Qiao Xi scratched his head and said innocently,

"If they are willing to sell, it should be profitable, right?"

The man shook his head,

"No, although I didn't stay in Yuncheng for a short time in previous years to deal with floods, I heard people talking about the price of this fish.

Five or six...even the dead fish costs three copper coins, and this one is obviously made of fresh fish."

Qiao Xi was also a little confused, but now was the window period for the script, and she had no clues to give him. She could only eat more delicious food and wait for inspiration to come.

"How about we tie up the waiter and force him to confess. He looks like he knows a lot of secrets." She suggested while wiggling her fingers.

Anyway, it is still a window period, and the host's blackening value will not increase.

"no."

Qiao Xi didn't expect that he refused completely, and she was a little confused. Shouldn't he be cruel? Could the window period suspend his cruelty?

"If we go to kidnap him now, not only will we not be able to find out anything, but we will also expose our own identities."

Qiao Xi: "..." This is the right reaction.

"Master, don't worry, I have a way not to be exposed."

Qi Anze was surprised when he heard that she used three voices in one sentence, "You know how to ventriloquism?"

Josie nodded proudly.

Qi Anze: "..." He is worthy of being the secret guard next to his grandmother, he actually has such ability.

After some discussion, the two simply and quickly kidnapped him on the night of the third day when the waiter was about to go back to his house to rest.

I simply found an unoccupied dilapidated house on the roadside and started the interrogation plan.

In order to prevent the waiter from hearing the voice and identifying his seat, Qi Anze specially asked Qiao Xi to sit opposite him, while he sat behind him with a dagger pressed against his lower back.

Seeing that the person had woken up, Qiao Xi immediately started asking in the voice of a middle-aged man,

Qiao Xi: "Zhao Er, have you ever thought about my mother at home after being away from home for so many years?"

The waiter couldn't see anyone and said in a panic,

"Who are you?"

Josie: "Can't you even recognize my voice?"

The waiter hesitated for a moment and then shouted angrily:

"Boss Xu, you said that as long as I don't go back, you will let my family live."

Qiao Xi glanced at Qi Anze in confusion. In the past two days, they found out that the waiter in this shop was very good at gambling. He only came to work here a few years ago.

I originally wanted to deceive him first, but how come it doesn't sound like gambling?

How come gambling is not allowed back home?

Qi Anze nodded slightly, indicating that she could ask casually.

Qiao Xi coughed twice and lowered his voice and said,

"But you didn't keep your promise either."

Waiter: "You fart, I will send back five taels of silver every month."

Qiao Xi: "Five taels...how do I remember it was fifteen taels?"

Because the waiter’s hands and feet were tied and he used excessive force, the veins on his neck were clearly visible.

"Boss Xu, don't bully others too much. It's already very difficult for me to collect five taels."

Just when Qiao Xi was scratching his head and not knowing what to say, Qi Anze placed the dagger on the back of the waiter's hand and kept rubbing the back of his hand with the smooth dagger surface.

The waiter burst into tears immediately, "Fifteen taels, just fifteen taels."

Qi Anze raised an eyebrow at Qiao Xi and slowly retracted the dagger.

"When this big shot leaves this time, I will be able to get the reward. It's enough to just make up for it. Give me a few more days."

Qiao Xi: "What a big shot, you don't want to report me, do you?"

Waiter: "How dare I report you? That means I have to go in too."

Josie: "It's good to know."

Waiter: "Brother Xu, don't worry, this isn't the first time we've done this. The big shot won't notice anything, and there will definitely be a silver reward when the time comes."

Qiao Xi: "You mean, if this big shot finds out, there will be no reward, right?"

Waiter: "Don't worry, if I can't get fifteen taels by then, it's all up to Brother Xu."

Qiao Xi was still trying to make excuses, but Qi Anze knocked him out with a knife.

After sending the person back to the room, the two returned to the guest room.

"Host, why didn't you let me ask again just now? Maybe you can find out who that big shot is."

"If you ask any more, you'll miss the mark. And considering his status as a messenger and errand boy, he probably doesn't even know who this big shot is."

"What should we do now? Let's go to his hometown?"

Josie tilted her head and looked at him.

"I will leave this to others, and we will do other important things."

——

in the palace,

The night falls and it is quiet and quiet.

"Your Majesty, it's late at night, let's take a rest." A woman with a graceful figure walked up to the emperor and said softly.

When the emperor saw the person coming, he sighed silently, put down the memorial in his hand and stood up, "Queen, you came just in time, please come with me for a walk."

"Is Your Majesty worried about Prince Rui?"

The woman is none other than Queen Xiaohui in the reign of Princess Yuanping of the previous dynasty.

She put on a coat for the emperor and then said, "Prince Rui has been smart since he was a child. Jiren has his own destiny, so nothing will happen to him. Besides, hasn't An'er already arrived in Yuncheng?"

"The situation in Yuncheng is quite complicated. An'er hasn't sent a message back for such a long time. She must have been entangled by someone."

"If you ask me, I shouldn't have agreed to the terms of the old ministers back then. It was obviously your father who favored you and ended up like this."

"At that time, due to circumstances, Wei Yan not only secretly colluded with the border generals, but also tried to make a deal with Nantong State.

Father, you are the only princess, but you don’t like to deal with government affairs by nature, how can you not let them look at you with covetous eyes? Only by showing my ambition can we save our Huaqi Kingdom."

The emperor held her in his arms and looked at the moon in the sky, but there was no sweetness in his words on his face, and his eyes were full of gloom.

"Anyway, my father could abdicate and become the Supreme Emperor for the sake of Hua Qi. So why can't I do the same?"

"I feel that An'er is not suitable to ascend the throne."

The queen leaned on his shoulder and said slowly,

"Everyone says that Prince Rui is like a concubine and does not love the country but flowers and plants, but I think he is more suitable for the throne."

"Why did the Queen say this?"

"Although Prince Rui is not my biological child, I prefer him. I don't know if it's because her mother grew up with me or because she died to save me.

In short, I think he is more suitable to sit on the throne. He is talented and has a benevolent heart. If he becomes the emperor, he will never hurt An'er.

But An'er is different. Those old guys have instilled in him the struggle for the throne since he was a child. If he ascends the throne, not only Prince Rui, but also several other princes and princesses will not be able to escape punishment."

"This... I will correct her. Queen, don't worry. Men have to be bloody. Prince Rui is too kind and inappropriate. Okay, it's getting late. You should rest early."

The two of them walked slowly from Shangjing Palace to the queen's bedroom.

"Then your Majesty should also take care of your health and don't stay up all night reviewing memorials."

"good."
Chapter completed!