Chapter 56: Heavenly Questions (8)

The teacup made of fine porcelain fell to the ground with a crash, shattering into pieces.
Li Kuo watched Gao Shi, whose face was filled with panic, and his sense of unease grew stronger. In fact, he had noticed something strange from the moment he entered the study. Gao Shi had always sat upright and proper, but now he seemed so listless. That was one thing, but what puzzled Li Kuo the most was Gao Shi’s attitude toward him.
Although Gao Shi still appeared gentle on the surface, there was clearly a sense of distance. Though Li Kuo didn’t know the reason, it surely wasn’t simple. Why had he become so abnormally agitated when Li Kuo asked about his mother?
“Ahem, ahem…”
Gao Shi waved his hand and said, “The old lady and the others happened to go out of the city to worship Buddha today. I’m afraid you won’t be able to see her, Seventh Young Master.”
“Oh, I see.”
Li Kuo’s heart sank slightly as he nodded slightly. “If that’s the case, I won’t disturb you further. I’ll come again another day.”
With that, Li Kuo angrily stood up and left in a huff.
Gao Shi watched Li Kuo leave in frustration. He wanted to say something but ended up sighing deeply, swallowing his words back…
After leaving the governor’s residence, Li Kuo went straight to the military camp in the south of the city.
Gao Shi’s behavior was too suspicious, leaving him no choice but to doubt him. Now that the entire Huainan region was under Gao Shi’s control, if he really had sinister intentions, Li Kuo felt he needed a plan to deal with it. And the prerequisite for any plan was having strength—strength in the form of an army and weapons.
After sharing his thoughts with Li Sheng, Dou Qing, and the others, they all agreed that their general was right and said they would follow Li Kuo’s instructions. Before things were clarified, Li Kuo didn’t want to take drastic actions. He simply ordered the generals to be cautious and stay alert. As for Li Kuo himself, he decided to stay in the military camp.
The next day, Li Kuo took a hundred armored soldiers to the governor’s residence again to “visit” the old gatekeeper. Seeing this imposing group, the gatekeeper was almost terrified and trembled as he went to report to Gao Shi. Without hesitation, Gao Shi immediately went out to greet them.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Kuo got straight to the point and asked to bring back his relatives.
After some hesitation, Gao Shi gave a ridiculous answer, saying that the old lady had gone to the Guanyin Temple in the Southern Mountains to pray for a son because Li Kuo still had no children after so long.
First praying to Buddha and then to Guanyin—no one would believe such an excuse.
Li Kuo knew it would be inappropriate to be too forceful given Gao Shi’s senior status, but he was truly uncomfortable with Gao Shi’s current behavior.
“Uncle Gao, do you know when my mother will be able to return to the city?”

Li Kuo raised his eyebrows and asked in a deep voice.
Seeing Li Kuo’s attitude, Gao Shi feared he wouldn’t leave until the old lady returned, and sweat poured down his face.
“Seventh Lord, it’s inconvenient to talk outside. How about we go inside?”
Gao Shi looked at Li Kuo with hope, his face full of smiles.
Li Kuo nodded and said, “That’s fine. Dou Qing and Li Sheng, wait outside the mansion. Wu Ze and Xiao Chun, take fifty men with me inside!”
Faced with Li Kuo’s firm stance, Gao Shi was stunned. Unable to think of a better solution, he sighed and followed Li Kuo into the mansion…
Gao Shi picked up a cup of freshly brewed Green Ant wine and raised it high toward Li Kuo, saying, “Seventh Lord, let’s drink to this!”
Li Kuo showed little emotion, simply pouring the wine down his throat.
“Come, come, Seventh Lord. Let me introduce you to someone. This is Lord Wei Lin, the envoy to Jianghuai. Lord Wei is one of the most outstanding members of the Wei family in Jingzhao. He used to be the governor of Nanyang, and actually, he has some connection to you as well.”
Gao Shi stepped beside Li Kuo, pulling at his sleeve and introducing him enthusiastically, seemingly afraid that Wei Lin might hold a grudge against him for Li Kuo’s indifference.
Nanyang had been under Li Kuo’s rule for the past two years, and Wei Lin had once been its governor. If that counted as a connection, then there must be countless people with connections throughout the entire Zhuque Street!
“Pleasure to meet you!”
Li Kuo clearly showed no interest in the people from the Wei family. All he wanted now was to bring his family back as soon as possible. He couldn’t or didn’t want to deal with anything else.
Gao Shi smiled brightly and introduced Li Kuo to Wei Lin again, saying, “Lord Wei, this is my nephew, Li Kuo, the commander of the Jianghuai troops!”
“Hmph!”
Wei Lin glanced at Li Kuo disdainfully and let out a dismissive snort.
“You!”
Wang Xiao Chun, standing beside Li Kuo, was about to step forward and teach this man a lesson for his rudeness.
“Xiao Chun!”
Li Kuo glared at Wang Xiao Chun, stopping him.
“I don’t understand why Uncle Gao brought me here. Now that I’ve met Lord Wei, if there’s nothing else…”
Li Kuo bowed to Gao Shi, ready to speak plainly, but was interrupted by Wei Lin’s cold words.
“General Li, why did you rush to Yangzhou so quickly? Since you’re here, stay a few more days, so as to avoid people gossiping behind our backs that we’re poor hosts.”
Wei Lin’s voice was cold, clearly laced with disdain.
Zhou Wu Ze, Wang Xiao Chun, and the others weren’t willing to suffer such treatment. Hearing Wei Lin’s words, they stepped forward and surrounded him.

“Hah, what does General Li mean by this? Does he intend to rebel? When I was in the capital, I often heard people say that General Li amasses troops and seeks to rule on his own. Could those rumors be true? Does General Li really want to become another An Lushan?”
Wei Lin wasn’t afraid at all. He raised his eyebrows and said coldly, “Nonsense!”
Seeing Wei Lin openly slandering his general, Wang Xiaochun could no longer hold back. In an instant, he drew his sword and placed it against Wei Lin’s neck. “Are you blind? My general has risked his life for the Tang court, bearing countless scars. Yet you come here to spread rumors. If he really wanted to rebel, do you think your head would still be on your shoulders?”
Wei Lin sneered. “So, you’re upset because I’ve hit a sore spot? If you have no such intentions, why care what others say? I’m acting under imperial orders as the inspector of Jianghuai, responsible for monitoring the actions of all officials. General Li commands a large army and has even received imperial edicts—shouldn’t I be suspicious?”
Wei Lin refused to back down either. Seeing that the two had become enemies, he decided to spill everything.
What’s a mere inspector of Jianghuai troops? If he wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as squishing an ant!