She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

"Everyone on the street is saying that today, thieves failed to rob money at Guangyuan Temple and took the life of the wife of a military officer. Do you think this is true?"

Before entering the gate of the Yizhuang, Ah'an asked calmly.

In fact, when they were in the shop, the sentence that A'ao warned Zhao Zhuo, "Mrs. Chu died at the hand of Bei Tang," was just a blind guess in her mind. At that time, she didn't know how to calm him down, and she accidentally said this guess out loud.

Subconsciously, A'ao always felt that this matter was inseparable from Beitang.

Whether it is the butler He with his peculiar wood carvings or the rotten corpse buried under the tree, they all share a common background with Madam Chu.

That is the military officer Chu’s mansion.

Chu Qingfang had just lost her mother suddenly, so it was naturally inappropriate to ask her.

I haven't seen Hengzhi yet, and even if I did, he might not agree with me completely.

"I really didn't know that Yun Cong followed the master today." Yun Cheng took two steps forward, making way for Ah'an. "Madam, if you need anything, please let me know. The situation is not peaceful right now, and it's dangerous for you and that guy to be on the street."

Ah Yi thought about it carefully and it was indeed true. Yun Cheng did not answer directly, but he had already told her the recent situation invisibly.

"We should be able to go back tomorrow at the latest. It's okay for us adults, but we need to get some goat milk for the child." The two men walked into the hall where the body was being kept, speaking in very low voices.

Zhao Zhuo knelt on the mat in front of the stone bed, folding paper ingots under the instructions of Mrs. Zhou.

The paper had been there for a long time and had become a little brittle. Even if I was gentle, I couldn't fold it properly and it lay limp on the ground.

Mrs. Zhou had been holding the child. Seeing him moving clumsily, she didn't want to say anything to disturb him, so she just watched with worry.

Yun Cheng brought a rusty iron basin and placed it next to his futon. The basin had several dents, and it was obvious that many people had used it before.

The branches crossed and overlapped, forming a circle in the pot.

The tinder was opened, easily catching a piece of yellow paper with sparks. Yun Cheng threw the tinder into the basin, and it slowly burned.

Normally at this time, a Taoist priest or monk would be called in to perform a ritual to help the deceased escape suffering. Ah-yi simply sat on the ground, the bricks were chillingly cold, and folded the remaining ingots for Zhao Zhuo.

Her mind was wandering, and A'ao couldn't help but recall the tune of the mantra for rebirth that the monks used to sing during rituals.

With the smell of burning incense, candles and paper money, the mantras they chanted seemed to be more gentle and lingering.

Ah-yi had also fallen asleep while on night watch.

Namo Amitabha Night.

After going back and forth, I only remember this sentence.

A'ao threw the folded ingot into the fire and it turned into ashes in a moment.

"I think since you can guess my identity, you already know the identity code names of most of the people in Beitang." Zhao Zhuo suddenly said in the room which was so silent that only the light of the candle was dim and the firewood was burnt to ashes.

Ah's subordinate paused, then replied, "Yes, 'Bei' and 'Yi', right? You and Zhang Shiliu should both be from the Yi faction."

Zhao Zhuo nodded silently.

Rather than keeping these things in my stomach for the rest of my life, I might as well tell Madam Zhaohou now.

At first, Zhao Zhuo was more grateful than skeptical about Bei Tang's state of mind. Moreover, he seldom came into contact with people from the Northern School, and knew very little about such a large organization.

Zhang Shiliu died at the hands of the Northern Clan, and his wife became even sicker as a result of the Northern Clan's setting fire to silence her. All the sorrow he had experienced during this period was caused by the Northern Clan.

Zhang Shiliu can be loyal to death for his own passion, but Zhao Zhuo cannot.

Once people have concerns, they will inevitably be afraid of death and will inevitably harbor hatred.

"The Yipai is responsible for delivering messages. The owner of Feiqin Post before me died because he was sent to assassinate an official of the imperial court. Zhang Shiliu and I exchange messages at the post station on the first and fifteenth day of every month, and then I use the convenience of Feiqin Post to release the carrier pigeons trained by Beitang."

"You Tong died in Dangshan. The missions Zhang Shiliu and I received were to find out how he died and to release the news."

As expected, it was exactly the same as what she had analyzed at that time. Ah-yi burned the paper calmly, feeling her cheeks getting hot from the fire. "Why did Bei Tang want to know about You Tong's death? What do assassinating court officials and You Tong's death have in common?"

Yun Cheng also quietly stepped forward and used a fire stick to spread out the paper flowers in the basin, ready to listen to the next words.
Zhao Zhuo glanced at the stone bed and continued, "The person who sent the mission said that You Tong knew a secret of the Shen royal family. This secret will help Beitang compete with the capital, so we need to know who is chasing You Tong."

"As for the commonalities." Zhao Zhuo thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "I only know superficially that Beitang has always been carrying out rebellion under the pretext of being a legitimate organization, and has also used this method to instill this in their subordinates. They are probably dissatisfied with the emperor. Zhang joined Beitang sixteen or seventeen years ago, and it is said that the organization was just established at that time."

Ah Yi raised her eyebrows slightly, and suddenly felt that this matter had become more exciting. Seven years ago, when Shen Cong was still in power. Although Shen Cong was not as stupid as the new emperor Shen Lang, his ability in governing the country could be said to be minimal.

Emperor Wu'an could barely be considered a good monarch. Although he levied taxes continuously during his reign, he ensured that there was no more fighting on the border and did his best to maintain peace.

Shen Cong was arrogant and stubborn. He rarely listened to the advice of his ministers and always did things on his own.

Speaking of ten years ago, A'ao couldn't help but think of another incident in the court.

One day, Huai Chengbai came to the Shangshu Mansion. He was upset everywhere, sighing and humming. Ah'an saw that the master was in a bad mood, so she brought him some good tea.

After he brought the cup, Huai Chengbai started to curse, "Your good-for-nothing father! I don't know what he has a brain for. He can fire anyone and listen to any nonsense!"

After a long pause, he added in a loud voice, "What good deeds did you do in your previous life to become an emperor? It's ridiculous!"

Ah-yi shrugged, "Fools have good fortune."

The fragrance of tea filled the air, refreshing the old man's heart, and he became cheerful again in an instant, "My dear disciple, you are really the luck that the Shen family has cultivated for several lifetimes. Your father and your uncle, even if they were put together, might not be as smart as you."

At the same time, he said complacently, "I can teach," and muttered to himself, "You have good talent," only then did he appease himself.

After the lessons were over, the old and the young sat in the flower garden basking in the sun, holding some cheese from Yanqinglou.

"Sir, what happened in the court today?"

"Hmm!" Cisuo pointed at Ah'ao, and Huai Chengbai nodded with satisfaction, "I was waiting for you to ask this question. Suppose, now you need to hire someone, one of whom is good at flattering you, and the other is a gourd with a saw-mouthed mouth, but the former's ability is not as good as the latter. He just did something for you and made you happy, and there is an opportunity for promotion, will you promote him?"

The sweet cheese melted in Ah'ao's mouth. She was still a little girl at that time, and it took her a long time to understand what he meant.

"This morning, my aunt and I went out to do some shopping. There was a huge scene at the city gate. It was said that Lord Jin had been promoted and entered the city. Could he be the one who was promoted?"

Huai Chengbai laughed a few times and praised, "Little girl, you really know how to think."

Lord Jin was referring to the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Jin Feng. Ah-yi knew that there was a Concubine Jin in the palace, who was his biological sister.

The two were originally from merchant families, and it was against the ancestral teachings to be appointed an official in the court. Jin Feng also knew that merchants in Da Chong had a low status, so after his parents passed away, he sold all his businesses and carefully prepared for the imperial examination. He studied very poorly, but he enjoyed a lot of wine and meat.

Concubine Jin was first noticed by Shen Cong because of her presumptuousness. She was secretly sent into the palace under a changed identity. She was promoted to the position of Concubine Jin by trying to please Shen Cong step by step.

When Jin Feng saw his sister gaining power, he secretly sent things to the palace in the name of a retainer. Shen Cong was very happy with Concubine Jin and would ask who had arranged these good things for her.

Thus, Jin Feng got a chance to be promoted. At first, he was given an extraordinary promotion. In order to reduce the number of memorials submitted to the Court of Remonstrance, Shen Cong found him a small official position in the Six Ministries. Who knew that this man was born with the ability to flatter and soon won the favor of his superiors.

After that, Shen Cong could not avoid seeing Jin Feng's name on the last line of the memorial when his superiors went to report their achievements. With Concubine Jin constantly whispering in his ear, he was transferred to the Secretariat.

Yan Tongjun was in his middle age, the youngest minister in Da Chong, and had a straightforward temper, so he didn't think highly of Jin Feng. The ministers in the Ministry of Central Affairs were all high-minded and knowledgeable, so they also disliked Jin Feng.

As time went by, Shen Cong did not see any more memorials praising his achievements, so he summoned Jin Feng to ask him about it. Jin Feng was a master of acting, and he was very respectful and cautious in stating that he was not very talented and would only cause trouble to his colleagues, which was extremely hypocritical.

When Shen Cong heard this, he immediately understood what he meant. He was furious and blamed the Secretariat, saying, "I know you are all old ministers, but there is no need to exclude the people I personally promoted to this extent!"
At that time, Concubine Jin was so anxious that she vomited for several days in the harem, and Shen Cong was very happy to hear that. But the beauty was often unwell, and in order to keep the fetus safe, Shen Cong invited a Taoist priest outside the palace to perform a ritual, saying that Concubine Jin had seen my brother during the day, and the resentment that had been entangled with Lord Jin for a long time was possessed, which caused the dragon fetus to be disturbed.

Shen Cong's stupid brain turned and he felt that it must be the nerds in the Zhongshutai who couldn't stand Jin Feng's proper work, and they were jealous and resentful, and almost harmed his son.

At that time, Qiu Yuan, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, happened to go over the head of the chain of command and impeach Jin Feng. This gave Shen Cong the leverage to finally find evidence against him. He dismissed Qiu Yuan and promoted Jin Feng, and the two swapped positions.

Qiu Yuan was a student from a poor family and was proud and arrogant. When he saw that the monarch he was loyal to was so foolish, he fell ill and died not long after.

Later, the Censorate used this matter to make Shen Cong a little afraid. In addition, Concubine Jin had a miscarriage and died of illness soon after, which made Shen Cong fall into his own stubbornness, so Jin Feng did not get promoted again.

I have been in this position until now since I took office as Zhongshu Sheren.

Thinking back on this incident, Ah'ao suddenly felt that this muddy water was even more unfathomable.

"There are people in the government in Beitang, and there are also people who provide money behind the scenes. But what I can be sure of is that there must be a very important person in Kezhou who holds a high position in Beitang and is manipulating this series of events." Zhao Zhuo said affirmatively, looking at the flames in front of him.

Ah-yi's eyebrows tightened, and her heart skipped a beat. "How can you be sure?"

"Because I sent the letter that day to Kezhou."

(End of this chapter)