Chapter 74 Another military report! What happened to my brother?
When Ling Buyi heard Emperor Wen mention Shao Shang, his heart warmed up and he couldn't help but smile, looking like an ordinary boy.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but we still don't know how these people were abducted. During the investigation, we didn't see any large-scale team leaving the city. It is really puzzling." Ling Buyi instantly brought the meeting back to the main topic before Emperor Wen went off topic.
The prince was also extremely worried: "Could it be that these people can actually fly and hide? Otherwise, why didn't they leave any clues behind?!"
The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. Wen Ziduan thought of what He Zhaojun had said before. She had talented people under her command who could dig through both sides of the city wall and travel between the two camps in an unpredictable way.
"Could it be..."
"Digging a tunnel?!"
The two spoke in unison. Wen Ziduan and He Zhaojun looked at each other and then turned their heads away.
Ling Buyi shook his head: "The missing people disappeared in various county pavilions[36], and there is no pattern to where they last appeared. If this is the case, the underground of Xuantu and Liaodong County must have been hollowed out."
The prince was puzzled. "Perhaps they were originally out of the city for something and were abducted outside the city?"
He Zhaojun clapped her hands when she heard this. "Thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for reminding us. If there's any reason, we can let them leave the city on their own initiative. Those who leave the city are all young and middle-aged, and we need to keep it secret from those around them."
"Wait until they're outside the city, and then we can kidnap them directly, or simply trick them into getting the mineral vein. Wouldn't that be completely undetectable?"
Ling Buyi paused while holding the teacup: "You mean, digging for gold?"
He Zhaojun nodded. "That's right. We might as well have the local governor conduct a secret investigation to see if there really is someone secretly spreading news about the gold mine."
She didn't say the second half of the sentence, but everyone present knew that this was probably the traitor in the court.
--
It would take five days for the journey from the capital Luoyang to Liaodong, even if one were a high-flying carrier eagle, flying without sleep, to make a round trip in clear weather. Calculating the date, today should be the day when the fourth battle report arrives.
Messenger hawks are difficult to tame, are rare in number, and cannot fly continuously, so the number of times they deliver messages back and forth is limited, and both parties can only wait.
When the first military report arrived, the two brothers rushed to Liaodong in the middle of the night and wrote back the next day, asking the local prefect to investigate the identities of the missing persons in detail.
Five days later, the second military report came out, revealing that there were many craftsmen among the captives. A reply was sent that same day, asking the prefect to investigate whether anyone in the city had spread the news of gold mining.
Five days later, the third military report came out, saying that the investigation had run into trouble. A small group of people appeared in Xuantu County, claiming to be people who had gone out from other counties. The list of people matched the previously missing people one by one, and they had returned intact.
During the interrogation, everyone agreed that a gold mine had indeed been found. To prevent further incitement, the local governor verified everyone's identities while keeping the news secret and continuing the investigation.
Seeing that the investigation ahead had run into trouble, everyone was very puzzled as to why this had happened. They were all trying to find a way out of the situation, feeling uneasy.
It was not until the evening that He Zhaojun heard that someone had brought military reports into the palace. She was almost waiting impatiently.
"An Chengjun, His Majesty has summoned you to the main hall for a discussion." Changshi Cao looked at He Zhaojun with a smile on his face.
He Zhaojun had been waiting anxiously for a long time. If her two brothers led a team of cavalry and rushed thousands of miles, they would have reached Liaodong in half a month. The next military report should have news about them.
She stood up and hurried along: "Cao Changshi, why are you here to inform us today? Does His Majesty have any instructions?"
But Changshi Cao was a close associate of Emperor Wen, and he only summoned her to the palace to discuss matters. There was no need for Changshi Cao to go there in person.
Attendant Cao didn't know how to start, so he was a bit secretive: "Please leave quickly, Lord Ancheng."
When He Zhaojun heard this, her heart started pounding and she blurted out, "What's wrong, brother?"
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