EBE Chapter 24 The Mystery of the Secret Letter
Chapter 24 The Mystery of the Secret Letter
A few days later, Lin Ruobing brought the Qingyun Fruit back.
"Is this jade box filled with the Azure Cloud Fruit?"
Li Lan was curious.
"right,"
Lin Ruobing opened the jade box, and a rich fragrance immediately wafted out, refreshing the mind. Li Lan looked closely and saw thirty small green fruits lying quietly in the jade box, looking crystal clear and perfectly round!
Li Lan was quite excited. One pound of Qingyun Fruit could be used to brew ten pounds of Qingyun Wine!
According to his experience, a pound of Qingyun wine can provide him with about ten points of spiritual energy.
"This is the extra pound,"
Lin Ruobing took out ten fruits, handed six to Li Lan, and said, "Settle the accounts!"
Li Lan smiled and said, "Okay."
He accepted the six Qingyun Fruits, and then took the remaining two jin to see Lin Zheng.
"Excellent, excellent!"
Lin Zheng was very satisfied. He had originally planned to take action if Li Lan and his daughter couldn't handle the situation, but now it seemed there was no need for that.
Moreover, Li Lan handled this matter exceptionally well from beginning to end.
"General, regarding these two catties of Qingyun Fruit, I suggest we do it this way..."
Li Lan told Lin Zheng the plan she had already devised.
Lin Zheng's heart skipped a beat: "You mean, Jin Yang Palace will target our Qingyun Fruit?"
Li Lan said, "It's just a guess."
"Jinyang Palace is determined to kill our Lin family, but the situation on the northwest border is urgent. I'm afraid it won't be long before the general leads his troops out to war."
“Once the general is leading troops out in the field, our Lin family will be extremely safe. No matter how ruthless he is, he won’t be able to touch us.”
When Lin Zheng is leading troops in the field, the situation will be different. What if the Third Prince attacks the Lin family again and Lin Zheng is forced to rebel?
Moreover, when a general is away from home, his family members are held hostage by the emperor, serving as a bargaining chip for the emperor to control his generals. In order to ensure that Lin Zheng would not harbor any disloyalty and to guarantee the safety of the Lin family, the emperor dared not do anything.
Therefore, in Li Lan's view, before Lin Zheng went to war, the Third Prince would try every means to target the Lin family!
Upon hearing this, Lin Zheng couldn't help but show deep admiration in his eyes. Li Lan's perspective on the issue was comparable to that of a seasoned veteran who had been immersed in officialdom for many years, able to see through the advantages and disadvantages at a glance.
"Therefore, if I were the Third Prince, I would definitely do my best to take action during this period. However, our Lin family keeps to ourselves and is very cautious after the Northern Hu's secret letter framing us. There is very little they can do."
"His Majesty attaches great importance to the Qingtian Grand Ceremony. If anyone is short of Qingyun Fruit, it will surely incur his wrath. Therefore, we must be wary of whether the Third Prince will make trouble over this matter. Moreover, there is already a traitor within our Lin family..."
Li Lan continued.
Lin Zheng nodded and sighed, "I have ordered Po Shan to investigate for a long time, but we still haven't found the mole. This person is too well hidden."
Li Lan smiled and said, "So, this is also an opportunity, perhaps even a chance to lure out the mole?"
Lin Zheng said, "Okay, I will do it."
"By the way, you wanted to invite Zhao Tanyue, I've already made the appointment for you. Tonight, at Songxian Tower."
He added, "However, you must be careful not to get too involved in this matter. If you get dragged into the struggle for the crown prince, the Lin family will be doomed!"
Seemingly afraid that Li Lan was unaware of the seriousness of the matter, he added, "Even if the Third Prince pressures you in every way, you cannot side with the First Prince and become either prince's man. In the end, the outcome will be the same."
Li Lan was somewhat puzzled, but Lin Zheng's emphasis made him realize a different kind of risk.
Generally speaking, if the Lin family successfully helped the eldest prince ascend the throne, then the ministers who supported the emperor would be considered meritorious. Even if the new emperor might abandon them after using them, that would be a matter for the future. Why was Lin Zheng so certain that anyone involved in the succession struggle would die?
Lin Zheng knows other secrets too!
However, Li Lan didn't want to ask now. He nodded and said, "I will keep your wise words in mind."
After saying that, Li Lan prepared to get up and leave.
"besides,"
Lin Zheng suddenly spoke up again: "Don't call me General at home anymore, just call me Father."
Li Lan paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."
……
That night.
Inside a secret private room at Songxianlou.
"I heard that Young Master Li enjoys Qingyun Brew, so I specially prepared a pot of it. I hope Young Master Li will like it."
Zhao Tanyue was dressed in all black, her body lines were clear and smooth, and her angular face had a cool, sassy and beautiful quality, calm and peaceful.
But Li Lan, who is now a master of internal energy, could sense her hidden and powerful aura.
Her martial arts skills... are far superior to mine!
Li Lan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that there were really experts everywhere in the capital... he couldn't even survive there anymore.
Of course, if Zhao Tanyue knew his true strength, she herself would probably be the one to sigh in amazement... because, in the entire capital, there had never been anyone who had gone from having no cultivation to becoming a first-class master in just a few days.
"Thank you, Lord Zhao."
As he spoke, he glanced at the two young men beside Zhao Tanyue.
A man and a woman, both with cold expressions, much like Zhao Tanyue.
"The only two people I can trust in the company are my apprentices, Yanqiu and Xixia."
Zhao Tanyue gave a brief introduction, then asked, "Does Young Master Li have any further advice regarding the secret letter?"
She took out the tattered letter that had been left at the Lin residence that night.
This time, Li Lan did not refuse and took it. The paper still retained her body heat and fragrance, clearly showing that she kept the letter close to her body, which demonstrated how much she valued it.
Li Lan glanced at it and left only a few lines on the letter:
The first vertical line reads: "...The last true dragon, once he succeeds..."
The second vertical line reads: "...A divine calamity is coming, let's join forces..."
The third vertical line reads: "...quickly break through the great use..."
The letter was also burned, and the information was severely damaged.
Moreover, Li Lan genuinely had no idea what these words meant.
"The last true dragon, once he succeeds... a celestial calamity will befall him. Join forces... and swiftly destroy his great use."
Li Lan roughly knew what the phrase "quickly break through and make great use of" meant, based on the few words.
Dayong Pass was the most important and formidable pass in the northwest of the Dali Dynasty, a stronghold against the Northern Hu.
"I don't quite understand. How much of it did you solve, Lord Zhao? Tell me about it first. Perhaps you can provide some other information."
Li Lan said.
Zhao Tanyue shook her head: "True dragons, celestial calamities, etc., may involve some inner court legends, but they are all fictitious and nonsense. Young master need not pay attention to them."
"Does the young master have any thoughts?"
Li Lan's heart skipped a beat. Inner court legends? Zhao Tanyue was unwilling to tell him, which clearly meant that these legends were not just unfounded rumors!
However, he didn't press the matter further, so he said:
"There are indeed some clues."
"The letter itself cannot be deciphered, but the letter itself contains information."
Li Lan picked up the letter and gently held it up to the candlelight. "There are many places selling paper in the capital, but only a few have unique characteristics. Xu's shop likes to make pure bamboo pulp paper, which is made entirely of bamboo pulp; Moxiangfang's top-quality paper likes to add a hundred flowers, giving it its own fragrance; Luo's paper is loved by painters because it is very dense and will not bleed even with heavy ink..."
Li Lan smiled, held the letter to his nose, and sniffed it, saying:
"Lord Zhao, you probably don't like fragrances, do you?"
The young man next to him, Yan Qiu, frowned slightly. This letter was kept close to his master's body and kept safe. Li Lan's action... was simply a bit frivolous!
But Zhao Tanyue's beautiful eyes lit up, and she seemed to be thinking: "I understand, Moxiangfang... but this is not enough."
Li Lan smiled and said, "This paper is very valuable, and poor people can't afford it. The paper used for those secret letters is all the same, which means that this paper is the everyday paper used by the writer."
"Those that can be used daily are delivered regularly by Moxianfang. There aren't many families like that, and even fewer that are involved with Beihu."
In fact, Li Lan already knew that the person who orchestrated the plot against the Lin family was mostly the Third Prince, and the one who colluded with the Northern Hu... should naturally be him.
However, Li Lan would not tell Zhao Tanyue directly.
As Lin Zheng said, we must not get involved.
Having said this much to Zhao Tanyue, how to investigate and to what extent is her own business.
Zhao Tanyue is trusted by the royal family and is considered half a member of the royal family in some respects. It is acceptable for her to investigate, but it is indeed not appropriate for outsiders to get too involved.
Her investigation will definitely put pressure on the Third Prince, and that's enough.
"understood."
Zhao Tanyue nodded, then suddenly said, "By the way, I've heard people say that you, young master, are unparalleled in poetry. I wonder if you, young master Li, are familiar with Qingci (a type of classical Chinese poetry)?"
Li Lan asked in confusion, "Qingci?"
Zhao Tanyue nodded: "His Majesty is fond of Taoism. When worshipping the gods, he must burn books to communicate with them. These are called Qingci (a type of prayer paper). There are very few people in the court who can write Qingci."
"The Emperor attaches great importance to the Qingtian Ceremony, but the petitions written by the court literati have never won His favor. Since Young Master Li is talented, why not give it a try?"
"The lunar probe can be handed over on its behalf."
Li Lan understood.
Zhao Tanyue wanted to repay Li Lan, so she gave Li Lan a chance!
A Qingci (a type of official document) can reach the emperor directly. If Li Lan is chosen, his rise to prominence will be imminent.
Even if her writing is subpar, with her speaking on her behalf, Li Lan won't suffer any loss.
Generally speaking, those who can write memorials for the emperor are all renowned scholars and academicians in the capital. Li Lan, whose academic achievements are only at the level of Xiucai, would never have such an opportunity.
After a moment's thought, Li Lan smiled and said, "Alright. I'll go back and think about it. If I have any ideas, I'll come back to trouble Lord Zhao."
Thank you!
Zhao Tanyue nodded and left.
……
On the road.
“Master, although Li Lan is intelligent, he is too frivolous. His so-called talent and reputation are just rumors in brothels. Asking him to write brothel poems is giving him too much credit.”
Yanqiu couldn't help but speak.
"I don't understand poetry, but Her Majesty the Empress does."
Zhao Tanyue said calmly, "Her Majesty the Empress is extremely talented. She was good at writing Qingci (a type of lyric poetry) back then, which is why she won the Emperor's favor and became the Empress of the world... But recently, she has been so distressed about the Qingci to be used in the Qingtian Grand Ceremony that she has lost her appetite and is in distress all day long. The only time she showed any joy was when she received Li Lan's poem 'Spring River Flower Moon Night,' which she was quite happy about and said was a good poem."
Even if Li Lan's writings are unusable, they might give Her Majesty the Empress some inspiration.
She didn't really believe that Li Lan could write Qingci (a type of classical Chinese poetry).
However, firstly, to relieve the Empress's worries, and secondly, because she owed Li Lan a great favor, she wanted to take this opportunity to introduce Li Lan to the Empress.
If Li Lan gains the Empress's favor, things will definitely go much more smoothly for him in the capital.
……
"Qingci?"
On the way back to the mansion.
Li Lan couldn't help but chuckle to himself: "What a magnificent Emperor Xianxian..."
He recalled his past life, in the ancient Ming Dynasty, where there had also been an emperor who cultivated immortality... Jiajing.
That man was also fond of cultivating immortality, and he also frequently needed to write prayers to communicate with the gods.
Because Li Lan enjoyed reading historical books, he actually studied a few Qingci poems. Those who could write Qingci poems for Jiajing were the top talents of the Ming Dynasty, such as Xia Yan, Xu Jie, and Yan Shifan. Those articles were also top-notch works!
He just needs time to think it over and weigh the pros and cons.
With the empire on the verge of collapse, would it still be a good thing to become the emperor's favorite minister at this time? He never considers things from the perspective of the immediate situation.
……
Jinyang Palace.
"Everything is ready. The first killing move has been made. The second killing move is just waiting for Li Lan to enter the literary examination."
Mr. Zhu respectfully bowed to the man in front of him.
The man in front of her was lying lazily, while several pretty pregnant women were breastfeeding him.
"The Lin family's fate is sealed. Hehe, once the Lin family is destroyed, I'm determined to drink the extraordinary breasts of Lin Ruoxue and Lin Ruobing. I wonder if it will allow my divine skill to advance even further..."
The man smiled, a fervent longing gleaming in his eyes: "Once I achieve true dragonhood, I will become Daoist partners with Shangguan Xiaoxiao. The supreme authority of the world and the path to immortality will all belong to me!"
"What about my brother? Has he made any move?"
He asked another question.
Mr. Zhu said, "Recently, there have been many scholars coming to the capital, and the Crown Prince is also looking for candidates and actively trying to win them over. Apart from that, he has not taken any other actions."
"hehe,"
The Third Prince sneered, "How can he compete with me? He's still limited to low-level tactics like winning people over, but he doesn't know the real key to victory... Let him try to win people over, let him do as he pleases!"
"Also, keep a close eye on things in prison; this is crucial!"
Mr. Zhu bowed and said, "Your subordinate understands."
……