Chapter 10 Chapter Ten: The Sound of the Ax and the Shadow of the Candle
In November of the eighth year of Kaibao, the Song army broke through Jinling, the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the lord Li Yu surrendered under the Biao.Cao Bin sent people to send him, his relatives and important ministers to Bianjing to offer prisoners.The Southern Tang Dynasty declared its demise.
Just after the Lantern Festival in the ninth year of Kaibao, Li Yu and his party arrived in the capital.The scholars and people of Kaifeng poured out of the city, crowding on both sides of the Imperial Street, not only wanting to see the appearance of the legendary Lord of the Jiangnan Kingdom, but also to see how beautiful his queen Zhou Jiamin is.People can't help but compare her with Mrs. Huarui, who also walked past another female prisoner on this royal street more than ten years ago—although she is not as delicate and charming as Mrs. Huarui in the past, she is more clear and pleasant.Many people even secretly speculate that Li Yu will soon suffer the same fate as Meng Chang, the lord of Houshu, and then Zhou Jiamin will be included in the inner palace as a matter of course to replace Mrs. Huarui, who unfortunately died of illness two years ago, as an official. The new favorite of the family.
Li Yu, who was dressed in white, silently came to Xuande Tower to meet the Emperor of Song Dynasty.Zhao Kuangyin issued an edict to explain the crimes of Jiangnan monarchs and ministers, and made Li Yu a disobedient marquis on the spot, punishing him for refusing to enter the Song Dynasty under the imperial edict. But guarded by the Forbidden Army, Li Yu can't come in and out at will, and can't communicate with outsiders, but he is just a decent prisoner.
When Kaifeng people flocked out to watch the Southern Tang captives enter the city, Xiang Minzhong asked Zhang Yong to go to the Daxiangguo Temple Market to buy books.More than a year ago, Zhang Yong, Kou Zhun, Xiang Minzhong, and Pan Lang worked together to solve strange cases and forged a deep friendship.After that, Kou Zhun returned to Daming Mansion, Pan Lang stayed in the capital, and Zhang Yong continued to roam.When he came back to the capital this time, he lived in Pan Lang's home in Xingguofang.This house is located in the center of Licheng, very close to Kaifeng Mansion and Prince Jin Mansion.
When the two went out, they met Fu Yanqing walking over with two children, one hand playing with Hai Dongqing on the shoulder, one old and one eagle, it was really interesting.
Zhang Yong hurriedly said: "Why did Mr. Xiang come here in person? Didn't Shicai send someone to ask Pan Lang to go to the house?" Fu Yanqing asked in surprise: "What?" It's strange, Xianggong wants to go to Pan Lang to have a look." Fu Yanqing said: "Ah, I know." She turned around suddenly, raised her feet and walked away, completely different from Shicai's complacent expression.That Hai Dongqing was startled suddenly, and immediately flew into the air with wings flapping.
Zhang Yong was puzzled, and said: "What's going on?" Xiang Minzhong shook his head, and said: "I can't guess either. Maybe someone used the name of Mr. Fu to go to Pan Lang for treatment. He is now a famous doctor in Bianjing. He is so arrogant, it is difficult for ordinary people to please him."
Zhang Yong was amazed and said: "There is such a thing?" Xiang Minzhong said: "Not long after you left the capital last time, Pan Lang healed the old mother of Wang Jien, the head of the servants. It was a strange disease that could not be dealt with. After that, he became a big celebrity in Tokyo." The two of them talked and laughed as they came to Daxiangguo Temple.
Today is the 18th day of the first lunar month, and it coincides with the five-time market-going day in January. Coincidentally, it happened to coincide with such a rare event in ten years as offering prisoners. There were few customers, and even many sellers left their stalls and went to Royal Street to watch the excitement. .
Zhang Yong and Xiang Min Zhongshun entered the temple and went straight to Zisheng Pavilion behind Maitreya Hall in the main hall.This is a place where books, pictures, and games are sold, as well as local fragrant medicines brought by dismissed officials from all walks of life. It is the favorite place for scholar-bureaucrats in the capital.There are also sporadically mixed with some warlocks with the signs of "God Lesson", "Fate Watching", and "Caussion".
Suddenly a young Taoist priest in sackcloth waved and shouted: "You two officials, please stay!"
Zhang Yong saw that on his hexagram stand it was written "The monopoly of gambling money does not lose, and the price is always sufficient", he couldn't help laughing: "Is the master planning to sell us the formula? Neither of us gambles." The Taoist shook his head and said: "No , Pindao wants to show the fate of the two of you."
Zhang Yongdao: "We don't believe in fortune-telling." The Taoist priest in sackcloth said: "Fate is destiny. Fate can't be calculated, but poor people can tell it. Both of you are rich and powerful, especially you... ..." Pointing at Minzhong, he said, "Officials will not only be future officials, but future generations will decide the fate of Song Dynasty."
Xiang Minzhong smiled slightly when he heard the words, and said: "I haven't obtained any fame yet. I'm just a mediocre person. How can I say that to you? Master, let me advise you. In this dynasty, it is most taboo for the people to talk about the destiny of heaven. You It's better to only sell the formula of gambling without losing." Not wanting to waste any more words, he pulled Zhang Yong away.
Zhang Yong said in a low voice: "Brother Xiang didn't recognize it?" Xiang Min said: "What?" Zhang Yong said: "We met this Taoist priest on the night when we first met Fan Lou."
Only then did Xiang Minzhong remember that the Taoist priest in sackcloth was Ma Shao, the Taoist priest who took a picture of Wang Quanbin in Fanlou on the night of Wang Quanbin's death. Xiangguo Temple sells prescriptions at a stall.When I was in Nahan, I suddenly saw another acquaintance, it turned out to be Cai Nu, the number one prostitute in the capital, who came to visit the bookstall, and hurriedly shouted: "Brother Zhang, look..."
But Zhang Yong had already gone straight to the bookstall in front of Cai Nu, snatched Dong Zhongshu's "Spring and Autumn Fanlu" that she was picking up, flipped through it a few times, and said: "Ah, this is the most complete book in the world." The book is gone."
He is fond of reading and travels around, just to borrow books from his private collection, but all the "Spring and Autumn Fanlu" he has read before are missing two pages, even the book borrowed from the library with the bronze amulet given by the emperor is the same.The book in front of him was not only intact, but also had two pages, which really made him ecstatic and like a treasure.
Cai Nu recognized Zhang Yong, and said: "So it's Zhang Lang." The middle-aged scribe beside her was very dissatisfied, and said: "My lord, I discovered this "Spring and Autumn Fanlu" first, you I want to take it by force, but I can't justify it." Cai Nu hurriedly introduced: "This is Yuan Qingyuan, who works in the Imperial Academy of Painting."
Only then did Zhang Yong realize that Cai Nu accompanied Yuan Qing to buy the book, and she was indeed the one who got the book first, and even though she was very reluctant to part with it, she still had to return it.Yuan Qing flipped through it a few times before showing a smile, and said: "It is indeed a finished copy, two pages more than the "Chunqiu Fanlu" originally collected by my family. Book sellers, I bought this one, how much is it? "
The book seller didn't know the goods. When he saw Zhang and Yuan arguing for the book, he guessed it was a rare book. He raised his hands and said, "Ten pennies, not one penny less." Normally, the most expensive book is only a few pennies. He asked 10,000 renminbi, which he thought was already a sky-high price. Unexpectedly, Yuan Qing immediately responded, "Okay." He took out the silver from his bosom to pay the bill, took the "Spring and Autumn Fanlu" in his arms, and took Cai Nu with him. , happily went.
Zhang Yong couldn't help feeling deeply regretful that since the jewels and jade were lost, other books would be nothing more than mud, so he came back to the Ma Shao hexagram booth bitterly, and said, "If you hadn't pestered us two to talk, the "Spring and Autumn Fanlu" should be I bought it."
Ma Shao said: "Officials love books as much as their destiny, but possession depends on fate." Zhang Yong said: "How do you know that I have no fate with it?" Ma Shao said: "Do officials have ten pennies?" Zhang Yong said: "This... ...It seems that there is really none." Ma Shao said: "This is it."
Xiang Minzhong said: "But if it weren't for the situation where Brother Zhang and Yuan Gongfeng were competing for books, the book seller might not have charged a high price of ten guan. What do you say?" Ma Shao was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "I heard for a long time that Xiang Lang is smart. It's better to be famous than to meet him. I don't want to set up this stall today." Really got up and cleaned up the stall, ready to leave.
Zhang Yong said: "Stop! I want to buy your gamble without losing." Ma Shao said: "Officials don't gamble, how can I buy a prescription?" Zhang Yong said: "I'm just curious, where in this world is there a gamble that doesn't lose?" Ma Shao said: "Okay, consistent money."
Zhang Yong then took out the pieces of silver and weighed about one or two.Ma Shao took the silver with one hand, and handed over a kit with the other.Zhang Yong took out a note, opened it, and saw that it said: "But only draw." It means that if you open a casino, you don't participate in gambling, but you just draw your votes, and you will never lose.
Zhang Yong was stunned at first, then laughed loudly and said, "That's right, this is indeed the only way in the world to not lose money."
Since he was not in the mood to go shopping at the book stalls, Zhang Yong dragged Xiang Minzhong to Fan Lou for a drink.Tang Xiaoying was still in trouble in Fan Lou, when she saw the two people coming, she hurriedly said: "Gao Qiong came here just now", and led the two people to the middle building to take a seat, and sat down at the same table with Gao Qiong.
Zhang Yongdao: "Today is a big day for presenting captives. The King of Jin followed the official family and was captured at Xuande Gate. Why didn't Brother Gao follow the King of Jin?" Gao Qiong shook her head and said, "I'm not on duty today."
Zhang Yong saw that he was unhappy, so he didn't want to ask more questions, so he asked Tang Xiaoying, "Has Lady Xuemei come back?" A little revenge, always thought she would come back by herself, but never heard of her.
Tang Xiaoying said: "I haven't seen Mrs. Xuemei. But Li Xiaoyuan doesn't seem to be in a hurry, and didn't send anyone to look for her."
Zhang Yong thought: "Then he must know the whereabouts of his beloved daughter. It seems that Xuemei has already contacted her father, but why didn't she contact me? Doesn't she know that I have been looking for her? Oh, she must be angry with me I don’t want to see me anymore, it’s all my own fault.” When he was feeling sorry for himself, a servant suddenly came over and called Gao Qiong, “Mr. Li has a little matter, I want to ask the officials to go upstairs and talk about it.”
Gao Qiong was silent for a while, seemingly reluctant, but finally nodded, grabbed his saber, and followed the boy up the stairs.Entering a pavilion on the second floor, there was already an old man waiting inside, but it was not Li Shao, the owner of Fanlou, but a stranger.
The servant said: "This is Mrs. Li Qun and Li, who is in charge of our account in Fanlou." Gao Qiong nodded, and asked, "Why is my husband looking for Mr. Gao?"
Li Qun waved his hand and ordered the boy to leave, closed the door of the pavilion, and said with a smile: "Gao Lang is so forgetful, you don't recognize me, can't you still not hear my voice?" Gao Qiong said, "You are Gao Qiang?" Li Qun said: "Gao Qiang is another name for this old man."
It turned out that this Li Qun was the leader who kidnapped Gao Qiong from Junyi County Prison in the past, and he was also Gao Qiong's family.
Gao Qiong nodded, and said, "My husband, what advice do you have?" Li Qun said, "You don't seem surprised that I have two identities." Do such a big thing as digging tunnels and robbing prisons? Although you and I are of the same clan, but right now you are from Liao, I am from Song, and we are enemies, do you know that I should take you down and take you to the government."
Li Qun said: "Then why don't you make a move?" Gao Qiong snorted, stretched out his hand to pull out the saber, the saber was half out of its sheath, then stopped again, finally put the saber back into its sheath, and said coldly: "Speak quickly. "
Li Qun said: "Well, I won't beat around the bush. Our Li Yuanwai's daughter Li Xuemei has been missing for a long time. Some people suspect that she was captured by King Jin. Do you know her whereabouts?" Li Xuemei is a member of the King of Jin, and it would be embarrassing if she ran away, and the King of Jin will not make it public. Why do you think it was the King of Jin who caught her? You, who are obviously from the Liao Dynasty, are lurking in the Central Plains Why do you care so much about Li Yuanwai's daughter and expose your identities for your own mission, are Li Yuanwai's father and daughter also from Khitan?"
Li Qun said: "That's right. Li Yuanwai's real name is Yelushao. He is the biological son of the former prince of the Liao Dynasty who stayed in the Central Plains. His mother is the concubine Gao, the prince's concubine, and your aunt. Li Xuemei...should be Yelu Xuemei is your close cousin."
Gao Qiong wanted to pretend to be shocked on purpose, but he was not good at fakery, so he only frowned reluctantly.
But Li Qun was startled, and shouted: "Ah, you already knew." Clapping his hands, several people dressed as servants broke in, holding bows and crossbows each, aiming the arrow at Gao Qiong.A person reached out and took his saber, pushed him to the ground and sat down.
Li Qun asked, "Tell me, how did you know? Otherwise, you will be shot dead with an arrow." Gao Qiong said, "You dare not kill me. Someone saw me coming upstairs." Li Qun said, "Very well, then I will Send someone to lure Zhang Yong and Xiang Minzhong upstairs and kill them together, as well as the spoiled Tang Xiaoying whom you have been caring for, you should know how I plan to deal with her." Gao Qiong was most afraid of this, He hurriedly said: "Wait a minute..." He was filled with emotion for a moment, and couldn't help but sighed deeply.
Although Gao Qiong didn't know that Li Qun, who was in charge of Fanlou's accounts, was Gao Qiang, but he did know the identities of Li Shao's father and daughter long ago.That day when he saw the female envoy Xiao'er in the prison cell, he was already extremely surprised. When he came out, he saw Attu dressed as a guard escorting the naked Li Xuemei into the dungeon, and he was even more shocked.Dazed for a moment, he stepped forward to grab Atu and beat him, but was forcibly separated by all the guards, who persuaded him one after another: "He is the king's new confidant, he has the trust of the king, so he can't beat him."
Gao Qiong didn't know why, so he rushed to the North Garden to meet King Jin, and stammered, he asked, "Your Majesty, why did you accept A Tu as your bodyguard? And Li Xuemei... Your Majesty... how could you..."
He knew that King Jin wanted to marry Li Xuemei as his concubine, but she resolutely ran away from home, which made King Jin lose face.Thinking that the king of Jin was angry, he sent someone to hunt her down and return her to the capital, where she was imprisoned in a dungeon. Not only did she wantonly insult her, but she also had her face tattooed, completely ruining her appearance.
Zhao Guangyi waved his hands and ordered the others to quit, and said: "So you have seen them. Are you disappointed in this king?" Gao Qiong was in a state of confusion, not knowing how to answer.
Zhao Guangyi said word by word: "Then I will tell you that Li Xuemei's surname is Yelu, she is a Khitan, and she is a spy lurking in the Central Plains. Moreover, I will tell you that her grandmother is Princess Bei Gao, and she is also a Khitan. It's your grandparents. You should now understand why this king won't let you go to Beiyuan for a while."
Gao Qiong was stunned, and after a long time he murmured: "How did Your Majesty know this?" Zhao Guangyi walked to the door and ordered loudly: "Ah Tu, come in."
Atu was waiting outside the door earlier, when he heard the sound came in, he stood beside Gao Qiong and said, "See Your Majesty." Zhao Guangyi said, "Yes. Atu, you are going to tell me why you took refuge in this king and the origin of Li Shao's father and daughter. Tell Gao Qiong one by one." Atu said: "Obey."
It turned out that Li Shao, the richest man in Kaifeng, was actually a Khitan. At that time, Yelubei, the prince of the former Liao Dynasty, took his concubine Gao Meiren to the Central Plains. The Gao family once gave birth to a pair of twin brothers in Luoyang. Killed, the two babies were rescued by monks.After the Khitan was destroyed, the elder brother was brought back to the Liao Kingdom, who is the current king of Jin, Yelu Daoyin, and the younger brother, Yelushao, was deliberately left in the Central Plains.He was backed by the Liao Kingdom, and when he was a teenager, he became the adopted son of Li Ce, a wealthy man in Kaifeng. Soon after Li Ce died suddenly, he successfully took over the entire property of the Li family. He became the richest man in Tokyo, and used money and beautiful women to make friends with powerful people, and his influence penetrated into the court of the Song Dynasty.Atu grew up beside Li Shao since he was a child, and became his confidant because of his clever handling of affairs.After the Bolangsha incident, the captured Gao Qiong was identified as being from the Yuyang Gao clan, and he himself confessed that he was an assassin sent by Khitan.Everyone in the Khitan feels that things are weird, and they want to find out the truth. They especially need a trick to get the whereabouts of the Jade Seal from Lin Jiang, so they decide to rescue Gao Qiong.The matter of digging the tunnel to Junyi County Prison that day was actually all secretly presided over by A Tu.Li Xuemei once went to the county prison to visit Zhang Yong, but her real purpose was to find out the exact location of the cell.On the day of the incident, Atu brought the coffin to Junyi County to pick up the dead brother's body, first set a few fires in the morgue, and made a lot of noise.He didn't know that the two people in the corpse were followers of Li Congshan, King Zheng of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Someone pretended to assassinate Fan Zhigu who had defected to Southern Tang, in order to draw the attention of investigation to Southern Tang again.
Gao Qiong heard that Atu said that the tunnel had already been dug, and asked: "Then why did you let Tang Xiaoying use poisoned wine to harm me?" Atu said: "It's not poisoned wine, it's just medicinal wine that can make you fake death for three days. You are locked in the same cell as Zhang Yong, we are always afraid of accidents, so we thought of shilling you to feign your death, and things will be much easier when your body is transported out of the prison. We have already bribed the jailer , I have a candidate to use Tang Xiaoying, but I just thought of it on the spur of the moment, but I never expected that she would recognize you. Although Tang Xiaoying messed up the matter, this move is not bad. You only know that I will poison you to death as your elder brother Revenge, there is no doubt that the authentic matter is related to me. It happened that Zhang Yong was released from prison on the same day, so we carried out the plan as usual and successfully robbed you from the prison."
Gao Qiong said: "But how did you escape the search of the imperial guards and transport me away?" Atu said: "Did you forget that I brought three coffins to the county? The coffin is so big, it contains a dead person and you There are more than enough living people. I hate that Zhang Yong and the others quickly tracked me down based on the clues Tang Xiaoying left in Changsheng Ku Yinliang. I had to sell her as a bargaining chip and fled into the ghost fan building. But that place is really a ghost place. It’s not a fool, so it’s still called Wuyou Cave. I violated the commandment because I accidentally killed someone while drinking, and they wanted to execute me. Fortunately, I kept a copy of the fake death medicine before, and when I saw something bad, I immediately drank it Then I pretended to be dead. When I was in a coma, I heard some people say that the person who bought the ghost fan building from Li Shao wanted to kill me, so I realized the truth. Those people thought I was dead, so they carried me and threw me into a stinky ditch. Three I woke up two days later and ran wildly along the ditch, but I broke a path, and the exit turned out to be the vegetable garden of Futian Courtyard."
Futianyuan is a charity and welfare institution set up by the imperial court. It is divided into two courtyards, the East and the West. It specializes in adopting widows, widows and lonely people. It is located on the bank of the Bian River outside the east city of Kaifeng.However, there are only a total of more than 20 people adopted, which is really very small.
Gao Qiong said: "What? The exit of Ghost Fan Tower is in Futian courtyard?" Zhao Guangyi said: "This king has already informed Tian Shijin of Pai Ansi. There are traces of filling with new soil, probably those people have sealed the tunnels. There are many ditches in Kaifeng, and the stinky ditch that Atu mentioned was not found for a while."
Gao Qiong said: "It shouldn't be difficult to find the location of Ghost Fan Tower. How did Atu get in touch with the leader?" Atu shook his head and said, "I didn't look for him, he came to me. It is said that once he is wanted by Kaifeng Mansion, Someone will come to the door."
Although Gao Qiong didn't believe it, but if he asked him again, he would not tell the truth.Zhao Guangyi waved his hand and said, "The Guifanlou case has been handed over to the Pai'an Division. Atu is still a key criminal wanted by the Kaifeng Mansion, and he can't describe it. Don't worry about this matter, and don't say anything about it." Gao Qiong could only respond. : "Follow orders."
A Tu continued: "After I escaped from the Ghost Fan Tower, I heard that the peace talks between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom had been concluded. I didn't know what happened. I thought that I had died for Li Shao many times before. Expose the true colors of these Khitan people."
Of course, Atu couldn't tell his real purpose of coming to join King Jin, but what he revealed about Li Shao's identity was a big secret enough to shock the government and the public.At first Zhao Guangyi heard that Li Shao was the son of Yelubei, he couldn't believe it at all, so he went to Hanlin Academy of Painting to see Yelubei's self-portrait "Dongdan King Traveling Map" - in the painting, Yelubei is riding on a horse, holding a Rein, with a melancholy and thoughtful face, is indeed somewhat similar in appearance to Li Shao.Thinking of Li Shao's many deeds, he believed in Atu's words.At this time, the peace talks between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom had been completed, and Zhao Guangyi did not want to expose this secret at this juncture, so he secretly took Atu into the mansion.
Only then did Gao Qiong realize that the female envoy Xiaoxiao might also be from Khitan, and hurriedly asked: "Madam Huarui colluded with party members in exchange for murder, did Li Xiaoe tell the king?" Zhao Guangyi was very surprised and asked: "How do you know?" Can you guess?"
Gao Qiong immediately told about the disappearance of the envoy Xiaoxiao.Li Xiaoxiao sent Xiaoxiao to Bianyangfang to monitor Zhang Yong and others, so that he could know the progress of the case at any time.As for Song Xing was indeed killed by Xiao Xiao, she heard Zhang Yong and others comment that Song Xing led people to assassinate Liao envoy Han Derang, and she decided to kill him for revenge.Because she has always been taciturn, always lowered her head to do things, and acted timidly, she even deceived shrewd people like Xiang Minzhong and Zhang Yong, so Liu Nian was mistakenly arrested and is still locked up in the Kaifeng government prison.
Zhao Guangyi said: "That's right, the news about the previous cases was all told by Li Xiao himself. I also know that he sent people around Zhang Yong and others. At first I thought he did it just to curry favor This king didn't know his intentions were extremely sinister until Atu told him that he was a Khitan."
For a while, I was both annoyed and bewildered, and my mood was extremely complicated.Although Li Shao said he had bad intentions, he still told him a lot of useful information, otherwise he would not be able to get rid of Mrs. Huarui in the name of protecting the emperor.At the beginning, he really admired Li Shao, he wanted to praise him, and even expressed that he would marry his daughter Li Xuemei, although he was only a concubine for the time being, but in the future he could be named a noble concubine when he became a great treasure.Li Xiao also fully agreed, if it wasn't for Li Xuemei's unwillingness to run away secretly, the marriage would be delayed, and the consequences would be unimaginable.Since he knew Li Xuemei's identity as a Khitan princess from A Tu, of course he would not openly marry her as a concubine, but recalling her peerless beauty, he couldn't help feeling regretful.A Tu guessed his intentions, and quickly offered a plan: "Although Li Xuemei is the cousin of the emperor of the Liao Kingdom and a genuine Khitan princess, she lurks in the Central Plains and her identity cannot be publicized. Others only think that she is an ordinary girl, but there are It’s just a few dollars, and it’s not easy for the king to get her? If she disappeared on the street, people would just think that she was kidnapped and sold to the Ghost Fan Tower like those commoner women.”
After getting Zhao Guangyi's acquiescence, Atu secretly led people to hunt down Li Xuemei.After he inquired that Li Xuemei had run away from home early, he expected that she would not go far because she was worried that King Jin would take revenge on her father, and she would probably still be wandering around Tokyo. After a slow search, not only Li Xuemei was found in the Maverick Market, but also the missing maid Xiaoxiao from Bianyangfang.
It turns out that Li Xuemei left Beijing angrily after Zhang Yong refused, and has been wandering around the capital.Li Xiao knew that her daughter ran away privately because she didn't want to marry King Jin, so she probably returned to Liao Kingdom. She has martial arts skills and often travels with him everywhere, so there should be no accidents.When the female envoy Xiao Xiao came to inform Song Xing that the murder case was about to be exposed, Li Shao ordered her to flee back to Liao Kingdom, and searched for the whereabouts of her daughter Li Xuemei all the way.Xiao Xiao really met Li Xuemei at the Maverick Market, and the two daughters prepared to go back to Liao Kingdom together.It's just that Li Xuemei had something on her mind, so she refused to leave for a long time, but A Tu who was chasing her found her.The second daughter didn't know that Atu had taken refuge with the King of Jin, so she was unsuspecting, and was captured by him after drugging him secretly, and smuggled back to the King Jin's mansion in the capital.
Zhao Guangyi was overjoyed when he saw that Atu was quick and effective in handling things, without anyone noticing, and in line with his own wishes, hundreds of times better than An Xi and others.Knowing that Li Xuemei had a strong temper, Atu specially shackled her hands and feet before sending her to Zhao Guangyi's room.Unexpectedly, as soon as Zhao Guangyi took the wooden pellets out of her mouth, she began to yell and curse.Zhao Guangyi was so angry that he drew his knife to kill her.Atu hurried in to stop Li Xuemei, first blocked Li Xuemei's mouth with wooden pellets again, so that she could no longer scold her, and then calmly said: "This woman is so proud, it's just because of her beauty and status, I have a way to train her, Bao taught her to prostrate at the king's feet in the end, begging him to forgive her."
Zhao Guangyi calmed down his anger, and asked: "What can you do?" Atu said: "She relies on her beauty, so the king called a writer to come and tattoo big characters on her face, just like those red old people, ruining her appearance. .She relies on her status as a princess and refuses to obey the king. The king can reward her as a low-level guard and let her be ridden by thousands of people. See how proud she is."
Zhao Guangyi turned his head to look, and seeing the fearful expression on Li Xuemei's face, he was overjoyed and said, "Very well, I will leave this matter to you." A Tu led Li Xuemei to Zhao Guangyi again, and forced her to kneel Next, flatteringly said: "My lord, this woman has always had high eyes, and ordinary men don't look down on her. She is still a virgin, so I ask the king to break her body first, and then slowly process her to ensure her life." Better to die."
When Zhao Guangyi heard about it, he was very pleased. He immediately took Li Xuemei to bed and took her by force.Li Xuemei's hands and feet were locked, but she still struggled desperately to resist, which eventually made Zhao Guangyi feel bored.In general, things in the world are rare only when they are not available. Once they are available, they are always found to be nothing more than that.Immediately hand over this iceberg beauty to Atu, and order him to punish him as much as possible.Although Li Xuemei made him very dissatisfied, after this incident, Zhao Guangyi felt that Atu was very courageous and regarded him as his confidant.Atu then took Li Xuemei and Xiaoxiao to the dungeon and imprisoned them.He knew that Li Xuemei had seen King Jin's face, and he was determined to never get out of here alive, so he ordered someone to cut off the second daughter's tongue first, and then called a writer to disfigure Li Xuemei's tattooed face. Humiliation, just wait until you get tired of playing and then kill two people to silence them.
Zhao Guangyi naturally would not let Gao Qiong know about these facts, he just said solemnly: "Li Xuemei and Xiaoxiao were both captured at the border, and they both carried letters addressed to the King of the South Court of Liao Kingdom, which involved passing on the Imperial Seal of the Kingdom. Do you think that this king arrested the two of them to the Jin Palace for your own selfishness?"
When Gao Qiong heard this, he had nothing to say, and quickly knelt down to plead guilty for being rude.Zhao Guangyi helped him up with his own hands, and said: "Li Xuemei's biological father was born in the Central Plains by Yelvbei's concubine Gao, so she is still your cousin. Do you want to save her?" Gao Qiong said: "She is the princess of the enemy country, and I am a citizen of the Great Song Dynasty. , How dare you betray the king for your own selfishness?"
Zhao Guangyi said: "That's good. It's just that you often go to Fanlou to drink, and when you see Li Shao and those people, you must not show your signs." Gao Qiong said: "It's fine if you don't go to Fanlou to drink again." Zhao Guangyi said: "That's not okay, either. You often go there, but if you don’t go there suddenly, don’t you make them suspicious? In short, don’t forget what you said today, if you dare to leak the slightest bit of news, you will be suspected of collaborating with the enemy and treason, don’t blame this king for being ruthless.” Gao Qiong said: “ Yes, my subordinates will never dare to betray the imperial court."
The words of the day are still in my ears, but someone is using Tang Xiaoying's life and death to force him to tell Li Xuemei's whereabouts, Gao Qiong can't help being very embarrassed.
Li Qun said: "Why, you don't care about your own life, but don't you even care about the lives of your friends and the woman you love?" Gao Qiong said: "You took the initiative to tell me the true identities of Li Xuemei's father and daughter, just to impress me with blood relationship, but you Looking at your unscrupulous use of me before and my current situation, have you ever thought that I am your relative? You treat me like this, how can you expect me to care about kinship and betray Song Dynasty?"
Some people applauded and said: "That's right, don't do to others what you don't want to do to yourself. We have been in the Central Plains for many years, so we should understand this truth."
But seeing a small door opened on the wall somehow, Li Xiao came over from the next pavilion, waved his hands and said: "You all retreat!" Several servants immediately put away their bows and crossbows, bowed and retreated.
Li Xiao shouted: "Gao Qiong, since you already know my identity, why don't you come to see me?" Gao Qiong could only get up and said, "Gao Qiong sees my uncle." Li Xiao said: "Well, you and I are life and death enemies , everyone is their master, so there is no need to say too much. Today, as an uncle, I just want to ask you a question, is Xuemei... still alive?"
Gao Qiong said: "I don't know." He really didn't know if Li Xuemei was still alive, since he saw her once in the dungeon, he had never seen her again, and now it has been more than a year, maybe she has already been killed by Ah Figure tortured to death.After a pause, he said again, "Uncle, don't worry, Gao Qiong will try her best to find out the whereabouts of cousin Xuemei. If she is still alive, she will definitely save her." Li Xiaodao: "Okay, you go." Surprised, I had no time to think about it, so I staggered downstairs.
Zhang Yong and Xiang Minzhong were still drinking in the same place.Zhang Yong's face was flushed, he was drunk, and he murmured: "Xuemei... Xuemei..." Gao Qiong hurriedly went over to snatch the wine glass, and said, "You are already drunk, you can't drink any more." Xiang Min Middle way: "Don't worry about him, he's in a bad mood, I'll send him back later."
Gao Qiong then took out the wine money and threw it on the table, saying: "I'm in a hurry right now, I'll go to Xingguofang to find you two later."
Hurrying back to King Jin's mansion, he rushed to the dungeon, but was stopped by the guards, saying: "Your Majesty has issued a strict order that officials are not allowed to enter the dungeon. If there is disobedience, they will be shot. Please don't embarrass the younger ones." Gao Qiong was startled, and said: "When did the king order it?" The guard said: "It's too early, it should be when the two women were imprisoned."
Gao Qiong hurriedly asked: "Are the two women with severed tongues still locked in there?" The guard smiled and said: "Yes, if they weren't there, there wouldn't be so many guards who like to come to the dungeon to be on duty. "
Gao Qiong had no choice but to turn around and come out, when he suddenly heard Atu shouting from behind: "Brother Gao, stop!" "You and I are both trusted subordinates of King Jin, why bother to see outsiders."
Gao Qiong snorted, and said, "Is there anything wrong with you?" Atu smiled and said, "You want to save Li Xuemei, don't you?" Gao Qiong said, "Nonsense, if I want to save her, do I have to wait until today?" A Tu said: "I don't know why you wait until today, but I know you want to save her. Don't worry, I will not tell King Jin, but I will help you." Gao Qiong said: "I'd better stay away from you of."
A Tu said: "Don't leave in a hurry. You should know that Your Majesty has long expected that you will miss your family one day, so he ordered you not to enter the dungeon. Right now you have no ability to save your cousin. Only I can save her." Gao Qiong said: "Bullshit, you saved her? Obviously you caused her to be like this." Atu said: "I do things differently from you. I have my own purpose, both for harming her and saving her. You will know in the future."
Gao Qiong sneered and said: "Aren't you afraid that I will tell the king?" A Tu said: "No, you will not only ask me to help you save Li Xuemei in the future, but I also have a big handle on you. I know that you and that little The disappearance of the girl Liu E has a lot to do with it." Gao Qiong was taken aback, and said: "Xiao'e fell into the big pond and drowned, this is what the third son saw with his own eyes, don't talk nonsense."
It turned out that after King Jin told Li Xuemei's real identity that night, Gao Qiong came out of the other courtyard angrily. In the back garden, he ran into Zhao Dechang, the third son of King Jin, standing by the pool and crying, saying that he was playing hide-and-seek with Liu E, but she fell into it because of the darkness. in the water.Gao Qiong was startled, and was about to go into the water to rescue her, but accidentally saw Liu E holding a stone and snickering aside. With a thought, he immediately beckoned the guards around the back door to rescue Liu E, while he himself hugged Liu E in the chaos. Liu E slipped out the door.He was acquainted with Pang Lihua, and Liu E was also close to him, without shouting, just smiling and saying: "Uncle, don't let Dechang find us." Gao Qiong once promised Tang Xiaoying to rescue Liu E from Jin Palace and send her back He had been planning for many days in his hometown in central Sichuan, but he never had a chance. Unexpectedly, he would succeed tonight. He immediately sent Liu E to a family according to the plan he had already arranged, and asked the middle-aged couple to leave for central Sichuan tomorrow morning.Liu E was even more pleased when she heard that she could see her grandfather, grandmother and mother.After the arrangements were made, Gao Qiong slipped back to Prince Jin's residence.When Zhao Guangyi heard that Liu E fell into the water, he jumped into a rage, and even slapped his own son Zhao Dechang hard.A large number of guards jumped into the water to save people, but the pool was connected to the Jinshui River, and Liu E's body was not found after tossing all night.Early the next morning, Zhao Kuangyin sent someone to summon Zhao Guangyi into the palace, and then he gave up.Gao Qiong thought that this matter was done without anyone noticing, but she didn't know how Atu saw the flaw.
Atu said with a smile: "That was said to someone else, I know you have a good relationship with Pang Lihua's mother and daughter." Gao Qiong said: "There is no proof, no evidence, less blood." Atu said: "The king of Jin wants to kill you , it is enough to doubt you, what evidence is needed! If I tell the king now that you kidnapped Liu E, are you confident that he will not doubt you?"
Gao Qiong knew very well that King Jin was a man with a deep city, and he could not tolerate betrayal by others. If Atu said such a sentence lightly, not only his life would be lost immediately, but Tang Xiaoying and everyone related to him would also be killed. Get involved.I could only swallow my anger and asked, "What do you want?" Atu said, "I will tell you what I want. As long as you can do it, I will help you rescue your cousin immediately and ensure her safe return to Liao Kingdom. Never break your word."
Gao Qiong was about to answer, when suddenly a guard rushed over and shouted: "Your Majesty has returned to the mansion, go to the front to serve."
Gao Qiong thought to himself: "Shouldn't your majesty attend the banquet in the palace to present the prisoners today?" Hastily abandoned Atu and rushed to the hall.
Several maids are changing into mourning clothes for Zhao Guangyi.Gao Qiong couldn't help being startled, and stepped forward and asked, "What happened?" Zhao Guangyi said, "Fu Xianggong has died of illness. Go and call your friend Pan Lang first, and let him go to Fu Xianggong's mansion Bring that sea dongqing to this king."
Gao Qiong felt that the King of Jin was suspected of committing crimes and robbing others by force. Although he was reluctant, he had to follow orders and come to Xingguofang.恰好向敏中正扶着酒醉的张咏回来，听说符彦卿病殁，忙道：“潘阆还没有回来，此事蹊跷得紧。”便与高琼一道来到符府。
皇帝赵匡胤已经先到了，正在抚慰符彦卿次女符氏。这在旁人看来未免很是异样——当初符氏是后周太后，儿子柴宗训是后周皇帝，因符太后最爱的六妹是赵光义的妻子，所以对赵氏格外信任，付以禁军兵权。然而赵匡胤却有负重望，发动陈桥兵变，从孤儿寡母手中夺取了天下。又将符太后、柴宗训母子流放房州，三年前更是指使房州知州辛文悦“病死”了年仅二十岁的柴宗训。符太后二十多岁丧夫丧江山，三十多岁丧子，尝尽天上坠入人间的悲凉，全赖赵匡胤所赐。却不知当她被杀子仇人握住双手、好言安慰时，心中又是何等感受。
向敏中一眼看见潘阆躲在人群后，忙过去招呼，低声问道：“出了什么事？”潘阆面色苍白，只摇摇头，道：“咱们走吧。”
高琼追过来道：“你还不能走，你和寇准送给符相公的那只海东青呢？晋王想要。”潘阆奇怪地看了他一眼，冷冷道：“海东青已经归官家了。晋王那么有本事，自己去找官家索要。”
出来符府，向敏中道：“你一早被人叫走后，符相公就来了兴国坊，似是来找你，听说你是被他派人叫走，脸色大变，扭头就走。这到底是怎么回事？”潘阆道：“没什么，真正叫我来符府的人是符太后，她有怪病，想让我看看。只是她身份特殊，自儿子死在房州后她被恩赦搬回京师，居住在符府，符相公担心朝廷猜忌，不准她同外人来往，所以她便以符相公的名义召我去看病。”
向敏中道：“可是符相公早上还好好的，怎么会突然就……”潘阆道：“世事难测，我也料不到会如此。其实符相公人很好，他对我有大恩，只是……只是……”神色凄凉，再也说不下去。
向敏中心念一动，心道：“听寇准说那白爪海东青天下仅有两只，一只在辽国皇帝手中，这一只是潘阆亲去辽东，治好了女真头领的病，好不容易才弄到手，却转手给寇准当作生日贺礼送给了符彦卿，可见他花了许多心思。符彦卿曾长期驻守大名，潘阆又是大名府人，莫非他们原本有旧？”忙问道：“你跟符相公是旧识么？”潘阆黯然道：“算是吧。”他不愿意多提，向敏中也不便再问。
自晋王妃符氏死后，符彦卿失去了与赵氏皇族的唯一纽带，在朝中的地位已经大不如从前。他的死并没有给东京人带来多少震动，相反人们眼光都集中在大街上多出来的那些绿袍官员身上，甚至希冀能在那些人中见到前南唐国主李煜以及他那美丽的王后周嘉敏。
南唐平定，大宋得十九州、一百零八县、六十五万五千六十五户，不仅疆域大增，且均是富庶之地，举国欢庆。晋王赵光义率领文武群臣奏表，请皇帝赵匡胤加尊号“一统太平”。赵匡胤虽然欣喜，却不同意，道：“燕晋未复，怎敢妄称一统太平？”于是赵光义请求改称“立极居尊”之号，赵匡胤才勉强同意。
南唐的灭亡也给周边邻国造成了极大的威慑，吴越王钱俶畏惧大宋军威，主动来到汴京朝见天子。
吴越由钱镠创立，国都在杭州。钱镠当国君以后，常回故乡探望，但其父钱宽总是逃避不见。钱镠惊问缘故，钱宽道：“你虽当了君主，可四周强敌环伺，与人争利，终究会祸及我钱家，所以我不愿与你见面。”
钱镠涕泣受教，之后一直小心谨慎，只求自保。他很少安睡，用小圆木作枕头，熟睡中头一动便落枕觉醒，称为“警枕”。又在寝室中置粉盘，想起事情即写在粉盘上。令侍女通夜等候，外面有人报告，立即唤醒他。钱镠死后，依次传位给钱元瓘、钱弘佐、钱俶。大宋攻打南唐时，命吴越出兵助攻，钱俶不敢不从。李煜特意写信给钱俶，劝说道：“今天没有我，明天岂能还有你？早晚你也是汴梁一布衣罢了。”钱俶畏惧宋朝，不但将李煜之信交给了宋朝，还助宋军攻打南唐的常州。
赵匡胤见钱镠远比李煜懂事，大喜之下，派皇长子兴元尹赵德昭出城迎接，赐第礼贤宅，又命晋王赵光义、京兆尹赵廷美与钱俶结为兄弟，准许他佩剑上殿，诏书不直呼其名，赏赐极厚。钱镠在汴京滞留两月后，赵匡胤又主动遣他回国，道：“南北风土各异，南方逐渐炎热，应该早早回国。”临行前，特赐一密封黄包，交待钱俶到家后再看。钱俶回到杭州打开包袱一看，里面并非金银珠宝，而是宋朝群臣请求扣留钱俶的奏折。钱俶既感激又恐惧，从此对大宋惟命是从，完全屈服在宋朝的统治之下。
自与辽国通好以来，对南唐用兵一直本朝首要大事，其余一切均要推后。而今江南既定，吴越臣服，局势陡然松弛了下来。赵匡胤也终于有时间来安排皇次子赵德芳出阁，封为检校太保，亲自为他聘定河南府知府焦继勋的女儿为正妻。
皇帝又颁下诏书，他将巡游洛阳，群臣自晋王以下，一律随行。赵匡胤本人出生在洛阳的夹马营，一直很留恋洛阳风物，加上开封作为帝都无险可守，而洛阳却固若金汤，所以他常流露出迁都之意。此时皇帝忽然要西去洛阳，既被视为迁都之议已提上日程，也被认为是立储的强有力的信号——自五代以来，京畿府尹素来是储君的首要人选，皇弟赵光义任开封尹十六年，早被朝野视为未来的皇帝。然而一旦迁都洛阳，那么河南府知府焦继勋就摇身变为京畿最高长官，而这位焦继勋正是赵德芳的新岳父。
一些人事上的安排也愈发证明这种猜测并非空穴来风。以往皇帝赵匡胤离京，均由开封尹赵光义担任东京留守，而此次赵匡胤指名要赵光义同行，任命宰相沈义伦为东京留守兼大内都部署，三司使王仁赡兼知开封府。这样，汴京的所有权力都将被移交到沈义伦手中。
沈义伦字顺宜，开封人。他几乎与赵普同时投入赵匡胤幕府，一直负责掌管财政，是赵匡胤最为倚重的心腹。宋朝建立，在以“佐命功”升迁的赵匡胤霸府幕僚中，他名列第四。开宝二年二月，赵匡胤御驾亲征北汉，以皇弟赵光义为东京留守，沈义伦为大内都部署、判留司三司事，负责皇宫安全和处理朝廷日常财政事务。由此可见赵匡胤对他的信任程度。宰相赵普因与赵光义争权失败后被罢相，时任枢密副使的沈义伦同日升为宰相，成为赵匡胤霸府幕僚中继赵普之后的第二个升任宰相。
皇帝一行浩浩荡荡，三月初九自东京出发，五日后到达洛阳，当场加封河南知府焦继勋为右武卫上将军、彰德节度使，又提出要就此留居洛阳，实际上已是明确表达迁都之意。
不料群臣争相反对，铁骑左右厢都指挥使李怀忠谏道：“汴京得运河漕运之利，有通往江南之便，每年从江淮运来百万斛米供给京师数十万军队。而且东京根基巳固，不能动摇。”赵匡胤道：“东京城中所需物资全仗水路由外地运送，万一汴京被围，后果难以想像。”坚决不肯听从。
晋王赵光义也极言迁都不便。赵匡胤坚持道：“迁都洛阳，乃权宜之计，长久之计当定都长安。我将都城西迁，为据山河之险，裁汰冗兵，依周、汉故事，统治天下。”显然，皇帝迁都决心已下，群臣的谏阻都不能动摇。关键时候，赵光义上前磕头道：“形胜固难凭，在德不在险。”
“在德不在险”一语出自《史记》，是战国时著名军事家吴起的重要观点。当时魏武侯携吴起一起乘船渡河。行至中流，魏武侯指着两岸的险峻山峰感叹道：“如此坚固美好的山河，正是魏国得以巩固的根本啊。”吴起立即回答道：“国家政权巩固与否，其根本在于施德政而不在于天险屏障。古代三苗王国左有洞庭、右有彭蠡，但因国王不修德义，被夏禹所灭；夏桀都城左有河济，右有泰华，南有伊阙，北有羊肠，可谓固若金汤，但由于他施行暴政，被商汤所取代；殷纣王所居的国都左有孟门，右有太行，北有常山，南有大河，但因为他为政残暴，被周武王所杀。由此观之，地形有利难以成为国家的保障，要巩固政权，靠的是施行仁德，而不是依仗地形、关城，险要在德不在险。如果您不施德政，船上的所有人都会成为您的敌人。”魏武侯听了吴起的这番话，十分感慨。
赵光义这句话掷地有声，背后蕴含着极大的深意。赵匡胤听了默然不答，只挥手命群臣退下。
洛阳那边皇帝忙着拜谒陵墓、合祭天地、讨论迁都，东京的流言蜚语也逐渐多了起来。但即使是皇帝将立皇次子赵德芳为太子的传闻，还是比不上樊楼人去楼空更吸人眼珠。某一日，樊楼的主人李稍平地消失，同时不见的还有管帐的李群等许多关键人物，以及大批现银等。另一半主人孙赐，也就是晋王侍妾孙敏的父亲，事先完全不知情，又乏经营应变之才，登时导致樊楼陷入瘫痪。大批酒客的不满造成了轰动全城的效应，东京留守沈义伦不得不亲自调查此案。事情很快明了，有人匿名往开封府投书告发李稍是契丹奸细，京师士民这才恍然大悟。
樊楼事件甚至惊动了远在洛阳的皇帝，促使赵匡胤提早踏上了返回开封的路程，迁都之议由此搁置下来。
最惊诧之人当属张咏，他听说李稍竟是当今辽国皇帝的亲叔叔后，惊讶得半天合不拢嘴，这才知道明白为何李雪梅之前提到要去望海楼，原来她就是望海楼主人耶律倍的孙女。而她失踪后不见李稍着急，想来这位契丹公主已经回去了辽国。心知二人从此天涯万里，再无相见之日，不免更加怅惘不已。
他长久地徜徉在汴河边上，以排遣胸中郁积。杏花吹尽，薄暮东风。河水微澜，望眼凄迷。时地依然，斯人已杳。搔首兴叹，壮年离拆。情怀又被这水纹轻易撩拨了起来。
这一日，赶来汴京参加符彦卿葬礼的寇准又因母丧须得赶回大名府，张咏送他离去后，便约了向敏中、潘阆一道来鸡儿巷拜访蔡奴。并非他对这位汴京第一名妓有什么非分之想，他念念不忘的无非那本在大相国寺失之臂交的《春秋繁露》，总想借来阅读，可他与那翰林院供奉袁庆不过一面之交，且是因争书而起，不好贸然登门，便想到了请蔡奴出面借书的法子。
事情当真是再巧不过，袁庆正在蔡奴住处，坐在花架下，一边饮茶，一边听蔡奴抚琴。舒缓的旋律，动情的音符，徜徉得使人酥软。正逍遥之时，袁庆见到女使领人进来，随意一瞥，立时瞪大了眼睛。
张咏笑道：“袁供奉何必如此惊讶？张某不过是……”忽然意识到袁庆望的不是自己，而是身边的潘阆，不觉一愣，问道，“小潘认得袁供奉么？”潘阆摇头道：“不认得。”
袁庆站起身来，道：“你……你不是几年前为了追求蔡家娘子、在樊楼付下在座所有酒客酒钱的沈偕？”潘阆道：“什么？”袁庆道：“我记得你！我当日也在樊楼，对你印象极深，后来还根据记忆画了一幅《沈君与蔡奴》。”
蔡奴惊道：“这件事，怎么从未听官人说过？”袁庆道：“不足提，不足道。沈君，你当日豪气盖天，可是镇住了所有人。”潘阆笑道：“我姓潘，不姓沈，官人怕是认错人了。”
袁庆诧异道：“你不是沈君？蔡娘，你来看他是不是当年那位江南富豪沈偕？”蔡奴笑道：“潘郎是跟当年的沈君是有几分相像。”袁庆摇头道：“不是像，简直就是同一个人。不信我回家取那幅画来给你们瞧。”蔡奴劝道：“官人何必较真，不过是两个长得像的人而已。”
张咏却道：“就该较真，我倒真想看看那位沈君跟小潘有多像。袁供奉，我陪你一道回去取画如何？”无非是要利用这个机会跟对方大套近乎，能进到袁家的藏书楼瞧上一瞧。袁庆很有几分呆子气，闻言忙道：“好。我家就在附近。”
蔡奴忙道：“何不一起去？奴家可以冒充是张郎的女伴，府上眷属也不会起疑。”潘阆道：“这样最好，我也迫不及待地想看看那幅画呢。”袁庆道：“好。”
五人便一道往袁宅而来。袁庆抱着一包自书铺淘的旧书，走得最慢。张咏见状忙道：“我来帮手。”不由分说，便去拉扯包袱。袁庆也是个爱书如命的人，明知道张咏是好意，但还是不放心自己的书在旁人手中，忙往回缩。那包袱本系得松垮，被两个大男人一夺，顿时散开，落出几本书来，夹杂着一包盐。
一旁有路人瞧见，立即飞奔赶去告知离得最近的巡铺卒。宋代盐跟茶一样，均是官方垄断经营物资，朝廷严禁贩卖私盐，凡捉住或告发贩盐一斤以上者都有重赏。
巡铺卒闻声而来，掂量那个盐大约有一斤来重，登时虎下脸，问道：“这包袱是谁的？”袁庆道：“包袱是我的，不过这盐不是我的。”
告状的路人道：“盐分明是从包袱中掉出来的。”袁庆道：“我是翰林院的袁供奉，怎么会贩卖私盐？”巡铺卒不屑地道：“晋王的手下还贩卖妇女呢，供奉官人贩卖私盐算什么。走吧，有话到开封府再说，官人别令小的为难。”又问了张咏、潘阆几人的名字、住处，这才不由分说地将袁庆连人带盐一并带走。
袁庆道：“我的书……”张咏道：“放心，书我先替供奉收好。”
向敏中摇了摇头，转身问道：“娘子为何要这么做？”蔡奴道：“什么？”向敏中道：“娘子为何要用盐嫁祸袁供奉？”蔡奴道：“奴家不明白向郎的意思。”
向敏中道：“袁供奉是爱书之人，买书后一本一本地对齐码好，再将包袱系上。”一边说着，一边示范，将张咏手中的包袱系上。又道，“你们发现蹊跷了么？”张咏道：“没有。少卖关子，快说！”
向敏中道：“你们看，我习惯用右手，所以书页一面的结是向前的，书背一面是向后的。而刚才书掉出来的时候，我留意到包袱书页向后的，书背一面向前，正好相反。”
蔡奴道：“奴家还是不明白。”张咏道：“我明白了。袁庆适才一直右手抱书，他也是习惯用右手之人，他系的包袱的结的方向定然跟向兄一样。之所以有所不同，是因为有个习惯用左手的人偷偷打开过。蔡家娘子，你当日在樊楼到我们阁子来敬酒时，我就发现你是左撇子。”
蔡奴强笑道：“何以见得奴家是左撇子就一定是我？说不定是那个卖书的人系的包袱。”张咏道：“你不懂，袁供奉是爱书之人，是绝对不会多让旁人碰一下他的书的。而且，袁供奉的包袱原本放在房中，是你取出来交给他的。”又问道，“老向，你既早发现了破绽，为何适才不对巡铺卒说清楚？”向敏中道：“因为这件事跟潘阆有关。”
蔡奴忙道：“是奴家做的，你们别怪到潘郎头上。”潘阆叹了口气，道：“他是世间第一聪明人，瞒不过他的。蔡娘，你先回去。”目送蔡奴走远，才道，“咱们也走吧，回兴国坊再说。”
进来堂中坐下，潘阆沉默许久，才问道：“老向是怎么怀疑到我的？”向敏中道：“袁供奉是蔡奴的恩客，袁家又是极其有钱，奉承还来不及，她忽然用私盐嫁祸给他，令他被官府捕去，必有缘由。我猜多半跟他要带我们去看的《沈君与蔡奴》一画有关。潘阆，你不愿意我和张咏见到那张画，你就是画中的沈君，对么？”
张咏大是惊奇，道：“呀，小潘竟然曾有千金买酒的豪阔经历！”蓦然想到什么，道，“可当初我们在樊楼，蔡奴进来敬酒，你如何有装作不认识她？还有蔡奴，为何也装作不认识小潘？”
当晚樊楼饮酒，蔡奴第一次进来十二号阁子时，称呼张咏、寇准、潘阆为“三位官人”。但她离开时，潘阆有话问她，她又叫他“郎君”，可见她知道潘阆不是官吏，她不认识张咏、寇准，却是认识潘阆，而佯作不识，肯定别有玄机。
向敏中道：“小潘，你我相交已久，我早发现你其实是个极精细的人，当日全亏你发现了南唐郑王随从身上的破绽。你能发现一些旁人观察不及的细微之处，樊楼命案当晚却偏偏将见到孟玄珏站在王全斌阁子前的事'忘记'了，一直等到后来再说，这显然是刻意为之。我一直想不明白这一点。今日袁供奉这事暴露了你和蔡奴原本认识，一些蹊跷之事才能迎刃而解。当晚王全斌上吊后，你就是那个去搬动他尸首的人，对么？”潘阆道：“不错，的确是我。”
原来潘阆几年前曾冒充江南富豪，到汴京一掷千金，将蔡奴一手捧为第一名妓。西楼命案当晚，他与张咏、寇准一道来到樊楼饮酒，在王全斌闹事时已经看见了站在阁门处的蔡奴，只佯作不识。蔡奴当时凝神观望楼廊中相斗，可也听到了背后有动静，她虽是女子，可历事极多，竟然强忍着没有回头。但回来发现桌案上有衣袖拂拭过的痕迹，地上也有些须粉尘，当即隐约猜到是有人往酒中投了毒。她也不说破，假称肚子疼，先赶来十二号阁子，预备找机会将经过告诉潘阆。潘阆假意追出去后，二人在楼廊密密交谈，潘阆听说有人要对王全斌不利，便让蔡奴假意到各阁子敬酒，以制造不在场的证明。他后来称方便出来时，便是要去六号阁子看王全斌的情形，结果正好看到王全斌正在往屋梁上甩绳打结，预备上吊。又听到隔壁四号阁子有人要出来，慌忙奔到楼梯口，不久见到孟玄珏站在六号阁子前愣住，他还特意叫过酒厮丁大，指明楼廊有人。等到孟玄珏回去自己的阁子，他便重新进来六号阁子，踩上脚凳，抱住王全斌尸首往上抬了一下，再将凳子上的脚步抹去，安然回到十二号阁子，假意告知众人他在厕所中听到有人悄声议论说皇二子赵德芳在三号阁子中，其实楼廊闹事时蔡奴认出了赵德芳，又悄悄告诉了他。
向敏中道：“除了蔡奴已觉察到呆子自窗子进来下毒这一点外，其余都可以推测到。只是我不明白，你为什么要这么做？你搬动尸首，无非是想造成他杀假象，可有嫌疑的李继迁、折御卿跟你都没有恩怨。”潘阆道：“我确实跟他们二人都没有恩怨，我本身的意图也并非要嫁祸给他二人，不过是有意令事情复杂，让官府头疼而已。”
张咏呆得一呆，问道：“你为什么要这么做？”潘阆摇摇头，道：“你们不会明白的。”
向敏中道：“你花重金捧红蔡奴，也是计划中的一步。第一名妓身价不菲，能接触到大批达官贵人，她便成为你在京师重要的眼线。还有那飞鹰海东青，也是你千辛万苦找来，作为接近符彦卿相公的进阶。你