Shendu, night.

Xiao Qianqin walked alone on Chengtianmen Street, without a single attendant following.

This place still belongs to the imperial city, and the guards of Yulin Wei guard guard day and night, patrolling back and forth.

The Great Zhou Dynasty ruled the territory at its peak, and the imperial machine was busy every day. At this time, it has reached the third watch, and the various yamen are still brightly lit.

Chengtianmen Street is facing the Suzaku Gate, and from the Suzaku Gate is the Shendu City. As the main street into the imperial city, this street is very spacious, and there are various yamen on both sides, they are the hubs of the empire, and all kinds of events from all over the world are dealt with here every day.

To the north of Chengtianmen Street is Chengtianmen, and unlike the brightly lit yamen, it is still dark. The reflection of the majestic palace wall in the moonlight sets off the majesty and solemnity of the entire palace city.

The little official held a high scroll in his hand and shuttled through the various yamen, and everything was in order.

Chengtianmen Street walks south and turns around the third alley, as if you are in a busy city, a little noisy. The officials walked back and forth, and some of the petty officials climbed up to the high lanterns with ladders and picked up the wicks inside. This is where Shangshu Province is located, and the six yamen of the imperial court are in it.

Xiao Qianqin was wearing a purple round robe, the purple flower pattern on the shirt was very conspicuous, tied with a jade belt, the fish bag was tied to the jade belt, and she walked steadily with a pair of leather boots. She deliberately coiled up her long hair and put it in the black veil.

This is the costume of the civil official above the third grade, and she is not wearing the edict robe today.

Along the way, the officials and officials who saw Xiao Qianqin saluted one after another - some of them didn't recognize the prime minister, but the official uniform and fish bag would not be wrong.

Xiao Qianqin stopped in front of the local official's yamen, which was originally called the household department, and in the first year of the light house, the empress changed the name of the household department to the local official, and the chief was called the local official Shangshu, and the rest of the officials also changed their official names.

The little official guarding in front of the local official's yamen had already noticed Xiao Qianqin, and several Zuowu guards around him also saw it, but they didn't say anything. Since the nobles are wearing this outfit, they naturally don't want to be disturbed, and they won't be bored.

A green-robed petty official hurriedly ran out, he was in too much hurry, and the black yarn was a little crooked. The distance was far away, so he quickly bowed to the ground and said, "Wang Yong, the head of the local official, meet Lord Xiao!" ”

Xiao Qianqin is wearing a civil official robe, and Wang Yong can not call him an edict, which is also because of this reason.

"Lord Wang, are you the only one in charge of the local official yamen?" Xiao Qianqin asked.

What does this mean?

Could it be that any of the adults in the yamen are going to be questioned by His Majesty?

Cold sweat broke out on Wang Yong's forehead, and countless thoughts appeared in his heart in an instant.

It's no wonder he's nervous, Xiao Qianqin is the inner minister of the empress's side, and so many things in the court are enough for her to be busy. If it weren't for something important, she wouldn't have come to Shangshu Province.

Just when Wang Yong's heart was full of confusion, Xiao Qianqin expressed the doubts in his heart for him: "Take me to your case library." ”

……

Shangshu Province, local official yamen.

Beyond the heavy pavilion of the local officials' yamen, it was like a maze inside, and the various departments were separated on both sides. Similarly, people who come here to do business need to be led, otherwise it is easy to get lost.

Wang Yong took Xiao Qianqin all the way through the mountains and mountains, stopped in front of a long corridor, and was a little embarrassed: "My lord, the case you are looking for is probably in this A-shaped building." The most heavily defended here, and the subordinates are not allowed to approach without the token of Lord Shangshu. ”

Xiao Qianqin waved his hand to signal Wang Yong to retreat, and walked through the corridor.

The case vault of the local officials was built into fortresses, all made of blue bricks, which did not fit in with the quaint buildings and houses around them. The empire's origins, land maps, tax collections, financial bills, and a great deal of elaborate but meticulous information were stored in it.

Each case library is divided according to its importance, and Building A is the most heavily guarded library inside. Every three feet, there is a Zuo Wuwei guarded by a full arm, and they are the most elite soldiers of the Zuo Wuwei.

Xiao Qianqin's footsteps attracted the attention of the first few Zuo Wuwei, and as for the others, they still looked around, this was to prevent someone from deliberately attracting their attention.

"Stop!" A Zuo Wuwei said with a cold gaze.

Xiao Qianqin heard the sound of a crossbow winding, and once she trespassed, she would be pierced by sharp arrows.

"Your Majesty has an order to order me to investigate some cases." Xiao Qianqin handed over a token.

Zuo Wuwei rudely snatched the token, checked it carefully, and returned it to Xiao Qianqin after it was correct, and asked, "What's the matter with going in?" ”

"It's not about you." Xiao Qianqin said coldly.

Zuo Wuwei grinned, ordinary days are too boring, and it is still interesting to tease a little lady.

You can actually get in if you have a token, but Zuo Wuwei decided to embarrass her.

"Your Majesty's token, I will naturally obey it, but we still need to check whether you have a murder weapon on you." Zuo Wuwei cracked his mouth.

In the darkness, only Xiao Qianqin's face emerged.

Xiao Qianqin raised her eyebrows: "Why haven't I heard of such a rule?" ”

"This is my Zuo Wuwei's new rules, please." Zuo Wuwei approached Xiao Qianqin with a grin, his fingers stretched out, and he was about to touch Xiao Qianqin's chest.

A cold light appeared in Xiao Qianqin's eyes, she suddenly made a move, grabbed the soldier's finger, clicked, and the finger was broken into a weird angle.

The soldier was in great pain, and pulled out the saber on his waist in an instant when he pulled out one hand, but he didn't expect Xiao Qianqin to be faster, and pointed at the soldier's wrist.

The soldier felt a numb wrist, and the saber in his hand was directly snatched away by Xiao Qianqin.

No one expected that this woman, who is usually a little delicate by the empress's side, would have such a sharp skill!

Xiao Qianqin put the knife on the soldier's neck, and the soldier suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. The blade had already left a bloody mark on her neck, and the pain was coming, and he had no doubt that the woman would be able to kill him with just a raised hand.

He was just about to speak, when his eyes inadvertently caught a glimpse of Xiao Qianqin's fish bag, and his pupils suddenly shrank. The lights in the case library were dim, and he noticed that the woman in front of him was wearing a purple civil robe.

"Your Excellency, forgive your sins!" Zuo Wuwei hurriedly knelt on the ground.

"Go back and tell you the general that the case will be returned to the right military guard tomorrow." Xiao Qianqin left a sentence and threw away the knife. Entering the first building, he no longer paid attention to the Zuo Wuwei soldiers who knelt down behind him and begged for mercy - if nothing else, he would be crippled by the enraged Zuo Wuwei general Lu Kang.

Squeak –

Xiao Qianqin pushed open the door of Building A and stepped into it.

It is lined with rows of bookshelves, and many scrolls are on display. The old past is recorded on it, as if it has been sealed in the dust. Some scrolls, but they haven't been touched in a long time.

The air smells of books and ink, and it's cleaned from time to time, so it doesn't look too old. Xiao Qianqin walked upstairs, and the ancient wooden planks creaked, especially clear in this silent building.

"In September of the first year of the vertical arch, Linzhou ......, Jiangnan Province"

Xiao Qianqin's gaze swept over the case one by one, and it was still a little difficult to find a person from the vast scrolls, relying on her alone.

She lit the lampstands around her, and the light spread, and Xiao Qianqin's gaze swept across the heavy scrolls.

The local officials record the origins of all the people in the world, and there will be detailed records for everyone, and a person's life, old age, sickness and death will be recorded. These were gathered by local officials from all over the country and then stored in the case database.

Her eyes lingered for a moment on a pair of cases, which read, "In September of the first year of the vertical arch, a green dragon descended on the palace, which was auspicious." ”。

In the calm A-shaped building in the dark night, the dust of the case is sealed on the shelf.

Xiao Qianqin suddenly stopped the movements of her hands, and someone approached her from behind, although the pace was very light, it still did not escape her ears.

Xiao Qianqin's hand was put into his sleeve, and he took out a short blade from it and held it in his hand.

The man was near!

When the distance was less than half a step, Xiao Qianqin suddenly turned around and stabbed at the person with a short blade!

"The little girl is very cautious." An old voice came.

"It turned out to be Xia Lao." Xiao Qianqin hurriedly withdrew the short blade.

Under the lights, the old man's face emerged, and it turned out to be the commander of the hundred horses, Xia Zhenyang.

Xia Zhenyang held a case slip in his hand, walked to Xiao Qianqin's side, and put the case slip on the shelf.

"It's so late, why don't you rest?" Xia Zhenyang asked casually.

"There's still something to be found out in the morning, so I'm here to find out."

Xia Zhenyang seemed to be smiling, and let go of the case, but before leaving, he turned around and added: "God has not been peaceful recently, little girl, pay attention to safety." ”

"Thank you for the reminder." Xiao Qianqin gave a salute.

Waiting for Xia Zhenyang's footsteps to go away, Xiao Qianqin's willow eyebrows frowned slightly.

Xia Zhenyang, as the commander of the hundred horsemen, is well-informed, and he said that the gods have not been peaceful recently, so something must have happened.

But if she is within the palace walls, will there be any danger that will affect the imperial city?

Xiao Qianqin's thoughts were a little confused, and her eyes suddenly fell on the case that Xia Zhenyang had placed, and she took it and opened it casually.

Her breathing suddenly became heavy, and her eyes were fixed on the words on the desk.

"Hundred Riding Xuanxin Character Case, Investigate Tang Yun, the Captain of Xuanjie in the Northern Protectorate of the Mobei Metropolis."

Her gaze gradually drifted downward.

"Tang Yun's birth year is unknown, his ancestral home is Linzhou Mansion, and he fled and fled due to the war. Captured by the Northern Wilderness thieves, he rushed to the Mobei Wilderness as a war slave, and then took the opportunity to escape and worship under the tent of Luo Jingyao, the capital of the Mobei Protectorate. Dressed in strange costumes at first, but extremely brave, Luo Jingyao was accepted as a personal soldier, and later entered the wolf hunting guard, slaughtering countless people, and the Northern Wilderness Iron Cavalry was terrified. ”

Every word seems to fall on Xiao Qianqin's heart.

Xiao Qianqin couldn't help but tremble, if she let others see that the edict who has always been dignified and majestic is so out of shape, I don't know what kind of expression it will be.

She carried this case in her arms, and left the local official's yamen as if she had fled, and it was difficult to calm down in her heart.

She wanted to ask Tang Yun in person if he was the person she had buried in her heart for a long time.