https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-377-Returning-to-the-Peak-of-the-Purple-Forbidden-City/12536607/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-379-A-Sword-Appears-from-the-West-an-Immortal-Descends-from-the-Heavens/12536609/
Chapter 378: Su Shaoying's One and Only Suspicion
Chapter 378: Su Shaoying's One and Only Suspicion
Ye Gucheng's heart was in turmoil, and Xi Men Chuixue would never take advantage of him, giving him time to calm his mind.
And so, Ye Gucheng found himself standing before Lu Xiaofeng and the others.
His gaze shifted between Lu Xiaofeng and Gongsun Daniang before finally settling on Su Shaoying. "You guessed it already!"
Su Shaoying blinked. "Shouldn't you be asking Lu Xiaofeng instead?"
"If you hadn't notified Gongsun Daniang in advance, the Emperor would be dead by now," Ye Gucheng said.
Indeed, if the fake Ye Gucheng hadn't been successfully ambushed by Tang Tianzong as in the original story, some time would have been delayed. In the original story, Lu Xiaofeng had barely made it in time to take the blow of Ye Gucheng's sword that was aimed at the Emperor.
Su Shaoying turned to Gongsun Daniang. "What's happening over there?"
Gongsun Daniang explained, "I disguised myself as one of the Emperor's palace maids and was attending to him in the back of the South Study Room. Then, Wang An arrived with a group of people, including the Prince of Pingnan and Ye Gucheng."
The specific situation was similar to the original story. Wang An woke the Emperor and revealed his plan, after which Ye Gucheng appeared and broke the Seven Stars Sword Formation of the Yu family's four brothers from Yunmenshan Mountain.
However, just as his sword's momentum slightly diminished, Gongsun Daniang took action to break the stalemate, blocking Ye Gucheng's nine swords and waiting for Lu Xiaofeng's Lingxi finger strike.
Then, Ye Gucheng fled because he knew he couldn't possibly defeat Lu Xiaofeng and Gongsun Daniang together.
"Our plan was flawless. Even if Elder Sun and Ouyang Qing hadn't died, you shouldn't have guessed it," Ye Gucheng said.
Lu Xiaofeng shook his head. "There's no such thing as a plan that can fool everyone."
Ye Gucheng fell silent. "Did you start suspecting when you noticed the increased number of ribbons?"
"Of course not," Lu Xiaofeng replied. "I started to realize something was amiss when Elder Sun almost got killed. The gambling match between Du Tongxuan and Li Yanbei—there's no way to find such a person."
"Who is he, then?" Su Shaoying asked. "Is he a master of the Hainan Sword Sect?"
Ye Gucheng remained silent.
"You want to know how we found out, so shouldn't we have an equivalent exchange?" Su Shaoying said.
Ye Gucheng nodded. "Indeed. He is the commander of the guards in the rear courtyard of the Pingnan King's Mansion and the personal bodyguard of the Pingnan King. He is also the senior brother of the current leader of the Hainan Sword Sect and had never traveled in the Central Plains before."
Everyone present now understood. So, it was a top expert of the Hainan Sword Sect in his prime. No wonder his swordsmanship was so exquisite.
Lu Xiaofeng sighed. "You said you were ambushed by a venomous snake, and Elder Sun was also about to reveal this person's identity when he was similarly attacked. I thought you weren't working together."
"When you were at Chunhua Tower, you were surrounded by flowers and beauties. It wasn't because you were afraid that others would smell the foul odor of your wound, but because you were afraid that they would realize there was no such odor at all," Lu Xiaofeng said. "You managed to deceive me as well."
"This was indeed our strategy to blind others," Ye Gucheng admitted.
"Elder Sun knew too much. As for why he wanted to kill Ouyang Qing, it was because she saw Wang Zongguan and the lamas from Daxueshan Temple meeting secretly at Yiqing Yuan," Lu Xiaofeng said.
Lu Xiaofeng turned to Su Shaoying. "It was Su Shaoying who told me about the connection between Daxueshan Temple and the Pingnan King's Mansion, but we didn't know who Wang Zongguan was at the time."
Ouyang Qing asked, "Did you try to kill me because you were afraid I would find out about the collusion between the Pingnan King's Mansion and Wang Zongguan?"
Ye Gucheng replied, "You are a member of the Red Shoes, and Gongsun Daniang is also well-informed. There was a chance you might have guessed the truth."
"Of course, it was because I asked Laosi Liu one question," Lu Xiaofeng said proudly.
"That was a lucky guess," Su Shaoying shook his head, sighing. If it weren't for the question Lu Xiaofeng had asked, he might not have discovered Ye Gucheng's plan.
"What question?" Ye Gucheng inquired.
"I asked him if he had seen a swordsman dressed in white," Lu Xiaofeng replied. "I intended to ask about Xi Men Chuixue's whereabouts in the palace, but both he and Wang Zongguan suddenly wanted to kill us after hearing that question."
Ye Gucheng fell silent, feeling as if he would die with a grievance due to such a coincidence.
"Then we also encountered assassination attempts by the lamas from Daxueshan Temple and the swordsman from the Hainan Sword Sect," Lu Xiaofeng continued. "I thought they were after Li Yanbei, but now that I think about it..."
"They were after me," Ouyang Qing interjected. "I had just left Li Yanbei's mansion that morning."
"In that case, the assassins, the Pingnan King's mansion, the palace's Wang Zongguan, and the extra ribbons all formed a connection," Lu Xiaofeng said. "But the only missing piece in this puzzle was you!"
Lu Xiaofeng sighed, "You predicted that Xi Men Chuixue wouldn't attack an injured person, but you didn't anticipate that Tang Tianzong would take revenge for his brother. He had no choice but to draw his sword, and that's when he exposed his weakness."
"When you discovered his identity, the thread finally led to me," Ye Gucheng said.
"Exactly," Lu Xiaofeng nodded, turning to Su Shaoying. "But I still don't understand how you figured it out in advance."
"It's simple," Su Shaoying said calmly. "Ye Gucheng is your friend. You know that whenever there's a conspiracy involving you, I always start by suspecting your friends."
Ye Gucheng: _?_
Lu Xiaofeng: (◣д◢)
Lu Xiaofeng was so frustrated he almost jumped up and down. "That's enough! We're having a serious conversation here!"
"I am being serious," Su Shaoying insisted, shrugging. "Ye Gucheng is your friend, so you believed his story about being poisoned. But what if he was lying?"
"You thought this was a plot by two opposing forces, but if Ye Gucheng had only pretended to be injured, then it would've been a scheme by a single force, and the situation would've been obvious, wouldn't it?" Su Shaoying smiled.
"You never suspected Ye Gucheng, but ever since he plotted against Gongsun Daniang, I never removed him from my list of suspects," Su Shaoying continued. "As long as you assume that everything he showed was an act, it's easy to guess the truth."
"Moreover..." Su Shaoying said indifferently, "Ye Gucheng is the Pingnan King's heir's sword instructor. If there truly was a plot targeting him, how could he have so easily walked into it?"
Lu Xiaofeng was left speechless.
Ye Gucheng turned his head away.
"Don't be sad," Su Shaoying said, patting Lu Xiaofeng's shoulder. "I only guessed the truth two days earlier than you. Keep trying, and you'll get it next time."
Lu Xiaofeng, "..."
(End of Chapter)
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