Chapter 102
Book 10 Chapter 05 – A Shocking Revelation
Ka Cha!
The sound of a giant lock opening reverberated in the quiet chamber, sending fear into the hearts.
With their heads side by side, Xiang Shaolong and Shan Rou were p.r.o.ne on a ceiling beam. They locked themselves in that position by inserting their daggers into the beam for support. Unless someone climbs up the supporting round pillar for a look, this is the best hiding spot.
The horizontal beam is supported by eight vertical pillars which formed the foundation for the roof and is thirty feet above the ground.
Xiang Shaolong and Shan Rou had a quick glimpse below and saw Tian Dan and Li Yuan seated at two small coffee tables. Zhao Mu is reaching out to a giant metal chest to retrieve an object.
The Liu Brothers are kneeling behind Tian Dan submissively. One of them even scanned the ceiling which caused them to shrink their heads in fear.
Zhao Mu returned to his own desk and placed the whole stack of loyalty letters on it. There were sounds of flipping.
Li Yuan laughed: "Marquis is indeed brilliant to think of such an exciting method to control your spies."
Tian Dan added in laughter: "Is this your own inspiration or were you enlightened by your subordinates?"
Zhao Mu laughed back: "Who cares!" He took credit for Xiang Shaolong’s creativity without a tinge of guilt.
Xiang Shaolong was relieved that Zhao Mu did not show Tian Dan his own loyalty letter or Tian Dan would start to suspect him.
Zhao Mu is extremely guarded against Li Yuan. If he divulged Dong Kuang’s real ident.i.ty, it would be as good as letting Li Yuan know about his relations.h.i.+p with Lord Chunshen.
Li Yuan expressed in admiration: "To think that even Zhao Ming Xiong is in your payroll. I have always thought that he is loyal to Li Mu and Lian Po. You are truly a genius!"
Up in the beam, Xiang Shaolong almost fell down in shock. Zhao Ming Xiong is his a.s.sistant General. He and Teng Yi have nothing but praise for his work. He cannot imagine him to be a traitor as well.
Zhao Mu proudly state: "He is not only my men but also my relative. When I got him to join Li Mu, it is to plot against him. Unexpectedly, Lian Po made him the a.s.sistant General to Le Cheng. I purposely sidelined him and Zhao Ya that foolish 5lut even spoke up for him in front of King Xiaocheng. This is hilarious!"
Xiang Shaolong was bathed in cold sweat. What a close shave! He felt like he is the owner of a pet tiger. If he did not take precautions, he may even die without knowing why. At the same time, he could relate to the power of Zhao Mu’s hidden weapons.
He thought about his morning conversation with King Xiaocheng regarding the issue of the palace guards. If something happens to Cheng Xu, Zhao Mu can promote Zhao Ming Xiong to be head of the palace guards. With this, Zhao Mu will indirectly control both the City guards and the palace guards.
(So sorry everyone, Cheng Dan and Cheng Xu are the same person. My limited vocabulary got his name wrong before. Please make the correction. Thanks.)
As Xiang Shaolong was hoping Li Yuan will continue with the loyalty letter name list, Tian Dan interrupted: "How is Empress Jing’s situation?"
Zhao Mu arrogantly replied: "Who can guess our real relations.h.i.+p? Not to mention Xiaocheng, even Guo Kai and Zhao Ya have been deceived by us. Han Jing (Empress Jing is Han royalty) acts cold but she is full of pa.s.sion inside. When she falls in love, she has no reservations. It is my great fortune that she is devoted to me and kept dissuading King Xiaocheng from recalling Li Mu or Lian Po. Otherwise, I would not be able to sit here and talk to both of you."
Xiang Shaolong was flabbergasted and could not believe what he has just heard.
Are they putting up an act or is it just wishfully thinking on Zhao Mu’s part?
Li Yuan implored: "Can Empress Jing really control Dong Kuang?"
On the beam, Xiang Shaolong’s heart is thumping wildly and even Shan Rou can sense his palpitation.
Tian Dan concluded: "Dong Kuang appears to be straightforward and uneducated but he is full of strategies and knows how to pander to those in power. He helped Empress Jing settled the plot between Han Chuang and Prince Xinling while keeping Xiaocheng in the dark. He has laid his bets on Empress Jing, hoping that when Xiaocheng is dead, he will be able to spread his wings. This man must not live."
Li Yuan coldly promised: "I must kill him myself."
Zhao Mu plainly said: "This man is of great use now. Luckily, he did not know that Empress Jing is my woman. Humph! This man forgets his principles when he identifies gains. Even if Imperial Uncle does not act, I will not let him go."
Xiang Shaolong finally calmed down and did his a.n.a.lysis. He screwed up on Han Chuang’s incident. The most hateful is Empress Jing who had betrayed him to Zhao Mu. They are definitely a pair of scheming adulterers.
Tian Dan suddenly mentioned: "Both gentlemen have neglected an important figure."
Zhao Mu and Li Yuan were taken aback.
Tian Dan explained: "That person is Xiang Shaolong. He is definitely connected to Le Cheng’s death. We are still puzzled about why he chose to kill Le Cheng first."
He paused and continued: "If Xiaocheng is behind this, there will be some traces of evidence. There will be injuries, deaths, or missing people in his trusted troops. We did not see any of these so he is not involved. This is getting more and more interesting."
Xiang Shaolong and Shan Rou were petrified.
Tian Dan revealed: "I did remind Dong Kuang to search Le Cheng’s men for spies. Apparently, he did not investigate or could not find any evidence. We cannot interfere ourselves or we will expose our intentions."
Li Yuan suggested: "Dong Kuang is the main beneficiary in his death. Could it be done by him?"
Zhao Mu cut in: "He had no idea he can be the City Commander. If not for my instruction to Empress Jing to recommend him to Xiaocheng, he will be dead before it is his turn."
Xiang Shaolong was alarmed as he finally understood why Empress Jing looked up to him.
Tonight’s extraordinary opportunity to eavesdrop in their meeting is a G.o.dsend. Otherwise he will end up as a muddle-headed ghost.
Tian Dan observed: "Dong Kuang can pretend to be sick but none of his men are injured or dead. He has nothing to do with Le Cheng’s death."
Zhao Mu sighed: "Le Cheng has numerous enemies. It is hard to judge who the killer is. As long as they leave the city quickly, we cannot determine who they are."
Tian Dan resolutely swore: "It must be Xiang Shaolong. I know he is here. Otherwise, Zhao Ya will not regain her energetic lifestyle. I met her and Dong Kuang outside the residence. Her carefree and graceful disposition can only come from a woman who has reignited the love of her life."
Li Yuan joked: "Can she be in love with Dong Kuang?"
Zhao Mu’s countenance changed: "Chancellor Tian is right. Xiang Shaolong must be in town. I am familiar with her behaviour. Dong Kuang is just a playmate. The only man in her heart is Xiang Shaolong. Xiang Shaolong may even be hiding out in her residence."
Tian Dan emotionally recommended: "This is highly probable. Regardless of whether it is true or not, we can still get Zhao Ya into trouble. Once we find evidence of Xiang Shaolong’s existence, there is no way she can talk herself out of trouble. Now, Guo Kai and Cheng Xu are trying to outperform Dong Kuang and they will leap at this opportunity to prove themselves. Does Marquis understand my meaning?"
Zhao Mu laughed out in admiration: "Chancellor Tian is a master strategist who offers great plans. I have a better suggestion. We get Empress Jing to command Dong Kuang to carry out this matter. By putting some flying needles and bloodied clothes in her personal room, Zhao Ya can never redeem herself; This can also test Dong Kuang’s loyalty to Empress Jing. Hng! I have long wanted to deal with this 5lut."
On the beam, both persons looked at each other and were wet with cold sweat.
The three devils below them are full of evil schemes. Even if they are aware of what is coming, they are unable to counteract them in such a short time.
Tian Dan stood up and commented: "We should not stay for too long or this banquet will arouse suspicions. When Marquis ascend the throne, do not forget about Chancellor and Imperial Uncle."
Zhao Mu hurriedly expressed his grat.i.tude.
With the sound of the metal chest being locked, the trio left the chamber.
After the residence guards came in to secure the windows and doors and extinguish the candles, Shan Rou whispered into her ear: "What shall we do!"
Xiang Shaolong is filled with deathly calm and softly replied: "The loyalty letters are not urgent. If we can return safely, we will win the battle."
Xiang Shaolong looks enlightened and is full of vigour.
The lethargy from last night has completely vanished and so has all the doubts in his mind. He is now fully aware about the entire situation ahead of him and the connection between Zhao Mu and Empress Jing.
Tian Zhen had just stepped into his bedroom and noticed that he is awake. She happily scrambled to his side and greeted: "Master Dong! Let me wait on you."
Xiang Shaolong was pleased and he got up and washed up. He went to the main hall where Teng Yi, Zhao Zhi and Shan Rou were having their breakfast.
Teng Yi and Wu Guo masquerading as Dong Kuang purposely stayed at the Command Centre until the third watch. This is the first time they met since he spied on Zhao Mu.
Xiang Shaolong asked: "Rou Rou should have told you