Chapter 55 Is he Qin Shaozong's man?
Yanzhou, Gaoling County, Fan Mansion Study.
"...What?! Inuaki betrayed us?!"
Fan Tianshi suddenly stood up from his seat and stared intently at Wang Jiang, who was kneeling in front of him.
The man in the blue robe sitting next to the table frowned.
Wang Jiang bowed his head and replied, "Yes, my benefactor. Everything went smoothly that night. We had already infiltrated the Qin residence and even sneaked into one of the rooms. But just as we were about to make our move, Quan Jie suddenly killed two people in succession. No one expected him to act like that. Not only did we lose our composure, but the northern general in the room also woke up."
"And then what happened?" the eldest son, Fan Boliang, pressed.
Wang Jiang kept his head down. "If we alert the enemy, there will be no chance of completing the mission. Naturally, we should retreat first and wait for a better opportunity later. However, at that time, Quan Jie had killed two people in front, and the Northern Guards swarmed in from behind, making it really difficult to escape. Apart from my subordinates, no one else was able to escape."
As if to prove his words were true, Wang Jiang took off his outer robe, revealing a bandage wrapped around his left shoulder blade and left arm, the wound of which was quite large, judging from the extent of the bandage.
As if afraid they wouldn't believe him, Wang Jiang immediately unwrapped the bandages to show them the wound inside.
The wound was long and bloody.
Fan Boliang gasped, unsure whether he was startled by the wound or shocked that Quan Jie had truly betrayed him.
Fan Tianshi's expression was grim. "Has anyone been captured alive by those in the north?"
"I don't know. But even if I did, I would say it as you taught us, and put all the blame on Qingzhou," Wang Jiang said in a low voice.
Fan Tianshi rubbed his temples. "I am aware of this matter. You should go and recover from your injuries. Do not disclose the matter of Quan Jie's betrayal to anyone for the time being. I have my own arrangements."
Wang Jiang was ordered to leave.
After he left, Fan Boliang looked at the two people in the room and said, "Father, Mr. Shi, do you think what Wang Jiang said is credible? Where can Quan Jie go after leaving our Fan family? Who would dare to take in this stray dog? As long as we tell the outside world that Quan Jie has harbored treacherous intentions, within a day, enemies will come looking for him for revenge. Even if he had nine lives, it wouldn't be enough for him to outlast us."
Fan Tianshi twirled the thumb ring in his hand without saying a word.
Shi Wuji: "We don't have enough information to say for sure."
Fan Boliang speculated, "Could it be that the mission failed and Inujaku died, and Wang Jiang fabricated this story to shirk responsibility?"
“It’s not impossible. This matter needs to be investigated thoroughly.” Fan Tianshi’s eyes revealed a terrifying ruthlessness. “If Quan Jie really betrays his master, I will make him wish he were dead.”
...
"Has Quan Jie not returned yet?" Fan Muqi peeked into the courtyard.
Pingwei was so jealous he almost vomited blood. On the third day after Quanjie left, Xiaoba Niangzi came to ask if Quanjie had returned, and she came to ask every day after that. Sometimes she sent a maid, and sometimes she came in person. She would even sit in Quanjie's room for a while, clearly a young girl in love and completely infatuated with him.
He just couldn't understand it; everyone was acting as a son to their adoptive father.
In terms of seniority, he had been with the Fan family for several months longer than Inu-gaku; in terms of appearance, he was far more outstanding than the disfigured Inu-gaku; and in terms of temperament, he was much more interesting than the wooden stake.
Why is it that Inuyasha is favored by the Eighth Lady?
"He didn't come back." Pingwei tried to calm himself down.
Fan Muqi gestured with his chin, "Where did Quan Jie go? What is he doing now?"
Pingwei maintained his smile: "I'm sorry, Eighth Miss, it's not that I didn't want to tell you, but it's just that it's customary for us to keep it a secret. Apart from my godfather, no one else knows."
"Then I'll go ask my father," Fan Muqi said before leaving without looking back.
The gold and jade hairpin on the young lady's head reflected fragments of gold on the ground, just like the bright and beautiful thoughts of a young girl.
As the most favored daughter, Fan Muqi had many privileges. For example, while others had to repeatedly announce their arrival to Fan Tianshi, she didn't need to. She only needed to call out to the inside when she was almost at the door, and as long as Fan Tianshi wasn't busy with important matters, he would almost always let her in.
Today, Fan Muqi called for his father from outside, and it took much longer than usual for the person inside to respond.
The betrayal of his master enraged Fan Tianshi. He struggled for a long time to calm himself before meeting his daughter, but as soon as his most beloved eldest daughter entered, she asked him:
"Father, where did you send Inuakasa?"
This sentence ignited a firestorm, and even poured a whole bucket of oil into it.
Fan Tianshi sternly rebuked her, "You're always chasing after a lowly servant, Xiao Ba, what kind of behavior do you have? Don't you have any dignity as a noble lady? This is simply laughable and a disgrace to the Fan family!"
Fan Muqi was stunned by the scolding.
As the legitimate daughter, and the one most favored by her father, she was extremely pampered by her family. They would give her whatever she wanted, and any clothes or jewelry she took a fancy to would be delivered to her room the next day.
For the first time in fifteen years, her father was furious with her.
She wasn't planning to marry Inuyasha; she just wanted him to stay by her side. How did that make the Fan family lose face?
Fan Muqi burst into tears and blurted out, "Father, I just like his appearance. I know I will definitely have to go through a political marriage in the future. I just want to see him more now. Is that not allowed?"
Fan Tianshi narrowed his eyes. "You like his appearance?"
Fan Muqi belatedly realized he had let something slip and immediately fell silent.
"What kind of appearance could a disfigured boy possibly have that you would like?" Fan Tianshi asked.
Seven years ago, Quan Jie dragged his broken leg to the Fan family and kowtowed in front of the gate, begging for mercy. At that time, he already had large scars on his cheeks.
At first, he had nothing of value, so naturally he had no mask to cover his ugliness. It was only later, as he gradually rose to prominence and stood out from the group of orphans, that he began to receive special treatment.
You can live in a less crowded courtyard and possess some insignificant things, such as a ghost mask.
Seeing his daughter remain silent, Fan Tianshi rebuked her again: "Tell me the truth! If you dare to hide anything, you will not be allowed to leave the courtyard before you get married. And when Quan Jie returns, I will kill him immediately."
"No!" Fan Muqi reacted strongly.
Fan Tianshi said nothing more, only staring coldly at her.
Fan Muqi had been pampered since childhood and was just an unmarried young lady. How could she withstand such a cold and stern gaze? She slowly lowered her head and said, "Quan Jie is not ugly. No one is more handsome than him. The scar on his face is fake."
I learned about this by accident.
That day, she and the young lady from the Li family went for a spring outing outside the city. Li San told her that he had accidentally discovered a treasure land. So she went up the mountain with him, entered a cave, and walked along a not-so-short mountain path.
Beyond the cave lies an open meadow, where grass grows tall and birds sing, and in the middle is a beautiful little pond.
And that's where she saw Inu-Akuta.
The Fan family had many servants, and she naturally couldn't remember them all. However, Quan Jie's demon mask was very easy to recognize, and she had just met him yesterday. Therefore, she recognized at a glance that the handsome young man with the demon mask hanging at his waist was her father's adopted son.
The stunning beauty of it goes without saying. Afterwards, Inuyasha asked her not to tell anyone, and she agreed.
Later, she figured out the reason herself: Inu-gaku was probably trying to hide his talents and avoid those powerful people who liked to keep male prostitutes.
She had promised him she would keep his secret forever, but now that her father was threatening his life, she had no choice but to reveal the truth. Inuyasha shouldn't blame her.
With her head down, Fan Muqi didn't see that her father's expression changed drastically, filled with shock and anger.
"How dare you! Why didn't you tell me about such an important matter sooner?" Fan Tianshi's face was as dark as a storm cloud, terrifyingly sinister.
Fan Muqi never expected that after he confessed everything, his father would be even more furious than before.
"Father, I..."
"Slap." He couldn't help but slap her across the face.
"Get out of here right now!" Fan Tianshi was furious; he had nothing to say to this stupid daughter.
Fan Muqi ran away crying.
Fan Tianshi took a deep breath and said to the servants outside, "Go and invite the eldest young master and Mr. Shi over here."
Previously, the eldest son had questioned whether Wang Jiang was lying, but now it seems that it was not a lie at all; Quan Jie clearly has a serious problem.
In the past three years, Inu-Akuta has become the knife he is most comfortable using. He has looked at this knife hundreds of times, if not thousands, but he still cannot see through the disguise on his face.
Such a sophisticated disguise is not something that a small family could possess; Inuyasha must be an inside man!
For seven years, a powerful force had planted a spy in his mansion. Well done, they were incredibly patient, ruthless, and willing to go to great lengths, even breaking their own leg to come and beg him for mercy.
He hunted geese all day long, and one of them pecked his eye.
Fan Tianshi was so angry that he felt dizzy and his vision blurred. He even felt a chill spreading from the back of his head.
Just then, Shi Wuji and Fan Boliang arrived.
Shi Wuji bowed respectfully, "My lord, what brings you here to see me?"
When Fan Boliang saw his father's gloomy face, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. Sure enough, the next moment he heard the other party say, "Quan Jie is an inside agent planted in my mansion by another force. He is quite capable, having been lurking for seven whole years."
Then Fan Tianshi told them about the disguise on Quan Jie's face.
Both of them were astonished.
Fan Boliang exclaimed in disbelief, "The scar is fake? I never noticed it all these years!"
Shi Wuji asked, "Do you know who's behind him?"
"I don't know." Fan Tianshi took a deep breath. "But this move looks very familiar to me. Do you remember what happened in Bingzhou a year ago? That military officer surnamed Kuang under Rong Bingzhou was actually a man of Qin Shaozong. He had been infiltrating Rong Gong's camp for seven years, going through fire and water for him and doing everything he could... Ha, the same kind of undercover agent, the same kind of seven years."
Shi Wuji seemed to be deep in thought.
Fan Zhongliang murmured, "It's actually Qin Shaozong? The possibility is quite high. Such exquisite disguise skills must have a strong foundation in the place where they belong, and the Qin family fits the bill perfectly!"
Shi Wuji then spoke up, “My lord, there’s something strange about this matter. Why would he expose himself at this time? On the night of the assassination, Quan Jie could have coordinated with the North to wipe everyone out, and then returned alone to continue his infiltration, waiting for the most crucial moment to betray him.”
"Perhaps Wang Jiang was just lucky. Their inside-outside collaboration failed, and one of them escaped. Now, being exposed prematurely is a last resort," Fan Zhongliang said through gritted teeth.
"Besides those who slipped through the net, could there be another reason for Quan Jie's departure...?" Shi Wuji said solemnly, "He knew that the person living in the West Tower was Li Zan, and that he had found out about that matter."
Fan Tianshi's pupils narrowed for a moment. "Impossible! I never sent Quan Jie to contact the people over there. There's no way he could know."
After he finished speaking, the study fell silent, with only a few rapid breaths from those who were surprised and uncertain.
"Regardless, we must take immediate action to minimize the impact of Quan Jie's betrayal. My lord, didn't Eighth Lady say she'd seen his true face? Let her describe his appearance to the painter. We'll issue a large reward notice, claiming that Quan Jie has betrayed his master and fled eastward with valuable treasures, offering a hefty reward for his head. In short, we need to let the world and Quan Jie's past enemies know that he is now a thorn in your side, someone you wish you could get rid of as soon as possible." Shi Wuji's tone was cold.
"Furthermore, I have ordered spies to go to Guoyun County with images to investigate. Given the previous incident of infiltrating the Qin residence, and the fact that Quan Jie separated from Wang Jiang in Guoyun County, if he is indeed Qin Shaozong's man, he will most likely stay in Guoyun County for some time. By staking out there, we might be able to spot him."
Without the protection of the Fan family, his true identity was exposed. If he were not Qin Shaozong's man, hyenas would surely be searching for him everywhere.
Shi Wuji stroked his beard. "Finally, I think we need to screen everyone in the manor, especially those who are close to Quan Jie. I have a feeling that Quan Jie is not the only mole; there may be another group of spies hidden in the manor."
After a pause, Shi Wuji added one last sentence, "If Quan Jie is Qin Shaozong's man, the situation will take a turn for the worst. I think that in that case, my lord should take the initiative to contact Master Di Ting."
Hearing each word, Fan Tianshi's expression finally softened: "What Liu Xian said is absolutely right."
The Fan family launched a swift and thorough investigation.
And sure enough, they actually discovered something. For example, a gatekeeper surnamed Zhang left the mansion this morning and never returned.
According to his subordinates, this person was one of the people who was relatively close to Inuyasha in the mansion.
*
Qingzhou, Guoyun County.
“…My lord, therefore I believe that Yanzhou is untrustworthy.” Nalan Zhi cupped his hands to Qin Shaozong. “To repel external enemies, we must first secure internal stability. I urge my lord to deal with the Yanzhou issue first.”
“What you say is absolutely right, sir. Let’s put the matter of the Green Lotus Sect on hold for now.” Qin Shaozong then turned to Kuang Ye: “Kuang Ye, you’ve always been meticulous in your actions. Go and investigate how many enemies that kid Qin Yanzhou has made over the years.”
Everyone in the study was startled upon hearing this.
These words were not given in private, but said in public. Judging from the tone of your voice, it is not as simple as just an investigation.
Kuang Ye started as a scout and was later trained to be an undercover agent, a job he held for seven years. No one knew the ins and outs of the business better than him.
The way this covert operation successfully retreats is also very particular. The cleanup must be done thoroughly, otherwise, even if it changes its appearance, it is hard to guarantee that someone will find out the traces.
“My lord, I’ve heard that Qin Yanzhou always wears a mask, and he has a scar on his face, so I doubt his enemies would recognize him.” Bai Jianping privately felt that there was no need to go to such lengths.
Wearing a mask, with fake scars on his face, and abandoning his former name, he's practically a different person.
"He couldn't have put on that mask on his first day in the Fan family," Qin Shaozong said calmly. "As for the scar, it's true that it might make people feel uncomfortable if they don't look closely at his face, but that won't stop people with ulterior motives from looking at him in the future."
Bai Jianping's brow twitched.
This really needs to be thoroughly cleaned up! Although it's not impossible for you, my lord, it's definitely a huge undertaking, especially since it involves Nangong Qingzhou and Fan Yanzhou.
Who here is the good guy? It seems like none of them are.
Upon closer examination, this seems to be the first time that the Lord has deliberately sought trouble, and he ended up causing a major disaster right away.
Well, you can't say that. That kid is a big problem, but he has a very capable mother behind him. Lately, the income from salt alone is enough to make that tightwad Jin Duole grin from ear to ear.
"My lord, Commandant Mo has returned," the guard reported.
Soon, the disheveled Mo Yanyun strode in. He had just returned to the manor and came straight here, looking travel-worn and much more weathered, but his eyes shone like stars.
He held a roll of mulberry paper in his hand: "My lord, I have brought back a map of the area near Huai'an County. When shall we set off to march?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he found that no one around him was saying anything.
Mo Yanyun: "?"
What kind of looks are those? Didn't they say they were going to attack the Green Lotus Sect?
Before he could ask, Mo Yanyun suddenly remembered something else, "By the way, Lord, when I returned to the manor just now, I saw two people acting suspiciously outside the manor."
Without much thought, he guessed, "Could it be that the Green Lotus Sect knows we're going to attack them soon, so they're sending spies to our door now?"
After he said that, there was still no sound from inside the room.
Mo Yanyun was puzzled.
What's going on? He's only been gone a few days, but it's like something earth-shattering has happened in the manor.
Author's note: A huge pot suddenly fell onto Lao Qin's back, but what can you do when he has a criminal record? hhh
You all kept saying that a complete makeover could completely sever ties with the past, but that's not really the case.
Li Zan: Salt Smuggler of Ying County
Shi Wuji, courtesy name "Liuxian", belonged to the Yanzhou camp.
Shi Wuji was unscrupulous in his schemes and actions, and he acted without any moral compass.
I need nutrient solution! [Orange heart]
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