Survival countdown

Ji Zhifu asked a familiar imperial physician to look at the Wannian Blood Amber presented by Zhao Baiyu, and after confirming that it was genuine, he dared to present it to his mentor, the ten princes.

The ten princes were overjoyed, and asked people to test it. After confirming that there was a miraculous effect in curing Gu poison, they took it to the Prince's Mansion of Lin'an County in person, and saw Huo Jingtang's blood-colored face after using the ten-thousand-year blood amber. Joyful, turned around and prepared to reward Ji Zhifu.

Ji Zhifu did not dare to be greedy for merit, and told the truth.

Ten Princes: "The original Silang of the Zhao family, Zhao Baiyu? He is the eldest nephew I have never met, the future nephew and daughter-in-law!"

What Changping did back then was so bad that even he didn't want to look at Zhao Baiyu. He had been allowed to grow up in the back house of the Zhao Mansion all these years, and now he was forced to marry and no one stood up for him. And know how unsatisfactory the life is.

"Does he know who the Ten Thousand Years Blood Amber is for?"

Ji Zhifu cupped his hands and said: "The student only said that the teacher is looking for medicine for the nobleman, and the student also knows that the nobleman is the king of the county."

Ten Princes: "You said he wanted to ask for grace for his mentor, who is his mentor?"

Ji Zhifu: "Chen Shidao, Minister of Rites."

The ten princes hissed: "It's terrible." Looking at Huo Jingtang who was lying on the couch opposite the Eight Immortals Table, he said, "You are the Minister of Dali Temple, and the presiding judge of this imperial examination fraud is both his cousin and his fiancé. Not coming to see you?"

"I've looked for it." Huo Jingtang was lying on the couch in an unruly posture, with his right elbow resting on his bent knee, fingering the prayer beads. "Get out."

"I actually looked for it?!" The tenth prince slapped the table and laughed: "In order to save people, Zhao Baiyu can even use the name of your fiancé, but fortunately he didn't go to Dali Temple in the name of the princess of Lin'an County." !"

After laughing, the ten kings sighed: "But I can understand it in a hurry. Now that the Beijing officials are walking around the Chen Mansion, he is facing up to the difficulties. He is also a rare person with a heart. If he really doesn't know who is doing it Begging for ten thousand years of blood amber, I don’t know whose life the treasure saved, that is, even the sky is helping him. The sky will not stop you, Chen Shidao, and Zhao Baiyu’s heart.”

Huo Jingtang didn't reply, but the ten kings still sighed with emotion.

"Hey, why did Wannian Xuepo end up in Zhao Baiyu's hands? We searched for it for four or five years, but it was a step too late. Brother Huang is rich in the world. All over the country, there are eyeliners in at least ten provinces and twenty-odd mansions, and the treasury of your mother’s family Cui Guogong’s mansion was also accumulated during the period of the ancestors, and everyone was stunned that they couldn’t find the ten-thousand-year blood amber!”

The Ten Kings pointed to the bewildered adjutant and asked, "Xiao Fu, why do you say so?"

The adjutant was silent for a long time: "Because Zhao Baiyu bought twenty singers with the general's dowry."

Ten Kings: "?"

He looked at his nephew in confusion, hoping to be cleared, but only saw Huo Jingtang's eyes full of smiles, and an indescribable anger was evaporating.

"It's an evil coincidence." Huo Jingtang said.

The adjutant nodded seriously, it was indeed a coincidence, and it was indeed evil!

Who would have expected that the Wannian Blood Amber they had been looking for for four or five years would actually be in the hands of an oiran in Kyoto Prefecture?

Right under their noses!

Previously, their targets were all on strange people, dignitaries and dignitaries.

And who would have expected that Zhao Baiyu bought twenty singing girls at a high price with the betrothal gift from the county prince's mansion, but out of good intentions and without selfishness, he was given ten thousand years of blood amber by a famous prostitute in Kyoto.

It just so happened that Quan Zhifu was a disciple of the ten kings and also Zhao Baiyu's superior. After going around like this, the life-saving elixir that he couldn't find was finally offered to the door. Isn't it evil?

It's a coincidence, how could it be such a coincidence?

What a coincidence!

The adjutant has not recovered yet, and feels that Zhao Baiyu is also evil.

The adjutant was out of his mind, and Huo Jingtang laughed unfathomably to himself, as if he was thinking about something bad again.

"..." Ten kings raised their hips and quietly moved away from the master and servant.

***

After Ji Zhifu came back, he only said mysteriously that Zhao Baiyu's courtship was known to the nobleman, so he just waited for the news with peace of mind, and Zhao Baiyu would not disclose the rest of the information, no matter what Zhao Baiyu said.

Zhao Baiyu was helpless, it was not his style to place all his hopes on other people, so he lingered in casinos, only picking casinos run by Zheng's family, leaving at dusk and early morning on time, and won no less than ten thousand taels of silver for three consecutive days, finally alarming Zheng You.

When Zheng You came to the scene, Zhao Baiyu was playing Pai Gow with others. The gambling stall where he was located was surrounded by crowds, the crowd shouted to show their cards, the dealer kept wiping his sweat and drinking tea, and Zhao Baiyu's table was covered with fists The silver is all gambling money won.

The dealer gritted his teeth and showed his cards, staring at Zhao Baiyu: "Please."

The Pai Gow method is not complicated. They are four-card two-to-two ratio. The first group showed the cards.Now the dealer is Shuangtian, which is equivalent to double aces in poker. Zhao Baiyu has to win two ghost kings, but the probability is very low, unless Zhao Baiyu is a superb player.

The gamblers onlookers held their breath and were more anxious than the party concerned, wishing to turn over the cards for him.

Zhao Baiyu calmly said, "I have eight 1000 taels of silver bills and 30 yuan and 100 taels of silver lumps, all of which I won from your gambling shop these days, and now I'm all-in, and I have to double it " He clicked his tongue aloud, lying on the gambling table and staring at people: "To be honest, I am not short of money, I came to your gambling house to give money, and I just want to find someone who can beat me. God. From the moment I was born, I grew up touching the game, and what I want all my life is to be alone!"

"What a Dugu seeking defeat!" Zheng You walked out and looked down at Zhao Baiyu: "Brother Zhao, we meet again."

Zhao Baiyu smiled happily: "A brother? Coincidentally, I met you here."

Zheng You said left and right: "This is the boss of our casino."

Zhao Baiyu suddenly realized, and apologized: "I don't know—"

"It's okay, the door is open for business, and you are a guest when you come." Zheng You: "Brother Zhao, I also want to see your face."

Zhao Baiyu was in a dilemma: "It's not good..."

Zheng You: "I'm a person who accepts the bet and admits defeat. Even if the family goes bankrupt, I will pay back the betting money! Let's go, Brother Zhao."

Zhao Baiyu couldn't help it, so he opened the card, and someone stretched his neck to see: "Ding three matches two four, Monkey King is right, Supreme Treasure - won!"

The gambling house paid 2 taels, Zhao Baiyu exchanged it directly into silver bills, bowed to Zheng You, and left disappointed, threatening to go to other gambling houses to seek defeat by Dugu——was stopped by Zheng You, please go to the next door talk in the room.

"Brother Zhao is very good at gambling, can you, can you..."

"Teach you?"

"Correct!"

"This guy who I eat..." Zhao Baiyu hesitated for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! Whoever asked my brother to give me a channel to meet noble people is a great favor to me. But we learn and gamble. You have to admit the loser."

"I admit it! I definitely admit it!" Zheng You raised his voice, ecstatic, and hurriedly asked people to bring all kinds of gaming tools to ask Zhao Baiyu for advice.

In the court hall, the royal party of Qin and the princelings were fighting fiercely, and the money from Zheng Guogong's mansion was flowing out, and Zheng You didn't have time to feel sorry for it. His shops and gambling houses were inspected by the Kyoto government every now and then.

Once you check for a day, the income for the day is gone.

Zheng You was upset because he couldn't make ends meet. He heard that someone in the most hidden gambling house had won for several days in a row. Throw it away.

Zhao Baiyu patted his stomach: "I'm a little hungry."

Zheng You: "Serve the food and wine!"

Zhao Baiyu immediately took out the dice cup with a smile: "Other gaming games are either too simple or too complicated. Today I will teach you a new way. It looks simple, but there are many tricks in it. If you use it, put it Play in the gambling house under your name, I guarantee that the customers will come like a cloud."

Zheng Yi looked suspicious: "Is it so magical?"

Zhao Baiyu said sincerely, "Yes."

Zheng You hurriedly wanted to play, and what Zhao Baiyu taught him was how to shake the dice cup and roll the dice.

It is not that there is no dice rolling in this era, but it is usually used as an auxiliary tool for other gambling methods, and some literati have invented extremely complicated dice rolling games, which are not suitable for the public.

On the other hand, rolling dice to bet on the size of the game has been popular all over the world since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and it is still one of the necessary and popular gambling methods in modern casinos.

Sure enough, Zheng You was completely addicted to it. He gambled on his head and even forgot to learn gambling skills. He gambled while drinking, and quickly lost all the money in his pocket. , let me count it as 1 taels!"

Zhao Baiyu looked at the note over and over again, "Is a copy of "The Book of Songs" worth ten thousand taels? Don't fool me, brother."

Zheng You drank on his face, his palms turned into knives and he tapped his neck: "Pip my head, do you think it's worth it!"

Zhao Baiyu pretended to refuse but accepted the note half-believingly, exchanged ten thousand taels of bank notes, and asked at the right time, "I see that my brother is fidgeting, his mouth is dry and his face is full of sorrow. Is there something bothering you?"

Zheng You was playing with the dice cup, feeling very irritated: "Aside from money, what else can I worry about?"

Zhao Baiyu: "When I first came here, I've heard of your reputation as Mr. Zheng, who can turn stones into gold. You want to say that if you lack money, ordinary people will die of poverty?"

Zheng You: "What do those people know? No matter how much money I can earn, I can't stand the mouths that eat money! In the palace, I need to pay my respects, and I have to salute in court, and the joints in other provinces have to be opened up. Don’t eat money? Recently, there is a big case, the limelight is tight, the government abused the name to check the bottom of the shop, if you want to open it, you have to pay for it. There is no income in the capital, and the income from other provinces cannot be touched—"

"Why can't we touch the income from other provinces?"

"I bumped my head—" Zheng You slammed on the brakes, grabbed the dice cup and asked, "Teach me how to choose big or small, why are the dice so obedient in your hands?"

Zhao Baiyu took out the dice he carried with him, and taught Zheng You the old skills handed down by his ancestors. The latter was amazed and delighted.

Leaving the dice to Zheng You, Zhao Baiyu pushed that he was going to the toilet.

Zheng You glanced at the stack of banknotes he hadn't picked up, and the pawn shop note that had just arrived was also under the banknotes, so he let Zhao Baiyu go with confidence.

After waiting for two sticks of incense, he found that the person hadn't come back yet. He glanced at the ten thousand taels of silver and took out the pawn slip. When he found that it was a torn corner, Zheng You shuddered abruptly. Hurry up and get back the pawnshop slip in the hands of that surnamed Zhao!!"

However, as soon as Zhao Baiyu came out of the gambling house, he immediately changed his clothes, and was sent by Wei Bo to a house not far away, wearing a bamboo hat, where the girls from the flower tea shop were also placed.

Without waking up the girls, Zhao Baiyu left at dawn.

Before leaving, Zhao Baiyu wrote a letter informing him that Wannian Xuepo had been used by him. Because it was a rare treasure, he promised that if Li Yiru was in trouble in the future, he could ask him for help.

Li Yiru was deeply moved, so she didn't say much.

***

Now let’s talk about the East Palace.

Although Dali Temple was ordered to arrest the crown prince's nanny, it is impossible to break into the East Palace to arrest people. We can only wait for the prince to personally send the nanny to Dali Temple.After waiting for two days, the official memorials piled up like a mountain, and the East Palace suddenly knocked on the door of the Imperial Hospital in the middle of the night.

In the early court, the prince told the nanny to commit suicide due to shame, and left a blood letter to accuse the minister of rites, Chen Shidao, of deceiving her and using her to frame the prince. , Let the world know the truth.

Fortunately, the palace people found out in time and saved the nanny's life, but now she is unconscious and needs to recover before handing it over to Dali Temple.

Qin Wangdang questioned that the prince directed and acted on his own. After all, the nanny is in the East Palace, and the prince is in control of how she behaves.The princelings' counterattack against the imperial physician can testify that the nanny is not dead, and when the nanny wakes up, she can personally go to the temple to face the saint.

Dali Temple found that half of the fraudulent candidates were inextricably linked to the imperial concubine, the king of Qin and some officials in the court. This was also taken out by the princelings alone as a reason for joining the king of Qin. The relationship between Teacher Kaimeng proved that King Qin was not only the mastermind of the imperial examination fraud, but also used it to frame the prince.

In the court hall, there were swords, lights and swords, King Qin and the prince knelt on the ground, and the party members behind them attacked each other. Emperor Yuanshou remained expressionless and said nothing.

When they had had enough quarreling, Emperor Yuanshou pressed his painful temples: "The imperial examination is a major matter, which concerns the country and the country. The court is stable. As a result, my two sons are involved. Ladies and gentlemen, how do you think I should deal with it? Confiscate the title or go to prison?"

The officials were horrified when they heard the words, and quickly knelt down, shouting three times not to dare.

Emperor Yuanshou: "I think you are very brave! You don't want to find out the truth, you don't want to give an explanation to the students all over the world, you don't want to prevent cheating in the examination room, you don't think about your own mistakes, you criticize each other, you fight brutally, and you form cliques. Cliques for weeks! Trying every means to label your political opponents in front of me, how can you suppress my son to death!"

Baiguan knelt down on the ground, too scared to take a breath.

Emperor Yuan Shou: "Huo Jingtang!"

Huo Jingtang: "The minister is here."

Emperor Yuanshou: "I asked you to investigate the case, what exactly did you find out? Instead of finding out the result, it created a lot of doubts, causing all the officials to suspect and attack each other. I think you have been confused at home all these years! "

Huo Jingtang: "The subject is guilty."

Emperor Yuanshou: "You are limited to solve the case within five days, if you can't do it, don't come to see me in the future!"

Huo Jingtang: "I take orders."

Emperor Yuanshou's eyes were majestic, and he swept all the officials one by one: "The Zai Zhi stays, and the others retreat!"

All the officials left the Chui Gong Palace, the King of Qin and the Crown Prince hurried out of the main hall to keep Huo Jingtang, but they looked around but did not see anyone, so they called the eunuch to ask and found out that he had already arrived at the gate of the palace.

The eunuch also said: "His Royal Highness, the Lin'an County King said that the nanny is an important witness, and within tomorrow, he will send the nanny to Dali Temple, and Dali Temple will take care of it."

Prince: "Understood."

Qin Wang's heart froze, and without thinking, he turned and went to see his biological mother, the imperial concubine.

***

Inside the carriage.

Adjutant: "Today's incident finally dragged Qin Wang and Qin Wang's party into trouble together. Your Majesty has given you five days to close the case. Suspend it. It seems that you will not be able to avoid the catastrophe of offending all the officials, General."

Huo Jingtang fiddled with the beads, but said nothing.

Adjutant: "Speaking of which, the crown prince's nanny is now an important witness and a hot potato. She'd better stay in the East Palace. If she dies, the crown prince will be blamed. If she doesn't die, it will be Qin Wang's turn to be unlucky. Why did she take the initiative to receive Dali Temple?"

Huo Jingtang: "Who do you think wants the nanny to die the most?"

Adjutant: "King Qin."

Huo Jingtang: "He is one, but he only wants the nanny to die in the East Palace. After leaving the East Palace, the person who most wants the nanny to die is the crown prince."

The adjutant thought for a while, and suddenly realized: "Understood! The death of the nanny in the East Palace was framed by the Crown Prince. If she died outside the East Palace, there is no proof of her death. It has nothing to do with the Crown Prince, but it must have something to do with King Qin."

Huo Jingtang half-closed his eyes: "So when the nanny sends her out of the East Palace, someone will do something."

"Ouchi Imperial Palace, who dares to do it?"

Huo Jingtang closed his eyes, turned around and read his Diamond Sutra.

adjutant:"……"

Huo Jingtang suddenly said: "There should be some movement over there with Zheng You, pay more attention."

Adjutant: "Everyone is watching."

"Also, select and disclose to Zhao Baiyu the contents of the court discussion this morning."

"Why?" The adjutant was puzzled: "How could he, a petty official, know about important matters in the court? Even if he knew, it wouldn't cause any big waves."

"We should repay his life-saving grace."