Chapter 1181: Chapter 1017: General Huaiyuan

"Haha! I heard the court has sent an imperial envoy to the border, I expect he would arrive within a few days. Yet after waiting and waiting, he still hasn’t come, and my heart is impatient. Could it be that Lord Imperial Envoy has been delayed by some matter on the road? Had I known, I should have sent someone to welcome His Excellency earlier!"

A hearty voice came through, and Yin Kun lifted the curtain to step out of the carriage.

Immediately, a piercingly cold wind poured into his crane robe, causing him to shiver.

Yin Kun looked towards the speaker, seeing a man amid the ice and snow, wearing only a dark brocade robe covered by a red cape, letting the biting wind ravage him without any sign of fear.

The man stood over seven feet tall, with tiger’s eyes and sword-like brows, exuding a rough and bold demeanor. He clasped his iron fists together in a gesture of respect towards Yin Kun.

"General Chang is too kind; we were delayed a few days on the road, causing the General concern." Yin Kun thought to himself, this must be Chang Yuan, the main general guarding Yuhe Pass, judging by his air of a great general.

Chang Yuan came from a poor family and was the military champion of Dayan in its 47th year. He is immensely strong, with superb martial arts skills. As Da Xing continuously harasses the border, the Emperor has stationed him here to guard it.

Originally, he was only of the Standard Fifth Rank, but with numerous military achievements, he has now reached a Secondary Third Rank position and been conferred the title of General Huaiyuan.

Yuhe Pass is a crucial fortress, as beyond it lies Da Xing. For Da Xing to infiltrate Dayan territory, the first checkpoint is Yuhe Pass.

Thus, after gathering intelligence in Fengqing Prefecture, Yin Kun came to Yuhe Pass. There must have been some lapse here; who knows which official has colluded with Da Xing, such a person is truly detestable.

After observing Chang Yuan, Yin Kun felt a sense of righteousness about him, and as the main general, it seemed unlikely for him to have any dealings with Da Xing. With his assistance, it might be possible to catch the villain colluding with Da Xing sooner.

However, he was always cautious and would never conclude someone’s loyalty to the court simply based on their appearance. He needed multiple tests to reach a conclusion.

...

"Instruct someone to check all the beggars, if anyone seems suspicious, arrest them. After clearing things up, they can be released."

Gu Chengyu instructed Ming Mo upon his arrival, then had Ming Yan take Zhou Congyuan into custody, to be held in the dungeon until instructions were received from the Crown Prince.

However, Zhou Congyuan was also a fool; since he wasn’t caught, he should have hidden. Who would have expected him to try assassinating again, is he tired of living?

Gu Chengyu let out a cold snort! Does he think he is made of clay? Even if he can’t catch those assassins, having Zhou Congyuan allows him to explain to His Highness.

But Gu Chengyu disliked leaving things unfinished; since those assassins were still in the Capital, there’s no way he would let them go.

He thought for a moment, stopping a government officer from the Military Department, saying: "Invite Mr. Peng and Lord Jiang here, I have urgent matters to discuss."

Earlier, he considered that if there were too many assassins, they could easily be exposed, maybe they would have scattered and hidden.

But now, thinking about summoning them is inconvenient. Using secret signals would take too much time, causing delays.

Using a signal arrow could only communicate over short distances. Moreover, this method could easily be discovered, making it unwise.

Upon reflection, dividing them into several groups to hide seems the easiest. But what’s a place that could host many without arousing suspicion?

"My Lord! I was just about to report back!"

Gu Chengyu had just sent someone to gather the two, and in less than half an hour, Peng Fang arrived.

Gu Chengyu nodded, "Let’s wait for Jiang Sicheng before we proceed!"

Jiang Shaohua came later, and upon arrival, he saw Gu Chengyu and Peng Fang waiting for him, so he repeatedly apologized.

"I was late; please forgive me, Mr. Gu!"

Gu Chengyu waved his hand, "No worries! The reason I called you here is that I suddenly felt continuing the search this way seems to be futile."

Time is tight, quick changes would be risky! Gu Chengyu didn’t need to ask to know Jiang Shaohua and Peng Fang would have no results.

Jiang Shaohua glanced at Gu Chengyu, "My Lord, we have searched South City and West City thoroughly, and found no assassins! Perhaps those assassins were prepared and have already left the city by now."

Peng Fang nodded immediately, as he also had the same thought.

The east continuously connects to the Imperial City, and some of the alleys house aristocratic families, so the assassins would not dare to intrude into noble mansions.

With plenty of private soldiers and Hidden Guards in noble mansions, entering would be like a lamb to the slaughter, what else could it be?

North City, like South City, consists of official residences, primarily of high-ranking officials and scholarly families, which are not a good place for hiding.

South City and West City have complex geography; with many wealthy merchants, the area is chaotic, making it extremely difficult to conduct a search.

But after thoroughly searching South City and North City, there’s no trace of an assassin!

"I don’t think so, the outer city has seven gates, all are heavily guarded. To enter or exit requires a travel permit, and local residents have to be registered. Beyond the city gates is the moat, making it impossible for anyone to cross easily."

Gu Chengyu glanced at Jiang Shaohua with his head down, feeling puzzled by his suggestion.

Looking at Peng Fang, who initially agreed with Jiang Shaohua, but now looked troubled after Gu Chengyu’s point, revealing he had overturned his previous view, Gu Chengyu turned his gaze away.

"Peng Sicheng, take more men to verify the nine escort agencies in South City and West City, and act quickly."

Gu Chengyu squinted his eyes, sending Peng Fang out with instructions.

Peng Fang was puzzled, "My Lord! We’ve already carefully checked the escort agencies, they showed no signs of suspicion."

"Have you truly checked thoroughly? How many dart masters took assignments during this time? Were there new dart masters added recently? Have all the dart masters identified each other? Was it truly inspected without negligence?"

Gu Chengyu’s expression became stern, with a sharp gleam emanating from his eyes, startling Peng Fang.

He immediately straightened up and said, "Yes!"

"If any irregularities are found, detain everyone in the escort agency, and await my decision!"

Peng Fang promptly agreed and turned to tally his men.

Jiang Shaohua’s eyes flashed, his hands clenching tightly at his sides, "Mr. Gu, where should I search next?"

Gu Chengyu’s gaze at Jiang Shaohua was intensely cold, and Jiang Shaohua’s heart involuntarily tightened after waiting a while.

Sweat gradually soaked through his back. He was unsure of Gu Chengyu’s intention, could he be suspicious of him?

Gu Chengyu’s gaze gradually softened, "I’ve been thinking, it would be best for Jiang Sicheng to search the major gambling houses."

Jiang Shaohua’s breathing tightened, "My Lord! There aren’t many gambling houses in the Capital, only five in total. But the owners behind them are very influential. If we conduct searches, we could offend these people, potentially causing us a lot of trouble."

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