Chapter 708: Yong Yan
Zhang Yuelu said, “Regarding Wen Weng, since we lack concrete evidence, we can’t issue a wanted notice. The Imperial Court won’t cooperate either. If we rely solely on ourselves to search, five days may not be enough.”
Li Changge replied to Zhang Yuelu using Shi Bingyun’s exact words. “We can’t keep searching indefinitely.”
Hearing this, Qi Xuansu finally understood the game Li Changge was playing.
First, kill Gao Mingyin to cut off the trail, and then send Wen Weng and Qian Xiangyun away. This would put the case in a deadlock, at least avoiding implicating Prince Liao.
The crux of the whole case lay in the assassination attempt on Qi Xuansu.
If Qi Xuansu had died, the situation would not have spiraled out of control. The blame would fall on The Inn, and none of the ensuing complications would have followed.
It was not exactly wrong of Wen Weng to make that decision. From the start, even before Qi Xuansu realized the stakes, Wen Weng had grasped the gravity of the situation. He had two plans. First, bribe Qi Xuansu with an absurd amount of Taiping coins that was enough to tempt anyone. When that failed, he moved on to murder.
The two assassins from The Inn served as a smokescreen, backed by seven Tianchen Division Heavenly Beings as the real force. It looked like a sure-kill setup with no intent to underestimate Qi Xuansu. They had treated the matter seriously and had not expected Qi Xuansu to not only escape but to strike back.
Frankly speaking, failing to murder Qi Xuansu bordered on the unreasonable. Like an army ambush where 20,000 troops surrounded just 3,000 enemies, only to be counter-encircled by enemy reinforcements. The setup was not flawed. The real problem lay in the general’s leadership and troop quality. Allowing the smaller force to hold out until help arrived was the main issue. Likewise, the fact that Qi Xuansu managed to escape from the city showed a failing on Du Yuyan’s part.
Afterward, Wen Weng did try to salvage the situation. His methods were cunning and ruthless, nearly trapping Qi Xuansu. But in the end, it all failed.
If given another chance, Wen Weng would probably have cut his losses early and avoided provoking Qi Xuansu to protect the bigger picture. But there were no do-overs in life. Without knowing what lay ahead, Wen Weng would never voluntarily cut off his financial lifeline. After all, cutting off someone’s source of income was akin to killing their parents. Such a grudge would inevitably become a blood feud. Once Qi Xuansu clashed with Gao Mingyin, Prince Liao’s involvement became inevitable.