Yang Ge returned to Lu Ting, and Zhang Xuansu was still at the inn.
The remnants of the square table Yang Ge had shattered with a slap remained where they were, but the old man had replaced it with another table and was leisurely enjoying his wine and stir-fry.
"Did you see the Emperor?"
Upon seeing Yang Ge, Zhang Xuansu curiously put down his chopsticks and asked, "How did he die?"
"I saw him..."
Yang Ge nodded and sat down opposite Zhang Xuansu, his tone much calmer.
After all, he had just tasted what it felt like to be wrongfully accused, and it was indeed not a pleasant experience.
"The Emperor died from poison."
He replied, "It was a slow-acting poison that erodes a person’s organs. Once it takes root in the body, it becomes entwined with the person’s own vitality, making it difficult to distinguish from the body. It’s likely not a common poison. Do you recognize it?"
Who was Zhang Xuansu? The moment Yang Ge started speaking, he keenly sensed a change in Yang’s attitude. After a brief contemplation, he found the crux and laughed, "Are they also suspecting that you were involved?"
Yang Ge nodded and said self-mockingly, "It’s a bit of instant karma, I suppose."
"Hahaha..."
Zhang Xuansu burst into laughter, banging the table, taking the time to comfort him, "Don’t take it to heart. An old saying goes, ’There’s no crueler family than that of the Emperor.’ This issue involves the succession of the throne and the games played between sovereigns and ministers. You are too closely connected with the Zhao Family, so it’s normal for them to suspect you. It would be abnormal if they didn’t."
Yang Ge silently took the wine pot, poured himself a cup, and downed it in one go.
"I didn’t take it to heart..."
He put down the wine cup and sighed, "I just find it somewhat hard to accept."
Zhang Xuansu picked up his chopsticks to eat, replying in a placid tone, "In life, eight or nine out of ten things do not go as desired. There are many examples where good people don’t receive good rewards..."
Yang Ge downed three drinks one after another, then slammed the wine cup onto the dining table, "You are well-versed in history and possess vast knowledge, and your Five Poisons Cult is skilled in poisoning. Please investigate this matter for me...consider it a favor owed to you."
"Is it worth it?"
Zhang Xuansu again put down his chopsticks and sighed deeply, "You can manage the Zhao Family people temporarily, but can you manage them for a lifetime? You’re not some naive countryman. You should know that the rise and fall of a dynasty is beyond human control. Why bother knowing it’s impossible to achieve yet still be so obstinately misguided?"
Yang Ge stubbornly shook his head, "Everyone has their own aspirations. I won’t force you to accept my beliefs, and please don’t try to convince me to accept yours."
Zhang Xuansu could only nod and said, "Fine, I’ll have someone look into it. But don’t hold out too much hope. In my opinion, it’s unlikely that this was the work of jianghu people."
Yang Ge expressed his doubts, "Why do you say that?"
Zhang Xuansu looked at him and said, "On the jianghu, who doesn’t know Yang Erlang? If they can’t get past you, even if they kill the Emperor, what can they achieve?"
Yang Ge shook his head and slowly said, "But the information I received suggested that the person who poisoned the Emperor most likely infiltrated the palace last year when I and Tang Xiong of the Imperial Guard were summoned to Bright Summit...that is to say, even if it wasn’t led by jianghu people, it must be deeply connected with the jianghu."
On his way back, he had carefully revisited the incident.
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The security at Ziwei Palace was intricate, ranging from the strongest to the weakest: the Imperial Horse Supervisor, the Secret Imperial Bodyguards, the Eastern Factory, Western Factory, Imperial Guard, and, begrudgingly added, the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The reason the Embroidered Uniform Guard is only begrudgingly included is because the colonels and strong men of the Guard are all robust young men, who should not frequently enter the forbidden areas of the palace.
This also applied to the Imperial Guard.
Thus, the real security of Ziwei Palace was actually the responsibility of internal agencies like the Imperial Horse Supervisor, Secret Imperial Bodyguards, Eastern Factory, and Western Factory, while the Embroidered Uniform Guard mostly dealt with external matters.
Indeed, before Shen Fa rose to power, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had always been under the leadership of the Eastern Factory, with several commanders of the Guard being the godsons of the heads of the Eastern Factory, until Shen Fa took office and placed the Guard on equal footing with the Eastern Factory.
And last year, when he and Tang Xiong had rushed south to Bright Summit, the Eastern Factory had just completed a reorganization. The new head, Liu Xian, had shallow experience, and the elite of the Eastern Factory drawn from the Secret Imperial Bodyguards had been dispatched south with Wei Heng to encircle the Five Poisons Cult in Huguang or were led by Shen Fa to the northern border, leaving only Liu Xian to lead a few elite agents in the capital, thereby, severely depleting their defensive capabilities.
Additionally, since Wei Heng, the head of the Western Factory had just passed away, the Western Factory was in disarray, not to mention that their elite personnel were in the south, and those who remained in the capital were surely unsettled.
Plus, Tang Xiong—the second-in-command at the Imperial Horse Supervisor—had followed Yang Ge to the Bright Summit, and Shen Fa—the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—was lingering at the Yuelai Inn concerned about Yang’s situation with the disruptive monk...
That moment was indeed the most vulnerable point in Ziwei Palace’s defenses.
From this perspective, when Yang Potian chose to target Wei Heng, it was definitely not just to draw Yang Ge southward.
It was very likely that regicide was already a significant part of the disruptive old monk’s strategy of feinting one way and attacking another!
This plan was not just deadly—it ensured at least the death of Emperor Xiping, and potentially could kill both Yang Ge and Emperor Xiping!
If the plan succeeded, with the disruptive monk’s martial prowess and strategy, a change of dynasty could occur within a decade!
Zhang Xuansu apparently thought of this too and replied in a daze, "In that case, it does seem related to the jianghu. But who could it be? Ming Sect? White Lotus Sect?"
"I don’t know..."