mtl008 Chapter 1460 Deep Scheme
Chapter 1460 Deep Scheme
She didn't talk about how she risked her life or how she single-handedly stood in front of a group of assassins; she simply said that she stopped them.
But Zhan Yan was a man who could see through the danger just now at a glance.
If his wife hadn't shielded him with her own body and risked her life to protect him, he probably would never have seen his daughter again when he returned with the herbs.
A surge of overwhelming rage exploded in his chest, almost shattering his reason.
Zhan Yan reached out and held his wife's trembling shoulders tightly. Heartache, fear, and anger were intertwined. His voice was as cold as ice: "It's my fault for coming back late, which put you and Miao'er in danger."
"This group of people, taking advantage of the epidemic to secretly kill, even dared to touch the daughter of my Marquis of Zhanyi's mansion, they are truly courting death!"
He looked out of the courtyard, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"I will definitely find out the truth about this blood debt and make them pay for it in blood."
After settling Zhan Miao and Lin Yiwan in, Zhan Yan personally summoned his trusted guards to surround the villa with layers upon layers of security, so that not even a fly could get in. Only then did he turn and leave the villa.
His gentle and composed demeanor had completely vanished, replaced by a chilling murderous aura honed from years in power and stained with blood.
Seeing Lin Yiwan's pale face and how she was struggling to stay upright while leaning against the door frame, Zhan Yan felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an iron hand.
A group of masked assassins broke into the Marquis's mansion in broad daylight, using the pretext of an epidemic to carry out kidnapping and murder.
This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was premeditated.
Zhan Yan's voice was cold and devoid of any warmth: "Prepare the horses, bring out all the secret guards. I need to know where those people came from, and I need to know where they landed at every step."
"Yes, my lord!"
The guards dared not delay, and in a short while, a magnificent black horse had stopped in front of the gate.
Zhan Yan mounted his horse, tightened the reins, and the horse's hooves pounded on the bluestone slabs with a dull, rapid sound as it headed straight for the direction in which the man in black had disappeared.
He did not pursue them blindly.
Having fought on the battlefield for many years, Zhan Yan's greatest skill is to uncover the enemy's weaknesses from the slightest clues.
The group was uniformly equipped, agile, and knew how to advance and retreat; they were definitely not江湖乱匪 (江湖乱匪 is a term referring to unruly bandits), nor were they assassins hired by ordinary enemies.
They acted methodically and retreated along a specific route, indicating that there must be a well-organized group behind them.
More importantly, their targets were frighteningly precise.
Zhan Miao's recuperating courtyard was extremely secluded. Unless one was close to her, no one would know that she was recuperating there, let alone that she was currently in a weak state, making it the perfect time to strike.
A cold glint flashed in Zhan Yan's eyes: "The target is Miao'er, not me, not the Marquis's mansion, but my daughter."
Then this feud is not an old grudge from the imperial court, but a personal grudge.
They chased the guards all the way to an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. The guards quickly surrounded the house and silently took care of the lookout outside.
As Zhan Yan pushed open the door, a strong smell of medicine mixed with a fishy odor wafted towards him.
In the courtyard, several men dressed in black were removing their masks and talking with serious expressions.
"If we fail today, how will we explain ourselves when we get back?"
"That Lady Hou is too difficult to deal with. She keeps referring to the Marquis of Zhanyi's mansion, so we don't dare to actually make a move."
"It's no use taking action. Zhan Yan could come back at any time, and we'll just get surrounded and killed."
“But our lord…we promised to use this plague to get rid of Zhan Miao.”
The last sentence, like an ice needle, pierced straight into Zhan Yan's ear.
Use this epidemic to get rid of Miao'er.
Zhan Yan paused, his aura suddenly becoming heavy, like dark clouds pressing down on a city.
He raised his hand, and the guards pounced on him like ghosts.
In the blink of an eye, all the men in black in the courtyard were subdued, forced to kneel on the ground, their weapons taken away, and they didn't even have time to cry for help.
Zhan Yan slowly walked up to the leader, looking down at him with a gaze so cold it could freeze someone to death.
"Who sent you?"
No one answered.
Zhan Yan wasn't angry. He simply said calmly, "If you don't talk, I'll let you all experience the methods of the Marquis's punishment hall. You're afraid of death, but you're even more afraid of living a life worse than death."
His tone was calm, yet it carried a chilling intimidation that sent shivers down one's spine.
No matter how tough these assassins were, they knew Zhan Yan's methods. If they really angered this marquis, even death would be a luxury.
The leader loosened his jaw and his voice trembled: "Our lord sent us."
"Who is your master?"
"Your subordinate does not know your real name, only your code name."
Zhan Yan sneered: "Don't know? Then you must know why you used the plague as an excuse to kill my daughter Zhan Miao, right?"
Upon hearing this, the faces of several people turned pale simultaneously.
The secret has been exposed.
Zhan Yan squatted down, his voice extremely low, uttering each word slowly and deliberately: "This epidemic is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one, isn't it?"
The man in black trembled and dared not look up.
"answer me."
"Yes." The leader finally broke down and admitted in a hoarse voice, "This plague was deliberately spread by our lord."
boom!
Even though Zhan Yan had been through many storms, at this moment he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
The epidemic had been spreading for many days, causing panic in the village. Many people died in the streets, and every household stayed indoors, afraid to go out. Doctors were helpless, and the government was in a state of utter distress.
Everyone thought it was a natural disaster or epidemic.
Who would have thought!
This is a conspiracy orchestrated by a human.
Zhan Yan's voice suppressed boundless rage: "Why? What exactly do you want to do by going to such great lengths to spread the plague?"
The man in black swallowed hard and uttered the name that terrified him in a trembling voice: "For, for avenging Miss Su Ningshuang."
Su Ningshuang.
Upon hearing these three words, Zhan Yan's eyes narrowed sharply.
How could he possibly forget this woman?
A former female bandit, she is cunning, ruthless, and obsessed with Lu Jingheng to the point of madness. She repeatedly plots to frame his daughter Zhan Miao, sowing discord, framing others, poisoning, and kidnapping people, using every means possible.
If Su Ningshuang hadn't relentlessly pressed them, Miao'er and Lu Jingheng wouldn't have experienced so many life-and-death misunderstandings and heart-wrenching twists and turns.
Later, when the truth came out, Su Ningshuang suffered the consequences of her actions and met a tragic end.
At the time, everyone thought that the matter was over.
No one expected that someone would still hold this grudge against Zhan Miao, even going so far as to use the lives of an entire village as a bargaining chip for revenge.
"Is Su Ningshuang one of your people?" Zhan Yan asked in a deep voice.
The man in black nodded: "Yes, Miss Su is someone our master values. She was infatuated with General Lu all her life and only wanted a title, but in the end, she was driven to a dead end by Miss Zhan Miao and ended up like that."
"His Majesty feels sorry for Miss Su, but hates Miss Zhan Miao for cutting off her path and ruining her life."
"Therefore, the Lord has decided to use a great plague to avenge Miss Su."
Zhan Yan's chest heaved violently, his anger almost bursting out of his chest.
What a cruel heart.
What a vicious scheme.
The spread of disease threw the village into chaos, causing widespread panic and trapping everyone inside, unable to leave.
Then, under the guise of investigating the epidemic, they legitimately broke into the courtyard, took Zhan Miao away as an epidemic patient, and directly announced to the outside world that he had died.
It goes unnoticed by gods and ghosts.
They got their revenge without immediately getting themselves into trouble.
Kill two birds with one stone.