Chapter 1388: Each Making Their Own Plans

Chapter 1373: Separate Stratagems

“Governor Huang was impeached by Qingyang and imprisoned when the case came to light. Who knows how many people he implicated; Xue Zongwu should be worried.”From this, it’s clear that the conflict between Qingyang and King Yao has been brought into the open.

Dong Rui exclaimed, “Wait a minute, Governor Huang was executed five days after his conviction.”

“Yes, I sent people to inquire in Yao State, but there’s no further inside information. However, connecting these incidents, there must be something suspicious.”

It seems Governor Huang’s death wasn’t simple either.

He Lingchuan smiled. “But regardless, Xue Zongwu should be concerned about being targeted by the Grand Supervisor.”

“Didn’t he used to be at loggerheads with Qingyang?”

“That’s different. Back then, King Yao stood behind him,” He Lingchuan analyzed. “But if Qingyang wants to deal with him, all he needs to do is seize evidence of his crimes, make it public, and then use the power of public opinion to pressure King Yao.”

Xue Zongwu has a long list of crimes, but no one in Yao State dared to act on them before.

“Dealing with Xue Zongwu means removing King Yao’s henchman, and Qingyang would likely be pleased,” He Lingchuan said. “When Qingyang attacks King Yao, he must do so with righteous indignation, ensuring his opponent has no moral or principled ground to stand on. This is what’s called ‘acting with righteous fervor.’”

Just like how he used the Elixir of Immortality case to attack Qingyang back then.

Some matters are festering wounds that cannot withstand exposure.

Of course, it also depends on who the accuser is; at the very least, they cannot be easily suppressed by King Yao and Xue Zongwu.

Dong Rui looked at him for a while, understanding a little. “After borrowing National Master Shuangye’s influence, are you now going to borrow Qingyang’s banner?”

He Lingchuan sighed softly. “Still not enough intelligence, otherwise I could devise a better plan.”

“Enough idle talk, how do we proceed?”

He Lingchuan said earnestly, “If we want to kill Xue Zongwu at Xiaotao Villa, we must isolate him, reducing the number of people around him again and again, ideally leaving only a few.”

Getting Xue Zongwu completely alone would be too difficult.

Besides, no plan is perfect in its execution.

“When he enters Xiaotao Villa, he can only bring in one or two dozen of his two hundred elite soldiers. How would he get a chance to be alone later?” Dong Rui shook his head. “That Xue is even more cautious than you; I doubt he’ll be by himself.”

“We need to create an opportunity for him to actively dismiss the strong individuals around him,” He Lingchuan said gravely. “If he does it voluntarily, he won’t suspect anything.”

Dong Rui scoffed, “Will Xue Zongwu obediently listen to you?”

“He won’t listen to me, but perhaps…” A glint sparked in He Lingchuan’s eyes. “He’ll listen to his master?”

Xue Zongwu and Qi Yunsheng have a very close relationship; it’s less like master and disciple and more like allies.

Allies in officialdom.

“Qian Yu said that whenever Xue Zongwu is undecided, he asks his master,” He Lingchuan smiled. “Something happened in Shuangxi: Qian Yu died, and the account books were burned. Given the circumstances, Xue Zongwu will definitely seek out Qi Yunsheng for a thorough discussion.”

“You planned this long ago?!” Dong Rui stared at him. He had been with this person for many years, but still found it incredible. “When you burned the account books in Shuangxi, did you already factor this in?”

“Better safe than sorry,” He Lingchuan shrugged. “That was a backup plan. The primary plan was supposed to be implemented in Taoshui City, but unfortunately, Feng Zhinao was investigated, and Xue Zongwu took a detour.”

“…” Dong Rui was speechless. After a long pause, he said, “Xue Zongwu is already tough to deal with. If his master also gets involved, wow, it’ll be the master-disciple duo against just you.”

Xue Zongwu learned all his skills from Qi Yunsheng. Although the student surpassed the master, old Qi himself must be a formidable person.

“Then we’ll get the old master moved away too.”

“…” This is getting out of hand. Dong Rui believed that if Qi Yunsheng himself were here, He Lingchuan would confuse him too.

When exactly should Qi Yunsheng appear, and when should he leave?

He’s the master of Xiaotao Villa; can He Lingchuan just summon him and dismiss him at will?

He Lingchuan himself fell into contemplation.

The essence of the plan to assassinate Xue Zongwu lies in speed.

Act quickly, succeed quickly, and retreat even quicker.

Hopefully, there will be fewer surprises this time.

“Finally, finally we’ve reached Mangzhou!” The Weng brothers were travel-worn, both men and horses covered in dust.

As soon as they entered Mangzhou city gate, their horses automatically squeezed towards the troughs to drink, completely ignoring Weng Xing’s commands.

Not to mention the horses, even strong men would be exhausted. For the past ten days or so, the Weng brothers hadn’t rested for a single day. While Xue Zongwu and He Lingchuan were recuperating and enjoying the sea breeze on the boat, they were still toiling away under the boatman’s supervision.

After disembarking, they rushed to Mangzhou without stopping.

Nevertheless, arriving earlier than Xue Zongwu gave them more time to prepare.

The two first found an inn, washed off the dust from their faces, and then ordered a feast of fish and meat to their room to appease their rumbling stomachs.

The hundreds of taels plundered from Qian Yu were enough for them to eat and drink well for a long time.

“We’re here, finally here!” Weng Xing tipped his head back and drained a whole cup of liquor, finally feeling his throat was no longer parched.

Setting down the cup, he let out a long “Ah,” relieved that he was saved.

“Even chasing fierce bandits a thousand li along the Wang River wasn’t as exhausting as this time.”

This time, it wasn’t just physical exhaustion; their minds were weary too. They were truly spent, body and soul.

“Revenge is never easy,” Weng Su said, grabbing his chopsticks and viciously tearing apart a large piece of fatty meat, throwing it into his mouth, and washing it down with wine.

He never tired of such rich, savory food. “I hope we survive after successfully getting our revenge.”

Life is good, and he still wanted to eat a few more pieces of braised pork.

“What do we do next?” Weng Xing asked, gnawing on a duck leg, his words muffled.

“On our way into the city, how many dignitaries were traveling with us who were also from out of town?”

Weng Xing had indeed counted. “It seemed like seven or eight groups? Their carriages were all painted with clan emblems, very easy to recognize.”

“Since they’ve come, most of them will likely visit Qi Yunsheng,” Weng Su had been thinking seriously throughout their journey. “Qi Manor is very lively recently.”

“Ah, right. And then?”

“Lively places have many people. Where there are many people, then…”

“Then?” The duck leg was really delicious, neither tough nor hard, and perfectly sauced.

“It’s easy for chaos to arise!” Weng Su glared at his brother. “This is important; pay more attention, can we discuss this properly?”

“I, I’m clumsy,” Weng Xing said with an embarrassed smile. “Among us three brothers, Big Brother Tu was the smartest, you’re next, and I’m no good!”

Now that “Big Brother Tu” was dead, the task of thinking fell to Weng Su.

He sighed. With Big Brother Tu gone, their actions as brothers had been fraught with difficulties. He looked at his younger brother. “Big Brother Tu always said you were lucky. How come I haven’t seen it?”

Weng Xing just chuckled. How would he know?

“If Qi Manor runs everything strictly by the book, we won’t have a chance. So, the first step is to make it chaotic!”

Weng Xing blinked. “Wait, how do we get into Qi Manor? You don’t have any connections in Xiaotao Mountain, do you?”

“No, but I have another way!” Weng Su smiled mysteriously. “Qi Manor will be hosting grand banquets for the next half month. Do you know how many people a prominent household like that needs to hire for work?”

“I don’t know…” Weng Xing was about to say “I don’t know” out of habit, but then suddenly remembered. “Oh, that’s right! When we were fourteen or fifteen, we worked as temporary laborers at Zhujiang Village! The Zhu family hosted a wedding banquet with three hundred guests, and they didn’t have enough staff, so they hired forty more people!”

“What’s the status of the Zhu family compared to Qi Manor? The higher the status, the more people they need to hire!” Weng Su counted on his fingers. “Let’s say Qi Manor hosts fifty VIPs in one evening—that’s a conservative estimate—they’d bring at least three or four hundred guards and servants. If this continues for half a month, how many people do you think they’ll host in total?”

Weng Xing blurted out, “Over six thousand?”

“Qi Manor’s existing staff will definitely not be enough, so they’ll have to temporarily hire short-term laborers to help out. At that time, the villa will be full of new faces, and we can just show up brazenly; no one will question who we are.”

“Alright, let’s do that!” Entering as guests would require identity verification; but entering as temporary laborers should be much easier, right?

After eating and drinking their fill, the two fell asleep, calling it “recharging their energy.”

They slept for six hours.

And then it was the next day.

As Weng Su expected, there was so much work at Xiaotao Mountain that they couldn’t finish it all, and they were constantly recruiting people to help in the manor.

They never managed to recruit enough.

However, the Weng brothers’ plan to infiltrate encountered a small setback, because—

Qi Manor did not accept temporary laborers of unknown origin unless they had a guarantor.

This was also one of the main reasons Qi Manor never had enough staff: they preferred to be short-staffed rather than hire indiscriminately.

The Weng brothers were new to the area, standard outsiders, and harbored ill intentions. Where could they find a guarantor?

Who would dare to vouch for them?

“I never thought the Qi family would be so cautious, even verifying the identity of their servants,” Weng Xing lamented. “Can we still get in?”

“We must!” As long as Xue Zongwu wasn’t dead, they wouldn’t give up.

Weng Su then took his brother to wander around Xiaotao Mountain, and then to inquire for news and look for opportunities in taverns.

By the end of the day, they had spent a good deal on food and drink, and their bellies were round, but they still hadn’t found a way to infiltrate.

Time was quickly passing, and Xue Zongwu would arrive soon. Would they not even be able to pass this first hurdle of getting into Qi Manor?

Weng Su was secretly worried, while also trying to comfort his brother, when he suddenly saw a few mule carts approaching the villa’s back gate.

Behind Xiaotao Villa’s back gate were several rows of market stalls, all dependent on the villa for their livelihood, having formed a small ecosystem over the years. The two brothers sat in a tavern stall in the market, with wine and meat on their table, eating with troubled expressions.

As the mule carts passed in front of the stall, they brought a wave of fishy stench, and flies buzzed along. Weng Su, with his sharp eyes, noticed water dripping from beneath the cart boards.

These were delivering fresh fish and meat to the villa.

Although Xiaotao Villa was called a “villa,” it was actually a mansion within Mangzhou City. Rice, noodles, meat, and vegetables all had to be purchased from outside, unlike typical estates that produce their own crops.

Weng Su’s spirits lifted as he watched. He had an unrefined idea.