Crown Prince's Mansion, Mental Cultivation Courtyard
Several guards were standing guard. At this moment, a chubby and somewhat plump chef led a slightly skinny servant over with a carrying pole. They brought the food boxes to the front of the courtyard.
The chef and the guards were acquainted. The guard then said, "Master Chen, the food in the courtyard is ready. Could you please inform the people from Mental Cultivation Courtyard to retrieve it?"
As he spoke, he opened the box. There were fried mung bean sprouts, fried kidney chicken, and shredded squid.
Bodyguard Chen, who was in charge of the shift, had a pair of sharp eyes and a pair of sharp eyes. There was a scar on his cheek, which indicated that he had been selected for a battle. His face was expressionless as he examined the scar with a silver needle. He then said, "Leave the food box here. You may return.
When the chef heard this, he smiled and asked, "Brother Chen, what's the situation inside?"
The guard looked at the chef, "Li Ba, be a good chef. What's there to be concerned about? Go and cook your dishes. That's how you repay the kindness. Don't think too much about it. "
The guard reprimanded him. The chef hurriedly replied, "Yes yes. It's just that there have been many rumors these days. I'm worried and worried."
The guard's face fell, "You shouldn't be asking questions. If you don't, you won't live long."
When the chef heard the guard reprimanding him, he led the porter away. At this point, the door opened.
The guard bowed as the chef and the servant hurriedly knelt down. They saw the Imperial Concubine walking out. The chef raised his head and glanced at the Imperial Concubine. Seeing her worried expression, he hurriedly lowered his head.
Once the Imperial Concubine was far away, the chef and the porter stood up and carried the empty food back. As they walked along the stone path, the entire place was silent. The porter then laughed and whispered to the chef, "Master Li, do you think the Imperial Prince has a cold? If he has a cold, why did he seal the courtyard and make us deliver food? Could it be that the Imperial Prince has contracted smallpox? "
"How would I know? Let's go. I've been scolded. If you continue to annoy me, I will send you to chop the firewood for tomorrow." The chef was deep in thought, "Do what you have to do. Is this something you can ask about?"
As he spoke, he quickened his footsteps and followed the stone path. He didn't follow the main path and walked back, "Carry the food back first. I have something to do."
"Alright!" the porter replied and went back to the kitchen.
Inside the main hall, the Crown Prince was reading through his essays when he heard a eunuch shout, "The Imperial Concubine has arrived."
The Imperial Concubine seemed to be in a hurry and did not open an umbrella along the way. By the time she arrived at the Palace Hall, she was already covered with a thin layer of snow. The maids had already noticed this and bowed slightly before hurrying over to serve her.
The Crown Prince paused for a moment before regaining his composure. He then let out a deep breath and looked up at the Imperial Concubine before allowing her to sit beside him. He then spoke gently, "Didn't the Imperial Physician say that it's just a cold? What are you worried about? Don't worry. "
When the Imperial Concubine heard this, she said, "Your Highness, my son is fine. It's just that my mother has suffered a shock. In addition to the fact that she is not acclimatized to the city, she has fallen ill. I wish to go home to take a look."
As the Liangdi spoke, her heart ached, tears welled up in her eyes. Choking with emotion, she took out a booklet and handed it over. A eunuch received the booklet and handed it over.
The Crown Prince flipped through the booklet and looked at it for some time. He didn't know which line had touched his heart, but his heart ached. His eyes turned red as he said, "Concubine, if you wish to visit your family for a day, I shall allow it."
"Thank you, Crown Prince." The Imperial Concubine replied before retreating.
After some time, the Imperial Concubine set out on her journey. Several oxcarts followed her, accompanied by several guards. Within an hour, they arrived at the Cheng Mansion. The Cheng Mansion was a newly bought mansion. Now that it had been renovated, it looked even more majestic. At this point, the Cheng family received the news. Assistant Minister Cheng and his wife led several men out to welcome the Imperial Concubine.
The oxcarts were followed by two men.
Seeing that the Imperial Concubine had entered the mansion, the two of them walked another fifty meters before arriving at a tall wine shop. The two of them walked up the stairs and saw the waiter waiting for them. There were several people seated below, in groups of three to five.
The two of them then walked up the stairs. The floor was clean and tidy. Each of them took out five taels of silver and tossed it to the waiter, "Serve whatever you like. Serve some good wine."
The waiter had finished serving the dishes. At this point, a middle aged man pushed open the door and entered. He was dressed neither extravagantly nor cheaply. He wore a pair of cloth shoes and had a thick mustache.
The both of them stood up. The middle aged man then asked, "How's the situation?"
"The Crown Prince's Mansion is very strict. We can't even enter the Heart Nurturing Courtyard. We have to pick our food boxes, and don't allow outsiders to enter or leave. However, the Crown Prince claimed that the Imperial Grandson had caught a cold."
"The Imperial Physician said the same thing."
When the middle aged man heard this, he chuckled, "Is that the rule for catching a cold like this?"
"What a coincidence, Madam Cheng. She was just visiting yesterday, and now she's sick. She's asking the Imperial Concubine to visit her. She's trying to cover it up, but it only makes things worse. Keep a close watch, and follow any oxcarts that come out."
As he spoke, the middle aged man walked down the stairs, leaving the two of them to enjoy their meal.
Assistant Minister Cheng's Mansion, Back Door
Half an hour later, an oxcart was seen leaving.
Several men were standing guard from afar. When they saw someone leaving, they were about to chase after the oxcart. The middle aged man stretched out a hand and stopped them, "Don't be hasty. The situation isn't right."
Just as they were about to chase after the oxcart, they quietened down and continued to stand guard. Another half an hour later, several oxcarts were seen leaving. From afar, they could see a woman with a veil over her face.
Seeing this, the middle aged man laughed coldly, "They've finally arrived. Their plan to escape almost fooled us."
"But look at the oxcarts nearby, they're protecting us. Look at the driver, it's obvious he's a guard in disguise. This time, it's the real deal!"
"Your excellency, what should we do now?" Someone asked.
"Follow." The middle aged man ordered. He then whispered something to another man, who then hurriedly left.
The weather was extremely cold. Snow would freeze as soon as it fell, piling up on the streets. When the sun came out, the snow would melt, forming a deep and uneven ice road. There were many footprints and hoofprints on the road, making it extremely difficult to walk.
The middle aged man walked with difficulty. From afar, he could see that he was heading towards the Flat Flower Monastery, where the Goddess of Smallpox was.
The middle aged man looked around and saw that there was a stone bridge running through the entire monastery. Normally, nobody would visit the monastery, and it stood alone. The doors of the monastery were tightly shut, and there was only a few guards standing guard at the entrance.
The Goddess of Smallpox would only go and pay her respects when someone had smallpox. Most of the time, people were afraid of incurring the illness and didn't dare to pay her respects. Hence, there was no one in the monastery. Pei Zi Yun walked into the main hall and lit an incense stick before placing it into the furnace. He then nodded his head and looked at the guards standing outside. He then turned to the veiled woman and said, "Lady Attendant, up to this point, you've accomplished your mission."
The lady then revealed a smile as she removed her veil and wiped the sweat off her face, "I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to lure anyone here, and ruin the plans of the Goddess and the Crown Prince. My back is all wet."
"Even if you can't lure anyone here, it won't ruin anything." Pei Zi Yun then spoke plainly, "This was all part of a scheme, named 'Luring the Snake out of its Cave'."
"The Emperor's grandson had indeed caught a cold, and the Imperial Physician was right. It's not a big deal. In fact, he's almost recovered by today. However, as long as the Imperial Concubine revealed a worried expression, and forbade anyone from entering or leaving the Mental Cultivation Hospital, some people would think that something was amiss."
"Every single step that was taken would be recorded down, and observed."
"Once, it might be a coincidence. Sometimes, it might be because they were curious. Sometimes, it might be because they had something to attend to. However, once the steps are connected, everyone would be curious and ask around. Every time, everyone would be on something. That would mean that they're spies."
"If it happens a few times, it would mean that they're out of luck."
"All these suspicious people have been investigated, and the Crown Prince will catch them all in one fell swoop!" Pei Zi Yun's tone turned serious as he spoke out coldly, "Once we've gotten rid of all the spies, the Crown Prince will be able to rest easy. If there's another incident where the White Wind Monastery has incense, the Crown Prince won't be able to explain himself."
"Now, all we have to do is wait and reel in the net. King Lu's men aren't everywhere." Pei Zi Yun took a deep breath before speaking out coldly, "There's only a few hundred of them, at most a thousand."
"There are even fewer spies and assassins. You're disguised as the Imperial Concubine. Although time is tight, the people who are attacking us are all elites. I'll help the Crown Prince kill them all, and weaken King Lu."
As Pei Zi Yun spoke, King Lu didn't have any reservations. The lady didn't even dare to reply, and just licked her lips. At this point, the sound of killing could be heard. A Daoist from the monastery rushed in, "Esteemed lady, something's wrong. There are bandits outside."
"Dozens of bandits dressed in black!"
As he spoke, he wanted to get closer. Pei Zi Yun shouted out, "Stop right there!"
As he shouted out, the Daoist waved his hands, as three needles flashed past. He then pulled out a dagger. Pei Zi Yun laughed out coldly, as he stabbed the candlestick, and the three needles pierced into the candlestick.
The Daoist then stabbed forward, as he stretched his hand out. Pei Zi Yun then grabbed onto the Daoist's shoulder. With a single twist, the sound of bones breaking could be heard as the Daoist's shoulder broke into pieces.
"Spare … me …" The Daoist was scared out of his wits. However, his left hand moved once more, as Pei Zi Yun slapped the Daoist's head.
"Pu!" The Daoist's head looked perfectly fine. He stood there for a few seconds before blood flowed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
To a martial artist, this type of Yin energy required a lot of time to cultivate. However, to a Daoist, it was merely a matter of building a strong foundation.
After killing this Daoist, Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly, "Flat Flower Monastery is the place where I've lured the snake out of its hole. Everyone knows who's inside. You're just a Daoist who arrived two hours ago, and you still dare to approach?"
At this point, someone shouted from outside, "Kill, kill your way in."
"Whoever kills the woman inside shall be promoted by three ranks!"
In an instant, shouts and cries of killing could be heard, rising and falling one after another, exploding into a large area.
The lady pondered for some time before she covered her face with a veil. She then pulled up her skirt and walked out of the monastery. When she looked out, she saw dozens of men dressed in black robes rushing in. Their attacks were vicious and sharp, and their teamwork was flawless. The guards tried to defend themselves, but couldn't defend themselves.
The lady was shocked, and retreated back into the monastery as well.
Although her shadow flashed for a second, to the men dressed in black outside, it was as if they had seen a mountain of gold. The middle-aged man who was leading the group laughed out loud, as if he could see a bright future ahead of him.
When he finished laughing, he shouted out, "Imperial Concubine, you can't escape. As long as you come out obediently, how would I dare to hurt you?"
"For the sake of the Dragon's grandson in your womb, give the order to surrender!"
Of course, this was a lie. If these guards were to attack forcefully, they would suffer many casualties as well. Hence, the middle-aged man shouted out.
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