Shadow Guard stand-in

The next day, news came from Shoukang Palace that the concubine had committed suicide by taking poison.He Jue didn't say anything after hearing this, and calmly summoned the Minister of Taichang Temple and Li Qingyu, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to handle the funeral and other matters properly, and announced to the outside world that he was ill and died suddenly, covering up the truth of taking poison.The two close palace servants beside the concubine, because they behaved well in the palace office, were punished with salary and received dozens of punishments with sticks, and finally went to Chang'an Lane to clean the toilet, but they also saved their lives.

He Jue has always been tolerant, and never harshly treated palace officials and ministers, and even scolded when he was extremely angry, but he rarely punished them.Probably because he had seen the fierce methods of the former emperor, he always wanted to do some good deeds, to give others more opportunities, and to see bloody things as soon as they could be seen.

Because of the concubine's funeral, Jin Jiuye's canonization ceremony was not held, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs picked a date to send the imperial concubine's treasure, and He Jue took the opportunity to reward the six palaces.

As August entered, the weather seemed to be getting hotter and hotter. Jin Jiuye's wounds healed slowly, and the Tai Hospital used other medicines. At least it worked, and He Jue finally let go of his heart.The Mid-Autumn Festival feast cannot be held, Jin Jiuye does not like to attend these occasions, so He Jue simply invited some high-ranking ministers in the Jiaotai Palace, and a few people headed by the Northern Qi Mission. After showing a side, he went back to Xuan Yi Division.

Honglu Temple handed over a letter written by the Prince of Northern Qi, saying that he apologized for Lang Di's recklessness, and sincerely asked His Majesty the Southern Tang Emperor to help him and seek the whereabouts of the Seventeenth Prince.

He Jue gave this letter to Qi Lezhi, and asked him what he thought. Qi Lezhi thought for a moment and said, "Now the internal situation in Northern Qi is unknown. According to the prince of Xuanyi Division, the prince of Northern Qi is about to be attacked by the enemy, but since ten The Seventh Prince escaped from the Northern Qi Dynasty, so this letter is very strange."

He Jue nodded, "I don't want to meddle in the affairs of Beiqi, but they killed Yang Guogong's family, this matter can't be left alone, the real culprit must be punished."

"Naturally, but more importantly, when did Lang Wan pretend to be Medical Officer Bai, and where did the real Miss Bai go?" Qi Lezhi frowned, "Your Majesty, that's the Yang family." The only bloodline."

"I understand." He Jue didn't get any useful information from the concubine. It can be seen that the nine princesses just took advantage of the hatred in the concubine's heart.

Even if she knows so many things about Nantang, is her purpose really just to hunt down and kill Lang Wan, or there are other conspiracies behind it.And what is the relationship between the Yang family and the Sun Moon Temple? According to their rules, the death of Yang Guogong is a bit strange.It sounds cruel, but it makes people can't help but think about it.

"Has there been any changes in the posthouse in recent days?" He Jue asked.

Qi Lezhi led the Jingji Guards to guard the Northern Qi Mission and others, and he had the most contact with them on weekdays. He shook his head, "It's been the same as usual for the past half a month. Except for three meals a day, Lang Qing seldom shows up in front of everyone. Show up. In the past few days, she didn't even leave the door, and it was the maid who brought food to her room..."

"So, how many days have you not seen Lang Qing?" He Jue said alertly.

Qi Lezhi also came to his senses, "Your Majesty thinks Lang Qing will escape?"

He Jue just looked at him without saying a word, Qi Lezhi recalled, "It's been four or five days, I'm going back to the post house to check."

"Mmm." He Jue's expression was indistinguishable.

The main hall of the Jiaotai Hall was full of harmony. There were good wine drinkers in the Northern Qi Mission, and they even competed with the ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty, drinking one cup after another, laughing and joking, and there seemed to be no estrangement.

He Jue didn't want to go back to the banquet, so he walked out from the side hall, Zhang Fu followed behind him, step by step.

A black figure jumped up ahead, Zhang Fu almost stepped forward to protect He Jue, but the palace lantern on the corridor was shining, the man plopped on his knees, short of breath.Take a closer look, it's a dark guard.

"Your Majesty, Lord Shadow Guard, please go to the Xuanyi Division as soon as possible. Lang Di has an important explanation."

He Jue was still holding the letter written by the Prince of Beiqi in his hand. At this moment, a light flashed in his mind, and he suddenly thought of a neglected issue. The Prince seemed to have said nothing to his own sister. Mention, caring about a clan minister is more than that of the nine princesses.

If it is said that the tragedy of the Yang family's extermination was done secretly by the Northern Qi forces and cannot be brought out in the open, it would be understandable for Lang Yao not to mention He Jue.But Lang Qing, as a princess of a country, stayed in Xijing for more than a month without personal freedom, almost equivalent to the situation of a proton, shouldn't Lang Yao express it?

Even if the two parties are not in the same party, and it is possible to meet each other privately, they are in the same position when facing Nan Tang.As far as the mind of the Northern Qi prince is concerned, if it is not possible to make such unseemly jokes, then there is only one explanation.

Did he do it on purpose, to remind the Southern Tang monarch to pay attention to this person, or to tell the other party that Lang Qing could not return to Northern Qi.

Xuanyi Division.

Lang Di was imprisoned by Jin Jiuye for more than half a month, the food and drinks he had at first were gone, and he only had a bowl of white rice to hang himself every day, no matter how noisy he was, the dark guards would not be moved.In the end, I was hungry and lost more than a dozen catties, and my whole body was as useless as a salted fish.

On this mid-autumn day, the outside was full of joy, but Xuanyi Division's dungeon was still damp and dark, and there were no lights at night, only an oil lamp in the corridor was barely able to provide light.

There was a small iron window on the wall to see the night sky outside. There was a full moon hanging on the sky. He stared at it for a long time, and the anxiety in his heart became more and more intense. It has been a month since he entered the territory of Southern Tang Dynasty. What a sight.

"Come on, I want to see you Lord Shadow Guard!"

Half an hour later, Lang Di was detained in the interrogation room. He Jue, who had just come out of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet and was dressed in court clothes, strode in. His eyes were not on Lang Di for the first moment, but on Jin Jiu who was standing beside Lang Di. night.

The man in black didn't notice this, his face was serious and cold, and he didn't respond to He Jue.

He Jue withdrew his gaze and looked at Lang Di: "What's the matter?"

Lang Di had just said something to Jin Jiuye, but now facing He Jue, he organized his words to speak in more detail.

"Your Majesty, I came here with the best intentions of His Royal Highness, just for the friendship and alliance between the two countries." He saluted sincerely, appearing more humble and pious than when they first met.

He Jue said coldly: "But you scolded me for fear of guilt that day, I can't hear any kindness in your words."

Lang Di broke into cold sweat, and his tone was extremely respectful, "It's my fault, but I also have good intentions. If not, I'm still under the control of the nine princesses at this moment. How can I be honest with your majesty? I hope your majesty will ignore the past. , forgive me for my short-term tongue."

He Jue snorted coldly, and stopped repeating the old story, "If you have anything to explain, let's talk about it."

Lang Di breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly contributed the biggest secret, "Actually, the Temple of the Sun Moon is not a cult, but a common belief of the people of the Northern Qi Dynasty. Unfortunately, in the past two years, the teachings have been divided, and two groups of conservatives and radicals have gradually emerged. Kind. The radical faction evolved from the remnants of the Wolf Smoke Riders back then. They have always been vicious and brutal, with force and killing as their standard of conduct, and their leader is the Nine Princesses."

Speaking of which, he deliberately looked at He Jue, but He Jue was expressionless, not shocked at all.

He was amazed at the calmness of the Southern Tang monarch, and then continued: "The conservatives are gradually weakening, and His Royal Highness, as the crown prince, has no way to deal with it. Later, he was fully occupied by the eighth prince and others. The entire Sun Moon Temple became more and more smoky. His Highness came to his senses, everything is irreversible."

"Why did Lang Wan flee to Southern Tang?"

Lang Di sighed, and said: "The Seventeenth Prince tried to turn the situation around for His Royal Highness, so he went into danger alone. Later, he was discovered by the Eighth Prince and others, and the last trace was left in the Southern Tang Dynasty. The Southern Tang Dynasty is not like the Northern Qi Dynasty. The Ninth Princess is impossible. Blatantly plundering and killing a prince, he followed the minister into Xijing in the name of the envoy. In fact, the entire mission and the guards only obeyed the orders of the nine princesses, and the minister was always restrained by the nine princesses..."

"So you use the method of humiliating my noble concubine to escape from the control of the nine princesses?"

"Yes..." Lang Di bowed his head, and suddenly sensed the lingering hatred in He Jue's cold tone, and hurriedly explained, "This minister is not serious about disrespecting Lord Shadow Guard, but to remind Your Majesty that the Sun Moon Temple intends to It's not good for Lord Shadow Guard."

"Really, why didn't I see it?" He Jue sneered, "Now that things have come to an end, naturally, what you say is what you say."

"Your Majesty, what I said is true." Lang Di anxiously said, "Master Shadow Guard has been chasing the Sun Moon Temple for a long time, most of the forces in the Southern Tang Dynasty have been destroyed, and the remaining ones are less than one or two, and they can only dormant. The Ninth Princess has long been I have a grudge against Lord Shadow Guard, not to mention she admires Wolf Smoke Cavalry, everyone knows that Wolf Smoke Cavalry was maimed by General Jin Lie, and Lord Shadow Guard..."

"What?" He Jue looked solemn, and his tone was a little more coercive.

Lang Di was startled, and his voice was much lower, "I have no proof, but I heard the occasional mention of the nine princesses, it seems that Lord Yingwei has some relationship with General Jin Lie, so the nine princesses have already done something against them. Lord Shadow Guard's plan."

"What plan?" He Jue asked.

Lang Di shook his head, "This minister doesn't know, but the Seventeenth Prince may know."

"Prince Seventeen?" Jin Jiuye said suddenly, and glanced at He Jue at the same time.

He Jue denied it with his eyes, and Lang Di observed his words, "Isn't the Seventeenth Prince in the hands of Xuan Yisi?"

"Why do you think so?" Jin Jiuye asked nonchalantly.

He knew very well that it was impossible for anyone in Xuanyi Division to leak secrets to the other party. Although the dark guards occasionally gossip and slack off, they are also utterly loyal.And Lang Wan turned into a white medical officer, but even everyone hid away. During this period, he never got along with Lang Di, and his identity was revealed after Lang Di was imprisoned. It stands to reason that Lang Di would not know about them. The Seventeenth Prince who has been looking for is actually living next door to him.

Hearing this, Lang Di couldn't help but wondered: "Isn't it? People who have entered the territory of Southern Tang, and even the Ninth Princess can't be found, can only be in the Xuanyi Division."

"No wonder, Lang Yao has been asking me for someone." He Jue understood, "This Lang Wan is really tricky."

Lang Di explained almost everything that should be explained. He bowed his head and said to the main topic: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness and the Southern Tang Dynasty have always been on good terms. He also helped His Majesty when the Five Kings were in chaos. At this time of crisis, I ask Your Majesty to help you. .”

"How can I intervene in the internal affairs of Northern Qi?" He Jue was unmoved, and his tone was extremely indifferent, "As for the rebellion of the five kings, I have already paid the corresponding price. Do you still want to blackmail me based on this?"

"I don't dare." Lang Di was so worried that he could only retreat to the bottom line, "If Your Majesty can detain Princess Nine and prevent her from returning to Northern Qi, maybe it can help the Crown Prince."

He Jue thought for a moment, glanced at Jin Jiuye, saw the man nodded, and said, "Sun Moon Temple killed me, Nantang Gongqing, how can Xuan Yi Division let the suspect escape when handling the case?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lang Di quickly thanked, and then bowed to Jin Jiuye, "Thank you, Lord Yingwei."

"Go down." He Jue ordered the dark guards to take him back to the cell. Jin Jiuye stared at him for a long time, then suddenly said, "Wait."

"What else is there for Lord Shadow Guard?" Lang Di asked puzzled.

Jin Jiuye stepped forward and said: "You just said that the Seventeenth Prince was in danger alone, did he sneak into the Sun Moon Temple?"

It's no wonder Jin Jiuye asked this question, he just felt that Lang Wan seemed to know too much about the Sun Moon Temple, if the other party was not in the same camp as the Ninth Princess, then he shouldn't even know about the dark forces in Southern Tang.You must know that in the past one or two months, because of Lang Wan's clues, Xuan Yisi pulled out dozens of killers from the Sun Moon Temple, plus the 13 people killed in the Yang Guogong case, I am afraid that the Ninth Princess can use it now. Yes, there are very few of them.

Lang Di quickly explained this: "As we all know, the Seventeenth Prince and the Nineteenth Prince are twins, they look very similar, and the Nineteenth Prince is loyal to the Eighth Prince. If you are the leader, then the nineteenth prince can be regarded as the leader of the conservative faction."

"So, Lang Wan borrowed Lang Xiao's identity?" He Jue pointed out.

"Exactly." Lang Di nodded, "Your Majesty, ordinary people cannot tell the difference between the two princes. According to the maid who took care of the prince, the nineteenth prince has a red birthmark on the sole of his foot, but the seventeenth prince does not."

"Then the nineteenth prince is at odds with the ninth princess?" He Jue quickly thought of the intention of Jin Jiuye's question.

"That's not true. The members of the Eighth Prince's Party are all exquisite and scheming. It seems that they are at odds, but they may not really be at odds."

For the rest, there is nothing to ask.He Jue waved his hand, signaling the dark guards to take him away, and then asked Jin Jiuye: "Do you think the person living in Xuanyi Division is Lang Wan or Lang Xiao?"

Jin Jiuye affirmed, "Lang Xiao."

He Jue smiled, and stretched out his hand to help someone straighten the messy hair on his temples, "Brother Ye is very discerning."

Jin Jiuye looked at He Jue, "Master, thank you."

"If it's Lang Xiao, then Bai Zhilan's whereabouts must be found out by force."

Jin Jiuye nodded, "Don't worry, leave it to your subordinates."

"Don't let him take another look." He Jue said softly, Jin Jiuye didn't know why, so he just assumed that the other party knew some weird tricks, "Why should my subordinates avoid him?"

"I don't like the way he looks at you." Knowing that men won't understand, He Jue said it more bluntly, "Do you know why I didn't believe his nonsense early on?"

Jin Jiuye shook his head, He Jue smiled and said: "Because he said that he would be with Bai Zhilan until death, but in his eyes he was thinking about my Lord Shadow Guard, he..."

He Jue moved closer, breathing heavily in Jin Jiuye's ear, "He doesn't like women, if he takes one more look at you, I'll be jealous."

Jin Jiuye felt that the master's expression and tone were a little strange, but he couldn't tell what was going on.Ever since he confessed the past about Taiyin Lake last time, the master has become more and more weird, and he is always clinging to him, calling him little brother, little fairy, and even calling him sweetheart. In front of the palace servants, he felt goose bumps all over his body.

It seems that she has really become the demon concubine who confuses the king.

It was meant to be a serious matter, but the master dragged it to another place, but he had nothing to refute, so he could only rely on the master.

"When the subordinates go down, they will cover the top, and people will not be able to see it at all." Jin Jiuye was very helpless, and it took him a long time to come up with such a good idea.

He Jue was so angry that he stretched out his hand to touch Jin Jiuye's forehead, "Yum wood head."

After a long while, He Jue said again: "I will be resting in Yongshou Palace tonight, come back to accompany me soon."

Jin Jiuye secretly sighed, but didn't show it on his face, "Master, you have been kissing and touching for most of the night last night, please forgive me today."

He Jue's face turned red when he was told, and he said, "It's no use begging for mercy."

Jin Jiuye was silent, "Master, you can make it clear if you want to sleep with me."

"You..." He Jue really couldn't do anything about this man, "You should be ashamed anyway, this is Xuan Yisi, not an impenetrable wall."

When the guard on duty patrolling the dungeon passed by, Jin Jiuye fell silent and didn't reply to He Jue's words, but He Jue couldn't help asking again: "Brother Ye, are you willing?"

Jin Jiuye really felt that the master's clever head seemed to be stolen by someone, so he repeated helplessly, "The subordinates have never been unhappy."

He Jue was happy for a moment, and then his face fell down, "But you still don't like me."

Jin Jiuye was taken aback for a moment, do you like it?Doesn't he like the master enough?He has always liked his master since he was a child, and he has never been close to others. He even doesn't recognize the dark guards under his hands. Isn't that enough?

I really don't know what the master is thinking in his heart, and what exactly he needs to do to complete the task.It is said that the king's heart is unpredictable, and Jin Jiuye has a deep understanding at this moment. It is too difficult for this beloved concubine to do.It would be easier to pry Lang Xiao's mouth open.

"Forget it, let's not talk about it, just stay by my side." He Jue said in a warm voice, giving the man in front of him all his tenderness.