Chapter 83 Is it related to the Lou family? It’s all because of me
Wen Ziduan also understood that there was something fishy about this matter. Meeting He Zhaojun's gaze, he explained calmly, "Fortunately, Xu Kuo quickly took control of the situation and stabilized it."
He Zhaojun smiled bitterly, "Since you've already said that Zhao Duo is a coward, unable to even open the city gates to allow my second brother to retreat, how could he possibly commit suicide?"
"So you think there's something fishy about this?"
“Yes, judging from the results, whoever is the biggest winner in this matter is most likely the instigator of this incident[45].” He Zhaojun picked up the flag representing Xu Kuo on the sand table.
"Do you suspect Xu Kuo?"
"Yes," He Zhaojun said affirmatively, "Gaoxian County's commander has been rotated many times. Xu Kuo is over forty years old and has always been a deputy commander. If nothing unexpected happens this time, he will be the new commander of Wangping."
Wen Ziduan nodded. "That alone isn't enough to confirm Xu Kuo's involvement. In fact, the Xuantu governor has already reported to the court that Xu Kuo had secretly sent people to pave the road ahead of time. It seemed like he was assisting He Chuan, but in reality, he was trying to expose his whereabouts."
As he spoke, he pulled out the eagle message from his bosom. "He once used baby pigeons to lure the eagles into a low flight so he could shoot them down. Both eagles were caught. Fortunately, you thought of this in advance and made two preparations, so the subsequent secret orders were preserved."
"But if Xu Kuo really was so clever and ruthless, he would have been promoted long ago. Why did he wait until today? Clearly, someone is hiding behind the scenes with ulterior motives."
Wen Ziduan looked puzzled. "Guess who discovered this and alerted Governor Xuantu?"
He Zhaojun was bewildered and just looked at Wen Ziduan's expression. She must know this person and they had a close relationship.
"Your future son-in-law, the eldest son of the Lou family, Lou Ben."
He Zhaojun felt as if all her strength had been drained from her body when she heard this, and she slumped down at the table. After a long pause, she spoke softly, "So, has there been any progress in the missing persons case in Liaodong County?"
Wen Ziduan sat down beside her and said, "The Liaodong governor reported that although the names and identities of these people matched, and no one was found to be amiss, a careful examination of their parents, families, relatives, wives, and daughters revealed that none of them were wrong."
"They weren't abducted civilians, but Xianbei people who entered the city under false names, right?"
"That's right. The Xianbei once abducted women and children from our dynasty and gave birth to offspring with both sides' bloodlines. They were not accepted by either side and have been living in seclusion in the mountains. This time, they were instigated by someone and came up with the idea of impersonating someone else."
He Zhaojun frowned. "Do they have any identification documents? Do they know where the abducted people are now?"
Seeing Wen Ziduan remained silent, He Zhaojun made a bold guess: "Is this matter related to the Hedong Lou family?"
Wen Ziduan held his forehead and said, "A girl who is too smart can be quite a headache for people."
"The Lou family is a prominent family in Hedong, with many branches. One of them still has connections with the current Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, Lou Jing. Their activities are still under investigation."
"They found a vein of gold and wanted to mine it privately, but they were short of manpower. So, they took a risk and conspired with the Xianbei Yuwen tribe. They used information about the gold mine to lure our people out of the city, then abducted them and imprisoned them in the mines."
He Zhaojun was shocked when she heard this: "If it was just for money, why would the Lou family take such a risk?"
Wen Ziduan sighed, "Except for Lou Jing, who holds the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince in the capital, Lou Ji from the second branch has been sent out to serve as an official. The rest of the descendants have achieved nothing. To maintain their extravagant lifestyles, they have long since resorted to speculation."
"But as your escort agency and caravans grew and prospered in Hedong, their business plummeted. This was the main reason they took such a risk."
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