Chapter 94 Xiao Bi San

Yang Chang was away and didn't know that Wang Aihu had escaped, but Hu Sanniang was in Liangshan and heard about it. She immediately asked her followers to investigate again.

"Madam, what's wrong?"

"You don't know, sir. I heard that half a month ago, Wang Aihu..."

After listening to Hu Sanniang's brief introduction, Yang Chang immediately realized that something was wrong.

Not long after, leaders such as Chao Gai, Song Jiang, and Wu Yong went down the mountain from the side of their camp and hurriedly headed straight for Yazui Beach. The navy of Nanshan Water Fort also had dozens of boats approaching Yazui Beach.

Seeing an acquaintance named Pei Xuan among the group, Yang Chang hurriedly asked Hu Sanniang to step forward and stop him, asking, "Brother Pei, what happened at Yazui Beach? Why are everyone rushing there?"

"Wang Aihu fled on a boat half a month ago. Brother Gongming suspected that he met with an accident. This morning, King Chao ordered people to search the surrounding area. As a result, his clothes were found at Yazui Beach. Now we invite all the leaders to go and investigate together."

"People are dead?"

"Life and death are unpredictable. We'll talk later. Goodbye!"

After Pei Xuan left in a hurry, Yang Chang pinched his chin and said to himself: "Wang Aihu is lustful, but he is not stupid enough to sail on his own. Could it be that someone deliberately framed him?"

"What is the official mumbling about?"

Hearing Hu Sanniang's concern, Yang Chang turned around and asked, "Madam, if you were to sail the boat alone, could you leave the water?"

"I am not a good sailor, how can I sail alone? Sir, do you suspect Wang Aihu?"

"This guy has made too many enemies before. It's possible that someone in the mountain is trying to get rid of him. We'll just have to wait and hear the leader's conclusion. But there's a high probability that he's gone."

"Die well!"

"Let's go, help me go back and lie down. I feel much better now."

"So do I."

Hu Sanniang helped Yang Chang back to the tent. Yang Chang soon fell asleep, as if he was intoxicated by the oxygen after coming down from the plateau.

At 2:00 pm, Li Jun passed by the military camp on his way back.

Hu Sanniang wanted to find out what was happening down the mountain, so she invited him to the big tent to meet Yang Chang.

"I see that your complexion has improved. I think you will recover soon. But you should be more cautious in future battles, especially against monsters who can cast spells. We ordinary people cannot kill them."

"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Li. Whenever I see a demon in the future, I will never be as reckless as I was this time. In this case, I'd better let Mr. Yiqing take action."

"Haha, that's right to think so."

Yang Chang exchanged a few pleasantries with Li Jun, and immediately turned the topic to Yazui Beach, asking mysteriously, "I noticed a lot of commotion down the mountain today, have the leaders found any clues?"

"How could we find clues so quickly in the 800-li Liangshan Marsh? However, Wang Aihu's clothes are real, but I don't know why they are near Yazui Beach. The uncle and nephew of the Zou family are really speechless. I asked all the minions in the village, but no one has seen the eunuch."

"How did you finally determine it?"

"How can we be sure? The lake is vast and it's winter already. We can't send the navy down to the lake and search inch by inch, right? King Chao comforted him by saying that he went to Jinling, and Brother Gongming sent Dean Dai to Jiankang Prefecture to inquire about the person." Li Jun smiled playfully after he finished speaking.

"President Dai is really busy." Yang Chang sighed and then asked, "Brother Li, do you think Wang Aihu is still here?"

"Still there? Probably fed to the fish."

Li Jun's idea coincided with Yang Chang's. He estimated that anyone with a little bit of common sense would understand that, and Song Jiang sent Dai Zong for psychological comfort.

It was getting dark soon, and Li Jun lingered in the back mountain for a while before saying goodbye in a hurry and leaving.

Hu Sanniang sent the guests out of the camp on behalf of her husband. When she came back, she saw Yang Chang pinching his nose bridge with his fingers, his elbows resting on the table, and looking down in deep thought.

"Sir? What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about the disappearance of Wang Aihu. There is a mystery that I can't solve."

"What mystery?"

"If that eunuch's enemy did it, why didn't he clean up the mess afterwards and leave clues behind? Isn't that giving others a handle?"

Yang Chang raised his head and looked outside the tent with a frown on his face. The dim light cast a dark outline on his face.

Hu Sanniang recalled the first time they met outside Hujiazhuang that night. She also saw the outline of Yang Chang's profile in the dark. She recalled the fight caused by Zhu Biao's refusal to believe, and then she murmured, "What you see and hear may not be true. What if someone did it deliberately? If the eunuch is dead, you can't suspect the master. You should rest well and don't worry about these idle things."

"Idle things? Not necessarily." Yang Chang shook his head in response. He was reminded by these four words, and his eyes lit up and he became excited: "I know!"

"Ok?"

"Someone must have deliberately created confusion to turn the blame on Zou's uncle and nephew. This kind of thing is usually impossible to prove. A rift will arise between the people of Dengzhou and Song Jiang, and they will have to side with Chao Gai in order to protect themselves."

"Master, you are talking about Chao," Hu Sanniang swallowed and continued, "Then why put the blame on the Zou uncle and nephew? I remember Master once said that the people who came to surrender from Jiangzhou are close to Song Jiang, while the people from Dengzhou are relatively neutral. If you want to alienate them, you should alienate the leaders of Jiangzhou and Jieyang, why not the brothers of the Tong family in Jinshatan?"

"Wang Aihu has done stupid things before. It makes sense to put the blame on the Tong brothers, but the more reasonable it is, the more it explains the problem. It seems that Lao Chao has some ulterior motives." "I don't understand."

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand, but I can think of it. How can Song Jiang and Wu Yong not think of it? Old Chao's methods are still a little lacking, but getting rid of that disgusting thing is worth celebrating."

Yang Chang looked at Hu Sanniang with interest. Seeing this, she asked in surprise, "How do you want to celebrate, sir?"

"My husband has been away for two months, don't you want to ride a horse?"

"Ah? I'm not in a hurry."

Hu Sanniang blushed, stared at Yang Chang and pouted: "Sir, please be patient. I don't want to be greedy for pleasure, I just want to be a long-term husband and wife."

"I will get my future."

Yang Chang almost revealed the secret of spying, but fortunately he took the words back.

For the next few days, Yang Chang stayed in the back mountain to abstain from sex and recover.

I plan to go find Gongsun Sheng after I get well. Yang Chang has dressed up as a Taoist priest many times before, and he also has a book called "Feng Shui" which can help him find topics to talk about, so it won't be awkward to make friends with him. If that doesn't work, I can still find Yang Lin to save the country in a roundabout way. In short, I have to get on Ru Yunlong's good side.

The joy of Liangshan's capture of Gaotang Prefecture was affected by the disappearance of Wang Aihu, but as long as Dai Zong did not return from the south, Song Jiang remained cunning and dealt with Chao Gai.

Under the pretext of looking for clues, Song Jiang went to Yazuitan and Dongshan Hotel many times to appease and curry favor with the Zou uncle and nephew and Sun Xin and his wife. Chao Gai directly tried to win over the faction leader Sun Li.

While the top two leaders of Liangshan were secretly wrestling with each other, the shocking news that Gaotang Prefecture had been breached by bandits was sent to Tokyo through Dongchang and Kouzhou.

Upon hearing the news, Grand Marshal Gao Qiu was horrified and hurried to find the emperor to raise an army to suppress the bandits and take revenge. However, Huizong was concerned about the construction of Wansui Mountain and had not attended court for several days. So he had to settle for the next best thing and go to find Cai Jing.

"Chao Gai and Song Jiang have become powerful in Liangshanpo. They did not send troops to break into Zhujiazhuang last time, but they sent troops to plunder Gaotangzhou again this time. My brother fought hard and died for his country. However, Your Majesty has been obsessed with gardens and has not attended court for many days."

"The Liangshan bandits are causing chaos. Commander Gao thinks Your Majesty is unaware of this?"

"What the Grand Master meant."

"The troops are mobilized to suppress the bandits, and money is flowing in like water. The treasury is already tight on funds, and Your Majesty is still repairing Wansui Mountain, so..."

Cai Jing knew that Gao Qiu could understand what he said, so he stopped abruptly at the end.

Gao Qiu thought for a moment, then asked tentatively, "How much will it cost to conquer Liangshan? Master, you have been in charge of the treasury for many years, so it will be enough if there is any money missing from your fingers. If your family is short of money, I can do my best to help."

"I have a salary that is enough for my family. If you really want to help, I would like to ask for your help."

"Taishi, please speak."

Gao Qiu was in charge of the imperial guards. He had more money than he could spend just by eating from honors and withholding salary silver, so he didn't mind sending some money. But when he heard about the little thing from Cai Jing, he instantly became very alert.

The more nonchalant these old foxes in officialdom try to be, the more difficult and troublesome things become.

Cai Jing stroked his beard and said leisurely, "My son Wulang has not married yet. Many of his friends have tried to match him up with him, but none of them worked out. However, he fell in love with your majesty's sweetheart. I shamelessly begged your majesty to grant me marriage, but your majesty gave me harsh conditions for finding a consort, saying that it was Princess Kangfu who made the request herself. Your majesty listened to Yang Jiedu's advice, and General Gao had a close relationship with Yang Jiedu, so..."

"Princess Kangfu? Wulang has good taste. I wonder what she wants?"

"He is a man of both civil and military talents, beautiful and talented, and strong enough to lift a tripod."

"The first two are easy. This one is strong enough to lift a tripod."

"Who said no? I'm just afraid that Your Majesty will find an excuse to shirk responsibility."

Seeing the bitter look on Cai Jing's face, Gao Qiu shook his head and analyzed: "Princess Kangfu will soon be 28 years old, and Your Majesty should also seek a prince consort, but the conditions are so strange, could it be influenced by the imperial guards?"

Yeonbok Palace, Feihua Pavilion.

Zhao Fujin was squatting by the pond feeding the fishes when she suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason. Her maid Li E quickly helped her up.

"Master, you are not cold, are you? Do you want to call the imperial physician?"

"How could that be?" Zhao Fujin rubbed his nose, stared at the warm sun in the sky, and said to himself, "I feel like someone is saying something bad about me."

"It's getting cold in winter, so it's better not to play outdoors as much as possible."

"Okay, I'm hungry."

"What would you like to eat, Master?"

"I want to go outside the palace." Zhao Fujin blinked her big eyes and suddenly changed the subject and asked, "By the way, what about Pan? Has her craftsmanship improved? You praised Xiao Bi San to the sky, but you can't make it yourself."

Li E smiled and waved her hand, correcting him: "Her name is Pan Jinlian, and that strong boy is not called Bi Duan, but Yang Chang, Yang Sanlang."

"It's Xiao Bi San."

　Today is the Lantern Festival. I wish all my fellow book lovers peace and happiness, and may their careers and studies be as bright as lanterns.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)