4. The double eaves of the battle tent and the sword light rise, and the dream in front of the palace is interrupted

He Yanjun came to report this gossip to him.

In the past few days, Pei Nianyu was busy taking care of his frail and sick elder brother in the mansion, and didn't worry much about the outside affairs. Unexpectedly, the news was delayed.

He Yanjun relayed the news that he sent someone to investigate:

"That's right...they launched such a competition in the name of Baiweilou. Anyone can sign up, and they will be judged by category every day. People from all walks of life in Capital City are sincerely invited to taste and vote for the No. 1 pick in each category...."

"Master, what I mean is, if we also go to participate, it will be a shame. But if we ignore it completely, it seems like we are avoiding the battle. After all, we still have the chef's guild. If others see us as if we didn't goNow, this guild will be difficult..."

Pei Nianyu nodded and agreed with her consideration:

"You are right. From our point of view, we must not be too enthusiastic about this matter, but we must not pretend to be ignorant."

"Hasn't your guild already brought out the first batch of apprentices? It's time to let them practice. How about this, all major cuisines in the red case will let your apprentices, regardless of the ranking. After all, if you let the Capital City passers-byLet’s judge, this criterion is not too strict, and if Xiang Ping’en makes a move by himself, it’s not too good to lose.”

"If there is a pastry competition, you can consider submitting the competition in person, but not in the name of the guild president, but in the name of the Wangfu Dim Sum Shop. After all, people in the capital are used to your taste, so don't you want to take it?The first one is also quite difficult..."

He Yanjun took out a small notebook and quickly wrote down what the master said.

"Although this incident happened suddenly, I guess that Baiweilou itself wants to expand its business in Capital City, and this is just to take the opportunity to warm up."

According to Pei Nianyu's understanding, it's almost like doing a wave of marketing to increase the popularity of an online celebrity store before opening.

It has to be said that Baiweilou is worthy of being a school whose main business is restaurants.The martial arts of the people in this school may not be very good, but the business experience is quite good.

"Oh, by the way, where are they going to choose the venue for this competition?"

"Xicheng, inside Fu'an Gate, a courtyard beside the moat. I don't remember whose mansion it was before. It has been abandoned for a long time, and they may have bought it."

Pei Nianyu's fingers that knocked on the table paused for a moment.

West City Fu'an Gate……

This location is really an important place for transportation.

To the north of Fu'an Gate is a large area where the residences of various Beijing officials and Qingliu aristocratic families are located, and to the south are slightly more prosperous common people who make a living from trade and handicrafts.

And it connects the center of Capital City and the surrounding bustling cities from east to west, with a huge flow of people, and a few bright restaurants are also scattered around here—of course, including Wangfu restaurants and Wangfu dim sum shops.Hing Xuan Street is included.

——Approximately equal to opening a store in later generations and opening an online celebrity store in the CBD within the second ring road, with provincial government compounds on one side and high-tech zones or university towns on the other.

The position was chosen really well, and it is estimated that Baiweilou also had some expert advice when they came here this time... Is it that Shao Yan?

After Pei Nianyu assigned the competition strategy to He Yanjun, he didn't think much about it.When was having dinner with Pei Nianzhen at night, when talked about it again, Pei Nianzhen suddenly asked:

"You said... in this competition, will there be many Capital officials and Xungui going to join in the fun?"

Pei Nianyu put down his chopsticks and frowned:

"Brother, what do you mean?"

…………………

As soon as the words fell, a hum came from outside the Hanging flower door:

"He means, will there be a crowd gathering?"

It wasn't Pei Niancheng who came in.

This is the first time that Pei Nianzhen saw Pei Niancheng with his original appearance after revealing his identity.Seeing that it was him who came, he didn't want to kneel down to pay respects, nor thought of conflict, so he could only look away and continue picking the rice in his bowl.

Pei Niancheng pretended not to see it.

He ran to the palace to grab a meal, of course he couldn't embarrass his brother, so he just said to Pei Nianyu:

"The time he chose in Baiweilou is very good. Half of the time happens to be the day when the various ministries are resting. Apart from gaining traffic, other purposes... Let's see."

He has always regarded the palace as his own home. Although he didn't say in advance that he would come over for dinner today, he just sat down at the dining table:

"Li Han, go to the kitchen and get two pairs of bowls and chopsticks."

Pei Nianzhen: ...

Apart from slandering that the emperor Pei Niancheng had no imperial majesty before his elder brother, Pei Nianzhen still had some envy for him in his heart.After all, he had to admit that if he sat in this position, there would probably not be a place where he could come and eat like this.

Pei Nianyu looked up at Pei Niancheng, and sighed:

"I didn't expect you two to go together. I have never thought about this problem. You are still smart."

Pei Nianzhen knew that he had good intentions and intended to ease the relationship between him and His Majesty.Recently, this unadulterated feeling of being cared about appeared frequently, and he was even a little uncomfortable, so he couldn't help coughing lightly.

Pei Niancheng sighed softly in his heart, and finally stopped acting as if he wasn't there from the beginning to the end, turned his head and asked:

"...About Shao Yan, do you have any other ideas, why don't you talk about it together."

Pei Nianzhen paused for a moment, then spoke slowly:

"I think this way: since Baiweilou and him already know that they are in a cooperative relationship, it is absolutely impossible for Shao Yan to be their thug and help them in vain. And if he returns to Capital City, what will he do in this competition?It's Shao Yan's way to divert attention—"

"Thanks to the gift of the prince, people in Capital City pursue delicious food and are rich in gourmet food. At that time, there must be a crowd of talented people, crowded with people, and there will be many high-ranking officials. Since your majesty knows that this may happen, will you dispatch the ban in advance?How about guards, even shadow guards, to look after and maintain order?"

When Pei Niancheng saw that he called himself His Majesty, he didn't mean anything against him. He knew that he had to let go first, so that he could do further work.Then he called him the same as Pei Nianyu:

"Brother is right. I'm afraid that's what he's planning. This is a conspiracy. Even if I know his intention, I can't really let it go and put all my defenses in the palace."

With these two people here, they are now in the same camp again. Pei Nianyu basically gave up thinking about conspiracies and tricks, and instead became worried about Pei Niancheng——

"Then you just ran out of the palace like this? Aren't you afraid that he will make something happen to you when you're not around?"

Pei Niancheng shook his head:

"Although we all guessed that he was looking for something in the palace, but I was in the palace, and the shadow guards were also in the palace, so he might not act rashly. I was the bait by running out, and it depends on whether he took the bait or not.Anyway, that’s why I’m here—”

"In any case, you must first know what his goal is. It's too passive to wait like this without thinking. So... Brother, let me use that wooden sculpture of your city view."

"What are you going to do?"

Pei Niancheng said calmly, and arranged the plan clearly:

"I asked the craftsman to make an exact copy. Didn't you guess that this is a half key? If he wants to find this half key, he will have to search around for whereabouts."

"I put it exactly in the hands of someone related to the Eastern Palace, pretending to be Pei Nianzhen. After the accident at that time, some personal belongings were divided up by the escaped palace people of the Eastern Palace, and they were thrown out again. In this way, let him be alone first.It would take him days to track down the whereabouts."

"Use this time to set up hidden shadow guards everywhere in the palace, and finally wait on the sidelines to see which mechanism he uses to open after he gets the pair of keys, and then he will know his purpose."

Pei Nianzhen admired his meticulousness, and thought that he would not be wronged if he lost to this person.And Pei Nianyu patted him on the shoulder, worried:

"You pay attention to safety. Ye Feng told me that his master was very good at martial arts back then, and this time he returned to the capital must have found a way to solve the inconvenience of his disabled right arm before he came back with confidence. Maybe he just learned some new internal force method orSwordsmanship moves, everything should be careful."

"What's more, he knows that there are bound to be guards in your palace, but he is not afraid at all. He even exposed his whereabouts to the eldest brother. I always feel that something is wrong."

Pei Niancheng said:

"Soldiers will block you, water will cover you, brother don't have to worry. I haven't experienced any kind of conspiracy and fighting in the three years since I took the throne. No matter how powerful he is, he is still alone."

After Pei Niancheng left, Pei Nianyu also adjusted the force in the palace.He called He Qi and made arrangements:

"Let Jiang Xue, Yun Shao, and Yun Luan all follow He Yanjun and stay by her side, and then call a group of four shadow guards to follow them—don't interrupt, it's to prevent any surprises in the culinary competition."The incident was not just to protect her."

He Qi replied solemnly: "Yes, this subordinate will change all the passwords and defensive positions of the shadow guards of the palace again to strengthen vigilance."

"That's right."

………………

Five days later, the Palace Shadow Guardian reported to Pei Niancheng that Shao Yan had found the whereabouts of the "fake wood carving" and took it away, and was investigating his whereabouts in Beijing.

On the sixth day, the shadow guard secretly reported: Shao Yan had entered the palace in ambush, and his whereabouts involved the palace where the concubine of the late emperor's concubine once lived. don't know why.

Pei Niancheng replied: "Stay still, don't startle the snake."

On the seventh day, the shadow guard secretly reported: Shao Yan captured the retired former director of the Imperial Dining Room, and tortured him to extort a confession about the content of the late emperor's diet during his illness.

Pei Niancheng replied: "Leave him alone, the former head of the imperial dining room is an embroidered pillow, and won't remember anything valuable. What can he ask for a confession through torture?"

On the eighth day, the shadow guard secretly reported that Shao Yan had been hiding near the Imperial Medicine Court for a whole day, and the pulse records and prescription files of the late emperor three years before his death seemed to have been tampered with.

Holding the secret report, Pei Niancheng couldn't help rubbing his eyebrows, feeling a little headache, and asked Li Han:

"What exactly is your master looking for? I have already taken the key, and I don't need it? Is there any secret box that may be in the Imperial Dining Room and the Imperial Medicine Court?"

Li Han's face was dull: "The subordinates really can't guess."

Pei Niancheng looked up at him. Although Li Han's expression didn't change, Pei Niancheng somehow felt that he was more dull these days than usual:

"I always feel that you seem to be in a bad state these days. Is it because you are afraid that his martial arts is too high, that you are afraid of failing in the mission, or that you have a good relationship with your master and you can't bear to do it? What is the big deal? As long as I know his purpose, if heIf there is no hindrance to my country and society, I will naturally let him go."

Li Han quickly knelt down:

"Master! How could this subordinate interfere with the task because of personal relationship? Although the master has taught me, but there is no teacher-student relationship between the shadow guards. It is a serious crime for him to break into the Forbidden Palace without permission, and this subordinate will definitely notHold on."

"The subordinate is just... just..."

Pei Niancheng comforted him:

"What can't be said about this?"

"When I was in the Shadow Guard Camp in the early years, my subordinates were quite afraid of him. Now that my subordinates have mastered martial arts, although they don't fear him, they always feel..."

Pei Niancheng put away his expression, and said seriously:

"Li Han, if you lose the enemy, you must protect yourself first. You are my right-hand man, much more important than him. He is alone, and he can't break through the shadow guard's guard. As long as he doesn't want to kill me, otherIt's all fine."

"..."

Li Han was silent for a while, then bowed his head again:

"Master is very kind, this subordinate...will never forget."

On the ninth day, the shadow guard reported secretly: Shao Yan had been lurking near the Qingyan Palace for a whole day, and seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to find a gap between the shadow guards' shifts.

Qingyan Palace, the former residence of the late emperor.

After Pei Niancheng came to the throne, he didn't like the light in this place, so he abandoned it and built other palaces as residences. Qingyan Palace has been abandoned forever.

Pei Niancheng patted the table: Here we come.

Li Han received the secret report from his master, only to feel his right eyelid twitch several times for no reason.

On the night of the same day, after Pei Nianyu went to bed in the palace, Lou Yefeng summoned He Qilianxiao and two people and asked them to guard by the master's side.

Then he jumped out of the palace and disappeared into the night without knowing his whereabouts.

…………

Ninth day and night.

In the Qingyan Palace, a group of six shadow guards who were in charge of patrolling the Qingyan Palace on the surface were knocked out one by one by Shao Yan secretly, and subdued to the ground with acupuncture points.

There are also forty shadow guards in the dark ambushing nearby, and Pei Niancheng is out of the best.

...and a black figure that no one has noticed, quietly dissolving in the darkness of the beams in the temple.

Shao Yan calmly opened the mechanism in the bookcase. When the mechanism was opened, a hidden slot was revealed. He put the pair of wooden carvings together and stuffed the key into it.

The bookcase moved away slowly, and inside lay a notebook and a long jade box.

Li Han was inexplicably anxious, and asked the master if he should do it now.

Seeing that he was not in a hurry to leave, Pei Niancheng waved his hand to stop him.

Sure enough, Shao Yan didn't run away in a hurry, but opened the notebook first.The handbook was only a few pages long, and he hurriedly flipped through it. As soon as he saw it, tears filled his eyes:

"As expected...Master..."

Pei Niancheng gestured: Now!

Dozens of shadow guards appeared like the wind, with sword lights shining, surrounding Shao Yan.

Pei Niancheng and Li Han emerged from the darkness:

"Put things down, you can go. Otherwise, you may not be able to escape."

Shao Yan suddenly sneered:

"Really? What if I exchange terms with you?"

Pei Niancheng's hands behind his back suddenly clenched this was not what he expected.

"What conditions."

"Let me go out of the city, and don't send shadow guards to follow me. After I leave the city, I'll give you some information that you must use—it's about Li Han..."

Pei Niancheng was taken aback for a moment, and subconsciously turned to look at the person beside him.

"life experience"

Before he finished speaking, Li Han drew his sword and flew up, pointing directly at Shao Yan, the killing intent seemed real!

Pei Niancheng's pupils suddenly shrank:

"Li Han! What are you doing!"

He reacted quickly - Li Han wanted to silence him!

Pei Niancheng was furious:

"catch him!"

Shao Yan easily blocked Li Han's full-strength sword. Seeing that all the shadow guards' swords turned to Li Han, there was no threat to him.He flew directly onto the eaves, took the jade box and left, leaving only a long laugh:

"Li Han, my good apprentice, thank you!"