Chapter 281 Left Supervisor (Part 2)
Sun Wei didn't care about anything else. He just asked Deng Lian to get up and explain what happened last night.
Deng Lian agreed and told everything.
"The thieves were lairing in a narrow valley, surrounded on three sides by rocky mountains. I accompanied the Crown Prince to apprehend them and quickly subdued the leader. The Crown Prince, after examining the terrain, decided we couldn't remain here for long and ordered us to escort the prisoner back for further questioning. But just then, huge rocks suddenly rolled down from the surrounding mountains. The Crown Prince quickly led us away, but the narrow pass leading out of the valley was blocked by massive trees, and the sentries the Crown Prince had set up were completely silent. Then, a hail of arrows rained down from all around. The Crown Prince and I could only seek cover."
Sun Wei felt her heart tighten as she listened.
All this was obviously a trap set long ago.
"Who are those people shooting arrows?" Sun Wei asked, "Can you see their clothes clearly?"
Deng Lian shook his head. "It was dark, and they were dressed in black. Even if they were caught in the firelight, their faces were covered. But judging by their accuracy, they were definitely not ordinary bandits out to loot, but well-trained warriors."
Sun Wei asked, "And then?"
"The prince said these people were here to silence us, so the only option now was to fight them. He ordered us to put out the fires in the stronghold, so the archers couldn't see clearly and had no choice but to come down and fight us hand-to-hand."
Yu Yi said from the side: "But without the lighting, you can't see clearly, right?"
"That being said, we've always excelled at night battles, and the Crown Prince has led us in several nocturnal raids, so we have our own strategies for dealing with them," Deng Lian said. "But no one could have anticipated the sheer number of the bandits this time. Seeing it difficult to resist, the Crown Prince mentioned that while surveying the terrain in the valley earlier, he had spotted what appeared to be a gap in the hillside by the moonlight, and ordered me to investigate. I immediately led my men to investigate, and indeed, there was a dry mountain stream, accessible. The Crown Prince then ordered us to retreat in formation, but he refused to leave first, insisting on staying behind to protect the wounded. The situation was truly chaotic, and as soon as we reached the stream, the bandits suddenly attacked. The Crown Prince personally engaged them, but was outnumbered and wounded."
Sun Wei looked at Deng Lian steadily.
She thought back to the last night of her previous life.
He also personally fought with the bandits who rushed forward, but was outnumbered.
This fool...
My eyes felt sore again.
Deng Lian lowered his head, wiped his eyes, and continued, "Your servants hurried back to provide protection, defeated the bandits, and led the Crown Prince out of the valley. We also used falling rocks on the mountain to block the pursuers. But when I saw the Crown Prince fainting, I was afraid he wouldn't survive the bumpy journey, so I made up my mind and found a cave on the mountain to hide him in, while the rest of us led the pursuers back. Fortunately, General Chu noticed something was wrong and sent troops to find the Crown Prince, who met up with our servants halfway."
Sun Wei listened silently and told himself to stay calm.
"You just said that the bandit leader had been captured," Sun Wei asked, "but where is the bandit leader?"
"During the chaotic battle, the bandit leader was shot and killed," Deng Lian said. "The other bandits were also killed by arrows. No one survived."
Sun Wei asked again: "After that, did you encounter any bandits chasing you?"
"No, but the brothers said they saw a number of makeshift checkpoints on their way back to the city. Asking the villagers nearby, they said they were set up by a group of men who looked like soldiers before dawn. They disappeared shortly after."
Sun Wei couldn't help but look at Yu Yi.
Yu Yi pondered, "I will go to the relevant authorities to investigate this matter later. We will know whether it was done by the soldiers or not once we ask them."
Sun nodded slightly.
She looked at Deng Lian and said a few words of comfort in a gentle voice, telling him that Sima Jun was fine and he didn't need to blame himself too much.
Deng Lian still looked guilty.
Sun Wei looked at Yu Yi and asked, "What are your thoughts, Master Yu?"
"I'm not worthy of your insightful advice," Yu Yi said, "but I have a few questions I'd like to ask Commander Deng."
Deng Lian quickly asked, "Excuse me, Master Yu."
"According to Sima Deng, are the thieves in that den of thieves the same group as the thieves who are besieging them?"
Deng Lian shook his head. "They weren't the same group. When they were surrounded, they were even more panicked than we were. The leader even thought the besiegers were soldiers, so he asked us to go and talk to them."
Yu Yi nodded and asked, "Sir Deng just said those bandits were excellent archers, so they must be well-trained warriors. But even warriors have different levels. In Sir Deng's opinion, are they warriors from the Jianghu or warriors from the army?"
"The military," Deng Lian said without hesitation. "They do things cleanly and efficiently, without any dragging their feet. Only the military can do that."
Yu Yi said, "This is extremely important. If he's a soldier, it would be easier to find him. Secondly, besides informing me and General Chu about the prince's whereabouts last night, who else did he tell?"
Deng Lian shook his head. "I've discussed this matter with General Chu before. The Crown Prince has indeed only told General Chu and the young master. General Chu has also remained tight-lipped, not even revealing it to his wife. So General Chu and I suspect it wasn't a leak, but rather the person behind this seems to be very familiar with the Crown Prince's ways and knows he'll be going to fight the bandits tonight, so they set up this trap."
Who could it be?
Yu Yi asked, "I heard Ziheng say that the princess suspected that Lü Qiuyan was nearby?"
Sun Wei suddenly remembered Huan Lingxian's words.
——"So you're anxious. You couldn't find the Chief Secretary, so you came to me, right? Unfortunately, the Chief Secretary doesn't need to do anything to deal with you. He only needs to give the orders, and someone else will take care of you for him!"
Sun Wei pondered for a moment and said, "We have been searching for so long but still haven't found him. I guess Lu Qiuyan himself should not be in the capital. He may have helpers."
Yu Yi said, "We still have no real evidence, so it's too early to draw a conclusion. Since General Chu has gone to the scene of the incident, I will go to the palace. In addition to the Northern Army, there are also Imperial Guards stationed near Jiankang. I will ask the Crown Prince for help. It shouldn't be difficult to investigate."
Sun Wei thought, this is a good idea.
"Fortunately, the Crown Prince has friends like General Chu and Master Yu who came to his aid in times of crisis," she said. "Although the palace has sent the Left Supervisor of the Imperial Court to investigate the case, he's said to be new, and since the Lantern Festival hasn't passed and his appointment hasn't been made yet, I'm afraid he won't be willing to take up his post."
Yu Yi looked up at her and was about to speak when Cao Song came in to report that the court officials had arrived.
Sun Wei was surprised and asked, "Could it be the new Chief Justice of the Left?"
Cao Song said, "It's the chief clerk under the command of the Left Supervisor of the Imperial Court, his name is Wu Shan."
As they were talking, the servant had already led Wu Shan to the hall.
As soon as he entered, he knelt and bowed, "Your humble servant, Wu Shan, greets the princess and the Left Supervisor. I am late, please forgive me, Left Supervisor!"
Sun Wei was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood and looked at Yu Yi.
Yu Yi smiled slightly.
"I haven't had time to report to the princess yet," he said, "the new Chief Justice is none other than me."
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