Although some people around showed a bit of flaw, that person was so preoccupied with himself that he didn't notice anything amiss.
Cui Qizhou locked his gaze on that figure until he walked into the study.
The mysterious man slumped wearily into the main seat, looking so natural and familiar that one might think he was the master of this mansion if they didn't know better.
"How's the task you've been working on? More and more people have died recently. Have you attracted any attention?"
Wang Fugui opened his mouth, intending to tell the mysterious man about their capture by the young emperor. But he was stopped by two of his colleagues.
He hesitated, and was simply pushed aside by them.
"Sir, you can rest assured about our work. There's no problem with that matter. Even if more and more people die, no one will suspect us. Moreover, we're almost done developing the thing."
The mysterious man narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't miss Wang Fugui's look just now. It seemed that Wang wanted to tell him something, but was interrupted by these two people.
"Have you really not been discovered? You'd better tell the truth."
They had known each other for quite some time. Although they had only met a few times, the three of them knew this mysterious man's habits quite well. His temper was as mysterious and unpredictable as his attire.
Now seeing him getting angry, they were as scared as they were in front of the young emperor today.
Wang Fugui seized the opportunity and squeezed forward.
"Sir, we were actually captured by the emperor and taken to the palace today. But he didn't punish us and just let us come back. Sir, don't worry. We definitely won't implicate you."
The mysterious man didn't even bother to listen to the rest. All he could think about was Wang Fugui's words "didn't punish".
After he came to his senses, the mysterious man kicked Wang Fugui, leaving the man who was about to claim credit in a daze.
"You fool! Do you know you're putting me in danger? Why didn't you send someone to tell me as soon as this happened?"
The man who was kicked to the ground felt rather aggrieved.
"Sir, you always come to find us on your own. We have no idea where to find you. Moreover, the emperor didn't make things difficult for us today. You can rest assured. We definitely won't drag you down."
The mysterious man was so angry that his body trembled. He didn't know how to talk to these fools.
"Do you know what you're talking about? The reason the young emperor didn't make things difficult for you is that he's waiting for me to take the bait. And you actually think the young emperor is afraid of you?"
The three of them were completely stunned. What he said seemed to be true. A chill ran down their spines. Had the emperor already known about the mysterious man's visits to them?
Just as they were panicking, the mysterious man opened the door to escape, only to run head - on into a sword.
"You've come all the way. Why not stay for a while before leaving?"
The mysterious man barely dodged. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Sure enough, the national teacher and the emperor are not easy to deceive. You've set a trap for me."
The man sneered, as if mocking his ignorance.
"As long as we can catch you, these are not problems at all. We should really thank these gentlemen. They truly live up to their status as officials of our Great Liang court."
Hearing this, the anger immediately spread to the three of them. They never expected that the national teacher would add fuel to the fire at such a crucial moment.
Wang Fugui quickly tried to explain himself. He had a feeling that if he really angered the mysterious man today, he wouldn't live to see tomorrow.
"Sir, we really didn't know we were being tricked. You must believe us."
As the mysterious man fought with Cui Qizhou, he was thinking about how to make those people pay.
"I won't let this go. If you of Great Liang have the guts, protect these three traitors forever."
Cui Qizhou caught a key point from his words.
"So you're not from Great Liang at all. You're a spy sent from another place. Let me guess. If I'm not wrong, you're from the Western Regions, aren't you?"
It was this last sentence that completely flustered the mysterious man and gave Cui Qizhou an opportunity to attack. He didn't hesitate at all. The mysterious man was stabbed in a vital part and fell to the ground.
The three of them also understood what Cui Qizhou meant. Their eyes widened in disbelief.
So they had been working for the Western Regions all this time?
Not to mention that the two sides had already fallen out. The matter of the foreign envoy was well - known. Just the fact that they were serving one side while having their hearts with another was enough for the young emperor to execute them many times.
Seeing the three of them in a daze, Cui Qizhou didn't let them off either.
"Humph, take all these people away. I'm sure the emperor will be very happy to see them."
...
At dawn, in the main hall, all the civil and military officials looked at the people kneeling in the middle of the hall in shock.
Some officials couldn't help whispering to each other.
"What do you think the emperor is up to? Didn't they say these people were captured for wandering around at night before? What's going on now?"
"Let's not talk about those three gentlemen for now. There's an extra person. That person doesn't look like someone from our Great Liang at all."
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had already guessed something. He often dealt with official matters and had a lot of contacts with people from other countries. He recognized the man from the Western Regions as soon as he knelt in the main hall.
Just as the situation was at a standstill, the Deputy Minister Li suddenly stepped forward. After his recovery, he could now attend court normally.
"Your Majesty, I have something important to report."
"Speak, my dear minister."
"Recently, many common people have suddenly disappeared in the area under the jurisdiction of Lord Wang and the others in the capital city. We can't find any trace of them. The families of those people have come to us many times. If this continues, the people may become resentful, which will be bad for the reputation of the court."
The young emperor looked at the people kneeling below, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.
"Don't you all wonder why they're kneeling down there today?"
Everyone looked at each other, full of doubts. How could they ever guess what was on the emperor's mind?
Finally, Deputy Minister Li took the initiative to ask.
"Is the recent disappearance of the common people related to these gentlemen?"
"That's right. That's why they're kneeling here today."
"Then could Your Majesty tell us what they've done? We don't quite understand."
The young emperor sneered. "What have you done? You tell them yourself. I don't need to waste my breath."
Seeing an opportunity to redeem himself, Wang Fugui quickly spoke up.
"Your Majesty, we were just blinded by greed. It was our fault. Please give us another chance. You gave us a chance before, didn't you?"