Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 109 Xiao Yuanmu

The snow was falling like a curtain of weaves, not as heavy as when they sneaked into Prince Jin's mansion that night. Without the natural environmental protection back then...but Zhao Wumian's Qinggong skills were no longer what they used to be.

Moreover, the guard level of the Imperial City Bureau is far inferior to that of the Prince of Jin's Palace.

Snow Owl flew into the Imperial City to investigate for the two of them for a while, then flew back and pointed in a direction... There were fewer people there.

Zhao Wumian and Guan Yunshu walked along the wall of the Imperial City like a young couple going out for a walk. When they arrived at that location, they looked around to make sure that no one saw them, and then disappeared in a flash.

After they jumped over the wall, they lay down in the snow skillfully. After a moment of silent observation, they saw two eunuchs in red official uniforms walking by and saying:
"Still no news about the prince?"

"I heard that everyone in the Imperial Hospital has gone to the Eastern Palace, but no news has come out. They must have been silenced... Come to think of it, if the Crown Prince is really dead, the court probably won't wait for the legitimate princess to return to the capital, and will directly support the eldest grandson of the Emperor to take the throne."

"Alas, during the autumn harvest, we gave a pair of gold bracelets to Eunuch Xuan of the Eastern Palace, hoping that the crown prince would take care of him after he ascended the throne... Now it's all in vain, and even Eunuch Xuan has disappeared. Could it be that he took the bracelets and ran away?"

"Eunuch Xuan was the adopted son of the former chief steward ten years ago. How could he be missing a pair of bracelets for you? The Eastern Palace is now tightly sealed and the chief steward is in charge. Not to mention Eunuch Xuan, not even a bird can get in or out. Even Lord Zuosi can't interfere at this moment."

"There shouldn't be anyone so foolish as to assassinate the prince, right?"

"Hey, how can we be sure about these political affairs..."

The sound of the two eunuchs' conversation gradually faded away with their subtle footsteps.

"Eunuch Xuan should be the envoy from the capital who was killed by Old Li in Pingyang. It seems that the Eastern Palace has been infiltrated by Dong Yan. And according to Old Li, Eunuch Xuan is very skilled in martial arts and is responsible for guarding. He must have been under the jurisdiction of Li Zhengkong before... He might know some clues." Zhao Wumian transmitted the message into the secret passage.

Guan Yunshu was lying in the snow, nodding slightly, and then suddenly froze, looking sideways with a little doubt. She didn't know that the secret method of Canghua Tower was sound transmission. After all, this thing was obviously the secret of the sect, and Empress Canghua would not publicize it everywhere. But when did Zhao Wumian learn the secret method of sound transmission?

"I learned this from Miss Shen. Do you want to learn? Help me again and I will teach you, but you can't tell anyone else." Zhao Wumian used this as an excuse, hoping to allow Guan Yunshu to stay in the capital for a longer period of time.

Guan Yunshu looked away expressionlessly and ignored Zhao Wumian.

Even though the two had sneaked into the Prince Jin's Mansion, which was more difficult, they were still holding their breath and being cautious in the Imperial City Division, so Zhao Wumian said no more.

It is not difficult to find the office of Zuo Si Zhu Li Zhengkong. It is right in the central hall.

The two men moved through the snow like ghosts, avoiding the occasional eunuch who passed by with documents along the way. When they approached the center of the Imperial City, the defense became tight and guards with knives and swords could be seen patrolling back and forth from time to time.

But the Imperial City Bureau was not wealthy enough to employ grandmasters as guards, so the two men believed that the defensive force was just that. They waited for the opportunity, and when the guards crossed each other, they flashed into the hall, then stepped lightly on the floor tiles, moved to the side, and hid behind the door.

One of the guards felt as if a cold wind was blowing, and his back felt chilly, but when he looked back, he saw that the hall was empty, so he looked away.

The interior of the hall roughly looks like a meeting hall, with two armchairs in the middle and about ten tables and chairs on both sides. Hanging on the wall is a plaque with the words "Martial Virtue and Long-lasting Love" issued by Emperor Jingzheng.

At this early morning, neither the chief executive nor the deputy chief executive were present, so there was no meeting to be held and the place was naturally empty.

There is a small door on each side, with "Zuo Si" and "You Si" written on it respectively. It is expected that these are the offices of the left and right secretaries.

Zhao Wumian and Guan Yunshu exchanged glances, then went to two small rooms respectively to investigate separately…Since they were already here, they naturally couldn’t just investigate Li Zhengkong.

Zhao Wumian went to the small gate of the Right Division. The head of the Right Division was in charge of "espionage and monitoring", whether in the military or in the martial arts world. Therefore, Zhao Wumian mainly wanted to see if he could find any clues about Taixuan Palace and Hanyu Gu.

When the door curtain was lifted, what came into view were rows of bookshelves and the scent of books wafted over. It was obvious that this was the intelligence that the Imperial City Bureau had collected over the years, and it was now piled up here in different categories.

However, Dali has been a country for so many years that if we really want to record every detail in volume, there will be at least tens of thousands of files. Therefore, most of the things placed here are the events in the martial arts world in recent years, or the things that the Right Lord is currently investigating, which are placed here for easy reference at any time.

On the side of the bookshelf were written "Heroes of the Jianghu", "Major Events of the World", "Hidden Stories of Kings and Princes", "Military Intelligence of the Frontier", "Strange Objects"... basically these were the five categories.

However, the bookshelf containing "Secrets of Princes and Royals" and "Military Intelligence on the Frontier" is relatively empty compared to other bookshelves. Obviously, such sensitive files cannot be placed here casually... Most of the files that can be placed here are irrelevant.

In the middle of the bookshelf, there is an empty area with two wooden tables placed together, and several booklets are neatly stacked on the tables.

There was a stove next to the wooden table, and the coal inside was still warm. It was estimated that the right-hand master was still working here last night.

Li Zhengkong would return to the Imperial City Division at noon, and the Right Division Chief had a similar guess. At this moment, there was still about half an hour until noon, and time was not abundant, so Zhao Wumian took a quick look at the furnishings in the room and went to the bookshelf to look for "Heroes of the Jianghu".

It is further divided into two categories by 'major sects' and 'independent practitioners', the first being the current state religion Wugong Mountain, followed by the Little Western Heaven of Jin, and the Yanyun Sword Sect. Looking down, one can see the booklet of Taixuan Palace.

The first page reads:

"'Wan Yue Xian' Xiao Yuanmu, the master of Taixuan Palace, is proficient in swords, spears, halberds, fists, palms and internal skills."

Just by looking at the first sentence, Zhao Wumian's heart was slightly disturbed. According to what Taoist Lingxu said, the sword technique he used was 'Wan Yue Xian', but he never thought that this was actually the nickname of the Palace Master of Taixuan Palace. Moreover, the sentence 'swords, spears, swords, halberds, fists, palms, and internal strength, he is proficient in everything' also matched him... Could he be Xiao Yuanmu?
Look further down.

"Although he was not among the top martial arts champions, his martial arts skills were not inferior to any of them. In the winter of the twelfth year of Jingzheng, the old spear champion Chen Congxin fought with Xiao Yuanmu in Chu, and was later beheaded in Poyang Lake. On that day, the entire Poyang Lake was covered with ice, about two fingers thick. After the battle, the ice shattered and the corpse sank. It snowed heavily for seven days, and Poyang Lake never froze again..."

"It is said, 'The traveler looks at the trees and picks them, and the distant green makes him feel sad in the evening.'"

"Later, the old spear leader's son, Chen Qiyuan, came to Beijing to inherit the spear leader's plaque."

Finally, it was added that Guan Yunshu, a true disciple of Xiao Xitian, had some of Xiao Yuanmu's style in martial arts at a young age, and his future achievements were limitless. It was suggested to win over Xiao Xitian and let Guan Yunshu kill Xiao Yuanmu after he grew up.

Zhao Wumian frowned slightly and turned the page. There was a portrait of Xiao Yuanmu... It was a girl who looked about the same age as Mu Lier. It obviously couldn't be him.

But he must be related to Xiao Yuanmu, maybe he is her last disciple or something like that?

Zhao Wumian continued to flip through the pages, and then his expression slightly delighted, it really was there.

"Xiao Yuanmu seems to have a disciple who is not very old and often follows Xiao Yuanmu around, but he has never taken action and his martial arts skills are unknown."

There is another portrait at the back, the person is wearing a purple dress but a veil, so her face cannot be seen clearly, but we can only tell that it is a woman.

Zhao Wumian's mood sank again. He flipped through the pages and found the elders of Taixuan Palace, but none of them matched Zhao Wumian's age.

The booklet also briefly comments on the Taixuan Palace at the end. "The Taixuan Palace was founded at the beginning of the country. Although it intended to overthrow Dali, it was weak and not a concern. Until the Jingzheng period, Xiao Yuanmu suddenly appeared. He was a powerful demon and dominated the Jiangnan area. His whereabouts were elusive and no one knew what he was up to. Over the years, all the spies sent out have disappeared. It is extremely mysterious. However, there is a lack of successors. None of the younger generation has the youthful style of Xiao Yuanmu."

The booklet is thin, that's all.

Zhao Wumian rubbed his brows and put it back to its original place. Although he had some information about Taixuan Palace, he had more questions in his mind.

He is neither Xiao Yuanmu nor Xiao Yuanmu’s disciple... Then who is he?
Xiao Yuanmu's illegitimate child? This is not right. Xiao Yuanmu is at most thirty years old. She can't have a child at the age of ten, even in this fantasy world.

After thinking it over, Zhao Wumian still felt that he was the disciple that Xiao Yuanmu always kept by his side... Men dressing up as women, and women dressing up as men, were very common things in the martial arts world.

Zhao Wumian, full of questions, flipped through the column of 'strange objects' again. This time he got even less information, which was not much different from what Luo Chaoyan said at that time. The Cold Jade Gu was made by a master in Guixuan Valley a hundred years ago, and then the master disappeared with the Cold Jade Gu, and thus this object has not been seen for a hundred years.

Seeing that he could not find any information about himself, Zhao Wumian looked at the wooden table again and flipped through the booklet on the table.

It reads 'Xiliang and Northern Shanxi, a brief military situation'.

Zhao Wumian flipped through it and found that it basically included the battle results, the casualty ratio, the number of times the Rong tribe was defeated, and the winning rate of our generals.

But one of the generals caught Zhao Wumian's attention. It was not that he knew him, but the page about this person had more wrinkles than the other pages. If you put the booklet flat on the table and flip it casually, you can basically turn to him. It is obvious that the Right Chief has been staring at his information recently.

Zhao Wumian took a quick look...

Both Xiliang and northern Jin were under the jurisdiction of the King of Jin. Therefore, most of the frontier generals were under the command of the King of Jin, and this man was no exception.

He is the vanguard under the command of King Jin, named Dong Yulou. He is extremely brave and has the courage of ten thousand men. Ten years ago, he led 6,000 cavalry to break through the 30,000-strong Rong army. He is the King Jin's most trusted confidant.

But looking at his record this year, it was mediocre, with wins and losses...but wins and losses are common in the military. Zhao Wumian watched for a long time but couldn't see anything wrong. However, there must be something wrong when things are abnormal. Zhao Wumian still kept Dong Yulou in mind.

boom---

But at this moment, a slight sound suddenly came from next door, and it sounded like someone was fighting.

Zhao Wumian suddenly raised his head. Guan Yunshu was discovered! ?

Earlier, Guan Yunshu entered the room of Zuo Sizhu Li Zhengkong to search.

There are not so many books and files in Li Zheng's empty room. After all, the two heads of the department have different responsibilities.

The room was clean and tidy, furnished with a wooden table, bookshelf, small bed and heater.

But Guan Yunshu already knew how good Dong Yan was at hiding, so he naturally would not let his guard down at this moment.

It is very simple to find clues about Dongyan, just look for their unique code.

But after searching carefully for a long time, Guan Yunshu didn't find anything wrong, so she turned to look for secret compartments or secret rooms.

Guan Yunshu lit a fire stick and searched around... Under the firelight, coupled with her sharp eyesight, she was able to spot some tiny fingerprints.

In a short while, she found a secret compartment on the bookshelf. She pushed it gently and saw a book inside.

Guan Yunshu thought it was Dong Yan's secret copy, so he shone a fire stick on it, but saw a few pieces of rice paper with hastily written words on them, blocking the title of the book.

Written on it was 'On the feasibility of Qingying Jade Cloth in regenerating severed limbs', followed by a long string of analysis.

Guan Yunshu frowned slightly, took out the rice paper, glanced at it roughly, and then looked directly at the conclusion.

'Emperor Jingzheng has been staying at Taiji Hall for ten years, and has never been to Kunning Palace to sleep with Empress Shen. It is thought that the legitimate princess was born in Chu during Emperor Jingzheng's Jingnan Campaign, and she has never given birth to a son since then. It is suspected that she was suffering from a chronic illness at the end of the Jingnan Campaign...

...Although there is the Qingying Jade Cloth, for some reason it still cannot be cured, so the Qingying Jade Cloth may not be enough to regenerate the broken limbs, or even if the broken limbs are regenerated, they will not have the original effect.'

"It's inexplicable. He secretly criticized the late emperor. This statement alone is enough to cost Li Zhengkong his head."

Guan Yunshu shook his head lightly, put down the rice paper, and looked down, only to see that the book below was a thick volume called "The Romantic Affair of a Heroine".

She was slightly stunned, and then a trace of shame and anger subconsciously emerged on her fair face. She almost burned the book, but then she remembered that Zhao Wumian had told her that these book titles were gimmicks, and the contents of the books might not be as shameless as the titles said.

Don't be fooled by the outside appearance. If it can be placed in the secret compartment, it must be something extraordinary... The title of the book is just a disguise, there may be some big secret hidden inside.

When Guan Yunshu thought of this, he extinguished the fire stick and opened the book.

Oh? There is also a catalog, but the catalog seems to be all about martial arts, such as Guanyin Sitting on Lotus, Enough to Carry the Tao, Supporting Thunder and Splitting the Moon, etc.

Supporting Thunder and Splitting the Moon? Judging from the name, it should be a fierce move.

Well, to describe it in detail... the woman holds her hands against the wall, bends over, and then the man spreads his feet apart from the woman's legs, or the woman lies on the ground, but in the final analysis, when the man is behind the woman, he should target the first place he sees, which is obscure and can be moistened with honey...

Guan Yunshu's expression was full of confusion, she couldn't understand it.

So she turned another page.

There were illustrations, so now she understood.

A blush suddenly spread from her neck to her face like a plague, and even her clear eyes became misty.

She slammed the book "A Romantic Stories of a Heroine" shut with a slight "pop" sound, and then threw it down hastily as if the object in her hand was poisonous. Subconsciously, she took out a string of Buddhist beads from her sleeve and hurriedly recited the "Tripitaka" several times. In her heart, she was thinking, after reading such a book, am I still worthy of being a nun?
I am not clean anymore...

But at this moment, Guan Yunshu's ears moved slightly, and he realized that someone had quietly entered the hall and was walking slowly towards here.

Her heart skipped a beat. She was very familiar with Zhao Wumian's footsteps and breath. This person was definitely not him... He was discovered!
(End of this chapter)