Wan Sanqian was greatly surprised.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Wushi had planted a traitor among his men.
Clearly, although he and Zhu Wushi were partners, Zhu Wushi did not trust him.
Li Yao flicked his finger, and the guard cried out "Ah!" and died.
At this moment, Li Yao took off his hat and revealed his true identity, saying, "I am Li Yao, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
"The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?!"
Wan Sanqian was once again taken aback.
He had no idea that the other party was actually Li Yao, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Although he had never met Li Yao, he had heard of him long ago.
Li Yao's sudden appearance caused a sensation throughout the capital and even the entire Ming Dynasty.
He killed Cao Shaoqin, saved Lord Yang's children, became the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, exonerated Lord Yang, saved the Empress Dowager, and exposed the fake princess of Chuyun Kingdom...
Each and every one of these events was a major event that shocked the court and the public.
These were all written by Li Yao.
Why would Li Yao suddenly approach him?
Li Yao calmly walked to a chair, sat down, and said indifferently, "Wan Sanqian, you have funded rebels and are plotting a rebellion. Do you know your crime?"
Wan Sanqian was startled, but remained calm on the surface, feigning ignorance and saying, "Lord Li, I'm innocent! I'm just an honest merchant, how could I possibly fund rebels and plot a rebellion!"
Li Yao poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then said, "Weren't the Number One Manor Under Heaven and the Jianghu Monthly Report sponsored by you?"
Wan Sanqian nodded and said, "It was funded by me. However, both of these businesses are controlled by the current Imperial Uncle, Iron-Blooded Marquis. How can you say that I funded a rebel?"
"Yeah?"
Li Yao pulled out a stack of papers from his pocket and threw them at Wan Sanqian, saying, "But, according to my Jinyiwei investigation, you have also been secretly purchasing grain and weapons for Zhu Wushi. What is this if not treason?"
At this moment, Wan Sanqian could no longer remain calm.
Treason is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family.
If he succeeds, he will also gain the honor of being a descendant of a powerful ruler, and his descendants will enjoy endless wealth and glory.
If he fails, he will not only be executed by slow slicing, but his entire family will also be exterminated.
He didn't expect that Zhu Wushi would be discovered by Li Yao, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, before he could even start his rebellion.
Wan Sanqian's hands trembled as he held a stack of papers, as if they were hot potatoes.
He truly regretted getting on Zhu Wushi's pirate ship in the first place, which had left him in a dilemma.
However, he is extremely quick-witted.
This time, Li Yao came alone, dressed in a black cloak.
Clearly, Li Yao did not intend to kill him.
Perhaps Li Yao has not yet told the Emperor about this.
Li Yao's visit must have been for some other purpose.
In other words, there is still room for maneuver in this matter.
Then, Wan Sanqian cautiously asked, "Is His Majesty aware of this matter?"
Li Yao said, "If the Emperor knew about this, would you still be alive to stand here and speak to me?"
Wan Sanqian was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Lord Li, is there anything you need me to do for you?"
Li Yao nodded in satisfaction and said, "Smart, no wonder you are the richest man in the Ming Dynasty!"
Wan Sanqian quickly replied solemnly, "Lord Li, please feel free to give your orders. I will do my utmost to serve you."
Li Yao said:
"Very good, those who know when to yield are the wise ones."
"Actually, what I asked you to do is very simple."
"On the surface, you should continue to work for Zhu Wushi, and you must not reveal any flaws."
"I will secretly give you instructions on what to do next."
Wan Sanqian quickly bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "Yes, I will follow your orders, sir."
Li Yao nodded in satisfaction, then stood up and prepared to leave.
Suddenly, he added, "By the way, you'd better investigate everyone in your manor to make sure there are no more spies like Zhu Wushi."
Chapter 169 Lightning Speed, Instantaneous Teleportation
Three days later, Gu Santong finally rescued his fiancée Su Xin from the men sent by Cao Zhengchun.
However, because Su Xin's body was frozen by the millennium-old ice, Gu Santong was unable to give her the Heavenly Fragrance Bean, nor did he dare to use his internal energy to thaw her.
So, carrying Su Xin's body, he immediately rushed back to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters and sought help from Li Yao.
Li Yao was practicing his boxing in the courtyard, while Cheng Shifei and Princess Yunluo were practicing their swordsmanship and playfully fighting.
Suddenly, a panicked voice rang out: "Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened..."
Immediately, Lu Xiaochuan rushed in, looking flustered, and said, "Commander, Zhu Wushi is leading a large number of men and is trying to force his way into our Jinyiwei headquarters."
"Royal Uncle?"
Yunluo and Cheng Shifei stopped their playful fight, and Yunluo couldn't help but ask, "Why is Imperial Uncle here?"
Li Yao remained calm and asked casually, "Has Gu Santong returned?"
Lu Yichuan was surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Sir, how did you know?"
Li Yao didn't explain, but instead withdrew his fist and said, "Let's go take a look."
After saying that, he walked outside.
Lu Yichuan immediately followed closely behind.
Yunluo frowned and said, "Let's go take a look too."
She then hurriedly followed after him.
"This is going to be interesting!"
Cheng Shifei rolled his eyes and followed.
Before they had gone far, Li Yao and the others heard Zhu Wushi and Gu Santong talking.
“Gu Santong, you are a wanted criminal of the imperial court, yet you escaped from prison, which is already adding to your crimes. I advise you to surrender.”
"Hmph, you old pig Luo, twenty years ago, I fell for your evil trick. Back then, I lost to you in a duel and willingly allowed myself to be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. Yet you pinned the blame for the deaths of 108 people from the Eight Major Sects and the Four Great Constables of the Ministry of Justice on me. I didn't kill those people at all."
"The evidence is conclusive, and there's no point in denying it."
“I, Gu Santong, have acted uprightly and honestly. If I did it, I will never deny it; if I didn’t do it, I will never admit it.”
"..."
Soon, Li Yao and his group arrived at the first courtyard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.
In the courtyard, two groups of people were facing off in a tense standoff.
One group was naturally composed of members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The other group consisted of the men from the Dragon Guard Manor, led by Zhu Wushi.
Duan Tianya and Shangguan Haitang were also among them.
Gu Santong, meanwhile, was holding a stunningly beautiful woman with her eyes closed, surrounded by Zhu Wushi's men, finding himself in a dilemma.
That stunningly beautiful woman must be Su Xin.
It wasn't that Gu Santong didn't want to break out of the encirclement, but rather that he was shivering from the cold as he held Su Xin, who had been frozen by the millennium-old Xuanbing for twenty years.
Despite having the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill protecting him, he was still affected by the cold poison because he had been holding Su Xin for a long time.
Therefore, he was unable to break through the encirclement.
At this moment, he saw Li Yao appear and hurriedly said, "Young friend Li, come and help me get rid of this annoying old pig Luo."
Zhu Wushi sneered and shouted, "Gu Santong, don't think that just because you have the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard protecting you, I can't do anything to you."
Then, he looked coldly at Li Yao, pointed at Gu Santong, and asked, "Commander Li, do you know this man?"
"know!"
Li Yao nodded.
Zhu Wushi then asked, "Do you know that he is a wanted criminal of the imperial court, and was originally imprisoned on the ninth floor of the imperial prison?"
"Know!"
Li Yao nodded again.
Zhu Wushi was stunned for a moment, not expecting Li Yao to admit it so readily.
He couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Is Li Yao so confident that he has nothing to fear?
That's how smart people are; they think more and worry more than others.
However, what happened today was something he had planned long ago.
He already knew about this when Gu Santong rescued Su Xin.
He remained patient and waited for Gu Santong to return to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.
Once Gu Santong enters the Embroidered Uniform Guard's office, he can claim that Li Yao harbored a wanted criminal and rightfully arrest Li Yao.
Now that Gu Santong has been cornered at the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters, it is a golden opportunity to eliminate Li Yao and Gu Santong in one fell swoop.
Zhu Wushi sneered and said, "I never expected that Lord Li, as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, would actually break the law and harbor a criminal wanted by the court. Don't blame me for upholding the law impartially."