Chapter 31 - 30. Showdown
"An empty coffin?"
"Truly empty," Jiao Tu said. "I opened the coffin myself, there were no garments or burial goods inside. Old Master Liu might still be alive, perhaps even now at the Liu Family Mansion."
The Liu Family Mansion was located on Longmen Mountain in the south of Luocheng City, covering several hundred acres. People in Luocheng often joked that if an ordinary family's daughter married into the Liu's tall-walled, gray-tiled compound, she would likely never leave it and would die inside.
Jiao Tu removed the blindfold from Chen Ji, and the three sat on the ground atop Zhuangyuan Mountain. "Let's discuss what we should do next."
Yun Yang hesitated for a long time. "The Liu Family dares to defy the entire world by faking that old man's death to pressure the Spy Department? Does that mean that from top to bottom, the Liu Family is siding with the enemy, just like Liu Shenyu?"
Jiao Tu raised her arms and tied her hair up. "The Liu Family has controlled the Central Plains for a long time, holding eighty percent of the land and officials, even the court must look to them when levying grains and taxes. Families like the Liu, Xu, Hu, Chen, Qi, and Yang have long placed their family interests above those of the nation. It's not strange that they collude."
"But the Emperor's Longevity Army is stationed right at the border of Henan Province; how dare they?" Yun Yang was astonished.
After a moment of thought, Jiao Tu said, "What if Prince Jing Mansion is colluding with the Liu Family? I will soon send a message via carrier pigeon to Lord Prime Minister. This matter is beyond you and me; we must have troops dispatched here!"
"Yes, deploy troops to surround the Liu Family immediately!"
Chen Ji interrupted, "Two lords..."
Yun Yang's eyes lit up. "What, you have another idea? Speak up, you always have good thoughts!"