Jiang Wang certainly wouldn’t doubt Zhongxuan Sheng’s judgment. He just hesitated for a moment: "How did you know he would do that?"

"Some intelligence, someone placed next to him early on." Zhongxuan Sheng tapped his forehead: "And using this to think."

Jiang Wang said: "It seems I really underestimated Bao Zhongqing." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"You’re not the only one who underestimated Bao Zhongqing, are you?" Zhongxuan Sheng sighed: "He and I share the same fate, not favored in childhood, but I’ve always felt that one day when I take charge of Heavy Mystery, he would be my rival. That’s why I bought off people around him early on. Over the years, I thought I understood him well, always feeling he had enough cunning but lacked courage. Until during the War of Xia...he took me by surprise."

"I haven’t obtained conclusive evidence this time, but it’s not excessive to speculate with the greatest malice for someone like Bao Zhongqing. You’re overwhelmed now, and I’m busy with affairs, having no time to slowly counter him, so I simply told him to get lost. With his scheming, he would just smile and bear it, not entangle further."

Jiang Wang merely said: "Although Bao Zhongqing simply wants to use me, what if Lin Youxie’s matter is truly related to the current Queen?"

Zhongxuan Sheng pressed his forehead, feeling truly troubled.

He knew Jiang Wang too well. This guy isn’t actually foolish, and not wholly unguarded against Bao Zhongqing, but due to some inexplicable persistence, he still stepped into the trap. He believes this guy has even prepared in his mind for some terrible outcome...

Otherwise, why in this matter, neither contacting him nor Li Longchuan or Yan Fu, but accepting Bao Zhongqing’s help?

Before that most terrible result, he feared implicating himself yet was willing to go down the path with Bao Zhongqing to the end!

Zhongxuan Sheng took a deep breath, feeling some emotion yet some frustration: "It’s not that lady who did it, you have a bias against her, and you’re also underestimating the intelligence of the mother of the nation!"

The newly appointed Marquis of Bowang’s tone was very certain: "The Son of Heaven’s statement ’One must not take a national scholar lightly’ has already indicated the attitude. Even if the Queen hated Lin Kuang to the point of intolerance, she wouldn’t openly defy the Son of Heaven’s will. Ask yourself, is dealing with Lin Youxie necessary for her? Does it bring any benefit, even the slightest, to the Crown Prince’s status in the Eastern Palace? At such a critical time with the heir apparent, she would not stir up trouble!"

"I do find it hard to forget the things she’s done." Jiang Wang paused and asked, "But if it’s not that lady... Lin Youxie was fine and had no other grudges, who would deal with her?"

"Firstly, she’s only missing, might not be dead. Secondly, even if dead, it wouldn’t be a vengeance killing."

Her father’s enmities, along with the four major Green Badge Aristocracies, have long vanished into smoke. After Li Youjue was skinned alive, everyone wished to sever ties cleanly with the four major Green Badge Aristocracies, except you, who would want this trouble? Her web of connections is actually rather clear, visible at a glance."

Zhongxuan Sheng calmly said: "Within the forces connected with Lin Youxie...the Queen and the Crown Prince certainly don’t have issues. This matter also should have no relation to the Tian family, lacking both benefits and emotional drive."

At this point, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow: "But the Tian family has a Tian Anping. What he would do is indeed unpredictable."

Tian Anping is too crazy, doing things too independently, making it impossible to speculate based on benefits or emotional logic.

Jiang Wang recalled the intelligence confirmed from Tian Chang at the time—

Wu Lie was killed by Tian Anping himself, then thrown into the sea, deliberately leaving some clues.

At the time, he also asked Tian Chang the purpose of Tian Anping’s actions.

Tian Chang’s reply was—"Do you think if Tian Anping’s actions could be deduced logically, would he still be so crazy?"

Whether within or outside the Tian family, no one could discern Tian Anping’s thoughts.

Precisely because he is such a mad person, even as smart as Zhongxuan Sheng, he couldn’t know whether to rule him out.

Jiang Wang said: "Actually, in the Secret Realm of the Seven-star Tower once, I had an unexpected harvest. In the Hidden Star World, I stumbled upon Tian Anping’s plan and won that flower of extended life. During which I engaged with a Tian family member named Tian Chang..."

Right now, he told Zhongxuan Sheng the story of his interactions with Tian Chang and Tian He in the Hidden Star World.

Emphasizing the later news he obtained from Tian Chang, namely Tian Anping’s personal murder of Wu Lie.

Zhongxuan Sheng paused in thought, then spoke up: "That was indeed a good move from Tian Chang, you got lucky to gain such an opportunity in the Seven Stars Secret Realm. Unless absolutely necessary in the future, don’t contact him anymore, such a chess piece should only be used for decisive moments."

"You have thoughts about Tian Anping?" Jiang Wang asked.

The phrase "decisive moments" made him somewhat sensitive.

Zhongxuan Sheng shook his head: "As long as he doesn’t go mad on us, what’s the need for thoughts about him... No."

He suddenly decisively said: "It’s not Tian Anping."

Jiang Wang asked: "Why do you say that?"

"He threw Wu Lie’s corpse into the sea as proof." Zhongxuan Sheng mumbled: "That itself is a declaration, through Wu Lie’s corpse telling anyone who sees the clues that he is the murderer. The matters the Tian family did in the Concubine Lei case, he’s responsible for them all. He waits for people seeking revenge to come, he awaits an exciting revenge!"