Chapter 87: Jiang Jiang Mingyu's Guess

"What's happened? Have the alien tribes attacked?"

Hearing that something had gone wrong in the camp, Tu Tu Kesiluo instantly lost all sleepiness. He hopped off the kang in three quick moves, frantically grabbed the sword from the table, his face full of tension and anxiety.

The soldier delivering the report quickly stopped him, saying, "It's not the alien tribes; something has happened within the main camp."

"Early this morning, more than ten people were found dead in the camp, silently and without a sound."

"They had knife wounds; it is clear they were killed by someone who quietly infiltrated the camp and slit their throats in their sleep."

After hearing this, Tu Tu Kesiluo's eyes widened to the size of peach pits, his eyes revealing disbelief and shock. He shouted sternly, "Take me to the scene immediately!"

Arriving at the vast parade ground, more than ten soldiers in uniform lay quietly on the snow. The surrounding white snow was dyed red by blood, blooming like gorgeous poppies.

A fatal knife wound on each soldier's neck still retained coagulated bloodstains.

A circle of soldiers had gathered around, chattering and debating in a frenzy; panic and fear hung thick in the air.

"How could so many people die suddenly? What is going on?"

"Could it be that the alien tribes have come? How could there be no sound at all?"

"Forget about sound; they didn't even leave footprints. Could it be ghosts?"

"..."

Hearing the murmurs, Tu Tu Kesiluo furrowed his brows deeply and pushed through the crowd with long strides.

Seeing the Black-faced Yama arrive, the onlooking soldiers fell silent in hushed tones, leaving only the howling north wind.

Tu Tu Kesiluo squatted down, carefully examining the wounds and bloodstains, trying to deduce the killer's method. Half an hour later, at the Shangmu County Magistrate's Office.

"What did you say? A habitual criminal?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned heavily, listening to Tu Tu Kesiluo recount the situation with a gloomy face.

Tu Tu Kesiluo, who had rushed over from the city defense camp, slowly nodded: "I have personally inspected the wounds on those corpses."

"Each was killed by a single fatal blow, without the slightest hesitation. It is clear the person who struck is well-versed in this."

"Most importantly, the killer left no footprints. Is this something an ordinary person would think to clean up after killing someone?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu stroked the folding fan in his hand while gazing out the window at the swirling snow and wind, pondering aloud: "All the recruits we brought in are local farmers; how could there be such a cunning, ruthless, and decisive villain? Besides, what grudge would these ordinary commoners have with a habitual criminal, worth killing them all?"

"A grudge? Impossible. How could a habitual criminal have a grudge against more than ten people at once? Impossible."

Tu Tu Kesiluo, however, did not see it that way: "My lord, when did I ever say that only one person struck the blows?"

"Although all the corpses were killed by a single fatal blow, the depth of the wounds and the force of the strikes differed on every body."

"Based on my experience, I judge that at least more than ten people killed these soldiers."

After hearing this, the wrinkles on Jiang Jiang Mingyu's forehead deepened further. He lowered his head, pondering as he paced back and forth in the room, and only spoke softly after a long time.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said in a deep voice, "If that is the case, I fear the target of these killers is not the ordinary soldiers, but rather to put my life in danger."

Tu Tu Kesiluo was completely baffled and asked in confusion, "My lord, what does this mean?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu explained coldly: "It means these people want to throw the city defense camp into chaos through this method, thereby plunging the entire Shangmu County into disorder."

"I have already ordered the guards and inspections at the four gates of Shangmu County to be strengthened. This rules them out; they certainly cannot be alien spies."

"If they are not alien spies, why would they risk so much to infiltrate the main camp and kill people?"

"There is only one conclusion: they want to throw the city defense camp into chaos, causing me to lose my protective barrier."

"Then, taking advantage of the turmoil in the city, they will find an opportunity to eliminate me and achieve their goals."

Tu Tu Kesiluo also furrowed his brows tightly: "My lord, with merely a dozen people, they want to create chaos within an army of tens of thousands? This seems too suspicious, doesn't it?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu countered, "Besides my deduction just now, can you think of any other possible explanation? Even a single rat's turd can spoil an entire pot of soup; let alone more than a dozen living people deliberately creating chaos?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo fell silent for a long while before asking, "In that case, who is behind these people? Is it Prince Qi or Huang Huang Chaoran?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu answered immediately without needing to think: "It is absolutely impossible for Prince Qi; I have already explained the reasons."

"At this moment, he is busy explaining to the Emperor and has no time for a small character like me."

"As for Huang Huang Chaoran, it is hard to say. This man has been in the officialdom for many years, and with his vast family and wealth, he must know many people from all walks of life."

"Moreover, my grudge with him is as deep as the sea; for him to do this is quite reasonable."

Tu Tu Kesiluo sighed lightly: "My lord, what should we do now?"

"Right now, everyone in the city defense camp is living in fear, terrified that they will be the next to be killed."

"If this matter is not resolved soon, once the morale of the army wavers, it will truly be trouble."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought for a moment and said, "The best course of action for now is for you to secretly monitor and expose the spies as soon as possible. I suspect this is far from their last move; when they make another move, we will have the chance to catch them."

Tu Tu Kesiluo nodded solemnly: "As you command. Tonight, I will lead men to secretly monitor. I want to see exactly who dares to use such radical methods under my nose; they are simply asking for death!"

Inside the Tang Sima residence of the Yasmo Regional Military Commissioner's city, Tang Cheng sat with his thin eyebrows knitted, listening solemnly to Huang Huang Chaoran recount the situation. His brows remained tightly furrowed, unable to relax for a long time.

Tang Cheng was around forty-five years old, with a thin and slender build and an ordinary face, the type that is hard to distinguish when lost in a crowd.

However, his neck was excessively long and thin, standing out particularly starkly against the wide collar of his robe.

He chewed over Huang Huang Chaoran's words repeatedly in his mind before speaking in a deep voice: "Are the matters Brother Huang spoke of truly and absolutely correct?" His tone was full of disbelief.

Huang Huang Chaoran calmly took a sip of fragrant tea and said steadily: "Brother Tang, we have been friends for decades; how could I deceive you on such a major matter? It is true that Jiang Jiang Mingyu privately recruited tens of thousands of soldiers in Shangmu; my trusted agent saw it with his own eyes. If you do not believe me, I will immediately summon him so you can question him directly and clearly."

Tang Cheng waved his hand to indicate no need: "Since it comes from Brother Huang's own mouth, I naturally believe it without doubt. But why did you not report directly to Inspector Wang Zhe, but instead came specially to find me?" His tone revealed confusion.

Huang Huang Chaoran shook his head and sighed, saying, "Inspector Wang Zhe holds Jiang Jiang Mingyu in high regard; reporting it would be useless."

"Most importantly, I know that Brother Tang and Inspector Wang Zhe have never been on good terms."

"Inspector Wang Zhe has always had complaints about me, while Brother Tang is my closest friend."

"Jiang Jiang Mingyu privately recruiting soldiers and intending to rebel; if we can crush this in the bud, it would be a great matter for the Great Feng State."

Huang Huang Chaoran analyzed the pros and cons in a torrent, then finally rolled his eyes and said in a flattering tone: "Matters have near and far, and people have close and distant relations. Brother Tang, I should naturally yield this merit to you; how could I hand it over to Wang Zhe?"

"Moreover, the Rabbit Prime Minister and the Crane Prime Minister, we both understand clearly."

"Besides, using this opportunity to strike at Wang Zhe would greatly benefit the Rabbit Prime Minister; we should work together to lend the Rabbit Prime Minister a hand!"

After hearing this, Tang Cheng fell into deep thought, gently rubbing his teacup with his fingers as if pondering deeply.

"Your meaning is to have me report to the Imperial Court that Wang Zhe knew of Jiang Jiang Mingyu's rebellion and did not report it?"

Huang Huang Chaoran, seeing the timing was ripe, immediately continued: "Specifically, you need only submit a memorial to the court, claiming Wang Zhe knew of Jiang Jiang Mingyu's rebellion long ago but failed to report it, and conspired with him; only thus can Wang Zhe's political life be utterly destroyed. By then, Minister Tu will have even greater capital to seize the position of Chief Grand Councilor, and you will have the chance to fill the post of Inspector. This is truly a strategy that kills two birds with one stone!"

Huang Huang Chaoran's words struck right at the heart of Tang Cheng'an.

The humiliation of having been driven out of the Inspector's residence by Wang Zhe back then still kept him awake at night. This was a splendid opportunity for revenge!

Tang Cheng'an was moved: "Brother Huang, just say how we should proceed."

Seeing that Tang Cheng'an was already moved, Huang Huang Chaoran, confident that victory was in his grasp, spoke directly: "This matter is simple; Brother Tang need only go to Shangmu County."

"Witnessing the entire process of Jiang Jiang Mingyu recruiting soldiers and raising a rebellion with your own eyes, everything will fall into place naturally, with no complications arising."

To go to Shangmu County? Tang Cheng'an's expression instantly changed: "This..."

Hearing that he must go to Shangmu, Tang Cheng'an's face turned pale in an instant; he frowned tightly, clenched his fists, and appeared extremely hesitant and wavering.

Huang Huang Chaoran keenly caught the subtle shift in emotion on his face and immediately interjected: "Brother Tang, judging by your reaction, you must be worried about the security issue of foreign invasion, correct?"

Tang Cheng'an's expression shifted slightly; seeing this, Huang Huang Chaoran knew his guess was correct. He quickly soothed him with an eager tone: "Please rest assured; Jiang Jiang Mingyu already commands an army of forty or fifty thousand men and absolutely has the strength to defend Shangmu's safety. Your journey will be entirely safe."

Huang Huang Chaoran's eyes rolled, and he added at the right moment: "To be frank, even if the foreigners truly attack, you should think thrice. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strike at Jiang Jiang Mingyu and topple Wang Zhe; if you let it slip away today, I fear neither of us will ever have a chance to turn the tables again. By then, if Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Wang Zhe join hands to rebel, do you think Wang Zhe will spare you, his old enemy?"

After hearing this, Tang Cheng'an frowned tightly and fell into deep thought. After a long while, he suddenly slapped his thigh and shouted loudly to the outside: "Someone! Quickly prepare the carriage; I must depart for Shangmu County immediately!"

For Minister Tu, for his own career, he was determined to take this risk!