That night, the capital was very quiet.

When Liu Jin saw Xiao Tiaozi, he warned him a few times, and then went back to discuss with his subordinates the countermeasures to deal with Chen Xi in the future. In another mansion in the capital, the Duke of England, Zhang Mao was chatting with his father-in-law Xia Ru.

After Xia Ru became the father-in-law of the country, he got very close to Zhang Mao. At night, the two often gathered together for a drink or played chess and chatted.

The incident of Chen Xi, Yang Yiqing and others returning to the court had a profound impact on the Governor's Office of the Five Army, so Xia Ru naturally came to ask Zhang Mao how to deal with it next.

In the affairs of the Governor's Office of the Five Army, no one in the court has more experience than Zhang Mao.

It was almost the second day, and the two were still playing chess. Zhang Mao twisted the chess piece and shook his head and sighed: "... I have saved up several acres of land in the past two years. It was originally the bottom of the box, but who knew that I was targeted by Liu Jin. It's just over half a year, and he bought a lot of this land. Even if I was unwilling to give it up, I still wanted to give it up. Not to mention this, he actually wrote a memorial to impeach me, clearly trying to make me ignore the matter..."

In front of old friends, Zhang Mao complained a little more. He would not tell Xie Qian these words. Although Zhang Mao had a good relationship with Xie Qian, he had a more serious mentality of defense.

Xia Ru stared at the chessboard and comforted her mouth: "Mr. Zhang has a great reputation in the court. Even if Liu Jin intends to target him, there will be no result. Besides, Your Majesty will be very careful. How could he blame Mr. Zhang easily?"

"hehe!"

Zhang Mao smiled bitterly, "This time is the time, and there may be no problem if the old emperor was there, but now...ah!"

A sigh expressed the bitterness of the old ministers in the court. Zhang Mao inherited the Duke at the age of nine, and went through the five dynasties of Jingtai, Tianshun, Chenghua, Hongzhi and Zhengde. He worked diligently, but in the end he was bullied by a eunuch and pissed. Until now, he was no longer protected for the reputation of several acres of land.

Xia Ru did not continue to talk about this topic and said, "Shen Zhihou has returned from the northwest. With his personality, he should say something to His Majesty when he meets the saint tomorrow, right? For example, the banner of King Anhua's conspiracy is being used, but His Majesty has never known it until now!"

Zhang Mao thought about it, as if he was thinking about how to move the next move, but in fact he was thinking about Chen Xi's affairs.

"This move is not easy to move!"

Zhang Mao said, "I just heard that Shen Zhihou must have gone to Xie Mansion to meet Qiao... Can Liu Jin easily let the two old and young discuss the proposal? I'm afraid something will happen again... Chen's house has not been peaceful these days!"

Xia Ru asked curiously: "Why, Liu Jin wants to attack Chen Zui?"

"Um!"

Zhang Mao finally dropped the chess piece, and then looked at Xia Rudao, "Even if everyone knows that Liu Jin openly threatened the court officials' homes and houses, no one dared to do anything to him. After all, now the Nine City Military and Horses are not under Lao Yu's control, and Shuntian Mansion is also controlled by Liu Jin... Judging from the current situation, who can stop Liu Jin from doing evil?"

Xia Rudao: "I'm afraid that only Your Majesty can make the results work. But... In the eyes of Mr. Zhang, Shen Zhihou is somewhat sure this time, and will Liu Jin lose power?"

"It's hard to say, it's hard to say!"

Zhang Mao smiled, and his words were very secretive, "If someone else could still guess, only Shen Zhihou was not easy to guess... In the past few years, he was able to compete with Liu Jin, but it was just a flash in the pan. In the past, many talents emerged in the court, but what was the result? Haha!"

The two old guys looked at each other and smiled, their eyes full of helplessness, and then tacitly stopped mentioning this matter and focused on playing chess.

...

...

Until dawn, the whereabouts of Chenxi remained a mystery.

On September 14th, the sun rose, and Liu Jin got up very early and immediately called Zhang Wenmian to inquire about Chen Xi. After learning that Chen Xi was still missing, he scolded Zhang Wenmian and asked him to continue searching.

Zhang Wenmian came out of the Liu Mansion in shame. Just as he was thinking about where to find someone, he saw Sun Cong's sedan chair coming from the intersection of the street and stopped in front of the Liu Mansion.

In the past, the two had a low status, and they walked or took a carriage when they entered and left. Now that the eunuch party has grown, the status of the two has suddenly improved. They ride in sedans wherever they go, and they are surrounded by them.

"... Brother Sun, I really have no choice. Shen Zhihou is missing, so it's not a big deal. After all, he hides it more for self-protection. Even if he wants to be unfavorable to his father-in-law, it's difficult, because his father-in-law's power comes from His Majesty, and only His Majesty can decide everything. Shen Zhihou has no chance to enter the palace alone to meet the saint."

"But my father-in-law is very concerned about this and needs to find Shen Zhihou no matter how many houses in the capital are. There are more than a thousand houses, and they need to be investigated one by one. It is estimated that it will not be completed in ten months... How do you see how to help me to be friendly with my father-in-law..."

Zhang Wenmian had no choice but to ask Sun Cong for help.

Sun Cong was extremely kind to Zhang Wenmian, "It's not a big deal, but it makes people feel unsure. Could it be that Yan Guang, you can rest assured?"

"well!"

Zhang Wenmian could naturally feel the heavy pressure on his shoulders. Chen Xi's disappearance means that he is as clear as the situation in the capital, and he is invisible in the dark and waits for an opportunity to advance to attack and retreat or defend. Moreover, Chen Xi has military power at hand. If he leaves the city overnight, it is likely to cause mutiny, or to threaten the existence of the eunuch party through some other means.

Seeing Zhang Wenmian frowning and thinking, Sun Cong patted his shoulder and comforted him: "There are some things you don't need to be too careful. My father-in-law didn't deliberately make things difficult for you... My father-in-law and Shen Zhihou have known each other for a long time, and they have a lot of connections. Shen Zhihou left Beijing for the first time and was his father-in-law accompanying him."

"Maybe this is the reason why Yu and Liang are born. My father-in-law regards Shen Zhihou as his life's strong enemy, but Shen Zhihou may not have Zhuge Kongming's wisdom and plan, which can threaten his father-in-law's status!"

Zhang Wenmian said: "Brother Sun, there are no less than a hundred people around Shen's house. If my father-in-law ordered a fire, should he follow the order?"

Sun Cong shook his head: "Don't ask me about this kind of thing, ask yourself... A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. I believe that Shen Zhihou can judge the situation and will not be dissatisfied with his father-in-law. However, others need to step up their guard!"

"Um!"

Zhang Wenmian nodded, "Now, Shen Zhihou is not the only one who is not good for his father-in-law. All men such as Yang Yingning and Zhang Yong are ready to move... But now his father-in-law is obviously only focusing on Shen Zhihou, but unfortunately his father-in-law is too harsh and cannot mention it to his father-in-law. This matter can only be troubled by Keming."

"good!"

Sun Cong agreed casually, "But if I were my father-in-law, I wouldn't be wary of others... In terms of ability and His Majesty's trust, no one can compete with his father-in-law except Shen Zhihou. Shen Zhihou only had a chance to meet the saint today. I really want to know what article he could do!"

Zhang Wenmian looked at Sun Cong, and seemed to not quite understand why he had this mentality.

In his words, Sun Cong admired Chen Xi very much, and he was talking about things with a good attitude. Zhang Wenmian shook his head helplessly, not wanting to continue discussing with Sun Cong. He quickly got into the sedan chair and found someone to search for the whereabouts of Chen Xi.

When Zhang Wenmian's sedan chair was gone, Sun Cong said to himself: "What a pity, Zhang Yanguang does not have Shen Zhihou's mind. Even if he is more conspiracy and deceitful, do you think you can surpass Shen Zhihou? I don't think so!"

...

...

Until the afternoon of September 27, no whereabouts of Shenxi were found in all parts of the capital.

The palace is already preparing for the banquet.

Perhaps because of his distrust of Liu Jin, Zhu Houzhao arranged for the Imperial Horse Supervisor, the Inner Official Supervisor, the Inner Official Supervisor, and the Inner Official Supervisor, to join forces to prepare for a banquet, and conveyed the list of invited people through letters. The eunuch from the Inner Official Supervisor came out of the palace to deliver messages, thus skipping Liu Jin's link.

Liu Jin originally wanted to use some methods, such as giving Zhu Houzhao fun to attract his attention, or using special means to force Zhu Houzhao to stop the banquet from being given, but in the end, Liu Jin had to give up the plan because he found that this banquet was imperative.

In order to better control the situation, Liu Jin could only make a fuss on the invitation list.

Zhu Houzhao invited not many people. Among the meritorious ministers, except for Chen Xi and Yang Yiqing, there were only two military eunuchs: Zhang Yong and Wei Bin.

As for others, Wang Lingzhi, Qiu Yue and Shenying were all invited. Originally, Zhu Houzhao wanted to invite some nobles and ministers in the court, but was blocked by Liu Jin.

In order to reflect the nature of this banquet, Zhu Houzhao invited only Liu Jin, Zhang Cai and Cao Yuan, in addition to the heroes who returned from suppressing the rebellion. This was also the result of Liu Jin's efforts to enter the palace.

In Liu Jin's opinion, Xie Qian is too dangerous and anyone who is related to him must be prepared. Recently, Xie Qian has met Zhang Mao secretly, so Zhang Mao is not worthy of trusting...

After a series of actions, Liu Jin felt a little relieved.

Because at this banquet, except for Chen Xi and Zhang Yong, others were relatively peaceful and easy to control. Even Chen Xi and Zhang Yongzhong were only worried about Chen Xi, and he did not think that Zhang Yong dared to fight against him openly.

After everything was arranged, in the afternoon, Liu Jin returned to the mansion to ask about Zhang Wenmian's progress in searching, but he did not see anyone, because Zhang Wenmian was still ordered to investigate the whereabouts of Chen Xi everywhere. Liu Jin waited for a cup of tea in the mansion and didn't want to wait any longer.

As for Sun Cong and Zhang Cai, they have been following Liu Jin and are always giving advice.

Zhang Cai said: "...Don't be too anxious. Shen Zhihou is smart. He knows what to say and what not to say in front of His Majesty. And we are talking to our father-in-law during the banquet. Your Majesty will not listen to his nonsense!"

"Um!"

Liu Jin nodded, his face gloomy. At this moment, he suddenly remembered something and looked at Sun Cong and said, "Keming, a few days ago, didn't you say that the mansion is being expanded? How is it going?"

Sun Cong smiled and said, "My father-in-law's mansion has been expanded more than four times than before. You can move in the Liu family later, so that you can also let your father-in-law enjoy the joy of family!"

"There is no need to move in!" Liu Jin raised his hand and looked serious. "But after the house is expanded, some servants and maids can be added appropriately... Your Majesty has suspicion about our family, and he may be neglected at any time. He needs such a house to enjoy his old age!"

Zhang Cai smiled and said, "My father-in-law really doesn't have to worry about this."

Liu Jin nodded, and his tone became humble: "That's right, Your Majesty still cannot live without our family. Who told us that our family came from the Eastern Palace with Your Majesty? Your Majesty needs someone to help him manage the government affairs. How can Your Majesty be able to trust those civil officials? It's so kind!"

...

...

The sky gradually became darker, and Xie Qian couldn't find the Shenxi River, so he could only wait at Daming Gate.

He wanted to try his luck. It would be great if he could discuss dealing with Liu Jin before Shen Xi entered the palace. Unfortunately, he would not see Chen Xi coming at Daming Gate until the lights were on.

"Did this kid escape in the last battle?"

Xie Qian was still worried about Chen Xi fighting Liu Jin before, but at this moment he felt that Chen Xi was likely to try his best to avoid confronting Liu Jin head-on, and even the emperor did not dare to come to host a banquet for the emperor to entertain the ministers. Xie Qian was very disappointed and didn't know whether he should continue to support Chen Xi fighting Liu Jin.

"Yes, Liu Jin is now in power, and it is reasonable for this kid to avoid his sharpness for the time being, but if he really escapes at the moment, what was he preparing for before?"

Xie Qian didn't understand and wanted to ask Chen Xi in person. The problem was that the most difficult thing now was to see Chen Xi.

First, Yang Yiqing, Wei Bin and others entered the palace, followed by Wang Lingzhi, Qiu Yue and Zhang Yong, and Xie Qian asked about the whereabouts of Chen Xi, but no one could answer them.

Before he knew it, Xie Qian felt a little cold and was about to ask someone to go to the carriage to bring a robe to put it on, but he saw someone from the Daming Gate come out in a hurry.

"Sir Xie, why are you here?"

The person who came was Xiao Guozi. Seeing that he was in a hurry, Xie Qian naturally felt that it was because he could not find Chen Xi, and was ordered by Zhu Houzhao to leave the palace to search.

Xie Qian said: "I am waiting for someone here... I'm going to twist my father-in-law. Is this..."

Xiao Zhuozi said anxiously: "Sir Xie, you don't have to wait anymore. Lord Shen has entered the palace from Donghua Gate!"

"What did you say?"

Xie Qian was shocked, grabbed the little wrinkled clothes with his hands and asked sternly, "When did what happened? Why did he enter the palace from Donghua Gate?"

Xiao Zhuozi said: "Mr. Xie, some words shouldn't be told to you, but you honestly don't need to wait here. Lord Shen entered the palace alone, and the guards at Donghuamen knew him. In addition, he had the invitation from His Majesty, so it would be easier to enter the palace."

"Your Majesty originally said he wanted to give a banquet in Wenhua Hall, but he temporarily changed the banquet outside Xiefang Hall...somewhere!"

“Where is it?”

Xie Qian was still confused. He didn't know what Chen Xi had done this day. Since he had released the wind to see him, he disappeared for a day. He suddenly entered the palace before the banquet began, and everything was unpredictable.

Xiao Tiaozi gritted his teeth: "It's Gongshi."
To be continued...