Chapter 727: Absolutely Not Kind-Hearted

Gu Kang drew a breath, looked at Mr. Wen, and said: "Xiao Yin is absolutely not kind-hearted; it's impossible to temporarily let a military commander return to oversee the state, especially one far away in the borderlands—wouldn't a close aide near the overseer be more suitable?"

Zhao Lang is certainly not incompetent; although the people we sent out are all top-notch experts, Zhao Lang has repeatedly earned military merit in so many wars, rising to the rank of Pillar-of-State Grand General—he is definitely not just an empty reputation.

His combat prowess is even on par with Xiao Yin's; how could he possibly be forced to fall off a cliff?

Zhao Lang cherished his wife as his own life; our people have searched the cliffside and the ditch bottom for so long, yet found no trace of Zhao Lang's corpse.

What's even more puzzling is that Zhao Lang's wife and two children have also vanished, as if they suddenly disappeared in that siege.

I have no idea what kind of trick they're playing.

Alive, you must see the person; dead, you must see the corpse. Logically, if Zhao Lang were alive he should have already shown up in Shang Jing to fight me to the death, yet half a month has passed and he still hasn't appeared.

Even now that I am overseeing the state, Zhao Lang still doesn't show up; there are two possibilities: first, Zhao Lang is indeed able to hold his breath; second...

Gu Kang paused in his speech: "Perhaps we've already fallen into someone else's trap; we just can't see it clearly right now."

Gu Kang slowly raised his hand, and a white piece landed on the board with a soft 'click'.

Mr. Wen held the piece in his hand, not placing it for a moment, like an old monk entering meditation.

Suddenly he raised his hand and swept toward the board; Mr. Wen overturned the board in one motion.

The black and white pieces carved from mutton-fat jade and ink jade were scattered everywhere, some even chipped.

This board was carved from purple sandalwood, and the pieces were made of rare polished jade.

These were taken by Gu Kang from the Du family's treasure trove as a gift to Mr. Wen; seeing Mr. Wen raise his hand and fling the pieces everywhere, the board crashed to the floor, Gu Kang's expression shifted slightly, and he stood up uncertainly, looking at Mr. Wen before him.

Mr. Wen usually spoke gently and elegantly, but this time he erupted; for a moment Gu Kang felt a bit frightened.

"Sir, I have offended you many times; please don't get angry, lest it harm your health."

Gu Kang thought he had misspoken, but unexpectedly Mr. Wen slowly rose to his feet, a smile appearing on his face.

"Gu Kang, remember this: if you can't see the situation clearly, kill the one holding the pieces!"

Gu Kang was momentarily speechless.

Mr. Wen stared fixedly at the flustered Gu Kang; although his expression showed nothing, deep down he felt a certain disappointment.

This child has a woman's benevolence!

They have been searching for the Li dynasty's former emperor's descendants; after so long they finally found them, yet they turned out to be hidebound and unable to act.

On the contrary, he holds Xiao Yin in high regard—brave and strategic, decisive in action—but Xiao Yin is his opponent.

Gu Kang looked cautiously at Mr. Wen opposite him, never expecting Mr. Wen to burst out laughing.

He stepped forward, patted Gu Kang's shoulder, then his expression grew slightly stern as he looked at Gu Kang and said: "If you don't cut when you should, you'll invite chaos; Gu Kang, if you miss this opportunity, you may never get another."

"Once Xiao Yin returns, given time the court will surely be tightened by him like an iron bucket, leaving you even less chance."

Mr. Wen actually feels a bit embarrassed saying this, but if he could choose, he would rather Xiao Yin be the person they're looking for—unfortunately, he isn't.

This child has still experienced relatively little, tends to be indecisive, but fortunately he is obedient and has made considerable progress these days.

Mr. Wen looked at Gu Kang before him and said, word by word: "If one day you face a complicated situation and don't know how to handle it, then solve it with the simplest method."

"The simplest?" Gu Kang didn't understand what Mr. Wen meant.

Mr. Wen slowly walked to the window, lifted his head to look at the overcast sky outside, and said in a low voice: "Since you suspect this is Xiao Yin's scheme, then kill the schemer, and everything can be broken."

Gu Kang's body trembled slightly; he had already understood Mr. Wen's meaning.

If Xiao Yin falls, his entourage will be unable to withstand it; they will all die then.

But what about the elder sister? If Xiao Yin is killed by him, the elder sister will surely go mad. How will he face her then? How should the elder sister's two children be dealt with?

Thinking of this, Gu Kang ultimately felt a bit reluctant, raised his head, and said cautiously to Mr. Wen: "I want to seek a way for them to survive."

After all, the Empress is my sister; I find it hard to sever ties with her for now.

She is also the bloodline left by the Murong family, Mr. Wen...

Gu Kang was about to continue when Mr. Wen raised his hand to stop him, turned around, and began to admire the scenery outside.

From that back view, his body seemed even more stooped; then Mr. Wen slowly said: "Your elder sister is the biggest variable, but compared to our restoration ideal, her children's love affairs are still rather thin."

"If she continues to act on her own and mingles with the Xiao family, then we have no choice but to abandon her."

Gu Kang clenched both hands into fists, hidden in his sleeves, trembling slightly.

Mr. Wen turned to face Gu Kang, sorrow spreading across his face: "Gu Kang, this world ought to have been your great-grandfather's; back then your great-grandfather planned meticulously, exhausted his efforts to establish the Li dynasty. He had thought this would bring political harmony and peace to the people, but the Xiao family, petty as they are, used underhanded schemes, joining with the Eight Great Clans to kill your great-grandfather."

"Why should they enjoy the fruits, their progeny flourishing, while your Murong family's children were slaughtered to near extinction? The sole remaining bloodline drifted among the common folk, only to meet an unjust death."

"Reconciliation has never been an option for us!"

"Therefore, to completely resolve this issue, the only way is to lure Xiao Yin to a place where he can never recover, and kill him!"

Gu Kang lowered his head, his face grim.

Mr. Wen sighed: "At this point of life and death, we must not show womanly compassion."

"Their children have still not been found; it is said they disappeared in a sandstorm in Mo Bei."

"Now the only leverage we have over them is their pair of children."

Mr. Wen said, word by word: "These days Gu Jiu Ling and Xiao Yin are almost frantic searching for the children; they've even put out a word in the martial world: whoever finds this pair of dragon-and-phoenix twins will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold, granted a princely title and marquisate, and he will not go back on his word."

"However, Xiao Yin, out of concern for the children's safety, has kept the bounty order secret; he also doesn't want the whole world to know the little prince is missing, lest it provoke foreign powers."

Mr. Wen said slowly: "Why don't we, taking advantage of the chaos, add another flame? Lure Xiao Yin to a place."

Gu Kang lifted his eyes: "What place?"

Mr. Wen turned to look out the window and said: "The border where Western Rong, Bei Di, and Southern Qi meet—Mang Shan."

As soon as the two words 'Mang Shan' were spoken, Gu Kang froze there.

Mr. Wen sighed, murmuring softly: "It's time to end this!"