After all, they had been through a life-and-death battle together. Thus, before that incident, both Bai Siling and Xu Gan had great trust in Huang Yongtu.
They thought that the four of them were already an inseparable group that they could trust. Thus, when that incident happened, it was easy to imagine the rage and disappointment they felt.
"How disappointing. To think that we tried our best to save him back then."
Bai Siling said.
"The hearts of men are like fingers. The Huang Clan has no choice but to side with King Qi, "Xu Gan said.
Compared to Bai Siling, he was much more open-minded.
Coming from a prestigious clan, especially in the capital, it was normal for one to be involved in political intrigue. In his view, there was nothing wrong with Huang Yongtu's actions. However, unlike Huang Yongtu, he had placed his hopes on Wang Chong.
In his view, there was nothing wrong with Huang Yongtu's actions, but unlike Huang Yongtu, he had placed his bets on Wang Chong.
The fact that Wang Chong had been able to escape the assassination and return safely proved that he had a keen eye.
"There's just one thing that I haven't figured out yet.
How did you know that the one who leaked the news was Huang Yongtu and not one of us? " How did you know that it was Huang Yongtu who leaked the information and not one of us? "
Ever since returning from the assassination attempt, Bai Siling had been contemplating this question.
Of the four of them, who was the one who leaked the news about Wang Chong? But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't think of a single one of them as the mole.
But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't think of a single one of them as the mole. She didn't want to suspect any one of them.
In fact, Bai Siling had even considered the possibility that she might have made a mistake. In truth, it had nothing to do with the four of them. It could just be a coincidence, or perhaps the problem lay elsewhere.
But when Wang Chong appeared at Huanxi Inn, the final sliver of hope in Bai Siling's heart was shattered.
At this moment, Bai Siling only wanted to know how Wang Chong was able to determine that Huang Yongtu was the mole.
"This question is actually not that difficult to guess."
Wang Chong took a sip of the fragrant tea in his hand. His gaze was wise and he seemed to be able to see through everything.
"Most people might not know that I'm participating in the training camp mission. But Prince Qi and the Yao clan definitely have a way to find out, and they definitely already know. "
"My departure from the capital this time is the best opportunity for them to make a move, so they definitely won't let it go no matter what. However, as soon as we left the capital, we were protected by the cavalrymen. With eighty cavalrymen, even if they are experts, they can still easily deal with them. "
"That's why their last chance was when they returned from Longxi. If they want to make a move, they must have a spy, and the spy can only be among the four of us. "
When Wang Chong said this, he sighed.
"To be honest, I don't want Huang Yongtu to be a mole. I've even thought that I might be mistaken. The King of Qi and the others won't do anything to me. But it turns out I was wrong. "
"Do you still remember what I told you after returning from the Big Dipper Army commandant?"
Wang Chong said.
"I do. You said that you were going to leave."
Xu Gan said.
"Un."
Wang Chong nodded, and his eyes suddenly turned cold.
"I did it on purpose. Back then, without receiving the royal court's orders, none of you were allowed to leave. So, I told myself that if any of you were to say that you wanted to follow me, you would be the mole! If they wanted to deal with me, this would be their last chance! "
Hearing Wang Chong's words, Bai Siling and Xu Gan glanced at one another in shock. They had never imagined that when Wang Chong had said those words, he had been thinking about something else.
"But what if we wanted to follow you? After all, we came here together. Aren't you being a little too absolute? "
Bai Siling said.
Wang Chong's reason might sound reasonable to others, but to Bai Siling, it wasn't.
"Hehe, if that's the case, it's only suspicious. But do you remember that white pigeon? "
Wang Chong sneered coldly.
Huang Yongtu wanted to plot against him, but he thought too simply of him.
"Is there something wrong with that white pigeon?"
Xu Gan asked with a frown. He really couldn't see how the white pigeon could be related to this matter.
"I understand. Do you think that its timing is too coincidental? Suspicious? "
Bai Siling said contemplatively. Thinking back, she did have her suspicions back then, but she didn't think too deeply into it.
"You are mistaken. It's not the timing but the content. Siling, do you still remember the content of the letter? "
Wang Chong shook his head.
Bai Siling frowned as she fell into deep thought.
"Back then, Zhang Lin said …"
"… Zhang Lin said that the Bureau of Military Personnel has requested for us to return to the capital after the third phase of the mission is over!"
Xu Gan was the one who said those words. He remembered those words clearly.
"Yes."
Wang Chong nodded.
"The royal court has requested for us to return to the capital after the third phase of the mission is over. In other words, the Bureau of Military Personnel has no idea whether we have completed the mission or not.
"The imperial court will never issue a new order without confirming whether or not we have completed the mission. Xu Gan, do you remember when we received the first order? "
Wang Chong asked.
"At the first gathering point, after each of us was assigned twenty cavalrymen."
Xu Gan replied without any hesitation.
"That's right! The royal court only sent a messenger pigeon after confirming that we had arrived at the first gathering point. This kind of carrier pigeon definitely won't send it to the first gathering point before we arrive. Even though I have no idea how the Bureau of Military Personnel does it, there is no doubt that they have a way of measuring it. And the simplest method is to estimate the time.
"They estimated that we should have arrived at the first gathering point before receiving the messenger pigeon."
Wang Chong said.
"Siling, do you remember when we received the second messenger pigeon?"
"At the foot of the bandit lair. The royal court ordered us to eliminate the Iron Cloak Highwaymen and Iron Cloak Li, but by then, we had already crossed hands with them."
Bai Siling said.
In this place, Wang Chong's words didn't hold water.
"Even so, we have indeed completed the first phase of the mission, right? If we hadn't, we wouldn't have been able to complete it by then, right? After all, the bandits and highwaymen are getting stronger and stronger. "
Wang Chong said.
Bai Siling and Xu Gan nodded. That was indeed the case. If they were to complete it, they should have done it by then. If they couldn't complete it, they wouldn't be able to complete it anymore.
"Also, do you remember where the lair of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen is?"
Wang Chong said.
"A hundred li away …"
Bai Siling suddenly paused. Raising her head to look at Wang Chong, she seemed to have understood something.
"That's right!"
Wang Chong put down his teacup and confirmed Bai Siling's conjecture.
"When Iron Cloak Li launched an ambush, the entire Iron Cloak Highwaymen suddenly moved out of their lair and attacked us. In other words, even the royal court wasn't able to predict the movements of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen back then. That was why they made such a mistake.
"Then, when did we receive the third messenger pigeon?"
"In the treasure vault of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen."
This time, Bai Siling replied swiftly.
"That's right! Do you still not understand after receiving the first, second, and third messenger pigeons? The royal court would only send us a messenger pigeon when the first phase of the mission has been completed and the next phase of the mission has yet to begin. They would never send us an order for the third phase when they can't confirm whether or not the third phase of the mission has been completed. "
"Back then, I was almost certain that the letter didn't come from the Bureau of Military Personnel."
Wang Chong said.
"What?!"
Hearing those words, Xu Gan and Bai Siling couldn't sit still anymore.
"Wang Chong, are you saying that the final order we received from the Bureau of Military Personnel was a fake?"
Bai Siling was astonished.
Forging a letter from the Bureau of Military Personnel was a heavy crime!
"I didn't say that. It's impossible for Zhang Lin to not recognize the letter from the Bureau of Military Personnel. However, there's one thing I'm certain of, and that is that the final letter didn't come from the same place as the previous order.
"If I'm not wrong, King Qi must have prepared that letter in advance. As he didn't know what the third phase of the mission would be, he didn't write anything about it. At the same time, he didn't know when Huang Yongtu would need it, so the contents of the letter were extremely vague.
"This letter would allow Huang Yongtu to leave his mission at any time and follow me. Without arousing any suspicion. King Qi sure is a scheming man! "
Wang Chong said calmly.
Bai Siling and Xu Gan were already at a loss for words. Even though they had been by Wang Chong's side all this while, if not for Wang Chong's words, there were many things that they wouldn't have been able to see through.
"... But since you already suspected Huang Yongtu, why didn't you leave his mission earlier? Why did you bring him along?"
Bai Siling suddenly asked.
"That's because Huang Yongtu hasn't left his mission yet!"
Wang Chong sighed.
Bai Siling was taken aback for a moment before coming to a realization. Huang Yongtu was only a spy. Logically speaking, he should have left before the operation began.
After all, the assassins hired by King Qi wouldn't have recognized him.
Yet, Huang Yongtu didn't leave.
"You intend to deal with him next?"
Bai Siling asked.
"That will depend on the Huang Clan's reply!"
Wang Chong replied calmly.
...
The Huang Clan's reply came much faster than Wang Chong had expected. On the same night that Wang Chong went to Huanxi Manor, the head of the Huang Clan appeared at the Wang Family Residence with a grim expression.
"Gongzi, this matter is the fault of our Huang Clan. No matter what, I will give you and the Wang Clan an explanation. But please believe me, our Huang Clan was completely unaware of this matter. It was that bastard who made the decision on his own. "
As soon as the head of the Huang Clan appeared at the Wang Family Residence, he kneeled before Wang Chong.
The head of the Huang Clan was already in his fifties, and he exuded a formidable aura. His cultivation had far surpassed the Profound Martial realm.
But in front of Wang Chong, this Huang Clan head, who would not easily bend his knees, lowered his head and knelt before this youth who was much younger than him.
This was no longer a matter of age or cultivation. It was a matter of friction between two prestigious clans. Clans had their own way of dealing with this matter.
Here, Wang Chong represented the Wang Clan, one of the most prestigious clans in the entire Tang dynasty.
Even the head of the Huang Clan could only lower his head before the clan that Wang Chong represented. Furthermore, what the Huang Family had done this time was definitely not a small matter.
This concerned the future of the Huang Clan.
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