bayedsolid Chapter 39: Night Visit to the Minister of War's Residence
Chapter 39: Night Visit to the Minister of War's Residence
child time.
Xie Beiheng traveled back to Dayue again.
In the study, Xu Chong and An Yi each reported today's intelligence.
An Yi, as usual, had a blank expression on his face and spoke in a cold voice, "Master, Liu Jiachuan went to the palace to attend court this morning. Since returning, he has been staying in his study and has not left the house. We haven't noticed anything unusual so far."
Xie Beiheng nodded, then turned his gaze to Xu Chong beside him.
Xu Chong immediately reported, "Today, many officials from the court came to visit the Crown Prince. The imperial physician stood at your door and said that your injuries were too severe and that it was inappropriate to disturb you, so they were all turned away."
"but……"
"The Prince of Qin couldn't be stopped and insisted on breaking in. He was accompanied by the eldest son of the Song family and the second young lady. The eldest son was relatively calm, but the second young lady was crying loudly."
"The Marquis was not at home, and the subordinates were unable to stop them. Finally, the Crown Prince came and ordered them to return, and only then did they leave."
After listening to this, Xie Beiheng nodded without much expression on his face.
All of this was within his expectations. The Marquis of Zhenbei held military power, and the Emperor and the Crown Prince relied heavily on the Xie family, so that everyone in the court was wary of the Xie family. Now that he, the son of the Marquis of Zhenbei, was seriously injured, they would definitely come to visit him, whether sincerely or insincerely.
"Hasn't the secret letter been intercepted yet?"
What Xie Beiheng was most concerned about was the secret letter, which was sent directly from the Beirong royal family hiding in the capital. As long as it was intercepted, the person would be found.
Xu Chong's face was heavy as he replied, "Not yet, Prince."
"I suspect they've discovered that the secret letter they sent last time was intercepted, so they changed their delivery method. That's why we haven't been able to intercept it yet."
Xie Beiheng had thought about this possibility, but if he wanted to find the person quickly, he couldn't miss any opportunity.
The enemy is in the dark while I am in the light. This passive feeling makes Xie Beiheng feel very uncomfortable.
"Keep watching. Don't let your guard down even if there's even the slightest possibility." After saying this to Xu Chong, he said to An Yi, "Keep watching Liu Jiachuan. Now that this prince is dead, Beirong will definitely contact him. He's a crucial figure."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Yes, master."
After Xu Chong and An Yi left, Xie Beiheng still stayed on the bed in the study to sleep, and went back to Lin Xiangxiang's rental house early the next morning.
In this way, Xie Beiheng ate, drank, and washed at Lin Xiangxiang's place every day. At midnight, he would go back to the study to listen to Xu Chong and An Yi's reports, and then sleep in the study.
Lin Xiangxiang stayed at home for a week. Except for going to the toilet and taking a shower, Xie Beiheng didn't let her take a single step. When she wanted to drink water, he would bring in a cup, and when she wanted to eat, he would carry her out.
So, a week later, Lin Xiangxiang's wound was almost healed, and Xie Beiheng could now use the air conditioner, kettle, washing machine, and water heater.
Sunday was Xie Beiheng's birthday. On Saturday, Lin Xiangxiang asked with a smile, "I'm going to celebrate your birthday tomorrow. You're not going home yet, are you?"
Xie Beiheng had a gentle smile on his face, "If I don't go back, it will be the same as the past few days."
Hearing this, Lin Xiangxiang smiled with her eyes curved, "That's good, hehe~"
When the time comes.
Xie Beiheng went back to Dayue's study as usual.
Seeing Xie Beiheng appear, An Yi immediately stepped forward to report: "Master, I have discovered something unusual."
Hearing this, Xie Beiheng's eyes suddenly turned cold and stern, "Speak!"
An Yi replied, "I've been keeping an eye on Liu Jiachuan these past few days and noticed something was amiss. For so many days, Liu Jiachuan would stay in his study the entire day after returning from the morning court session. At noon and in the evening, servants would go in with lunch boxes, but would return shortly afterwards. I'd always assumed Liu Jiachuan was in the study."
"Until today, when a servant came out with a food box, I secretly followed him and found that the food box was empty. Not only were there no leftovers, there were not even any bowls, chopsticks or plates."
"I suspect there is a secret passage in the study of the Minister of War's residence, and Liu Jiachuan left the residence through the secret passage."
"This old fox!" Xie Beiheng's eyes were grim, and there was suppressed anger in his voice.
No wonder there was no movement after so many days of surveillance. The old fox actually dug a secret passage in the study. It can be imagined that he has been colluding with Beirong for a long time.
Xie Beiheng thought that Dayue had been fighting with Beirong for more than 20 years. Liu Jiachuan had used various excuses to transfer troops to the border of Southern Shu and Western Jin when reinforcements were needed. There was even one time when Beirong burned, killed and looted two cities in Dayue. Liu Jiachuan advocated peace and did not fight on the grounds that the treasury was empty.
This old guy is over sixty years old this year, and one foot is already in the coffin. He doesn't care about his own life or death, nor does he worry about implicating the thousands of lives of his nine clansmen in the Liu family.
Xie Beiheng wished he could cut him into pieces as a tribute to the thousands of soldiers who died.
Thinking of this, Xie Beiheng decided to visit the Minister of War's residence tonight. He must find the secret passage and lure out the Beirong royal family hiding in the capital as soon as possible.
"An Yi, you will accompany this prince tonight to visit the Minister of War's residence!" Xie Beiheng immediately gave the order.
"Yes, master." An Yi didn't hesitate at all.
Xu Chong said hurriedly, "Sir, I will go with you."
"Since that old fox has been able to hide for so many years, he must have many masters around him. Prince, let your subordinates go with you!" Xu Chong said anxiously, worried about Xie Beiheng's safety.
Xie Beiheng stared at him and said, "If you keep following this prince, it will easily reveal your identity. Besides, tonight is the spy's residence of the Minister of War, so it's not suitable for too many people. This prince and An Yi will leave, and you stay in the residence."
Xu Chong lowered his head in frustration and replied sullenly, "Yes, I will obey your orders."
Xie Beiheng changed into a black nightgown and went to the Minister of War's residence with An Yi.
Soon, the two men arrived outside the Shangshu Mansion. They jumped lightly onto the courtyard wall, tapping their toes lightly, and their movements were agile, making almost no sound.
According to the intelligence gathered by An Yi during these days of surveillance, there were twenty masters with extraordinary skills stationed around Liu Jiachuan's yard to guard it every day.
Xie Beiheng and An Yi's destination was the study. At that moment, two guards stood on either side of the study door, and two more on the roof.
"Master, according to my observations over the past few days, the guards in Liu Jiachuan's courtyard rotate every two hours. In another quarter of an hour, they will be changing shifts." An Yi lowered his voice to report the situation to Xie Beiheng.
Xie Beiheng nodded slightly, his eyes sharp as he scanned his surroundings warily. While these guards were quite powerful, if they were to face him head-on, none of them would survive even ten moves.
However, he couldn't alert the enemy tonight. If Liu Jiachuan noticed something unusual, it would be difficult for him to take action against him again.