Kong Qu
The raven disappeared as if it had sunk into the darkness of the night, blending into one. No matter how hard one looked, one couldn't see a trace of it.
Ji Yunshu raised her head slightly and let out a long sigh.
Recently, the weather was no longer as hot as before. The early autumn season had gradually turned cooler. A gentle breeze brushed her face, gentle and powerful, but very comfortable.
She tucked her cold hands into her sleeves and clenched her fists a few times. She let out another long sigh and stood in the courtyard for a while.
She carefully sorted out the matter of the Marquis's sneaky behavior.
The bloody handprints on the signboard?
The tangled trees at the entrance of the mansion?
The rockery that was deliberately pried down?
In addition, Cai Da killed himself by biting his tongue. Could it be that he committed suicide out of guilt for killing his own mother by mistake?
And that child's voice, if it was really a deliberate act, there was no reason that Jing Rong couldn't detect it at that time in the ancestral hall.
What was hidden behind this incident?
Or, how many people in the mansion were involved?
After thinking through everything, she rushed into the air and called out, "Zijin."
Shi Zijin's figure quickly descended and stood beside her. "Teacher, do you have any instructions?"
Even though she knew Ji Yunshu was a woman, she still called her "teacher" out of habit.
Ji Yunshu sternly ordered, "Later, secretly check the mansion to see if there are any suspicious people or suspicious things. If there are any, quickly inform me."
"Yes," he replied.
Just as she was about to investigate, Ji Yunshu called her back.
"Zijin."
"Teacher, do you have any other instructions?"
"Actually, you don't have to stay by my side all the time. If I don't have anything else to do, you should also take care of yourself."
"Teacher, you don't have to worry about me. It is already my greatest honor to be ordered by His Highness to protect you. Moreover, His Highness said that the mansion isn't peaceful, so he ordered me to protect you at all times and not leave."
She was very serious.
Ji Yunshu said, "This is the Marquis's mansion, and there are guards outside. Nothing will happen. What if you tire yourself out like this?"
"But His Highness's orders cannot be disobeyed. In comparison, Teacher's safety is more important."
"Why didn't I realize you were so stubborn before?" Ji Yunshu mocked.
Martial artists were inflexible, not to mention the quiet Shi Zijin.
Shi Zijin did not refute her words and remained silent.
That was clearly a woman's face, yet it lacked a bit of gentleness and had an extra bit of cold-bloodedness. She was always cold and reserved, especially her eyes. Once they turned cold, they carried dense killing intent that caused others to not dare look directly at her. Perhaps, it was because she'd been covered in scars in the Asura Arena since a young age, and she'd fought desperately to survive, that she'd cultivated her unyielding yet loyal character.
How could she not admire such a person?
But —
He was as stubborn as Jing Rong.
What a stubborn little wolf.
Ji Yunshu sighed and said, "Alright, you go ahead and investigate."
"Yes."
Shi Zijin cupped her hands in greeting and disappeared without a trace, just like the crow from before.
"Iron Lady."
Ji Yunshu said to the air. Her lips curved into a faint smile as she entered the room.
On the other side, Jing Rong had just returned to his courtyard.
Lang Po handed him a letter with a solemn expression.
"From Yi City."
"When?"
"Just now."
Jing Rong took the letter and hurriedly entered the room before opening it. It was densely packed with words. The handwriting was not neat, and it was obvious that it was not written by a scholar.
As he read, Lang Po said, "After Empress Xuanshu's death, almost all of the Kong family left for the capital. Although Kong Qu, who was originally the vanguard of the Lin army, went to Yi City in the northwest. Although it is far from the capital, Yi City is an important stronghold for the Huyi army. Now that Kong Qu is the lord of a city, he can live in peace in the northwest. Moreover, Kong Qu was a proud person when he was in the capital. This time, Your Highness wants to borrow his troops to prepare for the future battle against Prince Yi. I'm afraid this is … a little difficult."
What he said was not false!
Ever since Empress Xuanshu passed away, the Kong family's power had long declined. The few who were still useful had all left for the capital. Kong Qu had a stubborn personality and was a proud and aloof person. He had always shown his true skills on the battlefield and did not like to participate in the struggle for the throne. Thus, after Empress Xuanshu's death, he volunteered to go to Yi City and never set foot in the capital again. He spent his days leisurely at the frontier fortress, raising horses and training soldiers. Occasionally, he would go on horseback to dabble in hunting. His days were unimaginably carefree. Now that Jing Rong had sent him a secret letter, asking to borrow his troops, Kong Qu naturally would not agree. Without the imperial court's recommendation letter, he would not even move a single soldier.
However, in the letter that Jing Rong sent to Kong Qu, it mentioned the death of the Crown Prince, Jing Hua.
There was a sentence in the letter that read, "If General Kong wants to know the truth behind the Crown Prince's attempted regicide, please lend me your troops. The truth will naturally come to light."
Jing Rong did not directly state that it was Jing Yi who secretly sent people to incite Jing Hua to rebel.
Kong Qu also knew that the Crown Prince was an idiot and would not so easily commit regicide. However, he did not think too much about it and just let it pass. However, when he saw the letter that Jing Rong sent, he began to feel conflicted.
On one hand, he was guarding the frontier fortress in Yi City. As long as the Huyi people behaved themselves, he would be free and unrestrained. He really did not want to return to the capital to participate in the struggle between the factions!
On the other hand, he really wanted to know the truth behind the Crown Prince's siege of the palace. After all, the Crown Prince was Empress Xuanshu's son and was related to him.
Therefore …
He struggled for a long time.
However, in the end, he still refused with the reason that he did not have a recommendation letter. The contents of his refusal were all written on the letter that had just been sent.
Finished reading!
Jing Rong gently placed the letter beside his hand and curled his lips. "The result was as expected." Lang Po was astonished.
He bowed his head and said, "If that's the case, Your Highness already knew about it?"
"This time, this Prince borrowed troops from him and mentioned the Crown Prince's matter in the letter. I only wanted to remind Kong Qu not to stay idle in Yi City after leaving the capital and become sick. Now that he has seen this letter, he will definitely not be able to rest in peace."
"This subordinate does not understand Your Highness's meaning."
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