"That day I came out of Changchun Street and went to the tea shop I had arranged to find you. I was very careful along the way and didn't see anyone suspicious..." Chen Mu recalled the scene of that day carefully.

For people like him, caution is the first priority, and he is far more impressed by the surrounding terrain and the people he encounters than ordinary people.

As he recalled, his tone changed: "However, when I entered the tea shop, a girl followed me in."

Du Qing's heart moved: "Girl?"

Chen Mu nodded: "Yes. Actually, there were other people who came in at that time. The reason why I unconsciously paid attention to that girl was because-"

He paused and said calmly: "She is beautiful."

Du Qing raised his eyebrows slightly, but there was no misunderstanding.

It is instinct for them to pay attention to their surroundings when going out, and those who look or behave differently are undoubtedly more likely to be noticed.

"That girl is very good-looking, which made me subconsciously feel that it was a bit inconsistent with the environment of that tea shop. What's even more coincidental is that she also went up to the second floor, and the private room she entered was right next to us..."

Listening to Chen Mu's words, doubts grew in Du Qing's heart like weeds.

Of course, his judgment is not just based on intuition like Chen Mu.

A little girl, no matter how harmless she looks, first crossed paths with her husband, then appeared in the same place as Chen Mu, and Chen Mu got into an accident not long after, it would be too stupid to think it was a pure coincidence.

"But even if you have doubts, finding that little girl is like looking for a needle in a haystack." Chen Mu said solemnly.

Although he still remembered the girl's appearance, there were so many people in the capital, where could he find her?

"It's really not easy to find." Du Qing agreed calmly.

He did not intend to reveal the identity of the little girl for the time being.

Chen Mu had already suspected Mr. Chen, and knowing that the little girl had dealt with him, it became even more unclear.

He wanted to check first before speaking.

Du Qing secretly made up his mind and said without any expression on his face: "Then what are your plans?"

Chen Mu's suspicion of Du Qing was not completely dispelled, and he said vaguely: "I have no plans for the time being. Prepare a set of clothes for me, and I will stay here for two days to avoid the limelight and then leave."

"good."

At this time, Jinlin Guards Commander Cheng Maoming had received the report from his subordinates.

"Is it really gunpowder? Take me to see it!"

Cheng Maoming went to the place where gunpowder was temporarily stored and saw wooden barrels. Hemp ropes were tightly tied around the outside of the barrels, with leads sticking out.

Seeing him approaching, his subordinates hurriedly stopped him.

"Get out of the way." Cheng Maoming ignored his subordinates and walked closer to check.

It's not like he has never seen gunpowder before. It won't explode if left like this.

Cheng Maoming touched the barrel and his expression changed when he saw the black stain on his fingertips.

It is indeed gunpowder!

Although he could not estimate the power of these gunpowders, the quantity could be seen. Once they were gathered together and ignited, the consequences would be disastrous.

Fortunately, Prince Jing reminded me!

"How many people are you bringing back alive?"

The subordinate looked a little nervous: "Only two survived. Four of the remaining six died in the fight, and two committed suicide when they saw that they could not escape."

Cheng Maoming's eyes turned cold.

If you can't escape, you will commit suicide. This is what the dead soldiers do. It shows that the origins of these people are not simple.

Perhaps as Prince Jing reminded him, their purpose was to blow up the envoy Yu Liu. Then these people were probably from Qi, or the remnants of Emperor Pingle.

Cheng Maoming perked up.

Whether it was the Qi people or the remnants of Emperor Pingle, it was a great achievement for him who organized this conspiracy.

Prince Jing really gave him a great gift.

Cheng Maoming silently accepted Qi Shuo's information and decided to interrogate the two survivors himself.

Even if this matter had nothing to do with the Qi people or the remnants of Emperor Pingle, he still wanted them to have something to do with it.

He deserves the credit.

Early the next morning, Cheng Maoming hurried into the palace to report.

Emperor Tai'an was furious when he heard this: "Are you really his?"

Cheng Maoming looked solemn: "One of them did not open his mouth after exhausting all kinds of punishments. Fortunately, the other person's mouth was pried open. It was indeed Emperor Pingle's people. Their plan was to kill the Yuliu envoy when he passed by Jinxiu Street.

Ignite the gunpowder and push Yu Liu towards Da Qi..."

"This is unreasonable!" Emperor Tai'an slapped the table hard and gritted his teeth with hatred.

Cheng Maoming lowered his eyes slightly: "Your Majesty, please calm down and don't let your body get angry because of these villains."

Emperor Tai'an looked at Cheng Maoming with admiration in his eyes: "You did a good job this time, thank you for your hard work."

"I am honored to share the emperor's worries."

"I have always trusted your abilities." Emperor Tai'an finished his praise and turned back to what he cared about most, "Ask the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division to cooperate with the Jinlin Guards to conduct a thorough investigation of the unfamiliar faces in the capital in recent days and make sure to find out those people."

"I accept the decree."

"Also, strengthen the secret protection of Yu Liu's envoys."

"yes."

Cheng Maoming left the palace and immediately sent someone to invite Qi Shuo.

The two arranged to meet at a wine shop, and Cheng Maoming toasted enthusiastically: "Thank you for the clues provided by the prince, which prevented a shocking conspiracy."

Qi Shuo smiled: "I just met him by accident. The one who really saved the people from misery was the Governor."

Although he knew very well that these were polite words, Cheng Maoming still listened happily.

Prince Jing is also very good at talking.

"So, those people were all arrested?"

Cheng Maoming looked regretful: "One of them ran away. After interrogation, it was found that the one who ran away was still their leader."

Qi Shuo's expression became serious: "Then we must find the fish that slipped through the net as soon as possible. The leader must have other ways, and maybe he will cause other things."

Cheng Maoming deeply agreed.

Afterwards, interrogating officials could be seen everywhere on the streets. Almost all outsiders were interrogated, and some who made suspicious remarks were directly thrown into jail.

For a time, Xiaoxiao disappeared, and the supply of prison meals increased sharply.

Lin Hao met Qi Shuo and got the latest news.

"So, the mastermind hasn't been caught yet?" Lin Hao thought of Chen Mu, who always had a gloomy face, and secretly felt pity.

In her opinion, there is nothing redeeming about such a person who is blindly loyal to the emperor at all costs.

"There has been no movement at the abandoned house in the past few days." Qi Shuo looked at Lin Hao and guessed, "This person should have met the person who followed you. Maybe that person provided cover.

Only then did he escape the search of Jinlin Guards."

Although Lin Hao did not want to embarrass Du Qing, he could not ignore the harm that Chen Mu could bring: "This possibility is not small. Does the prince know where that person is?"

Qi Shuo shook his head: "I haven't touched it yet. That person is too cautious."

The person responsible for keeping an eye on the deserted house tentatively followed Du Qing twice. Once he was lost, and once he was almost discovered, he did not dare to follow him again.

"Now that all the yamen are on guard, this person is hiding again. There shouldn't be any conspiracy in the short term, right?"

"Probably not, but you should be more careful recently and don't let the person who followed you see you again."

Lin Hao nodded: "I know."
Chapter completed!