surnamed Wang

Chapter 184 Undercurrent
Several maids were the first to see Wang Gangquan, and just as he was about to speak out, the other party made a silent gesture.

He quietly came to Xiaochunzi's side, took the grapes from the maid's hand, then peeled one and handed it to Xiaochunzi's mouth, Xiaochunzi swallowed it unceremoniously.

"Sweet?"

"It's sweet..."

Sensing something was wrong, Xiao Chunzi immediately opened his eyes wide and stood up "teng".

"Master...Master, are you back?"

Wang Gingquan looked at Xiaochunzi with a half-smile, and now he couldn't understand him more and more.

Before, he always thought that Xiao Chunzi was a good slave, but now he found that he would actually enjoy it and oppress servants who are inferior to him.

But it's right to think about it, no one is born willing to be a slave, who doesn't want to enjoy it?
So he patted Xiao Chunzi on the shoulder, and asked meaningfully: "Do you like others to rub your shoulders and beat your legs?"

Xiao Chunzi broke out in a cold sweat, and quickly denied it: "I don't like it, I don't like it."

Hearing this, Wang Gangquan shook his head and sighed: "It's a pity, the Yanzhou Mansion is going to give me a pair of Bi people. I don't want them if I don't need them. It is said that they are the best at rubbing shoulders and kicking legs. I saw you enjoying it so much. I wanted to come. Give it to you, since you don’t like it, forget it.”

"..."

Xiao Chunzi didn't know how to answer at all. It was a lie to say that he didn't regret it, but he didn't dare to take it if it was offered to him, so he hurriedly changed the subject and said:
"Your Highness, is everything going well on the road?"

Wang Gangquan said thoughtfully: "It's not going well, some incomprehensible things happened..."

Although the matter of the Water Bandits was incomprehensible, the matter in the capital was even more confusing. Wang Gangquan always had a feeling that there was a storm brewing in the dark.

At this moment, Xiao Chunzi suddenly remembered something, reached out to touch his bosom, and took out an envelope from it.

"Your Highness, Boss Lu asked me to deliver this letter to you. He said that he has something to leave the capital."

Wang Gangquan's heart moved when he heard the words, he took the envelope and asked casually, "Who left with him?"

Now he still has a certain evil interest in the affair between Lu Xiaoxian and Nie Yingxue.

"Returning to Your Highness, I left with Xishun. By the way, there is still a letter here."

"Ok?"

Xiao Chunzi handed over another letter, and on the envelope was written the words "Prince Ankang's Invitation" in elegant script, which seemed to be written by a woman.

"At this time, the god arrester Nie asked me to deliver it to the prince."

"Nie Yingxue?"

Wang Gangquan felt a little strange, she only left a letter of resignation with Zhongli, and didn't even say where she was going.

But the relationship between himself and the other party is obviously not as good as that of Zhong Li, and he actually received the other party's letter.

Back in the house, Wang Gingquan put the two letters in front of him, thought for a while, and opened Nie Yingxue's letter first.

"Yingxue thanked the prince for saving his life that day, the capital is about to change, I hope the prince will leave early!"

Just three sentences made the whole thing even more bizarre.

Wang Gangquan was not surprised that Nie Yingxue could guess her identity, but what happened after that, and why she knew it in advance.

+
With his eyes flickering, he opened Lu Xiaoxian's letter again.

Lu Xiaoxian's envelope didn't write anything, but when he opened it, there was a whole page densely written on it.

Wang Gingquan took a closer look, and most of them were words of thanks, as well as an apology for his sudden departure, but like Nie Yingxue, he didn't write the reason.

These are all nothing, and no one has anything to hide, but when Wang Gangquan saw the last sentence, he was completely dumbfounded:
"I'll be back in a few days, Brother Wanwang don't want to leave the capital."

These two people made an appointment, right? One told me not to leave, and the other told me not to leave.

But their reasons are different, and it may be a coincidence.

Wang Gangquan frowned and couldn't help thinking.

He is a very persuasive person, as long as it is about life safety, he will believe it even if it sounds fake.

For example, if someone mysteriously tells him that if he does not go out tomorrow, he will be crushed to death by a sow falling from the sky, then he will believe it and stay in the house all day, even big and small. Solve it inside the house.

People like him are called seeking good fortune and avoiding evil at best, and fear of death at worst.

Although he is afraid of death, he always pays attention to danger. In short, he is very contradictory.

"To go or not to go?"

Wang Gangquan muttered to himself, and couldn't help playing with the jade token given to him by the emperor.

Thinking about it now, everything has changed since he came back. From the moment he first entered the palace, the emperor's various behaviors always gave him the feeling that he was hiding something from him.

The same is true for Lu Xiaoxian and Nie Yingxue's inexplicable departure from Beijing.

He only feels dizzy for a while now, and he is not afraid of fighting people desperately, he is only afraid of this cloudy feeling. Back then, the old emperor had tricked him a lot, and it should have left a shadow at that time.

While he was pondering over and over again, the door was pushed open.

"Master, it's time to eat."

Xiao Chunzi came in from the outside carrying the food.

Wang Gangquan also felt a little hungry, so he simply didn't think about it, put the jade tablet in his hand on the table and planned to eat.

"what?"

Xiaochunzi was surprised when he saw the jade plaque.

"What's the matter, do you know him?"

Xiaochunzi picked up the jade tablet, looked it over carefully, finally nodded with certainty, and said, "I know."

"What is it?"

"Dark Guard Order."

"Dark what?"

"Your Highness, it is a secret guard order that can mobilize twelve hidden guards."

Dark guards, Wang Tingquan knew that there were twelve dark guards around the emperors of the dynasty. Some of them came from the army, and some came from the rivers and lakes. Except for a few who were in charge of investigating intelligence all the year round, the rest were in the capital and were responsible for the safety of the emperor on weekdays. .

These hidden guards had special identities, and usually only used code names, and no one except the emperor knew their real names. Zishu, who Wang Bingquan once fought in the alley, was one of them.

According to Wang Gangquan's impression, that person's skill can be on par with himself in the Qi refining stage, and he might not be much higher.

"Your Highness, where did you get this secret guard order?" Xiao Chunzi was obviously more shocked than he was.

"Given it by the emperor, what's the matter?" Wang Gingquan still looked indifferent, as if he didn't think it was a big deal.

If it is based on his previous cultivation, of course it is nothing special, maybe even the twelve hidden guards may not be his opponents.

But for ordinary people, the weight of this thing is really not light, because if the twelve secret guards pick one up at random, it is at least at the level of the four great gods.

But how many people of this level are there in the entire capital?

Seeing his master being so careless, Xiaochunzi explained:
"Your Highness does not know that the most powerful secret guards are not martial arts, but espionage intelligence. Back then, Emperor Taizu was able to get the news of General Pingnan's rebellion in advance, precisely because of these twelve secret guards.

Now most of them are mixed with the four major alien races to collect information, and a few are scattered in the capital. In addition to protecting the safety of the capital, the most important thing is to search for information. This not only monitors the ministers, but also checks and balances other alien spies in the capital. . "

It was only after hearing this that Wang Bingquan understood that co-authoring Wang Bingxian really gave himself a big gift, this is a whole intelligence network.

But what is his purpose in doing this?Is it because of a favor he said?
The perplexed Wang Gangquan suddenly realized a problem, and asked with a strange expression:

"How do you know such details? Could it be that you are one of them?"

To be honest, he has suspected this kid for a long time. From the very beginning, he blocked the knife for himself, and later staged a scene of feigning death with Zishu, and then "flirtatiously" with the old emperor from time to time, dragging himself into the water.

All these behaviors clearly resembled the legendary dark guards.

Seeing Wang Bingquan's unkind expression, and even the "killing intent" in his eyes, Xiao Chunzi immediately broke into a cold sweat, and he quickly expressed his loyalty:

"Your Highness, don't worry, the servant has indeed been trained in the dark guards, but I only obey the orders of Sheng Endi and you."

He paused when he said this, obviously thinking of Sheng Endi, but he immediately said shyly: "Now, I belong to you alone..."

"..."

Every time he talked with Xiao Chunzi, Wang Quanquan would be so angry that he could express this sentence in a hundred ways, but he had to say it so disgustingly.

Wang Gangquan took the token weakly, and immediately said seriously: "The dark guard obeys the order, and I order you to reveal your true identity."

I saw that Xiaochunzi was stunned for a moment when he heard the words, and then he smiled wryly, cooperating with his master, he was testing himself, if he was really a secret guard, he could only obey orders.

"Your Highness, if you want to know about your subordinate's past, I will definitely let you know when you have the opportunity, but I am indeed not a secret guard."

Wang Gangquan couldn't help raising his eyebrows when he heard the words, there really is a story behind this kid, but it looks like he said, he is not a secret guard.

"Okay, since you're not spying on me by my side, it's fine. Everyone has some dark secrets. If you want to talk about it someday, I'll prepare the food and drink, and you can talk slowly."

Xiao Chunzi showed gratitude when he heard the words. It is not impossible to say this, but if he is forced to say it, he still feels a little uncomfortable. After all, this past is too heavy.

Wang Gangquan picked up the token again and continued to ask: "How to use this thing, or how to find the Twelve Dark Guards."

"Returning to Your Highness, this token is just one of them. It can only order the hidden guards to do some things. If you want to fully control the hidden guards, you need their roster. But if you need it, I can help you contact the dark guards."

"Isn't that useless?" Wang Gangquan asked with a frown.

"That's not true. Generally, people who hold tokens will get a roster later, and they will naturally become the controllers."

Hearing this, Wang Gangquan finally understood that the emperor should have paid a "deposit" first, and the complete dark guard would be handed over to him only after he paid back the so-called "favor".

"It's really scheming." Wang Gangquan pondered for a moment, and immediately ordered: "Go and help me find a secret guard."

"Who is Your Highness looking for?"

"Who is there in the capital?"

"Your Highness, there were Zishu, Maotu, Chenlong, and Sishe before, so it's not very clear."

"Then Maotu." Wang Bingquan ordered casually.

"Yes!"

……

In the palace on the other side, since Wang Gangquan left, the emperor hasn't written any more.

He sat there, not knowing what to think.

After a long time, he said in a deep voice, "Zi Shu!"

"exist!"

A black figure quietly appeared in the house.

"Has Wang Gangquan ever looked for the hidden guards?"

"I haven't found any yet."

"Okay, if he needs a hidden guard, you can go."

"Yes!"

"Also, for a period of time to come, you will be responsible for protecting his safety in the dark until this matter is over."

"Yes!"

Afterwards, the black shadow disappeared again.

The emperor stood up at this time and looked out the window. His face was calm, but the haze flashed in his eyes from time to time, which was rare for him.

"Are you really going to take this step?"

He spoke softly.

……

On the other side, at Wang Gingquan's place, just as he was about to go out for a walk after eating and drinking, he suddenly caught a glimpse of an extra person in the corner of the room.

The man was dressed in black, half kneeling on the ground, silently.

Wang Gangquan broke out in a cold sweat immediately, is this mother a human or a ghost?

He pretended to be calm and said: "If you dare to ask the hero's name, what's the point of coming here?"

The whole body of the half-kneeling man was in the shadows, his head was lowered, but there was a strange look in his eyes.

"Well, how much money do they pay, I will pay double."

Now Wang Gangquan seems to have regarded the other party as someone who came to assassinate him.

At this moment, the door of the room was pushed open suddenly, and Xiao Chunzi came in from the outside. When he came in, he saw the man in black standing in the corner at a glance, and said in surprise, "So fast?"

"you recognize?"

Hearing Xiaochunzi's tone, Wang Bingquan immediately relaxed a lot.

"This is the secret guard you asked me to find, but it seems that the one who came is not Maotu, but Zishu."

"Maotu is on a mission and is not in the capital."

At this moment, the man in black in the corner finally spoke.

Wang Gangquan couldn't help being a little surprised when he heard this, a woman?
He was ambushed in the alley that day. Since Xiao Chunzi was seriously injured at the time, he didn't pay attention to the other party's identity. Now that he heard the other party's voice, it should be a woman.

But he immediately ignored these secondary things, and asked tentatively:

"Let me ask you, what does the emperor want me to do?"

"Not to be said."

His answer was a cold voice.

"...Then do you know what is the change in the capital that Nie Yingxue is talking about?"

"Not to be said."

It was still three cold words.

"What about Lu Xiaoxian, do you know where he went?"

"Don't say it." "Don't say it."

This time there were two voices at the same time, and it was Wang Gingquan who imitated Zishu's tone and said the same thing.

He had already expected what the other party would say, so he couldn't help but feel a little depressed. Is the hidden guard the same, and he still wants to lie to himself?
Xu expected that he had gone too far, so the Zishu added:

"However, I can tell you that he is safe, and he will come back in as little as a month, and as much as three months."

Hearing this, Wang Gangquan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then can I see your real face?"

He was just looking for trouble, after all, with such a mysterious organization in front of him, it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious.

Wang Gangquan, who had no hope at first, got a positive answer after the other party hesitated for a while:
"can!"

Immediately the man raised his head, and at the same time took off the black cloth on his face.

"It's you?"

……

At the same time, according to the south of the dynasty, two thousand miles away from the capital.

There is a mansion here that covers an area of ​​about [-] mu. In the depth of the mansion is a waterside pavilion surrounded by four guards with swords.

Inside the pavilion, on the stone table in the middle, a fine gold-plated incense burner is emitting wisps of fragrance, and a man in his thirties is sitting beside the table.

The man was wearing a blue gown, his hair was tied up casually, and there was a gloomy look on his handsome face.

There was a chess game in front of him, the man held black pieces in his hand, frowned and thought, completely oblivious to the woman walking not far away.

The woman walked into the pavilion, glanced at the man, walked up to him without making a sound, and straightened his hair for him.

The man seemed to have gotten used to everything a long time ago, and he was still watching the chess game intently. In the end, his eyes flashed, and he put the black piece into the game, and cut off the white piece as a big dragon.

Only then did he raise his head, and said leisurely, "Wu Zhui is back?"

The woman tied the hair crown for him, and gave a soft "hmm".

"Let him in."

Then, a person came from outside the pavilion, he bent over and bowed his head, went straight to the man in the pavilion, and knelt down.

This person was Wu Zhui, but at this moment, he no longer had the gloomy and hostile look before, replaced by a nervous and frightened expression.

"It's done."

"Back to the master, I have finished according to your order."

"Get something?"

"Back to the master... there are only two hundred."

At this moment, he only felt a chill on his back, because he did not meet the amount requested by the other party.

After a moment of silence, the man finally said, "Back off."

"Yes."

Wu Zhui seemed to be pardoned, respectfully got up and left, his back was already soaked in just this moment.

The man turned his head to look at the lake, took out a handful of bran from the food box on the table, sprinkled it into the lake, and immediately attracted thousands of koi.

He didn't look at this rare scene, but looked at the leaves falling in the distance, and murmured:
"It's autumn, but the weather is still so hot."

The woman echoed softly:
"It will take about half a decade before it can completely cool down."

"Then just wait."

……

(End of this chapter)