Simply Trading 183 Storm Signs 1

The Duke of the Westlands was pissed.

That was the most accurate way to describe the mood that washed over him the moment that he heard about the attack on his second son's life. That was obvious from the furious expression that he wore as he stamped his way down towards the dungeon where the assailant had been incarcerated. Fortunately, Jin Yuhe managed to stop him before he got there. Otherwise, there would be nothing left of the poor fellow for the torturers to work on!

It had taken Butler Jin close to half an hour too, to convince the Duke to leave matters in his hands, and to return to his palatial study instead to await his news. And the first thing that Li Yuanqi did when he got there was to send out his instructions to demote the Captain who had been set as the Head of the Second Ducal Prince's Guard detail, and send him off to some deserted spot to live out his days in the army!

After that, he summoned all the Questioners and Torturers that he had in his Palace Dungeons, and gave them an almost ridiculous deadline! He only gave them one night to complete the task that he set them; he wanted to know who was behind the assassination attempt! When such a task usually took two or three times that, to confirm and re-confirm their findings.

However, Jin Yuhe wasn't about to interfere again, and only signaled for the assembled Questioners to agree to the Duke's impossible schedule. He could only hope that he could talk Li Yuanqi into cutting the interrogators some slack later, when the latter had cooled down.

But his agitation did not cease after he was done, and Butler Jin was quick to dismiss the rest of the people around them, leaving the pair alone so that they could talk unhindered. Needless to say, Jin Yuhe knew better than anyone else what was truly bothering the Duke.

"You know she will be making life difficult for me, the moment that she hears about this! And there is no way that I can keep this quiet either! Why did it have to happen now?" the Duke wailed once he was alone in his study with the Butler.

"No! I have to find out who is doing this! It can't be Xiuxian! She would dare to harm her brother!"

Then the handsome Duke paused, and turned to eye Jin Yuhe with an anxious expression.

"She wouldn't. Would she?"

The Butler wanted to pinch at the bridge of his own nose, as he sensed the headache that he was likely to be suffering later. It would come regardless of what answer he gave. But he fixed a bland expression on his own face as he deliberately lied to his oldest friend:

"I seriously doubt that she would dare. Not after that time that she tried to push him into the pond when they were both children. I think you made your displeasure with her rather clear back then."

"Then this Zhou Jinhu must be working on his own!"

Butler Jin shook his head quickly, to dispel that notion before it fixed itself as the only possibility in the Duke's head. "It might be possible that he got instructions from someone else. Or he might have misinterpreted her orders. She might be targeting one of Changhai's companions, rather than her brother."

The Duke waved his hand irritably as soon as he heard that. "That is unlikely. She has no conflict with any of them. At least, no conflict that would warrant sending a killer like Zhou Jinhu after them. This has to be something else!"

Then he stopped again, and glared at the map on the wall to one side of the beautifully adorned room. And his voice, when Li Yuanqi spoke again, was cautious:

"Do you think Zhou Jinhu attacked to keep the four of them from heading out on that treasure hunt of theirs? And he had only intended to injure two or three of them so that they cannot make the trip?"

Jin Yuhe was obviously unconvinced of this. "Wouldn't it be simpler - less risky, I mean. He would have been able to achieve that same effect if he poisoned or crippled half of your second son's guard contingent, wouldn't he? Why attack Changhai directly?"

That question was enough to derail the theory that the Duke had come up with, and cause the nobleman to throw up his hands with an outraged roar. Fortunately, he was still able to keep his temper under control, Jin Yuhe noted quietly. Otherwise, the room would already be in a terrible mess!

Of course, that was no assurance that the Duke would not get even angrier as he continued to dwell on the issue.

Luckily, Jin Yuhe had his ways of keeping his old friend from lingering over the issue: "I believe that you should consider how best to show your care and concern for Changhai and his friends. Since he as already put this Qin Feng up in the guest quarters again, and sent for our Palace Physicians to take a look at his injuries, perhaps you should consider gifting the team with some protective gear? And some better weapons? So that they can protect themselves against any future attempts?"

"Future attempts? You think there will be future attempts?"

Jin Yuhe almost groaned aloud when the Duke went off on a tangent once again. And shook his head as he moved to quickly drag his old friend back onto the proper topic. "That is less important to you - and how you are going to answer to your wife, than what steps you intend to take to prevent further attacks on them. Or having those attacks succeed.

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"Granting the four of them a few treasures from your armory might be able to keep them safer. Or, at the least, allow us to believe that they would be in a better position to defend themselves. That is important, isn't it?"

The Duke nodded after thinking over it for a while. And sighed as he gestured at the Butler. "I am glad that you are here with me, and that you can see so clearly. Otherwise ..."

He shuddered then, while his oldest friend chuckled softly where he was standing, to one side of his long study table.

"Otherwise, you would be in deeper trouble with your pretty young wife than you wish to be, you mean? No need to worry about that! I shall do my best to make sure that things are harmonious between the two of you. You can rest assured of that!"

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Chapter end

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