"Someone actually dared to kill someone right under the nose of the Imperial Army, and that person is definitely related to that mysterious Shatuo man. Madam, where do you think the killer is from?"
Taiyuan, the Wang family's ancestral home, in a side hall in the backyard of the Wang family's residence.
Wang Yu could not help but frown as he looked at the slip of paper that the Wang Clan secret guard had just sent over.
As he spoke, he handed the note to Princess Tong 'an, who was sitting next to him.
Princess Tong 'an took the note, and when she read its contents, she couldn't help but frown. "Things are getting more and more unpredictable! On the surface, the killer is probably that Shatuo man named Zhu Xie Cheng. If that's the case, then my previous deduction might be wrong. Zhu Xie Cheng is a Turkic spy hiding in Taiyuan City, and his status might not be low. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent a grandmaster-level assassin to kill a key witness right under the nose of the Imperial Army! "
When Princess Tong 'an and Wang Bingjun learned that Dugu Feiying had come to ask for help, they had thought that the possibility of Zhu Xie Cheng being a Turkic spy was low, because a true Turkic spy wouldn't be exposed so easily!
However, now that the only person who could identify Zhu Xie Cheng had been assassinated, Zhu Xie Cheng naturally became the most suspicious person. According to the intelligence, the person who had assassinated the witness was a grandmaster-level expert. For such an expert to be willing to follow Zhu Xie Cheng's orders meant that Zhu Xie Cheng's identity and status were not as simple as a Shatuo merchant!
In the current perilous situation, the possibility of Zhu Xiecheng being a Turkic spy was many times higher than before!
After hearing Princess Tong 'an's words, Wang Yu nodded slightly. "Indeed! However, the most important thing right now is to find Zhu Xie Cheng and Kang Changan as soon as possible. King Wei and the others will arrive in Taiyuan City soon. If we can't catch Zhu Xie Cheng and Kang Changan before then, Your Highness and the people from Yanhuang College will be in trouble while they are in Taiyuan. The Turks won't let this matter rest, and they might have already found out some information! "
Princess Tong 'an was slightly surprised. "Master, are you saying that the Turks have already found out the purpose of Qingque and the others heading north?"
According to seniority, Princess Tong 'an was Li Tai's aunt and Li Er's great-aunt. Thus, it was not inappropriate for her to call Li Tai Qingque!
Wang Yu sighed and said, "Even if they don't know everything, I'm afraid they've found some scattered clues. Otherwise, they wouldn't have spent so much effort to set up an ambush at the place where King Wei and the others are staying this time, Tongfu Inn!"
Wang Yu suddenly thought of something. He turned to Princess Tong 'an and asked, "Madam, since the inn isn't safe, why don't we let King Wei and the others stay in the Wang Estate? This way, even if there are grandmaster level experts among the Turk spies, they won't be able to harm King Wei and the others under the heavy protection of our Wang Estate's hidden guards!"
Wang Yu's idea was not bad. Since the danger of the Tongfu Inn had not been completely eliminated, they could settle Li Tai and the others in the Wang Estate's ancestral home. In any case, the Wang Estate had plenty of empty courtyards, and with the Wang Estate's hidden guards protecting them, it would be more difficult than ascending to the heavens for the Turk spies to do anything to Li Tai and the others!
Unexpectedly, Princess Tong 'an shook her head. "Absolutely not!"
Wang Yu was puzzled. "What do you mean, Madam?"
Princess Tong 'an was a strong-willed and opinionated woman, so Wang Yu would often seek her opinion of his own accord.
"Has Husband ever thought about what would happen if something happened to Qingque and the others while they were staying in the Wang Estate?"
Princess Tong 'an frowned. "Letting Qingque and the others stay in the Wang Estate will reduce their danger, but that doesn't mean that there won't be any danger at all. If something happens, the Wang Estate will suffer His Majesty's wrath. Thus, even if this concubine agrees to Husband's plan, the clan elders and the rest of the Wang Estate will not agree! Because the Wang Estate cannot bear this risk! "
Wang Yu frowned for a moment before sighing. "Madam is right. While this plan will reduce the danger to His Highness and the others, it will also put the Wang Estate in danger!"
As the head of the Wang Clan, Wang Yu understood the responsibility on his shoulders, and he also understood that the clan's interests were paramount. Thus, this plan was quickly 'discarded' in his mind!
At this moment, there was a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice. "Reporting to Patriarch, King Wei's convoy is only two li from the city gate and will soon enter the city!"
The person outside was the Grand Commander of the Wang Clan's hidden guards, Wang Chengwu, a trusted aide of the chief branch!
Wang Yu's heart trembled as he called out, "Come in!"
"Yes!"
Creak! Wang Chengwu pushed open the door and entered, closing it behind him. Wang Yu immediately asked, "How is General Dugu's side? Did you manage to capture the shopkeeper of the Chuji Ironware Shop and obtain the account books? "
Wang Chengwu bowed. "Replying to Patriarch, according to the report, by the time the Imperial Army arrived at Shuanren Market, the shopkeeper of the Chuji Ironware Shop, Ye Funian, had already died in his home. His throat had been slit by a sharp blade, and this matter had already alerted the county yamen and the Provincial Governor's Residence. In addition, by the time General Dugu and the others arrived at the Chuji Ironware Shop, the account books had already been found and burned in the hall. Fortunately, General Dugu was fast enough, and only the first half of the account books were burned.
"What ~?"
Wang Yu was overwhelmed with shock when he heard this. Princess Tong 'an waved her hand at Wang Chengwu and said, "Alright, Chengwu, you may leave first!"
"Yes! Your Highness! "
Wang Chengwu bowed and accepted the order, then turned and left.
Wang Chengwu bowed and left as well.
"Madam, why does this old man feel like the mastermind behind the scenes has been spying on our every move this entire time, and is always ahead of us in every matter?"
Wang Yu frowned after a few moments of silence.
Princess Tong 'an paused for a moment, and then she probed, "Master, do you mean to say that there are Turk spies at our side or General Dugu's side?"
Wang Yu shook his head. "It's probably impossible with the Imperial Army, and as for us … forget it! Let's not talk about this for now! "
Wang Yu suddenly paused. He looked at Princess Tong 'an and asked, "King Wei and the others are about to enter the city. Does Madam want to accompany your husband to the city gates to take a look?"
Princess Tong 'an nodded without hesitation. "Of course! This humble one is Qingque's elder, and this is the first time this child has come to Sourcepeak City. You and I just happen to be here, so we should act as hosts! "
"Haha! Since that's the case, let's go together! "
Wang Yu said with a chuckle.
… … …
On the other side, Dugu Feiying, who had split his men into two groups, found nothing. Well, it could not be said that they found nothing. At the very least, he managed to snatch back half of the account book. At this moment, Dugu Feiying was extremely gloomy. He felt like his every move was known in advance, and there was always someone ahead of him to obstruct him from investigating what he wanted to investigate!
"… From the looks of the wound, the person who killed Ye Funian used a knife and not a sword. However, the authorities have searched the entire Ye residence, but they did not find the murder weapon. Now, the entire Shuanren Market has been sealed off. The county yamen constables are searching from house to house, and asking the people if they have seen any suspicious characters!"
Zhang Dafu was reporting the latest progress of the case to Dugu Feiying, whose face was dark. Dugu Feiying let out a deep sigh and said, "From the looks of it, the person who killed Ye Funian and the person who tried to assassinate Zhu Huaiqing aren't the same person?"
Zhang Dafu thought for a moment and said, "From the weapons used by the murderer, it does seem like they are not the same person, but we can't rule out the possibility that the murderer used both weapons to confuse the public!"
Dugu Feiying shook his head and said nothing. His intuition told him that these two murders were not done by the same person, but he could not find any direct evidence at the moment.
"As for the names listed in the account book of the Chuji Ironware Shop, this general has already sent people to investigate with Chu Mingxian!"
Seeing that Dugu Feiying was silent, Zhang Dafu continued to report.
"Mm! Continue to investigate! Remember, you must protect that half of the account book well! "
Dugu Feiying nodded and gave his orders.
He had brought thirty Imperial Army elites to Taiyuan City a day in advance so that he could eliminate the hidden dangers in Taiyuan City before Li Tai and the others arrived. But now, not only had he failed to capture a single Turkic spy, key witnesses had been killed one after another. This made him feel very embarrassed, and this half of the account book was the only thing that could comfort him!
"This general obeys!"
Zhang Dafu bowed.
"It's getting late. His Highness's group should be arriving soon! Take a few people and follow me out of the city to welcome them. The rest of you, stay here and watch over Chu Mingxian's group! "
Dugu Feiying looked out the window and said, his hands behind his back.
"Yes!"
Soon, they came out of a house near the Tongfu Inn and went straight to the southern city gate.
At this moment, in a private room on the third floor of a restaurant near the southern city gate, a middle-aged man wearing a scholarly robe and holding a feather fan stood by the window. He looked at the faint appearance of a group of people outside the city. He waved his feather fan and chuckled softly. "Haha! The real big fish has finally taken the bait! King Wei? Haha, since you've entered the game, no one can save you! Just relax and be a fish that has taken the bait! "
A gust of wind blew through the middle-aged man's hair. The way he stood against the wind and gently waved his feather fan was somewhat similar to the legendary Zhuge Kongming who had a feather fan and a silk scarf. Everything was under his control!
Cough cough, but when he looked at that person's appearance again, it was an ordinary face that couldn't be any more ordinary. It was completely incompatible with his ethereal temperament!
… … …
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