Chapter 349: Brother Jiu’s Means, Fat Boy Walking a Bird (4)
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The buck that the Emperor hunted was made into fragrant roasted deer meat by the chef of the hunting garden. However, in the end, no one was in the mood to eat meat. The envoy of Nanzhao was ambushed by a ferocious beast, and the target of the ambush was actually the mighty General Wei Yuan of Nanzhao. It was said that his injuries were too serious and he most likely could not be saved.
When the bad news came, everyone was in disbelief. Although there would be more or less people who would be injured during the autumn hunt every year, those were not serious injuries such as falls or scratches. Moreover, most of them were civil officials. How could a general let his prey succeed?
Could it be that General Wei Yuan’s reputation was just for show?
The people of the Great Zhou did not know how good Helian Qi’s martial arts were, but the people of Nanzhao knew it very well. Even a pageboy of the Helian family knew martial arts, let alone the legitimate son of the second branch, Helian Qi. This was the most brave and skilled general after Helian Beiming. Helian Beiming was seriously injured and had lost all his martial arts. Helian Beiming did not have any children, so it was not surprising that Helian Qi would become the most suitable heir of the entire Helian family.
Now, this heir handed his life to the Great Zhou’s hunting ground just like that. How would the ministers of Nanzhao answer to the Emperor and the Queen? One had to know that Helian Qi was the Queen’s favorite minister!
!!
The three powerful ministers invited the State Preceptor over to discuss the matter of Helian Qi with him.
The first to speak was Lord Du. He was the Grand Minister of Nanzhao, along with the other two. There were a total of three Grand Ministers in Nanzhao, and all of them had come to the Great Zhou. In terms of seniority, Lord Du was the youngest, but who asked him to be so eloquent that he could coax the Emperor and joke with the Queen? Needless to say, he was very favored.
He slammed the table and said, “We can’t let this matter rest! I believe that with General Helian’s martial arts, it’s impossible for him to be ambushed and killed by a few ferocious tigers. It must have been done by the people of Great Zhou!”
The State Preceptor said indifferently, “The people of Great Zhou? Which one?”
Lord Du choked and said, “Xiao… Xiao Zhenting! General Helian humiliated him in public. He must have held a grudge, so he killed General Helian in the hunting ground!”
This a.n.a.lysis did make sense. From the information they had currently, the only person who fulfilled the two conditions of being offended by Helian Qi and having the ability to kill him was Xiao Zhenting.
The State Preceptor said, “Xiao Zhenting didn’t go to the hunting ground at all. How could he kill General Helian?”
Lord Du thought for a while. “Then he bribed the guards inside!”
“What guard is a match for the General?” The State Preceptor asked.
Lord Du was speechless.
That’s right. Helian Qi was an expert second only to Helian Beiming in Nanzhao. A few guards at the hunting ground were not worthy of touching the general.
Could it be that there were sacrificial soldiers? But it was unlikely that the sacrificial soldiers were a match for General Helian. Of course, it was another matter if they mobilized more than a hundred sacrificial soldiers. The problem was that it was impossible for there to be no movement in the forest if they really mobilized so many sacrificial soldiers. Moreover, no one heard General Helian asking for help. In other words, General Helian had either been injured in one move or… he had held back his voice when he was injured.
Why did he hold back?
Lord Du vaguely felt that something was amiss.
His colleagues had already thought of what he was thinking. However, before they set off, the Emperor had ordered them to follow the State Preceptor’s lead, so Grand Minister Meng and Xu did not say anything.
The room fell into a strange silence. At this moment, Wan Feng walked in with a solemn expression. “Master, Hu You is awake.”
Hu You was Helian Qi’s subordinate, the soldier who had been rewarded with Xiao Zhenting’s armor. Today, he had entered the hunting ground with Helian Qi. He had been knocked out by Yan Jiuchao’s sacrificial soldier and found that Helian Qi had “coincidentally” fainted nearby, so he sent him back to the side palace.
The State Preceptor said, “I’ll go see Hu You. Lords, please return first. If there’s any news, I’ll inform you tomorrow morning.”
Grand Minister Meng and Grand Minister Xu had no objections, but Lord Du dawdled and refused to leave.
The State Preceptor sighed softly. “Alright, Lord Du, come with me to see Deputy General Hu.”
Lord Du went without hesitation.
Deputy General Hu’s injuries were very serious. When the State Preceptor and Lord Du entered the room, he could not get out of bed to salute them. The servants helped him sit up and stuffed a big pillow behind him for him to lean on.
He endured the pain in his body and bowed to the two lords. “State Preceptor, Lord Du, how’s the General?”
“No need for formalities,” the State Preceptor said. “Wan Feng, stand guard outside.”
“Yes.” Wan Feng brought the servants out of the room and guarded the door warily.
The State Preceptor said, “The General won’t make it.”
In one sentence, Helian Qi was sentenced to death.
Deputy General Hu felt the blood in his body freeze. “How did this happen? The General is skilled in martial arts and can withstand any injuries!”
This was an established fact. Helian Qi could not be saved. As for whether he believed it or not, it was Deputy General Hu’s choice.
The State Preceptor said seriously, “Tell us everything about who General Helian saw and what he had done in the Capital these few days.”
Deputy General Hu choked.
If the State Preceptor asked what had happened in the hunting ground, Deputy General Hu could tell him everything. However, if he asked about what had happened these few days… Deputy General Hu did not know if he should say it or not.
Lord Du frowned when he saw him like this.
The State Preceptor looked at him coldly and said, “General Helian is the heir of the Helian family. His life and death concerns the country. You better think about whether you should hide anything.”