Chapter 98

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Today, the Lu Ding卷 (Deer顶卷) comes to an end.

Wei Xiaobao was scolded by Lin Sha, making him feel extremely awkward and in a difficult position.

He wanted to use his official position to intimidate, but this was Wu Sangui's territory in Yunnan Province. Despite the high-ranking Yunnan generals being polite on the surface, who would really care about him, the imperial envoy, if it came to a life-or-death situation?

Seeing the Yunnan troops gathering more and more, if he didn't come up with a solution soon, it would be hard for him to extricate himself. He was also in a hurry to save his beloved wife, Ake!

After a hurried discussion, Wei Xiaobao decided to follow Lin Sha's advice and take only his personal guards to the Pingxi Wang's residence, while the cavalry troops quickly returned to the temporary camp.

However, the cavalry officers were unwilling to agree. Seeing their commander's anxious face, it was clear something serious had happened. Even if they couldn't help temporarily, if they shrank back at this critical moment, they would have no face to follow the commander back to the capital.

Later, the Yunnan generals who gathered also joined the emergency discussion. They decided to allow the cavalry troops to camp at Fahui Temple, three miles from the Pingxi Wang's residence, under the supervision of the Yunnan troops. Wei Xiaobao would then proceed to the Pingxi Wang's residence with a small group of guards.

What happened afterward, Lin Sha didn't know and didn't want to know. When Wei Xiaobao returned to Fahui Temple with a happy face, escorted by hundreds of cavalry troops, and then returned to the imperial envoy's quarters, his mission was considered complete. After jointly submitting a report with the Yunnan generals, they returned to their respective camps.

When the sky was filled with evening twilight, after a day of military affairs, Lin Sha returned to his residence with fifty personal guards. Upon seeing Mu Jianping and Fang Yi, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"What's going on?"

He took a sip of tea to calm down and directly looked at Mu Jianping, who couldn't hide her feelings. The young princess had a conflicted look, clearly holding back something.

"Lord and Elder Liu have returned!"

Before the young princess could speak, Fang Yi suddenly spoke up.

"Mu Jianping and Liu Dahong have returned. Where did you see them?"

Lin Sha's expression changed slightly but quickly returned to normal as he asked in a calm voice.

"They must be fearless. With heavy troops in Kunming, one wrong move could cost them their lives. I hope they don't act rashly and get you involved!"

"Hmph, no need for your fake concern!"

Fang Yi's face was cold, clearly dissatisfied with Lin Sha's words.

Mu Jianping, seeing Lin Sha's question, answered honestly: "Today, I suddenly saw my brother and Master Liu at the West Gate."

Lin Sha pondered for a moment and asked, "What else did your brother and Liu Dahong say?"

Mu Jianping blinked her innocent eyes and said, "Senior Brother Ao, Senior Brother Liu, and others also came, except for Uncle Wu, who was ill. They came to Kunming and planned a scheme to assassinate Princess Jianning."

"Wait, what did you say?"

Lin Sha's eyes widened, and he quickly interrupted, asking in surprise, "Liu Yizhou?"

Mu Jianping nodded seriously, and Fang Yi's expression became even worse.

Lin Sha chuckled and changed the topic, "Why assassinate the princess? She hasn't wronged the Mu family!"

Mu Jianping, without much thought, replied earnestly, "My brother said we need to bring down the traitor Wu Sangui. This is a great opportunity. The Tartar emperor married his sister to Wu Sangui's son. If we kill the princess, the emperor will blame Wu Sangui for failing to protect her, and he will likely force Wu Sangui to rebel!"

"Immature!" Lin Sha commented.

"You're talking nonsense!" Fang Yi glared.

"Forget it, I can't explain to you!"

Lin Sha waved his hand, unwilling to argue further, which infuriated Fang Yi. He added, "Find a safe place to meet. I'll talk to Mu Jianping and Liu Dahong personally!"

Without waiting for Fang Yi's response, the young princess quickly nodded in agreement.

"You two are well-known in the Pingxi Wang's residence. Don't casually contact the Mu family to avoid trouble that I can't handle in time!"

After setting the meeting, Lin Sha sternly warned:

"Also, that Liu Yizhou, with his weak character, don't you fear he might betray you one day?"

His prediction came true...

The next day, while Lin Sha was patrolling the streets, a family soldier urgently reported that Miss Fang Yi needed to see him, an emergency!

His heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly gave some instructions and followed the family soldier back to the residence. As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw the young princess, Mu Jianping, sobbing, and Fang Yi looking extremely anxious.

"What's going on?"

Lin Sha quickly embraced the young princess and turned to look at Fang Yi in surprise.

"Last night, the young lord and the Mu family members were surrounded by Wu Sangui's elite troops and captured!" Fang Yi steadied herself and answered in a calm voice.

"How did they get exposed?"

Lin Sha gently comforted the frightened Mu Jianping, puzzled.

"..."

Fang Yi's face was full of shame and reluctance to speak.

It's clear, there must have been a traitor!

The first person who came to Lin Sha's mind was Liu Yizhou, the weak-willed one. He shook his head, putting it aside for now. He promised the two women he would help gather information as soon as possible, not making grand promises to rescue them but assuring their safety.

He believed there was still room for a comeback, depending on how much Wei Xiaobao, the protagonist, could stir things up, allowing him to take advantage of the chaos.

...

That day, a scout reported an unusual situation at the imperial envoy's quarters.

Without a word, Lin Sha changed into plain clothes and took only a dozen trusted subordinates, following the scout's lead, galloping out of the city.

Leaving the West Gate, the surroundings became increasingly desolate. He didn't know why Wei Xiaobao had come here.

After traveling another three miles and turning north, the road became narrow, only wide enough for one carriage. They arrived at a small temple. From a distance, he could see the Heaven and Earth Society members scattered around, clearly indicating that this small temple was Wei Xiaobao's destination.

"Who are you?"

Before Lin Sha's group could approach, a man dressed as a Taoist priest jumped out from the side of the road, blocking their path.

"Get out of my way, or you'll regret it, you rule-breaking Taoist!"

Lin Sha led the way, narrowing his eyes and looking at the Taoist priest calmly.

"It's you?"

The Taoist priest finally recognized Lin Sha, his face changing drastically. He raised his steel sword, ready to fight, and shouted, "Brothers, come quickly, a tough one is here..."

...