Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

"Is it done?"

"He only took two hundred gold. This is what's left. And..." The middle-aged man bowed and reported, "Lord Lang is here."

"Understood, let's go down."

Xiao Yan wiped the sweat off his face and was about to leave when he saw Lang Si walking towards him from the bridge. He raised his chin at him and walked into the pavilion.

"What's going on this time?"

Lang Si chuckled and sat down casually, "I haven't said anything yet, and you already know it?"

Xiao Yan threw the towel aside and poured tea, with an expression of unspoken understanding on his face.

"Did Meng Kui give you any trouble regarding the arrest of Guo Yuanqi?"

Lang Si's smile was a bit bitter and he shook his head.

"As expected of a brother, he understands me very well. He gave me an ultimatum: if I couldn't complete this case, I would be demoted. I couldn't help but have a fight with him about this."

"He Yizhou and his men stood up for me and almost got into a fight with him. They even swore on the spot that if I left, they would go with me."

Xiao Yan drank herbal tea and said, "Fighting only relieves anger temporarily, it's not worth it."

"Of course not. I'm not stupid." Lang Si, also drinking herbal tea, said, "Just for this, you're asking for trouble by leaving everyone starving."

He put down his teacup and smiled.

"But I'm still relieved. After all these years of struggling in the Imperial Guard, even though there wasn't much of a future ahead of me, I'm still grateful to have a group of loyal brothers who have bravely shared my life with me. It's worth it."

"It's just..." Lang Si thought of the brothers who died in Guo Yuanqi's house, and a sad face appeared on his face. "A lot of people died that day. Even if Meng Kui didn't say it, I still can't get over it. Even in previous serial murder cases, not so many brothers died."

Xiao Yan deeply understood this feeling. "Standing in this position, you and I are destined to face such separations and deaths, and we have no control over them."

He remembered what Lu Ziqing had said to him, "They completed their mission and died a worthy death. The sky above their heads is the Great Ning Dynasty. We are all the same."

Lang Si was silent for a moment, and Xiao Yan changed the subject and asked him, "What case? Tell me about it."

Lang Si said, "The Golden Rat has reappeared recently, and he gave me two weeks to capture him."

Xiao Yan drank tea and listened quietly.

"He escaped in Xuzhou last year. Six months later, his men spotted him at the Langui Casino in Cangzhou, but he escaped again."

Lang Si took a piece of ice and put it in his mouth to chew.

"It's been almost four years since I caught him. I really can't imagine how he managed to escape from me so many times."

"In the past, even if other criminals escaped my clutches, they would never last more than two days. But this little tomb robber really underestimated him. A while ago, spies spotted him around Feiyan Street in the capital."

Xiao Yan pondered and asked him, "Based on your observation of this person's behavior, have you discovered any pattern?"

"law?"

Lang Si thought to himself, and after a moment his eyes opened slightly, and the ice in his mouth was suddenly bitten into pieces.

"This person appears in the capital once a year."

"Yes."

"But..." Lang Si said, "The capital city is bustling with people from all walks of life. There's nothing special about a group of thieves appearing in a certain place. What's the explanation?"

"You also said that the huge flow of people from all walks of life in the capital city, what does that mean? And..." Xiao Yan looked at him and said, "Think carefully, when did this person appear in the capital city?"

"When?" Lang Si half-closed his eyes and thought, then he raised his eyelids, "It seems to be... around the Double Ninth Festival."

Xiao Yan raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Well said."

Lang Si was puzzled and asked, "Why is it the Double Ninth Festival? What's the significance of this?"

Xiao Yan said, "Every year on the Double Ninth Festival, the emperor ascends the mountain to offer sacrifices. At that time, the military forces in the capital will naturally focus on the emperor, and the people in the city will also hold sacrificial activities to exorcise evil spirits. It is very lively..."

"At this time, the city's military deployment will naturally be relaxed," Lang Si suddenly added, "so, they will take this opportunity to sneak into the capital."

"But even if that's the case, what does this have to do with his regular visits to the capital? A group of thieves come to the capital just to gamble and whore. I heard that this man is addicted to gambling and lust."

"It's true that he was involved in prostitution and gambling, but that's just one of the reasons."

Seeing him chewing the ice with great enthusiasm, Xiao Yan also took a piece and put it in his mouth.

"This man has been able to escape from your hands so many times, so he must have some skills and is not an ordinary bandit.

"If he risked being caught by the Imperial Guards and came to the Emperor's feet just for the sake of whoring and gambling, then wouldn't his reputation as the "Golden Rat" be undeserved?"

It would be fine if he was just an ordinary thief, but this person was a habitual criminal with many years of experience and was very capable. He was even discussed by the court at the morning court meeting.

He could steal from more than a hundred tombs within a year, most of which were tombs of ancient celebrities and emperors.

Among them were also famous martyrs of modern Daning, all of whom were emptied out by this group of people, and they almost dug up the ancestral tombs of Emperor Shengzhi's ancestors.

This person is not only extremely skilled in tomb robbing, but his whereabouts are also extremely unpredictable. Lang Si has analyzed his battles with that person over the years and concluded that he has an unusually large number of spies.

He acts very cautiously and always manages to escape at the critical moment. He can be said to be extremely cunning.

But in fact, he was able to rob hundreds of tombs in a year, which made him the ancestor of tomb robbery.

Xiao Yan couldn't explain it clearly for a long time. Lang Si seemed to be very upset, and he became anxious.

"Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me."

Xiao Yan said, "Apart from the sacrificial ceremonies I just mentioned, the Double Ninth Festival is the day with the strongest yang energy in the year. What did the tomb robbers steal?"

"These are the treasures from the ancient tombs of the ancestors of kings, princes, generals and ministers. This is like stealing the things of the ancestors. It carries a strong Yin energy and will definitely damage one's virtue. Therefore, there is an unspoken rule in the tomb-robbing world, which is..."

“They will choose the Double Ninth Festival, the day with the strongest Yang energy in the year, to sell the stolen goods.” Lang Si suddenly understood.

"The capital city is bustling with people, with numerous and complex businesses. Furthermore, the military was lax that day... So that's how it is. What a sly rat! He's truly as clever and cautious as a rat."

"But..." Xiao Yan hesitated to speak.

"But what?" Lang Si asked.

Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "It's just a guess without any evidence, so let's not talk about it."

"Oh?" Lang Si asked suspiciously, "Since you're speculating, then this matter isn't as simple as it seems. Tell me more."

Xiao Yan stared at Lang Si. "I was just wondering, no matter how skilled a thief is, how could he move freely under the noses of the Jinyiwei without being discovered?"

"Furthermore, among so many other provinces, why did you choose to come to the capital to sell the stolen goods?"

Lang Si frowned slightly, "You mean..."

"I'm just guessing, there's no evidence." Xiao Yan chewed the ice into pieces.

His seemingly nonchalant answer surprised Lang Si.

A tomb robber, who had actually been able to move freely in the capital for so many years, working under the hands of the Jinyiwei, who were as skilled as gods in handling cases...

It's unusual in every way.

Lang Si was walking with his thoughts when he heard Xiao Yan say, "Speaking of arrests, the usual methods of rounding up and arresting are obviously not crucial and can only serve as an auxiliary."

"What do you think we should do?" Lang Si asked.

"First, arrange for someone to lure him into the trap, and then render him incapacitated." Xiao Yan tapped his fingertips on the table. "We'll definitely capture him."

"You mean, find someone to pretend to be a stolen goods dealer and lure them into the trap?" Lang Si said.

Xiao Yan gave him a speechless look, "If you were him, would you trust a rough man or a charming and gentle woman?"

Lang Si had an expression as if someone had just woken up from a dream, and he looked at Xiao Yan and said "Oh".

He laughed and said, "I didn't expect that you, who usually doesn't like women, are quite knowledgeable about this."

"Just one thing." Xiao Yan added, "This matter must be handled secretly with trusted individuals, and never disclosed to anyone."

He stared at Lang Si with deep eyes, and his words carried weight.

"Remember, it's anyone, including the Jinyiwei. They entered the capital early this time and sent people to keep an eye on it."