The inner court has twelve supervisors, four divisions, and eight bureaus, collectively known as the twenty-four yamen of the inner court.

The Si Li Jian ranks first among the twenty-four yamen, and is controlled by the eunuch who holds the seal. The power of the inner court is almost in the hands of one person.

Emperor Ning devoted himself to cultivating Taoism. He did not go to court for many years and did not manage politics. Even the memorials for officials in the outer court had to be approved by the Chief of Ceremonies on his behalf.

Because the chief eunuch of the palm seal handled everything in an orderly manner, Emperor Ning specially gave the first floor and the name "Jie Fan" to praise the contribution of the chief eunuch.

At noon, Wu Xiu bowed respectfully and stepped back from the shadow of the tower.

It wasn't until the sun shone on him that the red python embroidered on his robe finally lit up again.

He slowly breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, and strode toward the dovecote with rapid strides.

Along the way, all the eunuchs saw his python robe from a distance and knelt down early to salute, but Wu Xiu did not squint or even glance at him.

Arriving at the dovecote, he pushed away the young eunuch who was cleaning the dovecote, and took up a pen next to a desk and wrote a note.

He examined the note again and again to make sure that the handwriting was correct and the meaning was correct, and then he carefully rolled it into a thin bamboo tube.

Wu Xiu came to the pigeon cage engraved with the word "Luocheng", reached out and took out a pigeon, carefully tied the bamboo tube to the pigeon's leg, and threw the pigeon into the sky outside the door.

He watched the pigeons go away, not knowing what he was thinking.

A young eunuch walked over quickly: "Godfather, Long live the Lord calls you over. He said that the apostle Taoist priest from Huangshan has come with his eldest disciple Zhang Li."

Wu Xiu nodded: "I understand."

He watched the pigeons fly up into the sky, circle around the imperial city, and then fly south. Wu Xiu said in a daze: "The birds in the sky are so free."

The young eunuch hurriedly sneered: "Dad, why do you envy a bird? When you replace it, it will be inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. It will be much freer than it."

Wu Xiu glanced at him, her eyes clearly calm, but the little eunuch's heart trembled: "Godfather, I said the wrong thing."

"Next time if you do it again, go to the Firewood Bureau to chop firewood." Wu Xiu picked up his robe, crossed the threshold, and hurried to Xiyuan Renshou Palace.

But I saw the gray dove in the sky, first flying out of the huge Forbidden City, then flying out of the capital, flying over the clouds and plains, over rivers and mountains.

On the first night, the pigeons rested at the Pigeon Cage Inn in Hebi.

The next day, we headed straight to the south, and finally flew to a small courtyard in Luo City on the early morning of the third day.

In the courtyard, there was a spy in black in front of a sand table. On the sand table was the terrain of the Liu family's courtyard and the Liu family's ancestral tombs.

At this time, Yunyang saw the pigeons hovering in the sky, grabbed a handful of corn and raised his hand, and the pigeon flapped its wings and landed in his hand.

"Bright Rabbit! There's a letter from the capital," Yunyang shouted.

Jiaotu responded inside: "Quickly open it and see what the Minister of Internal Affairs said."

Yunyang removed the paint and took out the letter paper: "Wu Xiu is delivering the message again. I recognize his handwriting... Wu Xiu said, let us decide for ourselves whether we should mediate with the guards to open the coffin and conduct an autopsy."

The White Rabbit came out and leaned against the door frame: "I'm so annoyed. Something is going to happen, and we are the scapegoats. What should we do? Do we still want to take action?"

"The Prime Minister didn't stop him, he just wanted us to take action. However, if we succeed, it will be a great achievement. If we fail... the least we can do is to be sent to Lingnan," Yun Yang thought as he stood in the yard.

Jiaotu rolled his eyes: "We have captured at least 800 of the prisoners in Lingnan. How can we get a good ending if we go to Lingnan?"

"What are you afraid of? We are both senior officials," Yunyang said.

"There are dozens of senior officials assigned to Lingnan by us!"

"Their family members are still in our hands, and they don't dare to make any mistakes. With our relationship with Mr. Nei Xiang, we won't suffer hardship even if they are assigned... Wait, why are you making it seem like we will definitely be assigned?

, We will definitely not fail this time, the Liu family will just wait to be confiscated and held accountable!" Yunyang said cheerfully.

The White Rabbit tilted his head and looked at the note: "What else did Mr. Interior Minister explain?"

Yunyang lowered his head to look at the note again, and after a moment his expression changed: "Wu Xiu asked us to give him the information about the masked man in the Liu family!"

"Ah? Lin Chaoqing must have complained! These people in charge of the Criminal Division know how to complain every day!" Jiaotu said angrily: "...But if Chen Ji can become a spy, he can still help us make meritorious service. He will be transferred to us

Just be fine with my subordinates."

Yunyang shook his head: "No...what kind of person do you think Chen Ji is?"

Jiaotu thought for a while: "...When he is thinking about things and not talking, it's quite like that."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Yunyang frowned: "That night in the Zhou Mansion, in order to survive, he directly killed the housekeeper of the Zhou Mansion. I can tell that he was not a skilled man at that time.

I'm still hesitant. But now, in just a few days, I hang someone in the inner prison, and he can look at me calmly."

Yun Yang looked at Jiaotu and said seriously: "Jiaotu, he is a grudge-bearing person and will never forget how we treated him in the first place. The Interior Minister likes people like him who are smart and unscrupulous. If one day he climbs higher than

If we are high, we don’t have to live.”

Jiaotu thought for a moment: "Then kill him? Anyway, he is no longer needed in the Liu family case. However, if the internal affairs minister finds out, he will definitely investigate the cause of death. Whether it is the black snake or the golden pig investigating, we can't hide it.

"

Yunyang shook his head: "So we can't do it ourselves, we have to borrow someone else's knife to kill."

"What to do now?"

"You take Wang Ling's flag to mediate the troubled guards, and I'll borrow the sword. Whether you succeed or fail is today."

The morning in Luocheng is crisp and clear in autumn. On the ninth day of September, it is in the north of the Monkey Demon, so it is a good time to go out, get married, pray for blessings, treat diseases, and kill people.

…

…

Taiping Medical Center.

The three brothers and sisters were leaning against the door of the medical center, looking happily at the passers-by at the door.

The Double Ninth Festival is approaching. Not only do wealthy families invite Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to parade around to ward off misfortunes and evil spirits, but wealthy businessmen also distribute "Double Ninth Cake" from door to door.

Every tavern has put up a chrysanthemum wine sign at the door, and vendors are walking around the streets selling Jiangsang, and if you buy a Jiangsang, you will get a dogwood for free.

Chen Ji sighed: "The Double Ninth Festival is so lively."

In his former hometown, the festive atmosphere is no longer so strong. Cannons are not allowed to be set off during the Spring Festival, and the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival have become carnivals of the commodity economy.

Wait, Chen Ji suddenly asked: "How did the Double Ninth Festival come about?"

Liu Quxing said casually: "You don't know this? During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a plague in Runan, Yuzhou. A man named Huan Jing asked to see the immortal Fei Changfang for this matter. Fei Changfang gave Huan Jing a pot.

chrysanthemum wine,

A piece of dogwood told him to take his family up high on September 9 to avoid disaster, but the evil spirits would not invade. After the ninth day of September, Huan Jing took his family down the mountain and found that all the cattle and sheep in the family had died of illness, and their family had escaped disaster."

Chen Ji was stunned because the Double Ninth Festival had the same origin in his hometown.

The same Eastern Han Dynasty, the same Fei Changfang and Huan Jing.

If the same moon and the same sun hang in the sky, he can accept it forcefully. But even the legends and stories are the same, so he must think deeply: Why?

What is the connection between the two worlds?

While he was thinking about it, he saw Chunhua from Wanxingyuan leading two healthy servants and carrying four food boxes walking down the street.

She Dengke's eyes lit up: "Chunhua, why are you here?"

Chunhua was wearing a light green skirt with a golden chrysanthemum embroidered on the hem. She was carrying the train of the skirt and said with a smile: "Isn't this the Double Ninth Festival? My wife sent me to the hospital.

Here are some snacks."

Liu Quxing hurriedly took the snack box from Jian Pu: "Miss Chunhua is really thoughtful. The last time I ate snacks from Wanxingyuan was on the Lantern Festival, and I can't forget it even now."

Chunhua changed the topic and looked at Chen Ji with a smile: "Madam, I just have some free time today. I would like to invite the doctors from your medical clinic to have tea and chat with me. I don't know what I think."

She Dengke hurriedly said: "Okay!"

However, at this moment, Chen Ji saw from the corner of his eye that dark clouds had arrived on the eaves across the street and he was breathing heavily.

Wuyun meowed, and only Chen Ji understood: "Someone told Concubine Jing that you are the masked man in Liu Shiyu's mansion, and she wants to trap you and kill you!"

Chen Ji's heart froze, and a huge sense of crisis suddenly arose.

Who told Concubine Jing about his identity?

It must be Cloud Sheep and White Rabbit, because only these two people know their true identities.

Could it be that the Liu family case is about to catch a big fish, and the other party feels that he is no longer needed and plans to burn bridges?

Chen Ji looked at Chunhua calmly and asked with a smile: "Miss Chunhua, why did Mrs. Jingfei invite us?"

Chunhua explained: "Thank you for helping me find that cup last time, otherwise Madam would have to use it to continue drinking water. Madam said she wanted to thank you before, but she has been busy with other things and is only free today."

But what Chen Ji actually asked was not Chunhua, but Wuyun: Why did Concubine Jing want to kill me?

Wuyun meowed again: "Concubine Jing is from the Liu family, and Liu Shiyu is her sister's only son. She left the palace a few days ago and went back to the Liu family to express her condolences to Mr. Liu!"

It turns out that the big shot in the palace who was connected with the Jingchao Military Intelligence Department was not Concubine Yun, but Concubine Jing!

But since Concubine Jing was the big shot, why did she have murderous intentions towards her in the first place? Didn't the other party know that she was a Jing Dynasty spy?

Strange, so strange!

When Chunhua saw that Chen Ji didn't answer, he waved his hand in front of his eyes: "Chen Ji? What are you thinking about?"

Chen Ji came back to his senses and said to Chun Rong with a smile: "I'm sorry, today is the Double Ninth Festival. Master has allowed us to go home for reunion. Please help me and Concubine Jing to accuse me, and I will do it next time."

After that, he ignored everyone's surprise and went out without looking back.

Concubine Jing's revenge will not be just this one time. If she didn't succeed this time, she will definitely do it again next time.

Chen Ji didn't know if he could easily escape next time, but he knew that he only needed revenge once.

He murmured softly: "I don't know if it's too late..."
Chapter completed!