"Mm, the same group of people..."
Xiao Jingnan curled his lips slightly and gently tapped the table with his fingertips.
"What arms - smuggling case?" As soon as Li Wanming heard Lu Ping's story, she couldn't wait to ask.
Throughout the dynasties, arms - smuggling had always been a capital offense, almost on a par with treason.
Could it be that Xiao Jingnan had uncovered a major arms - smuggling case in Shou'an...?
"It's nothing," Xiao Jingnan replied calmly with an unchanged expression. "When I was looking through the files here, I found that the inventory in the armory didn't match. After a thorough investigation, I discovered that this matter was related to Kang Chuanyi."
"Kang Chuanyi?" Li Wanming widened her eyes in disbelief.
The prefect of Lingxi, the elder brother of the empress dowager, was actually involved in arms - smuggling?!
"Who... who did he sell the arms to?" Li Wanming asked blankly.
"My silly sister, can't you figure it out?" Wan Mo scoffed and twirled the tip of her ponytail with her fingertips. "Right now, Great Sheng and Anluo are at war. Who else could he sell them to? Think about it. Who needs weapons the most right now?"
A chill ran down Li Wanming's spine, and a cold shiver made her scalp tingle.
"Sell them to... Anluo?!"
If this was really the case, Kang Chuanyi was a traitor who collaborated with the enemy - a crime punishable by the execution of all nine degrees of his relatives!
How could he be so bold...?
Xiao Jingnan narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's just a suspicion for now. I don't have conclusive evidence."
"But why?"
Li Wanming tightly grabbed his arm. There was something brewing in her heart, but she still couldn't figure it out clearly. "The Kang family holds great power and is extremely wealthy... What could they possibly gain by selling arms to Anluo and watching the Sheng army be defeated?"
Xiao Jingnan stared intently at her. There was a storm brewing in his dark eyes. "What do you think the current Empress Dowager Kang lacks the most?"
What does she lack?
Empress Dowager Kang was the most powerful woman in the Great Sheng Dynasty. She was of noble status and ruled with an iron fist... What could she possibly lack?
After a moment's thought, Li Wanming blurted out, "Military power!"
"Correct." Xiao Jingnan smiled gently. "So what she wants is to bury all of General Feng's 200,000 troops in the southern border and reshuffle the military. Selling arms to Anluo is, of course, for this very purpose. The empress dowager... wants to give Anluo a great victory."
He looked out of the window. The bustling street scene of Shou'an City was gradually fading in the twilight.
"As for whether there will be rivers of blood in Lingxi Prefecture and Shou'an City, and whether the common people will be displaced, those are not things she will consider."
Li Wanming suddenly felt cold.
The hot and humid air in Shou'an had somehow turned into a bone - chilling cold, making her shiver uncontrollably.
"Is that why they deliberately leaked your whereabouts to the Anluo assassins and tried to kill you to silence you?"
She grabbed Xiao Jingnan's sleeve and stammered, "Then... what should we do next? Should we inform General Feng not to enter the city...? Kang Chuanyi is the prefect of Lingxi. He won't let General Feng go!"
In a war, bravery alone was not enough.
Food supplies, equipment, arms, war - horses, intelligence, reinforcements... were like ropes. They could either pull a fleet of ships through dangerous shoals or turn into a noose around one's neck in an instant.
Inside Shou'an City, there were people eyeing them covetously. It was definitely not a good time for Feng Yuanji to choose to enter the city and fight.
As soon as Li Wanming finished speaking, He Muhao fluttered his sleeves and stood up, shouting repeatedly, "Yes! Yes! We shouldn't stay here any longer. We have to run quickly!"
At first, he was very happy to see Lu Ping and Wu Yao come in. Later, when he heard Xiao Jingnan say, "It's okay. They're all our own people," he was even more excited. He even straightened his collar and sat upright.
He had been a dissolute playboy all his life. No important family matters had ever involved him.
At the age of over twenty, this was the first time he had participated in "matters of state," so he was extremely excited.
But he never expected that this "matter of state" would be of such a magnitude...
Arms - smuggling?!
Collaboration with the enemy and treason?!
Oh my god! Was this something he was supposed to know?
This kind of thing that could cost one's head was not something a playboy like him, who only knew how to indulge in pleasure, was worthy of knowing...
He Muhao jumped up like a frightened rabbit and grabbed Wan Mo, trying to drag her out.
Wan Mo swung her arm back, almost making him stumble. "What are you afraid of!"
Anger blazed in her eyes. She slapped the table and shouted, "So what if she's the empress dowager? She wants us all to die here, but we'll show her that we'll live!"
"It's just a war. Can't we just win it!"
The room fell into silence.
After a long time, a smile spread across Xiao Jingnan's lips. "Second sister is right. I've been thinking the same way. On the battlefield, only a fair and square victory can wipe out all the evil spirits."
"But, but..." He Muhao was still terrified and wanted to say something, but Xiao Jingnan raised his hand to interrupt him. "Don't be scared, Young Master He. General Feng has been in battles for many years and has a discerning eye. Since he has decided to lead his army here, he must have already considered the situation in Shou'an."
"He knows whether it's appropriate to enter the city or not."
"Since Her Majesty the Empress Dowager wants to watch..."
Xiao Jingnan put down the teacup in his hand. The smile in his eyes was as bright as if it had been tempered by the furnace fire. "Then let's show her properly what the military god of our Great Sheng is like!"
...
When everyone came out of the teahouse, it was already past noon.
Wan Mo insisted on staying to wait for General Feng's army and fight the enemy together when the time came. He Muhao couldn't persuade her, so he had to stay with her.
Lu Ping and Wu Yao were ordered to continue keeping an eye on the prefect's mansion so that they could pass on information to Xiao Jingnan at any time.
As for Xiao Jingnan himself, he decided to go to Jiangzhong Prefecture, which had become Anluo's territory.
According to Lu Ping's information, the group of assassins who had tried to kill him had returned to Jiangzhong Prefecture. So, if he wanted to obtain conclusive evidence, he had to venture into the dangerous area.
Lu Ping was worried. "My lord, why don't I and Wu Yao go to Jiangzhong instead? You and the princess stay in Shou'an..."
"No." Xiao Jingnan smiled gently. "I'm going to Jiangzhong to meet someone. You can't replace me. Moreover..." His tone changed, and there was a hint of sarcasm in the corner of his eyes. "Do you think staying in Shou'an will be safe?"
Lu Ping fell silent and said nothing.
General Feng's army had not yet arrived. For Xiao Jingnan, Shou'an was actually a more dangerous place at the moment.
After everyone had reached an agreement, they went their separate ways.
Li Wanming walked silently beside Xiao Jingnan.
She was going to follow Xiao Jingnan to Jiangzhong. Staying in Shou'an meant being under Kang Chuanyi's nose. For her, the princess of the Prince Ning's Mansion, it was not much better than going to Jiangzhong.
If she went to Jiangzhong, Chuntao and Gao Yong would naturally go with her.
So, the few of them followed Xiao Jingnan through the bustling streets. The outline of the city gate gradually became clear in the afternoon sunlight.