After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine Chapter 93
"What's wrong?" Huo Wujiu asked when he saw Jiang Suizhou sitting down in front of him.
Jiang Suizhou raised his head, looked at him steadily for a moment, and uttered, "A man died under this Prince."
Huo Wujiu's eyebrows jumped: "Who is it?"
Jiang Suizhou answered, "A minor official of the Ministry of Rites, named Pang Zong. He's... a nephew of Pang Shao."
Huo Wujiu immediately understood what was going on.
Wei Kai had always been quick to handle affairs, so he must have gotten his hands on it today.
Huo Wujiu didn't bat an eyelid: "Look at you, don't tell me you're feeling sorry for Pang Shao, are you?"
Jiang Suizhou shook his head.
"No," he added. "This Prince just thinks it's too bizarre, like a dream."
After muttering that, he looked at Huo Wujiu and said, "Do you know how he died?"
Of course Huo Wujiu knew. After all, it was his idea and his order to get that man killed.
However, he acted rather enthusiastically and asked, "How did he die?"
Jiang Suizhou narrated, "Halfway to the Chief Minister's residence, the horses pulling his carriage were spooked. He was thrown out of the carriage and fell to his death."
Huo Wujiu commented calmly, "Oh, it turned out to be an accident."
Jiang Suizhou carried on, "However, an emperor's court robe he had hidden fell out of his carriage. Timely enough, many people caught sight of it. Now, the capital is abuzz, saying that Pang Shao is harboring a disloyalty and wants to take over the Jiang family name."
Huo Wujiu chuckled.
Wei Kai's work was really reassuring. He executed everything from start to finish without leaving a trace, all according to his directives.
"And then what happened?" he urged.
Jiang Suizhou said, "The Emperor was naturally furious, and immediately summoned Pang Shao to confront him. Although Pang Shao had an alibi, the Emperor refused to listen. In the end, Pang Shao could only shake off the responsibility and only claimed that he had no knowledge of the matter; that perhaps his unfavored nephew had his own dissent and did something secretly. In order to dispel the Emperor's doubts, he also offered to severely punish Pang Zong's family branch."
Jiang Suizhou inhaled slowly.
"Today, Pang Zong's family, including his father and brothers, have all been imprisoned. Presumably even if they are still alive, they will all be dismissed from office and banished to the frontier."
Huo Wujiu smirked without moving a muscle, quite satisfied with the result.
He asked, "Isn't that a good thing?"
Jiang Suizhou nodded: "It's wonderful news, but I find it... strange as hell." He frowned and said thoughtfully.
Huo Wujiu raised his eyebrows while maintaining his composure, surprised by his reaction.
"What's weird about it?" he asked.
"These days, Pang Shao has had one accident after another, but you and I both know that those incidents were all man-made, and I was behind them," he said. "But today's incident, I didn't do anything at all."
Huo Wujiu remarked, "Maybe it's a coincidence?"
Jiang Suizhou shook his head without a second thought.
"Impossible," he said, "So I've been wondering... who is the person behind this that is so powerful?"
Huo Wujiu didn't say a word and just listened to him quietly.
Then he heard Jiang Suizhou add, "This person is well-informed. His idea is ingenious, and his means are also sharp and ruthless. Now, Pang Zong is dead, and a dead man tells no tales. He only left public evidence, which naturally makes Pang Shao unable to argue against countless mouths. Having set up such a trap, while promptly drowning any arguments, this person must be a cruel character."
Huo Wujiu paused and nodded in agreement.
But then Jiang Suizhou frowned and continued.
"What's even stranger is that he didn't involve this Prince at all."
Huo Wujiu added inwardly, That's not nonsense.
Jiang Suizhou said to himself, "The emperor's court robe in his carriage was handled by him. The Ministry of Rites recorded it on the books, absolving this Prince of any blame. This person attacked Pang Shao viciously and happened to avoid me. Say... do I know this person?"
Huo Wujiu's brow jerked.
Maybe he's more than just an acquaintance, he mentally murmured.
Outwardly, he didn't bat an eyelid and remained calm and collected.
"Maybe," he said, "Do you have any guesses?"
Jiang Suizhou mused.
"This Prince has been thinking about it all afternoon, and I can't figure it out," he said, "Nowadays, there are few people in the court who are capable of fighting against Pang Shao. General Lou is not in Lin'an, so I'm sure he can't stretch his hands this far. Qi Min has the intentions, but not someone who would kill... so narrowing it down, this Prince does not know who it is."
Jiang Suizhou stared intently at the flickering candle lights on the table. He was pondering seriously that his eyebrows were knitted tightly, making Huo Wujiu feel a bit guilty, as if he had played tricks on him.
Perhaps it was because it was rainy in the south, and it was humid all around, that was why as time passed by, someone's heart easily softened.
He mentally sighed and opened his mouth to speak.
However, Jiang Suizhou looked up at him with a smile in his eyes.
"This Prince may not guess who it is, but no matter his identity, he's rather a sharp and good person," he said. He raised his hand across the quilt and patted Huo Wujiu gently.
"Since he acted so, he should have good intentions for this Prince. Rest assured. If I ever get to know this man one day, I will definitely try my best to commision him and have him protect you."
Huo Wujiu paused and swallowed back all the words that reached his lips.
"... That sounds great." A few moments later, he said slowly.
