Hou Ye's palm heart is a black lotus

Chapter 809 Speculation! (First Update)
Beijing.

It is autumn, the air is filled with the fragrance of osmanthus, and the leaves are falling.

Shen Yanchuan has been very busy lately.

The Black Cavalry Guards arrested several groups of people, all of whom were said to be spies of the Great Zhou.

They come from all walks of life, and many have stayed in the capital for more than a decade or even longer.

"The Crown Prince of the Great Zhou should still be very young. These schemes set up in advance could not have been his doing."

Inside the imperial study, Xiao Chengqi finished reading a thick stack of testimonies, snorted coldly, and threw it onto the table.

"As for these people... they don't even know what their master looks like, yet they are so loyal."

Shen Yanchuan said, "Judging from these testimonies, they should have all been tamed by the same set of rhetoric, willing to pay any price for the so-called restoration of the Great Zhou."

This was definitely arranged on purpose.

"However, the rebels were slow to enter the capital and instead fought battles in various places, causing countless people to be displaced and some of them to gradually waver."

At first, these people did not cooperate; they all gritted their teeth and refused to yield even at the cost of their lives.

Shen Yanchuan then had people "report" the battle situation daily, informing them what the rebels had done.

Rebellion can lead to death.

But these people had lived peacefully in the capital for a long time and had no concept of this at all.

It wasn't until they discovered that this rebellion had brought them no benefit, but instead caused even more people to lose their loved ones... that they realized things weren't quite as they had expected.

"During the late emperor's reign, he worked diligently to govern the country, and the people lived in peace and prosperity. Now, all of that has been shattered." Xiao Chengqi nodded. "Only with the Southern Barbarians temporarily at peace can the Prince of Yannan concentrate all his efforts on suppressing the rebels. Feng Cheng and the others did a good job this time, and I must reward them handsomely! However..."

He paused,
"However, the report of victory sent back this time did not mention the specific details of the battle of Pingshui Bay. Feng Cheng said that he was in Duzhou at the time, and he only learned later that the defending army of Xiacheng had laid an ambush there long ago and won a great victory."

Shen Yanchuan's brow twitched slightly, and he smiled, "It's not too late for His Majesty to personally inquire about and reward them after the Southern Hu are pacified and the army returns in triumph."

“You’re right!” Xiao Chengqi nodded in agreement. “Tuoba Shan actually went after Shui Xingqiu, which was really unexpected. However, Shui Xingqiu is quite an interesting person. He’s already second only to the emperor in the Southern Hu, yet he’s still not satisfied and is trying to collude with foreign enemies to plot a rebellion. Isn’t he just courting death?”

He stroked his chin.

"It's strange, really. How could a southern barbarian like him have any connection with the former crown prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty?"

Xiao Chengqi would never believe that both sides launched their troops simultaneously without prior consultation.

He just didn't understand...

"When Shui Xingqiu came to the capital, he seemed to have gone out a few times."

Xiao Chengqi knew, of course, that Shui Xingqiu had come to the capital disguised as someone else, but he hadn't paid much attention to it before. Now, however, he realized something was amiss.

"Besides Prince Su, there must have been another person he wanted to see when he came to the capital. Could it be Xiao Lanxi... No!"

Xiao Chengqi suddenly realized something and sat up abruptly.
"The person he really wants to see is Xiao Chenglin!"

Xiao Lanxi died from Gu poison, and this matter was closely related to Xiao Chenglin.

But then Shui Xingqiu arrived, and...

A guess is about to emerge!
"That former crown prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty... is Xiao Chenglin!?"