Chapter 304: Accomplices

Chapter 304: Accomplices

Hundreds of troops were stationed around the dilapidated temple, but only twenty were stationed close to the temple for guard duty.

These twenty guards were split into two shifts, with ten responsible for the latter half of the night.

The venomous snake was set loose during the latter half of the night. He Qingxiao suspected that, besides the temple guards, the ten on night duty outside were the most likely culprits.

A thorough search turned up a pile of miscellaneous items, but nothing stood out.

But what seemed ordinary to others caught He Qingxiao's attention.

The temple was brightly lit with several lamps. He Qingxiao examined the pile of confiscated items, picked up a dagger, and inspected it closely.

Everyone watched, puzzled by his actions.

What made the dagger so special?

Not only did the guards carry daggers, but even commoners used them for protection.

The Great Xia Dynasty banned private armor but allowed weapons.

He Qingxiao inspected each dagger from the guards, inside and out. He pointed to a dagger and demanded, "Who owns this?"

The guards exchanged glances.

A guard stepped forward, head bowed.

"That's mine, sir."

He Qingxiao asked calmly, "And you are—"

"I am Zhou Ming, from the capital camp."

Bai Ying vaguely remembered Zhou Ming. "Lord He, is he under suspicion?"

Although Bai Ying was the leader of the capital camp troops on this southern expedition, she was not very familiar with these men.

"Why are there bamboo shavings on your dagger?" He Qingxiao stared at Zhou Ming and asked calmly.

"I cut some bamboo branches blocking our path," Zhou Ming replied, looking nervous.

"Did you cut branches, or craft a tube for the snake?" He Qingxiao rubbed the bamboo tube Huang Cheng had found in the grass.

Zhou Ming dropped to his knees. "I swear I’d never harm Miss Xin! Investigate, Lord He!"

"This bamboo tube is freshly made, its edges still rough." He Qingxiao raised the bamboo tube, drawing everyone's attention to it. "I found dried blood on the splinters, suggesting the handler cut their hand."

At this point, he paused slightly, his icy gaze fixed on Zhou Ming. "Show me your hands."

Overwhelmed, Zhou Ming bolted.

The Jinlin Guard, ready for this, tackled him to the ground.

A pair of black boots stopped in front of him.

Zhou Ming struggled to look up, his face a picture of misery as he gazed at the cold-faced man. "Please spare me, sir—"

He Qingxiao crouched down, his expression unreadable. "Who ordered you to do this?"

"It was—" Zhou Ming's eyes darted around, his mind in turmoil.

Once he confessed, his guilt would be undeniable, and there would be no way out. But he had already panicked and tried to run. Even if he stayed silent, being captured by the Jinlin Guard would be a fate worse than death.

Just as Zhou Ming was about to confess, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air.

He Qingxiao raised his hand to block, but Bai Ying was faster, snatching the hidden weapon meant to kill Zhou Ming between her fingers.

"Who’s there?" she barked, her eyes locked on the direction the weapon had come from.

There stood several guards on duty for the second half of the night at the temple, all young men in their early twenties. One of them had blood slowly dripping from the corner of his mouth as he fell forward.

"Wang Peng—" the other guards who knew him cried out in shock.

Huang Cheng hurried over, knelt to check him, and reported, "Sir, he had poison in his mouth."

He Qingxiao silently gazed at Wang Peng’s body.

It was clear he had bitten into a poison capsule the moment Zhou Ming was exposed, acting with a decisiveness beyond an ordinary person’s capability. This suggested Zhou Ming probably didn’t know much.

Even so, He Qingxiao forced open Zhou Ming’s mouth to inspect it.

"What’s your connection to Wang Peng?"

Zhou Ming’s cheeks, forcefully gripped, were numb and aching. Shaken by Wang Peng’s death, he stammered, "We... we were friends."

"Friends?" He Qingxiao scoffed. "He told you to kill Xin Daizhao with a venomous snake, and you went along with it?"

Zhou Ming blurted out, "Sir, please, I was tricked by him!"

"Explain yourself."

Zhou Ming instinctively looked toward Xin You.

The slender youth, not yet fully grown, stood calmly with eyes as still as a deep pool, unflinching among the towering guards.

Tears of frustration streamed down Zhou Ming’s face. "I didn’t know Wang Peng meant to hurt Miss Xin—"

Bai Ying marched over and kicked Zhou Ming in the face. "Cut the dramatics! No one wants to hear your whining!"

Multiple parties were involved, but the culprit was one of her own. Thankfully, Miss Xin was unharmed. If anything had happened, how could she face her mother?

Prince Xiu stared at the young woman in military garb in astonishment.

So this was the real Miss Bai.

He looked around to gauge others’ reactions, only to find Xin You and He Qingxiao unperturbed, and even General Li unfazed.

General Li thought to himself, General Bai had once dared to punch a censor to the ground in the imperial court. Like mother, like daughter—Miss Bai kicking a rogue guard in the face was nothing.

Prince Xiu frowned.

Was it that he had seen too little?

His gaze swept over Wang Gonggong, and seeing the same look of shock on the eunuch’s face, he felt a slight sense of comfort.

At least someone shared his reaction—though belatedly realizing that being on the same page as a eunuch wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, Prince Xiu silently turned his attention back to Zhou Ming.

The muddy footprint on Zhou Ming's face stood out vividly as he spoke honestly, "Wang Peng told me he wanted to kill Qian Da and asked for my help. I refused at first, but he gave me a hundred taels of silver."

That was way too much!

"Qian Da?" He Qingxiao asked, raising an eyebrow.

Several guards turned their gaze toward a young man, clearly the "Qian Da" Zhou Ming had mentioned.

Qian Da immediately dropped to his knees, his gaze at Zhou Ming a mix of confusion and fury, "I have no grudge against Wang Peng, why would he want to harm me?"

Zhou Ming's eyes were vacant, "He said you were flirting with his fiancée."

"That's ridiculous! How would I even know his fiancée—"

Bai Ying glared coldly at Qian Da, "Why are you getting all riled up? Wasn't it Wang Peng who deceived Zhou Ming?"

Qian Da immediately fell silent.

Zhou Ming continued, "When I heard that, I thought stealing a wife is an unforgivable offense, and this grievance indeed couldn't be tolerated. As a friend, I should help. I was worried about accidentally hurting some important guests, but Wang Peng said he would sprinkle snake-attracting powder on Qian Da, and the venomous snake would only go after him. After Qian Da was bitten, he would pretend to discover the snake and deal with it immediately, ensuring no harm came to the noble guests. That way, he could even earn merit."

Bai Ying was in disbelief, "You believed such a flawed plan for a hundred taels of silver? Even if he wanted to harm Qian Da, the snake is a living creature. Weren't you scared that something could go wrong and hurt you or even your family?"

Zhou Ming was full of regret, "I was just being stupid—"

He Qingxiao spoke calmly, "A hundred taels is indeed not a small amount."

Some would kill for just a few taels of silver. People die for money, and it’s something that’s never stopped.