Qi Chengjun had just woken up when he learned from the guards that his father had left. He said in a low voice, "Tianyi, I have three tasks for you. First, send someone to secretly infiltrate the Ling family and kidnap the wife of Chief Secretary Ling. Be careful not to let the King of Chu know."
He had to make Ling Changshi's wife know that he was not the one who killed Ling Changshi. As long as Ling Changshi's wife was willing to cooperate with him, he would definitely be able to find the real murderer of Ling Changshi.
The bodyguard Tianyi nodded solemnly.
"Second, send people to keep a close eye on the main branch of the Ling family, especially the men in charge of the family now, and find out what the Ling family is doing in secret besides the businesses they have on the surface."
He looked at Tianyi and said, word by word, "It's not as simple as a gambling den or a private salt field. It must be the kind that, once unearthed, could implicate the King of Chu..."
Qi Chengjun made a throat-slitting gesture.
That must be something so serious that once it gets out, even a member of the royal family like the King of Chu would be implicated in a crime that would affect his entire family!
Tianyi's expression hardened, but he quickly understood.
He scratched his head and suddenly said, "Could it be iron ore?"
Although the Sang Dynasty's control over iron was not very strict, iron mines had to be kept under the control of the imperial court. If the King of Chu really possessed an iron mine that they were unaware of, then it meant...
Qi Chengjun and Tianyi exchanged a glance, and suddenly they realized that many things became clear at once.
The last time the King of Chu sent men to hunt down Qi Chenglang and his party, Qi Chengjun had already discovered that the King of Chu was hoarding private troops.
There had been progress, but the matter has been delayed recently due to a series of assassination attempts by the King of Chu.
He looked up at Tianyi, his eyes shining: "Tianyi, if your guess is correct, then if we find the Ling family's iron mine, we can find out exactly where the private army that the King of Chu has stockpiled is."
If they could find the location of the King of Chu's private army before their father returned with the Lingnan army, their chances of winning would increase even further.
Tianyi swallowed hard and whispered, "Lord Qi, what about the third thing?"
"Third, and most importantly, we must find out the true cause of Chief Secretary Ling's death."
Qi Chengjun had only been suspicious of Ling Changshi's sudden death, but after the King of Chu tried to frame him, he was certain that even if the King of Chu did not directly cause Ling Changshi's death, he was still involved.
Otherwise, why would he have been hiding it for so long? He would have come out in a big way to arrest him long ago.
Qi Chengjun instructed in a low voice: "We cannot start this matter with the people in the Chu Prince's mansion; we must start with the remaining advisors of the Chu Prince."
The death of Chief Secretary Ling was definitely an accident, an accident that even King Chu himself did not expect.
"The Ling family is a prestigious family in Jiangnan. Chief Secretary Ling himself is intelligent and talented, and has always been the right-hand man of the King of Chu..."
Qi Chengjun suddenly stood up, causing the chair to shake.
Tianyi quickly straightened the chair and watched as Lord Qi paced back and forth in the room, his brows constantly furrowed.
After an unknown amount of time, Qi Chengjun suddenly looked at Tianyi and said, "No, no, no, Tianyi, there's no need to investigate the death of Chief Secretary Ling, nor is there any need to bring people from the Ling family here."
He is dead.
Regardless of whether the Ling family knows the truth about Chief Secretary Ling's death, as long as the Ling family and the King of Chu still have a vested interest in each other, they are destined not to betray the King of Chu.
The death of Chief Secretary Ling is truly insignificant compared to the honor and disgrace of the entire Ling family.
Even Ling Changshi's mother and wife held such a standard in their hearts.
Ling Changshi's mother had other children, and Ling Changshi's wife was not only his wife, but also the mother of his children...
So even if he uncovers the truth, it won't make a difference.
Exposing your own manpower for a given fact is not a worthwhile deal.
He whispered, "If the King of Chu wants our Sang Dynasty to be beset by internal and external troubles, then let him fall into chaos first."
Qi Chengjun leaned forward and whispered, "Go..."
Tianyi nodded repeatedly, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. After a while, he couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Lord Qi, your move is truly brilliant!"
Qi Chengjun smiled slightly: "Whether it's high or not depends on whether the other party is willing to squeeze in."
If it's a drill, then it's naturally a high one.
If he doesn't delve into it, no matter how meticulous his plan is, it's worthless.
Tianyi left quickly, and Qi Chengjun stood there waiting for a while before suddenly sneering, "King of Chu, you're colluding with the enemy. You're really courting death."
He wasn't the King of Chu, so naturally he couldn't understand what the King of Chu was thinking, nor did he want to.
Qi Chengjun quickly returned to his study, went to the secret room and took out the things he had prepared beforehand to review the situation again.
Where exactly is the King of Chu's private army, which was delayed before?
Some papers were scattered haphazardly on the desk. Some of these papers were maps of the Jiangnan region, showing everything from the distribution of towns and forests to whether a particular spot in the city was a shop or a street stall.
These were all drawn by Qi Chengjun through a process of meticulous permeation and illustration.
He needed to first ascertain the connections between the various prefectures in Jiangnan, and then use these connections to deduce the location of the King of Chu's private army.
Qi Chengjun's eyes seemed to be scanning the papers aimlessly, but his gaze would linger on each one for a moment, his mind filled with the contents of the paper.
"Which mountain is it, and which road is it on?"
Qi Chengjun still couldn't understand it.
The best place to house a private army is in a secluded, hidden location that is hard to spot. It's in a dense, primeval forest.
Deep in the mountains and forests, the shouts and screams of soldiers training would never be heard...
Qi Chengjun let out a long breath and was about to review the situation again when he heard a knock on the door of the secret room. A guard's voice came from outside: "Lord Qi, you haven't gone to the government office today. The people are worried about your safety and want you to show your face."
The sound-receiving design of a sealed room is, of course, one-way; those inside can hear sounds from outside, but those outside cannot hear sounds from inside.
Anyway, he couldn't think of anything for the time being. Qi Chengjun turned around to leave, but unexpectedly, the corner of his clothes caught a piece of paper.
He caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, bent down to pick it up, and glanced down at it as he placed it on the table.
Then, he stood there, stunned.
This is a picture of Houhu.
I've heard from the locals that there's an island in the middle of Houhu Lake, quite large and capable of holding tens of thousands of people. The Jiangnan Navy once trained its troops on that island.
Later, because transporting food and other supplies in the middle of the island was considered too complicated, the naval training grounds were gradually moved to the shore...
Qi Chengjun's eyes slowly widened.
What if it wasn't because of the complicated transportation, but because the King of Chu wanted to train his private army on the island?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
