Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

After reading the letter, Wu Tao's face became serious. "The people around the emperor... is there a crisis of trust?"

Hu Bugui nodded and said in a deep voice: "Besides him, I can't think of anyone else who fits this description better. He has been trusted by the emperor for many years and holds great power. If he is really a member of the mysterious organization, the consequences will be disastrous."

"But we have no evidence..." Wu Tao frowned, "If we rashly report this to the Emperor, I'm afraid it will only alert the enemy."

"You are right. This matter is of great importance. We must act with caution." Hu Bugui pondered for a moment. "So, for the time being, don't tell anyone about this letter, including the emperor."

Wu Tao nodded in agreement. After discussion, the two decided to secretly investigate the details of the trust crisis and look for solid evidence.

In order not to arouse suspicion, Hu Bugui still went to court and handled government affairs as usual. But behind the scenes, he began to secretly investigate the background of the trust crisis.

Trust Crisis, real name Zhao Qian, was born in a poor family, but he climbed to his current position step by step with his extraordinary talents and skills. He was very good at dealing with people and never revealed any flaws. He had an excellent reputation in the court and was deeply trusted by the emperor.

Hu Bugui used all his connections and finally found some clues. It turned out that Zhao Qian had received favors from a mysterious organization in his early years. In order to repay the favor, he secretly worked for it and even used his power to provide convenience for it.

"It seems that our guess is correct. Zhao Qian is indeed in collusion with the mysterious organization." Hu Bugui told Wu Tao the results of the investigation in a serious tone, "Moreover, his relationship with the mysterious organization is more complicated than we imagined."

Wu Tao couldn't help but take a breath of cold air when he heard this. They originally thought that Zhao Qian was just a pawn used by the mysterious organization, but they didn't expect that he was actually one of the core members of the other party!

Wu Tao was also in a very heavy mood. She paced back and forth in the room, thinking about countermeasures. "What should we do now? If we leave it alone, the consequences will be disastrous!"

Hu Bugui's face was solemn, and his fingers tapped lightly on the table. "We must find evidence, solid evidence, to expose Zhao Qian's true face."

A few days later, the opportunity came. The palace held a flower viewing banquet and invited ladies to come to the palace to enjoy the flowers. Wu Tao, as Hu Bugui's wife, was naturally among the invited guests.

Wu Tao went to the palace this time, not only to enjoy the flowers, but more importantly to find an opportunity to get information about Zhao Qian. She knew that if she wanted to find evidence, she had to go deep into the tiger's den.

On the day of the banquet, Wu Tao deliberately wore a plain dress, trying to keep herself low-key and not attract attention. While chatting with other ladies, she carefully observed the situation around her.

Suddenly, her eyes fell on a familiar figure. It was Zhao Qian's personal attendant, named Xiao Shunzi. Xiao Shunzi was holding a letter in his hand and walked hurriedly towards the imperial study.

Wu Tao's heart moved, and her intuition told her that this letter must be unusual. She found an excuse and followed quietly.

Xiao Shunzi didn't notice Wu Tao behind him. He walked straight into the imperial study and placed the letter on the desk.

Wu Tao hid behind a pillar, held his breath, and waited for his opportunity.

After a while, Xiao Shunzi came out of the imperial study. Wu Tao quickly dodged him and only walked out carefully after he was far away.

She came to the desk and saw the letter at a glance. There was no signature on the envelope, but Wu Tao recognized it at a glance. It was Zhao Qian's handwriting.

She took a deep breath and opened the envelope. The contents of the letter surprised her.

In the letter, Zhao Qian described in detail the mysterious organization's next plan, including shocking conspiracies such as assassinating the emperor and supporting the prince to ascend the throne.

Wu Tao felt cold all over, with a chill running from the soles of her feet straight up to her head. She finally understood that the situation was much more serious than they had imagined!

She put the letter back to its place and hurriedly left the imperial study.

After returning home, Wu Tao immediately told Hu Bugui about this matter.

After hearing this, Hu Bugui's face turned very ugly. "It seems that we must act as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous!" Wu Tao knew that time was running out. After discussing with Hu Bugui, she decided to sneak into Zhao's house that night to find more evidence. When night fell, the two disguised themselves, avoided the patrolling guards, and sneaked into Zhao's house. Zhao's house was heavily guarded, but fortunately Hu Bugui was extraordinary and Wu Tao was also very smart. With their extraordinary courage and tacit understanding, they finally found the secret room in Zhao Qian's study.

The secret room was filled with gold, silver and jewelry. Wu Tao saw an inconspicuous box in the corner. When he opened the box, he found letters between Zhao Qian and the mysterious organization, as well as some account books recording their crimes! This evidence was enough to bring Zhao Qian to justice!

The two were overjoyed, carefully put away the evidence and prepared to leave. However, just as they were about to leave the secret room, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door!

"Oh no, someone is coming!" Wu Tao exclaimed in a low voice.

Hu Bugui acted decisively and pulled Wu Tao into the secret compartment in the corner of the secret room.

The door of the secret room was opened, and a dark figure walked in. In the dim candlelight, Wu Tao recognized that the person was Zhao Qian!

Zhao Qian walked to the desk, opened the secret compartment, and carefully checked it, as if he was confirming something. After a moment, he smiled with satisfaction and turned to leave the secret room.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui hid in the secret compartment for a long time, and did not dare to come out until they were sure it was safe. They did not dare to delay and left Zhao's house overnight with the evidence they had collected.

When they got home, they both breathed a sigh of relief. They finally got the evidence of Zhao Qian's crime and could report everything to the emperor!

However, just as they were preparing to enter the palace to meet the emperor, news came from the palace: the emperor was going to hold a grand banquet and invited all important officials to attend!

This sudden news cast a shadow over the hearts of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui. They realized that this might be a trap, and a conspiracy against them was quietly brewing...

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other in surprise. The emperor's decision was like a bolt from the blue, disrupting all their plans.

"How could this happen? Why does the emperor suddenly want to hold a banquet?" Wu Tao tightly grasped the letter in his hand, his fingertips turning white.

Hu Bugui frowned, paced back and forth, and said in a serious tone: "There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. Zhao Qian is in a high position and has many followers in the court. Although the evidence in our hands is solid, it is probably difficult for the two of us to bring him down."

Wu Tao also understood the interests involved, but she was unwilling to give up. "Are we just going to sit there and wait for death? As long as Zhao Qian is not eliminated, we and the emperor will always be in danger!"

"Of course we won't sit there and wait for death," Hu Bugui stopped, a gleam in his eyes, "We must find out what Zhao Qian wants to do at the banquet."

Just then, there was a slight knock on the door, and Chuntao's voice rang out: "Miss, someone outside the door brought a letter, saying it was for you."

Wu Tao's heart trembled, and an ominous premonition came to her mind. She took the letter and saw only the words "Wu Tao's personal letter" written on the envelope, without a signature.

She took a deep breath, slowly opened the envelope, and pulled out the letter inside. By the candlelight, she could see a few lines of beautiful handwriting on it:

"Miss Wu, remember, at the banquet, you must be cautious at every step and be careful of the people around you. Remember, remember!"

Wu Tao's heart sank suddenly. Who wrote this anonymous letter? Who did the "people around them" mentioned in the letter refer to? Could it be that there were Zhao Qian's accomplices around them?

She handed the letter to Hu Bugui, and their eyes met, both seeing solemnity and uneasiness in each other's eyes. This banquet was far more dangerous than they had imagined...