Compared to the turbulent imperial court, the streets of Chang 'an were much calmer recently.
The incident at Renyi Hall was nothing to Xu Buling, but the repercussions were unbearable for the Jianghu people in Chang 'an.
Originally, Hutai Street was a gray area. The imperial court had always turned a blind eye to things that were done with discretion. But this time, the plot to assassinate the Crown Prince was too big. While the Li family was punished, a great purge followed and even Renyi Hall was sealed.
As the contact person for this incident, Master Chen benefited from Xu Buling's secret help. He was only fined some money and then cleared himself of any involvement.
But the Jianghu people were cautious and did not dare to do business in the limelight. Changle Street was crowded with people. The alley where Jianghu people used to flow in was now deserted and the lights at the entrance of the inn were also extinguished.
When the moon rose above the branches, the sound of footsteps echoed in the alley. A woman wearing a Daoist robe and a weft hat slowly walked to the entrance of the inn.
The thug guarding the door raised his hand to drive her away from a distance.
"It's closed. Recently, the inn has been renovated and is not open. Other places are not open either."
Chang 'an had a large population of millions. Naturally, there was more than one hub like Master Chen who connected the black and white. But after the chaos at Hutai Street, the underground of Chang' an almost stopped. Jianghu people naturally had nowhere to go and no chance to do anything big.
The Taoist nun stopped in front of the door and took out a silver ingot from her sleeve. She bowed slightly and cupped her hands.
"This poor Taoist is not here to do business. I am only looking for someone. Please help me inform them."
Her voice was so gentle that it made people feel like they were bathing in the spring breeze. Even a simple sentence could make people feel close to her.
The thug hesitated for a moment and looked up and down. If it was just looking for someone, it was not a big deal. After a moment of hesitation, he entered the inn and went upstairs to inform them.
A moment later, the door of the inn was opened.
The Taoist nun went up the stairs to the second floor. The furnishings on the second floor were like those of a nouveau riche. There were gold, silver, pearls and jade everywhere. The wall facing the street should have been repaired. The paint color was different. It looked like there was a big hole in it.
The tall Master Chen was sitting in front of the firewood making tea with a jade ring. He did not look good. He cupped his hands when he saw the Taoist nun coming over.
"My friend, it's not the right time to come to the capital."
The Taoist nun slightly nodded and sat on a small stool across the tea, "I'm not here to cause trouble."
"Hehe …" Chen Siye shook his head and sighed. "How can people of the pugilistic world not stir up trouble when they come out to roam the world? If they want to find someone, they can just go to the government.
The Daoist nun didn't comment. After a moment of silence, she said, "Before the new year, did a young lady come to find Chen Si Ye? He's a bit taller than me, so he should be masked as well. He's asked around for information on Zhang Xiang, the head of the Department of Investigation. "
Chen Siye's movements paused — the matter at Renyi Hall a few days ago was because the Su Prince wanted to protect Ning Qingye, which was why Chen Siye had been taken care of. Jianghu people had the life to earn money, but they also had the life to spend it. This information was obviously not to be revealed.
Thinking of this, Master Chen smiled and put down the teapot, shaking his head.
"There is one person, but he disappeared after asking for information. Taoist nun, you should ask elsewhere."
"Disappeared …"
The Taoist nun murmured. Knowing that she could not get anything out of him, she put down the silver ingot and left the inn.
…
Lanterns were lit all over the city. The lanterns on the eaves of Changle Palace swayed in the spring night wind. Because there were few people in the palace, all the maids went to bed at night.
In the bath room of the bedchamber, the Empress Dowager and Qiao E were lying together in a large white jade pool with a radius of nearly ten feet. Wisps of mist filled the air and fiery red petals floated on the surface of the water, swaying with the movements of their bodies.
Qiao E was lying on her side in the pool, carefully serving the Empress Dowager as she bathed. From time to time, she would look over the Empress Dowager's shoulder and then lower her head, showing a bit of envy in her eyes.
"Empress Dowager, you should rest early at night. Don't think too much. Look at Lady Lu. She embroiders and grows flowers all day. She is much more energetic. "
"Humph! She's just worried about Xu Buling, so there's naturally nothing to worry about. "
The Empress Dowager's long hair was coiled on her head. She absent-mindedly splashed the water and looked a bit worried.
After returning to the palace from the Xiao family that night, she felt a bit uneasy. She kept thinking about the conversation with her brother.
The Dragon Lock Insect came from the Xiao family, which was a big problem. Although she couldn't do anything to the Xiao family, the ancestors' reputation couldn't be ruined because of one sentence. Moreover, the ancestors didn't do anything evil. It was reasonable to keep the rare items to prevent them from being lost, but she couldn't say it publicly.
Xiang Xiao said there was no cure for the Dragon Lock Insect. If she told this news to Xu Buling, Xu Buling would definitely be scared out of his wits. If he vented his anger on her or the Xiao family, there would be big trouble.
But now that Xu Buling had found some clues that pointed to the Xiao family, she would investigate it herself even if she didn't say it. At that time, if she asked, she wouldn't be able to explain why she hid it …
After thinking about it, the Empress Dowager still felt that she should make it clear to Xu Buling. This way, no matter how heartless Xu Buling was, he wouldn't take it out on her and do something stupid …
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager stopped thinking and sighed faintly.
Qiao E wiped her smooth back and waist, thought for a moment, and looked at the tray with clothes next to her with some confusion. There was a green lotus Tibetan carp on it.
"Empress Dowager, where did the golden carp go? I couldn't find it when I changed and thought it was lost. I asked the palace maids, but they didn't know. If it was stolen by the palace maids, it would be a big deal … "
Naturally, the Empress Dowager couldn't explain where the undergarment went.
"I accidentally dirtied it and threw it away. There's no need to report to the treasury."
"Oh …"
Qiao E couldn't say anything. She helped the Empress Dowager get up from the bath and wiped the water with a towel.
The Empress Dowager put on the green ordinary lotus Tibetan carp and thin pants. Because she was going to bed soon, she didn't wear complicated clothes. She directly wrapped a furry blanket around her body and returned to the bedroom behind the palace.
"Go and rest. Tomorrow, send an invitation to the Su Palace and ask Xu Buling to come in the afternoon."
"Oh, okay."
Qiao E bowed and walked to the room at the side with the lantern.
In the spacious bedroom, a dazzling array of strange objects shone faintly under the candlelight.
After the Empress Dowager turned and closed the door, she untied the blanket and turned to walk to the phoenix bed.
She had just taken a few steps when she saw a man in a black robe standing in front of the shelf of treasures under the dim yellow light. He was looking at the objects on it. Under the light, his peach blossom eyes looked very seductive.
Thud —
The white soft blanket fell to the ground …
