Chapter 1273 - 1109: Deliberate Guidance
Chapter 1273: Chapter 1109: Deliberate Guidance
"After senior brother regained consciousness that night, did General Chang show any abnormal behavior? A dagger stabbed into his chest, could he really have no reaction at all?"
If he did not die on the spot, it would be impossible for him not to struggle and resist, unless he was drugged, like Yin Kun.
"At that time, his wound was bleeding profusely. He lay motionless, eyes tightly closed, seemingly having lost too much blood. However, the bed was not in the slightest bit disarrayed; he should not have struggled."
Recalling the scene at the time, Yin Kun also found it somewhat strange. Suddenly, he clapped his hands and, with surprise, said, "Could it be that he was drugged like I was?"
"We can’t rule out this possibility, but as the main general guarding Yuhe Pass, he should not be so careless. Otherwise, the Daxing bandits would have long broken through Yuhe Pass. The details will still need to wait until we have seen General Chang to be understood. However, his comatose state has lasted too long, I wonder if we can encounter him; I plan to try my luck tonight," Gu Chengyu pondered for a moment and said.
"You plan to secretly investigate? Be very careful; although your martial arts are good, experts are as numerous as clouds at this border, and you should not let your guard down. General Qi’s martial arts are very advanced; many soldiers here greatly admire him. It is said that his martial skills are comparable to General Chang’s. If General Chang did not benefit from his background, he might indeed be subordinate to Qi — this is what General Chang personally told me."
Yin Kun was not well-versed in martial matters; he only knew that Gu Chengyu was quite accomplished. But how specifically, he hadn’t had any particular insight. However, in these few days at the border, he truly witnessed Qi Huan Yu practicing martial arts, and it was indeed remarkable.
"Senior brother, rest assured! Today I will go explore first and be cautious. However, if it’s true that General Chang was schemed against, perhaps he won’t remember the events of that night. General Chang indeed appreciates Qi Huan Yu, doesn’t he? Was he praising him so highly in your presence?"
Gu Chengyu became somewhat curious about General Chang; judging by this he seemed to be a person of open-minded character.
"He is a person unconcerned with trivial matters; after becoming familiar, one more easily perceives his sincerity! Qi Huan Yu’s disposition is somewhat inscrutable; I haven’t interacted much with him, but saying too much might influence your judgment of him. Just be careful, his thoughts are hard to fathom."
In fact, Yin Kun did not have a favorable impression of him, for he noticed Qi Huan Yu was jealous of Chang Yuan, though usually he concealed it well!
"I know, thank you for the reminder, senior brother. But have you interrogated the followers? Did they confess?" Gu Chengyu recalled the matter concerning Ren Xiuguang and Gu Wanqian; it was quite important and needed clarification.
"There is a confession, confessed without torture. However, this confession was searched by General Qi and is not with me. It stated they met Ren Xiuguang twice; actually, the two were always exchanging information secretly. The border previously experienced several small wars, two of which were revealed by Ren Xiuguang. But I find somewhat problematic; the specifics weren’t clearly explained, so I went to discuss it with General Chang."
"How many copies of the confession are there?" Gu Chengyu wanted to see the confession, which was very important.
"Two copies; one is with General Chang. If you meet him, you can also take that copy to see, perhaps find some clues within."
"How so? Senior brother thinks the confession is questionable, and the follower too?" From Yin Kun’s words, he seemed to think there were doubts in the confession.
"Unclear, I haven’t figured it out either; hadn’t had the mind to ponder the matter these past few days. Now with you at the border, I can finally calm down. Thinking back, still feel the earlier suspicions were correct. Perhaps the situation isn’t as the follower states, we can’t rely solely on this person’s testimony to determine Ren Xiuguang’s guilt."
"Does senior brother have a suspect?" Gu Chengyu felt Yin Kun seemed to imply something.
Yin Kun fell silent, glanced at Gu Chengyu. Seeing concern in Gu Chengyu’s eyes, he felt between them, being senior and junior brothers, there was nothing that couldn’t be said.
"I’ve been at the border for quite a while; initially, when investigating, felt Qi Huan Yu was very suspicious. Just as I planned to delve deeper, discovered Ren Xiuguang’s connection with Prince Daxing. Thinking back now, perhaps someone is deliberately leading me. Anyway, you must be very cautious."
Gu Chengyu was still about to ask more but heard voices speaking outside the prison.
He quickly returned to the inner room, took a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, and waved it under the prison chief’s nose.
"Mr. Gu, your clothes and food have arrived." Yang Xiaoguang entered the prison carrying a bundle and a food box. He originally had issues with Yin Kun, but surprisingly followed Mr. Gu’s words and brought food and clothes for Yin Kun; this was truly mind-boggling.
Nonetheless, since it was Mr. Gu’s directive, he felt it was normal; after all, Mr. Gu looked so good. Good-looking people cannot be bad, absolutely not!
"Much obliged!" Gu Chengyu took the food box, opened it, and found inside a plate of braised pork, a dish of greens, and a bowl of rice.
Though meager, it included both meat and vegetables. This was the border, naturally incomparable to the Capital, especially since Yin Kun was still a prisoner.
"Senior brother! Sorry for your hardship, I’ll try to figure something out soon."
"No rush, now that you’re here, I’m relieved. Believe you’ll be able to gather evidence to prove my innocence. I and General Chang were friends at first meeting; how could I harm him? And he’s badly injured; I feel quite uneasy in my heart too."
Yin Kun sighed, glanced at Yang Xiaoguang beside Gu Chengyu. This person previously harbored animosity towards him, yet today brought him food and clothes, presumably for the junior brother’s sake.
...
"Prince! By this timing, the Emperor’s situation over there should be about right," Lu Chen stepped forward and said to Prince Gong.
"Hmm! Director Zhang’s medical skills are commendable, but incomparable to the Divine Doctor Family. That person said with Imperial Physician’s medicine, at best it can suppress the poison for three years; these three years are enough for our plans."
Prince Gong sneered coldly; it wasn’t his fault for being ruthless; now the situation is at an impasse, he couldn’t afford to soften.
"Indeed, Prince is wise. But does this Divine Doctor’s medicine truly have such miraculous effect? If exaggerated and Director Zhang neutralizes the poison..."
Lu Chen was somewhat concerned; wasn’t the Divine Doctor Family known for treating and saving lives? When did they develop poison?
"Rest assured! The ancestors of the Divine Doctor Family did have poison masters, but later generations deemed poison harmful and thus fewer people produced it. And ten years ago, a big fire at the Divine Doctor Family’s Book Collection Pavilion burned most of the books; the poison-making books were thoroughly destroyed, thus lost."
"He gave this medicine to me, likely because he has some connection with adviser Sun Yao, repaying a favor. Moreover, the Emperor’s previous health condition, occasional chest tightness and shortness of breath, dizziness, and vertigo, that’s the initial sign."