noffsinger Chapter 197 So there's someone else behind it?
Chapter 197 So there's someone else behind it?
A ruthless glint flashed in Zheng Luoqi's eyes. He pushed the sword tip deeper into Yunze's neck, and blood gushed out like a spring.
"Regret? Regret what? You're already a prisoner, and you're still thinking of threatening me? Don't you even know who you are now! Are you waiting for Tuoba Yanran to come back and save you? Are you that confident?" Zheng Luoqi thought they were overconfident.
Tuoba Yanqi was extremely anxious, but he knew what he should and shouldn't say. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and could only glare angrily at Zheng Luoqi, saying, "What exactly do you want? Let him go!"
"As soon as Tuoba Yanran escaped, I ordered people to investigate her whereabouts, but we couldn't find any trace of her. It's as if she suddenly disappeared. It seems you're so confident. You have accomplices in Daxia, don't you?" Zheng Luoqi sneered.
"Ha! Is there anything that Lord Zheng can't find out?" Tuoba Yanqi was not flustered at this moment, but instead looked at Zheng Luoqi provocatively.
"Tsk!" Zheng Luoqi scoffed, then his expression suddenly turned sinister: "I don't have that much patience to waste with you. Telling you might make your death easier!"
However, Tuoba Yanqi remained silent with his lips tightly closed. Seeing this, Zheng Luoqi had already lost patience and suddenly stabbed Yunze in the throat with her sword, ending his life.
"Ah!!!! Zheng Luoqi! I'm going to kill you! Yunze, Yunze!" Tuoba Yanqi shouted at Yunze's corpse from across the cell, his eyes bloodshot.
“We can’t get anything out of them, so there’s no point in keeping them alive. Kill all the other Northern Rong people who are imprisoned!” Zheng Luoqi turned to Boyu and ordered.
"Yes!" Boyu accepted the order and withdrew.
Zheng Luoqi stepped forward, holding a long sword, and slowly approached Tuoba Yanqi, whose face showed a hint of panic.
Tuoba Yanqi tried to persuade Zheng Luoqi: "You can't do this! If you kill me now, the relationship between Daxia and Beirong will be completely broken. At that time, there will really be no way to salvage it. Do you want to become a sinner of Daxia?"
Zheng Luoqi's expression remained cold and ruthless: "How ridiculous! Now it is your princess who has killed our court official. Killing you is only to avenge Lord Ye. Besides, whether we kill you or not, it will not affect the fact that our two countries will go to war, will it? You should have expected this outcome!"
Zheng Luoqi was just about to see Tuoba Yanqi off when Tuoba Yanqi hurriedly replied, "Wait! Don't you want to know who the Northern Rong spy hiding in Great Xia is?"
"Who?" Zheng Luoqi was curious to hear what he had to say.
"Release me, prepare a horse, and take me outside the city. We'll talk again once I'm safe," Tuoba Yanqi said in a commanding tone, seeing Zheng Luoqi hesitate.
Hearing this, Zheng Luoqi sneered, a hint of contempt flashing in her eyes, and said, "Hmph! I've already given you a chance, you're really pushing your luck! Finding the traitor is important, but taking your life is even more important!"
After saying that, Zheng Luoqi swung her long sword without hesitation and pierced Tuoba Yanqi's chest.
Tuoba Yanqi stared wide-eyed at Zheng Luoqi in disbelief, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. He never imagined that Zheng Luoqi would be so decisive and merciless in killing him.
"Do you think I can't follow the clues? Since he's in Daxia, he'll slip up eventually. It would be stupid to let you go. Besides, who knows if you're telling the truth or not?" Zheng Luoqi mocked. He would never be lenient with someone who tried to outsmart him.
After confirming that Tuoba Yanqi had died, Zheng Luoqi left the scene.
Over the next few days, Zheng Luoqi kept a close eye on Bei Rong's movements. If nothing unexpected happened, Bei Rong would declare war on Da Xia within the next few days.
A few days later, urgent military news indeed came from the border. The Northern Rong attacked the Great Xia army camp under cover of night. The Great Xia army fought back fiercely and ultimately won a narrow victory, forcing the Northern Rong to retreat. However, both sides suffered heavy losses in this battle, and the situation was extremely fierce.
............
In the Prime Minister's residence, in the study
Zheng Luoqi and Zheng Yuxiang were discussing the border war. The Great Xia treasury was full and the granaries were sufficient. The past two years had also seen a bumper harvest. It was estimated that the Northern Rong had their eyes on the Great Xia's grain. They first sent people to spy on the military situation and then launched a war.
Moreover, it is estimated that there are spies from the Northern Rong people in the court of Da Xia, but it is still unclear who they are.
“Father, regarding this spy, I have a feeling that this person has been in the Great Xia for a long time, and is very likely an official of our Great Xia. Otherwise, how could Princess Bei Rong have escaped so easily under our noses? This official position must be quite high.” Zheng Luoqi frowned, somewhat displeased.
"Don't worry, I've found out a clue," Zheng Yuxiang said calmly.
Upon hearing her father's words, Zheng Luoqi quickly looked up at Zheng Yuxiang and asked, "Oh? Whose message is this?"
Zheng Yuxiang smiled slightly: "These past few days, I ordered people to bring over all the official files and have them checked one by one. Finally, we found a suspicious person, namely, Zhongfeng Dafu—Liu Hongwei."
"Liu Hongwei—a native of Liangzhou, lost his father at a young age and was raised by his mother with great difficulty. He worked hard to pass the imperial examinations and eventually reached his current position. His mother was an ordinary person from Daxia, but there was no news of his father."
"So, I ordered someone to investigate Liu Hongwei's mother's past and discovered that she had saved a man from Beirong after the war. That man from Beirong was Liu Hongwei's father," Zheng Yuxiang explained.
"But if Liu Hongwei's father was a Beirong person, and his father abandoned him and his mother, shouldn't he hate his father? Shouldn't he hate the Beirong people? Since he hates the Beirong people, why does he work for them?" Zheng Luoqi asked, puzzled.
“I’ve thought about this reason too, and I’ve investigated it, but so many years have passed and there aren’t many clues. But I have a guess: it’s very likely that Liu Hongwei’s mother was a Bei Rong person, while his father was a Da Xia person. If that’s the case, then it makes sense.”
“Liu Hongwei’s mother is also from Liangzhou, but she didn’t live in Liangzhou from the beginning. She was an outsider who settled in Liangzhou for some reason. So it’s possible that Liu Hongwei’s mother was actually from Beirong,” Zheng Yuxiang continued.
"If that's the case, then Liu Hongwei's work for Beirong is very likely because of his father."
“However, logically speaking, a fifth-rank official like him shouldn’t have that much ability to send someone away right under our noses, so there must be someone behind him,” Zheng Luoqi continued, following Zheng Yuxiang’s words.