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Chapter 615 Trusted Confidant
Bian Yong may seem rough and careless, but he's quite a clever man. He observes everything in the inn with his own eyes and doesn't ask any questions unless Lu Qing explicitly tells him.

He and his men quickly cleaned up the inn ahead, tidying up the rooms that were habitable. It was getting late, so they gathered a few people and, together with Fuwen and Fulu, prepared some simple food. After a quick meal, they settled down to rest.

Although these people were very cautious, even though they had sent people to investigate along the way, they still did not make any noise on their first night.

Zhu Yu was in the small courtyard behind the house. He could hear that the two-story building in front was still quiet and still, but he also felt that it seemed to have become more lively.

Back in her room, Lu Qing was already waiting for her.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you staring at me because you have something to say?" Zhu Yu asked, somewhat puzzled, noticing that Lu Qing's gaze had been following him ever since he entered the room.

"Didn't you want to know who I asked Fu Wen to find?" Lu Qing looked at Zhu Yu, who had a calm expression, and smiled knowingly. "It seems you've already guessed the answer, so you don't need me to explain anymore."

"Not really, I just guessed roughly, so I wasn't as eager to find out as I was at the beginning." Zhu Yu said as she sat down next to Lu Qing. Although it should be safe here, since they were talking behind closed doors, it was best to be careful and not to speak too loudly. "Are they from the Situ family?"
That Bian Yong, the young general he mentioned, is it Situ Jing?
After all, although Situ Jing's older brother is also considered one of Situ Jing's young generals, he has never fought alongside you and couldn't possibly know your martial arts skills.

“That’s right, General Bian is actually a deputy general under General Situ.” Lu Qing was not surprised that Zhu Yu had thought it through so clearly and directly told her the other party’s identity.

Although I had already suspected that the other party was a confidant of the Situ family, I never expected that the other party would actually be the deputy general by General Situ's own side...

This means he sent his most trusted confidant over.

Zhu Yu looked at Lu Qing in surprise: "I remember you said that General Situ was originally a man of great military achievements, but the reason why he was not as powerful as General Cao in the court was because his family had always disliked taking sides and were only loyal to the emperor, but not to any particular person."

Could it be that during this time, Situ Jing privately tried to persuade his father and brothers quite a bit?

“The reason why Situ Jing was willing to form an alliance with us was because he was forced by circumstances. Those people’s intention to disrupt the army was too obvious, and there was no room for him to stand by and watch.” Lu Qing waved his hand, “The Situ family is stubborn. Once they have made up their minds, they cannot be changed by a few words from others.”

Even if Situ Jing were to use his silver tongue to nag his father and elder brother every day, it would likely have no effect. In fact, it might even annoy the old general and have him dragged out and flogged.

"Beating with military rods... Don't tell me that military rods are the Situ family's family rules?" Zhu Yu guessed.

Lu Qing smiled and nodded: "You guessed right."

I heard that General Situ was very strict with his sons, and he would never allow them to do anything that would cause trouble for the family or bring shame to their ancestors. Although they were father and sons, he still disciplined them strictly and meticulously, and they could not make any mistakes.

"When his two sons made mistakes, they were punished in the same way as soldiers in the army. So over time, everyone outside knew that military law was the Situ family's family law." "Then..." Zhu Yu changed her mind after hearing what he said. Thinking back to how Situ Jing changed his mind, she suddenly understood. "So you used Situ Jing's previous experience in Lizhou and what he saw and heard during his demotion to Qinzhou to give the Situ family father and son a wake-up call."

With this awareness, they will begin to pay attention to any unusual movements around them.

Furthermore, during this process, General Cao was repeatedly framed. General Situ and General Cao had been comrades for many years and were very familiar with General Cao's character and temperament. As an observer, it was easier for him to discover the trickery involved.

Although they adhered to their principles, they were not blindly ignorant fools. Having seen and thought more, they naturally didn't need further persuasion.

"That's right. So this time, I just asked Fu Wen to send a message to the secret guards, saying that someone needed to be stationed here. I thought that General Situ would not refuse and would send someone over, but I did not expect that he would send his own deputy."

Lu Qing slowly exhaled, and for the first time in a long time, he felt a slight sense of relief: "This village was massacred by bandits a long time ago, but no one has discovered it, no one has inquired about it, let alone tried to suppress the bandits."

I had thought about it before; those people couldn't have predicted we'd pass through here so early on, so they arranged this scheme to use someone else to do their dirty work. Therefore, the fact that these bandits were allowed to run rampant here must have been for some other purpose.

“That’s right. Those who were following us obviously knew there was a den of thieves here. I guess they made this decision on a whim because they saw our route becoming clearer.” Zhu Yu pondered, then looked up at Lu Qing. “When we came here, we took country roads, and we even took detours several times to test whether we were really being followed.”

If we travel by official road at a rapid marching pace, how long would it take to reach the capital?

Hearing her ask this, Lu Qing knew that she had already figured it out, nodded with satisfaction, and reached out to rub Zhu Yu's head: "It will take less than two days to arrive."

This answer completely confirmed the speculation that had just surfaced in Zhu Yu's mind.

The bandits here originally came from the northern back mountain stronghold. The reason they were able to hide and not be wiped out is not only due to deliberate leniency, but also because the mountains in this area are suitable for hiding.

This village was far from any other village or shop, and not near any main road. Few people would pass by it, let alone notice it.

So even if someone is here, they probably won't be noticed very quickly.

However, when the time comes, those stationed or hiding in this area can reach the capital in a single day by marching quickly along the official road.

Isn't this the perfect base that's neither too inconspicuous nor too far away? It's the perfect place to stir up trouble!