Chapter 1640: The King Yao's Painful Letting Go

He was anxious to reclaim military power, but fate seemed to be working against him.

How much longer could he wait? The Emperor's Nectar was almost here.

"No news from Yuwen Yong either?"

"General Yuwen has sent no word."

King Yao paced in his study for a long time, pondering repeatedly. Indeed, if Wang Sili had met with an accident on the road, how would Yuwen Yong, who was guarding the northern frontier, know?

"The night after tomorrow!" King Yao finally decided. "Immediately send the fastest bird-demon with an urgent message to Yuwen Yong: if Wang Sili does not arrive at the Northern Garrison Camp by the night after tomorrow, tell him to find a way to take down Chongwu!"

Such a forceful approach was extremely dangerous. Chongwu was also a frontier general and had not ostensibly committed any wrongdoing. For Yuwen Yong to forcibly take him down without King Yao's official command would be neither justifiable nor easy.

What if he resorted to schemes or assassination? Chongwu's own combat strength was formidable; if it failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But King Yao could no longer afford to hesitate; he had to choose the lesser of two evils.

At this moment, he felt a twinge of regret. If only he had resisted Qingyang's pressure then and not given this crucial position to Chongwu, this calamity would not have occurred today.

"Yes, my King." Qiu Long paused, about to leave, when he suddenly remembered something else. "My King, just before receiving this urgent message, Zhao Song also submitted some news."

King Yao asked casually, "What did he say?"

Every few days, Zhao Song would report on He Lingchuan's recent activities, even though the Tianshui East Expansion project had stopped.

"A lot of people have recently disappeared from Yongquan Villa. Zhao Song had his palace guards pay close attention, and some of the Yangshan people who left the villa never returned."

People gone from Yongquan Villa? King Yao frowned. "If there were unusual movements, why report it only today?"

"Zhao Song said that these people came and went frequently, so their departures or arrivals didn't attract attention. It was only when one of his palace guards was exchanging flirtatious glances and secretly courting a maid from Yongquan Villa that he found out. The maid had brought him a plate of fruit the previous evening and arranged to meet him behind the wine cellar the next afternoon, but she didn't show up the next day and was never seen again. After Zhao Song heard about this, he observed carefully and only then discovered that the number of Yangshan people in the villa was steadily decreasing, while the number of local people was increasing. Unbeknownst to them, all the servants had been replaced."

"Useless! People are practically disappearing right under his nose, and he's only reporting it now?" King Yao coughed, his voice thick with phlegm. Qiu Long quickly offered him a spittoon, but then hesitated, as if about to speak.

King Yao coughed for a long time before finally exhaling. "What do you want to say?"

Qiu Long hesitated before replying, "Qingyang, the Regent, mentioned the day before yesterday that there were hardly any people left from the Yangshan Trading Company in Tianshui City."

Qiu Long had not dared to repeat Qingyang's next few words:

*You blindly follow He Xiao's every word, but this person is truly not good. He has quietly moved all his assets and personnel out of Yao, and it's laughable that all the civil and military officials in the court are kept in the dark.*

*You want to use him, but isn't he also using you as a pawn?*

At the time, King Yao scoffed, but now, thinking about it, her words actually held some truth.

"Send someone to investigate the Yangshan Trading Company."

Qiu Long acknowledged and was about to leave to deliver the message, when King Yao suddenly waved him to stop and began to ponder deeply.

Seeing his brow furrow deeply, Qiu Long knew that whatever was troubling the King so much must be of great importance.

King Yao, however, sneered inwardly. So He Xiao wanted to escape and had been quietly moving people out.

Right, this is the true nature of a merchant: seeking profit and avoiding harm!

Just recently, he had vowed repeatedly that he would absolutely not leave. Fortunately, King Yao hadn't believed him!

Expecting this person to see the Tianshui East Expansion project through to the end? Ha!

"Have Zhao Song take people and thoroughly inspect Yongquan Villa. Since He Xiao intends to escape, he'll most likely resort to some tricks. Otherwise, how could he slip away under the eyes of hundreds of palace guards? Check if he's dug tunnels or set up formations!"

"Your Majesty is wise; He Xiao will certainly not escape your grasp!"

King Yao hummed in acknowledgment, pondered for a long time, and then seemed to make up his mind:

"There's one thing you need to plan in advance—"

"—Before the Emperor's Nectar erupts, first, summon both Qingyang and He Xiao into the palace."

Since Qingyang planned to scheme during the eruption of the Emperor's Nectar, he would strike first!

Qiu Long assented and asked, "Where do you wish to accommodate He Xiao?"

"Naturally, Jade Spring Palace."

Qiu Long's mind raced: Before the Emperor's Nectar eruption, Qingyang, He Xiao, Jade Spring Palace...?

Connecting all these dots, what was the King planning?

King Yao's smile was sinister. "When these two enemies meet, their eyes will burn with hatred. Who can say what will happen?"

Qiu Long, having been by his side for so long, understood immediately. "Yes, my King! My King is brilliant! That He Xiao is incredibly brazen, and since he's not a Yao person, no one knows why he hates Qingyang, the Regent, so much that he dares to commit such outrageous acts!"

But he was still secretly astonished.

He Xiao was the true progress controller of the Tianshui East Expansion project; before its temporary halt, the new city's construction was indeed on track. The King was actually willing to throw this person out, disregarding the potential impact on a major project worth tens of millions of taels!

This was a painful sacrifice.

It seemed the King had judged the current crisis to be imminent and had to sacrifice even his most useful pawns.

It was deep into the night.

Yongquan Villa, located on the city outskirts, enjoyed a tranquility unmatched in Tianshui City. That night, not even vagrants came to cause trouble; only the trees swayed in the evening breeze.

The entire villa seemed to be immersed in sleep, and a night owl, from who knows where, hooted, "Hoo-hoo—hoo-hoo—"

The sound emphasized the chilling desolation.

Of the many people in the villa, originally only Dong Rui lived in the cave on the small hill. This small hill and cave were natural formations, with a stream in front and a large pond behind.

The previous owner used this cave as a wine cellar, but He Lingchuan had specially widened and reinforced it to serve as Dong Rui's laboratory and residence.

While Dong Rui was still at the villa, the cave entrance remained tightly shut day after day. No one knew what he was tinkering with inside. Even if the palace guards were curious, they couldn't force their way in to check.

After all, He Lingchuan was the villa's master, and he had the final say here.

Dong Rui had already slipped away, but the official explanation was that he had gone out on business and would return soon. Thus, during his absence, the cave was temporarily closed and securely locked.

In the dead of night, with no one around, even the fish in the pond floated motionless.

There was nothing valuable to guard in a dilapidated cave, so neither the palace guards nor the Yangshan escorts usually lingered near its entrance.

When dark clouds obscured the moonlight, a dark figure, hunched over and crouching low, darted quickly to the cave entrance and immediately bent down to pick the lock.

To his surprise, the brass lock had no keyhole. The shadowy figure fumbled with it repeatedly, utterly unable to find a place to insert his tools.

Damn it, how was this lock put on?

Of course, he didn't know this was a trinket Dong Rui had salvaged from the Ghost King's underground palace, which Songyang Palace had casually repaired, making it usable again. This item had no other use; it could only be opened by its owner's touch and would reject anyone else, so a keyhole wasn't necessary.

But the dark figure was not deterred. If the lock couldn't be opened, he would find a way to deal with the bolt.