Chapter 44 Ominable Signs

"What happened? Nie Kong?" Zhuo Ruitong stepped into the study and asked.

Nie Kong frowned and didn't say a word, but handed an unsealed secret letter to Zhuo Ruitong. Zhuo Ruitong hurriedly browsed, "What? Did Li Ren disappear for no reason?"

"Yes, this news came very strange. Li Jin Li Ren is supposed to be the most trusted person of the Empress Dowager Li. After the king of Wu raised the army, the Empress Dowager Li has gradually handed over the safety of the capital to Li Jin, that is, in order to prevent accidents. Therefore, now Li Jin and Li Ren should say that it is the time of power. How could Li Ren be at this time? What about missing for no reason?" Nie Kong said in a discussion tone.

"How long has Li Ren been missing? Li Jin is in control of the Imperial City Yulin Army. Has he sent the Yulin Army to look for it?

Nie Kong sighed, "Our people found out the news, then transmitted the secret letter, and reached our hands. It has been at least two days in the middle, so Li Ren disappeared at least two days ago. Although Li Jin relied on the arrogance of the power of the Empress Dowager Li, he is not a person who doesn't know the importance. Li Ren's disappearance is big, but Yu The mobilization of Lin Jun is even more important. How dare he transfer Yu Lin Jun at will? At most, he sent some cronies to explore and search secretly.

Zhuo Ruitong pondered for a moment and said, "Li Ren's temperament is a little dung beliful. He is used to food and clothing, glory and wealth. I heard that there is also a behavior of lingering in the flower street and willow alley. Could it be his old problem again, hiding in the room of a woman in a brothel?"

"If that's the case, Li Jin won't be able to find his son, right? The land of flowers and willows in the capital is just a few places. The secret letter said that Li Jin had closed the door and went around anxiously at home, indicating Li Ren's disappearance. Maybe there is a bigger secret behind it!" Nie Kong paced back and forth in the room, "And Li Jin didn't publicize this matter. Is he also afraid of something?"

"Yes, at this time, Li Jin and Li Ren's position is very important. Even if some people want to take the opportunity to cut off Li's power, who has such a great ability to move Li Ren in the capital? It's strange, it's really strange!" Zhuo Ruitong looked at Nie Kong and said, "Do you guess Li Jin will report this matter to the Empress Dowager Li?"

"I heard that the Empress Dowager Li has not been in good health recently. Li Jin should not let his own family affairs and add trouble to the old witch!" Nie Kong said with regret, "It's a pity that Xiaoci came back too early, otherwise we could know more about the movement in the palace."

"That's nothing we can do. Compared with the information we need, isn't Huanxuan more valuable? If there is no room for manoeuvre, don't care about it anymore." Zhuo Ruitong read the secret letter again. "It seems that Huanxuan is right. In the recent period, our information collection should be faster and more detailed. I Now I also have a bad feeling that something big may happen soon.

"Why don't you let the horse purchase go for the time being. How about I go to the capital in person?" Nie Kong asked.

"No, the purchase of horses is also very important to us. Now we are afraid that no matter what happens in the capital, we will be overwhelmed. The reason why we need more detailed and faster transmission of information is to be able to find a way to deal with it in time, so as not to be caught off guard. Since Yuzi's trip has been arranged, you can rest assured. If There is really an accident in the capital. Isn't there any joy? In fact, Zhuo Ruitong's mood was particularly heavy, but Nie Kong shouldered heavy responsibilities, and he could no longer let Nie Kong be distracted.

Nie Kong nodded helplessly, "Another situation is also very strange. Since I caught the assassin and confessed that they were Lou Xun, I have let the eyes of the capital deliberately pay attention to Lou Xun's movements. Judging from the recent intelligence collection, Lou Xun seems to have rarely appeared in public. But he hid at home but was not idle at all. It seemed that many ministers from the court were visiting in private, especially in the middle of the night, in front of Lou Xun's house, but cars and horses were full of doors.

"What on earth does he want to do? Why do those courtiers visit such a despicable villain? And he is not a realist like Li Jin in the court. There is no reason to let the courtiers follow the power in the middle of the night." Zhuo Ruitong was puzzled.

"Well, this is on the one hand. In addition, I have been worried that after the failure of the previous group of assassins, Lou Xun will be unwilling to send someone to sneak into Weijun again, but Lou Xun seems that he has nothing to do with this matter. Not only has no response, but also I don't see him have other plans. He just close the door every day and meets guests late at night."

Zhuo Ruitong wondered, "Are those two assassins not sent by Lou Xun? It's impossible. Even Ji Yuguang admitted that he was also Lou Xun's person. It's impossible to point the finger at Lou Xun so unanimously. He is not a high-ranking courtier, let alone a military general. He has never seen much meritorious service as a prince. Even if he is framed, he doesn't deserve it!"

"I can't say it clearly, but by my feeling, I believe that Ji Yuguang will not lie. As for Lou Xun, or because he was too inconspicuous before, we all ignored this person's words and deeds. In short, in order to prevent trouble, Mrs. Ying should pay more attention to her safety. After I leave, I'm afraid that many things will require you to be careful insightful and decisive. It's a decision!"

"I will. I just hope that you will go early and come back early. By the way, just now, I was in the Liu Goblet Palace and discussed something with Huanxuan. I don't have time to tell you in the future. How about listening?"

"Very good, Lord, please speak, and listen carefully!"

So Zhuo Ruitong repeated some of Huanying's suggestions to Nie Kong one by one. Nie Kong nodded as he listened, sometimes suddenly, sometimes frowned. Finally, Nie Kong suddenly stood in the house without saying a word.

"What's the matter, Nie Kong? If you have any better proposal, you can also say it and we will refer to it together." Zhuo Ruitong looked at Nie Kong puzzledly.

Nie Kong shook his head, "To be honest, even if I arrange it, I may not think of a better and more appropriate way than Mrs. Ying, but I'm really worried about Mingsha Camp's handing over to Mrs. Ying!"

"I also don't think it's very reliable. Huan Ying has never led soldiers. Although she has also read some military books, leading soldiers and talking about soldiers on paper are two different things. Fortunately, there are Lu Zisuan and others. I don't think about it. What's more, as soon as you leave, there is indeed no more suitable candidate than Huan Ying. I think, Let's rely on her first."

"Lord, that's not what I mean. Mingsha Camp is the most trusted secret army of the Lord. If you dare to deal with Mrs. Ying, you are worried..." Nie Kong wanted to say and stopped.

"What are you worried about?" Zhuo Ruitong was very puzzled. He looked at Nie Kong and suddenly said, "Nie Kong, you are not worried about the change of owner of Mingsha Camp, are you? I know that you created the Mingsha Camp. You have made a lot of efforts for this strange brigade. I promise you that Huanying is just a osman. When you return safely, you will still be under your command. How about it?"

Nie Kong's face was a little embarrassed, "Where is the Lord thinking? Is my Nie Kong such a small-bellied chicken sausage? I'm just worried that the reason why Mrs. Ying is so interested in Mingsha Camp is that she wants to borrow the power of Mingsha Camp to achieve her own goals. I know I shouldn't say such a thing, but Mrs. Ying's series of means make Nie Kong appreciate it and also quite worried. If you want to do a great career, you have to pay attention to the means!"

Zhuo Ruitong smiled bitterly, "I know, don't worry, Nie Kong, although she is eager to take revenge, but she told me that state affairs will be the most important. The trouble of Beirong affects not only the problems of whether the border people live and work in peace and contentment, but also the whole country. She is by no means an unreasonable person."

"That's good. Maybe my subordinates are too worried. The more chaotic the situation is, the more we should keep our heads clear!" Nie Kongwang Dingzhuo Ruitong said, "But I still want to congratulate the Lord. With the help of Mrs. Ying, our strength will increase greatly. Even if we can't compete for the world in the future, no matter who sits on the throne of the dragon chair, they dare not underestimate us. As long as the trouble of Beirong is solved, it is not a problem to be a problem for the Central Plains."

"Hehe, let me borrow your auspicious words!" Zhuo Ruitong walked over and patted Nie Kong on the shoulder. "I'm ready. Don't think too much. You and Huanxuan are like a right-hand man to me, and I don't want to lose any of them."

Nie Kong smiled. His smile was rare, which brought a little melancholy. It was beautiful to live. At least in the days of Weijun, he spent an unforgettable five years of his life and had an unseverable concern, but he didn't know whether he could really come back alive. Anyway, he was actually very satisfied.

In the palace of the capital, Zhen Mei was restless. The news of Li Ren's disappearance had already spread all over the palace, but everyone was trying to hide the ill Empress Dowager Li. Jiaolan came to the Yaohua Hall and quietly hinted that Zhen Mei. Empress Dowager Li was probably not be able to hold on for a long time and asked her to prepare early. Now the emperor favors the imperial concubine. It's not a good omen for her, the queen.

Zhen Mei was both surprised and happy, because Jiaolan's implicit words obviously meant that if the empress dowager died of illness, the emperor was about to return to the truth. At that time, she would naturally be able to take charge of the harem. Since she was not worried about being deprived of the queen's power, how could she not be happy? But what was surprising was that everyone knew that the emperor was weak, especially his ears. The softest thing is that I used to pay attention to the words and every word of the ling concubine. Now I circle around the Shuangfei all day and ignore the national politics at all. If it goes on like this, I will be neglected again and again, won't it make Shuangfei occupy the limelight step by step?

But she knew that Shuangfei had bad intentions, but she couldn't help being deceived by her and dealt with the empress dowager together. Fortunately, the empress dowager didn't seem to notice her momentary confusion. Otherwise, how could she see her aunt? The most hateful thing is the Shuangfei. After using herself, not to mention whether her secret recipe is really effective, even the emperor is occupied by her. Isn't her desire to conceive a dragon heir still vague and helpless?

Now that her aunt is seriously ill, but Li Ren has lost her trace. How should she deal with Shuangfei?

Zhen Mei doesn't want to condescend to go to the imperial palace, so don't let Shuangfei see her intentions and laugh to death? Instead of going to the Lengzhi Palace to be humiliated, she might as well go to the Empress Dowager in person to ask for an idea. However, how can the Empress Dowager have the spirit to pay attention to her now? Zhen Mei was in a dilemma and went back and there in the Yaohua Hall.

Compared with Zhen Mei's anxiety, the coolness in the Anzhi Palace seems to be more annoying. Zhuo Yuancan does nothing every day. In his spare time, he either plays chess or reads a book in the study. In addition, he changes his short clothes and shoes to combs the flowers and plants in the garden of the Anzhi Palace. On this day, Shuang'er brought tea. The fruit dessert, far away, saw that Zhuo Yuancan was busy in the flowers and trees, and the unhungry in his heart suddenly gushed out, and he couldn't restrain himself.

But after all, that person is still the emperor. Whether he is nominal or not, his status is unchangeable before he is abolished. Shuanger just held the tea plate and endured the disgust in her heart. After a long time, she smiled and walked to Zhuo Yuancan, "Your Majesty, you have been busy all afternoon. Why not yet. Come and have a rest? The tea my concubine personally made for you. I think the emperor must be thirsty. There are also these melons and fruits, but the Pearl Palace has just sent someone to deliver it. While it's fresh, the emperor, come and taste it!" Shuang'er smiled and said cheerfully, and her pink face was full of spring, and she could not see a trace of annoyance at all.

However, Shuang'er said this, but her eyes fell on Zhuo Yuancan's face full of dust. In the past, when Huanying was still there, Zhuo Yuancan came to the Anzhi Palace a few times. Every time he came behind him, the people who followed Empress Dowager Li made her in a hurry and did not dare to say too much, so Shuanger saw the emperor, It's all a decent robe and elegant appearance. But now, when she really commits herself to this man, she feels more and more that if Zhuo Yuancan is not wearing the emperor's crown, he is no different from the man in the slang alley of the ordinary market, but his facial features are more beautiful. Speaking of handsomeness, Shuang'er can't help but be secretly in her heart. Disdain for Zhuo Yuancan's embroidered pillow, and the incompetence of the straw bag inside, what is more intolerable is that he looks like now, like a farmer in the field. How can he look like an emperor?

Zhuo Yuancan didn't know what Shuang'er was thinking behind him. He smiled enthusiastically and said, "I'll be ready soon. Wait a moment!"

Shuang'er put the tea plate on the white jade table beside her, and sat on the stone stool. She put her hand on the edge of the stone table and held her cheeks. She turned her face and looked elsewhere, so that the more she saw the emperor's dirt, the more her chest would be blocked. Unexpectedly, Zhuo Yuancan greeted her happily and said, "Shuanger, come and have a look. I will remove the weeds. Fertilized soil, the plums this winter should be particularly fragrant, right?

Shuang'er sneered in her nose, reluctantly turned her face, and smiled, "Yes, your Majesty, you fertilize and weed ourselves. How can the flowers and trees in the imperial palace not be grateful for the emperor's kindness? They all strive to bloom?" After saying that, even she couldn't help but get goose bumps for a while. If you can't bear it, how can you be a superior? Her glory and wealth are still tied to the villager in front of her.

Zhuo Yuancan finally finished his work. He went to the pool and cleaned his hands and patted the soil on his body. He sat down at the table and said to Shuanger with a smile, "In the past, I didn't have a chance. I like these flowers and grass the most. Now I have made the flowers of this garden, Siji Shengfang. If she looks at it, I don't know how much I like it. !"

"Your Majesty, you are here again!" Shuang'er glanced at Zhuo Yuancan, "My young lady is no longer here. No matter how you comb it, she can't see it!"

Zhuo Yuancan lowered his eyes and stopped answering, but picked up the tea cup and drank it.

Shuang'er suppressed the impatience in her heart again and said softly, "Your Majesty, have you heard that Li Ren suddenly disappeared, and now Li's house is in a mess."

"Li Ren? Why did Li Ren disappear? How can a good person go missing? Zhuo Yuancan was really attracted by the topic and raised his eyes and asked Shuang'er.

"I don't know. Many people in the palace are spreading it quietly. I also accidentally bumped into several palace people and housers talking about something, and drank them before asking."

"Why do you want to pass it on quietly? If Li Ren really disappears, such a big thing will not be noisy early. I'm afraid it's those palace people who chew their tongues. Don't take it seriously!" Zhuo Yuancan didn't think so.

"Oh, do you think the empress dowager has been ill for so many days, and it's okay if you don't visit her, but Li Hou is reluctant to bother the empress dowager anymore. If it hadn't been to hide it from the empress dowager, it might have been over for a long time. In short, Li Ren really disappeared this time, and I heard them say that Li Ren went to Shengyuefang, half There was an accident on the way home at night. At that time, the carriage he was in was suddenly shocked and ran away from the guards. When the guards finally found the carriage, there was no one in the carriage, and even the coachman disappeared. Do you think it's strange?

Zhuo Yuancan held the tea cup and looked suspicious. "My uncle is so powerful that he didn't send more people to look for it? Will he fall into the river or fall somewhere?"

"Why didn't you look for it? But now that the situation in the capital is so chaotic, it's probably not good for him to be too public. It's just to make people look around for clues and secretly investigate, but it's just that it's a secret investigation, and Li Hou's people and horses go around. How can it be unknown?"

Shuang'er stopped and then continued, "Your Majesty, I said before that you shouldn't hand over the tiger charm. As soon as the tiger charm is handed over, the empress dowager must have been given to her most trusted uncle. What's the result? Isn't something wrong with the uncle's family!"

"Tiger charm?" Zhuo Yuancan disdained and said, "What does Li Ren's disappearance have to do with the tiger charm? Even if Li Jin holds the tiger charm, he will not give it to Li Ren. Li Ren is already playful, and my uncle is not confused at all about major events."

Shuang'er thought about it. It seemed that what Yuan Can said was also reasonable, and she just wanted to ask Yuan Can to regain power, so whether Li Ren's disappearance was really related to Hu Fu, she was really not sure. Now the words that could have been pulled down were blocked by Yuan Can, so she had to think about something else. Head.

"Our uncle is not confused, but the emperor is confused. If you are confused, you will hand over the tiger charm. The emperor is idle. He is happy to grow flowers and grass in the palace every day, but the emperor has never thought about it. Li's mastering the tiger charm is still his own family. In case the tiger charm falls into the hands of the trepid, the emperor Don't you have to regret the Empress Dowager?"