Chapter 319: Just with that pig brain, what can you use to contend with Chen Yan!

Weiguo Gong Fu.

The sandalwood incense in the Shufang burned out.

The last spark went out in the celadon furnace, taking with it the faint, almost imagined warmth, leaving nothing behind.

Silver strands at Dugu Zhao's temples glimmered coldly in the candlelight, his usually warm, smiling eyes now weighed down heavily, his brow ridge twisted into a deep furrow.

Even the lines at the corners of his eyes seemed frozen by anger and cold, exuding a terrifying chill.

Opposite him, Xi Bo Luo remained silent as well.

He twirled his beard with his fingers, his gaze falling on the interlaced shadows on the floor, and only after a while did he lift his eyes to look at Dugu Xin.

Their gazes met; no words were needed, each saw the same thing in the other's eyes:

Fear, anger, and a hint of unspeakable cold.

"Father!"

The Shufang's door was flung open violently, a gust of wind shattering the room's silence.

Dugu Zhang's eyes shone astonishingly, clearly having received some earth‑shattering good news.

He strode a few steps into the room, oblivious to the iron‑clad tension between Dugu Zhao and Xi Bo Luo, and cheerfully laughed, "My son heard that Uncle Chang, in the Mingjing Department's Great Prison, wrote a blood letter and took on all the crimes himself!"

"Li Chen has nothing to do with you!"

The news spread through every street and alley.

In Dugu Zhang's view, although Uncle Chang took the blame and even committed suicide, it was a huge boon for Weiguo Gong Fu.

Fundamentally, it resolved the false accusation by Xiao Sima You Wangzhi, and eliminated any room for Chen Yan to exploit the matter…

"Ah Zhang, you seem quite happy, don't you?"

Dugu Zhao, hearing this, looked at his unusually excited son, showing no sign of relief, but a near‑steel‑blue gloom, the shadow beneath his brow disappearing into darkness.

The candle, startled by the laughter moments ago, flickered in his pupils, reflecting only icy cold, not a hint of warmth.

"Father, isn't it worth rejoicing?"

Dugu Zhang felt a chill crawl over his heart and hair, bewildered, he stammered, "Uncle Chang voluntarily Abandon the Carriage to Save the Commander…"

Before he could finish, a crisp "clang!" rang out.

Dugu Zhao slammed the tea cup onto the table, the icy tea splashing everywhere, soaking the xuan paper laid on the desk, spreading a dark stain.

"Foolish!"

"Foolish beyond measure!"

He twisted his face into a scowl, finally spoke, his voice sounding as if hauled from an ice cellar, brimming with suppressed fury, and he could not help but shout, "With that pig brain of yours, what can you use to contend with Chen Yan!"

"You can't even match that kid's single hair!"

Sometimes, people truly out‑kill each other.

And they still wallow in smugness…

This isn't a son bought back with a hundred thousand taels…

It's clearly the impurities expelled from the body!

No wonder Chen Yan was willing to release him…

"Father, why are you scolding your son?"

Dugu Zhang staggered back half a step, gazing at his father's enraged face, a mist gathering in his eyes—not fear, but genuine grievance—"Did I say something wrong, father?"

The earlier excitement had long vanished, leaving only utter bewilderment.

Dugu Zhang could not understand which word had provoked his father's wrath.

"Ha!"

Dugu Zhao let out a bitter laugh, snorted coldly, his inner fury doused as if with a bucket of water, sinking instantly, leaving only a heavy helplessness: "How could I have given birth to such an obliviously foolish idiot like you!"

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the raging fury in his gaze had faded into a bottomless fatigue.

At that moment, he truly envied Chen Hu…

He envied Chen Hu for having such a capable and clever successor, whereas his own family was a bitter gourd, still Elm Wood.

Dugu Zhang's lips moved, casting a pleading glance toward Xi Bo Luo, asking, "Mr. Xi, what exactly is this…?"

Xi Bo Luo looked at his demeanor, sighed lightly, and said, "General Chang's blood letter not only cannot wash away the connection, it will also indirectly cement the Lord's crimes!"

"It will further shake the foundation of our Dugu clan!"

Human psychology works that way; the more one forces an explanation, the more it breeds doubt…

Moreover, that blood letter carries a huge danger.

Even their own people cannot protect it, which will greatly shake the confidence of those attached to the Dugu clan.

Either wavering will appear, or they will defect outright…

Follow in the footsteps of Zhao Lao Zhuguo!

This method cannot be called anything but ruthless.

"What?!"

Dugu Zhang's pupils suddenly contracted, as if an invisible hand had seized his heart.

"A single blood letter can be that serious?!" he exclaimed in shock, his voice full of incredulous terror, the blue veins at his temples throbbing.

Those words were like a dull knife, slowly cutting a slit in his muddled mind, yet the light that seeped through the slit only made his heart race more.

"The more one describes such matters, the darker it becomes…"

Xi Bo Luo lifted his eyes to Dugu Zhang, his gaze sharpening a few degrees, and said gravely, "Young Master, even you think this is General Chang's Abandon the Carriage to Save the Commander; would the eminent families of Chang'an not feel the same?"

Even members of the Dugu clan hold this view; would outsiders not share it?

If it isn't ordered by the Duke, then it already is as if ordered by the Duke…

A blood letter fully cements the crime!

"It really does seem so!"

Dugu Zhang, realizing belatedly, let out a floating voice trembling with a startled fear; a cold sweat instantly seeped down his back, soaking his close‑fitting clothes.

"Especially Uncle Chang, the general, also committed suicide!"

Xi Biro narrowed his eyes slightly, exhaled a puff of foul breath, and asked, "Will the world see it that way?"

"They will probably think that loyal Uncle Chang is sacrificing his life to clear his father's guilt!"

Dugu Zhang felt a chill surge from the soles of his feet straight to the Heavenly Spirit Cover, as if the blood in his body froze instantly.

He paused, then continued, "They will think that even Uncle Chang meets this fate, and begin to doubt whether the Dugu clan can still offer protection..."

At that point, Dugu Zhang's voice abruptly stopped.

Once this seed is sown, the consequences are unimaginable…

Just now it seemed like a providential turning point, but hearing Xi Biro's analysis, it turned out to be a poisonous scheme that puts father and clan in mortal danger.

That so‑called "blood letter suicide"—where is any relief in it?

Clearly it is a death‑summoning talisman, leading the Dugu clan step by step toward a dead end.

After a long silence, Dugu Zhao showed no expression, only a cold, heavy surge in his eyes, and suddenly said, "Moreover, A De is very likely still forced to kill himself…"

He knows Chang De better than anyone.

Back then, even after an enemy arrow pierced his shoulder blade on the battlefield, he could grit his teeth and cut down three enemy generals.

Yet he chose to "commit suicide" now, leaving behind a perfectly timed blood letter…

His words fell silent.

He let out a cold laugh, full of mockery and bone‑chilling cold.

"Father, are you implying that Uncle Chang was killed by Chen Yan?!"

"How dare he?!"

"Aren't you afraid we'll send people to examine the corpse?!"

Hearing this, Dugu Zhang's face was full of disbelief, his heart roiled with tumult, and he exclaimed in astonishment.

He never imagined Chen Yan could be so audacious.

"Ha!"

Dugu Zhao said nothing, only emitted a faint, cold snort from his nasal cavity.

"Young Master, is there anything that Chief Supervisor Chen wouldn't dare to do?"

Xi Biro shook his head helplessly, and in a deep voice said, "His second uncle, Chen Kaiyuan, also hanged himself out of fear of guilt?"

"Could any flaw still be uncovered?"

Even though Chen Kaiyuan is famously the fool of Chen Lao Zhuguo, could he truly be so cowardly as to voluntarily hang himself to evade guilt?

Just thinking about it makes it impossible!

Someone must have helped him "hang himself out of fear," fully cementing the Crime List…

Who is that person?

So hard to guess!

"Sss—"

Dugu Zhang felt a chill run up his nape, instinctively inhaled a gust of cold air; the cold slid down his throat, freezing his innards.

"Indeed!" His gasping breath rang unusually clear in the silent Shufang, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably, his scalp tingling as if countless fine needles were piercing it, "Chen Yan always acts without a single slip…"

"Uncle Chang actually became the blade he used to attack his father!"

Xi Biro's gaze hardened as he said, "Young Master, you learned of the 'blood letter suicide' from the streets of Chang'an; it was probably also the arm of Chief Supervisor Chen…"

"Chen Yan intends to dismantle the Dugu clan from its roots!"

Hearing this, Dugu Zhang was suddenly enlightened, his eyes widening.

Chen Yan left a blood letter for Uncle Chang, then the suicide spread to everyone's knowledge, boiling and clamorous, precisely to use public opinion to erode the Dugu clan and his father.

Losing the common people's support is secondary.

The crucial point is that the Dugu clan, once abandoned by the aristocratic families, will truly be left without guidance or aid…

"You finally used some sense!" Dugu Zhao glanced over, humming lightly.

Dugu Zhang's gaze shifted from startled fear to burning anxiety as he looked at his father, his voice carrying a barely perceptible panic: "Father, how should we respond now?"

We must not sit and wait for death.

Otherwise it's all over…

Dugu Zhao raised his hand, pressed the throbbing spot on his forehead, massaged the tightly clenched brow ridge for a moment, and the malice in his eyes settled into a calm composure: "A Qin and the others need to be soothed immediately!"

He paused, looked at Dugu Zhang, and ordered, "A Zhang, go pay a visit to Uncle Yang and the others…"

Stabilize the foundation at once; there is no time to waste.

We cannot lose the Old Troops' support; it would chill their hearts.

"I'll go right away…" Dugu Zhang quickly bowed and replied.

Immediately, without lingering, he hurried away.

Dugu Zhao turned to Xi Biro, murderous intent swirling in his eyes, his gaze sharp as an eagle: "Biro, accelerate the matter of making Chen Yan vanish from the mortal world…"

"We must quickly strike down the sharpest blade in Yuwen Hu's hand!"

His death brings a hundred benefits and not a single harm…