Rong Xiu didn't want to, nor did he want Yan Xiaowei to be involved in these complicated struggles.

However, the truth always backfired, even if he was reluctant, Yan Xiaowei was finally involved, so he knew that he had to take on the responsibility of protecting her, and even if the surrounding environment was bloody, he had to hold up a peaceful sky for her.

Under Yan Xiaoyi's repeated questioning, Rong Xiu finally spoke: "I sent someone to secretly investigate the prince and found that in addition to the official residence of West Street where he usually lives, there is also a courtyard in the wide and narrow alley in the southeast suburbs. That courtyard is as large as the entire Yangxin Palace, the pavilions and pavilions are blue bricks and blue tiles, and the stone steps at the door alone are white jade, and it is absolutely impossible for him to afford it alone. ”

Yan Xiaoyan frowned: "Then where did this courtyard come from?" Suddenly, he thought of something, lowered his voice very low, and asked tentatively: "Could it be that he secretly moved the silver taels in the palace?" ”

Rong Xiu shook his head: "The internal official only serves the emperor, and he doesn't have much contact with the money, wealth and silver in the palace, so he shouldn't have any chance to transfer it privately." What's more, for such an obvious matter, how could he, as a veteran of several dynasties, make such a superficial mistake. ”

His heroic eyebrows rose slightly: "According to investigation, that courtyard is not in his name, but was purchased by a Yongzhou merchant six years ago. However, in recent years, it was used by the princes. What's even more strange is that since the Yongzhou merchants purchased this courtyard, they have never appeared in Beijing, and the treasures and antiques that the emperor has rewarded every time have also been placed in this courtyard by the prince, as if it was a treasure hall of his own. Therefore, it is doubtful whether the Yongzhou businessman exists, and perhaps, that person is simply a disguise. ”

Yan Xiaowei listened, and suddenly felt that something was wrong: "Then the prince always goes to this courtyard, doesn't anyone think it's strange?" You also said that it was impossible to buy it with his money, so didn't anyone check the source of his other courtyard? Also, where did the Yongzhou businessman go after purchasing this courtyard, and what kind of identity is it, doesn't anyone feel suspicious? ”

Rong Xiu looked away: "The prince has always been cautious and cautious, he goes to that villa a limited number of times a year, and he always covers up the past under the banner of going to a summer resort in the suburbs, and keeps it extremely secret. If it weren't for the men I sent to get from his coachman, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to find anything. Moreover, he can be regarded as the most popular person around the emperor except for Prime Minister Lin and my father, even if someone hears the wind and becomes suspicious, who would dare to get along with him? ”

Speaking of this, he frowned, and exhaled lightly as if he was a little helpless: "Besides, that Yongzhou businessman was already six years ago, and at that time I was still guarding in the southwest with people, not in the capital, so I don't have the exact details of this person." Now that so many years have passed, even if you want to check, it is not so easy. ”

When Yan Xiaoyi heard this, she couldn't help but be a little discouraged, and muttered with a flat mouth: "In that case, all the clues will be broken here?" Isn't there a way to keep looking? Who was behind him?

Seeing that she looked like a tender little cabbage suddenly languishing, Rong Xiu couldn't help but chuckle, raised his hand and rubbed her forehead: "Have you forgotten what I said before?" Even if there are no testimonies, I know who is behind them! ”

Hearing this, Yan Xiaoyan jumped in front of him with a look of surprise like a dead wood in spring, grabbed his arm and asked eagerly: "Really?" So if you have anything else to discover, tell me! ”

Seeing Yan Xiaowei tilting her head, looking at herself with a pair of innocent big eyes unblinking, her warm body was also close to herself. Rong Xiu's throat suddenly tightened, he quickly lowered his head and gathered his mind, and smiled in frustration.

Rong Xiu, Rong Xiu, your resistance is really getting weaker and weaker. She just looked at you casually, neither flirting nor teasing, you were so uneasy, I really don't know where the calm person went.

Rong Xiu slandered himself while putting away these messy things that he couldn't get now.

He cleared his dark voice: "Ahem, it's difficult to find out something useful in this part of the courtyard, but the people I sent quietly sneaked into the courtyard and found that there was a dark room with many antiques and treasures on display, in addition to the emperor's reward, a large part of them were given by the emperor to the fifth prince Baili Yeqing." ”

Yan Xiaowei was shocked: "Really? How can you be sure that thing is the Fifth Highness? ”

Rong Xiu's eyebrows were like two undulating mountains, and the corners of his mouth were also tightly pursed: "Previously, the Xihai Kingdom gave the emperor a Night Pearl of the West Sea, which can be said to be the largest of the night pearls found in the entire land of Kyushu. After the emperor got it, he rewarded the Fifth Highness for his meritorious work in building embankments for flood control that year. That year, it was the prince of Xihai Kingdom who came to the capital to congratulate him in person, and I escorted him all the way, so I was very impressed. However, the man sent replied that the priceless pearl of the night was now in the prince's courtyard. And in addition, there are many rare treasures, all of which flow from the hands of the Fifth Highness, and the twists and turns in them have to make people suspicious. ”

The sky was getting brighter and brighter, and the flaming red morning glow began to appear in the east, and the sun was about to rise from the horizon.

As time passed, the crisis in this palace became more urgent.

Rong Xiu's gaze fell on the Heart Cultivation Hall under the shadow of the morning glow, and raised his eyebrows slightly: "I have now arranged for people to secretly surround the entire courtyard, once there is conclusive evidence, then, the things in it are all evidence in the court." ”

Speaking of this, something suddenly flew over her head, Yan Xiaowei was caught off guard for a while, and was startled by the sudden appearance of something, she was just about to open her mouth to scream when she suddenly found that the fluttering little thing above her head turned out to be a pigeon, which was the carrier pigeon that Rong Xiu used to transmit confidential information before.

Rong Xiu skillfully untied the leg bands tied to the pigeon's feet, unfolded the note hidden in his hand, and hurriedly swept it, his face became solemn.

Yan Xiaowei looked at his face and knew that what was written on it must be very important.

Seeing that Rong Xiu pursed the corners of her mouth and didn't speak, she couldn't help but be a little anxious: "What's wrong?" What's wrong? ”

Rong Xiu quickly released the pigeon in his hand, and took out a fire fold from his arms to burn the note in his hand into ashes and destroy it in an instant.

Seeing that the ashes on his hands were flying in the air with the wind, Rong Xiu said: "The person sent before has received news again, saying that the prince still has a piece of land in the mountains of Huaining. ”

Yan Xiaoyu blinked in confusion: "Which of the official eunuchs has no land, what's so strange about this?" ”

Rong Xiu tugged at the corners of his mouth: "It's not strange that rich people buy some land to collect land rent, it's strange that his land is actually in Huaining." ”

Huaining? Yan Xiaoyun tried hard to search for information about caring for Ning in her mind, and after a long time, she finally remembered that she had seen a record of this place in a certain geographical chronicle, because Huaining was in an extremely remote small place in the northwest of Baili, and it was extremely unknown, so she finally remembered it.

It is said that this Huaining is a small city with a radius of several hundred miles, surrounded by rolling hills, and the climate is arid and rainless, which is not suitable for growing food, so it can be regarded as one of the most remote and impoverished areas in the entire Baili Dynasty. Therefore, compared to other areas of the Baili Dynasty, the population here is also more sparse, and there are only a few dozen households in almost the entire small city, which can be said to be far away from the emperor of the sky.

With such an analysis, Yan Xiaowei really felt a little strange.

Let's not talk about where the money for the purchase of land came from, but the location of the purchase of land makes people feel very strange.

First, most officials or merchants in the Baili Dynasty bought some idle land and rented it to others to cultivate, and earned some profits and silver every year by collecting land rent. However, Huaining is not suitable for cultivation of either grain or vegetables, and the population is small, so what is the use of the prince who can't rent out the land he buys?

Second, the purchase of land is basically to make some money, so why did the prince buy land near the capital like other ministers in the court, but instead went to the northwest to get such a barren and desolate land?

These two items alone make people feel suspicious.

However, Rong Xiu's next sentence seemed to find a good reason for this seemingly unreasonable thing.

"According to the investigation, the land of the prince in Huaining includes several nearby hills, and the locals have recently found gold in the nearby river."

Yan Xiaowei was startled, and her eyes widened for a moment: "What?" So you mean that the prince is actually going to Huaining's gold mine? ”

Rong Xiu nodded: "It is very likely that this is the case, and there is another important discovery that the northwest area where Huaining is located happens to be the fief where the five princes are located." Therefore, although there is no evidence to prove that the prince actually secretly colluded with the five princes, isn't all this too coincidental? If there is no relationship between the two at all, it is difficult to say about the past. ”

Yan Xiaowei bit her lip and nodded: "That's right, I've been guessing before, in addition to the crown prince, the third prince, and the fifth prince, the powerful heir to the throne is the ninth prince." Although the crown prince has been in power for so many years, the emperor has not let go, and he has made repeated mistakes in recent years, the emperor has actually given up on him, no wonder his name is not on the edict. And the princess secretly changed the edict before, and the name of the three princes was written on the edict, and Yan Haiyue also instructed her one by one by the three princes, so it was obvious that they wanted to frame the three princes. ”

She paused for a moment, took a deep breath and said, "Then, the only person who makes the prince work so hard is the Fifth Princely or the Ninth Prince!" ”