Situ Kong asked Nan Shiying, "Do you have proof, my lord?"
"What if Wang Xun aimed to kill Cheng Chongyu, not just him, but everyone implicated in the forged letters? Perhaps these people were obstacles to Wang Xun's control over Wucheng?"
"If we think about the entire matter in reverse, couldn't Wang Xun have colluded with Lin Xie?"
"Or perhaps with those who stood to gain within the Langhuan Army after Cheng Chongyu's death? That's why they want to use official channels to weed out Cheng Chongyu's faction?"
"There are three points!"
"First!"
"Ying Wu and Ying Liu intercepted all messages from Liaojiang. This means the mastermind behind this event does not know we have discovered the matter of selling out our people. If the other party was suspicious because Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce's ships did not return on time, then Wang Xun should have detonated himself yesterday, not the day before. Because Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce's ships were scheduled to return to port yesterday. In other words, why would the mastermind detonate himself without receiving any unfavorable news?"
"Second!"
"The path those madmen chose to descend the mountain was towards Lin Yuan's Langhuan Army!"
"On that day, before noon, the highest-ranking general of the temporary military camp stationed outside Changming Mountain was Cheng Chongyu!"
"Third, and most importantly!"
"I deliberately provoked Lin Xie and set a trap. I wanted to fish, but the fish didn't take the bait. They abandoned the plan to kill all witnesses and instead used these forces to intercept you." Nan Shiying looked at Er Gou and the Cook. "If Wang Xun wanted to silence everyone, whom would he choose to kill between you and me?"
"You!"
Even the Cook knew the answer to this question.
"But why did they come to kill you?"
Nan Shiying sneered, "Because they found the perfect scapegoat. They were afraid that using the secret channels within the army would allow me to lead Lin Xie to catch the fox by its tail, so they chose to remain inactive. They were certain that after I met with you, no matter what we discovered or found, it would all be attributed to the missing Wang Xun."
"And the assassins who intercepted you that day after you broke into Cheng's mansion were most likely Cheng Chongyu's hired assassins. After Yu Dabao discovered you had broken into Cheng's mansion and searched Cheng Chongyu's study, he ordered his assassins to go to the Langhuan Army camp to feign an assassination attempt on Cheng Chongyu, so that you would be convinced that Cheng Chongyu was framed and that the letters in your possession were all forged."
"This way, you would be completely convinced that Wang Xun was the mastermind."
Nan Shiying touched the corner of her clothes, her eyes growing colder. The most important thing now was Wang Xun. Wang Xun could not fall into the hands of Yu Dabao and the others.
The entire affair was not actually complicated. It was only the disparity in information and the inability to see the full picture that caused the deviation.
Yu Dabao's methods were not sophisticated, nor was Cheng Chongyu's. But what was important was the power and the assassins they controlled. She didn't know who in Wucheng belonged to Yu Dabao, nor did she know who in the Langhuan Army belonged to Cheng Chongyu. Now, in Wucheng, she only had her shadow guards and Situ Kong and a few others at her disposal. It wasn't enough!
She couldn't overpower them directly, so she had to resort to strategy.
Er Gou and the others still kept their heads down, their brains overloaded with too much information and momentarily short-circuiting. It wasn't until Nan Shiying's voice reached their ears that Er Gou dazedly looked up.
Situ Kong said, "My lord says for you and the Cook to continue staying in Wucheng."
Er Gou: "...Huh?" What do you mean, the Cook and I should continue staying in Wucheng? Then what about you?
Situ Kong offered no explanation. If he didn't hear it, then he didn't hear it. In any case, they were all staying in Wucheng!
In the backyard of Guangde Tower, there were several rooms used by the head chef to rest during busy periods.
The Cook and Er Gou lived in the front hall, piecing together tables to form two beds. It was hard, but for Er Gou and the Cook, having a place to shelter from the wind and rain was already satisfying.
Xiao Man walked to the front hall and said to the two of them, "My brother wants to see you!"
Er Gou and the Cook climbed out of the tables and followed Xiao Man to the backyard. They did not ask why. At this point, they had resigned themselves to their fate. The main reason was the shopkeeper. After going to Liaojiang with her for a few days, she had returned with an air of absolute loyalty. Although the shopkeeper was usually unreliable, she was a proud person. To make her submit and willingly dedicate herself was harder than climbing to heaven. Although Er Gou had heard about the shopkeeper's experiences these past few days, he still couldn't understand her respect and admiration for Nan Shiying.
However, the Cook said that if the shopkeeper acknowledged her, then they would too!
It seemed that following a tree with the Regent as its backing was indeed more promising than opening their own hacker inn.
Er Gou, lost in thought, arrived at the room. The two were not yet accustomed to kneeling before others, but they still respectfully bowed and offered their greetings.
"Sit!"
Nan Shiying gestured to the chairs in front of her, inviting them to sit and talk.
Er Gou and the Cook expressed their gratitude and sat down.
Xiao Man closed the door and stood guard outside.
Nan Shiying raised her hand, her fingers tracing the place where the human-skin mask met her neck. She looked at the Cook and Er Gou, slowly removed the mask, and threw it in front of the Cook. "From now on, you are Feng Luan."