"A disturbance on such a scale must have someone pulling the strings behind it. Have you found anything?" Fang Yun asked.
Fang Shouye answered, "Reporting to Your Excellency the Governor-General: once the interrogators told them their actions were suspected of treason, many were scared out of their wits and confessed immediately. Most had acted on instructions from people at the local Qing River Trading Company or other Qing Kingdom businesses. All had been handsomely rewarded."
"So that was it." Fang Yun nodded lightly.
Fang Yun said nothing more, but everyone attending already knew who the true mastermind was.
Many of the Jing Kingdom people present broke into a cold sweat. The people of the Qing Kingdom were far too calculating. One attack in the open, another in the shadows; one coming from ahead, another from behind. Had Fang Yun not been Zhang Longxiang, even with three heads and six arms, he would have fallen at their hands.
"This matter has far-reaching implications, and this subordinate must continue handling it. I have no choice but to take my leave. Please forgive me, Your Excellency," Fang Shouye said formally.
"Thank you for your efforts, Commander Fang," Fang Yun said.
Fang Shouye bowed and quickly left.
The two had exchanged only a few dozen sentences, yet hidden implications lurked everywhere.
Some were mocking the Little Gully Kingdom, some were pondering the smashing, looting, and pillaging, and some were reconstructing the struggle between the Qing Kingdom and Fang Yun. Many insightful officials sent Fang Yun messages directly, asking about the "emergency contingency plan."
Once Fang Shouye had left, Fang Yun said, "Since the unrest has been quelled and will not affect the literary assembly, the assembly should proceed as usual. Oh... I forgot. The literary assembly seems to have already ended, because the foremost