sbdcsierra Chapter 222 A Pot Falls from the Sky While I Was Sitting at Home
Chapter 222 A Pot Falls from the Sky While I Was Sitting at Home
“A smart man like Song Heng wouldn’t act without a purpose. Tell me in detail what happened after you entered Chishan City.”
Qi Shang nodded and began to recount his experiences after entering the city.
Shen Qing stroked his chin with one hand, “You must have been drugged at the post station. Judging from the timeline, Song Heng probably became suspicious as soon as you entered the city. But that was all. Otherwise, the drug wouldn’t have been a laxative. It was just to buy time for further observation. It was during this time that the news of the fall of Panshi Pass reached you. Otherwise, you would have left Chishan City long ago.”
Qi Shang deeply agreed, and still couldn't figure out where things went wrong. Could Song Heng possibly be a fortune teller?
Shen Qing wasn't too surprised. People with strong investigative abilities can always see through the slightest clues to uncover the truth. He was a man who had experienced a thousand episodes of death among elementary school students. The Chinese nation has never lacked such capable people since ancient times. Tang had Di Renjie, and Song had Bao Zheng.
"General Qi, there is no need to blame yourself too much. The world's capable people do not know that everyone is ordinary. How can everything be as one wishes? Besides, the advantage is still in our hands."
Qi Shang nodded, no longer dwelling on it. Only then did he have the mind to notice other things, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a gray sparrow perched on a wooden frame in the tent.
"Was this bird trained by General Shen?"
Shen Qing, with a thick skin, readily admitted, "It's just a trivial skill, not worth mentioning."
9527 rolled his eyes so hard they were practically pointing to the sky. It's a pity this tit isn't a parrot or a myna, otherwise I would have taken the opportunity to say "Pah, shameless!"
"It seems to possess a great deal of spirituality."
9257 tilted his head back and said, "You've got good taste, kid."
Qi Shang found the titmouse quite endearing, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. "Does this bird have a name?"
"Have."
Here it comes. The common problem of most hosts has appeared. 9527 took out his cloud notebook and prepared to record the eighty-first name he had ever given birth to.
"9527."
The titmouse stumbled, nearly falling off the wooden frame.
"9...9527?"
Shen Qing nodded seriously.
When Qi Shang came out of the military tent, he was still pondering with his eyes down. Nine and five, flying dragon in the sky, it is advantageous to see the great man, it is the number of supreme honor, could it be... no no no, even if General Shen had this thought, he would not be so blatant, there must be another deeper meaning. What is the story behind the two and seven?
As for 9527 being just an ordinary number, Qi Shang didn't think of it that way. General Shen was a woman from a famous family with extensive knowledge of literature, not a country bumpkin. It must be that he lacked the knowledge to understand its profound meaning.
The reason for this strange misunderstanding is not that Qi Shang has any strange filter on Shen Qing, but that ever since Shen Qing presented his military strategy to the emperor, establishing himself as a well-read person, and then through the exaggerated propaganda of popular legends, these soldiers have come to regard Shen Qing as a super cultured person!
At the same time, a troop of cavalry sped out of Xuanwu City toward Andu. Song Heng and Ji Kang stood on the city wall watching the departing soldiers go, each with their own thoughts.
Song Heng's confidants were also in the group heading to Andu. Ji Kang originally disagreed, as this was a major matter and the powerful families all had their own ulterior motives. However, Song Heng took the initiative to show Ji Kang the letter he had written to his family, in which he wrote passionately that in the face of national crisis, he would stay in Xuanwu City and shed his blood to live and die with Andu!
He also earnestly instructed his family not to betray the emperor's favor and to stay away from clans like Yao and Yang, whose stances were difficult to discern.
Yes, this time, Tao You didn't dare to continue slandering Song Shi. It's unclear whether it was because the psychological trauma he suffered along the way was too great, or because no one would believe his slander anyway, since he was arrested by Song Heng.
Seeing that Song Heng was ready to sacrifice himself for the country at any time, Ji Kang decided not to be too cold-hearted, regardless of whether it was true or not. He simply sent a warning letter to his family. After all, who doesn't have selfish motives?
"Huaizhang, we also need to hurry up with the defensive fortifications."
Song Heng nodded. The resettlement of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians outside the city was also a very troublesome problem. Xuanwu City could not accommodate so many people, and a riot might break out if not handled carefully.
The two then began the tedious pre-battle preparations, and three more days passed in the blink of an eye.
Andu Imperial City—
Upon receiving the urgent military report, Ji Si, the ruler of Anguo, was filled with shock and rage, and smashed his beloved hand-held ornaments to pieces.
What was shocking was that the Xuan army had captured two cities in just a few days, and what angered them was that the royal family, despite its respect for the gentry, had still been betrayed!
He wished he could immediately order the arrest of the entire Tao family. The veracity of the rebellion of other aristocratic families was still debatable, but the Tao family was definitely not out of the question, and it would not be unjust to kill them all!
However, he suppressed his anger. The secret report that Ji Kang presented was sealed with wax, and only the king had the right to open it. If he were to punish the Tao family now, the secret report would not be kept secret. Regardless of whether other noble families were involved or not, if they knew that their names were in Tao You's confession, they might become restless and do something unwise.
Ji Si then realized what was going on. He picked up the secret memorial again, read it once more, and then slammed it onto the imperial desk. What a vicious scheme! His heart was truly despicable!
Even though Ji Si knew that Tao You was blatantly trying to sow discord, he still couldn't help but be suspicious—what if?
Ji Si paced anxiously back and forth in his study. Such a big matter, whether it was sending troops to reinforce or mobilizing supplies, required a consultation with his ministers. But among his ministers, who could he truly trust?
Ultimately, they could only secretly summon their relatives, the empress's family, and other staunch royalists to the palace for a private discussion.
"Your Majesty, we have a powerful enemy abroad and cannot afford any further turmoil at home. Just pretend that the military report did not mention Tao You."
“What the Imperial Uncle says is absolutely right. Tomorrow at court, we should only talk about the Xuan Army’s invasion. Let’s get through this difficult time first, and discuss the rest after the war.”
However, secrets don't stay hidden forever, and the palace was full of spies from various powerful families. Soon, everyone who needed to know about Ji Mi's summons of his relatives knew about it.
Yao Mansion —
"Father, as the Grand Commandant, how could you not be consulted first about such a major matter as the siege of Xuanwu City? Could it be that what Uncle Song said about Tao You framing you is true?"
Unlike his son, Yao Guang was not impatient. He lowered his eyes and seemed to be thinking about something. After a long while, he said, "The king does not dare to touch us now. We will see about it at the court meeting tomorrow. In any case, it is not only my Yao family that has been implicated."
Similar dialogues were played out repeatedly in various government offices.
Tao Mansion —
“My dear in-law, now that things have come to this, just tell me the truth: did you instruct Sanlang to lead the Xuan army into the pass?”
Tao Yong, the head of the Tao family, felt that he had been wronged. He had just finished his shift and returned home, and before he could even drink a sip of water, his in-laws rushed in and started berating him.
Tao Yong was completely stunned. It took him a long time to figure out what had happened, and he was so angry that he was trembling.
“My dear in-law, please say something so we can have a plan to deal with this.”
Tao Yong felt utterly wronged, and after a long pause, he finally said, "How could my Tao family produce such a disloyal, unjust, unkind, and unfilial wretch!"