My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

"How is the situation?"

Clad in a brown robe with fine silk armor underneath, black boots, a sword at the waist, and a round soft cap on his head—this was the uniform worn by the Chief Overseer of the West Factory when personally handling cases. Wu Qingsheng stood amidst a group of constables, inquiring about the situation inside Jinya Pavilion.

Captain Zeng stepped forward, clasped his fists, and reported, "Overseer, the situation inside is mostly clear now, but the turmoil remains unresolved. We have not yet advanced deep into the pavilion. Most of Jinya Pavilion's tributaries have surrendered without a fight, but a few are still putting up stubborn resistance."

After some deliberation, Wu Qingsheng asked, "Where is Jinya Pavilion's Pavilion Master Li Jisheng?"

Captain Zeng replied, "No sign of him for the time being. It's likely that Li Jisheng is trying to aid the escape of traitors and rebels, deliberately provoking chaos."

Wu Qingsheng scoffed coldly, "How audacious!"

According to the laws of Great Yu, during an Imperial Guard raid, all citizens of Great Yu are obligated to cooperate. Failure to comply renders one guilty, whether or not a crime was committed, with penalties escalated for greater offenses.

If Li Jisheng were present, with his smooth nature, he would certainly walk straight up to Wu Qingsheng, raise his hands, and surrender immediately.

Ultimately, Wuyong Building's collaboration with the Prince of Annan wasn't even formalized, far from being an act of rebellion or defiance against the court. All Wuyong Building needed to do was betray the latter directly, amputate an arm themselves metaphorically, relinquish substantial assets, and leverage the network they had accumulated—scholars in the capital would naturally defend their case.

This was precisely why Xique Pavilion sought to hide Li Jisheng and intentionally stir up chaos within Jinya Pavilion.

With the tributaries in Jinya Pavilion headless and leaderless, the sudden investigation from the two Factories and one Guard naturally incited resistance. Accordingly, charges of assaulting government officers were substantiated—this was the first point. Secondly, the disruption was pinned onto Jinya Pavilion; why would Jinya Pavilion instigate chaos unless it was aiding traitors and rebels in their escape?

What's that? Li Jisheng claims there's another intrigue at play?

What intrigue?

Could it be possible that someone in the palace intentionally framed him?

The Heavenly Family is so wise, so impartial, and the Empress Dowager is the honored mother of the realm—how could such vile tricks be employed? If that is the accusation, Li Jisheng is guilty of criticizing the Imperial Court, intending to slander the Heavenly Family, and undermining Great Yu's enlightened rule.

A further investigation...

Oh, so it turns out the Chen Family of Western Jin is behind this—well, that explains it.

If one could gain a panoramic view and grasp the entirety of the situation, anyone could deduce the truth. But the issue is that no one can see everything; all anyone sees is what's right before them.

Li Jisheng is no exception, and neither is Wu Qingsheng.

Xique Pavilion refrained from informing the two Factories and one Guard about the Prince of Annan's whereabouts beforehand, not solely due to matters of timing but also because the Prince of Annan, as a regional Vassal King, remained a politically sensitive figure. Everyone understood his intent to rebel, yet no concrete act of rebellion had materialized.

Thus, once the two Factories and one Guard learned he was a Vassal King, some would inevitably hesitate, fearing to later be scapegoated should court politics shift, not to mention the Prince of Annan's army still stationed sixty miles away.

As long as the palace didn't explicitly declare that the person in Jinya Pavilion was the Vassal King and merely labeled him a traitor and rebel, even if the Prince of Annan stepped forward to claim his identity, without mutual confirmation it would be unsubstantiated.

For Wu Qingsheng and the forces of the two Factories and one Guard, this was the state of affairs: knowing only that there were traitors and rebels in Jinya Pavilion, where deliberate chaos and hostile resistance sought to enable their escape.

"Report, Min Qianhu has arrived."

The voice of a constable reached Wu Qingsheng's ears. He looked up to see Min Ning approaching slowly, escorting a woman.

Sword on his back, blade at his waist, his hair crown soaring as though reaching the clouds—in recent days, Min Qianhu seemed especially spirited and gallant.

At this moment, Min Qianhu clasped his fists toward Wu Qingsheng and nudged the woman forward.

"Who is this?" Wu Qingsheng asked, puzzled.

Min Ning responded steadily, "A cultist from the demonic sects. It's likely they're the traitors and rebels the palace wants us to apprehend."

Wu Qingsheng nodded slightly, saying, "I see. Perhaps there's a key figure of the demonic sects here."

Min Ning handed over the ropes binding the demonic sect practitioner and turned away, saying, "Overseer Wu, interrogate this cultist carefully. I'll proceed with my task."

After Min Ning gradually disappeared from sight, Wu Qingsheng prepared to take the demonic sect practitioner away for questioning.

But suddenly, the woman exclaimed, "Overseer, Overseer! I am Ma Que, Xique Pavilion's Ma Que!"

Wu Qingsheng halted his steps, furrowing his brows and gazing in perplexity.

"Someone from Xique Pavilion? Ma Que?"

Yet, if she were truly from Xique Pavilion, how had Min Ning captured her, and why did Min Ning claim she was a cultist from the demonic sects?

The constables and captains around Wu Qingsheng widened their eyes, exchanging bewildered glances. The woman's sudden claim of being Ma Que left them uncertain—was it a desperate lie from a demonic sect cultist facing death, or was she genuine?

The West Factory Overseer pondered briefly, then asked:

"What proof do you have?"

"I can prove it. Look, this gesture—you should recognize it." The woman, who claimed to be Ma Que, lifted her hands, her fingers interlocked to form a gesture.

Captain Zeng stepped forward and scrutinized closely, muttering:

"It does bear some resemblance to Xique Pavilion's hand gesture."

Hearing this, Wu Qingsheng's furrowed brows deepened with greater skepticism.

If this woman truly belonged to Xique Pavilion, could it be… Min Ning was deceiving them?

Wasn't Min Qianhu's reputation one of staunch loyalty and unyielding righteousness? Why would this happen?

It wasn't only Wu Qingsheng who instinctively doubted—others among the constables and captains were similarly puzzled.

Among their peers, given Min Qianhu's usual conduct, it was hard to believe such accusations. To put it bluntly, if Min Ning were truly colluding with the demonic sect, why would so many people ostracize him?