903 Saber Cuts (1/2)

The Dragon King's public levying of murder against the guard of the envoy of the Central Plains was more shocking, more surprising, and also more confusing than Han Fen's nonsense.

Those present looked at each other in confusion. Eventually, Wei Song said, ”I believe that the Dragon King is not a fraud. Surely you have some proof to back up your words, right?”

”I do,” Gu Shenwei said. The originally vague picture of how the assassination had happened suddenly became clear and distinct.

The deputy envoy, Sun Chengqi, appeared rather anxious. Apparently, he felt that all Western Regioners were somewhat unreasonable. ”I have to remind you, Dragon King. Lord Ma's guard is dead, and he died right beside Lord Ma. Did he commit suicide for fear of punishment? And what about that assassin that dropped from the top of the city wall?”

Gu Shenwei's eyes swept through all the people in the room, ”Please hear my speculation – yes, it's only my speculation – and then I'll prove that my speculation is true.” He paused briefly and then continued. ”This guard – I don't know his name yet – killed the envoy in the carriage for some kind of reason. His plan was probably like this: he pretended that an assassin had launched an sneak attack on the bridge, and that he pursued the assassin and then came back only to 'discover' that Lord Ma had been killed. The guards at the city gate would conveniently become his witnesses. What he didn't expect was that an assassin really did show up and kill him ruthlessly. The assassin could have fled smoothly, but it turned out that he had also accidentally been killed by a hidden killer.”

”There are so many 'accidents,'” Sun Chengqi said sarcastically. If this was all that the Dragon King was capable of, he no longer wanted to cooperate with him to bring down the Governor of the Western Regions.

”For those deceased ones, these were accidents, but in reality, they were all premeditated. Now, I'll prove my speculation to you. Shangguan Hong.”

Shangguan Hong had been feeling an ominous premonition this entire meeting. Upon hearing the Dragon King call his name, he buckled at the knees and nearly fell. What scared him the most was not just the prospect of being questioned, but also his father, the Unique King, who was sitting not far away from him.

Although his identity of the Unique King's son had been acknowledged six years ago, Shangguan Hong had never been close to his father. Like before, he had always been in the crowd, looking at the King Lord from a distance. Actually, this was the first time that the distance between him and his father was shorter than ten steps and this was his first opportunity to speak in front of the Unique King.

”I'm here.” Shangguan Hong's voice was so hoarse that he sounded as if he had just walked out of a desert.

”Was it you who killed that assassin on the top of the city wall?”

”Yes.”

Their conversation immediately caused a minor commotion. Shangguan Hong was both the Dragon King's subordinate and the Unique King's son. For the Central Plainsmen who didn't know much inside information, the Dragon King had literally just admitted that the Dragon King and Golden Roc Castle were the masterminds behind the assassination.

Everybody had a lot of questions, and a couple of them had even opened their mouths, but eventually, they shut up, because the Dragon King appeared extremely composed, which indicated that he still had something to say.

The room went quiet. Gu Shenwei asked another question. ”How long did you lie in ambush on the top of the wall?”

”About… four to six hours,” Shangguan Hong's head was very low, he was sweating buckets, and he felt as if his entire body had been squeezed empty. He didn't know why the Dragon King had suddenly asked him to step out. To frame him? Or to drag the Unique King into the mire?

”So you clearly saw what happened on that bridge?”

”Very clearly.” Before he could figure out the Dragon King's true intentions, Shangguan Hong decided to speak as honestly as possible.

”Wait,” the deputy envoy Sun Chengqi interjected. ”Back then, it was midnight. Could you see clearly?”

”There were lanterns on the bridge and the city gate. It was very bright.”

”Mm.” Sun Chengqi said no more.

”Did you see the assassin?” asked Gu Shenwei.

”I did.”

”Tell us what you saw.”

”Uh. Originally, the assassin was hiding under the bridge. When the carriage passed by the bridge, he leaped onto the bridge, entered the carriage, and then exited. It all took place very quickly, almost in the blink of an eye.”

”How quick, specifically?”

Shangguan Hong became even more confused. He had told the Dragon King everything that had happened that night in detail, and back then, the Dragon King didn't care about this issue very much. ”Well… It seemed as if he didn't pause in the carriage at all. He went in and out of it in an instant.”

”Show us.”

It seemed that the Dragon King's request was pointless and merely a waste of time. Wei Song said, ”I think we all know what the Dragon King is trying to say. The assassin went in and out of the carriage so quickly that he didn't have enough time to kill two people, right?”

”This is exactly what I want to prove.”

A suggestion of a sympathetic look appeared on Wei Song's face. ”I believe you, Dragon King. And I also believe that this… Young Master Shanguan is telling the truth. But in the end, he was hiding on the top of the wall, and he didn't see what happened in the carriage. He thought that there was too little time, but maybe that was only his interpretation. After all, he was hiding there for four to six hours. It would be very normal for him to become a little anxious.”

A killer would never become anxious from waiting for four to six hours. Both Gu Shenwei and Shangguan Fa knew this, but neither of them intended to explain this to these Central Plainsmen.

Sun Chengqi said, ”Governor Wei's words are very reasonable. You can't use somebody else's speculations to prove your own speculations, Dragon King. You have to offer more concrete evidence. After all, it is Lord Ma's personal guard that you're accusing. I know this man well. He was devoted to his duty and protected Lord Ma the whole way here.”