Chapter 121 Tracking the Past
Night, bright moon
Beichen Palace, Study
Di Ran was standing at the table in a dark black robe, writing something on white rice paper with a pen in his hand.
"Your Majesty, Guard White is back."
"Let her in."
"Yes."
Bai Qi, dressed in a dark grey suit and looking a little dusty, walked in.
"Bai Qi greets the master!"
"Get up."
"Thank you, Master!"
Di Ran sketched the word "zhi" on the rice paper, slightly parted her red lips and said lightly.
"How's the check going?"
Bai Qi lowered his eyebrows and replied respectfully: "Your Highness, I have checked it out."
"The brothel owner of Zuihonglou did not lie. Twenty-eight years ago, a man in black bribed two gamblers to sell the eldest son to Zuihonglou. The brothel owner saw that the eldest son had a delicate appearance and took him in."
"When he was six years old, the eldest son was spotted by a brothel owner who liked young boys. When he was struggling to escape, he met a man. The brothel owner said that this man saw that the eldest son was about the same age as his son and felt pity for him, so he decided to buy him to be his son's best man."
"I ordered someone to draw a rough sketch of the man according to my master's instructions. Because it has been so long, the brothel owner can't quite remember what he looked like. He can only vaguely remember a few general ideas."
"I heard from the brothel owner that the man's accent sounded like the Beijing accent, so I ordered someone to secretly look for someone who looked similar, and sure enough, I found one."
Di Ran asked casually: "Who is it?"
Bai Qi responded, "It was the Protector of the Nation General Ning Beiyu."
“General who protects the country?” Di Ran paused for a moment after picking up the pen, his eyes slightly narrowed.
"Is there any evidence?"
Bai Qi continued, "I have compared the person in the painting. He is tall and strong, looks fierce, and carries a sword. He looks extraordinary. He doesn't look like a soldier, but a dignitary in the capital."
"So I ordered people to search the capital for someone who looked like him and had been to Nanjing 28 years ago. Only a few people met the criteria. After comparing and screening, I believe that the Protector of the Nation General is the most likely suspect."
"Twenty-eight years ago, floods broke out in many places along the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. The emperor sent several imperial envoys to provide disaster relief. Zhenjiang near Nanjing was hit hard by the floods, and the minister of the Ministry of Works, Mo Yunen, was sent to Zhenjiang at the time."
"At the same time, Ning Beiyu, the general guarding the southeastern border, heard about the serious flood and sent people to help. Unexpectedly, his deputy general found that Mo Yunen did not provide disaster relief to the people, but was drinking and having fun with corrupt officials in a brothel. The deputy general was so angry that he informed the general of the protection of the country."
"The Protector of the Nation was furious when he heard about this, and he reported Mo Yunen and other corrupt officials to the Empress. The Empress was furious and dismissed and executed the corrupt officials, and ordered the Protector of the Nation to deal with the flood issue."
"After the flood, the Protector General returned to the court to report, and at the same time, the eldest son of Zuihonglou was redeemed. The time matches, so I think it is very likely that the eldest son was taken away by the Protector General's men."
After listening to Bai Qi's words, Di Ran remained silent.
After a while, a cold voice came: "Check~"
Di Ran put one hand behind his back, his eyes cold and cold: "Let's start from the General's Mansion. If that person is really the general who protects the country, he must have been brought back to the capital. If he has not been sent away, he must still be staying in the General's Mansion."
"Yes!"
The slender, fair hand held the pen and wrote the last word on the rice paper, then placed the pen on the pen holder.
Di Ran's cold eyes fell on the white rice paper, his eyes were cold and calm.
There was a line of words on the rice paper: "Cultivate yourself, manage your family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world"
The font is vigorous and powerful, like flowing clouds and running water, and the strokes are like dragons and snakes. It is domineering and cold, yet elegant and free.
(End of this chapter)
