“Who exactly is this Liang Zhihong?”
After Xiao Jingduo said this, no one spoke for a long time. Li Qingfeng secretly glanced at Rong Ke. Rong Ke moved her eyebrows slightly and smiled back: “If you want to say something, just say it. Why are you looking at me?”
Li Qingfeng chuckled twice before saying: “We found out that someone was poisoning the well water, and following the trail, we traced it back to a student at the Imperial Academy. The Imperial Academy has a mixed group of people, and many princes and descendants from vassal states also study there, so we suspected…”
Xiao Jingduo had already understood: “You suspected that Liang Zhihong was a spy from another country.”
“Yes. He disguised himself as a student to infiltrate the Imperial Academy, secretly passing information to the Uyghurs. His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to catch all these people in one fell swoop, so he had me pose as a student and infiltrate the Imperial Academy to get close to this person when the opportunity arose. I was afraid of not acting convincingly, so I specifically sought advice from my nephew. I didn’t expect that despite being so careful and trying not to alert them, they still noticed. That day when I saw Liang Zhihong going out, I guessed he was going to meet with the Uyghurs, so that night I investigated Liang Zhihong’s residence, but I was still one step too late. He was already dead.”
“So, that day when Qi Xuan had an argument with Liang Zhihong, it was also intentional.” Xiao Jingduo quickly understood the connection. That’s right, Qi Xuan’s uncle worked in the Court of Judicial Review, and Li Qingfeng was also from the Court of Judicial Review. Clearly, this was a long-planned bullying incident, just to create an opportunity for Li Qingfeng to get close to Liang Zhihong.
Xiao Jingduo felt indescribably complex. The truth turned out to be like this: the so-called poor scholar was actually a spy from another country, the so-called school bully was just doing work for the court, and the classmate who came to the rescue with a sword also had ulterior motives as an undercover agent.
These court people really knew how to play their games.
Li Qingfeng was still angrily accusing: “These spies are truly ambitious and heartless. Not only did they poison innocent people, but they also maliciously created ghost handprints and spread rumors harmful to the sage and the Crown Prince. They truly deserve death!”
No, in this matter, these spies were wrongly accused. The real culprit behind the ghost handprints was actually one of their own. Of course, Xiao Jingduo wouldn’t tell the truth to this official from the Court of Judicial Review. He glanced in Rong Ke’s direction and said somewhat embarrassedly: “I didn’t know about the princess and the Court of Judicial Review’s plans beforehand, which is why I ruined the princess’s plan. I wonder if there’s any way I can make amends?”
Xiao Jingduo guessed that after Liang Zhihong’s unexpected death, Li Qingfeng was at a loss, which is why he went out late at night to discuss strategies with Rong Ke. When Li Qingfeng realized someone was following him, he simply went along with it, leading the follower to this place, intending to capture them in one fell swoop. He didn’t expect that the follower wasn’t a spy from the Imperial Academy, but rather himself, which disrupted Rong Ke’s entire plan.
Rong Ke smiled kindly: “Your perceptiveness is keen. That’s a good thing. How could I blame you?”
Xiao Jingduo felt even more cold sweat. Seeing this, Li Qingfeng quickly said: “Princess, this mistake is mine. It was I who gave myself away, which led to suspicion. Brother Xiao is innocent in this.”
“So you know it’s your fault.” Rong Ke’s smile became even more gentle, but Li Qingfeng was sweating profusely. He tried to maintain his composure and said: “Princess, your plan was originally flawless. It was my carelessness that ruined it. I, Li, know I’m at fault and am willing to accept punishment. However, I am insignificant, but the princess’s plan cannot fail. Princess, what do you think we should do next?”
Xiao Jingduo also turned his gaze to Rong Ke. Everyone was waiting for Rong Ke’s instructions. Rong Ke didn’t speak, just quietly staring at the candlelight. The flickering light cast on her face made her appear even more exquisite, like ice and jade.
“Let’s turn this to our advantage,” Rong Ke suddenly said.
“Ah?”
“Since suspicion has already fallen on you, let’s deliberately make the flaw even bigger, making you the real murderer.”
“What does the princess mean?”
“If the Uyghur spies discover that you killed their contact, they will surely suspect that you have uncovered their plans. As such, they will take action against you, trying every means to kill you.”
Li Qingfeng opened his mouth in surprise: “Princess…”
“What’s the rush? I didn’t say I wouldn’t save you.” Rong Ke said with disdain. “After you lure them out, I’ll have people ambush them in advance. Then, we can catch them all in one fell swoop.”
“Princess, I understand the logic. But those barbarians are fierce and unreasonable. You haven’t seen Liang Zhihong’s body. The attacker killed him with one stroke, cutting his throat directly. It’s clearly the work of a seasoned killer.” Li Qingfeng said with a dejected face. “If I’m the bait, what if something really goes wrong?”
Since Li Qingfeng put it this way, Rong Ke had to consider the undercover agent’s feelings. She ordered the guard behind her: “Someone, prepare some suitable weapons for Official Li.”
“Wait, Princess,” Li Qingfeng said awkwardly, almost squeezing the next words out through his teeth, “I meant that the Princess could send two people to the Imperial Academy to protect me…”
Rong Ke raised her eyebrows in surprise: “Can you ride a horse and shoot arrows?”
Li Qingfeng was confused: “Yes.”
“Can you use swords?”
“I’ve learned that too.”
“Then why do you need people to protect you?”
This was so reasonable that Li Qingfeng was momentarily speechless.
Xiao Jingduo could no longer hold back. He quickly raised his hand, clenching his fist to cover his smile.
“My grandfather could lead troops and kill enemies on the battlefield at sixteen, and my father went to war at fifteen. You’re at the Imperial Academy, surrounded by your own people. Are you really afraid of a few vassals?”
“Princess, you can’t measure my combat ability by the standards of His Majesty and the Crown Prince!” Li Qingfeng said with a woeful face. “Although I’ve learned martial arts, I’m only half-trained. I really don’t dare to confront them head-on.”
“It’s too much trouble to arrange more people to protect you in the Imperial Academy. It might alert them and ruin the plan. Practice your martial arts for the next few days. You’ll have to rely on yourself.”
Rong Ke spoke exceptionally calmly, but Li Qingfeng almost cried on the spot. Having a group of militant superiors was really troublesome; without strong combat skills, one could hardly survive.
Believing she had adequately addressed Li Qingfeng’s concerns, Rong Ke turned her attention to Xiao Jingduo.
With Li Qingfeng’s example in mind, Xiao Jingduo very astutely said: “I accidentally disrupted the Princess’s plan and feel very uneasy. I wonder what I can do for the Princess?”
Rong Ke nodded with satisfaction, her tone much improved when speaking to Xiao Jingduo: “Your task is simple: just expose Li Qingfeng as the murderer.”
Xiao Jingduo clearly heard Li Qingfeng take a sharp breath. He wanted to laugh but held it back: “As you command.”
Rong Ke glanced at Li Qingfeng, seemingly unable to bear his grief-stricken expression any longer, and reluctantly made a concession, telling Xiao Jingduo: “If necessary, give Li Qingfeng some cover.”
Li Qingfeng was dissatisfied: “Princess, he’s only thirteen, five or six years younger than me. It makes more sense for me to protect him. How can you expect him to protect me?”
Rong Ke calmly responded: “He could last three moves against Liu Er. Can you?”
He couldn’t. Li Qingfeng silently closed his mouth.
Xiao Jingduo was forced into Rong Ke’s plan. After they finalized the next steps, they could finally leave the villa.
After coming out, Li Qingfeng still looked worried. He asked Xiao Jingduo: “Brother Xiao, this plan is full of dangers. What do you plan to do?”
“It’s nothing. The Imperial Academy is right under the Emperor’s feet after all. They won’t dare to act openly,” Xiao Jingduo casually comforted Li Qingfeng. “Take care, Brother Li.”
Xiao Jingduo retraced his steps, quietly returning to the dormitory. He silently pushed open the door, then returned to his bed, the entire process not making the slightest sound.
“Very well, if that’s the case, I’ll wait and see.”
After saying this, both Xiao Jingduo and Bai Jiayi withdrew their gazes and sat up straight, looking like any other student attentively listening to the lecture. Who could have imagined that they had just exchanged several rounds of coded messages and probing?
.
It seemed that after that day’s Analects class, rumors about Li Qingfeng arose overnight.
The Imperial Academy officially prohibited discussion of this matter, pushing the responsibility of investigating the murderer onto the Court of Judicial Review, which naturally wouldn’t release any information. Many students tried to inquire at the Court of Judicial Review to no avail, so they could only speculate privately. As time passed, the story of Liang Zhihong became more and more exaggerated.
Before the students could come to any conclusions, the Winter Solstice arrived. The Winter Solstice was the second most important festival of the year after New Year’s Eve. The court had to hold an assembly to worship Heaven, and the Imperial Academy was busy preparing sacrificial ceremonies to honor Confucius.
At the same time, this was also the day for many vassal ministers to come and pay homage. The Emperor would hold a grand assembly in the Taiji Palace, the Crown Prince would offer longevity wishes, the Ministry of Revenue would report the year’s tributes from various states, and the Ministry of Rites would report the tributes from vassal states. After that, there would be a grand palace banquet. So from the beginning of the eleventh month, Chang’an was filled with constant traffic. The Court of State Ceremonials had to receive many vassal state envoys every day, making Chang’an bustling with activity.
In front of the Court of State Ceremonials, foreign envoys with high noses and deep-set eyes were shoulder to shoulder. The Imperial Academy also became lively. The Academy had many international students from countries like Japan, Silla, Baekje, Goryeo, Nepal, Nanzhao, and Tibet. Most were children of high officials, and some were even princes. Now that the vassal states were coming to pay homage, these foreign students were excited to see envoys from their home countries. The Imperial Academy had a very open atmosphere and did not restrict students’ comings and goings, so these days the Academy was very lively, with people from exotic lands seen everywhere.
The Imperial Academy’s holiday schedule followed the court’s, with a seven-day long holiday after the sacrificial ceremony. Both celebration and vacation – this was probably what students loved most, and even the noble children at the Imperial Academy were no exception. So from the beginning of the eleventh month, the Imperial Academy was permeated with a joyous atmosphere, which even diluted much of the gloom brought by Liang Zhihong’s murder case.
However, Li Qingfeng was completely the opposite. The atmosphere around him was at odds with his surroundings. With the Winter Solstice celebration approaching and the Academy filled with a mix of people, it was the perfect time for the vassal state people to be scapegoated. This was undoubtedly the best opportunity for the mastermind to make a move against Li Qingfeng.
The more Li Qingfeng thought about it, the more he felt his life was in danger.
When Xiao Jingduo encountered Li Qingfeng on the road and saw his pale face and dejected demeanor, he couldn’t help but quietly comfort him: “Brother Li, there’s no need to panic. It’ll be over in just a few days. The Princess won’t leave you unprotected.”
Li Qingfeng looked at Xiao Jingduo with a gloomy face: “Please, don’t remind me.”
Well, Xiao Jingduo could only remain silent. As he passed by Li Qingfeng, he said in a barely audible voice: “Be careful these few days. Take care.”
Everyone knew in their hearts that the mastermind would make their move in the next few days.
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