A Murder Announced in Advance: Slaughter All the Heirs of the Nine Provinces?

"Rebel?"

Shangguan Lin had considered many possibilities, but she had never imagined that Gu Yuan's condition would be rebellion.

All told, this was only their second meeting.

They could hardly even be called acquaintances.

Yet this man had come straight to her door and asked her to rebel?

No, that wasn't right!

He was a young genius whose talent was unrivaled through the ages and who enjoyed the empress's favor. His father had just been reinstated and appointed minister of revenue, a position of real power. The Gu family was at the height of its influence.

Why would he rebel?!

Could it be... that the empress had sent him to test Ruzhou!?

But why?

As far as she knew, Ruzhou had no intention of rebelling.

Wait!

Could another province be planning a rebellion, prompting the empress to test Ruzhou after she discovered it?

Or perhaps the empress was wary of the provincial kings' power and wanted to curb it, so she had sent Gu Yuan ahead to probe the situation?

Several thoughts flashed through Shangguan Lin's mind in the span of a few breaths. She slowly said:

"Heir Gu, Ruzhou is utterly loyal to Her Majesty the Empress. We would never rebel."

"Please do not speak such nonsense."

Gu Yuan: "..."

You don't want to rebel?

Then what were Ruzhou's troops doing there when the armies of the Nine Provinces surrounded the Qi Capital later on?

Protecting the empress?

"Miss Shangguan, you don't seem to believe me?"

"That's understandable. You and I aren't well acquainted, so it's only natural to worry that I'm trying to trick you."

"But I'm neither joking nor testing you. I've come to discuss a deal that would benefit us both."

"As the saying goes, sincerity is met with sincerity. I'm willing to have an in-depth exchange with you, Miss Shangguan."

Shangguan Lin frowned. Gu Yuan did not look as though he was lying, but she truly could not think of a reason for him to do this.

"Do you want to become emperor?"

Gu Yuan smiled.

"Isn't becoming emperor everyone's dream?"

"The empress has shown you and the Gu family such favor. You're destined to stand above everyone but her one day. Why take such a risk?"

"Because of this." Gu Yuan slowly raised a hand and pointed at the tea.

The next moment, the tea boiled, giving off a constant stream of black and white mist. Its aura made her heart tremble.

"What is this...?"

"Witchcraft."

"Witchcraft!!" Shangguan Lin looked up in shock.

Under Great Qi law, secretly learning witchcraft was a capital crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!

Yet Gu Yuan had openly displayed it before her?

Wasn't he afraid she would tell the empress?

Wasn't he afraid of death?

"Miss Shangguan, you know the consequences of secretly learning witchcraft in Great Qi." Gu Yuan heaved a deep sigh. "While investigating the cause of Long Ye's death just now, I accidentally exposed my witchcraft."

"Given Commander Duan's sharp senses, he must have noticed something amiss by now. It won't be long before the empress orders a thorough investigation."

"Serving a ruler is like living beside a tiger. The Gu family's glory won't last much longer..."

"That's why the Gu family must find a way out. And in Great Qi, with a Grandmaster Realm empress on the throne, is there any path to survival besides rebellion?"

Gu Yuan spoke with conviction. "Miss Shangguan, you need only agree to lend me a hand when I rise up in the future. In return, I guarantee I'll help the Shangguan family deal with the threat hanging over Ruzhou. Ruzhou's position will also be ten thousand times more secure than it is now."

Shangguan Lin silently studied him, thinking to herself:

That sounds reasonable enough. He knows witchcraft, and if the empress discovers it, he could lose his life at any moment.

By revealing his witchcraft, he has also shown Ruzhou ample sincerity.

Leaving rebellion aside, his martial talent alone means that if he appears in Ruzhou and shows that he is on good terms with the Shangguan family, it will be enough to deter many people and give Father a chance to catch his breath.

After all, unless they can kill Gu Yuan outright, no one would be foolish enough to provoke a future martial arts grandmaster.

But... why does something still feel strange?

A trace of unease passed through Shangguan Lin's mind, but it soon faded.

"I will pass your proposal on to my father, Heir Gu. As for his answer, that is not for me to decide."

"I'll await your reply, Miss Shangguan."

Gu Yuan was a little pleased.

Halfway there.

"Miss Shangguan, it's time we talked about Long Ye's case."

"What exactly did he say when he came to see you before he was killed?"

Shangguan Lin's eyes flickered. After a moment's thought, she slowly spoke:

"As you said, Father did intend to marry me to Long Ye and use Jiaozhou's strength to resolve Ruzhou's internal troubles."

"Father discussed it with the King of Jiaozhou, and they reached an agreement. The engagement was to be settled after Long Ye and I returned from the Qi Capital. Neither of them expected Long Ye to die..."

"Long Ye knew I was a woman, and we had already been in contact. He came to see me before he died because he had received something and wanted to discuss what to do with it."

Gu Yuan's eyes brightened slightly. "What was it?"

"This."

Shangguan Lin took a piece of jet-black silk from inside her robes.

Totem patterns were embroidered on the silk, with a line of words in the center-

"Destroy the tyrannical Qi, restore the divine Li, and slaughter all the heirs of the Nine Provinces!"

On the other side was the character for "one."

"Interesting," Gu Yuan said with a smile.

"The first one..."

Shangguan Lin sighed softly. "Long Ye told me he received this silk a day ago."

"Great Li fell hundreds of years ago. I had never heard of any faction seeking to restore it, so the appearance of this silk was bound to arouse suspicion."

"Someone is assassinating the heirs of the Nine Provinces in Great Li's name, hoping to stir up conflict between the provincial kings and the Qi Capital and plunge Great Qi into turmoil."

"Long Ye wanted to discuss what we should do."

"I took the silk back, intending to use a tracking artifact to search it for traces before deciding what to do... but I didn't expect them to strike so quickly."

Gu Yuan frowned, growing puzzled.

Who is this person who suddenly appeared outside the story?

And how did they appear?

Shangguan Lin continued, "You mentioned witchcraft just now, Heir Gu. Was Long Ye's death connected to it?"

"That's right. He was killed by a spirit-seizing witchcraft technique, which is why he left no signs of a struggle."

"Is there any hope of catching the murderer?" Shangguan Lin gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist, a chill flashing in her eyes.

Jiaozhou and Ruzhou had always been on excellent terms.

Long Ye had been murdered. As the heir of Ruzhou, she had a duty to avenge him!

Seeing this, Gu Yuan's lips curled up slightly.

"Don't worry. When it comes to witchcraft, that murderer is nowhere near my equal."

"As long as he strikes again, I can find him."

"But we don't know who his target is. Must we tell the other heirs this secret?" Shangguan Lin asked, puzzled. She did not want to do that.

"There's no need for that. Their next target will certainly be you!"

"Me?"

Before she had finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the room. A maid carrying an envelope walked up to Shangguan Lin and said:

"Your Highness, someone delivered a letter to the door."

Shangguan Lin was somewhat surprised.

"Who sent it?"

"A beggar child. He shoved the letter into my hand and ran off."

A beggar child...?

Shangguan Lin frowned.

"Bring it here."

"You may leave."

"Yes, Your Highness."

There was no name on the letter.

Shangguan Lin glanced at Gu Yuan, then slowly opened the envelope.

The next moment, her pupils contracted sharply.

"Take a look, Heir Gu."

Gu Yuan took the envelope.

Inside it was a piece of jet-black silk.

"That was fast..."

With a slight thought, Gu Yuan took out the silk.

Sure enough.

A large character for "two" was embroidered on the jet-black silk...