DWGL _ Chapter - 19

Dayan City is full of mechanisms

The night was chilly, so Eunuch Si Xi made a pot of hot tea and brought it in, then bowed his head and withdrew from the bedroom.

Duan Bai Yue closed the window: "It's already late, why don't you want to sleep?"

Chu Yuan replied, "I'm waiting for you."

Duan Bai Yue: "......"

Chu Yuan put down the folders in his hand and looked up at him, his tone was a bit flirtatious: "What, you only allow people to spy on me, but I'm not allowed to put spies in Xinan Mansion as well?"

Duan Bai Yue raised his eyebrows: "Then when this king returns, I will have to do a thorough investigation to see who has the guts to do so."

Chu Yuan shook his head with a smile and poured a cup of tea for him.

"Why did you suddenly come to this Dayan City for no good reason?" Duan Bai Yue sat down at the table.

"Have you ever heard of the Tian Sha Sect?" Chu Yuan asked.

Duan Bai Yue faintly stared, "The Tian Sha Sect?"

"It is located in Xinan, you should know something about it." Chu Yuan said.

Duan Bai Yue nodded: "The sect leader's name is Lan Ji, she is good at making poisons and her martial arts are extremely sinister, why do you suddenly want to ask this?"

"This Da Yan City is part of the Ziyun Prefecture, with dense mountains and forests, many rare kinds of wood and many carpenters." Chu Yuan said, "Even an ordinary pearwood chair, as long as it is said to be from Dayan City, if it is placed in a shop in Wang Cheng, the price can be at least 30% higher."

"So?" Duan Bai Yue still did not understand.

"It's not just about making tables, chairs and benches here." Chu Yuan said, "The hidden weapon, wooden sword, Ling long Pagoda, those old people sitting in the alley gossiping, can't tell which one is the master of mechanism. It is said that the original drawings of the Nine mysteries tower that were destroyed by you also came from here."

“Do you like Fenxing?" Duan Bai Yue asked.

Unexpectedly, he would suddenly mention this, and Chu Yuan was obviously taken aback.

Before being driven out, Duan Bai Yue retracted the topic in time: “I have heard rumors before. It is said that the craftsman who made the nine mysteries was named Old Man Muchi, but I didn't know that he was from Dayan City.”

"A few days ago, I received news that the old man had returned to Da Yan City, so I came here under the pretext of investigating politics." Chu Yuan said, "Only after I came here did I realize that the Tian Sha Sect had already kidnapped him first, and his fate is still unknown."

"Lan Ji kidnapped Old Man Muchi?" Duan Bai Yue rubbed his chin, "I thought that the demonesses of the Demon Cult would only kidnap young, strong and handsome men."

Chu Yuan locked eyes with him.

Duan Bai Yue said calmly, "I have not been tied up." Rather, she had been coveting Yaoer.

"I have already sent someone to spy around the Tian Sha Sect." Chu Yuan said, "We will hear back in a few days."

"Why do you want to find Old Man Muchi?" Duan Bai Yue asked, "Do you want to build a hidden weapon, or is there a mechanism in the palace that needs to be solved?"

Chu Yuan averted his eyes: "This has nothing to do with Duan Wang Ye."

Duan Bai Yue rubbed his chin: "What if Xinan Mansion can help?"

"If you really want to help me, then you should stay away from Tian Sha Sect in the future." Chu Yuan said.

Duan Bai Yue thought for a moment, "Afraid that this king will be kidnapped by a demon girl?"

Chu Yuan lost his hand and knocked over a cup of tea.

"Your Majesty?" Eunuch Si Xi heard the commotion and tried cautiously outside.

"It's alright." Before Chu Yuan could say anything, Duan Bai Yue said first.

Eunuch Si Xi was relieved and continued to stand back with his hand in his pocket.

Chu Yuan: "......"

The room was a bit too quiet, Duan Bai Yue casually picked up a plate of dim sum on the table: "Can I eat it?"

Chu Yuan replied, "It's poisonous."

Duan Bai Yue smiled and took a bite, then shook his head: "It's a bit sweet, I don't think you'll like it either."

"Very hungry?" Chu Yuan frowned.

"I've been rushing around for three days without sleep, what do you think?" Duan Bai Yue refilled his tea.

Chu Yuan asked Si Xi to bring some food to the table.

At midnight of the night, the chef of the station naturally can not cook fierce seafood, but two bowls of vegetarian noodles with some small dishes look quite appetizing. But Duan Bai Yue's chopsticks stirred not even a couple of times, Eunuch Si Xi reported at the door, saying that the people sent out to investigate had heard back, is waiting outside.

Duan Bai Yue picked up the bowl and squeezed a bun with his hand, going all the way behind the screen to continue squatting and eating.

Chu Yuan was dumbfounded, and he asked Si Xi to pass people in.

"Your Majesty." The person who came back was named Xiang Lie, Chu Yuan's close guard, with excellent lighting skills. "His subordinate received news today that Xu Zhiqiu, the governor of Ziyun Prefecture, seems to be secretly involved with the Tian Sha Sect."

Chu Yuan's expression obviously stiffened at the words, and Duan Bai Yue also frowned slightly. Xu Zhiqiu was the eldest son of Lord Xu Ran of the Ministry of Public Works and was also a famous and talented scholar in Wang Cheng. Originally, Chu Yuan wanted to let him spend a few years at the provincial level before recalling him to the imperial court for an important position, but he did not expect that he would be involved with the Tian Sha Sect.

Officials of the imperial court and Ninan Demon Cult are not on speaking terms, which is a capital offence.

"Subordinate found a half-burned letter in the firepit of Xu's study, addressed to the Tian Sha Sect. I cannot tell what the letter is about, nor do I know if it is a forgery, so it is not conclusive evidence. But Your Majesty has instructed us to report any hint of this at once, so we dare not be lax." Xiang Lei said, "The governor's office is now surrounded by experts from the inner circle, and the city gates are also guarded secretly."

Chu Yuan nodded: "Continue to keep an eye on them, and if there is any more news, report it immediately."

"Yes!" Xiang Lei received his orders and turned around and walked out of his bedroom. He was puzzled by the sound of breathing, there was obviously another person behind the screen, but he didn't know why His Majesty was so open and didn't even give him a look to hide his eyes.

Duan Bai Yue, holding an empty bowl, came out from behind the screen.

Chu Yuan: "......"

"Do you want me to keep an eye on the Xu residence?" Duan Bai Yue asked.

"I have enough people with me this time." Chu Yuan said, "No need."

"That's fine." Duan Bai Yue sat at the table, still not intending to leave.

The courier bed is very large.

......

Chu Yuan casually took the folders on the table and continued to read them down one by one.

Duan Bai Yue leaned against him with his cheeks propped up and drowsy.

Chu Yuan: "......"

After a few moments, Chu Yuan could not help himself: "When does Duan Wang Ye plan to return?"

"Lan Ji is used to doing evil and ruthless things, and since there is danger in the city, I will stay." Duan Bai Yue replied frankly.

Chu Yuan said, "Would I be afraid of a mere demon girl?"

"Naturally, Emperor Chu is not afraid." Duan Bai Yue said, "This king is afraid."

Chu Yuan wanted to beat him out.

"Your Majesty." Eunuch Si Xi said outside, "It's late at night, should I boil some hot water and bring it in?"

Duan Bai Yue said, "Thank you."

Chu Yuan had already given up on the idea of opening his mouth and just pretended that these two people did not exist.

Eunuch Si Xi smilingly ordered him to go down and in no time, someone brought in hot water.

Of course, Duan Bai Yue had to crouch on the beam for a while when the bath was brought in.

Chu Yuan's heart was full of mixed emotions.

But it wasn't long before there was a new disturbance in the city.

A goodwill hall in the west was lost to fire, illuminating almost half of the sky, and the fire was raging uncontrollably. When the government and the villagers finally extinguished it, the original spacious and exquisite compound had been burned to a mess, and even the neighbors' houses were affected.

"Your Majesty!" Xu Zhiqiu hurriedly brought his men to the scene, and when he saw the tragedy, his legs went limp and he fell to his knees.

The people around them also bowed their heads and did not dare to say more, but they were all regretful in their hearts. The old people who lived in the goodwill hall were all old people who had passed through the ages. When encountering such a fierce fire, even young people might not be able to escape, afraid it will be more or less auspicious this time.

Sure enough, after a while, the guards reported that there were many corpses under the burned beams, all of which were unrecognizable. A specific number of people had to wait for the temperature inside to drop a little before they could be checked one by one.

"I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for my negligence." Xu Zhiqiu's face turned pale.

"The matter is in the hands of Commander Xiang, so Lord Xu need not interfere." Chu Yuan said indifferently.

"Yes, yes, yes." Xu Zhiqiu nodded his head repeatedly.

The day is about to dawn, Chu Yuan looked again at the charred black remnants of wood still smoking, turned around and went back to the courier station.

"How did it go?" Duan Bai Yue asked.

"Someone is doing it deliberately." Chu Yuan said, "Xu Zhiqiu should also be able to see the clues, otherwise he wouldn't have panicked so much."

"Why are you so sure?" Duan Bai Yue said, "Even if the fire is so intense, this is originally a wooden house, and no one can stop it from burning."

"It is precisely because it is a wooden house that special attention was paid to the position of the flume when it was built so that it would not catch fire." Chu Yuan said, "The house next door to goodwill hall was also built of wood, but only half of the side room was burnt down. Only if someone poured kerosene on it would it have burned so uncontrollably."

Duan Bai Yue frowned: “Facing a group of lonely and widowed old people if they are really so vicious, they can be regarded as bereft of goodness.”

"Xiang Lei used to work at the Dali Temple, so it should not be difficult for him to investigate the case." Chu Yuan said, "It seems that there are a lot of strange things in this city, so I'm afraid I'll have to stay for a while."

Duan Bai Yue stretched out his hand.

Chu Yuan was slightly stunned but did not dodge away.

Duan Bai Yue's thumb rubbed off a bit of dust from his face, and the corner of his lips curved: "A ruler of a country, and you're running around like a little cat?"

Chu Yuan's ears flushed red and he slapped his hand away.

"It's almost dawn, let's rest for a while." Duan Bai Yue said, "Even if we have to go to the government office, we can't stay awake."

"Could it be the Tian Sha Sect?" Chu Yuan asked.

"According to the Demon Cult's style of action, it's possible." Duan Bai Yue withdrew his hand, "But what is the purpose of knowing that you are here and still wanting to offend Heaven's authority?"

"To deter Xu Zhiqiu, or simply to give me a warning." Chu Yuan said.

"It would make sense to deter the governor, but if it was for you, Lan Ji would not be so ungrateful." Duan Bai Yue shook his head, "It's just a small demon cult, there's no need to get yourself into trouble."

"You know her well?" Chu Yuan's eyelids lifted.

Duan Bai Yue said calmly, "Forty or fifty years old, it's enough to be my mother."

Chu Yuan: "......"

Duan Bai Yue ordered hot water again, and then said, "I'll go to the governor's office and take a look, maybe I'll find something."

Chu Yuan nodded his head: "Okay."

Eunuch Si Xi watched with his hands in his pockets as Duan Bai Yue went out over the wall, sighing in his heart that Xinan Wang was still quite fit.

Chu Yuan coughed twice at the back.

Eunuch Si Xi immediately turned around with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty."

"Nosy!" Chu Yuan hit him hard on the head, if you talk about not doing proper work, you are comparable to Liu Dajiong.

With the incident in the city, the people naturally did not laugh and cheer as they did in the past, and the atmosphere was much more solemn than usual. Xu Zhiqiu sat in his study, sighing and sighing all the time, going back and forth in his room when he was agitated, and even the servants serving tea were driven out.

Duan Bai Yue leaned against the beam of the room and examined the layout of the study in general. The design is really quite sophisticated compared to other buildings, the same size house, but can hold a full two times more books.

There are concealed compartments everywhere ...... Duan Bai Yue's mouth curved, but it's really a good place to hide things.

Xu Zhiqiu stayed in the study for a full half a day, until a visitor visited at noon, before finishing his clothes and leaving the door. After he left, Duan Bai Yue jumped off the beam of the room and checked it roughly. All that could be placed outside were ordinary books. Naturally, there would be no problems. As for the mezzanine... Duan Bai Yue tried to gently push the compartments but unexpectedly didn't move.

The sound of footsteps came from outside the room, Duan Bai Yue dodged and hid behind the screen, but it was only a slave who came in to get the account books, carrying a large pile in his arms, which would have fallen down when he ran fast, so there should not be any secrets inside.

At the other end of the hall, Xiang Lie also brought the bodies of the old people out of the ashes and covered them with white cloths one by one. Some of the young people who came to help were saddened by the sight of them. The old people who lived here were all widows and orphans, with no children, and they used to smile when they were sitting in the sun on the street, giving sweets and treats to the children.

A few moments later, the guards in charge of the body count reported that 26 old people had died and their bodies were so charred that it was impossible to tell who was who.

“Twenty-six?" Xiang Lei frowned. If he remembered correctly, when he looked at the roster in the morning, there should be twenty-five old people here. Why did there be one more body for no reason?

After such tragedies occurred in Goodwill Hall, the steward also sighed with regret and blamed himself for not inviting more nursing homes in the first place. Hearing that the guard said that he had a request from the commander, he hurriedly wiped away his tears and ran over. After listening to Xiang Lei's words, he was stunned for a while, then patted his head and said that it was the twenty-six people who were right.

“There were indeed twenty-five people before, but in the early morning of yesterday, another old man who was driven out of the house by the unfilial son fell here and was sent to the Goodwill hall by well-wishers. He hadn't had time to be included in the roster and reported to the government." The steward said, “I was too flustered this morning, so I forgot about it. The number of people is correct."

"I see." Xiang Lei nodded his head and said, "This matter is too strange, so I am afraid I cannot let the deceased rest in peace for the time being."

"Of course." The steward sighed, "The people of this city are hoping that His Majesty will find out the truth so that everyone can rest assured."

The house was half burnt and the charred wooden beams were so brittle that they could be broken with the slightest footstep. Xiang Lei went to the backyard alone to inspect the house, picking up a red-painted grate and holding it to his nose, smelling strongly of kerosene.

Duan Bai Yue went out of the government office and took a long look around the Hall of Goodwill, seeing that there were imperial guards everywhere, so he did not interfere again and turned around and went back to the courier station.

The day is getting dark, and Chu Yuan is still sitting at the table.

Xinan Wang also continues to ...... flip in the window.

Eunuch Si Xi stood at the doorway with his hands tucked in, smiling and his big belly quite rich.

"How is it?" Chu Yuan asked.

“There was a tragedy last night, and the government was solemn as expected." Duan Bai Yue said, "Xu Zhiqiu stayed restless in the study for a long time and then discussed business between the two places with the Huizhou Business Gang. It sounded like an appointment had been made a month ago, and there was not much strange about it. As for the study room, there are a lot of hidden compartments in it, but the mechanism locks are exquisite. If you open it with brute force, you are afraid that the other party will notice it.”

"This governor's office was built nearly a hundred years ago, so I'm afraid the craftsman who worked on it then is no longer alive." Chu Yuan said, "Nowadays, the best carpenter in this Dayan City is named Tian Yu."

"The assassins from Xinan Mansion will arrive in the city tonight." Duan Bai Yue said, "If you are afraid that the imperial army will attract too much attention, you can leave some things to them."

Chu Yuan nodded his head, "Thank you."

"There is no need to say thank you." Duan Bai Yue smiled and casually poured himself a cup of tea.

"It's been overnight." Chu Yuan took the cup of tea away from him and asked Si Xi to bring in a new pot of tea, and served the evening meal. There was fish and meat, a lot more than last night.

Duan Bai Yue picked out a bowl of fish soup and placed it in front of him.

Chu Yuan frowned.

The corners of Duan Bai Yue's mouth lifted: "Since you are the Son of Heaven, it is natural for you to have someone to serve you when you eat."

Chu Yuan stirred with a spoon, and a sharp fishbone grew strangely at the bottom of the bowl.

Duan Bai Yue coughed twice.

This is something you don't do often, so it's inevitable that you're not familiar with it.

After a few more times, you'll get used to it.

Halfway through the meal, Duan Bai Yue had at least added salt and chilli to his bowl a dozen times, and finally even scraped the jar clean.

The cooks in Da Yan City are really bland in their cooking.

Chu Yuan: "......"

Eunuch Si Xi reported at the door, saying that Commander Xiang wanted to see His Majesty.

Duan Bai Yue said, ‘Damn it, this person is really good at picking the right time, he always comes to the door while he is eating.’

Chu Yuan said, "Go wait in the front hall first."

"Yes!" Xiang Xin led the way and left the courtyard. Duan Bai Yue handed over a bowl of meat soup: "Finish eating before you go."

Chu Yuan stood up, "I don't have an appetite."

"A bowl of noodles, a bowl of soup and a plate of vegetables, who would have an emperor who eats so lightly." Duan Bai Yue pushed him back, "Eat at least half."

Chu Yuan reluctantly ate two spoonfuls, feeling greasy and having something on his mind, so he shoved the bowl back to him and turned around and left the door.

Duan Bai Yue finished most of the remaining bowls by himself, and by the way, he wondered if he would find a cook to send into the palace after returning to Xinan this time.

A stick of incense passed, and the courtyard was still quiet. Duan Bai Yue opened the door, and Eunuch Si Xi was strolling outside. The palace doctors thought he was fat and told him to walk more on weekdays.

“Afraid that Xinan Wang has to wait for a while." Seeing him coming out, Eunuch Si Xi said, “Your Majesty just sent this old slave back to rest first, saying that it will take about an hour to finish on that end."

“It's okay. Duan Bai Yue sat on the steps, “Come out and get some air."”

Eunuch Si Xi asked again: “Is dinner still suitable for taste? Your Majesty specifically told the cook to cook lighter and avoid beef, sheep and seafood, for fear that he was still worried about Wang Ye's internal injuries.”

Duan Bai Yue was surprised when he heard the words, are you serious?

Eunuch Si Xi continued to play boxing in the courtyard calmly.

Looking at the expression of Xinan Wang, he knew that he must have eaten extremely satisfactorily.

This cook should be rewarded.

When Chu Yuan came back, it was already late at night, but Duan Bai Yue was nowhere to be seen when he pushed the door.

Eunuch Si Xi hurriedly said, "Duan Wang Ye has just left for a short time, saying that the people from Xinan Mansion should have arrived, so go and check first."

Chu Yuan patted him on the stomach, "Did I ask you?"

" No, didn't ask." Eunuch Si Xi smiled, "It's because this old servant was talking too much."

After washing up and resting, the blanket was warm, and when he touched it. There was a piece of warm jade.

Chu Yuan leaned back on the bed, and as usual, he took a book with him, and after flipping through a few pages, he fell into a deep sleep.

Eunuch Si Xi carefully removed the candle flame and covered Chu Yuan with the blanket, thinking that since Xinan Wang came here, Your Majesty looked much more relaxed.

It was really good.

In the Goodwill hall, Duan Bai Yue uncovered the covering white cloth and saw that the corpse was unrecognizable. Due to the sudden fire, most of them were rickety all over. After checking all the twenty-six corpses, he felt that something seemed wrong-one with them looked like a young man, not an elderly man. After re-examining the body of the deceased, Duan Bai Yue shook his head and got up and went back to the inn.

Early in the morning of the second day, Chu Yuan just opened his eyes and heard Eunuch Si Xi talking to someone outside: “His Majesty is still resting, and afraid that Duan Wang Ye will have to wait a while longer.”

“It's okay." Duan Bai Yue said, “Then this king will go out for a walk first."

……

The blanket was so warm that he didn't even want to move.

It was a rare occasion for Chu Yuan to be lazy and he got up only after lying down for a while.

Duan Bai Yue pushed open the door with cold air, carrying two food boxes in his hands.

"Are you not afraid of being seen in the street?" Chu Yuan asked. 

"I have my own methods." Duan Bai Yue took out the breakfast boxes, steamed meat cakes, hot and sour soup, and a few small dishes, which looked like they tasted good.

"Too greasy again?" Seeing his expression, Duan Bai Yue smiled, "They are all famous local food, try some of them, I still have something to say after eating."

"What is it?" Chu Yuan asked as he sipped his soup.

Duan Bai Yue passed a meat cake to his mouth.

Chu Yuan instinctively stepped back.

Duan Bai Yue laughed: "What are you afraid of?"

Chu Yuan slapped him away with a slap, his eyes slightly annoyed.

Duan Bai Yue had the sense to keep his mouth shut and accompanied him to finish his breakfast before speaking: "I went to the Goodwill Hall last night."

"What did you find out?" Chu Yuan asked.

"Those corpses don't look like the old people in the Hall." Duan Bai Yue said.

Chu Yuan was surprised: "All of them?"

Duan Bai Yue nodded: "All of them."

"But Xiang Lei took the paramedics to examine the corpses, and the dead were indeed old." Chu Yuan said.

"The corpses were completely unrecognisable, even if it was Commander Xiang, the only way to make a deduction was to look at the unburnt remnants of skin and bones. But if you want to turn a strong man into an old man, you can do it with a few compulsive insects." Duan Bai Yue said, "If I am correct, nine out of ten of the corpses in the Hall were young people killed, so in a few more days, I may still be able to find the compulsion insects."

As soon as the words left his mouth, another guard reported outside that someone had gone to the authorities to report a strange disappearance in the city.

—— ฅʕ•̫͡•ʔฅ ——ㄚ

Note: ...

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