Go back to ancient times to explore the case

Once the majestic pagoda collapsed, it was completely reduced to a pile of remnants. When the smoke cleared, the front of the hall was in chaos. Someone in the palace shouted sharply: "Your Majesty, quickly protect Your Majesty!"

There are also palace maids and harem women crying in panic, and even officials screaming.

Yan Qingchuan stared at the chaotic scene in front of him in astonishment, then looked back at Xie Yu'an, "This...is the method you said?"

Xie Yu'an shook his head, "This pagoda is a shabby project, I just helped a little bit, let's see if this glamorous Qitian Pagoda collapses, there will be some dark things floating on the water."

Yan Qingchuan obviously didn't recover from the earth-shattering explosion just now, Xie Yu'an pushed her out of the palace, "Don't worry, Mr. Yan, no one was injured, these people who are ringing bells and eating food are too timid."

Yan Qingchuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, Xie Yu'an interrupted her: "Okay, okay, the show is over, we should go back and prepare to catch the snake that came out of the hole."

Then the two returned to Qingtian Division, and the news from the palace also spread. Some courtiers insisted that the quality of the pagoda itself was faulty, which led to the collapse of the dynasty. However, the voices of this group of people were quickly suppressed. The reason was nothing more than that if it was claimed to be a crime from heaven, wouldn't that mean that Emperor Yuan Qian, who is the son of heaven, had done something wrong?

Therefore, this grand prayer event ended in embarrassment. The final statement to the public was that the supervisors filled their own pockets and secretly replaced cheap materials.Even if dozens of officials from the Ministry of Industry were imprisoned for this, Ling Rui, who was the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, could not escape the blame. He was thrown into prison by Emperor Yuan Qian's edict, and became a "neighbor" with Gongsun Zan.

Gongsun Zan looked at Ling Rui, who had disheveled hair on his temples and was out of breath in the opposite cell, and said expressionlessly, "Lord Ling, don't come here in good health."

Ling Rui gave him a hard look, "Shut up."

The old god Gongsun Zan was leaning against the wall on the ground, no longer his usual majestic appearance, crossed his legs, and said tauntingly, "Right now, Lord Ling may become an abandoned child like Gu Qifeng. I don't know how you feel?"

"Gongsun Zan, what are you proud of?! Do you think you can go out after I come in? Just dream, let me tell you, if that person wants you dead, you will never be able to live. Do you think Yan Qingchuan can really save you? She It's a fool's dream to save your life even if I can't save my own life."

Gongsun Zan frowned with anger, and said with a sneer, "I see you have been treated like a dog for a long time, only barking wildly."

"you--!"

"That's enough, what's the fuss?" A jailer came over after hearing the commotion, and scolded the two men whose rank was several times his senior before being imprisoned.

Ling Rui sank his anger, turned to face the wall, and stopped talking.After a while, he heard three footsteps approaching, one of which was very familiar, he turned around immediately, and met the approaching Ling Yan.

Ling Rui's expression was startled, and he said, "Yan'er..."

Ling Yan rushed out of the prison door, clutching the iron door railing tightly, her eyes were red, and she mumbled: "Father, you...why do you work for a traitor, you... You are not such a person."

A look of shame flashed across Ling Rui's face. He looked at Yan Qingchuan and Xie Yu'an, who had brought Ling Yan, and knew that they had told Ling Yan everything.

He lowered his head and his body was stooped, "I have a last resort for my father..."

"No matter how difficult you are, you shouldn't abandon your conscience and help the evildoers." Xie Yu'an said flatly.

Ling Rui looked up at her, with unwillingness and resentment on his face, "What do you know?! That man threatened me with my family's life, what can I do? Do you want me to watch my wife and child die in front of me!"

Yan Qingchuan stepped forward and asked, "Who is that person?"

Ling Rui fell silent immediately.

"Father, why don't you speak up by this time? If you speak out, we will tell His Majesty, and His Majesty will understand your difficulties and punish you lightly. If you still refuse to speak now, the Ling family will be completely ruined. "Ling Yan showed a sad face, and tried hard to persuade.

Ling Rui shook his head, his eyes were reddish, and he looked helpless, "It's not that I don't want to say it, but I don't know who that person is. That person has always covered his face with a mask when he sees me. I only know that he is a man, and he is The mysterious and unpredictable Master of the Promise Pavilion, he has trained hundreds of assassins and secret guards under his command.

In this capital, as long as he wants to take someone's head, the head will be separated in the next moment. I have seen his power. After all, even Yan Shangshu, the head of the hundred officials, was murdered by him and died unjustly. The Yan family has withered since then, how dare we contend with it. "

Gongsun Zan on the opposite side sneered, "It's not just to excuse yourself. Although Yan Shangshu is dead, his arrogance still exists. Although you are alive, you are like a walking corpse."

Yan Qingchuan turned to face him and said, "Lord Siwei, please stop saying a few words for now."

Gongsun Zan frowned, but kept his mouth shut even though he was reluctant.

"Lord Ling, what is the unfinished secret passage leading to the outside of the palace under the stupa, what is it used for?" Xie Yu'an asked.

Ling Rui glanced at her, "You got the news quickly. The pagoda collapsed in the morning, and you will know the secret passage below it. Presumably, you are also responsible for the collapse of the pagoda, right?"

Xie Yu'an nodded noncommittally.

"I don't know the specific role, but I can remind you that he has close contacts with the commander of the imperial army."

The commander of the imperial army, in charge of the guards of the palace, and the secret passage outside the palace, combined with the combination of these two, can suddenly rise up when the time is right, capture the emperor alive, control the inner court, and then change the dynasty.

Xie Yu'an and Yan Qingchuan glanced at each other, their faces became solemn, the people behind the scenes had planned so far, if they hadn't blown up the pagoda and forced Ling Rui to speak, wouldn't they have to wait for the day when that person rebelled and usurped the throne to find out what happened? people.

"Now you have been exposed. According to his behavior, he should have already forged the evidence that he poured all the sewage on your head. At the same time, he will also send someone to get rid of your useless pawn. If you want to survive, then We can only go ahead with him." Xie Yu'an looked at Ling Rui and asked: "Master Ling, now is a good opportunity for you to abandon the dark and turn to the bright, it depends on how you do it."

Ling Rui struggled, hesitated for a while and asked, "How can I trust you to protect me and my family?"

Xie Yu'an smiled lightly: "Master Ling, I don't speak very nicely, but I still have to say, you have no choice now, right? You still have a chance to survive if you are stubborn That would be suicide."

Ling Rui's pupils were slightly opened, his lips were parted, and after a long time, he finally spit out the word "good". He sighed heavily, took out a piece of jade from his bosom and handed it to Ling Yan: "Yan'er, in my name, you will Give this item to the commander of the guards of the mansion, don't say anything else. This person was sent by the Wuji Pavilion to monitor me, and it was this person who connected me when I negotiated with the other party.

This thing is a life-saving thing that the pavilion master gave me. He said that if I am in danger in the future, as long as I take out this thing, he can protect me from death. Now that I think about it, this is not a life-saving talisman, it is clearly a life-saving talisman. "

Ling Yan took the jade, took a deep look at Ling Rui, and left the prison to deal with the matter.

Ling Rui's spine was bent, and he propped his forehead and said, "I've said everything I need to say. I don't have any information you want here."

Xie Yu'an frowned and asked, "How much do you know about the tax and bank corruption case that Yan Shangshu was framed for?"

Mentioning the old things, Ling Rui's expression was in a daze for a moment, as if he was recalling, and after a while he said: "I only know from some conversations with this person that he and Yan Shangshu should be very familiar back then. It has been said more than once that Yan Shangshu missed the opportunity to conspire with him for a great cause.

In the past years, he was caught by Yan Shangshu. After he pretended to change his past, Yan Shangshu let him go, and then he started to steal tax money, and after conspiring with others to steal tax, he took advantage of the situation The incident was planted on Yan Shangshu, which contributed to the tax theft case that shocked the world. "

Xie Yu'an noticed that Yan Qingchuan's breathing was becoming chaotic, she reached out her hand calmly, took Yan Qingchuan's tightly clenched hand, bit by bit opened her fingers that were stuck in her palm, and moved her own fingers into her palm, Hold on tight.

"As you said, this person is someone Yan Shangshu is familiar with, an official of the court. As far as I know, he also has close contacts with Minister Xie of the Household Department. Based on these two clues, do you have any doubts?"

Ling Rui shook his head: "Shangshu Yan's disciples were all over the court back then. He was approachable, gentle and kind, and he knew many people well. Moreover, the court officials have changed several times over the years, so no one can guess who it is."

Xie Yu'an noticed that Yan Qingchuan's hand tightened again, and seeing that she couldn't find any clues now, she greeted Gongsun Zan and led Yan Qingchuan out of the dungeon.

Outside the prison, the night is getting darker, tonight is a day without stars and moon, and it really deserves the saying that the moon is dark and the wind is high and murderous night.

"Lord Yan, don't worry, that person's fox tail can't be hidden anymore, the Yan family is full of grievances, and there will be a day when the grievances will be rehabilitated."

Yan Qingchuan's clenched palms suddenly loosened, Xie Yu'an hurriedly held up her hands, looked at the slightly red fingerprints on Bai Jing's palms, and blew gently, "Next time you feel sad, just pinch me, don't do that to myself."

Yan Qingchuan's palm was blown by hot air, she withdrew her hand suddenly, turned her back and didn't look at Xie Yu'an, "Get down to business."

"Okay." After finishing speaking, Xie Yu'an followed Yan Qingchuan to the side of the prison, waiting for the prey to jump into the trap by itself.

Two hours later, the night was dark and windy, and the night was as silent as water. A cart carrying slops slowly drove towards the prison. Go to the back door of the prison.

With a flash in Xie Yu'an's eyes, he jumped out of the shadows pulling Yan Qingchuan, casually walked to the slop truck, and blocked it with his body.

The coachman stopped the carriage and said tremblingly, "Girl, what do you mean?"

Xie Yu'an grinned and showed his white teeth, "The old man doesn't know me now, his memory is not very good. Not long ago, you and I met once in Qingtian Si Da Prison."

The coachman's muddy eyes suddenly became clear. He glanced at Yan Qingchuan beside Xie Yu'an, and slowly stretched his hand into his sleeve, but Xie Yu'an would not give him another chance to sneak attack this time.

In an instant, dozens of black-robed dark guards descended from the sky holding a dense net, enveloping the coachman with his men and horses.

The horse was frightened and neighed continuously, the figure of the coachman soared several times, and the human-leather mask on his face was also cracked, revealing the face of a young man with a long scar across his brow bone. , but unexpectedly Xie Yu'an suffered a loss last time, so he was prepared for this trip.

The hidden guards all took out the iron masks to cover their faces, Xie Yu'an also pulled Yan Qingchuan to one side and quickly took out a cat-shaped mask from his sleeve to cover Yan Qingchuan's face, while he himself took out a fox mask Buckle it on the face, and at the same time raise your hand to cover Yan Qingchuan's eyes.

"Close your eyes."

Yan Qingchuan did as he was told, and after a while, he heard Xie Yu'an say to open his eyes again.

She opened her eyes, only to see a woman wearing a fox mask showing only a pair of smiling eyes. The ends of those eyes were slightly curved, and it was clearly at night, but the pupils seemed to be shining with starlight.

Yan Qingchuan suddenly felt his heart beating faster, he was stunned for a while, and did not respond.

Xie Yu'an took off his mask and waved his hand in front of her eyes, "Master Yan?"

Yan Qingchuan came back to his senses, coughed lightly and passed Xie Yu'an to see the situation over there.Right now, the assassin who came to assassinate Ling Rui has been trapped by the big net, unable to escape, surrounded by dozens of black-robed dark guards, and among them, she recognized a person she had seen before. It can be seen that that person is the one who brought Xie Yu'an back to the mansion.

Yan Qingchuan frowned slightly and said, "These people are also your subordinates?"

"Ah."

"The person who sent you back to the mansion that day, why would he call himself a subordinate in front of me?"

Xie Yu'an squinted and smiled, "What's mine is yours, and if they are loyal to me, they are also loyal to you."

Yan Qingchuan slightly opened his lips, but did not make a sound. Looking at Xie Yu'an's bright smiling face, she almost blurted out for a moment, "What about you, are you mine?"