Chapter 215 Double Agent?
"The person breaking through the city gate at this time is definitely not the real person."
Ding Yan pinched the bridge of his nose, his mood worsening upon learning of the presence of spies.
He didn't bring many people with him to begin with, and now more than half of them are dead.
“Lord Ding, if you trust me, you can command the three thousand elite soldiers of the Southwest Army.”
Xu Zhenbang had faith in the soldiers he brought.
Upon hearing this, Ding Yan immediately picked up the memorial he had just finished writing yesterday.
"In that case, I will write another memorial and submit it to His Majesty. May it be sent back to the capital by express courier?"
"Of course, the strength of the Southwest Army is beyond doubt."
Although His Majesty may have wronged him and his son-in-law, Xu Zhenbang believed that His Majesty would not abandon the people of Suzhou.
When His Majesty imprisoned him, he did not implicate the Southwest Army, and even ordered the Southwest Army to be at the command of the Governor-General of Jiangnan.
This shows that His Majesty was merely wary of him and the Prince of Jin, and did not suspect the Southwest Army of disloyalty.
Ding Yan handed over the memorial, and the people who had broken through the city gate were brought back.
Looking at the clothes of the leader, Yunxuan couldn't help but frown.
The fabric of this garment was specially supplied to the imperial court.
Aside from members of the royal family, probably only a few ministers who received the reward could possess it.
"Who are you? Why are you trying to break through the city gate?"
Ding Yan didn't recognize the fabric of the clothes, but looking at Yun Xuan's expression, he naturally understood that something was wrong with this person.
The man explained tremblingly, "Sir, I am a traveling merchant. I received a letter from home today..."
He said his family member was ill, and he had no other choice but to leave the city overnight. "Please, sir, have mercy!"
It is understandable for someone to leave the city overnight if a family member is ill.
But Ding Yan knew very well that this was not the case.
"You claim to be a merchant, but the fabric of your clothes is a special royal supply, made according to protocol."
"Let alone merchants, even officials appointed by the imperial court are not entitled to wear it without a special permission from His Majesty."
Yunxuan calmly observed the man, while Lu Xun beside him stared intently at him, yet there was no indication that he would attempt suicide.
He looked terrified and immediately kowtowed.
"My lord, everything I've said is true. This fabric was made when I was doing business in the capital..."
I received it from a family who said they were short of money.
He secretly sold off the valuables in the mansion, and seeing that the fabric was of good quality, he had his family cut it into clothes.
"This humble subject truly had no idea this was fabric specially supplied to the royal family! Your Excellency, please spare my life!"
He begged for mercy, stubbornly insisting that he knew nothing about it.
"Lord Ding."
Yunxuan suddenly looked up at him, but did not speak directly.
"Take him away."
After everyone left, before Ding Yan could speak, Yun Xuan said, "Lord Ding, this person is probably stalling for time."
"That's right, the fabric of their clothes can't serve as much evidence; he assumed we couldn't do anything to them."
"That person is probably hiding somewhere, trying to buy us time and distract us."
Ding Yan's gaze was deep, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
"At this time, integrating into the refugee community is probably the safest option; there are hundreds of thousands of refugees."
He was certain we wouldn't find it, which is why he came to Suzhou in such a grand manner.
Suzhou is the largest and most prosperous city in the Jiangnan region.
After the incident, people from surrounding counties and villages flocked to Suzhou.
Just when everyone was at a loss, Xu Yifei, holding a piece of silk, ran very fast.
"Dad! Dad! We've pieced it together! We've pieced it together!"
Behind him, Xu Yiyan, limping, hopped along, shouting in panic, "Big brother, slow down! Don't break it!"
He worked very hard!
Xu Yifei rushed over and presented his hands to his father.
"Dad, look! Third Brother has finished!"
Everyone craned their necks to look, and saw a broken jade pendant lying on a clean silk cloth.
"You really managed to spell it out?"
Xu Zhenbang looked at his youngest son behind him in surprise.
He thought that Wei Jingchen's suggestion to let Master Xu take a chance was just something to coax a child.
However, he was rarely in the capital, and he never wore the jade pendant when practicing martial arts, so he was completely unfamiliar with this kind of jade pendant.
"Why don't you take a look at this jade pendant, Ah Xuan? Can you recognize it?"
Upon hearing Xu Zhenbang's words, Xu Yifei quickly handed the jade pendant to his brother-in-law.
"Brother-in-law, take a look?"
Although the jade pendant was broken, Xu Yiyan pieced it back together very well, and the entire appearance of the jade pendant could be clearly seen.
Yunxuan recognized him at a glance.
"This is a tribute from Xunnan last year. It was originally a pair, but His Majesty bestowed it upon the Qi brothers."
It seems there's no need to look for anyone.
This is the Qi family, the Empress's maternal family.
"So the people behind the shadows are from the Qi family?"
Xu Yifei gasped, realizing what was happening immediately.
"So, the one who wants to kill my family and Lord Ding is the Empress?"
He blurted it out, then quickly covered his mouth, staring wide-eyed at Ding Yan.
They already knew that the Qi family was chasing them on the road.
But unexpectedly, the Qi family, representing the Empress, actually wanted to hunt down the cabinet ministers!
"This memorial is aimed at Marquis Ningqian. Isn't the Ling family also trying to seize the position of Marquis Ningqian?"
They ordered the Qi family to kill me; could it be that the Ling family and the Qi family are in cahoots?
Ding Yan didn't care whether it was the Empress or someone else who wanted to kill him; instead, he began to analyze why the Empress wanted to kill him.
The Ling family is affiliated with the Fifth Prince, while the Qi family is affiliated with the Empress. The Empress already has a son.
Surely the Qi family couldn't help the Fifth Prince deal with their own son-in-law?
What's even stranger is that the Ling family was planning to seize the position of Marquis of Ningqian, so why would they stop Ding Yan from writing a memorial?
There were many things they didn't know, but Wei Jingchen knew them very well.
The Ling family is definitely working for the Fifth Prince, and it is a fact that the Fifth Prince is plotting to usurp the throne.
The Qi family is the Empress's maternal family, so the Fifth Prince cannot completely believe that the Qi family is genuinely helping him.
"Could it be that the Qi family ate at two different restaurants?"
Wei Jingchen suddenly spoke, and the entire room immediately fell silent.
No one is genuinely trying to help; they are all driven by self-interest and will exploit whoever is of use to them.
"The Qi family really knows how to play their cards right."
Now that they know the person behind this is connected to both the emperor and the King of Yue, they have no way to take him down directly.
Ding Yan is safe for now, and it's time for the exile team to set off.
He handed the memorial to the emperor to the Southwest Army, who then escorted it to the capital.
The next day, Yun Zhao got up very early.
Xu Qingyi told her what happened last night, and Yun Zhao couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.
The Qi family is truly shameless!
Wait a minute!
She remembered that after the Empress passed away in her previous life, the Qi family was a staunch supporter of the monarchy!
Could it be that they are using the King of Yue?
Yun Zhao was cautious. He made an excuse to say goodbye to his master and took the tiger out, then came back through the back door.
Outside the prison cell, the officer looked at the tiger and nervously swallowed.
"Miss Yun Zhao?"
They had all heard that the Prince of Jin's daughter, Yun Zhao, kept a tiger.
"It's me, Officer Brother. Zhao Zhao is leaving with her parents today."
Zhao Zhao grew up in the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence. Before I leave, may I go and see them?
Yun Zhao sat on the tiger's back, tilting his head, his bright eyes staring unblinkingly at the official, which was simply adorable.
"The prison is very dirty, you should get out soon!"
The official's voice softened unconsciously, as if afraid of frightening the child in front of him.
"Okay, okay! Thank you, brother, you're such a kind person!"
The officials were taken aback by the flattery, and bared their teeth as they opened the door to let Yun Zhao and the tiger in.
The people in the cell heard the noise and looked up to see the huge tiger.
Ling Xuerou's heart sank, and she subconsciously asked, "What are you doing here?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
