Chapter 1053: Upset the Table

Zu'an went to the window and looked out. "Does Jian Taiding really dare to rebel?"

"Not to that extent; he's not that foolish." Sang Hong also came to the window, looking at the layers of soldiers outside. "The Governor's Mansion just sent troops to surround the official residence, three layers deep inside and out. The official reason is that there have been too many violent incidents in Yunzhong Commandery recently, and they're worried about ruffians threatening the imperial envoy's safety, so they specifically dispatched troops for protection."

"But everyone knows that while they call it protection, it's actually house arrest. Every person entering or exiting is thoroughly checked by them."

"With them guarding us like this, the imperial envoy's prestige is completely gone, and we can't do anything at all." Sang Hong's voice was full of anger as he spoke. "I raised my concerns, but those soldiers were clueless, only saying they were following orders from their superiors. When I demanded to see their superior, they claimed Jian Taiding was in seclusion."

"Seclusion? He's clearly recovering from injuries," Zu'an scoffed.

"We know that, of course, but there's nothing we can do against such rogue tactics," Sang Hong said, troubled.

"So, we just let them continue the siege?" Zu'an frowned.

"It might not be a bad thing. After all, doing something so reckless is very taboo. This morning, I already contacted the imperial court. The Emperor will issue an order to Prince Yan, instructing him to secretly bring his army to Yunzhong Commandery in case of any unforeseen circumstances." Sang Hong looked in the direction of Yi Commandery. "Since Jian Taiding doesn't dare to show his true colors yet, we will wait patiently. Once Prince Yan's army arrives, their momentum is bound to be gone."

Today, he personally reported the entire course of events to the Emperor. Given the Emperor's nature, he naturally wouldn't be so pedantic as to insist on evidence.

He simply had Prince Yan from the nearest Yi Commandery bring his troops over. At that point, they would capture Jian Taiding and his associates in a swift, decisive strike. After the situation in Yunzhong Commandery stabilized, evidence and the like could be gathered at leisure.

Zu'an frowned tightly. "I always feel there's something very strange about this whole affair, as if an invisible net is manipulating us, and there might be someone else behind it."

"What does that matter?" Sang Hong gave him a meaningful look. "Don't forget the purpose of our journey. Is it to investigate the Duke of Yunzhong's case? Is it to uphold justice?"

Zu'an was startled. He then remembered the Emperor's words before they left the capital. This trip was clearly intended to deal with the Yu clan, to completely eradicate the Yuan Stone mines and the aristocratic families in Yunzhong Commandery, and to consolidate power under the imperial court.

Yu Xuan-tao was also involved in the assembly yesterday, and he is a highly respected elder of the Yu clan. Even if other members of the Yu clan were unaware, the Emperor now has sufficient grounds to deal with them.

Furthermore, this time they can even deal with Jian Taiding at the same time, legitimately reclaiming the Duke of Yunzhong's fiefdom. Why wouldn't they?

As for plots or overt schemes, the Emperor doesn't care; he only cares about the outcome.

Seeing that Zu'an understood, Sang Hong said no more. He patted his shoulder and said, "Don't think about anything else these days. Just focus on recovering from your injuries."

Just then, Peiyou rushed back from outside. After complaining extensively about the Governor's Mansion soldiers guarding outside, he began to speak of what he had learned during his trip: "I went to the Yu clan to ask Yu Xuan-tao to assist with the investigation, but the Yu family told me that he had suffered a cultivation deviation last night while in seclusion, leading to his meridians breaking and his death."

"The Yu clan was quick to silence him, but unfortunately, none of that matters now," Sang Hong sneered.

Zu'an's mind conjured the beautiful, flower-like image of Yu Yan-luo. It was truly difficult to reconcile such a graceful and charming lady with a femme fatale.

"I've told myself not to judge people by their appearance; the prettier a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive. Why don't you ever learn?" Zu'an silently admonished himself, his gaze becoming resolute.

He needed to investigate the matter thoroughly to get a clear understanding.

After the others left, he took out the shadow-sound stone he had obtained from the Prefectural Residence and played Jian Yan-yu's image repeatedly.

After watching for several hours, Zu'an slowly closed his eyes.

Jian Yan-yu's appearance kept replaying in his mind: from every angle, every movement, his expressions and gestures while speaking, and so on.

Once these details were ingrained in his memory, Zu'an took out the paper and brush he had prepared. His brushstrokes flowed like dragons and snakes, and soon, several portraits of Jian Yan-yu appeared vividly on the paper.

If anyone familiar with Jian Yan-yu were to see them, their eyes would surely pop out, because portraits in this world emphasize artistic impression over realism.

But Zu'an's drawings were almost identical to the real Jian Yan-yu.

Next, Zu'an sat before a mirror and activated the "Thousand Faces" technique. His face continuously shifted until a visage resembling Jian Yan-yu gradually appeared in the mirror.

Comparing it to the shadow-sound stone and the drawings he had just made, Zu'an refined several details until his face became identical to Jian Yan-yu's, at which point he nodded in satisfaction.

Ever since arriving in Yunzhong Commandery, he had felt as if an invisible hand was orchestrating everything. Unfortunately, with insufficient information, it was difficult for him to pinpoint the person behind it all.

His enemies were in the dark while he was exposed. If things continued this way, he would likely still be led by the nose.

Since that was the case, he decided to overturn the chessboard and make the other side play by his rules.

However, there was still a problem: he could imitate Jian Yan-yu's face, but not his voice.

Left with no choice, he took out a small, bow-shaped object and placed it near his collar. This item, of course, was the "Moeme Voice Changer" he had previously obtained.

Each use required him to first disguise himself as a cute girl and trick a man...

Thinking of this, Zu'an felt a dark line across his face. If this thing were discovered, he'd instantly be socially ruined.

But as things stood, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and use it.

Who should he trick?

Zu'an filtered through the list of potential targets in his mind, and finally, Peiyou's image surfaced.

"You're the one!"

Meanwhile, Peiyou was pacing anxiously back and forth in his room.

Recently, he had been confined and monitored in the official residence due to his suspected involvement in the murder of Zuo Su.

He had finally cleared his name, only for the Governor's Mansion to send troops to surround the place again.

He felt he was about to go mad with boredom.

"Ugh, I wanted to go see Tao Hong, but now I can't even leave the residence. Heavens, grant me a girl!"

"Big brother~" Just then, a soft, delicate voice sounded.

Peiyou's hair stood on end. That voice clearly belonged to a cute girl!

"Who's there?" He hadn't completely lost his head. The entire official residence was heavily guarded; for a girl to suddenly appear was highly suspicious.

"I am a maid from the residence. Lord Sang knows that you have been wronged recently, so he specifically sent me to serve you," the "woman" outside the door said timidly.

Peiyou was immediately overjoyed. "Lord Sang is truly considerate! Please, young lady, come in quickly."

All his previous unpleasantness vanished instantly, and he eagerly threw open the door.

"Huh, Brother Zu? Why is it you? Where's the maid?" Peiyou froze when he saw who was at the door, then quickly looked behind him.

He then saw Da Ji. Peiyou's breathing hitched. How could there be such a beautiful woman in the world? Was she the maid from the residence?

"What incredible luck I have today!"

However, Da Ji's eyes were glinting with an unusual light at that moment, and Peiyou's gaze began to grow hazy.

Zu'an felt a dark line across his face. He thought, "Good thing I brought Da Ji along, or I would have been socially ruined."