When Song Qingshu came out of King Wei's Mansion, he felt lost. He knew that he and Yelu Nanxian didn't have a solemn pledge of undying love, nor were they lovers. He had no reason to ask her to do this and that, but when he thought that she was about to become someone else's wife, he still felt suffocated.
Especially her attitude. She looked at him as if he was an ordinary friend … No, even less than an ordinary friend. This made him feel even more hurt.
But he also knew that she had her own thoughts and feelings. He couldn't force her.
Just like that, he returned to Zhao Min's courtyard in a daze. Seeing him return, Zhao Min casually asked, "Did you find any clues?"
"No ~" Song Qingshu shook his head, obviously a little dispirited.
Zhao Min looked at him strangely, but she was too excited to notice his abnormality. "Come here quickly, I have analyzed some clues here."
"Oh?" Song Qingshu finally regained his spirit. It should be known that Murong Jingyue was not only related to the poison in Zhao Min's body, but also the murderer that Icy Snow had been searching for. As long as he was not eliminated, Icy Snow would be in danger. Murong Jingyue was hiding in the dark, like a venomous snake, waiting for an opportunity to strike. It would be hard to feel at ease if he was not eliminated.
Zhao Min unrolled a roll of paper. It was densely packed with names. She pointed at the names and said, "This is the list of all the important officials in the Khitan Imperial Court."
Looking at the neatly arranged names, not only the names, but also the official positions and some brief comments, Song Qingshu couldn't help but praise, "You are really efficient."
"Of course I will succeed in every endeavor." Zhao Min smiled proudly, "Let me briefly explain to you so that you won't be confused."
"Okay." Although Song Qingshu had heard about Liao's Imperial Court in the Jin Kingdom, he only knew a few famous people. As for the rest of the civil and military officials, he was completely ignorant.
"There's no need to introduce the Emperor of Liao, Yelu Hongji. I believe that Murong Jingyue doesn't have the ability to impersonate him." Zhao Min gave a simple evaluation, and Song QingShu inwardly nodded. He was able to substitute for Murong Jingyue because he had the right time, place, and people. He didn't think that Murong Jingyue would be able to do the same.
Zhao Min continued, "Although Liao has declined, there are still many concubines in the harem. However, there are only three important people. Empress Xiao Guanyin, Consort Wen Xiao Zhonghui, and Consort Yuan Xiao Yingying."
Song Qingshu thought to himself, Su Quan also mentioned Liao, I wonder where she is now.
"Empress Xiao Guanyin is a national beauty, and is good at the four arts. She is the daughter of Prime Minister Xiao Pidi of the Northern Residence. She is now the most favored." Zhao Min pointed to a name and introduced.
Song Qingshu felt that the name Xiao Guanyin sounded familiar. He suddenly remembered that she was the Empress who died in an unjust case in history. He didn't know if she would still meet that tragic end in this world.
"Consort Wen Xiao Zhonghui is the cousin of Empress Xiao Guanyin. She is also the daughter of the Imperial Uncle's fifth branch. She is charming and lively, and has always been favored by the Emperor." Zhao Min continued.
"Xiao Zhonghui?" Song Qingshu frowned. This name felt very familiar. It seemed to be the name of a female protagonist in a certain book. He didn't know if it was the same person.
"Consort Yuan Xiao Yingying is the younger sister of the Southern Courtyard's Privy Commissioner Xiao Fengxian. Her maiden family is strong, and in addition to her extraordinary beauty, she is also favored by the Emperor." Zhao Min commented.
Song Qingshu had an impression of the name Xiao Fengxian. Firstly, he was an important official of Liao. Secondly, it was easy to associate him with Lu Fengxian of the Three Kingdoms. Therefore, he had a deep impression of him. According to the intelligence of the Huan Yi Yard, this person appeared to be a loyal and filial son, but in reality, he was an ambitious person.
"The princes are still young, let's not talk about them. However, the two princesses are already married. The Princess of Zhao's son-in-law is Xiao Huandu, the current Paiyin Langjun." Seeing Song Qingshu's confusion, Zhao Min explained, "The Paiyin Langjun is similar to a secretary. He stays by the Emperor's side to help with some paperwork."
Seeing that Song Qingshu understood, Zhao Min continued, "The Princess of Wei's son-in-law is Commandant Xiao Xiamao. This person is my main target of observation. I suspect that he is very likely to be Murong Jingyue."
"Why?" Song Qingshu asked curiously. Out of so many officials, why did Zhao Min pick him?
"Because this Xiao Xiamao was previously unknown. In the end, when the Emperor was looking for a husband for the Princess of Wei, he suddenly rose to prominence, defeated all the strong competitors, and became the Princess' son-in-law." Zhao Min answered.
Song Qingshu expressed his agreement. Just like in the novels he read in his previous life, the main characters were often unknown at the beginning. In the end, they suddenly appeared out of nowhere, often because they had been transmigrated …
Zhao Min suddenly examined him with a strange expression. "Speaking of which, although the previous Song Qingshu was considered one of the best of the younger generation in the pugilistic world, he was far from the top. In the end, after the Lion Slaughtering Meet, you soared to the skies … Don't tell me you're also an imposter?"
Song Qingshu's heart skipped a beat. This Zhao Min was indeed smart. She could guess most accurately with just a casual guess. However, he did not want his biggest secret to be revealed. He quickly snorted and said, "After the crushing defeat at the Lion Slaughtering Meet, I was enlightened. Naturally, I can't look at people the same way I did in the past."
"That's true." Zhao Min smiled faintly. She had only said it casually and did not take it to heart. "Other than Xiao Xiamao, there is another very suspicious person. That is the Deputy Commandant of the Front Palace Department, Xiao Shiyi, also known as Xiao Shiyi Lang." (Note: Xiao Shiyi Lang was based on Xiao Shisan, the Deputy Commandant of the Front Palace Department in the history of Liao.)
Because of the influence of the Northern Song Dynasty, whether it was Liao or the Jin Kingdom, there were many traces of the Northern Song Dynasty in their official systems. For example, the Front Palace Department was one of them.
Song Qingshu was drinking water. When he heard Xiao Shiyi Lang's name, he almost spat it out.
Zhao Min did not know why he had such a big reaction. She explained, "Xiao Shiyi Lang's martial arts are very strong, but no one knows his background. He is really too mysterious."
Song Qingshu thought that Xiao Shiyi Lang was not someone from the Golden Book World. It was very likely that he was Murong Jingyue in disguise. However, on second thought, Xue Yiren and Shen Bijun had already come out. Adding Xiao Shiyi Lang to the mix seemed to make sense. For a moment, he could not help but feel a little conflicted.
Zhao Min did not know that his mind was already rumbling with thunder. She continued to explain the situation of the Khitan court to him. "The highest authority in Liao is the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs. The Northern Bureau of Military Affairs, Yelu Renxian, has been suppressing rebellions in the northwest for a long time. As a result, the power of the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs has fallen into the hands of the second in command, the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs, Yelu Yixin. Right, he is the father of the Princess of Cheng 'an, Yelu Nanxian."
Song Qingshu nodded. He already knew this.
Zhao Min continued, "The third in command is the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs, Xiao Yuli. His niece is married to Yelu Yixin's son. The fourth in command is the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs, Xiao Weixin. He has always been upright and outspoken. He does not collude with Yelu Yixin. Unfortunately, he is already old and his role is limited. The Northern Bureau of Military Affairs, Zhang Xiaojie, was also promoted by Yelu Yixin. It can be said that the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs is now completely under Yelu Yixin's control."
Song Qingshu did not understand. "Since Yelu Yixin is so powerful, why would he let his own daughter marry him? Isn't it easy to find a princess in Shangjing? "
"I don't quite understand this either." Zhao Min shook her head. "Presumably, he wants to use this opportunity to build a relationship with Western Xia. With this Outer League, he can consolidate his power."
Song Qingshu thought about it and could only think of this explanation. Last time in Yangzhou, Yelu Yixin did not hesitate to use Yelu Nanxian's life to buy time for him to escape. It could be seen that he was cold-blooded and had no feelings for his daughter. All he thought about was how to maximize his daughter's usefulness.
"The Southern Bureau of Military Affairs is Xiao Fengxian's territory. His sister is the Emperor's concubine, and his brother is the Commander of the Military Department, Xiao Sixian. Their true strength is not below Yelu Yixin's." Zhao Min commented.
Song Qingshu previously learned from the intelligence of the Jin Kingdom that there were three most important military forces in Liao's Shangjing. The first was the Front Palace Department, which was similar to the Imperial Army of the Han Dynasty and guarded the Imperial Palace. The second was the Palace Deployment Department, which was in charge of the Palace Division and was the most elite force directly loyal to the Emperor. The third was the Commander of the Military Department, which was the local garrison of Shangjing and was responsible for the defense of Shangjing.
Now that Xiao Fengxian and his brother were in charge of the Southern Bureau of Military Affairs and Shangjing's defense, their strength could not be underestimated.
Because in Liao's official system, there was always a North and a South. At first, Song Qingshu thought that the North was the official in charge of the Khitans and the South was the official in charge of the Han. Later, he learned from the intelligence of the Jin Kingdom that this was not the case. The official in charge of the Han was called the Han Bureau of Military Affairs and so on. It was difficult to ascend to the center of power. Whether it was the Southern Bureau of Military Affairs or the Southern Prime Minister's Office, they were still in charge of the Khitans and had nothing to do with the Han.
The reason why there was a North and a South Bureau of Military Affairs was that the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs was in charge of military affairs, while the Southern Bureau of Military Affairs was in charge of the ordinary civil affairs.
The reason why there was a Northern and Southern Bureau of Military Affairs was because there were many Khitans. When the country was founded, there were 20 tribes, which expanded to 34 in the middle period and even 48 in the later period. The Northern Prime Minister's Office was in charge of the military affairs of the Five Departments, Six Departments, Wulan, Nirah, Tulu, and so on. The Southern Prime Minister's Office was in charge of the military affairs of the Yishi, Chu, Tuju, and Pin.
The famous King of the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs and King of the Southern Bureau of Military Affairs were, in fact, another name for the Five Departments and Six Departments. The King of the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs was in charge of the military affairs of the Five Departments, while the King of the Southern Bureau of Military Affairs was in charge of the military affairs of the Six Departments. Because the Five Departments and the Six Departments were the largest Khitan tribes, they had much more power than the leaders of the other tribes.
Zhao Min suddenly stood up and said, "Liao's intelligence on the court is more or less the same as what you've told me. Let's start with the Prince Consort, Xiao Xiamo. Let's see if he's Murong Jingyue in disguise."
Puzzled, Song Qingshu asked, "Why not start with Xiao Eleven Lang?" Compared to Xiao Xiamao, he felt that there were more suspicious points about Xiao Eleven Lang.
Zhao Min waved a secret letter in her hand. "I've received news that Xiao Xiama didn't return to the Prince Consort's Residence after leaving the imperial palace. Instead, he was sneaking towards the outskirts of the city, which is very suspicious. Since we've bumped into him, we'll start with him."
"Seems like it's all fate. Let's start with him." Song Qingshu, on the other hand, was secretly shocked. The intelligence network that Zhao Min had planted in Liao was really powerful. There were actually people paying attention to the whereabouts of the Emperor's son-in-law.
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