Reincarnation of the powerful minister

In Yanfu Temple, the door of a quiet room opened quietly.Ruan Hongjiao went up to meet her and supported Concubine Wei's outstretched hand.

Concubine Wei stepped over the threshold and let out a long breath.

An entire hour has passed since she entered the quiet room and came out now.Ruan Hongjiao looked at her calmly, and found that her clothes were neat, her temple hair was not messed up at all, but her eyes were rippling, and her cheeks were flushed with unfading spring love.

Even though she had been through a lot of experience, she couldn't be sure for a while, whether these two lonely men and widows were in the same room in the dark, did they go to Wushan together?

She hesitated for a moment, and asked in a low voice: "Is your empress going to the main hall again, or returning to the palace?"

Concubine Wei turned her head to look at her, the unquenchable eagerness was still rippling in her eyes, and even the tone of her voice revealed a lingering aftertaste of excitement: "You said, what is the most important thing for a woman?"

Ruan Hongjiao guessed along her mind: "Would you like to have someone with one heart and never leave each other?"

Concubine Wei shook her head: "That's just icing on the cake. I finally figured it out, why should I bet my life on a certain man for an illusory never-changing heart? Even if the other party is the emperor, it's not worth it. There are still men who are worthy of my trust and entrustment, so now there is only one person—”

Is it... the Mr. Crane in the house?Ruan Hongjiao looked at the door.

Concubine Wei shook her head again: "It's my own son, Zhao'er."

"Mr. He is right, you can't have both. If I can't abandon distracting thoughts and concentrate on paving the way for Zhao'er, if I still have many scruples and can't let go, I will end up empty-handed." She bowed her head. Looking at the bright red Kou Dan on her fingertips, it looks like pieces of falling flowers that no one cares about on her light white fingers, "I dare not dye such a true red in the palace, because the Queen Mother likes to use this color.

"Whatever the Empress Dowager likes, there is no need to ask someone to buy it, from the Qionghua sent to the capital all the way, to the monks and priests who come and go in and out of the palace. Her son, who is the most important of the country, has ever criticized this ? But they are so harsh on my mother clan. In the final analysis, mother and son are truly one-hearted people!"

Concubine Wei suddenly chuckled: "What did I tell you this? You are a firework woman, and I am afraid that you will never have a son who can stand on stage in this life, so you will save the planning and effort in this regard."

Ruan Hongjiao was crying blood with bitter hatred in her heart, but she had an indifferent look on her face: "Your Majesty said yes. I come from such a slave family, and I only want to live comfortably for the rest of my life. I can't care about any children. If I become pregnant, Still have to worry about how to deal with it.”

Concubine Wei smiled and said: "I value you because you know the current affairs and put yourself in the right place. If you help me accomplish something, I will cancel your humble status and give you the status of a noble lady."

Ruan Hongjiao seemed to be dazed by the unexpected joy, and said in surprise: "Mother! What kind of virtue and ability is there for my slave to receive such a great favor... I will repay it with all my heart!"

She knelt down and kowtowed to the imperial concubine Wei to thank her.Concubine Wei pressed her shoulders and said, "I haven't finished my words yet."

Ruan Hongjiao burst into tears of gratitude: "Please show me, Madam."

Concubine Wei said: "This matter is difficult to say, but it is not difficult... According to your means, it is very suitable for you to entrust this matter to you, but you have to risk the whole family and even implicate the nine clans, do you dare? "

Ruan Hongjiao was stunned for a moment, and then a look of determination appeared on her face: "Wealth and wealth are sought in danger. With such a low status as the slave family, one day there will be no one to support them, and I'm afraid they won't even be able to eat a full meal. Besides, the slave family has What is there to talk about? My parents betrayed me, my elder brother broke the law and was exiled, and my clansmen are ashamed of me, and I still care about their lives? Why don’t you give it a go!”

Concubine Wei nodded in satisfaction, helped her up, took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve, and put it in her hand.

"What is this?" Ruan Hongjiao asked.

Concubine Wei asked back: "Do you know about the stone pillar prophecy?"

Ruan Hongjiao hesitated and said: "My family has heard some rumors in the market... But Madam, don't worry, this matter is too absurd, and most people will not believe it."

What she said is contrary to the facts. Most people are keen to spread rumors and add fuel to the story, and they speak with their noses and eyes.

Concubine Wei didn't care anymore, she had more urgent matters to plan.

"The prince is investigating this matter. Hmph, it's just a thief calling for a thief. But he must make some achievements to show his father. For this reason, he did not hesitate to offend the Ministry of Household Affairs and inspected many officials involved in the Yishan Bureau. Some officials have a guilty conscience and try to find ways Going to get through the prince's joints, the jewels and beauties secretly given by the prince were kept by the prince as evidence of bribery, which is the so-called throwing a stone at one's own foot."

Ruan Hongjiao said: "It seems that although the prince is young, he doesn't take hard things."

Concubine Wei said: "There is no one who is impeccable, not to mention he is only 15 years old. The prince checked the information at the Yishan Bureau tonight and did not return to the palace. This is your great opportunity."

"What should I do?" Ruan Hongjiao asked.

Concubine Wei whispered, "Tonight you are the daughter of the official who threw the well. You went to see the prince in private, saying that your father told you the inside story before he died, so you want to find the prince to avenge your father. For this reason, the prince will definitely meet with you." you."

Ruan Hongjiao nodded as she listened: "Not only do I want to see the prince, but I also want to find a way to be alone with him... so in this bottle?"

"Snake venom." Concubine Wei's voice was cold, "As long as you can scratch a wound on his body, the poison will be infected and his throat will be sealed with blood."

Ruan Hongjiao was terrified when she heard it, tried her best not to show any strangeness, and said with a low smile: "Your Majesty is right, I am indeed the most suitable candidate. Although I am a weak woman, I have scratched many strong and powerful men. , but they still wish for it, and wish they could suffer a few more times."

Concubine Wei curled up her rosy lips: "I don't know what you are capable of. The crown prince is just at a young age, so he must be more likely to be recruited. After the matter is completed, I will send someone to pick you up from the secret passage under the Yishan Bureau." Leave. Put another girl's corpse next to the prince, as an arrangement to avenge the father and die together. In this way, Zhu Helin will not only die in Jiuquan, but also ruin his reputation."

Ruan Hongjiao interjected: "Plus, the common people have more and more bizarre things to talk about, so who will talk about the stone pillar?"

Concubine Wei shook her finger: "You are really my confidant."

Ruan Hongjiao thought to herself: I'm afraid that my confidant will die faster than anyone else once something happens.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely fulfill my mission." She put away the bottle, supported Concubine Wei's hand again, and walked towards the main hall together.

When the maids and guards saw the imperial concubine driving, they could only follow behind without being summoned.

Ruan Hongjiao made up her mind, and pretended to be worried: "This servant suddenly remembered something. When I was young, I heard from the villagers that snake venom is easy to rot, and the hotter the weather, the harder it is to preserve. Can the poison in this bottle survive the night? "

"I don't know about this palace, but since Mr. He extracted and prepared it himself, he must have taken this into consideration. After you go back, try it with a living thing and you will know."

"In case it doesn't work after trying it, where can I find the same snake venom? Can I go to Mr. Crane directly?"

Concubine Wei thought for a while, and said: "Of course I'm looking for him. When you ask this question, I suddenly remembered that the little mouse that Mr. He begged to leave... So it's not about releasing life, but about killing it."

She covered her mouth and smiled, "Fortunately, he is still a layman, such behavior...is more interesting. Also, if he is really a disciplined person, how could he—" swallowed the second half of the sentence without mentioning it.

"Little rat?" Ruan Hongjiao's mind flashed, "Mr. He raises snakes? What kind of snake, where do you keep it?"

"He doesn't go out very much, maybe he's kept in the guest room of the Marquis Mansion, you've gone to him, haven't you seen him?"

Ruan Hongjiao shook her head: "I haven't seen it before. My family is afraid of snakes, so it's better not to see them."

Concubine Wei said: "What's so scary. When I was a child, a snake crawled through the wall, I grabbed the tail and shook it, and the joints fell apart, and the thief slipped away..." She was startled, coughed quickly, and entered gracefully. The Daxiong Palace.

As soon as she stepped into the boudoir, Ruan Hongjiao ordered the maid: "Brew me a pot of tea."

The maid immediately set up a small red clay stove, filled the pot with water and put it on the stove to burn.

When the water was boiling, she asked her maid to catch two chickens in the backyard. First, she cut the neck of one of the roosters, took out the porcelain bottle from her bosom, and carefully wiped the frothy light yellow liquid inside the bottle.The rooster screamed a few times, and died of convulsions not long after.

The water was bubbling, Ruan Hongjiao threw the porcelain bottle into the pot, gurgled and boiled for a while, and then took it out with chopsticks.

She did the same with another hen.The hen was frightened, flapping its wings and running around, nothing happened.

Sure enough, it is snake venom, and it will be ineffective when boiled.Ruan Hongjiao lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then called her personal maid, and asked her to sneak out when it was dark, and pass a message to Master Su.

On the other hand, he changed his clothes again, took the porcelain vase with him, and went to the Marquis of Xian'an in a carriage.

Mr. He dared to instigate Concubine Wei to murder His Highness the Crown Prince, this person is definitely not just a simple guest of the Hou Mansion.Ruan Hongjiao suspects that there are not only snakes in his room, but also courtship tokens privately given by Concubine Wei, and things that can reveal his true identity are also indispensable.As long as such things can be found, even if it is only a note to send a letter to an accomplice, he can be convicted.

It should not be too late, if it is delayed until the time agreed with Concubine Wei tonight, and she has not set off to meet the prince at the Yishan Bureau as planned, the other party will definitely be suspicious.Losing his life is a minor matter, but if the prince is killed, it will be a major event that is earth-shattering.

The carriage that Ruan Hongjiao was riding in disappeared into the gradually falling twilight.

It was getting dark, and the lights in the courtyard were lit, illuminating a barbecue grill under the old peach tree.

Su Yan was making homemade barbecue sauce, reminding Xiao Jing to turn over the lamb chops on the rack from time to time to avoid burning them.

"Brother Xiaobei, why hasn't he come back? If we continue to dawdle like this, the lamb chops won't taste good until they're cooked!" Su Xiaojing muttered dissatisfied.

The courtyard door was opened, and Su Xiaobei walked in quickly, followed by a small peddler in a hurry.

"I asked you to buy pepper, why did you bring all the peddlers back? Hurry up, give me pepper... Hey little peddler, where is your burden?"

Su Xiaobei dragged Su Yan into the hall.The shopkeeper followed up the steps.

Su Xiaojing shouted loudly behind them: "Why is this... the pepper I want?"

"Shut up, you." Su Xiaobei took out an oiled paper bag and threw it back.

Su Xiaojing hurriedly caught it, and wanted to complain a few more words, when he suddenly smelled a burning smell: "Oh my lamb chops!"

In the living room, the shopkeeper took off his headscarf, revealing a delicate young girl's face.She said anxiously: "Master Su, I am Miss Ruan's maidservant. The first two notes were handed to this little brother by the slave. This time the girl asked the slave to come to the lord, so be sure to bring her words to your face— —”

"Quick! Xiaobei, gather all the guards left behind by King Yu, and stand by the back door!" Su Yan rushed down the steps in a hurry, and ordered while rushing to the stable, "Achai! Ahchai!"

Su Xiaobei reminded him: "Brother Zhui has already left, my lord..."

Su Yan's footsteps stopped for an instant, pain flashed across his face, and then he changed his words: "You ask Xiao Jing to notify the guards to gather, and then immediately go to Shen's residence and tell Shen Qi—"

Before he finished speaking, he heard a voice calling from above: "Master Su! If you want to find Mr. Shen, you just need to use a lowly position."

Su Yan looked up and saw that Gao Shuo was lying on the corner of the eaves of the neighbor's house—no, now that the deed is in his hands, it can be regarded as his house—and was looking this way.

"Gao Shuo? Why are you still lying on my roof... Forget it, this is not the time to talk about it. I am really short of manpower, and you came just in time."

Seeing that Su Yan didn't blame him, Gao Shuo hurriedly jumped off the roof, "If there's anything you need, just give me your orders."

Su Yan quickly sized him up: "How is your martial arts?"

"Your Excellency asked this question. Didn't you see it with your own eyes on the way to Shaanxi? When did you ever embarrass Master Shen? To put it bluntly, at least it's no worse than Chu Yuan's black charcoal head." Gao Shuo replied.

Su Yan didn't understand martial arts, so he couldn't tell the difference between the first-rate and the second-rate in Jing Hongzhui's mouth. Since Qilang was able to beat Ah Zhui evenly, his confidant, the spy, must also be good at martial arts, so he said, "Okay, you can help me out." Something. Do you recognize Ruan Hongjiao from Rouge Lane?"

Gao Shuo said with a smile, "Oiran, of course I recognize her. I went to Rouge Lane a few times just to listen to her singing... No, I went to Rouge Lane a few times to gather information."

"Okay, then I'll ask you to sneak into the Marquis of Xian'an, find Ruan Hongjiao, and bring her here safely."

"In the huge Hou's Mansion, does your lord have more accurate information?"

Su Yan said: "There is a man named Mr. He among the guests of the Hou's mansion. Ruan Hongjiao should have gone to see him. You can find him from the room where he lives. It is urgent, so hurry up! Otherwise, Ruan Hongjiao may have Life is at risk."

Gao Shuo nodded and said: "My lord, don't worry, I will try my best to complete the task."

Su Yan warned: "Be careful. This Mr. He is not an ordinary character. See if you can find some helpers."

Gao Shuo said: "My lord, don't worry, there are still two Jinyiwei spies nearby, I will invite them to go with me. I will send someone to inform you about Mr. Shen."

Su Xiaobei ran over panting: "My lord, the guards are assembled."

"Let's go, let's go to the Yishan Bureau." Su Yan went out the back door and got on his horse. "Whether Mr. He is the 'player' or not, we must be prepared for the other party to attack. I'm afraid Ruan Hongjiao is just one of them." One chess move, he has another backhand."

"There must be no accident to the prince!" He swung his whip and urged the horse, and galloped away with a group of guards amidst the howling wind.

When Su Xiaojing heard the movement, he chased after the back door with a long stick in his hand: "Then what about me, my lord, what can I do?"

Mr. Su has already left.Xiao Bei glanced at him: "You? Go ahead and roast your lamb chops."