Chapter 231 Conspiracy in the Shadows

Chapter 231 Conspiracy in the Shadows

Chapter 231 Conspiracy in the Shadows
Today's Yingtian City is still prosperous and bustling.

As the sun rose higher, the crowd began to surge.
The cries of vendors, the laughter of pedestrians, and the rumble of carriages and horses could be heard one after another.

There are many shops on both sides of the street, from exquisite teahouses to bustling breakfast shops, from quaint bookstores to dazzling grocery stores, attracting passers-by to stop.

Compared with the past, Yingtian City today has more autumn tranquility and coolness.

The scorching summer heat has quietly receded, replaced by a refreshing and pleasant breeze.

A light breeze blew through the streets, bringing a hint of coolness.

In the southeast corner of Yingtian City, there are rows of houses and courtyards arranged in an orderly manner.

The streets are narrow and winding, and the walls on both sides are so high that they almost cut the sky into long and thin strips.

The sunlight tries hard to penetrate these cracks, but it can only cast mottled light and shadows, adding to the bleakness.

Although the road is paved with bluestone slabs, it now looks dirty and dilapidated.

The erosion of wind and rain has left the surface of the stone slabs covered with moss and tiny cracks, and some places even have tenacious weeds growing on them, revealing a sense of helplessness and abandonment.

The courtyard gates, one after another, were placed casually. The wooden doors had already shown some signs of weathering and cracks, and it was obvious that no one had lived there for a long time.

At this moment, a slightly steady sound of footsteps sounded.
The slightly delicate boots stepped on the bluestone road, making a clattering sound that echoed in the alley.

The footsteps soon stopped in front of Gate No. 1.
The dark blue hem of the dress gently stroked the weeds on the ground, causing them to sway back and forth.

Even if he is overwhelmed, he will quickly recover and be full of stubbornness.

The visitor did not hesitate at all, gently pushed open the door and walked in.

The courtyard was also in a state of disrepair, with an abandoned carriage thrown aside.
Many mushrooms have grown on the top, and farm tools that have long since rotted are piled up in the corner.
The only decent thing was a small house in front.
Although the doors and windows were dilapidated, they were somewhat clean, and the cobwebs on them had been swept to the ground.

The man walked slowly forward and knocked rhythmically on the door with his palms.

"Boom boom. Boom boom.. Boom."

The next moment, heavy footsteps sounded from the hut.

The door opened, and another world came into view.

The cool air hits my face, and what comes into view is a snow-white white tiger carpet, and right in front of it is a pair of yellow rosewood chairs.

The table seems to be made of mahogany, and the tea set on it is from the official kiln of the Tang Dynasty. Famous paintings by masters of the Song Dynasty are hung on the wall in front.

The figure entered the house without hesitation, and immediately a fragrance filled the air. Exquisite and complex copper stoves were piled up in the corner of the house, emitting wisps of green smoke, which looked a little solemn.

The door closed and the room became dark in an instant.

It turned out that thick cowhide had been pasted on the doors and windows to block the sunlight.

A cluster of sounds.
The candle on the mahogany table suddenly lit up, and the orange-yellow light swayed gently.

But it can't illuminate the entire room, it can only illuminate a small space including it.

A figure sat down on the rosewood chair beside the candlelight.
The whole head is hidden in darkness, and the face cannot be seen clearly.

All that could be seen was the luxurious silk robe with gold edging, and the slightly fat figure.

The visitor did not speak, but went straight to the yellow rosewood chair beside him.
The face couldn't be seen clearly either, only the dark blue uniform and the slightly thin figure could be seen.

After an unknown amount of time, the person who came uttered a slightly hoarse voice:

"The matter on the river has been leaked."

A voice sounded, somewhat crisply: "Got it."

"Why are you so careless? Five ships stayed there for three days. Are you afraid that others won't find them?" The hoarse voice sounded again.

"Ha!" There was some disdain in the voice, and a hint of sneer:
"The capital is investigating the outflow of military equipment. Mao Xiang found it on the first day. How can he escape?"

"Is it because of this?"

The visitor's voice sounded slightly surprised, and he also sneered:
"They shot themselves in the foot. A good channel was destroyed by a single attempt."

The person next to him didn't speak for a long time, but just put his palms together in front of his chest and patted them back and forth.

After a long time, he sighed:
"It's a mistake. Our emperor is old in body but not in heart. He is still so cruel and reckless in doing things without considering the consequences."

The person's voice was cold and he spoke very quickly:
"I reminded you that your majesty is still your majesty and will never change until death.
It is ridiculous that the people of the grassland know this truth but the people of Ming Dynasty do not know it.

His Majesty has ordered a thorough investigation of all officials on the river and those who raised this matter.
Finish it well and don't make any mistakes. If the truth is exposed, you will be the first to die."

But the slightly fat man sneered and emphasized:

"It's everyone. It's not just me who died."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy, and the surrounding darkness seemed to swallow up the dim candlelight on the table.
A breeze came from nowhere, causing the candle flame to sway gently, making the figures of the two people appear bright and dim.

The visitor looked around and snorted coldly:
"You are so arrogant in Yingtian City. Aren't you afraid that Mao Xiang will find you?"

"What can he find with just one use?"

"Arrogance will destroy you and me."

"If they weren't arrogant, how could the Ming Dynasty have conquered the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty? Have you found out who was responsible for the incident on the river?"

The tone of the conversation suddenly changed, and the voice became eerie.
The sharp eyes flickered back and forth in the darkness, small but full of coldness.

The visitor replied coldly:

“I don’t know. The Hezhou government office is still investigating. I suspect it was done by the Jinyiwei.

Since Guo Ying returned to Beijing, the Jinyiwei has become arrogant.

All those involved in Liaodong have been arrested, and we can’t even find out where they are being held.”

"It's not the Jinyiwei. The Jinyiwei wouldn't be so reckless.

Even if Mao Xiang found a clue, he would keep it to himself until all the people were found out before taking action.
These five ships seem somewhat familiar to me." The slightly fat man spoke in a cold and erratic voice.

He continued thoughtfully:

"It's like a warning? Yes, it's a warning, just like the military equipment in the capital."

The visitor was silent for a long time before he slowly said, "Who is it?"

"How is the Duke of Liang? The situation changed dramatically when the army returned from the northern expedition."

"No, Duke Liang knows.

This means that the prince knows and will not let it go so easily.

Could it be a coincidence?"

“There are no accidents in this world.”

The fat man spoke in a cold voice, and then fell silent again, clapping his hands continuously.
Suddenly, he stopped clapping his hands, and said thoughtfully:

"What was the name of the general who was baited a few days ago?"

"Lu Yunyi?"

"Yes, that's him. They say he's very smart and observant.
He was on the boat too, could it be that he discovered something?"

"He was on the ship that night, and if he knew about it, the general would also know about it and would not let it go easily."

The fat man thought carefully for a moment and spoke softly:
"Let's check it out. We should also check those officials in Hezhou.
If things on the river are lost, they are lost. You can use other channels to find them.

But the mastermind behind this must be found and must not be framed in vain."

"it is good."

The visitor said something, then stood up suddenly and walked out of the room step by step.

The door opened and sunlight poured in, bathing the figure in the sunlight and making it unclear.

Soon the door closed and the room fell into darkness again.

The fat man swung his hand, and the dim candlelight on the table went out in an instant. The whole room was dark. I don't know how long it took.

Another hoarse and old voice suddenly sounded from the corner of the room: "Deal with everything."

Then the plump and crisp voice sounded:

"understood."

Under the sky, an extremely broad river spreads out leisurely, like a giant silver dragon, winding through the earth.

More than thirty warships rose against the wind, with their sails looming, sailing on the slightly calm river.

As we move away from Hezhou, the scenery on both sides of the river gradually becomes desolate and dark, with no one living.

Even though it was late at night, Lu Yunyi still did not fall asleep.
He sat on the edge of the bed, looking out the window with a slightly empty look in his eyes.

He was thinking carefully about the omissions in the Hezhou incident.

Because it happened suddenly and by coincidence,
Therefore, there is no time to think about some things in advance and we can only do our best.

Even though I have considered everything as thoroughly as possible, there are still a few omissions when I think about it carefully.

The first to be affected was the sailor on the ship, whom he had asked about the junk ship.

There was also an old man selling bamboo hats at Hezhou Port, and he asked him about the garbage ship.

And what he did in Qiufeng Pavilion was a bit ostentatious and didn't seem so reasonable.

This was an oversight that Lu Yunyi found out after knowing the whole situation.

If you only know part of the process, you might miss these omissions.

But Lu Yunyi was still a little worried, so much so that he couldn't sleep at all.

He claims to be quite smart, but there are too many smart people in this world.
Especially the Jinyiwei and the subordinates of those big shots, they are full of talented people and some tricks cannot be hidden from them at all.

If there are omissions, there will be doubts.
For big shots, there is no need for evidence, just suspicion is enough.

Thinking of this, Lu Yunyi let out a heavy sigh.
He stood up and walked to the bookshelf, looking at the pots and jars in front of him.

The longer the bean sprouts grow, the better. But obviously because of the different containers,
They grow in different states, some high and some low.
The fastest growing one is the wooden barrel with small holes for ventilation, while the slowest growing one is the iron basin, of which only a small head has emerged.

Lu Yunyi pursed his lips, bent down, picked up the spray bottle, and just sprayed quietly.

When he returned to the bed, before he sat down,

Faint footsteps were heard outside the door, and a slightly sturdy figure appeared in front of the door and knocked gently.

Without waiting for Lu Yunyi to respond, the door opened a crack.

A dark head poked in, smiling innocently:
"Hey, Brother Yun'er, you haven't slept yet."

As he spoke, Liu Heiying squeezed in.

Lu Yunyi glanced at him and closed the summary booklet beside the bed:
"If you want to keep your kidneys healthy, you must not only abstain from sex, but also maintain adequate sleep.
Why are you coming to my place so late at night instead of taking a rest? "

Liu Heiying walked over while scratching his head and sat on the chair in front of the bedside table.
He smiled a little, then became serious:
“Brother Yun’er, this matter was too hasty, there are many omissions, and I can’t sleep.”

Lu Yunyi's expression remained normal. He sighed lightly and handed over the booklet on the side.

Liu Heiying took it with some surprise, opened it and looked at it, his expression became strange:
"Brother Yun'er, you can't sleep either."

"There are too many omissions. If someone wants to investigate, they can't hide it."

Liu Heiying's face became serious and he nodded heavily:

"Brother Yun'er, I also think that the old man and the sailor were negligent.
There were more than ten of us in our group that day, except for our guards and Li Jinglong's guards,
Only Guo Quan and Xu Zengshou were left.
There is no doubt that Guo Quan's father is the commander of His Majesty's imperial guards.

Xu Zengshou's brother was also involved in the turmoil and belonged to the imperial party, so it was not a problem.

Only the old man knew that Brother Yuner had asked about the five garbage boats. "

Lu Yunyi sighed, stretched out his hand, and gently pinched his brows:

"I was careless. I just wanted to try my luck, but who would have thought that the garbage ship actually had problems."

The atmosphere in the room was a little heavy. Liu Heiying thought for a moment and said:

"Brother Yun'er, if we were in the capital, this kind of omission would not have occurred."

Lu Yunyi nodded:

"At that time, there were eyes everywhere around me, and I had to think for a long time before doing anything.

Now that we are out of the capital, we have relaxed our minds and made mistakes.”

Liu Heiying laughed suddenly and patted his chest vigorously:

"Brother Yun'er, don't worry. It's my job to check for deficiencies and fill in the gaps."

His chubby cheeks make him look a bit simple and honest.
But the words he said made the atmosphere in the cabin much colder.

Lu Yunyi's brows suddenly frowned, and he kept thinking in his mind.

Figures flashed through his mind, and soon there was an inexplicable flash in his eyes.
"Where did Chen Jingyi go? Why didn't I see him at dinner?"

"I gave him a hundred taels of silver and asked him to take care of the aftermath."

Lu Yunyi fell into silence, and after a long while he spoke softly:
"Is one hundred taels of silver enough?"

"Enough."

The house was silent, with only the sound of the wind.

Lu Yunyi stood up and walked to the bookshelf. Just as he was about to pick up the spray bottle,

But then he remembered that he had just sprayed it, so he put the spray bottle down and paced around the house with his hands on his hips.

"Where's the sailor?"

"It can be an accident."

Lu Yunyi frowned slightly and shook his head:

"The more complicated the plan is, the more mistakes it will make. Let Li Jinglong handle it. You can transfer him away or move him to your side."

Liu Heiying thought about it and nodded slightly:
"You can ask him to contact the Royal Guards to handle the follow-up."

Lu Yunyi nodded and said in a deep voice:
"Well, I've been studying naval tactics recently and have come across some questions.
Starting tomorrow, I will summon the navy from time to time and meet with them all."

“You can also go down to the lowest level and see for yourself how the troop transport operates.”

"I can also learn how to sail a boat. Anyway, I need to be more visible and interact with enough people to muddy the water."

"Brother Yun'er is right. The injured Lin Shi'an can also be used."

"Well, those ten bamboo hats are also a hidden danger.

Tomorrow I will deliver all those small items you bought. How many stalls will I have to go to?"

"Seventy-one, more than a hundred objects, all had conversations."

"very good."

"How does Chen Jingyi return?" Lu Yunyi asked.

"After handling the follow-up, we will rush to upload from the next port of call."

"Have you prepared the documents for travel?"

"Don't worry, Brother Yun'er."

The two of them chatted back and forth, and the originally bright candlelight became dim.

(End of this chapter)