Chapter 368

Jun Chenling swept his gaze over the crowd, then continued to dissect: "That batch of old aristocratic remnants is one faction, and the hired thugs are the same faction."

The ones spreading false information behind the scenes are the second group, operating in Z Country. The third group consists of nobles working behind the scenes in Y Country, and there is yet another group...

He slightly lifted his gaze, laying out the deeper context, saying, "They're targeting the Peiweika family."

Thus entity: Peiweika Family (maybe "Peiweika family").

"What do you mean?" Song Yan's expression turned grave. "Youbao is the eldest daughter of the Peiweika family; people over in Y Country don't know that, so why would they be rushing to their own death?"

Jun Chenling shook his head. "Precisely because we know, we must act all the more."

He stood up, walked to the edge of the table, turned his back to the few people, his voice devoid of emotion: "The favors that the Duke's uncle planted among the underground forces in Y Country and M Country back then aren't appreciated by everyone."

"Some people, who owed the Peiweika family favors back then, have been living prosperously these years; what they fear most is having their old debts dug up."

"They think that as long as they eliminate the Peiweika family's most beloved little princess, throw the Duke's Mansion into disarray, and prevent A Xin from inheriting the Duke's Mansion, those past matters can stay buried forever."

Qing An listened, suppressing the anger in his chest, and said, "So you're saying these people came to kill?"

Jun Chenling didn't respond directly, merely turning half his face away, his eyes cold and still, "Do you still remember the coup ten years ago? Why did your father have your brother purge those old nobles?"

Qing An frowned, "They wanted to rebel, so of course they needed to be purged."

"Rebellion is just a surface appearance; you haven't investigated thoroughly." Jun Chenling spoke calmly, "The real reason is that those old nobles secretly colluded with a certain family in Y Country, aiming to turn M Country into a vassal of Y Country."

Upon hearing this, several people present changed their expressions.

Song Yan furrowed his brows, "Are you saying that someone in Y Country wants to use those old nobles as pawns to control M Country?"

"Not just wanting, they've already done it." Jun Chenling corrected, "They failed ten years ago, but they never gave up."

He sat back down, lowering his voice: "Over the years, those old nobles have managed to stay hidden for a decade not just by their own efforts."

"Someone has been secretly funding them, helping them conceal their movements, and even assisting in training their personnel."

"This kidnapping is them testing your brother's reaction, testing the Peiweika family's response, and also testing..."

His voice sank a few degrees: "Can we use this opportunity to stir up the situation in M Country again?"

The atmosphere grew even heavier.

After a moment, Song Yan broke the silence: "Are those kidnappers still at Uncle Jiang Yuan's place?"

"Yes."

"What about the people over in Y Country?"

Jun Chenling said nothing, merely lifting his gaze toward the direction of the palace.

Qing An followed his line of sight and saw that it was the side hall where Mu Xin and his group were located; he instantly understood and asked, "Does A Xin know?"

Jun Chenling's voice was flat: "He found out even earlier than I did."

Song Lujing took a deep breath, "And then he..."

Jun Chenling interrupted him, "He's very calm."

Qing An startled, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Jun Chenling said softly, "he has already arranged his people to start taking action."

Inside the Imperial Palace Council Chamber.

Along both sides of the long table sat Mu Xin, Mu Xianqi, Song Yusui, Qing Wei, and Ruo Ya, who had rushed over.

Mu Xianqi sat at the head of the table, with a freshly delivered encrypted document spread out before him.

Jiang Liangjin sat nearby, his expression solemn and focused.

"The latest progress." Mu Xianqi said, pushing the document forward, "The news transmitted back from Z Country is what Mu Yichen and his team have uncovered."

He was about to continue, intending to lay out all the information Mu Yichen had discovered.

Mu Xin, however, suddenly lifted his eyes, without any extra preamble, and cut him off directly: "We'll talk about this later."

Mu Xianqi halted his motion, the two exchanged a glance, needing no words, instantly understanding each other's thoughts, and said, "Sure, go ahead."

Mu Xin slowly straightened up, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and asked, "Do you still remember what I said yesterday?"

Yesterday, Mu Xin had held a small meeting; everyone present now was there then, and he had only briefly mentioned a few points, which matched exactly what Jun Chenling had just revealed in the garden.

Ten years ago, during the M Country coup, the force of the old nobles' remnants that dared to openly rebel originated from Y Country.

They were instigated by a certain family in Y Country, attempting to turn M Country into a vassal of Y Country...

Back then, everyone still thought Mu Xin's speculation was overly precise, but soon after, Jun Chenling's evidence surfaced, and now Mu Yichen has also transmitted back intelligence.

It perfectly confirmed every word he had said.

Those present were not surprised, after all Mu Xin was a prodigy, his thinking meticulous, and any speculation he voiced became the conclusion.

Qing Wei was the first to ask, cutting straight to the point: "Are you planning to deal with Y Country first?"

Mu Xin reseated himself, an image of his sister flashing in his mind, the chill around him easing slightly, and said, "Yes, first resolve the immediate issue, then eradicate the root, proceeding from near to far."

He lifted his gaze, first landing on Jiang Liangjin, and simply asked, "How's things on the M Country side?"

Jiang Liangjin sat upright, his voice deep and stern: "My third uncle has already led a team to eradicate all the organization's hiding spots in M Country, capturing every core member."

"What about the interrogations?"

"They're underway; my third uncle is personally overseeing them, and any results will be sent over immediately."

Ruo Ya timely interjected: "On my end, I've also completed the deployment; in three days I will convene all the nobles, issue a public warning, kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, and eradicate any internal collusion."

Mu Xin gave a slight nod, without extra praise, and directly set the core strategy: "Wrap up M Country, then next deal with those people in Y Country."

Jiang Liangjin understood his line of thought.

Taking Youbao's current location as the starting point, she is now in M Country, will soon head to Y Country, and finally return home.

The target will be handled from near to far: from M Country to Y Country, and finally to Z Country.

"Over in Y Country, we haven't yet uncovered the top tier." Mu Xin said frankly, "We've only touched a few mid-level executors, their identities wiped clean, as if they were deliberately put out as cannon fodder."

Targets are handled from nearest to farthest, starting with M Country, then Y Country, and finally Z Country.

Mu Xianqi interjected: "So what should we do now? Should we just rush into Y Country and arrest people? That would lack proper justification, easily provoke conflict between the two nations, blow things out of proportion, and even scare the snake in the grass."

Jiang Liangjin said calmly, "Normal. If you can stay hidden for ten years, you won't be so easily exposed."

Mu Xianqi said, "What should we do now? Should we just storm Y Country and arrest people? That would be without proper justification, likely provoke a conflict between the two nations, escalate the situation, and even tip off the target."

Song Yusui pondered, "Moreover, Youbao is nominally the princess conferred by Y Guo, and grandfather over there is also the century-old duke of Y Guo; if we act in Y Guo, it's equivalent to causing trouble on our own people's turf, the risk is too high."

Qing Wei adjusted his sitting posture, "Afraid of trouble? If you go to Y Guo, there are very few places where I and Ruo Ya can be of help."

Song Yusui looked back, "It's not fear, it's that I cannot leave any hidden danger for Youbao. Also, A Shen, he will need to establish himself in Y Guo in the future; he is the heir of the Duke's Mansion, and we cannot let him bear the reputation of a family meddling in state affairs."

Jiang Liangjin pondered for a moment, slowly lifted his eyes, his voice low: "No need to come openly."