Chapter 647: Returning a Favor with a Clue

After the Great Battle of Hanhe, the Yuan Nation's army nearly collapsed, and the Xunzhou army was also severely damaged; how could they recover in just a few months?

The current Xiazhou troops were weak and tired, and even Zhao Pan, the general best at defense, had been transferred away. At this time, if Nian Zanli could borrow elite Baling troops, it would be completely bullying the weak with the strong, hitting Xiazhou Supervisor He Chunhua in the face.

Defeat? Impossible!

Why should he refuse such a sure-win situation? Why must he engage in tug-of-war with Xiazhou and fall into a bitter battle? The Xunzhou army was the foundation he had built for more than ten years, and also the foundation for seizing the world in the future; it could not be consumed meaninglessly again.

Nian Zanli looked at Lu Huansheng and smiled: "If you don't have good suggestions, don't speak."

Lu Huansheng shrank his head and didn't make a sound.

Someone on the side immediately said: "As for the annual tribute promised to the Frost Leaf National Teacher and the Baling Nation, there is no need to worry. As long as we take the Yuan Nation, this bit of money and silk can still be paid. A few days ago, the Ke family took a sword tip at the Dun Garden auction, and it cost seven or eight hundred thousand taels. Can the vast Yuan Nation not be as rich as a Ke family?"

Other aides nodded: "Yes, as long as we add a little peace tax, this hole will be filled."

The point is to win! As long as we win, everything else is a later matter.

Lu Huansheng couldn't help it: "The Yuan Nation lacks money and food. It is said that Zhao Pan's army mutinied on the way to the northwest and had to plunder several villages, otherwise the soldiers would have run away. Except for the Yuan capital, the bones and blood of the commoners in other places have been squeezed dry, and even the ground has been scraped three feet; where can we dig out so much money and silk to pay the Frost Leaf National Teacher?"

Nian Zanli's cold eyes swept over, and Lu Huansheng immediately lowered his head.

Other aides hurriedly said: "You also said, except for the Yuan capital... the Yuan capital is rich, and the officials are fat; there is plenty of money and silver in their treasury."

Someone else reminded: "The Grand General in the northwest has won several victories and is also intensifying his offensive. If we don't use the Baling troops, then..."

After the Battle of Hanshui, the Xunzhou army suffered heavy losses and was already inferior to the Grand General in terms of troop strength. If they didn't lead the Baling troops south, maybe the Grand General would take the lead and enter the Yuan capital.

"Exactly!" Nian Zanli bloomed with a little smile: "Since the elite troops have been borrowed, Lu Huansheng, you return to Xunzhou tomorrow to prepare food and grass; we will conquer Yuan within half a year!"

Lu Huansheng could only respond.

Nian Zanli walked out of the tent, holding his sword and looking back at the northwest, feeling comfortable.

The Frost Leaf National Teacher's asking price was indeed very high, but how could there be no price for wanting to win a war? Elite troops were about to be in hand; before next summer, he would cut off He Chunhua's head as a wine cup!

He Lingchuan finished the pancake in two or three bites, wiped his hands and mouth, turned around, and walked towards the Palace of Heaven's camp.

Yes, the Palace of Heaven didn't need to show off carriages at the Grass Sea; they directly sent a battalion of people to set up ten tents at the best viewing position on the sandbar, guarded by Palace of Heaven soldiers.

The Duyan Envoy came to the scene in person today, and all specifications here were particularly grand.

The open space outside the camp was full of commoners kneeling, densely packed with at least ten thousand, almost unable to see the white sand on the ground.

They prostrated themselves, ignoring everyone, muttering words in their mouths.

The Duyan Envoy and the Lamp-Guarding Envoy were the human walkers of the Heavenly God, usually high in the clouds, and humble commoners rarely saw them. Today, such a good opportunity, devout believers all had to rush to worship.

There were many families, old and young, prostrating on the ground together, exceptionally devout, willing to dedicate everything to the Heavenly God.

He Lingchuan walked in the crowd kneeling on the ground, feeling that there was nowhere to step.

As expected, he was stopped before he even got close to the camp.

The weapons of the Palace of Heaven guards were shining brightly.

"He Xiao, the envoy of the Chi Yan Nation, requests to see the White Envoy, with major inside information to report."

The guard looked at him suspiciously, but the word "envoy" was still useful, and one of them turned and entered the camp to report.

After a dozen breaths, he walked back and said: "Please follow me."

With the extra word "please," He Lingchuan knew Bai Ziqi's attitude.

People in the camp were coming and going, busy like worker bees; after all, the Grass Sea event was about to officially begin.

He Lingchuan followed the guard into a small tent.

Bai Ziqi was talking to someone. Seeing He Lingchuan arrive, he immediately sent the person away and smiled at him: "Yo, He Xiao, how do you have time to find me?"

He had a high status in the Palace of Heaven, second only to the Duyan Envoy, but he rarely put on airs when receiving people.

He Lingchuan smiled back, looked left and right, but didn't make a sound.

Bai Ziqi understood, waved away everyone in the tent, and rubbed his hands: "Come, please sit, please speak!"

He had also been pondering He Lingchuan for a long time, knowing that he wouldn't come to the Palace of Heaven without a reason.

He Lingchuan really didn't have any nonsense: "Qingfu Temple, there is progress."

Hearing the three words "Qingfu Temple," Bai Ziqi immediately waved his hand to interrupt, first placed a sound-insulating barrier, and then said sternly: "Continue."

"The people of Qingfu Temple didn't all die; there is a fish that slipped through the net named Kong Jiaxiang. On the day of the fire, he happened to be staying overnight at his lover's place, so he escaped a disaster." He Lingchuan said this earth-shattering news in a low voice. "After he learned that Qingfu Temple was destroyed, he hurriedly fled back to his hometown, Yangshui."

Bai Ziqi listened without missing a word, his face solemn:

"How did you know?"

The Qinggong was a very strong opponent, sweeping away all the clues they could think of. He had mobilized manpower and material resources, and after checking for so long, he hadn't found any useful information; how did He Xiao, who had just arrived in Lingxu City, find it instead?

He Lingchuan came prepared: "After we caught Wu Kai in Baishajue, I sent people to investigate his hometown background. At that time, the feedback hadn't arrived, so we took the prisoner and left Baishajue, coming to Lingxu City."

He handed over a file: "This is the account book just sent to us by Yangshui County, which registers the background of Wu Kai's relatives and friends in his hometown. Kong Jiaxiang was a bookkeeper by trade, not only the brother of Wu Kai's daughter-in-law but also the temple keeper of Qingfu Temple. I think this was introduced by Wu Kai."

Bai Ziqi took it and flipped through it, while He Lingchuan explained it to him.

"I have seen the list of the dead in Qingfu Temple, and Kong Jiaxiang is listed among them." As the victim, the Chi Yan Nation could inquire about the progress of the case, and Fu Shanyue had obtained the list. "Comparing it with the account book sent by Yangshui County, I found the discrepancy between these two pieces of evidence. I have already sent a bird demon back to verify it; Kong Jiaxiang is indeed still alive and living in the old house in Yangshui."

The useful information in the account book had been circled in red ink. Bai Ziqi finished reading it in two or three glances and praised "good" several times in a row:

"He Xiao is really careful. But why didn't the Prince arrest him directly?"

Yangshui was in the territory of Chi Yan, and Fu Shanyue naturally had jurisdiction.

He Lingchuan said in a low voice: "I'm afraid of alerting the enemy; I'd better trouble the White Envoy."

Bai Ziqi looked at him deeply: "Then please ask He Xiao to thank the Prince for me."

Fu Shanyue didn't arrest people himself but let him arrest them; this was giving him credit. Because the Chi Yan Prince had frequently encountered danger in Lingxu City, the popularity of this case in the court and the public had not gone down, but had become more and more clamorous, and even the most remote rural suburbs of the lower city were discussing it.

Bai Ziqi had been running around for the Elixir of Immortality case for a long time, and there had been no progress recently, and the Heavenly God and the Emperor had frequently asked about it, so the pressure on his shoulders was huge.

If Kong Jiaxiang's confession could really become a new breakthrough in the case, the Chi Yan Prince's move was giving him a huge favor.

It wasn't that he was originally ineffective in the investigation, but that Kong Jiaxiang's clue must have the cooperation of Chi Yan.

It was normal for people to go missing at the scene of a major fire; with such fierce true fire burning, what was strange about there being no bones left? Qingfu Temple was missing several corpses. If the account book from Yangshui County in Chi Yan hadn't been sent, they would never have found out that Kong Jiaxiang was still alive.

The Qinggong hadn't found it either, so now he was finally one step ahead of his opponent.

This opportunity must be grasped well.

He Lingchuan smiled: "Definitely."

With the new clue to the Elixir of Immortality case, Bai Ziqi's attention would shift, and he wouldn't have to stare at him.

With Bai Ziqi's caution, plus the current attention on the Elixir of Immortality case, he would likely go to Yangshui to arrest people himself.

During this period, the degree of freedom He Lingchuan obtained would be higher, and things would be easier to handle.

The major inside information had been passed on, and He Lingchuan had to go back.

Bai Ziqi was in a great mood, personally sent him outside the camp, and said goodbye with a smile.

This scene must have been seen by many people with ulterior motives.

He Xiao's own popularity was very high, and he had walked into the camp of the empire's highest power institution in full view of everyone, and now he was personally sent out by the Duyan Envoy, and the two seemed to be talking and laughing happily...

What happened! He Lingchuan believed that there must be an eye of the Frost Leaf National Teacher here.

His transaction with the Frost Leaf National Teacher seemed very simple, and it seemed he had taken advantage. In fact, how calculating was the Frost Leaf National Teacher; how could he do a losing business? He had long seen that only He Xiao was the best candidate to submit the clue of Kong Jiaxiang.

This was the initial handler of the case, and all the major progress in the Elixir of Immortality case so far had been investigated by him.

He Xiao was also an envoy of Chi Yan, and Kong Jiaxiang's hometown was in Yangshui, Chi Yan; it was reasonable for He Xiao to stumble upon this clue during the investigation.

Most importantly, he was an outsider and had no connection with the Frost Leaf National Teacher, so the evidence he submitted was more credible.

Even Bai Ziqi, who was the most suspicious, had to believe it.

Of course, He Lingchuan also had some strange performances in Baishajue, but they had nothing to do with Lingxu City.

After Bai Ziqi got the clue of Kong Jiaxiang from his hand, he wouldn't bother to verify it, which also met the Frost Leaf National Teacher's desire for a quick victory.

Regardless of other people's eyes, and regardless of what kind of repercussions this scene would cause, He Lingchuan walked back.

The mirror in his arms heard him let out a long breath and also gave an "ai" sound: "After handing over the clue, you and the Frost Leaf National Teacher are even. It's not easy."

"Even?" He Lingchuan sneered, "You think too much."

"Ah?" The mirror asked curiously, "The things you asked him to do, and the things he asked you to do, are all completed; isn't this called even?"

"'Even' means it ends here, and there is no entanglement." He Lingchuan said lightly, "Do you think, after this, is the relationship between me and Frost Leaf closer or further?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 648 =====