Chapter 1395: Well-Planned Timing

Chapter 1380: Meticulously Planned Timing

If King Yao doesn't severely punish him, it simply won't be justifiable.

“Qingyang gave you the ledger to force you to take a stand. If you remain indifferent, she might expose this matter during my King’s birthday celebration in Tianshui City.” By then, King Yao would be shamed along with Xue Zongwu.

“Furthermore, are you sure Qingyang only found this one weakness of yours?”

Xue Zongwu’s face darkened, and he remained silent.

The Frost Stream ledger was just a minor issue; if Qingyang had only found this piece of evidence, it wouldn’t have bothered him at all. But would Qingyang act so lightly? His fear was that Frost Stream was just the tip of the iceberg of what she intended to reveal!

Qi Yunsheng also sighed deeply, “How can you be sure she hasn’t collected other evidence, waiting to completely ruin you? One of her most capable confidants, Heyang, also appeared in Mangzhou three days ago. I sent people to track him, but he quickly shook them off.”

Heyang? Xue Zongwu understood his unspoken meaning: the lost ledger might have been delivered by this man named He. Besides that, why else would Heyang come to Mangzhou? This place is also a gathering spot for powerful figures; could some of them be Qingyang’s targets?

Qi Yunsheng continued, “If she wants to intimidate the imperial court, she needs to make an example of someone to establish her authority, not an insignificant figure like Supervising Secretary Huang, but rather…”

Without needing to finish, Xue Zongwu’s face turned grim.

No one would be happy to be made an example of, to be the chicken slaughtered to warn the monkeys.

“So, what should I do?”

As Qi Yunsheng was about to speak, there was a sudden knock at the door.

“Master?”

Both recognized it as Steward Yu’s voice.

Tonight, the head steward was fully occupied with arranging the banquet, busy from top to bottom. As the second steward of the residence, Steward Yu had to temporarily take over many daily tasks.

As a junior, Xue Zongwu rose and opened the door. He saw two guards standing at the entrance, with Steward Yu between them. Yu bowed to him, “Son-in-law.”

Qi Yunsheng, somewhat displeased, asked from within the study, “What is it?”

“The Old Mistress has returned to Fanghua Hall, saying she feels unwell, and requests your presence.”

Qi Yunsheng was sixty-two this year, and his mother was still alive, having just celebrated her eightieth birthday last year. The Old Mistress was usually robust and enjoyed lively occasions, but in the past six months, she had uncharacteristically avoided seeing outsiders.

Qi Yunsheng immediately stood up and told Xue Zongwu, “Wait here for a moment; I’ll be right back.”

His medical skills were excellent, so he didn’t need anyone else to attend to illnesses.

Xue Zongwu also stood up, “I’ll go with my father-in-law to see the Old Mistress.”

“You wait here; I’ll be right back.” Qi Yunsheng knew his mother wasn’t actually ill but was just being difficult. How could he let his son-in-law follow along and watch?

Xue Zongwu’s offer was merely a formality; he naturally wouldn’t insist.

Qi Yunsheng exited the study, and Steward Yu, bowing his head slightly, followed closely behind him.

Xue Zongwu could still hear their conversation drifting from the garden: “What’s wrong with the Old Mistress now?”

“The Old Mistress says she’s dizzy, short of breath, and finding it hard to breathe…”

Xue Zongwu paced a few steps in the study, finding Steward Yu somewhat wooden, not as diligent as usual. However, people’s states fluctuate, and emotions have ups and downs. Who knew what Steward Yu had encountered these past few days? Xue Zongwu couldn’t be bothered to think too much about it.

Before Steward Yu’s heavy footsteps had completely faded and before Qi Yunsheng had even left the garden, Xue Zongwu was already impatiently flipping through the ledger on the table.

Was this ledger truly sent by Qingyang’s people? If Qingyang threatened him, how should he respond? Should he feign compliance? Or make limited concessions to Qingyang?

Xue Zongwu was indecisive.

For years, he had held great power and enjoyed smooth sailing, but his opponent was Qingyang, an old demoness who had wielded influence in Beijia for nearly three *jiazi* (180 years)!

If the evidence Qingyang held was merely a bit of corruption in the state accounts, King Yao, though displeased, wouldn’t truly do anything severe to him.

But looking at how Qingyang had previously exposed those officials, she would not act unless it was a precise strike, targeting a critical weakness, enough to be classified as a major crime punishable by law.

Xue Zongwu himself was vague about some of his past deeds, but he now worried that Qingyang might remember them more clearly than he did.

There’s only one kind of person who isn’t afraid of ghosts knocking on their door, and he wasn’t that person.

What to do?

Heyang had recently appeared in Mangzhou; besides secretly delivering the ledger, was he also there to collect evidence against the Qi family? Everyone in the know understood that if Xue Zongwu was the main trunk, his roots were firmly planted in the Qi family!

He could already smell the approaching ill omens.

But Xue Zongwu hadn’t noticed that his two hundred elite soldiers had been left outside Xiaotao Villa.

His deputy and personal guards were also kept outside Yangxin Hall.

A few moments ago, even his father-in-law, Qi Yunsheng, had left.

He Lingchuan’s meticulous planning had peeled away Xue Zongwu’s protective layers like an onion. Now, only Xue Zongwu himself remained in the hall!

Moreover, as soon as Qi Yunsheng left, he immediately turned back to examine the ledger on the desk.

Xue Zongwu’s mind was in turmoil, and he was completely unaware that his back was to the window.

Yangxin Hall’s latticed windows were wide open, fragile yet beautiful.

The sky began to drizzle again, the rain as fine as freshly sifted flour.

This was He Lingchuan’s meticulously planned opportunity.

The timing and location were both perfect.

He Lingchuan, hidden in the shadows, held his breath, as still as a rock. Yet, his essence, energy, and spirit were inwardly accumulated to their optimal state.

On the opponent’s territory, killing Xue Zongwu had to be swift, steady, precise, and ruthless!

The first strike was crucial.

He Lingchuan gathered strength in his feet, ready to smash through the window. His right hand hovered, the Floating Life Blade ready, his spirit and energy fully charged.

He just awaited the earth-shattering strike!

But at that moment—

Xue Zongwu had just turned to the red-lined section in the ledger when a deafening roar suddenly erupted from outside:

Boom!

Enemy attack? He instinctively grabbed his weapon, took two steps back, and then looked up to see a blaze rising into the sky in the west.

An explosion!

And it was quite large.

This was Qi Yunsheng’s villa, a place currently filled with esteemed guests for a grand banquet. How could such an incident happen?

After the flames came thick smoke, billowing straight into the sky.

The commotion was immense; it looked like significant damage.

Needless to say, commotion immediately broke out within the villa. Even from that distance, Xue Zongwu could hear shouts of alarm and footsteps from near and far, and people loudly ordering, “Hurry, send people…”

Xue Zongwu’s guards, who had been waiting in the garden, rushed over upon hearing the noise, “General?”

Qi Yunsheng, who had almost left the garden, instead hurried back when the explosions began all around, saying in a deep voice, “Follow me!”

Neither master nor disciple was one to panic. Faced with such an unexpected event, their immediate reaction was to deal with the problem decisively, while simultaneously pondering one thought:

Who was this explosion aimed at?

Was it aimed at the Qi residence, at Xue Zongwu, or at other powerful figures within the villa?

Xue Zongwu certainly had a fearsome reputation, but Qi Yunsheng was no easy target either, and with so many officials in the villa, how could there not be enemies?