Using the Plan Against Them

"What happened?"

Li Yan furrowed his brow slightly, noticing that something was wrong.

He was the leader of the Twelve Yuan Chen. Although he had been unconscious while recovering from his injuries, Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei could temporarily take charge. But splitting up and taking risks was something they would certainly have decided only after consulting him.

Unless something major had happened.

Sure enough, Sha LiFei lowered his voice. "Something did happen."

"That disturbance three days ago caused a tremendous uproar, and word reached the capital. The court was enraged, and an imperial commissioner hurried south of the Yangtze. A string of officials were dismissed and arrested for investigation—the Yangzhou Prefect, the Commissioner of Grain Transport, the Chiliarch of the Commandery Commandant Office, and even the abbot of the City God Temple have all been detained."

"Now, notices cover every street and alley in the city. Soldiers are searching every household for remnants of the enemy, and the canal docks remain sealed."

"Didn't you ask Cheng Yun of the Golden Swallow Gate to send a message to Daoist Luo in the capital? That Tian Chiliarch came to Yangzhou with the imperial commissioner. To protect the greater good, Fatty Lin confessed everything about Lin Yaozu's collusion with the Japanese pirates! As a result, everyone from the Jinling Lin Family was charged with banditry and locked in the death cells to await execution."

"Fatty Lin feared implicating the Lin Family's innocent descendants, so he and Kong Shangzhao's two companions went ahead to Jinling with Tian Chiliarch. They'll stand trial together, to prevent anyone from dying with an unjust accusation."

Li Yan said thoughtfully, "That counts as sacrificing a pawn to save the chariot, preserving a chance of survival for the Lin Family. But the situation in Jinling is complicated. The