Love Lock

Chapter 295 This is called "the darkest place is under the lamp".

On the second afternoon, the warm winter sun lazily shone on the streets and alleys of Beijing.

The snow melted on the eaves, dripping onto the bluestone slabs on the ground.

The streets remained bustling as ever. Vendors selling candied hawthorns called out in drawn-out calls, while shop assistants at silk stores stood at their doors soliciting customers. Several mischievous children chased each other across the alleyway, leaving behind a string of silvery laughter.

Freshly roasted chestnuts—

"The finest Jizhou silk—"

"Tanghulu——"

The sounds of various vendors hawking their wares rose and fell on the streets, mingling with the buzzing of pedestrians talking, creating a unique symphony of everyday life in the capital.

In the teahouse, the storyteller was at the most exciting part of his tale when he slammed his gavel.

"The thief was incredibly skilled in martial arts; he stole the prefect's official seal right under everyone's noses..."

The tea drinkers in the audience listened intently, occasionally letting out various exclamations of amazement.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar, growing louder and louder as it approached.

The noise in the teahouse gradually subsided, and people began to peer out the windows.

"Make way! Urgent military business!" A troop of Imperial Guard cavalry in full armor galloped past, their hooves making a crisp sound on the bluestone slabs, splashing water that wet the goods of the roadside vendors.

"Oh dear, my silk!" the silk shop assistant exclaimed, but dared not say more, and just hurriedly cleaned up the cloth that had been splashed with mud and water.

Immediately afterward, another group of people rushed past, this time constables from the Jingzhao Prefecture dressed in black robes.

The head constable shouted, "By imperial decree, we are searching for suspicious persons! All shops and residences are prohibited from leaving their premises!"

The tea drinkers in the teahouse looked at each other and began to whisper among themselves.

"What happened?"

"Could it be from the palace...?"

"What's going on? Every day it's either confiscating houses or conducting searches. What exactly is that person in the palace trying to do?"

"Shh! Watch your mouth! How many heads do you have to say something like that?"

……

The storyteller tactfully put away his folding fan, and the teahouse owner hurriedly called to his staff, "Quickly, put the door back up; we're closing early today!"

The same scene was playing out all over Beijing.

Inside Tengyun Tower, the expressions of several officials who were drinking suddenly changed. One of them stood up and said, "Gentlemen, I suddenly remembered that I have official business to attend to at the yamen. I'll take my leave first."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of orderly footsteps and the clanging of metal armor came from downstairs.

In the noble mansion district of Xuanwu Street, the Imperial Guards have already surrounded several mansions.

An old man in a brocade robe stood in front of his house, angrily rebuking the leading officer: "How dare you! Do you think you can search my residence?"

The officer clasped his hands in salute but did not back down: "My lord, please forgive me. I am under imperial command and dare not disobey. This is His Majesty's edict. Please grant me this favor."

The Marquis took the warrant, glanced at it, his expression changed slightly, and with a cold snort, he flung his sleeves and entered the room: "Search all you want, just don't break my things!"

Meanwhile, in an inn in Tongzi Alley, the innkeeper, Uncle Liu, was leaning against the counter, cracking melon seeds and chatting with several regular customers.

The inn was small, but it was clean and tidy, with several elm wood tables polished to a shine.

Uncle Liu was chatting with his guests when a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

The waiter frowned, put down the rag in his hand, walked to the window, and gently lifted a corner of the curtain to peek outside.

"What's wrong?" Uncle Liu asked.

The waiter's expression changed slightly: "Uncle Liu, the government troops have arrived, and there are many of them."

Uncle Liu's eyes flickered slightly, and his hands unconsciously clenched. These people arrived so quickly; he wondered how Da Jiu and the others were doing now.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the inn's door was flung open, and three constables in black uniforms burst in. The lead constable looked around and shouted sternly, "This is an investigation by the Jingzhao Prefecture! No one is to move!"

The guests in the inn immediately fell silent, trembling with fear. Uncle Liu quickly put on a smiling face and went to greet him: "Sir, you've had a long journey, this is..."

The constable waved his hand to interrupt her: "Enough nonsense! How many people are staying at the inn? Are there any unfamiliar faces?"

Just as Liu Bo was about to answer, another group of people entered from outside; this time, they were the Imperial Guards in armor.

"Everyone line up, we need to check your identity one by one!"

All the guests, waiters, and odd jobs in the inn were called to the lobby and their identities were checked one by one.

After verifying their identities, the officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Imperial Guards searched the entire inn thoroughly before moving on to the next shop.

Once they were out of sight, the guests in the inn began to whisper among themselves.

"What happened?"

"I do not know!"

"I just entered the city and heard that all the city gates in the east, west, south, and north are closed. Could it be that some dangerous person has infiltrated the city?"

"Who knows! It's making everyone panic."

Listening to their discussion, Uncle Liu slumped onto a stool, feeling somewhat exhausted. He had stood in the hall cooperating with the inspection, his expression calm. But now, thinking back, he felt a lingering fear.

Fortunately, I received a message from Da Shisan yesterday that Da Jiu and the others were no longer here. All the M16s and ammunition had also been moved out. There's an inn now, but it's just an ordinary inn.

Meanwhile, Da Jiu and his men were struggling to move guns and ammunition in a secret passage on the outskirts of the capital.

When Da Jiu rescued the carriage caravan of Han Guogong and Shen Daohong on the official road outside Wulipo, he already had a plan in mind.

Wulipo was too close to the capital. Using M16s to rescue the caravan there would have exposed them. So, as soon as they returned to an inn in the capital, they immediately began their relocation.

Veins bulged on Da Jiu's thick arms, and despite the cold weather, large beads of sweat still rolled down his dark cheeks.

He gritted his teeth and, together with his brothers, carried the heavy ammunition boxes, the soles of his boots creaking on the damp floor of the secret passage.

"Give it your all!" Da Jiu gasped for breath, spitting behind him. "Once this box is moved, we can finally take a break."

A muffled groan came from behind: "Ninth Brother, this is the third time already, the brothers' arms are almost too sore to lift." The three M16s slung over his shoulder kept clashing against each other with each movement, making a crisp metallic clang.

The solar lights hanging on their heads illuminated the entire passageway, making even the woodlice crawling in the cracks of the rocks clearly visible.

Under the lights, six strong men carried ammunition in pairs. Their coarse cloth clothes were already soaked with sweat, leaving dark stains on their shoulders and backs.

"Enough with the nonsense!" Da Jiu snapped in a low voice. "What the Prince and Princess have entrusted to us, we must accomplish even if it costs us our lives!"

He turned his head and glanced at the dry well at the end of the secret passage, where light was shining through it. He lowered his voice and said, "Once we hide all these things under the dry well, even the King of Heaven himself won't be able to find them."

Da Shiliu wiped the sweat from his face and suddenly grinned: "Ninth Brother, do you think that old emperor is jumping up and down in a panic right now?"

These words drew chuckles from the brothers nearby, and Da Jiu couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

This is the advantage of having an informant by the emperor's side; they can get the news immediately of any disturbances in the palace and respond accordingly.

It turned out that the Imperial Guards that Emperor Jing had sent to Wulipo to scout for an ambush had returned late at night and reported that they had not seen any troops. There was only a small patch of trampled, messy withered grass and bushes on the hillside, which did not look like a large army lying in ambush.

Emperor Jing then deduced that it was likely that Zhao Zun's small group had infiltrated the capital. Based on their speed, this small group should already be lurking in the capital.

Emperor Jing sent men to question the city gate guards overnight. Some said they had indeed seen five or six strong men riding into the capital. This made Emperor Jing increasingly frightened, so he immediately mobilized troops to conduct a large-scale search of the capital to find the whereabouts of those five or six strong men.

But to Emperor Jing's surprise, the thorough search of the capital yielded nothing. And the person he was looking for was right under his nose.

"Your Highness's idea is truly brilliant!" Da Jiu patted the pistol at his waist and lowered his voice, "The Emperor turned the capital upside down, but Your Highness has us hiding directly in the palace's secret passage, hahaha..."

"Hehe! Exactly."

"That's called 'the darkest place is under the lamp.' Hehe!"

The brothers laughed for a while.

Da Jiu signaled to everyone to speed up their work, "Hurry up, keep your voices down, and hide these things well."

Da Shiqi leaned closer and whispered, "Ninth Brother, the Emperor is probably going to turn the capital upside down."

Da Jiu sneered upon hearing this: "Let him search! Once the prince's signal arrives, the few of us will show the entire palace what true upheaval is!"

As he spoke, he patted the ammunition box, the wooden box full of ammunition making a dull thud in the secret passage.

Like a group of ghosts in the darkness, Da Jiu and his gang transported modern weapons, capable of overthrowing the entire dynasty, one by one into the heart of the palace right under the emperor's nose...

...This is a dividing line for asking for votes...

As darkness fell, snow began to fall again. The cold wind swirled the fine snowflakes, pattering against the tents of the Yong'an City military camp.

The flickering charcoal fire inside the tent cast two figures on the canvas, swaying like a painting.

Han Lei was bent over a large elm wood desk, a ballpoint pen between her slender fingers, intently sketching on the paper.

The desk was piled high with various drawings, some already annotated, others still being revised.

The solar-powered lights hanging from the top of the tent cast a bright beam of light onto Han Lei's slightly furrowed brow.

After the spring, once the trade market is completed, it will begin normal operation, and trade between Cangzhou and the Turks will commence.

Han Lei found a place in Yong'an City for Tang Xiaotong and his staff to build a foreign trade office, so that Tang Xiaotong would have a place to work.

In addition, during today's inspection of the progress of the trade market, crude oil was unexpectedly discovered from Turkic merchants.

After returning, Han Lei consulted a large amount of information about oil refining in the system, intending to build an oil refinery near the Yinshan coal mine to extract gasoline, kerosene, and diesel.

In this way, they will have more modern means of transportation in addition to three-wheeled vehicles.

“We should add another fractionation tower here…” she murmured to herself, her pen moving quickly across the paper, drawing precise lines.

Just then, the curtain was lifted, and a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes swept in.

Zhao Zun shook the snow off his cloak, his handsome face slightly red from the cold. He unfastened his sword and hung it by the tent, his gaze immediately falling on the petite figure.

"Still busy so late?" He approached, his voice filled with concern.

Han Lei didn't even look up, her pen flying across the paper: "You're back? I'll be right there. The design drawings for this fractionation device are almost finished."

"It's so cold outside, come and warm yourself by the fire." Zhao Zun walked to the stove and reached out to warm his hands on it.

"I'm not cold." Han Lei looked up and gave him a sweet smile before burying herself back in her work. "The New Year is almost here, I need to get everything arranged here so we can go back to the Prince's Mansion for the New Year!"

Zhao Zun touched his warm hands on his cold cheeks and walked behind her, watching her focused profile bathed in the soft light.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, feeling the taut muscles beneath her clothes.

“Trade markets, oil refineries, foreign trade offices… Girl, are you going to renovate the entire Cangzhou?” He chuckled, his fingers gently kneading her stiff shoulders and neck.

Han Lei finally put down her pen, looked up at him with a smile, her eyes shining brightly: "Brother Zun, do you know? The things that can be refined from oil are enough to change the future of the entire Cangzhou! Gasoline can make our three-wheeled vehicles go further, kerosene can light up the nights for more people, and there's also diesel, asphalt..."

She turned around excitedly, grabbed a few drawings, and was about to explain. Zhao Zun took the opportunity to hug her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head, and took a deep breath. The faint jasmine scent in her hair dispelled the chill that had enveloped him.

"My dear girl," he said, his voice muffled by her hair, tinged with grievance, "do you even know what time it is?"

Han Lei then noticed that it was already pitch black outside the tent, with only the howling wind reminding her of the passage of time.

She smiled sheepishly, "I lose track of time when I get busy..."

Zhao Zun tightened his arms, enveloping her completely in his embrace, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

"Forgetting the time is fine, but don't forget me too. Ever since you discovered that black water, you've been acting like you've struck gold. Working day and night, can your body handle it?"

Zhao Zun's tone was resentful, and Han Lei knew she was ignoring him, so she relaxed and leaned against his chest, feeling the solid warmth coming from behind her.

Han Lei patiently explained, "There's a lot to do after spring, so we need to prepare in advance. Once the trade market is built, the caravans from the Turkic side will arrive..."

"Shh—" Zhao Zun gently pressed a finger to her lips, interrupting her, "No more talking about politics tonight."

His fingers traced along her jawline to the side of her neck, drawing suggestive circles there. "We have more important things to do..."

Han Lei felt ticklish from his teasing and couldn't help but laugh out loud. She turned to face him and asked, "What could be more important than the development of Cangzhou?"

A playful glint flashed in Zhao Zun's eyes, and he suddenly bent down and scooped her up in his arms. Han Lei gasped in surprise and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Of course, it's about giving Cangzhou a little prince or a little princess." He carried Han Lei and strode towards the bed, a mischievous smile on his lips. "My mother wrote to me the other day, asking about this matter again."

Han Lei blushed and lightly punched his shoulder: "Put me down! It's clearly you who wants a child, but you're using your mother as an excuse."

Zhao Zun gently placed her on the bed, knelt on one knee beside the bed, held her hands, and rarely showed a serious expression.

“Girl, I know you care about the people of Cangzhou. But seeing you working so hard every day breaks my heart.”

He stroked her cheek with his thumb, "While the court is busy dealing with Dongmei's mission and has no time to attend to us, we must work harder."

Outside the tent, the wind and snow continued, and the charcoal fire crackled softly.

Han Lei looked into Zhao Zun's deep eyes, which were filled with tenderness and expectation. Her heart softened, and she reached out to stroke his sharply defined face.

She said softly, "Haven't we been working hard? It's just that this can't be rushed."

She winked mischievously. "Or perhaps, Your Highness... lacks confidence in your own abilities?"

Zhao Zun's eyes darkened, and he suddenly leaned over and pinned her down: "Girl, are you questioning me?"

Han Lei smiled like a cat that had just stolen some cream, twirling a strand of his black hair with her fingers: "No, no. How about, when the world is at peace, I'll give you a litter of little babies, who will be begging for candy every day."

Zhao Zun laughed loudly, his chest heaving: "A whole litter? Do you think you're a sow giving birth?"

He pinched the tip of her nose, his tone even gentler: "Two will do, a son and a daughter. The son will be as handsome and brave as me, and the daughter will be as intelligent and lovely as you."

"And then? Teach your son horseback riding and archery, and your daughter math, physics, and chemistry?" Han Lei asked with a smile.

“No,” Zhao Zun looked at her seriously, “teach them to be like their mother, with the world in their hearts, and daring to think and act.”

Han Lei felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and her eyes reddened slightly.

She snuggled into his arms and said in a muffled voice, "Zhao Zun, when did you become so good with words?"

He smiled and hugged her tightly, saying, "Spending time with smart people will naturally make you see things clearly."

Outside the tent, the wind and snow intensified. The charcoal fire cast their shadows onto the tent, where they overlapped and became one.

On this cold winter night, the small military tent was warm as spring...

Thank you for the tip, not fish. Here's a two-bag silver coin as a return gift.