Chapter 15: The Unspoken Secret (Part 1)

  At dawn, Xu Mougong withdrew the Cloud Water Night Surrounding Array and released the captured members of the Biaoju, then quietly boarded his boat and left.

  Shan Xiongxin, Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong set sail together and headed to Mount Hua to attend the alliance meeting on the 22nd of this month.

  Xiao Si and Hou Junji returned to their own ship, everything had returned to normal.

  A red sun rises slowly from the east, and the waves on the Wei River sparkle with white sails. The bold fishermen's songs echo through the sky. Who would have thought that just last night, a thrilling and terrifying battle took place on this very river surface, and some people even sank to the bottom of the water to become food for fish and shrimp.

  Geng Shaohua and others asked about Diao Xiaosi and Hou Junji's experience last night. Diao Xiaosi was beaming with pride, boasting that he had demonstrated his divine power and won people over with his virtue, capturing the notorious Red-Haired Devil Single Horned Deity seven times and releasing him seven times, earning himself a great reputation, so that all the thieves were deeply impressed and voluntarily released their captives, sending Diao Xiaosi back in triumph. However, he deliberately avoided mentioning Du Zhentian's affair.

  Wan'er had always known that Xiao Si was prone to exaggeration and never wrote drafts, so she didn't believe a word he said. She asked Hou Jun instead: "Hou Laoban, is what he's saying true?"

  Hou Junji glanced at Xiao Si lightly, his face turned solemn and said: "Director Diao's humility is really too low-key! That Shan Xiongxin was beaten by him until he was screaming and searching for his teeth everywhere. If Director Diao wasn't so kind-hearted and merciful, he would have kicked him into the Wei River to feed the turtles long ago."

  Everyone was stunned, and Mrs. Geng doubted: "When did Little Fourth Uncle become so fierce?"

  Although his face was as thin as the city wall, he couldn't help but feel a slight flush on both cheeks, and he coughed dryly, saying: "Too kind, too kind, I accidentally revealed a little trick."

  Hou Junji almost burst out laughing, and hastily turned his head to pretend to cough, barely covering it up. He said: "Director Xun, wasn't a banner with eighteen flying dragons sent to you by Shan Xiongxin?"

  Xiao Siyi took out a small apricot-yellow flag with eighteen dragons embroidered on it from the waistband of his dragon-patterned belt, and boasted: "See? Lord Hou is my witness, this flag is the evidence. Now you should believe me, shouldn't you?"

  Wan'er had nothing more to say, but Mrs. Geng was meticulous and asked: "Where is Qin Er? Why hasn't he come back?"

  Xiao Si said with a sneer: "That guy is afraid of death and took advantage of the chaos to escape. Master Hou, you saw it too, didn't you?"

  Hou Junji cursed in his heart, but could only reply seriously: "That's right, I called and no one answered."

  As the crowd took a short rest and set sail again, with Shan Xiongxin's eighteen flying dragon flags, they traveled freely through the mountains and rivers of Guanluo, and no longer encountered thieves and bandits along the way.

  The fleet sailed north along the Yellow River and entered the Fen River, arriving at Taiyuan City.

  After unloading the goods at the dock, Hou Junji beamed with joy and invited everyone: "Everyone has had a hard journey, since you've come to Taiyuan don't rush back. I'll be the host, let's have some fun for a few days."

  Geng Shaohua glanced at the exhausted and dusty group of escorts, nodded and said: "We will rest in Taiyuan for a day, and return to Chang'an tomorrow."

  Wan'er jumped up and asked: "Boss Hou, what's fun and delicious in Taiyuan?"

  "Hou Junji smiled and said: "There are too many delicious things - cat ears, knife-cut noodles, liangpi, tortillas, pointed dumplings, knife-pulled noodles, sausage..."

  Mrs. Geng smiled and said: "Mr. Hou, you're so meticulous about your hometown, I almost thought you were from Taiyuan."

  "Hou Junji said: "Wherever, wherever, we business people go south and north, where to make money, right?"

  The crowd laughed and left the dock, and those escorts and porters also went out in groups of three or five to stroll around.

  Hou Junji led the way, bringing everyone to the most famous Jin Yang wine house in Taiyuan City. They ordered a private room and soon the wine and dishes were served. Everyone drank freely and enjoyed their meal with great relish.

  Hou Junji is indeed a good salesman, able to talk and persuade, with just a few words, he can make the atmosphere of the dinner party extremely lively.

  After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, the little fourth is half drunk and walks out of the private room to beckon his companions and ask where the toilet is.

  That fellow was very diligent, leading Xiao Si down the stairs and through the back hall to a quaint courtyard, pointing to the left wing of the house: "Young master, that's it."

  Xiao Si smiled and said: "After all, it's the best wine house in Quan Taiyuan, even the outhouse is built so elegantly."

  He belched and walked over, pushing open the slightly ajar door, hastily untying his belt and pulling down his pants, saying: "Brother, don't be in a hurry, I'll let you out to take a leak..."

  Suddenly, Xiao Si stood still, holding up his pants, looking at the shiny lower body, then glanced around the room, blinked, and suddenly burst out with a heart-wrenching scream: "Haba, did you say this is a toilet?!"

  The house was empty, with no signs of mourning, but instead had several neatly arranged tables and chairs. Two young men in casual clothes and a beautiful young woman with a stunning appearance were staring at Xiao Si in shock, their faces filled with bizarre expressions.

  That young woman's face flushed with anger as she turned her head away, and said in a spoiled tone: "Xiao Si, what do you want to do?" It was none other than Li Xiu'ning, the treasured daughter of Tang Guo Gong Li Yuan.

  Sitting next to her was naturally Jun Ma Chai Shao. Another young man who looked a bit like Li Xiu Ning, but appeared more refined and reserved, smiled calmly and said: "General Manager Diao, I'm Li Shi Min, I didn't expect that our first meeting would be so frank and open."

  Xiao Si came back to his senses, pulled up his pants, and woke up more than half of the wine. He said awkwardly: "Who knows you'll be sitting in the toilet? You turtle's partner, dare to play with me."

  Chai Shao couldn't help but chuckle with his usual serious and wooden demeanor, shaking his head apologetically. "Xiao Si, that fellow was summoned by me to invite you here. I just didn't expect..."

  His face also looked somewhat embarrassed, and he smiled bitterly: "You're in such a hurry."

  Xiao Si thought to himself, "I'm not entirely at a loss this time. Li Xiuning is reaping what he sowed, but I'm also not entirely blameless."

  Suddenly, he remembered that the young man sitting next to Chai Shao had introduced himself earlier and couldn't help but ask in surprise: "You're Li Ergou?"

  Li Shimin slightly bowed in his chair and said: "Xiao brothers, please forgive me for being presumptuous."

  Xiao Si's face turned cold and he said, "They're being overly polite for no reason, they must be up to no good. The three of them are waiting here specifically for me, definitely not for anything good."

  He thought for a moment and then smiled wryly, saying: "I'm really suffocating."

  Li Shimin was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head and smiled wryly at Chai Shao: "You take Xie brothers away first."

  Chai Shao nodded and followed Xiao Si out of the west wing, around a fake hill, to the outhouse in the corner of the yard.

  Xiao Si was indulging in opening the floodgates while rapidly guessing Li Shimin's intentions behind his secret meeting.

  He pondered for a long time and still couldn't figure out why the second son of the Tang State Duke, the third in command of Taiyuan City, would want to secretly meet with him at the wine tower. Thinking again, when soldiers come, strategize; when water comes, use earth to block it - what's the point of caring about his mother so much?

  He walked out of the toilet with a relaxed body, and Chai Shao accompanied him silently all the way.

  Xiao Si couldn't help but laugh and said: "Xiao Chai, aren't you afraid I'll run away?"

  Chai Shao shook his head and said slowly: "I and Xiuning will not harm you."

  Xiao Si's heart suddenly relaxed, and he didn't know why, but he believed that Chai Shao wouldn't deceive him. He smiled and said, "If I were worried about this, I wouldn't have come to Taiyuan."

  Although that's what he said, his heart was still a bit uneasy. Even if Chai Shao and Li Xiuning were fine, there was still a Li Laoer sitting in the west wing, who wouldn't have come just to take a look at his own second son.

  As they entered the courtyard, Li Xiuning was already waiting outside the door and said to Chai Shao: "Second brother wants to talk to little fourth brother alone, you and I will just guard outside for a while, no idle people are allowed to approach."

  Chai Shao was taken aback and patted Xiao Si's shoulder, saying: "Don't worry, it's okay."

  Xiao Si returned to the house with a ghost in his heart and sat down under Li Shimin.

  Li Shimin said straightforwardly: "Xiong brother, I forced Xiuning and Chaishao to come with me to the Jin Yang wine house today. There is indeed something important that I want to ask you in person."

  He paused and continued, "I heard that Princess Jincheng has a soft spot for you, Xie brothers. She even personally intervened to scare off the Imperial Guards who came to cause trouble at Tongtai Bureau."

  Xiao Si's heart skipped a beat, and he had a premonition that Li Shimin was going to say something related to Princess Xiaopei. Could it be that he was infatuated with her beauty and wanted him to act as a matchmaker?

  Li Shimin smiled slightly and said, "However, as far as I know, Princess Jincheng is actually doing this with ulterior motives towards you, Xie brothers. Every few days, she will give you a formation diagram and ask you to help decipher it, right?"

  Xiao Si secretly took a cold breath, this matter has always been known only to heaven and earth, I, Xiao Nangpi, and Li Shimin, who is far away in Taiyuan, how could he know it clearly? Could it be that Chai Shao told him?

  But it's impossible, even if Chai Shao has eyes and ears everywhere, there's no way he could sneak into Princess Jincheng's study.

  Just as Zheng was in a state of uncertainty, Li Shimin calmly said: "It seems I guessed correctly. But Brother Xian probably doesn't know that these formation charts hide an enormous secret?"

  Xiao Si's curiosity was suddenly piqued, but as soon as he thought that speaking up would be equivalent to falling into Li Shimin's trap, he immediately shut his mouth and remained silent, looking at the other party with a blank and innocent expression.

  Li Shimin slowly said: "This matter Xiu Ning and Chai Shao are also unaware of, to be more precise, in this world the people who truly grasp this secret do not exceed five!"

  Xiao Si thought to himself, excluding Princess and Li Lao Er, who would the remaining three people be?

  Li Shimin said, "I only knew about this recently from my father. At that time, he assisted Your Majesty in leading the army southward across the Yangtze River, capturing Jiankang and taking the Emperor of Chen prisoner, and then pursuing and killing the evil concubine Zhang Lihua for a thousand miles, when he inadvertently discovered a shocking secret that could change the fate of the world!"

  Xiao Si cursed Li Lao Er in his heart, thinking to himself: "The more you try to get a rise out of me, the more I'll keep my mouth shut. Let's see who can hold out longer!"

  Li Shimin smiled lightly and slowly said: "The secret is... Da, Chen, Bao, Cang!"

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