Chapter 122: This Game Of Chess

Chapter 122: This Game of Chess

The prefect's assassination was second in gravity only to the supposed murder of the crown prince, perhaps even more severe—after all, that prince Luo Zhenwu was merely a rumored suspicion, never openly acknowledged by the court. This man was a true fourth-rank official, and in a key hub of the grain transport system, his importance far outstripped that of any prefect in some remote backwater.

Truly lawless, the empire's dignity utterly shattered.

This was the mark of rebellion, no need for further words.

The Demon Suppression Bureau cordoned off a ten-li radius around the crime scene; the entire city was on edge, with city defense forces mobilized, blocking all gates in tight rings.

Relying on his status, Tang Buqi quietly slipped into the crime scene with Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling.

The Yangzhou chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau was Gong Chaoqun, the same middle-aged man who had earlier warned Zhao Changhe about the Maitreya Sect's illusions. Though that affair had ended with him acting like a wingman, he was still a dignified gold-rank director of the bureau, at the ninth level of the Profound Gate, and in terms of cultivation rank alone, he surpassed even Yue Hongling.

The Human Roll had many figures at the ninth level of the Profound Gate, and those who reached such cultivation without making the list were usually given a polite compliment: "near the Human Roll."

In truth, the gap between ninth-level cultivators was vast; even among those on the Human Roll, rankings differed, and the disparity between a Human Roll ninth-level and an ordinary ninth-level was perhaps more absurd than the gap between Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang when both were at the third level.

For instance, everyone knew that half a year ago, a ninth-level cultivator had been defeated by Yue Hongling in a cross-rank fight.

So the phrase "near the Human Roll" was essentially meaningless, much like the term "concubine." Chi Li claimed he had killed many such "near-Human-Roll" fighters on his journey, but few of them had any real substance.

Gong Chaoqun, however, was not among them; he was genuinely near the Human Roll, one of Tang Wanzhuang's most trusted and valued lieutenants.

Seeing Tang Buqi enter with Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling, Gong Chaoqun said nothing but gave Zhao Changhe an almost imperceptible nod. In his mind, this was a secret agent of the Demon Suppression Bureau, with private instructions from the chief. Young Master Tang was the chief's nephew, and with the renowned chivalrous Yue Hongling, this lineup was more than enough to rely on as allies in this matter.

Little did he know that if the prefect had died half an hour later, these very people would have been his assassins.

Zhao Changhe carried a blade and a bow, his expression sour. He had been looking forward to a night raid on the prefect's mansion with Yue Hongling, a joint assassination attempt—the thought of it was both thrilling and intimate. But someone else had beaten him to it, and he couldn't even curse them, since the deed itself was a public delight.

"Uncle Gong, any findings?" Tang Buqi was asking.

"Prefect Qian died by an arrow," Gong Chaoqun said. "He was just about to enter his concubine's room when someone shot him from the opposite rooftop, the arrow piercing the back of his skull. The force was immense; it went clean through the back of his head. The assassin fired the arrow and, barely waiting for the result, vanished in an instant before the surrounding guards could close in—extremely clean and efficient."

Zhao Changhe thought to himself, if I had come, he'd likely have died the same way...

Gong Chaoqun glanced at the bow slung across Zhao Changhe's back and added, "The corridor from Prefect Qian's quarters to the concubine's room is shaded by vines, with poor visibility. Only the moment he paused at the door was the perfect opportunity. The arrow was perfectly timed, accurate and vicious—perhaps even slightly better than Young Master Zhao's archery. Definitely a seasoned bowman."

Zhao Changhe didn't find it strange that someone else's archery surpassed his; after all, he didn't use the bow often, and his daily practice focused on the blade. At that moment, what came to mind was the arrow the blue-masked figure had shot at him—that arrow was truly formidable. Without Longque's warning, he might well have fallen to it.

Could it be him?

No one else knew about the blue-masked figure. Tang Buqi's first reaction was, "A seasoned bowman—could it be a Hu?"

Prefect Qian had been a supporter of the Hu, which was unlikely in principle, but Tang Buqi wanted to pin the blame on them anyway. In truth, no outsider knew what dealings the prefect had with the Hu; if they said he was killed by them, at least the people and the court would believe it.

If they wanted to wrap up the case hastily, this was a way, and it might even bring benefits—making the court pay attention to Chi Li and other Hu stirring up trouble in the Central Plains.

Gong Chaoqun's expression grew thoughtful. He turned to Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling. "Young Master Zhao and Lady Yue both clashed with the Hu today. Any insights?"

Zhao Changhe said, "What if I told you that a few hours ago, near the foreign quarter, someone nearly took my life with an arrow? What would you all think?"

Yue Hongling's expression shifted instantly. "Really?"

"Really."

Gong Chaoqun was also moved. He mused, "If Young Master Zhao had indeed fallen then, we would naturally have placed suspicion on the foreigners... and then tonight, the prefect killed in the same manner..."

Gong Chaoqun didn't finish, but everyone understood. Clearly, the whole operation was designed to frame the Hu. The arrow shot at Zhao Changhe had already laid the groundwork for tonight's assassination of the prefect—they just hadn't expected Zhao Changhe to dodge it.

As for why they chose Zhao Changhe, no one knew. Could it be that they knew he was a Demon Suppression Bureau agent?

Looking at it this way, the killer might not have been motivated by seeing the prefect's behavior at today's banquet; it had little to do with the banquet itself. Tang Buqi had initially suspected Wan Dongliu and Xuan Chong, but now that seemed unlikely.

Tang Buqi thought for a moment and lowered his voice. "Uncle Gong, I think we might as well go with the flow and pin it on the Hu. That gives us an excuse to wipe out all the Hu here. Besides, whoever killed Prefect Qian was a righteous... uh, anyway..."

Anyway, they were righteous men, no need to investigate too thoroughly, right?

Zhao Changhe increasingly felt that this "nephew" was quite something—though a bit of a playboy, a bit of a fool in combat, had tried to fight him, stirred up trouble, and even tried to drive a wedge between him and Yue Hongling... Damn, this guy was no good!

Yue Hongling said, "Under normal circumstances, I would support Brother Tang's proposal, but this person is different."

Tang Buqi: "Hmm?"

Yue Hongling said flatly, "He tried to kill Changhe."

Tang Buqi: "..."

Zhao Changhe was moved to tears. Look, that's what it means to be on the same side—what a difference!

Gong Chaoqun thoughtfully asked Zhao Changhe, "What do you think, Young Master Zhao?"

Tang Buqi shot him a strange look. You've asked him twice now. He calls me 'nephew,' but he's not really my uncle-in-law. Why do you care so much about his opinion?

Zhao Changhe said, "I actually support pinning it on the Hu. That's important. But since this person tried to kill me, even if we publicly blame the Hu, I'll have to secretly find out who the real killer is."

Gong Chaoqun nodded.

With both the Young Master of the Tang family and the jade-token agent saying so, he made up his mind. Pinning it on the Hu really had many benefits.

Then Zhao Changhe added, "Isn't there something missing in this?"

Gong Chaoqun, being an investigator, immediately caught his meaning. "Young Master Zhao means the concubine?"

"Right. If I'm not mistaken, the prefect had a Maitreya Sect celestial maiden by his side. Given the Maitreya Sect's skill at seduction, I'd guess the prefect sought her out every night. So this concubine is likely that celestial maiden."

Gong Chaoqun smiled slightly. "Indeed, we've already taken her into custody. Bad luck for her—the prefect died at her doorstep, so she couldn't run. If she had, she'd be suspected of assassinating him and fleeing. She had no choice but to stay and wait for our questioning. And during that questioning, we quickly discovered her identity as a Maitreya celestial maiden. Truly an undeserved calamity."

"So the prefect died at the threshold of a Maitreya celestial maiden's bedchamber—couldn't this also be pinned on the Maitreya Sect?" Zhao Changhe muttered to himself. "The Maitreya Sect colluded with the Hu, assassinated the prefect together, and planned to rebel from within and without. The real killer has already crafted a complete story for the Demon Suppression Bureau, even mobilized the army in the city due to the prefect's death, ready to suppress the rebels at any moment... And the Hu and the Maitreya Sect are still in the dark, thinking they have nothing to do with it."

Tang Buqi was visibly moved. "So the timing of the assassination was deliberate? He knew the prefect would come to the celestial maiden's room at that moment!"

"Yes... Someone who knew the prefect's daily routine well, a well-planned game of chess." Zhao Changhe looked at Gong Chaoqun. "Now the question is, will the Demon Suppression Bureau accept this gift delivered to its doorstep?"