Chapter 81

Smelling the stench of urine, Cai Jing didn’t know what to say. At this moment, he actually felt a bit sorry for Zhao Si. How could he have such a cowardly son? Of course, Zhao Yougong becoming like this was also partly due to the emperor’s influence.

"Your Highness, you can come out now!"

A palace guard, enduring the stench of urine, crouched down and waved his hand. To everyone’s surprise, not only did the young prince not come out, he even retreated further.

"I won’t come out... There... There are assassins..."

"Your Highness, the assassins have all been dealt with, they won’t harm you anymore!" Cai Jing spoke softly, feeling as if he were comforting a child, which he found quite amusing.

Hearing that the assassins had all been dealt with, the young prince finally regained some color. He shakily crawled out from under the bed and looked back at the puddle of water. "Heh... heh... Chancellor Cai, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t hold it..."

Couldn’t hold it? You were scared, right!

Everyone smiled silently, but no one pointed it out. They had seen enough of the young prince’s courage. The assassins hadn’t even shown up, and he had already wet himself. His courage was probably less than that of a mouse.

The battle at the Chancellor’s residence made two people famous in just a few days.

Chancellor Cai, who remained calm in the face of danger and eliminated the rebels; and the young prince, who fled for his life and wet his pants.

Zhao Yougong had no temper at all about the rumors. After all, he had wet his pants in front of everyone. In fact, it was quite helpless. He had rushed back from the Wunwen River and found some water stains on his robe, which must have been from the river. If someone as shrewd as Cai Jing saw the water stains, he would certainly be suspicious. In desperation, he had to urinate himself. Fortunately, this timely act not only covered the water stains on his robe but also successfully diverted everyone’s attention.

On a sunny day, Zhao Yougong was about to go to the government office for tea when Zhao Fukin, dressed in palace attire, blocked him at the gate. Zhao Fukin pouted, squinted her eyes, and after a long look, muttered, "Hehe, Lingge, you really did it, just as they said, you were so scared that you... urinated..."

"Hmph, Sister Four, don’t listen to those people’s nonsense. How could I be so weak? I was just holding a teapot and drinking tea when I heard someone kick the door, my hand shook, and the tea spilled on the ground!"

Zhao Yougong’s face turned red, and he refused to admit it. Hearing his sophistry, Zhao Fukin laughed even harder, "Hehe, tea? Whose tea has a stench?"

"You... Sister Four, are you here to mock me? Hmph, if you dare to say such things again, I won’t take you to the West Street anymore!"

He glared, shrugged, and the young prince, with a black face, stepped into the Kaifeng government office. Seeing that Lingge was really angry, Zhao Fukin didn’t dare to tease him anymore and followed, smiling, "Alright, it was just a joke. Lingge, who are you? You can defeat Su Da in literature and capture Yang Gong in martial arts. How could you be afraid of a few assassins?"

Although Zhao Fukin seemed innocent, when she spoke nicely, she was incredibly sweet. The so-called Su Da was Su Shi, and Yang Gong was Yang Ye, the old general.

Hearing the flattery, the young prince’s face instantly brightened, and he chuckled, "Thank you, thank you, one must be humble, be humble!"

"..."

Zhao Fukin, unable to laugh or cry, looked at the beaming Lingge. What humility? His expression showed no sign of it at all.

Zhao Yougong’s life was quite leisurely, but Cai Jing was quite troubled. The two people he most wanted to capture had escaped. The bandit leader, Shi Bao, was rescued by someone, and the other, Yang Kaishan, had fought to the death with two top experts from the Imperial Guard. Shi Bao being rescued by a high-level expert was understandable, but Yang Kaishan’s ability to fight two top experts from the Imperial Guard was quite surprising.

At this moment, in the imperial study, Emperor Zhezong and several favored ministers were all meditating with their eyes closed. Gao Qiu looked a bit worried and asked, "Chancellor Cai, how skilled were Man Qiao and Wen Lin?"

"These two are not the best in the Imperial Guard, but they are not mediocre either!"

Even the mediocre ones in the Imperial Guard were top-notch. It was unexpected that these two had died at the hands of Yang Kaishan, no wonder Cai Jing was worried.

"Alright, let’s not talk about it. Wait a bit, Cao Bing will be back, and we’ll have the answer!"

Emperor Zhezong seemed distracted. Last night, he had spent several rounds with Concubine Liu, and his waist still felt weak. They say women can melt everything, and it seems to be true. He needed to ask Daoists Zhang and Lin for some secret formulas, or his waist would be broken.

The Cao Bing mentioned by Emperor Zhezong was no ordinary person. Despite having many favored ministers, such as Yang Jian, Liang Shicheng, and Li Yan, who were known as the emperor’s closest aides, the emperor truly relied on this eunuch, Cao Bing. Cao Bing, the head of the Imperial Guard, had served three emperors and was loyal to the royal family. Whoever the emperor was, Cao Bing would obey him. He was extremely shrewd and had deep martial arts skills. Although he wanted the Imperial Guard to be loyal only to him, Emperor Zhezong could only think about it, as he relied on Cao Bing for many things, and the Imperial Guard, being a group of martial artists, would be hard to manage without Cao Bing.

As the hour of You approached, a eunuch over fifty years old bowed and entered the imperial study. Although a eunuch, Cao Bing was tall and robust, like an iron tower. However, his face was whiter than a woman’s, and he had a touch of rouge on his lips. Wearing a red official robe, he looked somewhat androgynous.

"Your Majesty, I have investigated the scene at the Wunwen River. Besides Man Qiao, Wen Lin, and Yang Kaishan, there was a fourth person’s trace!"

"Hmm?" Emperor Zhezong’s heart skipped a beat, and he sat up straight.

"A fourth person? Tell me more!"

"Yes, I carefully examined the scene. Although it seemed there were only three people, I found an unusual crack on a tree. This crack was caused by a powerful foot strike, indicating that the person had deep internal strength, which Man Qiao, Wen Lin, and Yang Kaishan could not have done! Additionally, Yang Kaishan’s wounds were different, one shallow and two deep, indicating that they were not all caused by one person. Among Man Qiao and Wen Lin, only Man Qiao knew the Cross Dart technique!"

Listening to Cao Bing’s account, everyone in the room pondered deeply. If everything Cao Bing said was true, there must have been a fourth person at the Wunwen River. What was puzzling was why this person would also kill Yang Kaishan. This suggested that the person and the assassins were not from the same group.

After some discussion, they still couldn’t reach a conclusion. As the sky grew dark, Emperor Zhezong dismissed everyone. After the favored ministers left, he asked Cao Bing to sit down and then said softly, "Mr. Gong, do you have any thoughts?"

With this question, a man with an ordinary appearance walked out from behind a screen. Gong Jiang had been hiding behind the screen from the beginning. Seeing him come out, Cao Bing’s eyebrows raised. Despite his deep skills, he hadn’t noticed anyone behind the screen.

Looking at Gong Jiang, Cao Bing’s eyes were like lightning, and he thought to himself, "This person’s skills are not low!"

Feeling Cao Bing’s gaze, Gong Jiang smiled kindly and turned to bow to Emperor Zhezong, "Your Majesty, it’s not difficult to figure this out. Since no one was left alive, there is only one reason: to eliminate witnesses!"

"Eliminate witnesses?"

"Exactly. In such a situation, there is no other reason."

Gong Jiang’s tone was confident but not arrogant. Cao Bing, after some thought, couldn’t help but admire this mysterious man. From such limited information, he could make so many deductions. He was truly a reincarnation of Zhuge Liang.

In fact, Emperor Zhezong had already agreed with Gong Jiang’s view. He gestured for Gong Jiang to sit down and asked kindly, "Mr. Gong, can you explain in more detail? Man Qiao and Yang Kaishan had no prior relationship, so why were they all eliminated?"

"Your Majesty, the matter is not complicated. It was an accident. At the Wunwen River, Yang Kaishan must have said something, and Man Qiao and Wen Lin must have heard it. The key is what Yang Kaishan said to Man Qiao and Wen Lin."

"That makes sense. Can you guess what Yang Kaishan said?"

"Difficult! However, this matter must be deeply related to Yang Kaishan. I will venture a guess: could it be related to the Chishan Lake incident?"

Although it was a guess, Gong Jiang was very confident. It wasn’t too hard to guess this. Looking at Yang Kaishan’s life, the biggest turning point was Qian Bin’s death, which was related to the Chishan Lake incident. Connecting these, the focus would be on the Chishan Lake incident where the imperial stones were stolen.

Emperor Zhezong was still thinking, but there were still things he couldn’t understand. "Mr. Gong, even if it’s the Chishan Lake incident, what secret could it be that’s worth killing for?"

"Your Majesty, whether it’s worth killing for depends on what Yang Kaishan said. If he was indeed involved in the Chishan Lake incident, it’s understandable. But if he denied it, that’s where it gets interesting!"

As he spoke, Emperor Zhezong felt a loud noise in his head. If everything Gong Jiang said was true, and Yang Kaishan was not involved in the Chishan Lake incident, then Qian Bin’s death must have been a conspiracy, and the letter of accusation was a trap. Thinking of this, Emperor Zhezong’s heart tightened. If everything was true, the person who killed Qian Bin must be extremely devious.

In an instant, Emperor Zhezong made up his mind. Regardless of what Yang Kaishan said, he had to find the fourth person at the Wunwen River. Finding him would solve all the problems.

"Mr. Gong, where should I start?"

"Of course, the place Your Majesty is most worried about: the Yongning Prince. As long as we confirm he is not involved, the rest is not too concerning. However, the specific approach is up to Your Majesty to decide."

Emperor Zhezong stared at Gong Jiang. He found this man terrifying. He seemed to see through people’s hearts at a glance. Such a person, if useful, should be used; if not, should be eliminated.

"Mr. Gong’s words are wise. I will make the arrangements!"

Gong Jiang said he dared not, but he was well aware that the Yongning Prince was the emperor’s biggest concern. Any trouble, and the emperor would think of his nephew first. If this nephew were to pretend to be foolish, it would be more terrifying than anything else.

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