(The number of chapters in the first few chapters are all wrong. Damn it. I'm sorry. My fingers were caught by the table and the chair. I'm stupid. It hurts. Wushang, continue to write. Try to finish the second chapter before midnight.)
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In the alley in the rain, Ning Que looked at his soaked black Academy uniform and opened the big black umbrella.
It would not be too difficult to kill the two of them, but it would be difficult to kill them before the Imperial Court, especially the military, realized what was going on and killed them silently.
Huang Xing, who turned into ashes under the oil-paper umbrella, was killed by his Fire Talisman.
Yu Shuizhu was killed by Jing Fu.
The Jing Fu was the most powerful Divine Talisman of Master Yan Se. Before going to the Wilderness, Master Yan Se had passed this talisman to Ning Que. But because the talisman was abstruse, Ning Que didn't really master the talisman's talisman until a few days ago when he broke out of the cliff cave.
With the Great Spirit as the guide, the Jing Fu that Ning Que successfully cast was more like a simulation. Of course, it was not a Divine Talisman, and it was far from the magical power of Master Yan Se's Jing Fu. But it was very easy to silently cut a person into pieces in this spring rain.
In the night, Ning Que left the West City Gate with the umbrella. He went to the Imperial Palace first and found the Deputy Commander of the bodyguard, Xu Chongshan. He handed over some things and then returned to Lin 47th Street.
Sangsang looked at him, who was wet all over, with a worried and confused expression on her face.
Ning Que explained in a low voice and went to the backyard to take a cold shower. Then he began to eat.
Ning Que sat at the table in front of the shop and looked at the funeral notes left by Sangsang two years ago. He was silent for a long time and thought of Darkie who died opposite the shop.
It was also in spring, and it was also in the spring rain.
Before Darkie died, he left a list of those who had participated in the two tragedies. Now that Huang Xing and Yu Shuizhu were dead, the people on the list were all dead.
But there were still two people who deserved to die. Zhuo Er didn't write their names on the list because he and Ning Que both knew who they were. They didn't need to remember or forget.
Prince Li Peiyan of the Tang Empire and the Defender-general Xia Hou.
Sangsang walked behind him and asked, "Will there be any trouble?"
Ning Que said, "Even if … the old general can guess it, he can't do anything to me."
Sangsang was puzzled and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
In the past, when he killed censor Zhang Yiqi or Chen Zixian, Ning Que had to investigate for a long time. Only when he was sure that the imperial court did not notice the matter did he make a sound.
Gate Guard Huang Xing and Yu Shuizhu were important figures in the massacre of the General's Mansion years ago. Ning Que had been investigating them for a long time, but it still felt a little rash for him to choose to take action today.
"Some people in the court have already guessed that I did it."
Ning Que handed the note on the table to Sangsang and motioned her to keep it. He said, "If I don't do it today, I may not have the chance to do it in the future."
Sangsang took the letter and said, "If you still want to go to the General's Mansion tomorrow, I will go with you."
Ning Que shook his head and said, "No, I have already sent a message to the Academy. Someone will accompany me when the time comes."
…
…
The next morning, before the stall of hot and sour sliced noodle soup was set up, several officials from the Tang Military Ministry had already come to the Old Brush Pen Shop and knocked on the door.
Ning Que was already prepared. He pushed the door open and walked out. He looked at the official he met yesterday on Vermilion Bird Avenue and said, "General wants to talk to me again?"
The official's expression was much colder than yesterday. He said simply, "Please come in."
Yesterday, he was defeated by Xu Shi in the General's Mansion, and then he killed two people after leaving the General's Mansion. This was like a hard slap in the face of the Tang Military Ministry. Ning Que was absolutely not surprised that General Xu Shi would summon him again today. However, he did not expect that the place to talk today was not the General's Mansion, but the Tang Military Ministry.
Several horse carriages left Lin 47th Street and went straight north along Vermilion Bird Avenue. After passing Jianshen Archway, there was a very quiet and sparse forest, and the horse carriages turned into the forest.
Ning Que lifted the curtain and looked out. He could vaguely see a large flat meadow behind the dense forest, which looked like the scenery beyond the Great Wall. He could not help but feel a little surprised.
The Tang Empire was founded on martial arts and fought in the north and south. The Military Ministry governed the four major border armies, the prefectural armies, and the Yulin Royal Guards. It was the most authoritative department in the empire, and in the hearts of foreigners, it was the most terrifying place in the world.
This was the first time that Ning Que came to the Military Ministry.
He did not expect that there would be such a meadow and flat forest beside Vermilion Bird Avenue. It looked simple and plain, but in Chang 'an, where land prices were rising day by day, it was in fact extremely luxurious.
He also did not expect that the Tang Military Ministry did not have a strict atmosphere at all. There were no high walls, watchtowers, and quiet yamen, but only dozens of independent pavilions hidden in the green forest and meadow.
The pavilions with black eaves and bright tiles were of different heights and seemed to be disorderly, but they were located in the grass forest in picturesque disorder. There were straight stone carriages connecting the pavilions, which looked quiet and elegant without losing the atmosphere.
Several horse carriages sped on the stone road between the meadow and the dense forest at an extremely fast speed. The officials on the stone road heard the sound and all gave them strange and puzzled looks.
The horse carriage stopped in front of the tallest wooden building in the depths of the green forest.
Ning Que walked out of the horse carriage and looked up. This wooden building had three floors, and there was a pavilion on the top floor. It had the same black eaves and black tiles, but the style of the eaves was different from the other buildings in the Military Ministry. The eaves were slightly curved like knives, and the red beams were straight like iron spears. A strong and direct aura seeped out of the pavilion.
In the pavilion on the third floor, the old man in court attire was leaning on the railing and looking into the distance. He looked indifferent, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Yesterday's conversation was in the General's Mansion, and the old man was wearing ordinary household clothes. That conversation was a private one. Today, however, they were in the Military Ministry of the Tang Empire, and the old man was wearing court attire. This conversation was no longer a private one, but a very serious and even dangerous one.
Ning Que walked into the wooden building and walked past the officers and officials who were busy sorting out files and military intelligence. He walked up the stairs and gradually came to the pavilion on the top floor.
Yesterday's rain had swept away the ostentatiousness of late spring, and the air in the pavilion was unusually fresh. A cold wind blew into the pavilion and brushed against his face, making him feel refreshed.
General Xu Shi's slightly cold voice sounded along with the slightly cold spring breeze.
"Do you know why there are pavilions without walls in the Military Ministry?"
Ning Que walked slowly to the railing and stood behind the old man. He shook his head and said, "I don't know."
Xu Shi turned around and looked at him. He said, "Because the mission of the Tang Empire's soldiers is to defend against the enemy outside our borders. If the enemy breaks into Chang 'an and besieges the Military Ministry, then we will all take a knife to our throats and commit suicide. What's the point of fighting? If that's the case, why does the Military Ministry need walls? As for this pavilion, it's to tell all the Tang Empire's soldiers that they should have the bearing and vision to look at the world. "
Ning Que said, "So there's such a deep meaning."
Xu Shi looked into his eyes and said coldly, "The Tang Empire is not afraid of external enemies, but internal strife. The strongest fortress must collapse from the inside."
Ning Que said, "General, there's a deep meaning in your words."
"There's no deep meaning. What I said is very simple."
Xu Shi said coldly, "The conversation with you yesterday was to warn you that the Tang Empire needs stability and can't have internal strife. You should focus on the overall situation and know how to respect the law … Ning Que, you are a student of the Second floor of the Academy. I think you should be able to understand what I'm saying."
Ning Que said, "General's teachings yesterday deeply shocked me. When I returned to the Old Brush Pen Shop last night, I asked the handmaiden to take out the law of the Tang Empire and read it by candlelight. Sure enough, I learned a lot."
Seeing that he was still as tired as yesterday, the anger in Xu Shi's heart gradually accumulated, but the expression on his old face became calmer and calmer. He asked a question lightly.
He asked, "Yesterday at dusk, when Huang Xing and Yu Shuizhu died, where were you?"
Ning Que frowned slightly as if he was recalling. After a moment, he answered, "I was shopping."
Xu Shi asked, "Yesterday at dusk, it rained heavily. Which street were you shopping on?"
Ning Que said, "I like to be drenched in the rain."
Xu Shi asked, "Yesterday at the West City Gate, it was a Talisman Master who killed them."
Ning Que said, "How daring."
Xu Shi looked at him and said expressionlessly, "There are not many Talisman Masters in the world, especially the Talisman Masters in Chang 'an City. The Imperial Center Administration has records of them."
Ning Que looked at him and said with a smile, "Then we have to ask the Imperial Center Administration to investigate quickly. Although the number of Talisman Masters is small, I think there are more than one or two. It may be more troublesome to investigate."
Xu Shi said, "You are also a Talisman Master."
Ning Que answered, "I do know a lot of things."
"It is reported that when the murder happened last night, a young man in black with a black umbrella on his back appeared at the West City Gate."
Xu Shi quietly looked at the black uniform of the Academy on him.
Ning Que said, "I also carried a big black umbrella on my back. Speaking of which, it seems that I went to the West City Gate at that time. Unfortunately, there are many young people who like to wear black."
Xu Shi said, "But a young Talisman Master in black with a black umbrella on his back, who else in the world but you?"
Ning Que looked at him and asked, "General, are you suspecting that I killed those two officials?"
Xu Shi said directly, "Yes, because you can't tell me where you were at that time."
Ning Que suddenly asked, "General, are you interrogating a case?"
Xu Shi said coldly, "Am I not qualified to do so?"
Ning Que shook his head and said, "If I were still a small soldier in the City of Wei, General would naturally be qualified to interrogate me. But after the preliminary examination of the Academy, I have changed from military status to civilian status. Even if I am suspected, only the Chang 'an Local Government can interrogate me. General, you are indeed not qualified to do so."
Xu Shi looked at him expressionlessly and said, "According to His Majesty's decree, the Imperial Center Administration and the Military Ministry are both in charge of the Imperial Center Administration. Now you are a visiting professor of the Imperial Center Administration. Why can't I interrogate you?"
Ning Que took out the waist token of a visiting professor of the Imperial Center Administration from his belt and gently put it on the railing beside the pavilion. He said, "Last night I went to the bodyguard office to ask. The day before yesterday, His Majesty had agreed to my request to withdraw from the Imperial Center Administration. But I still keep this waist token with me for the time being. Now I don't want this waist token, so General can't interrogate me."
Xu Shi did not expect that Ning Que would do this in advance. He frowned deeply and then gradually relaxed his brows. With a mocking and shameless expression, he said, "You really dare not let me interrogate you."
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。 (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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