Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

The next day, before dawn, Zuo Qingling and Zuo Baiyun went out to gather information.

As dawn broke, they brought back three pieces of news that no one could have predicted.

First, the carriage is gone, and there is no body floating on the water; it must have been retrieved.

Secondly, the Wannian County Government Office is located in the neighboring Qinrenfang, separated from the Yuanfu government office by only one wall, a straight-line distance of thirty steps. However, from evening until now, the county government office has been quiet, and no one has reported any cases.

Third, news has come from the city gates that Zhu Kuan's men went to Zheng County, Huazhou last night.

Yuan Min was stunned for a moment before asking Xue Wei, "Old Xue, what's going on?"

Xue Wei smiled and said, "Someone helped us clean up the mess."

"Who could it be?"

"I have no idea!"

Xue Wei shook his head. "Perhaps it was the Plum Blossom Guard. Yu Jianxiu has been sending people to monitor us, so he should know what happened last night."

Just then, Little Snail ran in to report, "Young Master, we have guests visiting outside!"

"Is that General Yu from yesterday?"

"No, it's... His Highness the Prince of Linzi!"

Xue Wei was slightly taken aback. Why was Li Longji here?

Yuan Min whispered, "Could it be that he's cleaning up after us?"

Xue Wei hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's possible. I'll go see him."

Xue Wei arrived at the VIP hall in the central courtyard. Upon seeing Xue Wei enter, Li Longji immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Cousin, I apologize for my rudeness last night!"

"It's alright, Your Highness, please have a seat!"

Xue Wei invited Li Longji to sit down. Xiao Luo'er came in and served tea. Li Longji hesitated for a moment, then got straight to the point: "I don't have much time, so I won't beat around the bush."

"Please speak!"

"I didn't leave last night. I saw Wu Chongxun talking to Zhu Kuan, and I knew that Wu Chongxun wanted to use Zhu Kuan to deal with you. Zhu Kuan was killed by his men to force you to become enemies with Zhu Ling."

Xue Wei raised an eyebrow. "So, you were the one who cleaned up my mess last night?"

"Yes! I not only disposed of the body for you, but I also killed the groom that Wu Chongxun had let go. Then I fabricated a story that Zhu Kuan's men went to Huazhou, and Zhu Ling will not know that her son is dead for at least ten days."

Xue Wei suddenly remembered something and pressed on, "Was that arrow-embedded letter also given to me by you?"

Li Longji readily admitted, "Absolutely right!"

"Why? Why did you do this?"

"Because we're on the same side, my aunt's real support is for my father."

Xue Wei stared at Li Longji. This was the same man who, in history, had mercilessly killed his aunt, who had no chance to resist, despite his father's desperate pleas. Yet now he claimed that they were in cahoots.

What else do you know about the Huanglong incident?

"What I know is the same as what Yu Jianxiu told you. These are not secrets. Everyone knows. The Emperor knows, your mother knows, and Wu Chongxun knows. They are not eyeing Zhu Ling, but the large amount of money that Wu Chengsi gave to Zhu Ling. It is said to be nearly one million strings of cash."

Remembering the task the Emperor had given him last night, Xue Wei asked, "If the Emperor already knows the truth about the Huanglong incident, what does she want me to investigate? Is she asking me to investigate whether Zhu Ling really rebelled?"

Li Longji snorted, "Zhu Ling is nothing, just a flea. Would the Emperor care about her? The Emperor didn't ask you to investigate Zhu Ling, but to investigate the various forces that are trying to seize Zhu Ling's wealth, including my father and me. What they are doing and what they want to do is what the Emperor wants to know. However, there is one thing the Emperor doesn't know. You can write it into the report; she will be interested."

"What is it?"

Li Longji took out a box from his bosom, opened it, and inside was a teacup.

"This is a secret-color porcelain that is only available in the imperial palace. It was bestowed upon Wu Chengsi by the emperor. However, it appeared in the ghost market of Chongye Ward last month, which means that Wu Chengsi's wealth has surfaced. That's why everyone is so nervous. It's not because of Huanglong."

"You want that wealth too?"

Li Longji sighed softly, "A million strings of cash can do a lot of things."

"Do you know who I am?"

Li Longji laughed. "Ordinary officials won't know, not even the prime minister, but everyone in that power circle knows that you are a hidden guard, the emperor's private spy."

"Then why are you telling me so much? Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Emperor?"

Li Longji paused for a moment and said, "The rules of the game of power are not about whether what you do is right or wrong, but whether you have overstepped the line. It is normal for me to want that million strings of cash. It would be abnormal for me to go to brothels and entertainment venues every day. The emperor would suspect that I have other intentions. So what I told you is that my father and I have not overstepped the line. You can report to the emperor as you see fit."

Xue Wei nodded. Li Longji was the same age as his brother, but his thoughts were much deeper than Chongjian's. He truly deserved to be a chess player of later generations.

"So what brings you here to see me today?"

"I'm just afraid you don't see through Yu Jianxiu. He's the most terrifying person in this Huanglong incident, much more terrifying than Wu Chongxun. I'm afraid you'll be used by him and ruined by him, so I want to tell you more about him."

"Your Highness, please speak!"

Li Longji said slowly, "Yu Jianxiu has been monitoring you and controlling your every move since Sanmenxia. Do you think this is his duty?"

Xue Wei shook his head. "I don't think so either. He's an executor, not a monitor."

"Then you must believe he's one of the Crown Prince's men, monitoring everyone who comes to Chang'an for the Crown Prince. Are these people secretly contacting my father? Do you think the Crown Prince is very wary of my father?"

Xue Wei fell silent; that was indeed what he thought.

"But...it was you who sent the message that Yu Jianxiu was the Crown Prince's man, otherwise how would I have known?"

"This is what makes Yu Jianxiu so terrifying. He is a descendant of Yu Zhongwen. His elder brother, Yu Huaisi, was killed for supporting the Prince of Luling and opposing the emperor's ascension to the throne."

Almost everyone believes he is a man of Crown Prince Li Xian, even the Emperor believes he is one of the Crown Prince's men, which is why he sent him to monitor my father and me. But if I told you that Yu Jianxiu is actually a man of the Zhang brothers, would you believe me?

Xue Wei was stunned. "Whose side is Yu Jianxiu on?"

"The Crown Prince believed that Yu Jianxiu was his man, and the two Zhangs also believed that Yu Jianxiu was his man, but only he himself knew whose man he truly was."

Xue Wei nodded. A double agent, or rather, a fence-sitter. He understood.

"You underestimate him. Yu Jianxiu's superior, Li Duozuo, is clearly one of the Zhang brothers' men, but Li Duozuo issued a strict military order forbidding him from investigating Zhu Ling's matter. Think about how that's possible?"

After a moment's hesitation, Xue Wei blurted out, "Yu Jianxiu is acting!"

"You understand now! Yu Jianxiu knew you were coming and that you wanted to use his Plum Blossom Guard, so he staged a scene with Li Duozuo beforehand to make everyone think that Yu Jianxiu was the Crown Prince's man and was fighting for Wu Chengsi's wealth for the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince probably thought so too. In fact, Yu Jianxiu was working for the Zhang brothers. Wu Chongxun was the Zhang brothers' overt agent, and Yu Jianxiu was their covert agent. The Zhang brothers were determined to get Wu Chengsi's wealth."

Looking into Li Longji's sincere eyes, Xue Wei slowly said, "Tomorrow, Yu Jianxiu and I are going to Wugong County to close the net. I estimate that Wan Guojun and Wu Chongxun will also be going. So what are you going to do? Are you giving up that fortune?"

Li Longji smiled and shook his head. "Things aren't as simple as they think. If that money were so easy to get, it would have been stolen long ago."

"So you knew I'd make a wasted trip tomorrow?"

Li Longji chuckled, "Chongyin, are you confused? Your mission is not to seize that money, but to investigate the truth and let the Emperor see everyone's behavior. That money has nothing to do with you."

Xue Wei laughed too. It didn't matter. The Emperor's real mission for him was to kill Zhu Ling, although he didn't know why.

Xue Wei suddenly remembered something and asked, "What is the connection between this case and the death of Crown Prince Li Hong twenty-seven years ago?"

Li Longji's expression became complicated. He stared at Xue Wei and slowly said, "I have a suggestion for you. You are a relative of the imperial family. There are some things you'd better not know, otherwise you'll get dragged into it step by step and end up dying a very ugly death."