After the fairy disappeared

Chapter 1451 Everyone has their own plans
She paused and said, "Even if the investigating officer suspects you, it is just suspicion. He cannot provide any evidence and cannot do anything to you."

"Then will my transfer order to the Northern Frontier be affected?"

"It will take some effort, and it might even be delayed. Bai Tan's group of ministers will definitely take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble!" Qing Yang reassured him, "But with me here, you will be able to go in the end."

Chongwu heaved a sigh of relief and bowed to her: "Thank you, Palace Master! It's my fault that I'm useless and have caused you so much trouble."

He was filled with gratitude, knowing that since Qingyang said so, he must be 100% sure; otherwise, his transfer to the north would be a long way off.

Qingyang continued, "Let's get back to the case. No evidence means no evidence. Some people are more suspicious than you, such as Luodian's Zuo Zongchang Qu Ruhai. Besides, you have the job of stabilizing the northern border. If the monarch wants to suppress the Luodian people, he must let you go quickly."

"Yes." Chongwu felt much more at ease.

"You need to tell me more details." Qingyang asked him, "Who else would know the time of your departure and the route back to Yao Country?"

If someone had calculated that Chongwu would stay overnight in Zhuowei, the plan to frame him could have been implemented.

"This must be reported to the royal court, so the relevant officials will know." Chongwu thought for a moment, "Then there are my father, two uncles in my clan, and two of my lieutenants. But it took me some time to prepare the tribute, so perhaps someone with a keen eye can figure it out."

"You went to Zhuowei on a whim?"

"No." Chongwu smiled bitterly, "I expected that Mangzhou would be crowded, so I reported Zhuowei to the royal court."

"Tell me about your experience that night. The more details the better."

Chongwu told the story in great detail, even trying to include every word of his conversations with He Lingchuan, Fan Shuang and others during the dinner.

Qingyang listened very carefully.

"According to the confessions of Fan Shuang and Zhao Song, they drank for half an hour after you went out to catch the thief, and then returned to the house to rest. It was not yet night."

Chongwu asked, "The Palace Master suspects He Xiao?"

"The real culprit deliberately led you to the deserted village to catch a petty thief, which means that the trap was aimed at you; you mobilized more than a hundred people to capture a few people, but could never find their shadows, which means that their cultivation is very good." Qingyang pointed out, "Therefore, anyone who knew that you appeared in Zhuowei Inn that night, and who has certain strength himself or his subordinates, is a suspect."

Chongwu thought for a moment and said, "So, He Xiao's men are all elite. According to him, they are from the warlike tribe of Ya Country who defected to Yangshan."

"You just said that Fan Shuang got drunk and made a scene in the middle of the night, and was stopped by He Xiao's men. He Xiao himself has not come out since." Qingyang supported his chin with his hand. Did He Xiao escape?
Perhaps because of Lingxu's past, she cares about this person a little.

Chongwu didn't know how to respond.

Of course, he had no intention of exonerating He Xiao, but there was a heavy rain in Zhuowei that night, and there was no telling how many nobles drank and went to bed early. Qingyang suspected He Xiao based on this alone, which was indeed a bit weak.

"Then there are two questions next." Qingyang continued, "Does He Xiao have the ability to kill Xue Zongwu, and what means did he use to go to Mangzhou."

Chongwu whispered, "Palace Master, the one who killed General Xue was Emperor Jiuyou. Do you think He Xiao could be Emperor Jiuyou?"

Qingyang fell into deep thought.

Is this possible? Is He Xiao's cultivation higher than Xue Zongwu's?
To defeat Xue Zongwu, who possesses the power of the Yuan, it takes more than just being one or two points stronger. Let alone Yao Country, Qingyang could only think of a few names in the entire Shining Gold Plain.

Is He Xiao qualified to be on this list?
And He Xiaoke didn't have General Chongwu's divine horse, at least not on the surface. How could he travel hundreds of miles at night and kill Xue Zongwu and Qi Yunsheng calmly in the middle?

Judging from common sense, it is unlikely, unless he has the ability to escape underground for thousands of miles.

Thinking of this, Qingyang suddenly had an idea: "You said it rained heavily that night?"

"Yes." Chongwu added, "It rains a lot in Yao Country this season. It rained almost all the way back home."

Qingyang remained silent, as if in a trance.

"Palace Master?"

Chongwu's voice brought her back to reality. Qingyang pressed his temples, thinking that his thoughts were a bit outrageous.

Never mind, let’s just follow the trend.

Could it be that Emperor Jiuyou is related to immortals or sacred mountains?

There are also many secret treasures in Lingshan, so it is no problem to escape a hundred miles at night.

Assuming that it was Lingshan who did it, He Xiao's suspicion cannot be completely ruled out. He started his career in the rear of Mou State and had some connection with Mou State's national teacher.

But this speculation alone is too vague.

He Xiao's identity and background are really complicated.

Qingyang stood up: "I'll go back first. Remember what I said."

General Chongwu saluted: "I will follow the instructions of the Palace Master!"

Qingyang put on a veiled hat and left through the back door of General Chongwu's mansion.

She hadn't taken a few steps when He Yang emerged from the darkness and followed her.

"The Red Castle auction is over. The first house in Youhu Villa, which He Xiao participated in the auction, was sold for 38,000 taels. It was bought by Zhang Shan from the Qing Palace."

Qingyang paused for a moment: "Prince Qing's Mansion?"

Thirty-eight thousand yuan to buy a house in the suburbs of the lake, this price is obviously too high. Youhu Villa is obviously built for officials and nobles. Why would the Qing Palace, as a member of the royal family, join in the fun?
Is it...

Qingyang rubbed his temples. This King Yao is really capable!
"Palace Master?" He Yang was still waiting for her instructions.

"Don't worry about it." Qingyang was very generous and continued to walk forward, "King Yao is upset and wants to get back at his enemies. Let him go for now."

King Yao suffered repeated setbacks at her hands, and he must be filled with resentment, wanting to make things difficult for her.

She got all the benefits, so why should she bother with him?
The key to attack and defense is to hold back and relax in moderation. She has been in Lingxu City for more than a hundred years, so she certainly knows that you should not push people too hard and should not do things too decisively.

As long as King Yao does not cause any substantial harm, she will be more generous.

"He Xiao's Youhu Villa has not yet been approved, right?"

"No. The General Affairs Department and the Imperial Household Department always find reasons to block him." He Yang followed closely, "Next he should be planning to buy building materials, so I'll also let someone know. I'm afraid it won't be easy for him to get the right materials."

In order to complete the tasks assigned by Qingyang, he always made preparations for both scenarios.

"Oh?" Qingyang glanced at him, "In such a huge city like Tianshui, he still can't find a supplier of building materials?"

"The official residence and the residence he wants to build are for the nobles to live in, so a lot of blue square stone will be used." The Palace Master has been in Yao Country for less than a year, so how could he pay attention to building houses? So He Yang explained, "Tianshui City is particular about building materials. Panjin stone is reserved for temples and royal families, and blue square stone is reserved for official residences. Ordinary wealthy businessmen are not allowed to use it without permission, otherwise they will be punished and imprisoned."

"Therefore, the usage of Panjin Stone and Qingfang Stone is generally limited, and the sales channels have always been controlled by several large stone dealers." As long as He Yang knew this, he had his own way.

Qingyang smiled: "Well done."

He Yang is not only loyal to her, but also able to draw inferences about other situations and is very reliable in his ability to handle affairs. It is worth it for her to keep him by her side.

……

When people are at peace, they travel around the palace.

You Rongzhi was out of town on business during the day and has just returned home.

He had just changed his clothes and washed his face when his long-servant came to report:
"Master, Master, the Chibao sale is over!"

You Rongzhi has always been thinking about the Chibao sale, but he has official business today and has no time to go to the scene to observe, so he can only send someone to keep an eye on it.

"How about it?"

"The lakeside residence in Youhu Villa was very popular, and the auction competition was fierce. Luodian Zuo Zongzhang Qu Ruhai also intervened, but in the end, it was Hualuoqing Palace that won."

This result was beyond You Rongzhi's expectation: "What? The Qing Palace was sold? What was the price?"

He expected that the price of Youhu Villa would not be low, but he did not expect that it was the royal family who made the offer.

"Thirty-eight thousand taels."

You Rongzhi's eyes narrowed. So expensive?
Why did Prince Qing’s Mansion take pictures of Youhu Villa? Is it because they have so much money to burn?

No, that's not right. Did they get some news?

"Also, I found out something: the Yuwen family and the Gu family both booked a house from the island owner He who was in charge of the development of Youhu Lake. They booked it on the spot!"

"These two followed closely behind?" You Rongzhi said to himself, "What's the reason?"

The Yuwen family and the Gu family are both officials and businessmen with particularly keen senses of smell. Besides, there are boys from these two families who are close to He Xiao, making it easiest for them to get first-hand information.

Are they optimistic about Youhu Villa?

Don't talk nonsense. No matter how good the planning blueprint of that place is, we haven't even seen a tile yet. What prospects can we talk about?
Hmm? Planning?

Youhu Villa was built on the south bank, across the water from the small building where Qingyang Regent lived.

Could it be...?
You Rongzhi shuddered and suddenly slapped the table: "Great!"

He rarely lost his composure like this, and the long-servant was startled: "Master?"

You Rongzhi calmed himself down, stood up and said, "Turn on the light and go find the madam."

The financial power of the mansion is in the hands of the lady. He himself cannot come up with so much money in a hurry and has to ask for help from the mistress of the house.

The lady had already gone to bed, but was woken up by him. She yawned and asked, "How much do you need?"

"An advance of fifty thousand taels."

The lady was startled, thinking she was half asleep and didn't hear clearly: "How much?!"

"Fifty thousand." You Rongzhi coughed lightly, "It may not be enough."

"To buy a suburban residence, you need fifty thousand taels?" The lady looked at him suspiciously, "Are you going to use the money for something else?"

"How could that be possible?" What else could cost fifty thousand taels? What on earth was his wife thinking about all day? "The Qing Palace just sold the first set at the auction for thirty-eight thousand!"

"The Qing Palace is very wealthy, how can we compete with it... Then you want 50,000 taels?"

"38,000 just sounds expensive. I estimate that the price will be higher than this in the future." You Rongzhi said anxiously, "The Qing Palace has set a good example. If we buy now, we will make pure profit in the future."

"Why?" The lady was a little surprised. "What's the mystery behind it?"

"Come closer and listen." You Rongzhi whispered a few words to her.