Chapter 134: Monument Of Success
Inside the Investigative Bureau courtyard, seeing Lin Chao convinced that he had been deceived by fake Xiahou Clan members, Huangfu Qing’s face turned pale as he said: “No way…”
“How not!” Lin Chao said with a dark face: “And there’s the most important point. Let me ask you, did the Xiahou Clan people come on horseback or on foot?”
“On foot.” Huangfu Qing said tremblingly.
“Idiot! Even if the Xiahou Clan really misunderstood the Investigative Bureau and sent people rushing over to protect Gao Guangning, they should have come on horseback, not on foot!” Lin Chao spat viciously: “Those people came on foot, clearly following behind you all along, then pretending to be the Xiahou Clan to drive you away!”
“…” Huangfu Qing said tremblingly: “It couldn’t be that the Xiahou Clan wanted to frame us and did this deliberately, right?” In truth, he had already been convinced, but he just couldn’t accept this conclusion. If they had really been tricked into leaving, even if the Old Ancestor didn’t punish them, Lin Chao would make sure they couldn’t eat and walk away unscathed.
“Nonsense!” Lin Chao spat in extreme disappointment, looking at Zuo Yanqing who was pondering silently: “Old Ancestor, the matter is already very clear. Someone pretended to be Xiahou Clan people, kidnapped Gao Guangning, and then threw the blame on the Investigative Bureau!”
“Mm.” Zuo Yanqing nodded; he approved of this conclusion.
“This official believes that the most urgent matter is to immediately search for Gao Guangning’s whereabouts, and at the same time quickly send someone… no, let this official go to the Xiahou Clan to explain the misunderstanding to the Xiahou Clan Leader,” Lin Chao suggested in a deep voice again: “We acted out of good intentions; we absolutely cannot take this blame!”
In truth, what he really wanted to say was that if Zuo Yanqing could personally go explain to Xiahou Ba, it would definitely completely clear up the misunderstanding. But even if given courage, he wouldn’t dare instruct the Old Ancestor to do anything, so he could only hint at it like this.
“Mm…” Zuo Yanqing pondered for a moment, but shook his head, saying leisurely: “No need for that.”
“Old Ancestor!” Lin Chao, hearing this, said somewhat anxiously: “His Majesty had us protect Gao Guangning precisely because he feared someone would sabotage it and kill him to enrage the Xiahou Clan!” Pausing, he lowered his voice: “Now it seems His Majesty’s worries were spot on; we can’t let that schemer in the shadows succeed!”
“Xiahou Ba is shrewd beyond measure; how could he not guess that the Investigative Bureau harbors no malice toward Gao Guangning? Besides, why would we capture Gao Guangning? Could the things he knows possibly exceed what the Investigative Bureau knows?” Zuo Yanqing still shook his head: “Moreover, even if you don’t go explain, the Xiahou Clan will hear of your concerns. Why go to extra trouble? No need, no need…”
After speaking, he glanced at Huangfu Qing kneeling on the ground, shaking his head in disappointment: “One generation worse than the last…” Then he left the inner courtyard.
Lin Chao hurriedly chased after him with trepidation, quickly stating: “This official will definitely find Gao Guangning’s whereabouts as soon as possible…”
“Find what?” Zuo Yanqing sneered: “He’s probably turned to ashes by now…”
“Then…” Lin Chao sensed Zuo Yanqing’s intense disappointment toward him, wiping sweat while carefully saying: “We’ll investigate to the end who the schemer in the shadows is!”
“Investigate then…” Zuo Yanqing said expressionlessly: “How do you plan to investigate?”
“This…” Lin Chao was immediately embarrassed and didn’t know how to respond. The other side hadn’t left any clues; for the moment, he had no idea where to start.
Zuo Yanqing sighed, picked up his Big Black Cat and got into the carriage, then slowly said: “Investigate from that account book.”
“Right, right, from the account book!” Lin Chao nodded vigorously: “The one dealing with Gao Guangning in the shadows definitely has close ties to the group that grabbed him!” With Zuo Yanqing’s point, he suddenly saw the light: “Moreover, according to Huangfu Qing, there were at least two Grandmasters in that group, which greatly narrows the search range!”
“Mm…” Zuo Yanqing’s expression softened slightly, patting the carriage window; the pitch-black carriage then slowly departed from the Investigative Bureau.
The carriage interior had no lamps lit, pitch black, with only those glowing green cat eyes flickering. Zuo Yanqing gently patted the Big Black Cat’s head, sighing: “Child, are you also very dissatisfied?”
The Big Black Cat meowed, seemingly in strong agreement.
“That’s why people can’t have selfish motives, or they’ll surely regret it later.” Zuo Yanqing sighed again.
Lin Chao was the successor Zuo Yanqing had personally trained; his abilities were decent in all aspects, the only issue being that he seemed a bit slow in making judgments. He always needed someone to point it out before he could fully understand. Zuo Yanqing reflected inwardly that perhaps he had been too overbearing back then, making Lin Chao always wait to hear his take first before suddenly seeing the light.
Originally, Zuo Yanqing thought this was Lin Chao pretending to be slow out of fear of stealing his thunder. But now it seemed the guy was genuinely half a beat slow; it absolutely wasn’t an act!
Though he somewhat regretted only considering how controllable Lin Chao was when selecting him, overlooking that the Investigative Bureau Director must be able to stand on his own, with things as they were, Zuo Yanqing couldn’t easily replace him and could only continue stewing.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly to himself; it seemed tonight would be another sleepless one.
.
Tonight’s sleeplessness wasn’t limited to Zuo Yanqing alone?
Xiahou Workshop, located northwest of North of the Luo River and adjacent to the Imperial Palace, was serene in the pitch-black night. Only the Xiahou Clan’s Ancestral Hall in the central position—Lingyun Hall—still had lights on. Even in the darkness, where only the outline of this world’s top clan’s Ancestral Hall could be seen, its majestic, imposing momentum was still palpably felt. Like a lion lurking in the night, eyes aglow, ready to devour.
In Lingyun Hall’s Meeting Hall, the furnishings were magnificently luxurious, with a scarlet carpet on the ground and thirty-six palace lanterns hanging on the four walls, illuminating the entire Meeting Hall as bright as day. Above the hall hung a gold-inlaid plaque personally inscribed by the Founding Emperor, bearing the four bold, dragon-and-phoenix dancing characters ‘Merits Accomplished Monument’!
Beneath the plaque, Xiahou Clan Leader Xiahou Ba sat upright boldly in the main seat, with his brothers, Great Elder Xiahou Li, Xiahou Clan Military Advisor Zhu Xiuyi, Chief Instructor Moro, his eldest son Xiahou Bushang, and nephew Xiahou Bupo kneeling on either side. Nearly half of the Xiahou Clan’s top figures were here.
Xiahou Ba’s stern gaze swept over everyone, nodding to the Xiahou Clan’s Military Advisor Zhu Xiuyi.
Zhu Xiuyi wore a tall hat and wide belt, with narrow eyes and a flowing beautiful beard, elegant in demeanor and handsome in face, the epitome of a dashing scholar. His fame in the Great Xuan Dynasty far didn’t match the Xiahou Four Heroes, but the various clans’ higher-ups all knew he was Xiahou Ba’s chief strategist; the unquestionable Xiahou Clan Leader deferred to him almost completely. Even the arrogant Xiahou Four Heroes had to obediently call him Mister Zhu.
Though it was already cool autumn, Zhu Xiuyi still lightly fanned himself with a feather fan. Seeing this, he nodded slightly, then spoke to the gathered Xiahou Clan higher-ups: “We’ve investigated clearly. At dusk, the corpses Huangfu Qing from the Investigative Bureau brought back were Gao Guangning’s followers. However, Gao Guangning himself wasn’t among them; reportedly, he went missing…”
All present were seasoned veterans with deep foresight; hearing this, they all slightly changed color, finally understanding why the Clan Leader had summoned everyone late at night.
“However, according to reports from our informant in the Investigative Bureau, Lin Chao seemed utterly shocked and even summoned Zuo Yanqing late at night to discuss coming to explain to us.” Zhu Xiuyi continued.
“Explain what?” Great Elder Xiahou Li, like Xiahou Lei, was Xiahou Ba’s blood brother. But unlike Xiahou Lei, he had no dandy air since childhood, devoting himself to literature and martial arts, advancing to Grandmaster at forty, always Xiahou Ba’s most reliable right-hand man. This year he was just fifty-two; though off the Heavenly Rank List, none of those three rising-star nephews dared claim they could steadily beat him!
“Explain that they intended to protect Gao Guangning, with absolutely no harm meant.” Zhu Xiuyi said slowly. As Zuo Yanqing said, there was no need to send someone to explain; the Xiahou Clan could find out itself.
“Ridiculous!” Xiahou Ba’s eldest son Xiahou Bushang looked very much like his father but lacked some of that domineering aura overlooking the world. After all, in a lion pride, there could only be one lion king. “Weren’t they the ones who ruined Gao Guangning before? Now they say they wanted to protect him? Could it be any more laughable!”
