there were a few bells in the corner of the field, and the time of the first half came. The knights reined in their horses, saluted each other, and then returned to their sidelines in the curtain.

There is a taboo in Chang'an. At the time of Zhongzong, the current saint once rode his horse too quickly and hit his head on the Yantai on the sidelines, resulting in the neck of the beloved horse being broken and injuring several children. Since then, there have been no stands or canopies on the side of the ring, but temporary curtains for the ladies to watch and the riders to change their clothes and rest.

The knight rode back to his curtain and jumped off his horse. The little guy next to him came up and whispered a few words. The knight snorted impatiently, then rolled his eyelids, and said that my horse had just finished running and was sweating, and I couldn't wait—let him wait!

Feng Dalun knew that His Royal Highness was fond of horses, so he dared to urge, so he had to wait on the sidelines. The knight untailed the horse, tightened the shoe, washed the back, and finished a set of maintenance work by himself, and then walked slowly and leisurely. A few Silla maidservants came over and changed their robes for him, and took off their heads. Feng Dalun hurriedly bowed and saluted, calling him "His Royal Highness the Eternal King" - This knight is the sixteenth son of the Son of Heaven, Yongwang Li Luan.

He has a huge career, so he naturally has to have backers, and King Yong is one of the thickest thighs. Last year's case was started by the sixteenth prince, so he hurriedly came to ask for advice.

King Yong leaned back on the wide couch, took a sip of the snow drink, and said lazily: "Hurry up, I still have the second half." "He was born with a hidden disease, a neck problem, and he always looked at people with a biased face, making the other party unpredictable.

Feng Dalun looked left and right, leaned over and whispered: "His Royal Highness, King Zhang Yan, he has been released from prison......" As soon as he heard this name, King Yong's wrist trembled, and he almost threw his drink on the yellow earth, his face was ugly, as if he was about to vomit. The maid next to him hurriedly rubbed it for a while, and he barely suppressed the vomiting.

"What's going on? Isn't he on death row? ”

Feng Dalun talked about the matter of Jing'an's promotion. After hearing this, King Yong rubbed his temples with his fingers: "What is the situation with this Jing'an Division?" ”

Feng Dalun knew that His Royal Highness didn't care much about the affairs of the imperial court, so he explained: "This is a new office that has only been established for a few months, and it is in charge of the prevention of thieves in the Western Capital. Zhengyin is He Zhizhang, and Si Cheng is to be Zhao Hanlin Li Mi. Then he handed over a handbook. There are some subtle hints written in it, so that His Highness can see the meaning behind this personnel arrangement.

King Yong glanced sideways a few times, and a look of embarrassment appeared on his bronzed face: "Jing'an Division is actually like this...... Trouble, what trouble! He anxiously threw the snow drink to the side: "The Wen family is so, from last year to this year!" It's not over yet! You said that this King Zhang Yan is about to die, don't you just get it! Why the extraneous branches! ”

As soon as King Yong mentioned the name, his stomach began to cramp again. He hated trouble the most in his life, and these pariahs refused to die one by one, which made him feel very aggrieved. Feng Dalun smiled slightly and said: "Actually, Your Highness doesn't have to worry about this, the daughter of the Wen family is already in the hands of the Xionghuo Gang, and King Zhang Yan doesn't dare to make a mistake." ”

"Oh, smell the dye, that woman is not bad......" King Yong scraped the corners of his mouth with his fingers, showing a greedy smile, and then frowned slightly, "This king has made a heavy oath in front of the Bodhisattva and will not pursue them again. Isn't doing this now deceiving the Bodhisattva? It's not appropriate, it's not appropriate. Feng Dalun said: "Your Highness, you don't know that it was the Xionghuo Gang who acted out of righteous indignation, and it is not a violation of the oath." ”

King Yong was persuaded by this truth, and his heart said that the Bear Fire Gang was really understanding, so his face softened greatly. Feng Dalun saw that the time was almost up, and said: "However, letting King Zhang Yan go outside is a scourge after all. His Highness still needs to arrange it early and get him back to prison to feel at ease. ”

To deal with Zhang Xiaojing, you have to use official means, Feng Dalun is just a nine-grade principal, the grade is too low, and he has to borrow the power of King Yong.

Sure enough, King Yong's eyelids jumped, and this sentence went to his heart: "What do you say to arrange?" ”

"Jing'an Si took away King Zhang Yan, and he went through the promotion procedures, not to get rid of the crime, so he is still guilty now. It is best to invite a few familiar imperial historians to impeach Jing'an Si for indiscriminately serving as prisoners, which is undignified and forces them to kick out King Zhang Yan. ”

King Yong shook his head violently: "This can't be done." The royal historians are all mad dogs. I went to them for help, but I was afraid that they would target me first and spread it to my father's ears...... Tsk, this king doesn't want to touch that moldy head. ”

The imperial historians of the Tang Dynasty are responsible for supervising and can hear about things. They stared at the large and small government offices and guards in Chang'an. Where there is an omission, they will immediately pounce on it and bite it hard, making things as big as possible, the six relatives do not recognize it, and both officials and nobles have a headache.

Feng Dalun hurriedly said: "There is another plan in the future." You can ask Dali Temple to make a document and ask for prisoners in the name of unfulfilled presumption. Even if Jing'an Division refuses, we can test the other party's intentions. ”

This plan is a normal correspondence between the government and the government, and there is no trace. King Yong thought for a while and said, "This is good. This king happens to have an old relationship with a comment in Dali Temple, you just go and tell him. ”

Dali's commentator is from the eighth grade, responsible for the senate and prison, and the detailed rules and regulations, so it is very appropriate to do this. Feng Dalun hurriedly asked for the name, and King Yong looked at the sky and thought for a long time before he spoke: "Uh...... It seems that the surname is Yuan, and it has something to do with Princess Cao, oh, by the way, it's called Yuan Zai, and I forgot the word. ”

Feng Dalun wrote down his name on his cuffs and hurriedly retired. At this time, the gong sounded on the edge of the court, and the Silla maids hurriedly picked up their robes and heads to change into King Yong. But King Yong rebuked impatiently, and turned around in place a few times in a restless manner, but the discomfort in his stomach became more and more obvious. He finally couldn't hold back anymore and ran to a clean bucket as fast as he could, spitting it out.

At this moment, a faint sound of drums was heard in the distance to the southwest, and the drum beat was rapid, and each beat was between breaths, which was particularly disturbing. King Yong wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve and waved his hand weakly:

"Don't fight, go home!"

Cao Poyan's surprise is not trivial.

He only turned his head for a moment, why did the woman disappear? The well pavilion was dozens of steps away from the surrounding walls, and even birds could not fly over the walls so quickly.

Stunned for two flicks of his fingers, he finally reacted, ran to the well in three steps and two steps, and looked inside by the well railing. Sure enough, as Cao Poyan expected, the woman actually jumped into the well.

There was only a shallow layer of water at the bottom of the well, and he was lying on his stomach in the water, motionless. Cao Poyan shouted, but the other party did not react.

Did the woman throw herself into the well because she was afraid of being insulted, or was she afraid of being used against her father? Cao Poyan didn't care, what he cared about now was how to get her out. From such a distance, he couldn't tell whether she really fell to death or pretended to be unconscious.

In normal times, a well rope would do the trick. But for the current Cao Poyan, it has become an almost insurmountable big problem.

Previously, during the raid of the brigade army, Cao Poyan was shot in the elbow by Cui Qi's crossbow. Although it is no longer harmed after bandaging, it is not possible to use force. With a single arm, it was impossible to pull her up. And he couldn't go to the warehouse to find help—they were all so busy with the business of Quelehodo that they couldn't waste a finger.

A simple predicament actually stumped Cao Poyan.

Cao Poyan circled around the wellhead a few times, leaned down and carefully observed the wall of the well, there was a string of shallow digging pits on it, which were scattered, which should have been left by the workman. Without special skills, it is difficult for ordinary people to climb with their bare hands. Cao Poyan thought about it, why did he have to get her up?

If you're dead, you're gone. Even if the woman didn't die, don't try to climb up on your own. As long as the mouth of the well is covered with a lid and pressed with stones, it is a cage made in heaven.

If you want to kill the nobles on the right, you can come and get it at any time. Cao Poyan still has serious things to do, but he can't waste time on her.

Cao Poyan felt a little regretful, he rarely felt a little compassion for the Central Plains woman, and wanted this daughter to leave something for her father. But this woman would rather throw herself into a well than write a letter, it seems that the Central Plains woman is much more stubborn than she imagined. Cao Poyan couldn't help but think of Wang Zhonghe, who was the evil star of the grassland, ruthless and tenacious, cruel and cunning. Every time his banner appeared on the banks of the Orkhon River, he would sweep away more blood than the river, making the cattle and sheep terrified.

If there is a father, there will be a daughter.

When Cao Poyan was a child, he heard his ancestors say that the Turkic wolf flag was so beautiful that it approached Chang'an several times, and even the Tang Emperor trembled. And now they are cowering in a corner of the grassland, struggling to support under the power of the Tang Dynasty. One of the reasons why he came to Chang'an this time was to see this great city that had witnessed the glory and humiliation of his ancestors, and to destroy it with his own hands.

"I really want to defeat Chang'an once."

With a touch of regret, Cao Poyan found a rag, threw it into the well, and covered Wen Ran's body. The rags are similar in color to the bottom of the well, so that even if someone overlooks the well, they can't see that there are people inside. Then he pressed the mouth of the well with a few stones and left the warehouse.

This place is much more desolate than the north, with almost no people nearby, only a few rows of dilapidated houses and land temples that have been abandoned for a long time. From time to time, crows flew over the rags, and even wild dogs appeared, fleeting.

Cao Poyan looked vigilantly left and right as he walked towards the outer street. After walking about two streets, I saw a small market in the square, where the vendors mainly sold cheap food such as soup bait, hu cakes, and vegetable soup, and there were some grocery stalls selling needles and threads. On the soil slope not far away, there is a small courtyard with a green gourd hanging on it, the courtyard wall is not high, and there are three large green urns at the door. At this time, dozens of ragged beggars were scattered on the slope outside the courtyard, lying horizontally and vertically, lazy.

This is probably the hospital that Long Bo said, and it is said that this place is dedicated to sheltering beggars and patients in Chang'an City, and will also provide medical treatment and medicine. Cao Poyan really can't understand, is Datang's money really nowhere to spend? The grasslands never feed on this waste.

Cao Poyan walked straight over and smelled a sour smell. The beggars caught each other for lice like mountain monkeys, basking in the sun, and did not care about the intruder. He frowned slightly, searching for the man wearing the flower coat. It's not that difficult, because most of the beggars are bare-headed.

Soon he found his target: a man was napping against a pine tree, wrapped in a cloth robe, with an old felt blanket underneath him, and a flower hat crooked on his head, standing out among a crowd of disheveled beggars.

"I need a few people." Cao Poyan walked up to him and went straight in.

The man yawned, looked at him lazily with slanted eyes, and said nothing. Cao Poyan untied a small silver kettle with a curved spout from his waist, and on each side of the pot was engraved a lifelike galloping horse, which was the wine pot he carried with him when riding a horse on the grassland.

"If you can do it, it's yours."