After the immortal disappeared

She paused: "Even if the investigating officer suspects you, it will only remain suspicion. He can't provide any evidence and can't do anything to you."

"Will my transfer order to the northern border be affected?"

"It will take some effort and may be delayed. Bai Tan's group of ministers will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble!" Qingyang reassured him, "But with me here, you will be able to go in the end."

Chongwu sighed and bowed to her: "Thank you, Palace Master! I am useless and have caused you so much trouble."

He was full of gratitude and knew that since Qingyang said so, he was 100% sure; otherwise, his transfer to the north would be a long way off.

Qingyang continued: "Let's talk about the case. No evidence means no evidence. Some people are more suspicious than you, such as Luodian's Zuo Zongchang Qu Ruhai; besides, you have the job of stabilizing the northern border. If the monarch wants to suppress the people of Luodian, he must let you go quickly."

"Yes." Chongwu felt much more at ease.

"You need to tell me more details." Qingyang asked him, "Who else would know the time of your departure and the route back to Yaoguo?"

If someone calculated that Chongwu would spend the night in Zhuowei, the plan to frame him could be implemented.

"This must be reported to the royal court, so the relevant officials will know." Chongwu thought for a while, "Then there are my father, two uncles in the clan, and two adjutants under my command. But it took me some time to prepare the tribute, and perhaps someone with a keen eye can also infer it."

"Did you go to Zhuowei on a whim?"

"No." Chongwu smiled bitterly, "I expected that Mangzhou would be crowded, so Zhuowei was included in the route reported to the royal court."

"Tell me about your experience that night, the more detailed the better."

Chongwu told the story, even his conversation with He Lingchuan, Fan Shuang and others during the banquet, and tried not to miss a word.

Qingyang listened very carefully.

"According to the confessions of Fan Shuang and Zhao Song, they drank for half an hour after you went out to catch the thief, and then went back to the house to rest. It was not yet night."

Chongwu asked: "Does the palace master suspect He Xiao?"

"The real culprit deliberately led you to the deserted village to catch a thief, which means that the trap was aimed at you; you mobilized more than a hundred people to capture a few people, but you could not find their shadows, which means that their cultivation is very good." Qingyang pointed out, "So, those who knew that you appeared in Zhuowei Inn that night, and who have certain strength themselves or their subordinates, are all suspects."

Chongwu thought for a while: "In this case, He Xiao's subordinates are all elite. According to his own account, they are the warlike tribes of Ya Country who defected to Yangshan."

"You just said that Fan Shuang was drunk and made a scene in the middle of the night, and was stopped by He Xiao's men, and He Xiao himself has not come out." Qingyang supported her chin with her hand. Did He Xiao escape?

Perhaps because of Lingxu's past, she was a little concerned about this person.

Chongwu didn't know how to respond.

Of course, he had no intention of exonerating He Xiao, but there was a heavy rain in Zhuowei that night, and there were countless nobles who drank and went to bed early. Qingyang suspected He Xiao based on this alone, which was indeed a bit weak.

"Then there are two questions next." Qingyang continued, "Does He Xiao have the ability to kill Xue Zongwu, and what means did he use to go to Mangzhou."

Chongwu whispered: "Palace Master, it was Emperor Jiuyou who killed General Xue. Do you think He Xiao might be Emperor Jiuyou?"

Qingyang fell into deep thought.

Is this possible? He Xiao's cultivation level is higher than Xue Zongwu?

To defeat Xue Zongwu, who has Yuanli, it is not enough to be one or two stronger. Let alone Yaoguo, looking at the entire Shanjin Plain, Qingyang can only think of a few names.

Is He Xiao qualified to be on this list?

And He Xiao does not have General Chongwu's divine horse, at least not on the surface. How can he travel hundreds of miles at night and kill Xue Zongwu and Qi Yunsheng calmly in the middle?

From common sense, it is unlikely. Unless he has the ability to escape underground for thousands of miles.

Thinking of this, Qingyang suddenly had an idea: "You said it rained heavily that night?"

"Yes." Chongwu added, "It rains a lot in Yao Country this season, and it rained almost all the way back home."

Qingyang was silent, as if in a trance.

"Palace Master?"

Chongwu's voice brought her back to reality. Qingyang pressed her temples, thinking that her thoughts were a bit outrageous.

Forget it, let's just follow the trend.

Could the Nine Nether Emperor be related to the immortals or Lingshan?

Lingshan also has many secret treasures, and escaping a hundred miles at night is not a problem.

Assuming that it was Lingshan's fault, He Xiao's suspicion cannot be completely ruled out. He started his career in the rear of Mou Country and has some connection with Mou Country's national teacher.

But it's too vague to speculate based on this point alone.

The identity and background of He Xiao is really complicated.

Qingyang stood up: "I'll go back first. Remember what I said."

General Zhongwu saluted: "I will follow the instructions of the Palace Master!"

Qingyang put on her veil and left through the back door of General Zhongwu's mansion.

She hadn't taken a few steps when He Yang came out of the dark and followed her.

"The Chibao sale is over. The first house in Youhu Villa, which He Xiao participated in the auction, was sold for 38,000 taels. It was bought by Zhang Shan from the Qingwang Mansion."

Qingyang paused slightly: "Qingwang Mansion?"

38,000 to buy a house in the suburbs of the lake, this price is obviously too high. Youhu Villa is obviously built for officials and nobles. Why would the Qingwang Mansion, as a member of the royal family, join in the fun?

Could it be...

Qingyang rubbed his temples. This Yao Wang is really capable!

"Palace Master?" He Yang was still waiting for her instructions.

"Don't worry about it." Qingyang said magnanimously, and then walked forward, "King Yao is angry and wants to regain his position. Let him go for the time being."

King Yao must have been filled with resentment as he suffered successive defeats at her place, thinking of causing trouble for her.

She had all the benefits, so why should she care about him?

The way to attack and defend is to have a certain degree of Zhang Chi. She has been in Lingxu City for more than a hundred years and has not failed. Of course she knows that you should not push people too hard and do things too harshly.

As long as King Yao does not cause substantial damage, she will be more generous.

"He Xiao's Youhu Villa hasn't gone through the approval process yet?"

"It can't be approved. The General Affairs Department and the Construction Office can always find reasons to block him." He Yang followed suit. "Next, he should be planning to purchase building materials, so I also asked someone to talk to him. He wanted to get suitable materials. I’m afraid it’s not that easy.”

To complete the tasks assigned by Qingyang, he always made preparations.

"Oh?" Qingyang glanced sideways at him, "In such a huge Tianshui City, he still can't find a building materials supplier?"

"The official residence and monastery he wants to build are for dignitaries to live in, so a large amount of bluestone must be used." The palace owner has been in Yao Kingdom for less than a year, so he would not pay attention to building a house, so He Yang explained, "Tianshui City is very particular about building materials. The panjin stone is only used for temples and royal families, and the blue ashlar stone is only used for official residences. Ordinary wealthy businessmen are not allowed to use it without permission, otherwise they will be punished and imprisoned."

"So the usage of panjin stone and blue ashlar stone is generally very limited, and the sales channels have always been controlled by a few large stone dealers." As long as he knows this, He Yang has his own way.

There was a smile in Qingyang's eyes: "Well done."

He Yang was not only loyal to her, but also able to draw inferences from one instance to another, and his ability to do things was very reliable. It was worthy of her keeping him by her side.

…

When people are settled, they travel around the country.

You Rongzhi went out of the city for business during the day and has just returned home.

He had just changed his clothes and washed his face, and his attendant hurriedly came to report:

"Master, master, the Chibao sale is over!"

You Rongzhi has always been thinking about the Chibao sales, but he has official duties today and has no time to go to the scene to observe, so he can only send someone to keep an eye on it.

"How about it?"

"The lakeside monastery in Youhu Villa is very popular, and the auction competition is fierce. In the middle of the auction, Luodian Zuozongchangquruhai intervened, but in the end it was the Hualuoqing Prince's Mansion."

This result was beyond Yu Rongzhi's expectation: "What, Prince Qing's Mansion auctioned it off? What's the price?"

He expected that the price of Youhu Villa was high, but he did not expect that the royal family would take action.

"Thirty-eight thousand taels."

You Rongzhi's eyes narrowed, so expensive?

What did Prince Qing's Mansion do to photograph Youhu Garden? How much money did it cost?

No, no, they got some news, right?

"Also, I also found out something: The Yuwen family and the Gu family both booked a villa from the island owner who was in charge of the development of Youhu Lake. They booked it on the spot!"

"These two families are following closely?" You Rongzhi said to himself, "What's the reason?"

The Yuwen family and the Gu family are both government officials and businessmen, and their sense of smell is particularly sensitive. Besides, these two families have boys who are close to He Xiao, so it is easiest to get first-hand information.

Are they optimistic about Youhu Villa?

Don't talk nonsense. No matter how good the planning blueprint is, if you don't even see a tile, what prospects can you talk about?

Um? planning?

Youhu Villa was built on the south bank, across the water from the small building where Qingyang Jianguo lived.

Could it be...?

You Rongzhi was startled and suddenly slapped the table: "Wonderful!"

He rarely lost his temper like this. Chang Sui was startled: "Master?"

You Rongzhi composed himself, stood up and said, "Turn on the lights and go find Madam."

The financial power of the house was in the hands of his wife. He himself could not come up with so much money in a hurry, so he had to turn to the mistress of the house for help.

The lady had already fallen asleep, but when he woke her up, she yawned and said, "How many do you need?"

"Let's make an advance of fifty thousand taels."

The lady was startled, thinking she was in a trance and didn't hear clearly: "How much?!"

"Fifty thousand." You Rongzhi coughed lightly, "It may not be enough."

"It costs 50,000 taels to buy a monastery in the suburbs?" Madam looked at him with doubt, "Shouldn't you use the money to do other things?"

"How can you?" What else can I spend fifty thousand taels on? What on earth is his wife thinking about all day? "Prince Qing's Mansion just auctioned off the first set from the sale, thirty-eight thousand!"

"Prince Qing's palace is rich and powerful, how can we compare... Then you want fifty thousand taels?"

"Thirty-eight thousand just sounds expensive. I guess it will be more than this price in the future." You Rongzhi said tightly, "Prince Qing's Mansion has made a good start. If we buy it now, we will make a pure profit later."

"Why?" Madam was a little surprised, "What's the mystery in it?"

"Come here." You Rongzhi whispered a few words to her.