Chapter 48: Conference

"Let's begin our emergency meeting.", That man spoke.

"General, read the letter.", Xin Suan turn his head to Yin Ling.

Yin Ling immediately lift the roll of paper that was sent by Xia Xiaoli's wife. He read it out loud,

Praise be to Lord Asura. I wrote this letter in hope the palace could help me to find my husband. Three days had passed but I received no news about him after his meeting with Chairman Ma. I pray the palace would lend their power to help a mere woman with two children like me.

The councillors start to chatter with each other in low voices, but one man with long black moustache didn't even open his mouth but threw side eyes to the man on the throne.

"Chairman Ma, pray tell, what was the purpose of your meeting with a nobleman until he left his house for days?", Xin Suan leaned his chin on his fist, "Was it because economical reason or... Something else?", He emphasized the end of his sentence.

"Your Majesty, I never had the intention to meet someone I barely knew.", The man with long black moustache bowed at Xin Suan.

Yin Ling frowned at him, secretly burnt by anger.

"Then, are you saying his wife is lying?"

"Perhaps she mistook the person Xia Xiaoli met as me, Your Majesty.", He lowered his head.

"Prevaricate is a crime, Chairman Ma. Those who dare to obstruct justice will receive the right sentence."

Chairman Ma sealed his lips tight but his eyes glared at Xin Suan.

"Your Majesty.", An old man stood beside Chairman Ma spoke, "Chairman Ma is a great man, he has no reason to waste his precious time with a mere businessman. Why don't we invite his wife into this conference? We will know whether what she wrote is true or false."

"Then, do you intend to force her to speak the truth?"

"If necessary, Your Majesty.", He grined.

Xin Suan smiled evilly at him.

"Your Majesty, the investigation has done. They have back to the palace.", Yin Ling speaks in a low voice.

"Bring them here."

Yin Ling sent a signal with telephaty spell. A group of 5 young men entered the room not long afterward. They brought a litter with a body on it, covered with white clean cloth. The stench immediately filling up the whole room as the chatter grew louder. The councillors covered their nose with their wide sleeves, except an old man with white beard and moustache, Xin Suan, and Yin Ling.

"Praise be to Lord Asura.", The young man kneeled at him, "Your Majesty, we have found him."

"What is this nonsense, Your Majesty!?", The man beside Chairman Ma yelled.

"This 'nonsense' is the someone Chairman Ma barely knew. Reveal him."

Those councillors instantly gasped in surprised when one of the investigator open the white cloth. It was Xia Xiaoli's dead body. His current state is definitely pathetic. Rotten, the jaw is broken, there are some slice wounds on the chest and stomach, and some part of the limbs have been eaten away by the wild beasts inside the forest. Some of them couldn't hide their disgustion and almost throw up.

"Not only him, Your Majesty, we found our own troops graveyard and some of commoner dead bodies. It appears those commoners are a group of bandits who slained our troops in order to stole food aids. It seems Xia Xiaoli who knew this tried to stop them and initiating a battle."

Chairman Ma widened his eyes. Battle between Xia Xiaoli and the bandits? How could the fact washed up and became twisted like that? Those words haunts his mind.

"There are two burnt campsites, arrows, and four explosion marks created on the ground. Alas, we failed to find the crates that carry food aids. It is possible that the bandits had sold them away."

What they meant was Xin Suan's powerful strikes, but Xin Suan played dumb.

"Explosion? What cause it?", Xin Suan raised his eyebrows.

"Still unknown. No magic spell are left on the scenes."

"Very well. Do you have the arrows with you right now?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The young man wrapped his hand with cloth and raised an arrow above his head, "This is the sample of the arrows that we found. This arrow contains deadly poison, but this poison isn't something in common. Better not to touch with bare hands."

The councillors are still drowning into their own conversations. Daring because of right, fear because of wrong. Some of them couldn't hide their frantic expression. Xin Suan smirked with full of pleasure.

"Oh my, poisonous arrow? Do you know whose territory those arrows from?"

"I know not, forgive me. From the design of the arrow, this resembles to no one. It seems the commoners were the one who created these."

"Ha. The commoners these days are surely become smarter.", His crimson eyes are aglow. His evil smile grows wider.

"Your Majesty.", Another member of the investigator stepped forward, "Based on observations, the deceased Master Xia Xiaoli murdered from ax attacks, but what makes it interesting is that the perpetrator also died at the same time. Apparently the deceased Master Xia Xiaoli succeed to caused a fatal strike on the perpetrator before his final breath."

"Hmm.", Xin Suan grined as he watch Chairman Ma who was bravely staring at Xin Suan without showing any fear or panic.

"Very well. I'm looking forward for your next reports. Keep investigate this case and do your research on those poisonous arrows until everything resolved. You may leave."

The group of young men have left the throne room along with Xia Xiaoli's dead body. The chatter inside the throne room is dimming down. All eyes are now stick on Xin Suan. The cold sweat are wetting the councillors skin yet Xin Suan thin lips keep widening with full of confidence.

"Your Majesty, if the commoners could develop such malice weapon, then they are new menace!", A councillor yelled.

"That's very true, Your Majesty! We as the imperial officials should act to stop those mere peasants impudence!", Another man yelled.

Yin Ling glanced at them without a blink. He is busy cursing every single person who stood down there except one man who keep his mouth silent, Chairman Zhou.

Firstly, Chairman Ma pretended like he never met the man who caused the palace a great loss. Secondly, they acted like they never knew what was that deadly poison was. Thirdly, they pointed their fingers to the innocent poor people. How far their slyness could go?

"Hmm.", Xin Suan hides his crimson gems behind his eyelids for a moment, "Those are just speculations. The investigators are still on the process of their research. We may not act too rush until we received their reports."

"But, Your Majesty, please reconsider! What if this weapon secretly being distributed among the peasants and they start rebellion!? It will only create a disadvantage for us!", An old man replied.

"Please reconsider, Your Majesty!", Another man yelled. He even kneeled on the ground.

"Hehehehe.", Xin Suan chuckles, "Then, what will you do? You still haven't know the mastermind yet, have you? How could you know which person is the real culprit?"

Xin Suan smiles faded away, "Or perhaps... The real culprit was one between you?"

"Your Majesty!"

Those councillors yelled at the same time.

"The law prohibits us all to touch the innocent ones with violence, councillors. Better than to act with harsh, we must wait for the result patiently. Do you understand me?"

"Your Majesty.", Everyone bowed at the same time.

"I will send his dead body back to his family. It is up to you for attending his funeral as one of the respectful noble or not. Now this meeting has done, you are all dismiss."

"Your Majesty.", All of the men lowered their heads.

The crowd of cunning pretas went out except one old man who they called as Chairman Zhou. The chatter followed the group that passes by a large courtyard near the biggest building in the palace. Once they went out from the palace gate and walked on the path in the forest, a councillor who is filled with disatisfaction decided to speak up his mind.

"Chairman Ma, how could your prediction wrong!? How are we able to gain Master Xia's attention now!?", An old man yelled.

Chairman Ma didn't even part his lips, he kept move his feet forward.

"You are being impolite, Councillor Luo! It is not Chairman Ma to blame if the result isn't as what we expected!", A man replied in a loud voice.

"Ha! You are two faced, Councillor Ge! Why don't you let your words falling out from your artful mouth!? Aren't you yourself disappointed as well!?"

"Two faced!? How dare you!? Do not ever think you are a better man than me, Councillor Luo! You are just a cruel man whose exiling your own heir to the eastern territory!"

"YOU!"

The other councillors who followed Chairman Ma from behind whispered to each other while witnessing the debate in front of them. It is clearly they are judging both of them in secrecy. The louder their battle become, the more Chairman Ma being annoyed. He stopped and turned his head to the noise behind his back.

"Excuse me, sirs.", A mature man patted their shoulders. He wore an eyeglasses and dressed in the same uniform as the other councillors.

"I must suggest you to cool your heads down and let Chairman Ma have his chance to speak.", He smiled warmly.

"Ah, isn't it the new Councillor Chen?", In an instant Councillor Ge forgot his battle.

"Councillor Luo.", Chairman Ma finally voiced, "You don't have to be worried. The result is as I expected."

"What!? As expected!?", Councillor Luo raised his eyebrows.

"I have told you, haven't I? There are two possibilities: first, Lord Xin Suan will exile whole Xia family from this territory, second, he will forgive them due to his lack of power in imperial. He stood no chance but to keep the very last person who is loyal to him, especially now that he knows we tried to oppose."

The councillors stunned for a while, waiting for Chairman Ma's thin bluish lips to continue his words.

"He never had the slightest intention to listen to us the royal advisors yet he chose to stretch his arm to mere peasants in hope he could make this world a better place for those who are penniless. Alas, what he did never came to fruition, in contrary it became a massive waste of time and money. We could not let someone far from wisdom like him to rule this world anymore."

"Even more,", Chairman Ma raised his palm to the direction of the palace, "He sealed himself in his personal manor and never use this so called palace. These large walls are nothing but an abandoned fortress. What could he expect from being indolent in his chamber?"

Those councillors talked to eacg other. Some of them nod their head, expressing their agreement towards Chairman Ma's statements.

"Then, what about master Xia Xiaojian?", Someone from the crowd replied.

"Fear not, gentlemen. We are actually not lacking of fund. This case I made is just to test how decent Lord Xin Suan could be as a king, also I made it as a warning of our rebellion. Yet the most important part is we learn something."

Chairman Ma grined, "He is nothing more but akin to a lifeless old doll who sat on the throne without doing anything worthy but coincidentally blessed with divine magical power. Fortunately, he is easy to deceive."

The young man Councillor Chen applaused, "Excellent, Chairman Ma. By following your words, we have nothing to be worried about."

Once again, the other councillor expressed their agreements by nodding their heads, showing smiles and clapping their hands.

"Still, it won't be easy to deal with someone who was almost win the war with gods all alone by himself. He could even rewrote the story of Xia Xiaoli and eradicated all of the evidences from the scenes. Not even a single trace of spell left behind after one huge battle, pretty neat I must say."

"Indeed.", Chairman Ma lifted his head up and look through the blue sky, "Gentlemen, at least until the ritual has done, we must remain quiet. However, we must collect Qiong as much as we can and produced the poison as much as possible before the Qiong pushed back to its original place. Go tell your warlocks to work harder."

"Yes sir!", The councillors lowered their heads.

Chairman Ma grined, "Once our preparation has done, let us begin the battle."