Chapter 1149: Officials Surprised, People Delighted

"If she truly had the ability to steal things from Jin Bai's storage ring, then directly stealing King Bo's head would be no problem at all. Why would she frame someone else?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Whoever came up with this framing trick likely lacks sufficient power themselves and needs to borrow external forces."

He then added a caveat to his statement: "Of course, they might also be working as a team, and perhaps Consort Mei was only responsible for gathering intelligence."

All in all, the fact that Bo Kingdom posted a reward at this time indicates that Consort Mei is inextricably linked to the Luminous Lamp.

Good, good. This was indeed good news for He Lingchuan.

Dong Rui then asked him, "Do you think King Bo can catch Consort Mei?"

"When pursuing fugitives, if they're not caught within two or three days of the incident, the difficulty of apprehension increases significantly. How long has it been already?" He Lingchuan, experienced in handling cases, said. "Furthermore, Consort Mei must have prepared beforehand. Didn't she escape a step ahead? Bo Kingdom's chase is likely to fail."

He then asked A-Hao, "Now that Nangong Yan is dead, how have Xuncheng and the Royal Palace reacted in recent days?"

"The entire royal court is in chaos. I heard that nobody has been assigned to Xuncheng's patrols for days. Military generals are already vying for the position of Grand Commander of the Feathered Guards," A-Hao said. "Rumors are spreading throughout the city that the King has offended a major power to the west, and war and calamity will soon descend!"

"People are panicking?" Dong Rui shook his head. "Why do I feel that the people of Xuncheng are quite happy?"

"They are happy, yes. Everyone privately says it's incredibly gratifying!" A-Hao didn't deny it. "When the news of Grand Steward Nangong's death first circulated, no one believed it. But later, when it was heard that his head had been sent to the capital and presented to the King, people in the city secretly set off firecrackers, house after house, hundreds of strings in total."

"They still had money for firecrackers?"

"They'd even borrow money to buy them," A-Hao grinned. "The price of meat in the market has even gone up these past two days. The people of Xuncheng are eating meat, buying new clothes, and are full of vigor for everything they do—it's usually only like this during New Year's."

Dong Rui was exasperated. "To them, Nangong Yan was more terrifying than war?"

"War and calamity are commonplace for us, happening only every few years," A-Hao said seriously. "Grand Steward Nangong was different. Even the children here knew it was better to offend the King than to offend Grand Steward Nangong. If he hadn't been killed, he would have continued to hang over Xuncheng like a dark cloud."

"The family I'm staying with cried bitterly behind closed doors the day they heard the news. At first, I thought they were sad, but later I realized they were crying tears of joy," he whispered. "As far as I know, everyone is grateful to the person who killed the Grand Steward. Some families have even erected statues and burned paper offerings for him!"

"Oh, really?" Dong Rui clicked his tongue twice and smiled at He Lingchuan. "Erecting statues and burning paper offerings for a living person—doesn't that shorten their lifespan?"

He Lingchuan remained expressionless.

Seeing that the two had no further questions, A-Hao cautiously prompted, "Sir, what about me?"

"The city rumors are correct this time; great disaster is imminent for Bo Kingdom. You have two choices—" He Lingchuan advised him. "If you want to be safe, return to Julu Port and find a village or town far from the coast to lie low until the chaos here subsides."

"Your second choice is to seek wealth in danger. Things are about to change here. If you can align yourself with a powerful figure, you might rise quickly and achieve prominence. However, from now on, you'll need to join factions, and if you pick the wrong side, you'll risk losing your head. In other words, peace and smooth sailing will be out of reach from then on."

A-Hao's eyes lit up when he heard the phrase "achieve prominence."

Dong Rui asked him, "Which do you choose?"

A-Hao thought seriously for more than ten seconds, then steeled himself and stomped his foot. "I choose the second path! If I succeed, I'll live a life of luxury from now on. If not, at worst I'll have a bowl-sized scar on my neck—still better than living this aimless life!"

He pleaded with He Lingchuan, "Mr. He, which powerful figure should I align myself with?"

He Lingchuan watched him for a while before saying, "Do you dare go to war?"

A-Hao swallowed, his eyes showing fierce determination. "I dare!"

He had even killed people himself in recent days. Wasn't going to war just killing people in a different place?

"You're a clever person," He Lingchuan smiled. "Come with me, and I'll find you a place. Whether you become a dragon or a worm in the future will be up to you."

A-Hao was overjoyed and bowed deeply. "Mr. He, from this day forward, you are my benefactor, like a parent who has given me a new life!"

He Lingchuan stepped back two paces. "No, thank you. I don't think being your parent bodes well."

He motioned to Dong Rui, who then tossed two pills to A-Hao. "These are antidotes for the gu poison."

A-Hao thanked him and swallowed them in one gulp.

Soon after, gurgling sounds came from his stomach. He urgently needed to use the latrine, so he hastily excused himself from the two.

With that excretion, the gu poison was expelled.

Meanwhile, Dong Rui saw He Lingchuan standing lost in thought and couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"

He Lingchuan gestured casually in the direction A-Hao had rushed off. "Look at this little rascal. Normally, he just drifts along, living aimlessly, waiting to die. But give him one thing, and he immediately perks up, even daring to risk his life for it."

"Ah, what's that?"

He Lingchuan smiled. "Give him a goal, and then give him a little hope, and he's like a changed person."

It turned out that this was effective not only in the Yangshan Archipelago but here as well.

"Aren't those two things?" Dong Rui didn't share He Lingchuan's sentiment. "The second path you just pointed him to—hmm, does that mean things are about to change dramatically here?"

"After Mou Kingdom disciplined King Bo, do you think he can remain on the throne?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "After the army Mou Kingdom brought leaves, the power vacuum will inevitably be filled. Think about it, why did that rebel leader named You eagerly align himself with Mou Kingdom? He seized the opportune moment."

Thus, the second path he pointed out to A-Hao carried both danger and opportunity.

"The people in this place have very keen senses. Even without King Bo's downfall, there are already forces stirring," He Lingchuan stood up. "That boy just said that city rumors claim a major power to the west will retaliate against the King."

Having partnered with He Lingchuan for a long time, Dong Rui immediately understood when he singled out that sentence:

"Ah, yes. How would ordinary people know what the King did, or that Mou Kingdom is about to retaliate against him? Most likely, someone with an agenda is spreading these rumors everywhere."

"The rebel factions in this country truly are endless."

Back at the Carefree Sect's base, He Lingchuan introduced A-Hao to the Bo Kingdom rebels under Jin Bai.

The leader of this rebel group was named You Enguang. Upon hearing that He Lingchuan was Mou Kingdom's special envoy, and that He Lingchuan wanted to introduce a promising young man to him, he immediately accepted A-Hao and promised that he would look after and properly cultivate the young man from then on.

A-Hao expressed profound gratitude to He Lingchuan, then left with You Enguang.

He Lingchuan only told him, "Make the most of yourself."

The Soul-Capturing Mirror sighed, "You changed that boy's fate with just two sentences."

He Lingchuan smiled. "In the end, doesn't it still depend on him?"

Before he could even take a couple sips of hot water, he received a package from Jin Bai:

"A mountain dweller delivered this yesterday, specifically asking for it to be given to Mou Kingdom's special envoy."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan immediately became interested. "A mountain dweller?"

"The mountain dweller said someone paid him to run an errand."

"Let me see." He Lingchuan opened the package, revealing a thick stack of papers.

Dong Rui and the two monkeys nearby all leaned in, their eyes focused.

There were texts and hand-drawn maps.

Dong Rui picked up a paper, glanced at it, and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, isn't this the structural diagram of the Royal City's palace gate!"

The paper also included a few lines of small text, detailing the palace guards' shift changes, numbers, and the mechanisms and formations behind the gates.

The paper Jin Bai picked up was a detailed map of the royal palace, with even the latrines marked. He immediately spotted the Palace Guard barracks and the sleeping quarters of Bo Kingdom's second prince.

What was highlighted on it were King Bo's sleeping quarters and study!

Other materials concerned Xuncheng and the royal family.

For instance, the locations of Xuncheng's armory and public granaries, the number of Xuncheng patrols and city gate guards, how they were distributed, when they rotated shifts, and so on.

Even the personalities of certain generals and military leaders were described in clear detail!

After He Lingchuan finished reviewing the information, he felt that the difficulty of attacking the Royal City had decreased by more than just a little. Jin Bai even slapped his thigh repeatedly, "Excellent! This is truly a pillow delivered when one is sleepy!"

What is most important before a battle? Intelligence.

The rebels also exchanged intelligence with the Shadowfang Guards, but it wasn't as detailed as this.

With the meticulous and comprehensive intelligence provided by the unknown sender, their siege plan could be executed with precision.

Dong Rui then said, "Hey, could this be from her?"

He Lingchuan nodded. "Seven or eight chances out of ten."

How many people knew he was Mou Kingdom's special envoy? How many knew he was at the Carefree Sect? And how many knew Mou Kingdom was preparing to retaliate against King Bo and reclaim the Luminous Lamp?

After considering it, only Consort Mei fit. This woman was truly not simple.

Others saw meticulousness in the intelligence, but He Lingchuan saw determination.

Jin Bai wondered, "What riddle are you two speaking in?"

He hadn't returned to Xuncheng, so he didn't know Consort Mei was wanted by King Bo.

"The person who sent this intelligence is very likely the one who stole the Luminous Lamp," He Lingchuan said, pointing to the documents covering the table. "How much effort and time does it take to gather all this? Most importantly, how much risk is involved? Only someone with a deep, personal vendetta against King Bo would be willing to put in such painstaking effort."

Hatred is the primary driving force. If one were merely working for others, "good enough" would suffice; it would be difficult to achieve perfection.

Such a person felt familiar.

In the past, Xi Yunhe, using the alias Mai Xuewen, had hidden under Cen Boqing for many years, solely to expose the Elixir of Immortality case to the world and complete his revenge against the Qingyang Imperial Advisor.

Interestingly, it was also Xi Yunhe back then who had delivered the incriminating evidence against Cen Boqing into the hands of Special Envoy He Lingchuan.

This time, He Lingchuan vaguely sensed the same hatred and forbearance from the person behind the scenes.

Even though he didn't know much about Consort Mei.

The smile vanished from Jin Bai's face.

His enemy was still using him as a pawn, yet he couldn't refuse these materials. The task assigned by Emperor Mou was the highest priority for him, as Deputy Commander of the Shadowfang Guards.

He had no choice but to accept and use them.