Placid Chang'an

In the Xingqing Palace, Li Shi had just woken up for a nap, and came up leisurely, drinking tea and basking in the sun at the Huxin Pavilion.

The weather was getting colder day by day, and it was rare to have a good autumn day. Prince Ning sat leaning against the Longchi in a thin shirt, and opened his eyes when he heard the sound of messy footsteps while resting his eyes.

The person who came was naturally Su Cen, and in this Xingqing Palace, he was the only one who could go on the rampage without going through layers of notifications.

When he came close, Su Cen was out of breath and didn't recover for a long time.Li Shi raised his hand and handed over a cup of warm tea. Seeing Su Cen take the cup and pour it down, he frowned and said, "Slow down."

Su Cen didn't have time to "slow down", finished the tea in two or three gulps, and immediately said, "Lu Xun is in the palace!"

Li Shi frowned slightly, but without much fluctuation, he confirmed to Su Cen, "Is the situation true?"

"The little eunuch caught yesterday was recruited," Su Cen said anxiously, "the secret door has been involved in Tian Pingzhi's matter all along. We have also found out that the secret door has placed eyeliner in the homes of various officials in central Beijing, and... ...Lu Xun seems to have some relationship with the Empress Dowager Chu."

Li Shi's eyes gradually sank, he nodded after thinking for a moment, "I see."

Instead, he told the servants beside him, "Go and call Chen Ling."

The servant bowed and retreated, Li Shi looked at Su Cen again: "Have you eaten?"

Su Cen: "..."

Only then did he remember that since he entered Dali Temple early this morning, he has been staying in the prison, not to mention food, he has not even had a drink of saliva until now.And I can't help feeling that this is the only person who can stand still before the storm comes, and still worry about whether he has eaten or not.

Seeing Su Cen's appearance, Li Shi knew that this man must have been too busy on the case again. He tapped his index finger and middle finger on the stone table to signal him to sit down, and turned his head to tell the cook who had just rested to bring over lunch again.

Su Cen's anxious mood along the way finally settled down slowly under the calm and calm aura. He sat down next to Li Shi, tilted his head and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"There are in the palace, and there are also in the minister's house?"

Su Cen nodded.

"Then find them out one by one, and destroy them one by one."

They came for lunch with Chen Ling, and the dishes were served one by one, but Su Cen followed the backs of Li Shi and Chen Ling, one big and one small, trying to catch a glimpse of them.

It wasn't until Li Shi threatened him with his eyes from halfway across Longchi, that Su Cen reluctantly lowered his head and opened the chopsticks.

After a while, Chen Ling nodded and stepped back with his sword in his arms.When Li Shi returned to the Huxin Pavilion, he saw that Su Cen's bowl of rice was riddled with holes, but there was not much food on the table.

Frowning: "Not to your liking?"

Su Cen shook her head lightly, and put the chopsticks aside: "I can't eat."

Facing the bloody scene in the prison all morning, he was not completely indifferent. He thought that he would not be able to eat for a few days when he watched Xue Chengzhen hit the board a few times, not to mention the torture under his nose.The spicy choked winter bamboo shoots and steamed razor clams on the table, no matter how he looks at them, they look like those fingers, and when he thinks about it again, he can't eat them.

Li Shi pulled Su Cen's hand and spread his palm, only to see a few deep finger marks on the lines on the palm, where blood could be seen deep, and it looked like it was inadvertently left behind by force.

Li Shi shook his head, "It's not difficult for you."

He ordered people to remove all the food from the table intact, but only left a bowl of clear porridge. Prince Ning personally brought the spoon to people's mouths, "Drink this."

Su Cen opened her mouth obediently, the porridge was warm, the rice smelled pure, and there was a little sweetness on the tip of her tongue when she swallowed it, and the bloody smell lingering at the tip of her nose was dispelled a lot.

After the bowl of porridge was finished, Su Cen was worried about his witnesses in Dali Temple, and suggested that he still wanted to go back.

Li Shi didn't force it, he just said, "Let Qi Lin follow you."

"No," Su Cen frowned, "Qi Lin has to follow you, Lu Xun's target is you, he had a lot of hostility towards you back then in Lujiazhuang, Chen Ling left, you can't be without someone by your side."

The little fox thought about him wholeheartedly, Li Shishou accepted it, and said instead: "Then let Qu Ling'er follow you."

Li Shi didn't let her go until Qu Ling'er came over.After coming out of Xingqing Palace with Qu Ling'er, Su Cen couldn't help but be taken aback looking at the situation outside.I saw that the streets were full of soldiers and horses, pedestrians were in a hurry, everyone who entered and exited Lifang had been checked in detail, and even some families were checked one by one by heavy soldiers.

Su Cen suddenly understood what Li Shi meant when he said "find out one by one and break them down one by one".

This is not an investigation, this is simply a bloodbath.

But in this case, this is indeed the most effective way.The secret door is deeply rooted and stubborn, and it is inevitable that the news will be leaked if the investigation is done bit by bit. A quick solution and catching them by surprise is a good way.It's just that it will inevitably cause public resentment and get a bad reputation

Li Shi acts resolutely and resolutely, he does not care about the process in everything, and only looks at the result.He didn't care about those vain names, but it was precisely because of this that those people who cared about him made a big fuss, adding fuel and embellishment to make people in the world misunderstand Li Shi.

"What's going on here?" Qu Ling'er looked around curiously, thinking that when he first came, he treated the officers and soldiers like a scourge, but now he took it calmly.

"There are also officers and soldiers at our house. Master Zhang and Master Song's house next door have been checked, but our house was not checked." Qu Ling'er smacked her lips, "Brother Qi came to look for me, I thought something was wrong, I didn't expect it to be Take you back to the temple."

"Brother Qi can find you, but I can't do it, right?" Su Cen glanced at the person, "Eat me, live with me, only you, Brother Qi, you little white-eyed wolf."

Qu Ling'er glanced at her mouth, with a grievance on her face, "I was worried that something might happen to you, and when I heard that you were looking for me, I got up as soon as I heard it," stretched out her hand to lift her robe, "Look, I'm wearing the wrong shoes gone."

Su Cen followed and lowered her head, only to see that Qu Ling'er had a black shoe and a red shoe on her feet, obviously not a pair of shoes.The resentment in my heart gradually disappeared, and I smiled at others, "I will buy you a crystal elbow later."

Qu Ling'er made an inch of it and said, "Then I want two taels of sweet-scented osmanthus wine."

While joking with Qu Linger, Su Cen heard someone calling him, followed the voice and saw Ning Santong was standing not far away, waving at him, and when he looked up again, he realized that he was near Taifu's mansion .

Su Cen brought Qu Ling'er over, and Ning Santong also came up to meet him. Seeing Su Cen frowned, "What's the matter? These people insist on going in and searching the Tai Tuo's mansion. They are so brave. There are still people in broad daylight. There is no law of the king?"

Su Cen: "...that's exactly what the prince meant."

Ning Santong frowned after hearing this, and whispered to Su Cen: "What happened?"

Su Cen thought for a while, and there was nothing to hide from Ning Santong, so he told the truth: "Some officials in Beijing have spies in their homes. The prince's move is also for the safety of the capital, so please bear with me."

Ning Santong nodded, but he was a bit embarrassed: "But the old man fell asleep. The wind was strong a few days ago, and the old man got a little cold while enjoying the chrysanthemum. It's rare to take a nap today. I'm afraid that these people will go in again. After the noise, he was quiet."

Su Cen thought about it, Taifu's mansion is not an idle place, Taifu Ning has been an official for decades, he has his own way of knowing people, and Taifu Ning has already retired in recent years, but only asked about the affairs of the court, secret door They shouldn't bother putting people here anymore.

Su Cen nodded at Ning Santong, "I'll go and tell them."

The officers and soldiers who searched were all from Xingqing Palace, so they naturally recognized Su Cen. After hearing Su Cen's confession, they turned around and headed for another place.

Ning Santong smiled gratefully: "Thank you very much."

Su Cen: "Brother Ning, you are welcome."

After exchanging a few words with Ning Santong, before leaving, Ning Santong suddenly said: "By the way, Song Fan has returned to Beijing, hasn't he?"

Su Cen was taken aback, then stopped and asked, "Did you see him?"

Ning Santong is not from the court, and he didn't know that Song Fan was from the secret door, so he nodded in a daze, "It was dark that day, and I didn't see clearly, but I saw a figure sneaking into the residence of Marquis of Ding'an. It wasn't until people entered that they realized that the figure looked a bit like Song Fan."

Song Yi helped hide Song Fan before, and there must be inextricable connections between him and the secret door, but he didn't expect Song Yi to be so blatant that he dared to take him in after Song Fan's identity was exposed.

Su Cen considered for a moment, turned around, and said to Qu Ling'er, "Let's meet Song Fan first."

The front of Ding'an Hou's mansion was also very lively. Song Yi lost the protection of the iron coupons of Danshu, but still kept the hostility on the battlefield. When people stood in front of the gate, the officers and soldiers outside the gate could only look at each other in blank dismay. Unable to move forward.

Those who are officials in the court, the more noble they are, the less they want to be searched by the government. Firstly, they lose face, and secondly, if something is found out, the higher they sit, the worse they fall.

It's just that this kind of resistance fell on Song Yi, and it was inevitable that he would be suspected of harboring.

Qu Ling'er pushed aside the surrounding officers and soldiers to escort Su Cen forward, only to see Su Cen bow his hands politely to Song Yi, "I've seen Lord Hou."

"It's you again?" After half a year, Song Yi naturally couldn't forget Su Cen. This man was Prince Ning's darling, and it was because he offended Ding'an Hou's mansion that his reputation ended in disgrace.Song Yi couldn't help frowning: "What are you doing here again?"

Su Cen narrowed his eyes lightly: "Master Hou doesn't know?"

Song Yi snorted coldly: "What do I know?"

Su Cen's eyes froze, "Someone saw Song Fan enter Ding'anhou's mansion."

Song Yi stared: "It's a bunch of nonsense!"

Su Cen said: "I know that Lord Hou and Song Fan have been fake fathers and sons for a period of time, and it is inevitable that they will have feelings when they get along day and night, but Song Fan is a criminal committed by the court. In order to stabilize the reputation of the Hou family for several generations, I hope the prince will take care of himself."

Song Yi laughed instead of anger, "Me and him? Father-son relationship? I'm afraid Mr. Su has some misunderstanding between us?"

Su Cen frowned slightly, but saw Song Yi turned sideways and stopped blocking the door, "Search if you want, but I'm afraid you will disappoint Lord Su. I don't have Song Fan here, and there is no Song Fan in this world. That person's surname Ji and Gou have nothing to do with me, anyway, his surname is not Song!"

Su Cen was a little shaken by Song Yi's behavior, but Ding'an Hou Mansion must search him to be at ease, and Song Yi's willingness to cooperate would be the best.Su Cen raised his hand to the officers and soldiers behind him, "Go and search."

Su Cen also followed into the Ding'an Hou Mansion under the name of the search, but he really didn't leave a good impression here at the time. After seeing a few conspicuous places, Su Cen couldn't look any further, so he followed Song Yi and waited in the main hall , Waiting for the search to end.

While waiting, Song Yi asked, "Who told you that Song Fan is with me?"

Naturally, Su Cen would not confess to Ning Santong, and only said, "A friend."

"Then I would like to advise Mr. Su to check your friend carefully."

Su Cen frowned. He had a very close relationship with Ning Santong, so naturally he wouldn't be suspicious of Ning Santong just because of Song Yi's words.But looking at Song Yi's appearance, he was indeed open and frank, not like lying.

Could it be that there is some key point in it that he didn't think of?Was he being used, or was Ning Santong being used?

The officers and soldiers who were going out to search in a daze came back one by one and told him that they did not find any trace of Song Fan.

In fact, Su Cen had already guessed such a result from Song Yi's performance, so who was the figure that Ning Santong said he saw?The eunuch Xiaoliuzi also said that it was Song Fan who brought him back with the Queen Mother Chu's token, that is to say, Song Fan might still stay in Beijing, so where could he be?

"Excuse me." Su Cen stood up and said goodbye.

Walking to the door, only Song Yi said behind him: "Investigating the secret door with your current ability is like hitting a stone with an egg. The secret door is far more complicated than you imagined. You can do it yourself."

After leaving the Marquis of Ding'an's mansion, Su Cen was still thinking about Song Yi's last sentence. Qu Ling'er said from the side, "What's going on? Didn't you say you saw Song Fan go in? How could there be no trace of Song Fan at all?" Woolen cloth?"

Su Cen knew what Qu Linger meant, so she couldn't express her doubts about Ning Santong, so she reminded him obliquely.

Su Cen understood Qu Ling'er's good intentions, so she smiled reassuringly, indicating that she understood.

Qu Ling'er couldn't say anything more, so she asked, "What should we do now?"

Su Cen turned around and asked the leader of the group of officers and soldiers behind him, "How is the investigation going?"

The leader stepped forward and replied: "The mansions of officials in central Beijing have been searched almost, but with little success. Except for a few insignificant people, no important people have been caught. But a few people left in a hurry. Traces can still be found, but the person is no longer there.”

Su Cen frowned. He informed Li Shi as soon as he heard the news. Li Shi acted vigorously and did not give the secret door any time to react. How could it be too late?

Su Cen thought about it from the beginning, from the time he found Tian Pingzhi's body, to Zhang He, Liu Zhen, to Xiaoliuzi and Song Fan, although the secret door was involved, it never stopped.In other words, asking Liu Zhen to surrender himself, sending the little six back, and letting the little six lead Song Fan out were even helping him solve the case.The secret door was hiding in the dark, pushing him forward with a secret force, what exactly was he trying to do?

Su Cen had a bad premonition, paused, and suddenly said to Qu Ling'er, "No, go back to Dali Temple!"

As soon as he entered the gate of Dali Temple, he collided with Xiao Sun. When Xiao Sun saw him, he immediately stammered: "My lord, my lord...it's not good..."

The expression on his face was one of horror that he had never seen before.

Su Cen's heart skipped a beat.

The prison in Dali Temple was full of people, and when they saw Su Cen coming in, they immediately looked over.

Zhang Jun was also in the crowd, and gave Su Cen a meaningful look. A moment later, he walked over heavily, patted Su Cen on the shoulder, but sighed heavily.

Su Cen stepped forward step by step across the crowd until he reached the two innermost cells.

A streak of solidified bright red was left on the mottled wall, and a human figure lay horizontally under the streak of bright red, its limbs were stiff, and it had already stopped breathing.

And in the cell next to him, the cell door was wide open, but the people inside were no where to be seen!