Dali Temple has his Lord Luo

Chapter 45 The world is unpredictable
Luo Ning checked the body again and pressed the precordium area. It was extremely hard. Then the lower limbs were stiff. The skin was dark and pale, and the color was darker near the toes:
"It's really poisonous!"

Dong Mingfeng nodded: "You're right, and it's a poison we don't commonly see. I've tried several methods, but I can't confirm what kind of poison it is."

"Master Qin and I found this in Bai Di's room."

After speaking, Luo Ning handed over what he found.

Dong Yuzuo and Song Qingsong opened it and said in unison:

"Is it a bug?"

"Yes, there is a whistle in Duobai's package. The inn clerk and the guests have heard the whistle. Combined with the condition of Duobai's body, there is reason to believe that Duobai died at the hands of Nanzhao people." Luoning said.

"Who do you suspect?" Dong Mingfeng asked.

"Do you remember that Bai Di looked a little panicked when he took out the reed?" Song Qingsong said to several people, "I suspect it was him."

"The guests staying at the inn also found that Duobai and Zhang Yuan are not compatible, and Zhang Yuan cannot be ruled out." Qin Zhao covered his mouth with a cloth strip and said vaguely.

"The envoy is at the official residence now. Lord Qin and I will be there soon."

After Luo Ning finished speaking, he was about to leave when he suddenly saw two neat black spots on Duobai's ankles.

She pointed and asked, "What is this?"

Qin Zhao and Dong Yuzuo approached and saw that there were two wounds the size of rice grains.

Dong Wuzuo lowered his head and looked at it carefully: "It looks like bite marks!"

Several people looked at each other.

Luo Ning said, "Gu worm?"

All the evidence and the current state of the corpse point to Bai Di and Zhang Yuan. It seems that it is time to meet them.

When Luo Ning and Qin Zhao arrived at the official residence, it was already dusk. The day passed in a flash, and now the clues to the case were beginning to appear. Luo Ning felt very relaxed.

After all, after Zhao Guo's suspicion has been cleared, the rest is Nanzhao's own business.

Bai Di and Zhang Yuan were both in the room. When they heard that Luo Ning and Qin Zhao were coming, they expected that there was progress in the case.

Qin Zhao went straight to the point and opened the things he found in Bai Di's room. Bai Di's face turned pale instantly.

"I want to ask Envoy Bai, what is this?" Qin Zhao was not polite.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yuan took the initiative to speak: "Two adults, please take a step to speak."

"No need!" Bai Di stopped Zhang Yuan and motioned Qin Zhao and Luo Ning to sit down.

"Master Bai." Zhang Yuan looked confused.

Bai Di waved his hand: "That's it for now. You two adults, please listen to my detailed explanation."

Seeing Bai Di's expression, Qin Zhao and Luo Ning hesitated to speak, Zhang Yuan turned around and closed the door of the room tightly, and the four of them sat down facing each other.

Bai Di picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea:

"Thank you so much, General. Do you two adults understand this?"

Qin Zhao and Luo Ning shook their heads.

Bai Di smiled bitterly: "I am a civil servant in Nanzhao, and I am a general in military service. It stands to reason that each of us should perform his own duties and complement each other, but this is not the case."

Zhang Yuanhua and Bai Di spoke, and then took over: "I have been in the army with General Duobai for more than ten years. I have always been a deputy general, and I know more about the general."

Listening to Bai Di and Zhang Yuan's words, I remembered Xu Shangshu's evaluation of the Nanzhao envoy and his party.

Luo Ning asked: "Is there any dispute between you and General Duobei?"

Zhang Yuan nodded:

"General Duo Bai is a suspicious and arrogant person. Five years ago, he was just an ordinary sergeant in the Nanzhao Army. Among the princes... I think the two adults also know... Duo Bai chose to support him. He was still a prince at that time and is our current King of Nanzhao. "

In the battle to seize the throne, the princes competed for military power and competed to be the best. The courtiers were also planning for their future, holding on to the right thighs and holding on to everyone's glory and wealth for the rest of their lives.

Bai Di continued:
"The battle with Zhao State was very fierce, and Duobai also made great contributions, especially the battle at Ma Guipo, which reversed Nanzhao's unfavorable situation at that time."

Luo Ning's heart sank: It's Maguipo again, this is the second time I've heard this name today.

"It was precisely because of this battle that the Zhao State suffered heavy losses and retreated a hundred miles. At that time, the late Emperor was seriously ill, so he sent word to our King Nanzhao..." Bai Di sighed.

"Doubai was the commander-in-chief at that time? But I heard that only Ma Guipo won the battle against Nanzhao, and he was defeated by our country in other battles?" Qin Zhao asked.

Zhang Yuan nodded:

"It's true. I was the deputy general at the time. I knew that during the Battle of Ma Guipo, General Duobei and King Nanzhao actually... obtained the Zhao Guojun's troop deployment plan..."

What?Bingtu?
Luo Ning and Qin Zhao looked at each other, what does this mean?There are spies in the Zhao State who are collaborating with the enemy, or Nanzhao sent people to infiltrate the top brass of the Zhao State Army!

The second one is impossible, what about the first one?
Someone collaborates with the enemy?

Both of them gasped.

"Could Ambassador Zhang please elaborate?" Luo Ning asked.

Zhang Yuan sneered: "I really don't know the truth."

Bai Di said:
"This battle also established the importance of Duobai in the heart of our king. Even if we later lose to Zhao and our army surrenders, after our king ascends the throne, Duobai will still be the general who protects our country in Nanzhao."

Qin Zhao nodded: "What kind of grievances do you have with General Duobai?"

Bai Di smiled bitterly: "I didn't provoke him, it was him who always wanted to get rid of me!"

Luo Ning looked at the bugs in the paper bag in surprise.

"Yes." Zhang Yuan saw Luo Ning's confusion: "It's not that we want to kill General Duo, it's General Duo who wants to kill Lord Bai."

what?
Bai Di nodded: "To be honest, it's true. As for why paying more tribute to the general will lead to misfortune, I'm also very surprised."

This rhetoric was something Luoning and Qin Zhao never expected.

Bai Di said: "After our king ascended the throne, many generals became arrogant. They relied on their military achievements to participate in government affairs in the court. Even my king had many slight remarks."

"General Duo is suspicious and reckless by nature. He has always treated us soldiers very casually. As long as he doesn't like it, he will fight or kill."

Zhang Yuan thought about it and told the truth: "So, we have always held grudges against General Duo."

"What happened during this trip? Why did Duobai want to kill you?" Luo Ning felt that the case had gone off track, so she asked Bai Di.

Bai Di poured another cup of tea for Qin Zhao and Luo Ning and said slowly:

"Before the trip, Duobai made several suggestions on border security. I objected. Moreover, since my king ascended the throne, Duobai and I have always had political disagreements. Along the way, he has made several moves. Thanks to Zhang Yuan, he helped me risk."

Zhang Yuan nodded and pointed at the insect:

"This Gu insect was indeed brought from Nanzhao by Duobai, but after the insect left Nanzhao, it was not adapted to the climate and the soil and has been inactive."

Seeing that both Qin Zhao and Luo Ning were very surprised, Zhang Yuan explained:

"We Nanzhao people are good at Gu, but not everyone is proficient in it. Before Duobei's visit, I didn't know where to get the Gu. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to preserve it. The Gu was already dying after entering Zhao Kingdom."

"In other words, Duobei wanted to use this poison to harm Bai Envoy, but he failed? How did you find out?" Qin Zhao was puzzled.

"It's a long story. General Duo has always thought that Master Bai can be defeated by force. However, he has neglected to practice martial arts over the years, and his martial arts skills are already inferior to mine. During our journey, General Duo made two attempts, but I secretly defeated him both times." Zhang Yuan said:

"Moreover, General Duo was arrogant. He always thought that I was obeying his orders. He gave the Gu insects to me on the night of his death and asked me to put them in Lord Bai's food."

Bai Di said: "I didn't expect you would discover this voodoo. After Deputy General Zhang got the voodoo back, I thought about confronting Duobai the next day, but I didn't expect that he was already dead."

Bai Di continued: "I found out that Duobai was dead this morning. The Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion came to watch us move to this official residence. I was in a hurry and found that the Gu insect was dead, so I had to wrap the insect in paper and throw it away in a hurry. .”

It's reasonable to hear this, but Duobai confirmed that he died of poison, should he believe it?
Seeing Luo Ning's hesitation, Bai Di said again:

"Master Luo, now that the matter has come to this, there is no need for us to hide it. General Duo was indeed not killed by us."

Zhang Yuan said:
"In other words, even if we want to kill many generals, there is no need to stir up trouble between the two countries after leaving Anyang City. We are here to talk together this time, and our attitude is sincere."

This is true.

"Do you know what General Duo is doing with his whistle?"

Luo Ning asked.

"Gu insects are controlled by commands. In Nanzhao, we rely on various sounds to control them. General Duo's Gu insects must be controlled by whistles, but because he is not proficient in it, the Gu insects will die." Zhang Yuan said.

"Did you often hear whistles after you checked into the inn?" Qin Zhao asked.

"Although General Duo is carrying Gu insects, we have not seen him use a whistle. However, we have heard whistles, and we don't know if it is him." Zhang Yuan replied.

"How does this Gu insect live?"

Luo Ning suddenly remembered the milk-like liquid he found by the window this morning.

"I didn't find anything special that General Duo used along the way. It should just be ordinary food." Zhang Yuan said.

"Does General Duo drink milk?"

Bai Di and Zhang Yuan both shook their heads: "We Nanzhao people don't drink milk!"

Luo Ning was surprised. The liquid in the window was undoubtedly milk, and it had not dried up yet. Where did it come from?
The case went full circle and came back again. If Bai Di and Zhang Yuan didn't kill Duo Bai, who was he?How did he die?

Luo Ning and Qin Zhao walked out of the mansion and looked at each other.

Qin Zhao asked: "Master Luo, do you believe them?"

Luo Ning nodded:
"According to Zhang Yuan, there is really no need to kill Duo Bai in Anyang City. If Zhang Yuan and Bai Di unite, there are many ways to kill Duo Bai along the way. There is no need to be so Zhang Yang."

"I didn't expect to worship more, not to harm others, but to kill myself." Qin Zhao sighed.

"It's just that I'm curious. Who leaked the news about the battle at Ma Guipo? According to Xu Shangshu, our army suffered heavy losses. Why has there been no news at all in the past two years?" Luo Ning looked at Qin Zhao and asked.

Qin Zhao shook his head: "Why don't we go to the Ministry of War and ask? Mr. Hu, the current Minister of the Ministry of War, has a good relationship with me. He also went to fight against Nanzhao."

The two of them left as soon as they could. When they arrived at the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of War, it happened that Hu released his office and returned to the manor.

After the three people exchanged pleasantries, Qin Zhao explained his intention.

Unexpectedly, when Hu Shi heard this, he felt as if he was facing a formidable enemy: "Master Qin, it's okay not to mention the past. The battle at Nanzhao involved old affairs from the previous dynasty. I don't know the details, and... I don't dare to discuss it in vain!"

Luo Ning thought of what Xu Shangshu said today: In the battle at Ma Guipo, King Mu was the coach, Zhao Xuan's seventh uncle, and the emperor's younger brother. Could it be that all this has something to do with him?
(End of this chapter)