Left with no other choice, he issued the Regent's Order, demanding a rigorous, thorough investigation into these incidents. Whoever stood behind them, the empire would give its people an answer.
Soon, he summoned Zhongli Wu to the Eastern Palace and asked whether the Holy Spirit Cult knew about the recent incident-or whether it had been involved.
Zhongli Wu, however, claimed that he knew nothing about it and had taken no part in it.
As Xu Tianran watched Zhongli Wu's reaction, his gaze grew colder and colder. The way these people had died was strikingly similar to the Holy Spirit Cult's past methods. Back then, the cult had used this very tactic against the brothers and uncles who opposed Xu Tianran.
Yet now Zhongli Wu was telling him that he knew absolutely nothing about it. To Xu Tianran's ears, that response had become the most dangerous answer of all.
Only at that moment did he suddenly realize something that sent a chill through his entire body.
Zhongli Wu and Long Wushang had actually made contact and begun cooperating without his knowledge.
This was the last situation he wanted to see. He had deliberately pitted the Streamwater Alliance against the Black Dragon Merchant Association, making them compete for resources and profits. To that end, he had secretly stirred up conflicts and driven them into violent clashes.
He wanted the two tigers to fight. Only while they held each other in check could he sit securely on his fishing platform and make use of them without worry.
But now, these two fierce tigers had chosen to join forces without him noticing a thing. He seemed to have lost even his basic grip on the situation.
He had suffered a crushing stumble in the political maneuvering and interpersonal manipulation he excelled at most.
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