Xuanxia

Chapter 546 Guess
"Let's just treat Jiang Baichuan as the man behind Wuli Village, and not pursue the others for now?"

Hearing this, Fu Qingzhou's brows immediately raised.

But before he could say anything, Ning Wuwang behind Ning Baimei smiled and said, "Young man, don't be angry. Let your father finish what he is saying."

Fu Qingzhou frowned and looked at Ning Baimei: "You say."

"Haha, let's talk while walking."

Ning Baimei looked towards the other side of the hill: "The scenery there is nice."

Obviously, there are some things that need to be said away from certain people.

Although no one dared to eavesdrop on what he said as long as he wanted, he still took the lead and led Li Jingzhe, Ning Wuwang and Fu Qingzhou, leisurely going to the other side of the hill.

Fu Qingzhou thought for a moment, quickly calmed down, and followed.

He knew that Jiang Baichuan certainly couldn't be the one behind Wulizhuang. Ashen had said many times before that there was a "master" behind them.

But judging from Ning Baimei's expression... he doesn't want to alert the enemy?

How is it possible? Xiyu Pavilion has been destroyed. All the grass that should be killed and the snakes that should be scared away have been killed and scared away long ago.

The four of them slowly came to a place about a hundred steps away from the crowd, and Ning Baimei finally stopped.

He stood on the top of the mountain, looking out at the mountains in the distance.

In the night, thin clouds cover the moon, the moonlight is dim, and the shadows of the mountains are dim.

"Over the years, the emperor has gradually started to handle government affairs on his own. I have been distracted by other things and have not been involved in state affairs for many years. I don't know who is behind Wuli Village."

Ning Baimei said softly: "But after thinking about it, there are only a few choices."

Then he slowly uttered a few names.

"The head of the Lan family, Lan Yonghuai, is the Minister of Works."

"The head of the Yuan family, Yuan Keng, and his brother, the second minister of the cabinet, Yuan Ye."

"The Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Yan Yidong."

"And...King Xishuo, Zhao Liang."

Hearing these names, Fu Qingzhou's pupils shrank slightly.

He only knew one person, that was King Xishuo Zhao Liang - that was Zhao Hao's father and also the uncle of the current emperor Zhao Yuan.

As for the others... I have heard of Yuan Ye's name. Isn't the grandfather of Yue Heng's sister Chu Chu Yuan Ye?

As he spoke, Ning Baimei turned his gaze to his son: "Wuwang, tell me, who among them is most likely to be the one?"

Ning Wuwang bowed and said, "Father, I don't know."

Ning Baimei smiled slightly: "Oh? You don't dare to say it? Afraid of offending people?"

Ning Wuwang also responded with a smile and said nothing.

Ning Baimei shook his head lovingly and helplessly and looked at Li Jingzhe.

Li Jingzhe was much more straightforward and said frankly: "Although the Lan family is powerful and wealthy, and has a close relationship with Qianfang Baixiao Tower, Lan Yonghuai is domineering and flamboyant. He would not do such a secretive thing. It's not him."

"The two brothers Yuan Keng and Yuan Ye are very likely. The Yuan family has great influence among the civil officials in the capital and the local prefectures and states. It is normal for them to secretly collude with the underworld forces and seek personal gain."

"Lord Yan... it's unlikely. He was personally supported by Lord Ning, and is a saintly teacher in the eyes of the poor students. Although he doesn't have power over the court, he is an important figure used by the emperor to balance the power of the Yuan and Lan families. For him, his achievements today are all achieved by careful planning, and he cannot make even a single mistake. What happened in Wuli Village is not something he would do."

"As for King Xishuo..."

Li Jingzhe hesitated for a moment and said slowly, "The prince has been in close contact with the Wulin League because of the Qianlong Hundred Heroes Conference. He has also kept many Jianghu followers in his mansion. Recently, he has also been in close contact with the Xingyun Chamber of Commerce. His fiefdom is far away in Xishuo. He is the most capable and has the most opportunities to do all this."

"But... the prince likes to follow the ancient rituals and is very self-disciplined. From the governor to the old farmers and porters in Xishuo, everyone praises the prince's character. It is hard for me to believe that he would be that kind of person."

Fu Qingzhou listened quietly and gradually calmed down. Even if he had heard of these people's names, he had no idea about them, let alone being able to tell their identities and personalities like Li Jingzhe did.

Ning Baimei was able to point out these people and suspect that they were the ones behind Wuli Village. There must be a reason for that, but he knew nothing about it and just rushed in recklessly.

This at least shows one thing...

I am still too young, and when it is time to listen to the advice of my seniors, I should listen carefully.

After listening to Li Jingzhe, Ning Baimei nodded slightly: "Your analysis is good, but there is another possibility."

After considering his words for a while, he said leisurely, "Two or even three of them have already joined forces... If you are talking about the mastermind behind the scenes, they are all."

Li Jingzhe and Ning Wuwang's pupils shrank, and Fu Qingzhou couldn't help but blurt out: "Is Dayan so dark?"

After these words came out, the three of them looked at him.

Li Jingzhe snorted coldly: "Boy, be careful with your words!"

Ning Baimei chuckled and said softly, "Let's not talk about this for now, Young Master Fu, in your opinion, why should I not investigate the matter of Wuli Village for the time being?"

"Oh, I'm afraid that kid Zhao Yuan can't beat him." Fu Qingzhou shook his head.

He called the emperor's name directly, which made Li Jingzhe tremble all over, and Ning Wuwang's eyebrows also jumped.

Ning Baimei was very calm and continued to smile: "What do you mean?"

"Zhao Yuan has a very impulsive temper and does things without considering the consequences. He has also been keeping an eye on the noble families recently. I think if he knew who is behind Wuli Village, he would immediately order a thorough investigation."

Fu Qingzhou said, "These people are either princes or powerful officials. How can they be happy when they are suddenly investigated like this? In the smallest case, they can just throw in a scapegoat and close the case. It will be difficult to investigate them again in the future. In the biggest case, these people will do something tricky and plot something in the matters under their jurisdiction, which will be enough to make Zhao Yuan very anxious. He might even have to admit his mistakes as the emperor."

"Instead of doing that, why not pretend to find out about Jiang Baichuan first, and announce to the public that Ah Cheng from Xiyu Pavilion committed suicide and that the clues have been cut off, so that those behind the scenes can relax their vigilance. After that, we can get information out of Ah Cheng and send people to investigate secretly."

After listening to him, Ning Baimei nodded with satisfaction.

"exactly."

He smiled and said, "Of course, now that Xiyu Pavilion has been destroyed, the people behind the scenes will surely be alarmed. We... must appease them appropriately."

"Comfort?" Fu Qingzhou was stunned.

"good."

Ning Baimei said slowly: "The hostility shown by the emperor towards the aristocratic families is already very obvious. After this matter is over, he will continue the original debate..."

At this point, Fu Qingzhou slapped his forehead. He almost forgot about it.

"You know this too?" he said with a wry smile.

Ning Baimei laughed and said, "This is no small matter. Even if I am not in the capital, I will know about it."

"Then, do we still have to argue?" Fu Qingzhou asked helplessly.

Ning Baimei nodded: "The emperor's words are golden, of course we have to argue - this is also why I said that we need to properly appease those who are suspected of being behind Wuli Village."

"During this debate, the emperor's intention to take action against the noble families is obvious, which will definitely lead to backlash, but now is not the time."

He said slowly: "Whether it was the corruption case of Hongjiang dredging, or the current tactics of supporting Xiyu Pavilion and keeping wanted criminals, it shows that this person is extremely ambitious and should not be underestimated. We need to let him relax his vigilance before we can do anything."

"As for how to appease..."

His eyes fell on the German sword that was hanging on Fu Qingzhou's lower back. At this time, the German sword had shrunk and only a part of it was exposed.

"There is."

Ning Baimei smiled and said, "Give the remaining swords of the Eight Swords of the Kingly Way to them first."

(End of this chapter)