Zhang Fenghan was talking nonsense. He stared at the note for a long time, his face changed. "What does this mean? This...what is the hidden danger of Urgu?"

Liao Ran frowned, as if he didn't know where to start. After a while, he gestured hesitantly and said, "It's a kind of poison from the northerners. When His Royal Highness Prince Yan was young, he was stranded in Yanhui Town and persecuted by the northern witches. Until now, the Chen family is still trying to find a way, and has not been able to completely cure it..."

Zhang Fenghan was puzzled and said: "Is there such a thing? Are all the people in the Imperial Hospital dead? This..."

"Please be patient, my lord," Du Wanquan interrupted him. "In the past few years, I often traveled in the northwest because of the ancient Silk Road. I heard about the voodoo techniques of the barbarians. I heard that this Urgu seems to be harmful to people's sanity. I believe General Zhong is also concerned about this and is worried that Your Highness is overthinking it."

"When the country is in crisis, Marquis Anding rushed to the northwest despite his injuries. How can King Yan be stingy with his own life? Lord Du's statement is really disheartening," Zhang Fenghan said solemnly. "Besides, Master Liangran also said that he has had this poison since he was a child. Until now, I can't see anything abnormal about him, and it may not have much impact in the future. If General Zhong doesn't trust King Yan, can he find someone else to take over the Linyuan Wooden Sign?"

Since the capital was besieged, Zhang Fenghan has become a loyal fan of Prince Yan. The umbrella hanging next to him was just taken from someone else's car. Whenever Prince Yan is mentioned, his brain becomes excited and he wishes to tell the world that "my prince is the best in the world."

At this time, the old Lingshu still felt unsatisfied after speaking for a long time, and continued with an unsatisfied tone: "This time is different from two hundred years ago. At that time, the court levied heavy taxes and lost the support of the people, so heroes rose up from all directions. Now, foreign enemies have invaded the country. The emperor... Although some of the emperor's methods and laws are too harsh, he can be regarded as diligent in government and loves the people, and he has no faults. In this chaotic world, if the Linyuan Wooden Sign falls into the hands of someone else, who can guarantee that he will not have other intentions? His Royal Highness Prince Yan is a nobleman. When the crisis came, he could have succeeded to the throne and fled to the Eastern Capital. But he did not go to Luoyang, but stayed on the city wall! If such a person is not worthy of entrusting the Linyuan Wooden Sign, who else is worthy?"

Du Wanquan was used to being smooth and didn't argue with him. He just smiled and said, "I believe that. His Royal Highness Prince Yan's character and talent are impeccable, but when it comes to his health, what we laymen say doesn't count, right? I think it's better for us to listen to Miss Chen, order some wine and food first, and make a decision after Miss Chen's letter arrives, okay?"

Zhang Fenghan's expression eased slightly, and he shook his head and said self-deprecatingly, "I'm old, but I still have a bad temper. Don't take it to heart, Mr. Du."

Before he finished speaking, the three of them heard the sound of flapping wings coming from outside the window at the same time.

Du Wanquan said with a smile: "Speak of the devil and he will appear."

Du Caishen pushed open the window, and a vivid little wooden bird came in, pecked twice on the table, and lay still. This wooden bird was even more special than General Zhong's, because the latter was sent by a trustworthy person, while Chen Qingxu's was released on the way to the northwest to join the army.

The belly of the wooden bird was "sealed" with a special technique. It was not the symbolic seal of General Zhong, but a string of tightly fitted secret locks with twenty-seven holes on them. A fine needle had to be inserted in sequence, otherwise the remaining purple gold in the belly of the wooden bird would be ignited. Anyone who did not know the secret key to unlock the door would get nothing.

The craftsmanship of this special wooden bird is extremely complex. There are only a few of them in Linyuan Pavilion, and even Chang Geng didn't know about it. When the Westerners besieged the city, he was worried about the security of the wooden bird's communication.

Du Wanquan took out a silver needle, and the other two pairs of eyes fell on his hand at the same time. In an instant, Zhang Fenghan suddenly felt an indescribable nervousness in his heart.

"Wait a minute." Just as Du Caishen opened the seal of the wooden bird and had not yet taken out the letter, Zhang Fenghan suddenly called him.

Du Wanquan and Liangran looked up at him together.

Although they belonged to the same Linyuan Pavilion, Lord Fenghan, who had been working in Lingshu Courtyard for many years, was not familiar with Chen Qingxu, a younger generation who roamed the world. They had rarely met each other, let alone understood each other. But for some reason, he had a premonition that the result might not be so satisfactory.

Zhang Fenghan's face tightened, and he said slowly, "Right now, the area south of the Yangtze River and the coast of the East China Sea are in the hands of foreigners. General Zhong is personally guarding the front line, but he is just guarding it and dares not act rashly. With the troops and war preparations at hand, it is not enough to cross the river now. I heard that the foreigners are barbaric and cruel, and have burned down the Jiangnan Academy. This is not a big deal. If the books are gone, they can be reprinted and a new theory can be established. But if the people are gone, there is no way to save them."

When Old Lingshu said this, his voice trembled for a moment: "The land of 'autumn laurels and lotus flowers' has now become a pile of scorched earth, and our treasury is empty, and the purple gold is in urgent need... The wind is leaking from all sides. If Linyuan Pavilion stands by and watches, we might as well disperse and go home to take care of the children. What is the way to join? What is the destiny? Since we can't stay silent, the wooden sign must be brought out. Although we are just peddlers and hawkers, we don't want to entrust our trust to the wrong person. In today's world, there is King Yan in the court and General Gu in the frontier. General Gu... I'm not saying that he has dealt with Linyuan Pavilion a long time ago, but he has never expressed the slightest intention of getting close to him. He holds the Black Iron Camp and doesn't look down on or have the time to manage our huge and disorderly resources. If you pass by His Royal Highness King Yan again with this... this unfounded reason, what are you going to do next?"

He spoke sincerely and tried his best to pull Du Wanquan to his side, and even Leran was slightly moved.

But Du Caishen was a smart man, so he wouldn't get carried away so easily. He looked eager and angry, but he still avoided the main point: "In fact, His Royal Highness Prince Yan has had a close relationship with Linyuan Pavilion since he was a child. He is considered an insider. For example, when the capital was besieged, wasn't the communication network built by His Royal Highness at the request of Linyuan Pavilion? When the country is in crisis, if we are needed, everyone will say no. There is actually not much difference whether there is a ceremony of entrusting the wooden sign or not, right?"

"That's not the truth. Mr. Du is thinking in the wrong way." Le Ran shook his head and said, "If there was no wooden sign, Linyuan Pavilion would only provide some small conveniences when encountering problems. With this wooden sign, the people in the pavilion can go all out to help the people. That's different. Linyuan Pavilion has been silent for two hundred years, and it is all because of this wooden sign that it is connected, maintained and convened. In troubled times, everyone wants to protect themselves. If there was no Linyuan wooden sign, even you and I would only be able to run errands and deliver messages - I'm afraid we are not as useful as the larger gangs."

These words were meaningful, and Du Wanquan's expression changed slightly.

The God of Wealth is different from Fenghan Gong, who is so poor that he has to live with dogs. He is truly wealthy and powerful. If one barefoot person is full, the whole family will not be hungry, but that is not the case for those who wear shoes.

If there is anyone here who least wants the Linyuan wooden sign to reappear in the world, it is undoubtedly Du Caishen.

Liaoran saved his face and stopped at the point, without revealing the truth directly - the Linyuan wooden sign can mobilize the most mysterious "Daofa Hall" in Linyuan Pavilion. Anyone in the pavilion who refuses to obey the orders of the wooden sign and defectes, will be hunted down by the Daoofa Hall to the ends of the earth. In other words, without the wooden sign's orders, Du Caishen might only need to pay some pocket money to show his respect, but with this wooden sign, he would have to accept it even if it meant losing everything he had.

Liaoran strung up his Buddhist beads one by one and said, "Mr. Du, please bring out the Chen family's wooden plaque."

Du Wanquan was silent for a while, then he began to pry open the belly of the wooden bird. The last piece of wood fell out. Once it landed on the table, it automatically gathered together with the other pieces of wood to complete the word "Yuan".

The sea-patterned paper with Chen Qingxu's scribbled handwriting rolled out. Liaoran began to wipe it open and saw that the note read very briefly: "The Chen family will do their best."

Zhang Fenghan was a little stunned for a moment: "No more?"

Laoran smiled helplessly. Chen Qingxu was a little taciturn. She was fine with speaking normally, but when it came to writing down things with pen and paper, she had absolutely no patience to write long essays. If it worked, it worked; if it didn't, it didn't. No matter how big the matter was, it could only be expressed in a few flamboyant sentences in her hands.

"Since Miss Chen said so, the chronic poison His Highness was suffering from should not be a problem." Le Ran turned to Du Wanquan, "What does Lord Du think?"

The Linyuan wooden sign was divided into five pieces, and no one was qualified to veto it alone. At this time, it was three to one. Du Wanquan knew that whether he agreed or not, the outcome was already determined.

God of Wealth Du smiled bitterly and said, "Master Liaoran, you are too polite. I heard that His Royal Highness Prince Yan is promoting beacon tickets recently. If you need me, please let me know."

Zhang Fenghan tactfully advised: "Mr. Du, when the nest is overturned, no egg can be left unbroken. When the world is in turmoil, people in chaos are no better than dogs in peace, and a fortune of a million is no different from quicksand and flying water. Is this the truth?"

Du Wanquan was still upset after being forcibly tied to a pirate ship by a bunch of poor people. He perfunctorily bowed and said, "Yes, I am honored to send you a letter."

The three of them hurriedly ate a simple meal, each with their own thoughts, and without much drinking, they went their separate ways.

Just when they made this decision, Chang Geng also returned to the Marquis' Mansion.

Ge Chen was waiting for him in the study. Chang Geng told him not to disturb him, then walked in calmly and closed the door. The mansion was empty and sparsely populated. There were a bunch of old servants, some of whom were deaf, some had difficulty walking, and it was unclear whether they were serving the master or living in the master's home. Often, no one would come when he was asked to do something, and sometimes he had to serve tea and water himself. But there were also conveniences, for example, he didn't have to worry about walls eavesdropping.

Ge Chen stood up as soon as he saw Chang Geng, with a hint of nervousness on his baby face.

Chang Geng was very calm and waved his hand at him: "Did you intercept it?"

Ge Chen responded and took out a piece of sea-patterned paper from his arms.

"I did as you said, and secretly intercepted the wooden bird while repairing the forbidden sky net. The note inside has been replaced, and the seal is guaranteed to be repaired perfectly," Ge Chen pursed his lips and said, "At the end of the year, Xiao Cao went to the north to find Miss Chen, and saw her collect and release the wooden bird with his own eyes. Then he secretly caught it and used a mold to copy the seal and lock inside. There shouldn't be any problem. Brother, why do we want to intercept Miss Chen's wooden bird? What does this on her note mean?"

Chang Geng didn't answer for a moment, but unfolded the crumpled note and read it.

The handwriting on it was exactly the same as the one they received, only the content was different.

The note read: "Chen is a man of limited talent and learning. After years of searching, he has not been able to find the solution to the Wuer bone. I have failed to live up to your trust. I hope you will be careful about the matter of the Linyuan wooden sign."

Chang Geng was not moved after reading it, and thought to himself without much surprise: "As expected."

Based on his understanding of Linyuan Pavilion over the years, the final decision makers were either three or five people. Five people are more likely. There are many unique and extremely sophisticated lighter steel armors in Linyuan Pavilion, so there must be people from Lingshuyuan. The Chen family who treated Gu Yun's ears and eyes that year acted in the name of Linyuan Pavilion. Gu Yun would not trust them unconditionally. There must be the old marquis's former subordinates in the middle, so there must be someone representing the military. Monk Liaoran has always acted as a liaison among the four parties, so he may also be considered one, representing the Huguo Temple. Then the other two are likely to control the "wealth" on one side and the other side is the Chen family of Taiyuan Prefecture.

Among the five people, he only has more confidence in Liaoran and Lingshuyuan, while the other three parties are still undecided.

In the world, apart from Chang Geng himself, only Miss Chen knows the most about the horror of Wuergu. She has always been objective and not personal, and it is impossible for her to support him because of personal feelings. People who control "wealth" are usually easily burdened by family business, and in this case they are likely to shrink back. The military representative... If it is General Zhong as Chang Geng guessed, then Zhong Chan may not necessarily speak for him. The people in the latter two parties have their own ways, and it is difficult for him to contact them. Only Chen Qingxu will follow the army to the northwest, and will send a letter by wooden bird, which will give him an opportunity to take advantage of.

Chang Geng placed the sea-patterned paper he had just read over the brazier and lit it. The dim flames illuminated his young and handsome face, making him look a little unreal.

"Brother..." Ge Chen called him hesitantly. The little round-faced man was loyal to his childhood friend Prince Yan, but he was not stupid. He could probably guess that Chen Qingxu's encrypted wooden bird might be related to the final decision of Linyuan Pavilion. Although he did the thing of stealing and replacing the note as instructed by Chang Geng, he always had doubts in his heart - Chang Geng had always been open-minded, broad-minded, and had never done such a shady thing. This time he did this for Linyuan Pavilion... was it for power?

"I don't have to get Linyuan Pavilion." Chang Geng seemed to know what he was thinking, and explained to Ge Chen calmly, "But I have been in the court for too short a time. Although I have the support of the emperor for the time being, and Lord Jiang and other new talents are following me, after all, my foundation is still shallow, and I can't do many things. Other things can wait, but the purple gold and silver on the front line can't wait. At this time, I can only retreat and seek the power of Linyuan Pavilion. If there is time, all problems can be solved slowly and openly. I'm just afraid that the foreigners won't give us this time."

Hearing this, Ge Chen straightened his back, and the doubts in his heart immediately disappeared. Instead, he felt a little embarrassed: "Xiao Cao and I both understand this. Um... Big brother, you should also take care of yourself. Otherwise, don't wait until the time comes for the marquis to return to the court, and you collapse again. Then won't he make trouble for me?"

After saying this, he seemed to imagine the specific process of the Marquis causing trouble for him, and he shuddered with fear at himself.

Chang Geng's expression softened a little. "I will only take care of this crisis until it is over. Who would be willing to do such a thankless job when the world is at peace? We can't work for them for nothing. By then, I have to ask the emperor to grant me a mountain with the best scenery. I will plant a peach forest on the mountain so that I can enjoy the flowers in spring and eat peaches in summer. There must also be hot springs at the foot of the mountain. I plan to raise chickens and ducks all over the mountain and throw the eggs directly into the hot springs to boil..."

Ge Chen's stomach growled, Chang Geng was startled, and then they both laughed at the same time. Chang Geng jumped up and said, "It's too late. Don't disturb Uncle Wang and the others. Let's make some dumplings for ourselves."

Ge Chen said rather embarrassedly: "No, that's not right, big brother, how can we let His Royal Highness chop the stuffing and roll the dough... this is too..."

Chang Geng glanced at him and asked, "Do you want to eat?"

Ge Chen said firmly: "Eat!"

So the two of them sneaked into the kitchen of the marquis's mansion in the dark, sent the sleepy old cook back to sleep, made a lot of fuss, and listened to the sound of the night watchman. One of them held the pot lid and the other used a colander, and they ate more than 60 dumplings directly in the kitchen in a very unceremonious manner. Ge Chen cried out in pain from the heat, and it seemed as if he had returned to the days of his youth in the countryside when he "went in and out".

The good times are all in the midnight, but even in broad daylight, every step is still frightening.

A month later, the beacon tickets had still not been implemented, and even Emperor Li Feng was fed up with the noise, so a silent purge gradually began.

First, the Inspectorate submitted three consecutive memorials to criticize Prince Yan for his one-handedness, and the Grand Council secretly withheld memorials from officials in the court, making it difficult for the emperor to hear their complaints. The so-called beacon tickets were completely nonsense, and they were throwing the court's face into the ground, bringing disaster to the country and the people.

Prince Yan ordered his men to place all the records of the uploaded and rejected memorials in the history of the Military Affairs Council in the court. All the rejected memorials were recorded, including when and why they were rejected, and all were reported to the West Warm Pavilion with briefings, without any discrepancies. The court was speechless, and then Prince Yan requested Emperor Long'an to resign from all his positions on the grounds that he was "lacking in talent and knowledge and difficult to convince the people." As usual, Li Feng refused. The prince, who had just turned 20, was young and energetic, so he turned around and resigned from the court on the grounds of illness, and ran back to the marquis's mansion and stayed indoors.

There was no old vixen in the court who said one thing to one person and another thing to another, but no one had ever thrown a tantrum so blatantly. Li Feng did not know whether to laugh or cry for a moment, but before he could leave the palace in disguise to appease the prince, trouble occurred in the court as soon as Prince Yan left.

First, the Grand Council was in chaos and without a leader. Memorials were submitted to Li Feng's desk like snowflakes every day. All over the country were asking for money and purple gold, which made him anxious. Then the two ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War almost started a fight in the court. Li Feng was furious and investigated. He found that even in this situation, there were still people who exploited and embezzled military funds at all levels. He was immediately furious and traced a major case that shocked the court and the public. From the second-rank officials to the seventh-rank minor officials, a large number of people were implicated. Even half of the gossipers in the Inspectorate fell inexplicably.

An autumn rain in September washed the capital city into a gloomy atmosphere. Jiang Chong personally went to the marquis's mansion to convey the imperial decree to invite Prince Yan back to the court. At this point, the people seemed to understand something. Prince Yan once again brought up the beacon ticket and implemented it with almost no resistance.

At first, some people were worried that the first batch of beacon tickets would not be issued. Unexpectedly, as soon as they came out, Jiangnan’s richest man Du Wanquan and others immediately contacted a group of private businessmen to help. In less than three days, the first batch of beacon tickets were sold out.

Real money poured into the national treasury, and no one said anything more.

At the end of the seventh year of Long'an, the two armies were still in a standoff on the Jiangnan front. Marquis Anding joined forces with the Central Plains garrison along the way to deal with the rebellious mobs and finally returned to Jiayuguan. The next day, the Western Regions coalition forces that were at the gates of the city retreated thirty miles at the sight of him.

At the end of this year, Gu Yun wrote fourteen personal letters, greeting the kings of the Western Regions. At the same time, he sharpened his sword, ready to start a killing spree when the imperial court sent the next batch of armaments.

That year, there were no lights or decorations outside Jiayuguan, and the war was about to break out - the imperial court finally sent the long-awaited military pay and war preparations.

It’s just that the person being escorted has a special identity.

Gu Yun had just returned from a patrol with a group of light cavalry. Before he even dismounted from his horse, he heard that Prince Yan had arrived. He was stunned for a moment and threw away the reins of his warhorse and ran away without even taking off his light fur coat.