Shanyang, General's Mansion.
A storm is about to come, and the weather is very heavy.
Zhu Li fainted, and Yuchi Jin took charge of the mansion. Wang Yueyao looked haggard and even she needed someone to take care of her at this moment, let alone take charge of the overall situation.
Holding back the heartache, Yuchi Jin gave orders in an orderly manner, looking like the Iron Lady reborn.
In the study, Guo Qizuo, Guo Chongtao, Yang Zaixing, Jing Ming and others were all there. Yuchi Jin looked at Jing Ming and said solemnly, "Are you saying that the lord of Chiwu Fort is Zhao Dafu who is good at painting, and his real identity is Zhao Yan from Henan?"
"Yes, ma'am." Jing Ming affirmed seriously.
"Then there is no doubt about it. This person is indeed Zhu Wen's subordinate." Guo Chongtao narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice.
"Zhao Yan, a native of Chenzhou, is quite talented. According to the secret report of the ghost guards we stationed in Henan, this man was spotted by Zhu Wen more than a year ago. He jumped from a poor scholar with no money to Zhu Wen's son-in-law." Guo Chongtao immediately interrupted and told Zhu Wen the relevant information he knew.
"How did the news of the reappearance of the repeating crossbow leak out? Have you found out?" Guo Qizuo's face was as gloomy as water. He looked at Jing Ming solemnly and asked.
"I've found out, sir." Jing Ming did not dare to be negligent. He felt that facing Yuchi Jin, Guo Qizuo and others would be more difficult to deal with than facing Zhu Li.
When Zhu Li asks questions, he goes straight to the point and generally doesn't ask about details of the process; he focuses on the results.
As for Guo Qizuo, Yuchi Jin and others, they were simply not enough to provide any information. Even a lot of information that he had not yet found out, these people had already known a lot through other channels, such as Zhao Yan's background.
"Tell me, what's going on?" Yuchi Jin asked directly with a cold face.
"Yes," Jing Ming responded quickly, "About a year ago, Zhao Yan came to Shanyang as a businessman from Henan."
"The whole world knows that Shanyang's ink is the most famous, and Zhao Yan is good at painting and loves painting very much. He came to Shanyang under the pretext of selling ink and visiting friends. As soon as he arrived here, he bought a manor near Youyu City and built Chiwu Fort."
"Zhao Yan is talented, romantic, and young with lots of money, so he was soon noticed by the promiscuous Liu. Liu was greedy for money, and Zhao Yan admired her beauty, so the two soon became close. In addition, Liu was the wife of General Shang, which made Zhao Yan even more eager to get close to her. He came here with ulterior motives, so he naturally wanted to hook up with a general's wife."
"With the help of Liu, Zhao Yan constantly placed the female spies he had trained in the mansions of civil and military officials in Shuozhou in the name of giving away beautiful women, so as to spy on the military and political key points of Shuozhou."
"How many female spies have been identified, and have they been kept under close watch?" Yuchi Jin suddenly interrupted.
"Don't worry, madam. We have found most of these people and they are under control. However, the spy who poisoned Zhao Jing is still being tracked down. This person has been hiding in the general's mansion and has caused us a lot of inconvenience." Guo Chongtao interrupted.
"Given the general's character, he would never accept gifts from others without reason, especially from beautiful women. In the general's words, 'Our aunts and sisters are all women. If we buy and give women away like commodities, then wouldn't we be worse than pigs and dogs?' Therefore, the person who poisoned Zhao Jing must have nothing to do with Zhao Yan and Liu, but was a spy lurking in the general's mansion from a long time ago."
Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jin frowned slightly. Since it involved Zhu Li's inner palace, it would be difficult for her as the future daughter-in-law. After all, she had not really married into the family yet. It would be difficult for her to interfere in her husband's family's affairs without permission, as it was neither right nor reasonable.
But if we do nothing, the longer we delay, the more likely it is that the female spy who poisoned Zhao Jing will escape. Thinking of this, Yuchi Jin narrowed his eyes and said resolutely: "Leave this person to me, and the ghost guards can just cooperate with me."
"Yes," Jing Ming responded quickly.
"Also, it would be better for the Ghost Guards to train a group of female guards. It will be more convenient to use female guards to investigate matters like this involving the inner court in the future." Yuchi Jin seemed to think further and gave instructions immediately.
"Yes." Jing Ming bowed again in response. He couldn't afford to offend anyone here, so he had to be a yes-man.
"You continue." Yuchi Jin said again.
"Yes." Jing Ming breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Not long ago, the crossbow reappeared. The general was surprised and immediately reported it to General Wu."
When everyone heard this, they understood that Wu Dao was Zhu Li's master. The functions and status of a master in ancient times were very different from those of teachers in later generations.
In ancient times, teachers in later generations were at most similar to instructors, who mostly focused on preaching and answering questions; in a society in later generations where success or failure is determined by one point, scores are more important than anything else, so it is no wonder that they did so.
In ancient times, the relationship between a master and a disciple was deeply rooted, with all prospering and suffering together. A master would not only preach, impart knowledge, and answer questions, but he would also teach you how to conduct yourself, behave in the world, and be a human being.
Many college students in later generations have excellent grades and are very successful in school, but once they enter society, they immediately become unknown and eventually become like everyone else. Why is that
The ways of conducting oneself, dealing with the world, and being a human being are almost idiotic, but these are often the key to determining a person's success.
When people encounter happy things, they will think of their closest people first. The reappearance of the Liannu was such a big surprise, and it was understandable that Zhu Li flew to report to Wu Dao.
It’s just like a child. Once he gets a perfect score in an exam, the first thing he thinks of is to report to his parents. It’s human nature.
Although Wu Dao had the final say on all matters big or small concerning Sanggan, he could not do it all by himself, so he had assistants under his command.
Before the Battle of Hedong broke out, Shang Rang had been serving Sanggan. When the news reached Sanggan, Shang Rang would inevitably learn about it.
Given Shang Rang's fondness for Liu, he naturally wanted to show off to his wife. When Liu learned the news, it was no surprise that Zhao Yan, one of her lovers, learned about the revival of the crossbow.
Before Jing Ming finished speaking, everyone had guessed what was going on. As expected, Jing Ming continued, "General Shang was also beside General Wu at the time and learned the news as well. Then, Liu learned about the reappearance of the Crossbow, and Zhao Yan naturally learned about the existence of the Crossbow."
"If such a weapon can be brought back to Henan, Zhu Wen will certainly not treat Zhao Yan unfairly. If this can be accomplished, his position in Zhu Wen's mind will definitely rise a lot. Not only can he consolidate his position, but he can also gain some other benefits."
"Zhao Yan, who received the news, took action immediately. He first mobilized female spies to conduct secret investigations and collect information about the craftsmen. Then, when the craftsmen returned home to visit their families, he secretly sent out the Chiliang Guards to arrest the female craftsmen. This led to the scene where Zhao Jing's maid revealed his whereabouts, Zhao Jing went to ask for an explanation, and was hunted down by Liu."
The situation was clear at this point, and the only thing left was how to deal with it. Yuchi Jin was naturally not afraid of the stage, and almost as soon as Jing Ming finished speaking, she immediately asked: "What is the current situation of Chiwu Fort
"My lady, the general has ordered a thorough investigation of this matter. I have already dispatched five teams of ghost guards to guard the place tightly. I guarantee that not even a fly can fly out of there now." Jing Ming responded confidently.
"Okay, General Yang." Yuchi Jin looked at Yang Zaixing.
"I'm here, please give your instructions, madam." Yang Zaixing bowed and stepped out with a respectful attitude.
"Since Jing Ming has figured out the situation, there is no need for Chiwu Fort to exist. Capture it and arrest everyone in the fort. Kill anyone who resists." Yuchi Jin was murderous and did not allow any doubt.
After all, he was a general, and his orders were strict and firm.
"Yes." Yang Zaixing immediately accepted the order, called Jing Ming, and left.
After Yang Zaixing and Jing Ming disappeared at the door of the study, Guo Qizuo bowed to Yuchi Jin again and asked, "Madam, how do you plan to search for the spies in the mansion?"
Theoretically, since Yuchi Jin had already promised to conduct the search, Guo Qizuo did not need to ask about the matter. However, this concerned Zhu Li's relatives after all, so it was understandable that Guo Qizuo asked this question.
Following Guo Qizuo's voice, Yuchi Jin slowly raised his head, fixed his eyes on him, and asked in confusion, "Sir, do you have any plans?"
"I dare not. I have a little plan that may be able to help my lady." Guo Qizuo said confidently.
Yuchi Jin looked at him, smiled calmly, and said proudly: "It just so happens that I have an idea as well. I have heard of your name for a long time. We might as well write down the method on paper and see whether your method is better or mine is more common."
The Ghost Guards have always been under the control of Guo Qizuo, and the safety of the General's Mansion is not only guarded by Zhu Li's close guards, but also secretly protected by the Ghost Guards.
Zhao Jing, as an official of Shuozhou, was poisoned while visiting the general's mansion. It is absolutely impossible to say that Yuchi Jin had no resentment towards Guo Qizuo.
Guo Qizuo was such a shrewd man that as soon as he heard Yuchi Jin's tone, he knew that the lady was dissatisfied with him. It was his fault for failing in his duty first. Who could he blame
However, he was sincere in helping and naturally would not care about Yuchi Jin's provocation. The two of them, one was Zhu Li's mentor and friend, and the other was Zhu Li's sweetheart. They were both genuinely concerned about the safety of the general's mansion. If the female spy could be caught earlier, Guo Qizuo would not care about this little grievance.
With the pens and ink ready and the paper spread out, Guo Qizuo and Yuchi Jin looked at each other and quickly picked up their pens to start writing. In just a blink of an eye, they both had finished writing their brilliant plans.
After looking at each other again, they pushed the papers in front of them towards each other.
Guo Chongtao and others who were standing on one side hurriedly looked over and immediately discovered what the two were writing.
On the note that Guo Qizuo pushed out, there were four big characters written in a flamboyant style: "Stir up the snake".
On the note written by Yuchi Jin, four large characters "Stretched bow to startle birds" were also reflected in the writing of the same person.
Whether it is to alert the snake by beating the grass or to scare the bird by drawing the bow, it is obviously the same meaning, bluffing and disturbing the enemy. This is also the most effective and quickest method at present, and it will not cause unnecessary trouble to Zhu Li's relatives by conducting a large-scale search.