A sudden storm breaks out in the Juyi Hall
Chapter 48: A sudden disturbance in the Juyi Hall
Chapter Quote: The disappearance of the miraculous doctor stirs up trouble, and a hidden arrow is hidden in the Juyi Hall. Clever calculations stabilize the situation, and the chess game begins a new chapter.
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The next morning, before daybreak, a rapid bell rang, shattering the tranquility of Liangshan Lake. It was the signal for an urgent gathering of generals. Yan Qing knew it must be related to An Daoquan's disappearance. He straightened his clothes and calmly followed the crowd to the gathering hall.
The atmosphere in the hall was solemn, with leaders of all ranks gathered, whispering and discussing. Song Jiang sat upright on a tiger-skin chair, his brow furrowed. Wu Yong stood at his side, gently waving a feather fan, but his eyes, sharp as an eagle, scanned everyone who entered the hall. Yan Qing could sense several gazes fixed on him.
"Brothers!" Seeing that everyone had gathered, Song Jiang cleared his throat, his voice filled with suppressed anger. "This morning, news came from the rear camp that Dr. An Daoquan mysteriously disappeared last night! His residence showed signs of being ransacked, but he is nowhere to be found! Dr. An is a master doctor and an indispensable figure in Liangshan. This matter must be thoroughly investigated!"
As soon as the words fell, there was an uproar in the hall.
"Dr. An is missing?"
"But was he murdered by a villain?"
"Or did he leave on his own?"
Wu Yong stepped forward, flicking his feather fan to muffle the clamor. He spoke slowly, "Although Doctor An's quarters were ransacked, there are no signs of a struggle, and nothing valuable has been stolen. The patrol officers last night reported no strangers entering or leaving the rear camp. This... is quite odd." His gaze casually swept over Yan Qing. "Doctor An usually stays at home, never quarreling with anyone. If he has any grudges... it seems to be a long, late-night conversation with Brother Yan Qing a few days ago."
These light words immediately drew everyone's attention to Yan Qing.
Yan Qing sneered inwardly; Wu Yong certainly wouldn't miss any opportunity to strike him down. His expression remained unchanged as he stepped out of the group and bowed, "Brother Gongming, Military Advisor. Yan Qing was also shocked by the disappearance of Divine Doctor An. The night before, Yan Qing had indeed had some medical questions in mind, so he took the liberty of visiting Divine Doctor An for advice. We spoke for about half an hour before leaving. A patrolman witnessed this and can attest to it. Since then, Yan Qing has not seen Divine Doctor An again, and has no idea where he is."
He frankly admitted to having contact with An Daoquan, but blurred the time point as "the night before" and pointed out that there were witnesses on patrol, thus distancing himself from the disappearance of "last night".
Wu Yong narrowed his eyes and was about to speak again.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the hall. Lu Zhishen, clutching his water-milled Zen staff, rushed in with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, his voice as resounding as a bell: "You bastard! What are you arguing about? Doctor An is such a grown man, with arms and legs. He must have gotten up in the middle of the night to collect herbs and slipped and drowned, or maybe he was carried off by some wild goblin. What's there to investigate? I'm still waiting for him to examine my chronic rheumatism! What bad luck!"
His words were extremely rude, yet carried a sense of unreasonableness, which immediately disrupted the solemn atmosphere in the hall.
Song Jiang frowned even more tightly: "Brother Lu Da, don't talk nonsense! Doctor An has made great contributions to Liangshan, how can you treat him so lightly!"
Lu Zhishen stiffened his neck: "So you can guess the person back by just guessing here? If you have time for that, you might as well send more brothers down the mountain to look for him! Why are you surrounding this brother of mine and asking him questions? He is not a worm in Doctor An's stomach!" He seemed to be "standing up for Yan Qing" in a rough manner, but in fact he made the water more muddy.
Wu Yong gave Lu Zhishen a long look, as if trying to discern something from his face, but Lu Zhishen only bore an expression of impatience. Wu Yong then turned to Song Jiang, "Brother Gongming, what Brother Lu Da said may be unpleasant to hear, but it does make sense. Our most urgent task is to find the whereabouts of Doctor An. If he's alive, we need to see him; if he's dead...we need to see his body."
He paused deliberately, observing everyone's reactions, then continued, "However, the disappearance of Doctor An is indeed strange. He was a highly skilled doctor, and the village relied on him. He would never have disappeared without saying goodbye unless he had a compelling reason or was coerced by an outsider. This matter requires a thorough investigation, especially anyone who has had contact with Doctor An recently. Everyone needs to be questioned."
His words still placed the suspicion on Yan Qing, but he said it more obscurely.
At this moment, Lin Chong, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke in a calm voice, "Military Advisor, before Doctor An disappeared, he also treated an old injury for me. If that's the case, does this mean I, Lin, should also be questioned thoroughly?"
Lin Chong has a special status in Liangshan, and his words caught Wu Yong off guard.
Guan Sheng stroked his beard and said, "Indeed, Doctor An treats many people and comes into contact with them. If we start to suspect him simply because he exchanged a few words with someone, we will probably discourage the brothers and allow the real criminal to go unpunished. We should prioritize the search."
With Lin Chong and Guan Sheng's words, many of the leaders in the hall echoed them. Searching for An Daoquan was certainly important, but if it caused suspicion and panic within the stronghold, that was definitely not what anyone wanted.
Seeing that things were not going well, Song Jiang quickly tried to smooth things over. "Brothers Guan Sheng and Lin Chong are absolutely right! Finding Dr. An is our top priority right now! Send out orders immediately to send more land and sea forces to conduct a thorough search for Dr. An around Liangshan! We must find him alive or dead! As for other matters," he glanced at Wu Yong and Yan Qing, "there's no need to speculate for now, lest we lose our composure."
Seeing this, Wu Yong knew that it would be difficult to bring down Yan Qing today, so he had to put on a gloomy face and said no more.
The emergency meeting in the Juyi Hall ended in such an atmosphere where consensus seemed to have been reached but undercurrents were actually surging.
Yan Qing followed the crowd out of the Juyi Hall, his expression calm, but his heart was not at ease. He knew Wu Yong would never give up, and the threat from the Imperial City Division had not been lifted. An Daoquan's disappearance was just the beginning.
He needs to take advantage of this temporary calm to speed up his layout.
That afternoon, Yan Qing, under the guise of inspecting a construction project in the back mountains, returned to the secluded valley. He wasn't wandering aimlessly; instead, he quietly left a tiny wax pellet wrapped in oil paper in a crevice. This was one of his special "hidden post" channels, a way to communicate information to the outside world. This was a highly discreet method, undetectable by non-key personnel. Inside the wax pellet was a brief analysis and assessment of Liangshan's recent movements, the Imperial City Division's infiltration, and the An Daoquan incident. It warned Lu Junyi and Gongsun Sheng to heighten their vigilance and keep an eye on An Daoquan's movements.
After doing all this, he continued his patrol as if nothing had happened, as if it was just a routine matter.
However, just as he was about to leave the back mountain, he unexpectedly met someone on a path.
The man, thin and small, with a pointed face and monkey cheeks, was none other than Bai Sheng, the "Day Rat." Upon seeing Yan Qing, a fawning smile immediately appeared on his face, and he hurried over to greet him: "Brother Yan Qing! Oh no, Chief Yan! Are you... inspecting the project?"
Yan Qing looked at him, his heart stirring. Bai Sheng was a greedy and despicable man, Wu Yong's confidant, but after saving his life last time, his attitude towards him had changed drastically. Perhaps... he could be used to his advantage and get some information.
"So it's Brother Bai Sheng." Yan Qing smiled slightly and said calmly, "Is your injury healed?"
"Thanks to you! Everything is fine!" Bai Sheng patted his chest, then lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Captain Yan, have you heard about the disappearance of Doctor An? Tsk tsk, there's something fishy going on!"
"Oh? What's strange?" Yan Qing pretended to be curious.
"I heard..." Bai Sheng looked around and lowered his voice. "Last night, things were not going well in the rear camp! Someone saw...saw a few unfamiliar 'vendors' sneaking around Doctor An's residence! And, early this morning, the military advisor secretly summoned the men who were in charge of surveillance...er, no, protecting you, Chief Yan, and asked them all very detailed questions!"
Yan Qing sneered inwardly. Sure enough, Wu Yong had already focused his suspicions on him, even questioning the people who were monitoring him. Bai Sheng's words were both flattering and perhaps a further test for Wu Yong.
"Is this really true?" Yan Qing's face showed just the right amount of surprise and displeasure. "Military Advisor, what do you mean? Are you suspecting that I'm involved in Doctor An's disappearance? This is outrageous!"
"That's right! That's right!" Bai Sheng quickly agreed, "Captain Yan, you are loyal to the stronghold and have made great contributions. What the military advisor did is indeed a bit... Alas!" He stopped talking at the right time and observed Yan Qing's reaction.
Yan Qing knew he couldn't show excessive anger, nor could he remain completely indifferent. He sighed and waved his hand, "Never mind. The innocent will be innocent. The military advisor is also concerned about the safety of the stronghold. Brother Bai Sheng, thank you for letting me know. If there are any further developments in the future, please let me know promptly, so I don't get caught in the dark and become suspicious."
As he spoke, he casually took out a small ingot of silver from his sleeve and stuffed it into Bai Sheng's hand: "A little gift, to buy some wine for you, brother."
Bai Sheng held the silver in his hand, a smile on his face, and repeatedly assured: "Don't worry, Chief Yan! Leave it to me, Bai Sheng! If there is any news, I will tell you the first time!"
Yan Qing looked at Bai Sheng's back as he left with many thanks, his eyes deep. Although this chess piece was of little use, if placed in the right place, it might be able to produce some unexpected sounds.
The disturbance caused by An Daoquan's disappearance was temporarily suppressed, but Yan Qing knew that the real game had just begun. He needed to carefully handle the complex relationships between the Imperial City Bureau, Wu Yong, and even Liangshan.
He looked up at the gray sky of Liangshan and took a deep breath. He had to play this game of chess, for himself and for those he had promised to protect.
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Chapter 48 End
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