Chapter 459 - 281: Fortunately, This Person Is a Friend, Not an Enemy
Chapter 459: Chapter 281: Fortunately, This Person Is a Friend, Not an Enemy
"Go on."
Seeing Elder Master Xiao looking like he was all ears, a slight smile appeared on Chen Yi’s calm face.
It was faint, but sincere.
He had come to see Elder Master Xiao this time with the full intention of being open and honest.
There were two reasons for this.
First, Elder Master Xiao was an important and necessary part of his plans.
If the Elder Master could cooperate with him and react in a logical manner, it would fool the vast majority of people.
Second, there were certain matters Chen Yi had to inform the Elder Master about.
Furthermore, he also wanted to use this opportunity to probe Elder Master Xiao’s intentions, which would aid his subsequent plans.
This included matters concerning Liu Hong, the Jing State Liu Family, and others.
If Elder Master Xiao was unwilling to be ruthless, who in all of Shu State could openly execute them?
Conversely, if he were to use petty tricks like assassination, it would do far more harm than good in resolving the Xiao Family’s predicament.
Imagine if Liu Hong were assassinated by him—what would the numerous Government Offices in Shu State think? What would the Imperial Court think?
They would inevitably suspect the Xiao Family was behind it.
Chen Yi understood this, which was why he had decided to pay the Xiao Family a visit.
"To avoid leaving anything out, I believe I need to start from the very beginning..."
The beginning Chen Yi spoke of was the founding of Hundred Herbs Hall.
It was a rather cliché story.
After completing his studies and leaving his secluded life, he came to Shu State, seeking a place to settle down.
Wang Ji had made a grave mistake and was driven out of the Xiao Family by Xiao Wan’er, which led to their acquaintance.
The two hit it off and founded Hundred Herbs Hall.
After that, the details of selling the herbal tea and running the Medicine Hall went without saying.
Chen Yi focused on the night he killed Liu Erhu in front of Xiao Jing and the origins of the incident where the summer grain of the Three Towns was burned.
"Ultimately, Liu Jing was killed by me."
Elder Master Xiao and Xiao Jing exchanged a look, their faces showing that this was just as they had expected.
Seeing this, Chen Yi smiled and said, "I imagine the Marquis already knows the reason."
"The matter of Liu Jing spending a great sum to commission assassins from Bright Moon Building to go to Hundred Herbs Hall and steal the herbal tea formula."
"If the Xiao Family’s young mistress hadn’t arranged for the two Female Knights, Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang, to arrive at Hundred Herbs Hall beforehand, Wang Ji and the others would have died that night."
This was the most suitable reason Chen Yi could think of.
It was also a reason that wouldn’t arouse suspicion in Elder Master Xiao or Xiao Jing.
Unless they had been at the scene that night, Chen Yi’s motive for murder was perfectly sound and logical.
"So, you killed Liu Jing?"
"Aren’t you afraid of retaliation from the Jing State Liu Family?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Elder Master Xiao understood and shook his head with a smile.
"I was being foolish."
"You killed Liu Jing, and all of Shu State, as well as the Jing State Liu Family, pointed their fingers at my Xiao Family. No one suspected Hundred Herbs Hall at all."
"And certainly, no one suspected you."
Chen Yi smiled. "As long as Liu Jing was alive, he was a persistent threat."
"It just so happened that at that time, the Xiao Family Medicine Hall had completely crushed Linglan Pavilion, and Liu Jing had also been ordered by the Jing State Liu Family to leave Shu State."
"I was forced to resort to this last measure, implicating the Marquis and causing you trouble with the Liu Family. I hope you can forgive me."
Elder Master Xiao looked at him noncommittally.
To be honest, he was indeed somewhat displeased.
’To think that I, the dignified Duke Dingyuan of the Great Wei Dynasty, who has fought in countless campaigns for decades, would be manipulated by a junior in my old age.’
Anyone in his position would have felt some resentment.
Moreover, the matter of "Liu Jing’s death" had forced him to activate his secret connection with the Wan Family prematurely.
There were some losses, after all.
Xiao Jing glanced up at the Elder Master, knowing in his heart that given his grandfather’s temperament, he was surely holding back some anger.
After a moment of thought, he spoke up, asking, "So, you were the one who proactively sought out Liu Jing’s men?"
Chen Yi smiled and nodded. "Their appearance outside the West Market that night was because I had sent a message to Liu Jing to discuss the herbal tea formula."
"So, what Liu Erhu saw wasn’t entirely a fabrication."
Chen Yi paused slightly, then looked at Xiao Jing and said with feigned sincerity, "I had intended to take care of him myself, but I didn’t expect Commander Xiao to act first."
Xiao Jing forced a smile. "It was just a coincidence."
"That night, I just didn’t want him to open his mouth and accuse the Xiao family."
"If not for..."
Before he could finish, Elder Master Xiao raised a hand to interrupt him and gestured for Chen Yi to continue.
"Keep talking."
"As for the burning of the Three Towns’ summer grain, what was your reason for that?"
Chen Yi nodded and said with a smile, "Even if the Marquis hadn’t asked, I was going to bring it up."
"But in truth, I was not the one who initiated that incident. It was someone else..."
He then proceeded, just as before, to tell a story that was ninety percent true and ten percent false.
He concealed the source of his intelligence.
He concealed his true reasons for eliminating Xiao Dongchen and Liu Wen.
He also concealed his connection to the White Tiger Guard and his collaboration with Lou Yuxue.
"...And so, Liu Wen was killed by me outside Iron Wall Town, and Black Tooth died at the hands of General Jinghong while leading an attack on Cang Lang Military Town."
"As for what happened after that, I’m sure the Marquis is already aware, so I won’t elaborate further."
At this point, Chen Yi stood and clasped his fist in his palm. "Although everything I did was a result of a series of coincidences, it did indeed implicate the Xiao Family. I hope the Marquis can forgive me."
He apologized once more, his attitude as sincere as ever.
Elder Master Xiao leaned back in his chair, his expression calm, but his eyes were not.
With his experience, he naturally understood how difficult it was to achieve such an outcome.
This wasn’t something that could be accomplished with brute force alone.
In the Elder Master’s estimation, if he had wanted to pull this off, he would have needed to plant his own people around Liu Wen and Xiao Dongchen.
He would have even needed his men inside Bright Moon Building and among the so-called "Financiers" behind the scenes.
Otherwise, with unclear intelligence from all sides, it would only lead to failure.
If any single party had detected something unusual, the course of events would not have unfolded as they did—