Chapter 110
The half-broken wooden sign may have once been engraved with someone's name, but because it is missing half, only the last character "远" can be recognized.
At that time, Zhan Xian was too young, and apart from a few of her father's trusted confidants, she couldn't remember the names of many people. Therefore, she didn't recall anyone in the Zhan family army whose name ended with the character "Yuan".
The man spoke up: "I have never seen the owner of this wooden plaque, but I know a deputy general named Pei Yuan. It should be him."
Zhan Xian was surprised, "You don't recognize him either?"
The man nodded slightly, his voice low and hoarse, as if carrying the rough sand of the Gobi Desert. "I am a spy that the commander-in-chief placed in Xili. I have been in this godforsaken place for almost twenty years, to the point that I have almost forgotten my own name... The commander-in-chief personally promised that he would take me back after the complete victory in the war against Xili."
This is why, even though he was a member of the Zhan family army, he didn't have his own wooden plaque. How could a spy alone in a foreign land carry something to prove his identity?
It was precisely because he did not reveal his identity that he was able to survive when the Zhan family army was almost completely wiped out.
"Although I don't recognize this person, I know that Pei Yuan is very important. After the commander-in-chief died in battle, I risked my life to find him and collect his body. At that time, he was holding this wooden plaque tightly in his hand."
"wrong--"?
!
Lin Yi was almost frantic; she knew this plot all too well! It wasn't Pei Yuan at all; they had the wrong person.
"What's wrong with you?" Xie Chengnan asked when he saw her covering her mouth, as if she was resisting something.
"No, it's nothing."
She can speak again. Heaven knows she almost blurted it out just now.
Having held the original book for so long, she finally encountered a familiar plot. Just as Lin Yi was about to show off her skills, the system forcibly shut her up.
As the sharp notification sound rang in my mind, my lips were stuck together and I couldn't open them!
But when she stopped trying to tell the truth, she was able to answer Xie Chengnan's questions again.
Lin Yi tentatively asked, "Can I take a look?"
The wooden plaque had already been passed to Zhan Xian during their conversation.
This was a token of the Zhan family army. The man didn't want anyone else to touch it, and his gaze was unfriendly, but Zhan Xian still gave the wooden plaque to Lin Yi.
"Do all the members of your Zhan family army have their names engraved on their wooden plaques?"
This question stumped the two of them.
The man had no wooden plaque, but Zhan Xian…
"When the wooden plaques were first distributed, they were not engraved with any words, but some soldiers would voluntarily engrave their names on them so that their identities could be identified after they died."
"In other words, it doesn't prove that the name was carved by the owner of the wooden plaque, right?"
Her words were incisive, yet she spoke cautiously, breathing a sigh of relief after realizing the system wasn't stopping her. Sure enough, as long as the system didn't directly reveal the key plot points through her, it would be fine. That way, she could guide them to discover the truth themselves.
She reached out and touched the half of the wooden plaque. Over the years, the edges had been worn smooth, but the name on it remained sharp and deeply engraved.
“Strange… The marks are so deep. Do you carve your names with such force? It seems like you hate this person so much that you would carve them when your emotions are intense.”
The implication is: Could it be that the owner of this wooden plaque wants to tell others that this name belongs to the person who harmed him?
She returned the wooden plaque to Zhan Xian.
"..."
Posing one question will lead to a series of questions.
If this wooden plaque doesn't belong to Pei Yuan, then whose is it? And what does the character "Yuan" carved on it represent?
"Let me see it," Gu Shuan finally spoke after a long silence.
When Zhan Xian handed the wooden plaque to Lin Yi, the man was displeased, but ultimately didn't show it too obviously. However, handing this token of the Zhan family army to someone surnamed Gu was a different story.
"no!"
Gu Shuan had no doubt that what he really meant was, 'You don't deserve it.' In this respect, the man had actually saved him face.
Zhan Xian held the wooden plaque, looking at Gu Shuan's insistence and the man's furious expression, feeling caught in a dilemma.
Lin Yi stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "There's nothing much to see, it's just a wooden sign with 'Huaiyuan' written on it, right?" She deliberately emphasized it again.
"There is no 'cherish,' only the word 'far.'"
"No way, could I have misread it?" Lin Yi hadn't seen the first character either, but the character "Huai" wasn't something she made up; Huai Yuan was the name of a key character in the original book. She was intentionally guiding the conversation, just waiting to see if Gu Shu'an would take the hint.
Gu Shuan did not disappoint her.
He frowned in thought, repeating the two words several times before uttering a name, "Lu Huaiyuan?"
The name finally evoked a long-forgotten memory in the man: "Yes, it seems there really was such a person!"
"Is he from the Zhan family army?" Zhan Xian asked.
“I’m not sure if this person is in the Zhan family army, but he did participate in the war in his early years, and he was involved in that battle,” Gu Shuan said.
"What happened to this person afterward?" This was just a subconscious question. As a prince of noble birth, he didn't often go to the military. At that time, he was only a teenager and didn't participate in politics. How would he know the whereabouts of a soldier?
Gu Shuan did know that "Later, due to the defeat in the war, Lu Huaiyuan, as one of the participants, was naturally impeached, and some people in the court demanded that he and the Zhan family army be dealt with together. However, a prince spoke up to protect him."
At the time, the case of the Zhan family's treason was a huge scandal, known throughout the city, but Lu Huaiyuan's matter was considered a trivial matter, unknown even to Zhan Xian. Gu Shu'an knew only because he was particularly concerned. Determined to give Zhan Xian and the Zhan family an explanation, he remained unconvinced of Emperor Zhaowen's decision for a long time after the case was closed. Using his position, he accessed countless files, large and small, gaining a thorough understanding of the people and events involved. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he knew them better than anyone else.
Gu Shuan was intimately familiar with every detail of these cases, clearly having put in considerable effort behind the scenes, and not just overnight. Zhan Xian's eyes flickered slightly; perhaps she had misunderstood him…
The man suddenly chuckled, "A prince, and one of your own people, how could you not know who he is?"
"I do know. But it's a serious matter, so let me confirm it first..."
It's understandable, really. If Lu Huaiyuan is indeed involved in the Zhan family's wrongful case, or even the instigator of this incident, there must be someone with even greater power behind him. In that case, the prince who spoke up to protect him would be the most suspicious person.
The man sneered and looked at Zhan Xian, his expression saying: What did I tell you? There's not a single good person in the Tian family.
Zhan Xian, however, did not want to force him.
If it concerns the Prince, it is not only a matter of state, but also a family matter for Gu Shuan. Before there is solid evidence, we should indeed be more cautious.
To everyone's surprise, Xie Chengnan raised an eyebrow and asked Gu Shuan, "Isn't it Prince Jing?"
Gu Shuan gave him a cold, sharp look, and Xie Chengnan knew he had guessed correctly.
"Don't look at me like that. I have absolutely no interest in the Zhan family's case, nor do I have the same power as you. It's just that there aren't many suitable candidates." Xie Chengnan shrugged.
"How did you guess?" Lin Yi was genuinely curious. He didn't have Gu Shuan's access to the files, so he naturally had no way of knowing about such an old story from ten years ago. But he hadn't even seen the script, so how did he guess it so easily?
"It's actually quite simple. Since it's an old matter from ten years ago, and he can still speak about it in the imperial court, this person must not be new to the court, nor is he old and frail. He must be between thirty and forty years old. Among the princes of that age, only this Prince Jing is not content with his fiefdom and especially likes to meddle in court affairs. He was once highly regarded by the late emperor. If anyone is most likely to save that disgraced official, it is him."
"Besides... this Prince Jing has been doing quite a bit of business these past few years."
Lin Yi couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.
The latter raised an eyebrow, his smugness and pride evident.
"What does the next sentence mean?" Gu Shuan asked.
"You don't know?" Xie Chengnan sighed softly, "Prince Jing is living a very comfortable life. It is said that he has opened inns outside Liangzhou City, and merchants come and go in an endless stream... Do you think he has been selling anything on the side?"
Ignoring the disdain in his words, Gu Shuan said calmly, "This is just your guess, there is no evidence."
Xie Chengnan nodded: "Indeed, then let's put it aside for now and wait until the evidence reaches His Highness before investigating." He wasn't in any hurry about this matter.
It was Gu Shu'an who was anxious. He wanted to overturn the verdict while Emperor Zhaowen was still in power, but his father's health clearly wouldn't hold up for much longer. Although he could overturn the verdict after he ascended the throne, it would be different; only when the emperor who had judged the case personally announced it to the world would it be considered a true exoneration.
Although he appeared calm in public, as soon as the crowd dispersed, he immediately sent a message to Shulang, instructing him to quickly send people to investigate the inn Xie Chengnan had mentioned.
After leaving the commander's tent, the man followed Zhan Xian.
“My name is Liao Sheng, a name I haven’t used in a long time… The girl just randomly assigned me to be a scout soldier, and I’ve been a lonely ghost for ten years, unworthy of the name of the Zhan family army. My only wish now is to die in this yellow sand so that I can reunite with my brothers.”
Zhan Xian: "If Uncle Liao doesn't mind, I can start as the head of the scout team... I can arrange it, but I will never be willing to die in battle. Our Zhan family army pursues absolute victory, and even if only one person is left, we will win back our victory."
They not only wanted to overturn the verdict, but also to drive the Xili people back to their homeland, so that for a hundred years they would not dare to covet the land of Anguo, and would live in peace and obedience for generations to come.
...
Lin Yi felt a little guilty, not only because of her suspicious behavior and the dog's furtive actions, but also because of what she was about to do.
Before leaving Mingzhou, she made a pact with Princess Changning to become her eyes and ears in the army.
She knew then that Changning had planted someone in the army to provide support, but after so long of marching, Lin Yi had not been able to contact this person.
Her first message did not contain any information about the progress of the war or Gu Shuan's current situation, but rather instructed Changning to investigate Prince Jing's movements and Lu Changyuan's whereabouts.
"Miss Qiu, you've finally arrived."
The contact was an ordinary-looking man with an average military rank; he would be unremarkable if thrown into a group of soldiers.
Unlike how other soldiers addressed her, this man did not acknowledge her status within the military camp.
"There have been many injured people lately, and I haven't had any free time," Lin said without changing his expression.
The man took the letter, his tone flat, and did not expose her clumsy lie: "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Qiu. Is there any other message to deliver to His Highness?"
Lin Yi thought for a moment and said, "This matter is of great importance. Your Highness, please make sure to handle the matter mentioned in this letter as soon as possible."
The contact finally showed a strange expression, seemingly surprised that she was the one who arranged for the princess to do the work. However, his long-standing professionalism made him quickly hide his astonishment, regain his previous expressionless demeanor, and calmly reply, "I will certainly pass on the message to Your Highness."
Lin Yi asked curiously, "How are you going to send the message over?" In this vast desert, and hundreds of miles away, carrier pigeons probably can't reach it.
"Miss Qiu, you don't need to worry about that. I have a plan."
Well, as expected of Princess Changning's person, she is just as proud and arrogant as her.
After the first meeting ended, Lin Yi turned around the corner of the camp and saw someone who shouldn't be there at this time.
She shuddered and asked, "What...what are you doing here?"
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