Chapter 93 Eavesdropping
June 8th day of the 11th month
"Yue'e, are you being lazy again tonight?" The old man changed the subject, probably because he saw the fan fell to the ground.
"Yue'e dare not." The maid quickly picked up the fan and fanned the old man hard a few times.
"The other day I asked you to guard this corner gate, but you fell asleep. He complained to me that he knocked on the door for a long time before he opened it. I had to wait here by myself for a few days, and was bitten by mosquitoes for nothing. I saw you being lazy again this time. If I had the steel needle and the tablet, I would hit you hard so that you would remember it. Don't think that I am old and easy to bully. Do you know that in front of Yuqing Zhaoying Palace, the servant beside him was also lazy and I knocked out his front teeth with a tablet? Hehe..."
Shen Kuo heard it clearly on the tree branch. He had indeed heard about this matter. It was well known that Yan Shu had a bad temper and was extremely harsh to his servants. He once injured his follower with a ivory tablet in public over a trivial matter. Later, Empress Dowager Zhangxian demoted him to Xuanzhou because of this incident.
The maidservant was very obedient. Seeing Yan Shu coughing, she quickly massaged the old man's back. However, she was still afraid that the old man would mention laziness again, so she quickly found other topics.
"My husband, look, that guest star in the east is still shining."
"Ahem... a guest star, a guest star, an evil star that specifically targets our Great Song Dynasty. Just like that Xiao Ping is the unlucky star in my family. Ahem..."
The old man stood up and looked towards the shining star in the east. As expected, once the topic changed, the hatred returned to Xiao Ping, and the previous laziness was forgotten .
At this time, they heard someone knocking on the door at the corner of the wall, and Xu Chong and Shen Kuo looked together. From their high vantage point, they could see that there was indeed a dark shadow outside.
The old man only gave a look, and the maid hurried downstairs. After a while, she reached the door and opened it with a creak. A man wearing a cloak, with a slightly hunched back and a hunched silhouette, came in. It was really strange to wear a cloak in such a hot day. It was obvious that she was trying to hide herself from others and didn't care about the heat.
Yue'e did not speak to the man, but led him to the attic. When the two of them passed by Shen Kuo, he felt that the figure looked familiar. He looked up at Xu Chong, but saw that he looked frightened. Xu Chong probably recognized the figure.
The two of them entered the building, and after a while, the man in the cloak came under the grape trellis, but the maid Yue'e disappeared. Perhaps this sneak visitor had something confidential to say, so the maid left in time.
The man in the cloak saluted the old man first: "Mr. Yan, how are you?" As he spoke, his hood fell down. Shen Kuo was dizzy and almost fell off, because this man was none other than Wen Yanbo, the second-in-command of the investigation team. Fortunately, Xu Chong grabbed him and he gradually calmed down.
"No need to be polite, just follow me into the secret chamber."
Yan Shu stood up from the rattan chair, and Wen Yanbo supported him. The two old men entered the building one after another. After a while, a light came on in a room on the second floor.
Shen Kuo took out his quiver and pointed it at the open window, and his eavesdropping device worked again. Although this kind of eavesdropping was actually limited in effect, the sound was a bit dull and distorted, but at least he could hear something. Xu Chong could only lie on the branch and prick up his ears to listen, and he could hear something, but with the superposition of the sound of the wind and the rustling of the leaves, it was always difficult to hear each word clearly and connect it into a complete sentence.
"Yisou, it's a troubled summer now, and the capital is in a state of panic. I have to trouble you to come so late." Yan Shu asked as he paced back and forth. Shen Kuo could even clearly hear his footsteps.
"Sir, I know I shouldn't have come. But tonight is a big event. It's a happy event."
"There is chaos in the court right now, how can there be a happy event?"
"Xiao Qi has sent a letter."
"A letter? A letter from Nier? How did it get to you?"
Yan Shu cried out in surprise.
"I didn't dare to tell you because I was afraid that if you knew his whereabouts, you would take people to kill Xiao Ping. So I discussed with my uncle, saying that he knew his mistake and wanted to come back, and asked me if I had any compromise."
"Can you bring ?"
"I brought it."
Yan Shu stopped talking, and the sound of opening envelopes and letters could be heard. After waiting for a long time, the rustling of paper could be heard, probably because the old man was a little excited and his hands were shaking.
"Haha, this unfilial fool left home just for that bitch. If he had some ability, he wouldn't have to come back. But he only ran away for a few months and realized the hardship on the farm. I thought it would take at least one or two years for him to repent. Haha, how annoying and lamentable is that?"
"It's always a good thing to know how to turn back."
"That day, this rebellious son left a letter saying that I cannot allow that prostitute to be with him, but he insisted on living with Xiao Ping in the countryside, living like a free and easy cloud and wild crane, and never came back. Now he knows that he can no longer endure the simple food and drink."
"I have watched this child grow up. He is extremely smart and talented. Because of our confidential matters, he had to be connected with Xiao Ping who infiltrated the Maitreya Sect. After several life and death experiences, it was inevitable that he would fall in love with her. Now that he knows how to turn back, isn't that a good thing?"
"Let's not talk about this kid. I don't see any address on the letter. Is it possible to find him?"
"Although the place is not written, this yellow letter paper is very rare and has the fragrance of osmanthus. It must be the jute paper from the Yuanfei Temple on the bank of the Luo River outside Gong County. It is specially made and sold in the temple, which shows that it is not far from the Luo River."
"Haha, this beast loves the article written by Cao Zijian about Concubine Mi the most, so it's not surprising that he hides in Luoshui and becomes a hermit. However, he doesn't know that the words of the peerless article are gorgeous but also wild. There are no immortal couples in the world, nor are there any paradises to hide in. Cao Zijian also wanted to stay away from the world and escape from the party struggles, but he was not tolerated by Cao Pi. What was his final fate? He couldn't hide."
"Yes, young people don't know that staying away from the mundane world is nothing but a dream. You can only face the world head-on and not dodge."
"However, there is something strange about this. I know my son best. He has always been cautious. He has been dealing with Xiao Ping hidden in the Maitreya Sect for many years. He knows the limits best and it is unlikely that he would leave such obvious clues. I am afraid he is not there?"
"Haha, although it is said that no one knows a son better than his father, my husband is usually too strict with him, so he would rather chat with me, his uncle. So, I know what he is thinking."
"Oh? What do you know, uncle? Tell me about it."
"He was afraid to tell you the place because you would be killed by the spy Xiao Ping if you went there. That would mean he was ungrateful. However, he couldn't bear the poor life in the countryside with that girl. He was probably bored with her, so he had to compromise."
"You mean, you didn't tell me the address, but left clues for us to find?"
"I didn't stay intentionally, I stayed accidentally."
"This evil creature is like me when I was young. He has some scheming, but he dares not to hide his true feelings and can only deceive himself. However, being able to deceive oneself is also a necessary step to achieve great things. This time, he was disobedient and took this step."
"What are you going to do, sir?"
"Now, the Maitreya sect's rebels have reappeared, and the country is in turmoil. We can only capture this rebellious son. I'm afraid we can't get rid of Xiao Ping. She is still useful."
"My husband wants to send Xiao Ping to infiltrate the Maitreya Sect as a saint..."
"You were in front of the emperor at the banquet the day before yesterday?"
"I was in front of the emperor, and I saw the emperor was being disrespectful. He wrote down on the wall an old poem written by Emperor Taizong lamenting that fate does not go as one wishes. Then the hat monster appeared in the back garden. I left the palace and returned. Yesterday, I heard that something happened later. On the wall where the poem was written, a painting of hell by Wu Daozi appeared. But I haven't seen it yet. I think it's some trick of Maitreya."
"The Maitreya sect has reappeared on a guest star. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the Imperial Academy of Astronomy had never expected this star. It can be seen that they still have some Taoism and magic. How is Bao Zheng's investigation going?"
"I have no clue. The monk is not here, and the young man Shen Kuo may not be able to figure out the mechanism. My husband and I have the same idea, so I think there really is some magic."
"So, Xiao Ping cannot be eliminated. We can film her hiding in Maitreya Sect and find some clues."
"I don't think we can control this evil sect with just Xiao Ping. Xiao Ping was exposed last time. If she goes again, she will be in great danger."
"We can no longer hope to control the Maitreya Sect. We can only hope that Xiao Ping will bring some information to destroy it in one fell swoop. Although Yu Jing is dead, there are still people in the sect who have seen Xiao Qi. We must be careful of any future troubles."
"What about Xiao Ping?"
"If she falls into Lao Bao's hands, she will also implicate us. After we destroy the Maitreya Sect, we will kill her and silence her."
Shen Kuo trembled all over after hearing this. Who could have expected such a high-ranking official from the previous dynasty to say such a thing? All he said was to kill people and silence them.
"I, if that's the case, I'll send someone to do it right away. If the Seventh Young Master wants to fulfill his loyalty, I'll stage a play to force them to part bitterly. Then I'll comfort Xiao Ping and let her go... I'm afraid she won't dare."
"She doesn't dare to do that and she has no choice. I have the means to make her submit. Haha..."
"My husband refers to him (her)..."
"That's right. There is one more thing. Go and inquire about Bao Longtu. Does he have any response? If Bao Longtu is on the same side as us, it will be much easier to deal with the criticism in the court."
"It's best to give up on this matter. Three months ago, I tried to probe him once, and at that time, the hat demon appeared from time to time. I hinted at it and mentioned that thirty years ago, the previous emperor was absurd, believing in the auspicious heavenly book and ignoring the advice of the court officials. He spent a lot of national funds to go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods. However, when the hat demon appeared, the previous emperor was afraid that the heaven would punish him and bring disasters. From then on, he dared not waste money and labor again, and he did not ask about seeking immortals. Finally, the government affairs were peaceful and the world was cultivated. I also mentioned the old story of Emperor Wu of Han's self-blame in Luntai. It was not the advice of wise ministers that was able to quell the witchcraft rebellion, but Emperor Wu of Han's awe and self-realization of the connection between heaven and man after the defeat of General Ershi. So if the disaster is used properly, wouldn't it be a blessing and a curse?"
"That's a bit too blunt and explicit. What did he say that day?"
"At that time, we were in a stalemate. You know that Bao Longtu's face was originally livid, and it was hard to tell whether he was angry or sad. I had to wait for a long time in fear. He finally said that if we wanted to use the unknown to persuade the king and use ghosts and gods to correct the government, it might not be a good thing for the country. I'm afraid we would be the same as Maitreya."
"He is indeed stupid and pedantic. This person cannot be a fellow traveler. Forget it. Don't try to test him in the future."
"My husband, I will go to Gong County to look for him now. I also hope that this guest star can leave soon."
"Yes. I hope my father and I can be reunited and this evil star can go away."
