Wang Ling hurried back to Shouchun that very day.
It was already night when he reached Shouchun. Fortunately, curfew had not yet begun, sparing him the trouble of explaining himself.
Wang Ling rushed home. Seeing his father return, Wang Guang jogged over to greet him. "Father, why did you come back from Lujiang today?"
"Because of you, of course," Wang Ling said irritably.
Wang Guang draped a robe over Wang Ling's shoulders, then waved the servants away.
The two slowly walked inside.
"Gongyuan, you were too hasty." Wang Ling's voice suddenly softened as he spoke earnestly. "You needn't have informed me of these matters immediately."
"It was urgent, and I lost my composure for a moment," Wang Guang said, lowering his head.
"Never mind. This was bound to happen sooner or later. I suspect His Majesty sent Man Chong to Yang Province and placed him above me precisely because he wants to do something in Huainan."
Deep down, Wang Ling was very dissatisfied with this appointment. In seniority, military achievements, and family background, he was second only to Cao Xiu in Yang Province.
After Cao Xiu's death, he should have succeeded him as commander of Yang Province.
Yet the emperor had sent Man Chong instead. This man, who had spent years fighting Eastern Wu after Red Cliffs, had indeed been placed above him.
At this thought, Wang Ling continued, "I know better than anyone what sort of man Man Chong is. He isn't afraid of offending people in the slightest. He'll stop at nothing to achieve his aims."
Wang Ling and Wang Guang walked slowly into the inner hall. Suddenly, something occurred to him. "By the way, have you met the newly appointed Administrator of Huainan?"
"Yes," Wang Guang answered. "From what I've seen, he doesn't seem like an ordinary scion of the nobility. His way of doing things bears some resemblance to General Man's."
"Also, I heard that as soon as he arrived in Huainan to take office, he won over Wen Qin, who previously oversaw the city defenses, and entrusted him with important duties. He also recruited Marquis Su's son, Jia Chong, into his service."
"Hmm?" Wang Ling was somewhat surprised. "Jia Kui's son shouldn't even be old enough to bind up his hair yet."
"That's right."
Wang Ling stroked his chin. "I don't know exactly what His Majesty intended by sending him here. Hopefully, he's only here to gain some experience and will be transferred back to the Capital soon."
Wang Ling sat down. Wang Guang lit the brazier the household servants had prepared, then knelt beside him.
"Father, what should we do next?" Wang Guang asked. "Is General Man really planning to investigate this to the bitter end?"
Wang Ling scoffed. "Man Chong is merely a blade His Majesty has planted in Huainan. But however sharp his blade may be, it cannot sever this great tree with its tangled roots in Huainan."
"You're right, Father."
"However," Wang Ling changed tack, "keep a low profile these next few days. Cut off those contacts for now."
"Huainan will be sealed off next month. We still don't know what Man Chong is planning, but we'd best be careful."
Wang Guang nodded. He fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "Father, is there any news from Wu State?"
Seeing that Wang Guang had finally raised this sensitive subject, Wang Ling unconsciously lowered his voice.
"Sun Quan will ascend the throne in Wuchang next year."
At those words, Wang Guang immediately sat upright. "Is this intelligence true?"
"Absolutely," Wang Ling said. "Wu State has recently been making active preparations for the sacrificial ceremonies. In addition, tens of thousands of civilian laborers have been conscripted in Jianye. Naturally, the intent is to build palaces."
Wang Guang knew, of course, what this meant.
Rumors that Sun Quan, the King of Wu, would proclaim himself emperor had persisted for years, but there had never been any concrete movement.
Once Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor, the balance of power throughout the realm would change completely. Wu State could no longer profess allegiance to Wei State, and Great Wei would continually face war on two fronts.
Most importantly, Wu State would certainly make a major move at this critical juncture.
A thought suddenly struck Wang Guang. Shu Han had always claimed to be the legitimate continuation of the Han imperial line. How could they acknowledge the legitimacy of such a new dynasty?
"What is Shu Han's stance?" Wang Guang immediately asked.
Wang Ling suddenly smiled. "That is the most important intelligence I obtained this time. Wu State's troops are being redeployed to Jing Province."
"Jing Province?" Wang Guang asked in puzzlement. "Is Wu State targeting Xiangyang?"
Wang Ling shook his head. "No. Their target is Yiling."
Wang Guang understood. Wu State probably did not yet know Shu Han's stance, so it was sending troops ahead of time to reinforce Jing Province's defenses against any unexpected developments.
"Then Wu State's defenses in Yang Province are bound to be weak," Wang Guang said, analyzing the situation. "You intend to march into Yang Province at this moment and catch Wu State off guard."
Wang Ling said nothing, but gave Wang Guang a look of affirmation.
Wang Guang suddenly cupped his fist. "Father, you devote yourself so wholeheartedly to our Great Wei, yet others regard you with suspicion. How hateful!"
Wang Ling sighed. "Enough of that. I need to rest early. Tomorrow, I still have to pay a visit to that commander of Yang Province of ours."
"Yes." Wang Guang rose. "Get some rest early, Father."
Meanwhile, a candle still burned in Xiahou Xian's administrative office.
"You weren't hurt, were you?" Xiahou Xian asked with concern.
In truth, he felt quite guilty. The very first time he had sent Wen Qiluo on a mission, she had encountered such danger. If anything had happened to her, how would he have answered to Wen Qin?
Wen Qiluo seemed long accustomed to such fighting and killing. She merely said calmly that she was fine, that he needn't worry, and the like.
Xiahou Xian told Wen Qiluo to go back and rest. After she left, he remained bent over his desk. He took out a piece of coarse cloth and spread it flat across the desk.
Then he took out his brush and ink, trying to sort out the current situation.
Elder Gu, a traveling merchant from Wu State. For now, he would believe his claim that he was a luxury goods trader who traveled between Wei and Wu.
Wang Guang was Elder Gu's buyer. After Xiahou Xian had gone to the Wang residence and mentioned Elder Gu, Wang Guang had shown his cloven hoof, hurriedly sending a letter to Lujiang.
Then Wang Ling naturally could not be uninvolved.
If Elder Gu really was only a merchant, why were the two of them so nervous?
And today, there had been another new lead.
Wang Ling had met someone in Lujiang.
There had to be something wrong with that person. Otherwise, he would not have acted so furtively, much less sent deathsworn men to attack Wen Qiluo.
These matters could not yet be connected into a single thread, but one thing was certain: Wang Ling was the key to this affair.
As long as he could establish the identity of either of those two people Wang Ling had contacted, he could establish proof of Wang Ling's secret collusion with Wu State.
But Elder Gu had already been interrogated about as thoroughly as possible, and it felt as though there was little more to squeeze out of him. They had also lost track of the suspicious person in Lujiang.
That abruptly cut off the trail.
Xiahou Xian felt rather troubled. He had already covered the linen cloth in a tangled mess of markings.
In the end, he decided to report the existing leads to Man Chong first, then decide on the next step.
Man Chong stood on the steps outside the government office, his thoughts unknown. He merely held his hands behind his back and gazed at the waning moon on the horizon.
"General."
A voice sounded beside Man Chong. A man in a black robe had appeared at some point.
Man Chong nodded in acknowledgment. "Let's talk inside."
After entering the office hall, Man Chong returned to his seat.
The black-robed man bowed respectfully to Man Chong. "This subordinate pays his respects to General Man."
"No need for such formalities. You no longer serve under my command. Be at ease," Man Chong said.
The black-robed man hurriedly replied, "Wherever I go, General Man, you will always be my teacher."
"All right. Let's get to business."
The black-robed man cupped his fist in acknowledgment and said succinctly, "I've brought the person back."