nashuaworldcup Chapter 241 Assassination of Zhang Liang 3
Chapter 241 Assassination of Zhang Liang 3
Immediately afterwards, Liu Sheng turned his gaze to Liu Hai and said in a serious tone, "Liu Hai, lead a group of people to investigate the origin of that carriage and find out who it belongs to!"
Liu Hai, equally unwilling to be negligent, quickly bowed and replied, "Yes, sir, please rest assured!" After saying this, the two of them took their orders and left, leading their men to quickly begin their operation.
Before long, the group quickly dispersed in all directions, leaving only Liu Sheng and a few guards behind. Liu Sheng frowned, and after a moment's thought, he turned and hurriedly returned to the post station. As soon as he entered the room, he sat down at the table, resting his chin on his hand, lost in deep thought.
At this moment, Liu Sheng was filled with anxiety and doubt, because Zhang Liang had actually disappeared right under their noses! So, where could this cunning fellow have escaped to? The carriage they had been following had also vanished without a trace. Finding him in such a vast city as Huaiyang was like looking for a needle in a haystack!
However, just as Liu Sheng was racking his brains, an idea suddenly flashed into his mind—if they intended to leave the city, could they send men to guard all the city gates? If they could block the exits, perhaps they could capture Zhang Liang and the others. With this thought in mind, Liu Sheng abruptly stood up and decided to immediately visit the prefect of Huaiyang to seek his assistance.
Before long, Liu Sheng arrived at the gate of the prefectural governor's residence. After announcing his arrival, he was quickly led into the governor's study. The governor of Huaiyang was tall and imposing, with an air of shrewdness and competence about him. Liu Sheng dared not be negligent and hurriedly stepped forward, bowing respectfully, saying, "Your Excellency, I am Liu Sheng, a guard under Princess Jiayang. I was recently ordered by Princess Jiayang to come to Huaiyang to capture the assassin Zhang Liang. However, things went wrong along the way, and Zhang Liang was taken away by someone else. In my opinion, there are probably accomplices of Zhang Liang in Huaiyang County. Therefore, I have come to earnestly request Your Excellency's cooperation in capturing Zhang Liang and his associates."
Upon hearing Liu Sheng's words, the Prefect of Huaiyang's face instantly darkened, inwardly cursing, "You useless lot! You can't even catch a single person!" However, on the surface, he feigned righteous indignation and loudly proclaimed, "Such a heinous act has occurred! It's utterly outrageous! Rest assured, I will dispatch men to thoroughly search every household and bring Zhang Liang and his accomplices to justice!"
Liu Sheng stared intently at the Prefect of Huaiyang, silently assessing his character. After some observation, he concluded that the Prefect seemed to be an upright man. Therefore, he spoke with a grave expression: "Prefect, in my opinion, besides strengthening patrols throughout the city, we must not neglect the crucial position of the city gate! We must dispatch capable men to thoroughly investigate all passersby. Because, according to my deduction, the fugitive Zhang Liang is highly likely to attempt to escape Huaiyang from here."
The Prefect of Huaiyang nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Liu Sheng's words, and replied, "Yes, Lord Liu's suggestion is excellent and makes perfect sense." Then, the two began to have an in-depth and detailed discussion on how to capture Zhang Liang and his accomplices in one fell swoop.
Liu Sheng looked intently at the prefect and solemnly made a suggestion: "Your Excellency, I believe we should paint a portrait of Zhang Liang and post it throughout the city. Anyone who discovers and reports it should be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver!"
Upon hearing this, the prefect pondered for a moment, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. He nodded and said, "Hmm, this plan is excellent! In this way, the thief will surely have nowhere to hide." After saying this, the prefect immediately summoned the most skilled painter in the city.
Before long, the painter had meticulously created a lifelike portrait of Zhang Liang based on everyone's descriptions of his appearance. In the painting, Zhang Liang had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding a heroic spirit, but his eyes also revealed a hint of cunning and unease.
Liu Sheng stared at the portrait, and the princess's earnest instructions before her departure suddenly flashed through his mind. His expression darkened, and he said to the prefect, "Your Excellency, as far as I know, Zhang Liang has a rather effeminate appearance, leaning towards a feminine look. Moreover, I speculate that he is very likely to have disguised himself as a woman during his escape to evade capture. Therefore, when ordering a search, you must not be careless and must pay close attention to this matter!"
Upon hearing Liu Sheng's words, the prefect was greatly surprised and asked with a face full of suspicion, "Is this really true? How could Zhang Liang, a man of seven feet tall, do such a thing?"
Liu Sheng frowned and replied solemnly, "Your Excellency, this matter is of utmost importance and is no joke. If Zhang Liang manages to escape, I will surely atone with my death. And Your Excellency, you will likely also be implicated. Therefore, I urge Your Excellency to exert all your efforts, leaving no stone unturned, and to bring Zhang Liang and his accomplices to justice!"
The prefect cursed inwardly, "That Liu Sheng, he's utterly inhuman! How dare he dump such a thorny matter on me!" However, on the surface, he remained calm and readily agreed, "Lord Liu, please rest assured, I will do my utmost and will not fail the court's trust. I will certainly capture that traitor Zhang Liang and all his cronies!" Seeing the prefect's earnest words and resolute attitude, Liu Sheng nodded slightly, indicating his agreement and satisfaction.
The prefect of Huaiyang summoned his men and immediately ordered them to post Zhang Liang's portrait on all the notice boards in the city, and offered a large reward for clues about Zhang Liang's whereabouts.
After all the arrangements were made, Liu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, then turned and bowed to the prefect in farewell before returning to the post station with light steps. A short while later, just as he stepped through the post station gate, Zhao Jun and Liu Hai followed closely behind.
Zhao Jun, being impatient, rushed to report before even settling in: "My lord, something strange happened today. For some reason, Zhang Liang was summoned away alone by his teacher. I sent someone to question the teacher, but he was very tight-lipped, only saying that he was advising Zhang Liang to study the classics diligently, without revealing any other important information. Furthermore, during this time, Zhang Liang did not have any contact or communication with anyone else."
Liu Sheng sat quietly in his chair, listening intently to Zhao Jun's detailed and well-organized report. As Zhao Jun's explanation deepened, Liu Sheng began to ponder Zhang Liang's life and experiences.
Zhang Liang was born into a prominent family in the state of Han. His given name was Zhang Liang, and his courtesy name was Zifang. From a young age, he was physically weak and often plagued by illness, but fate seemed to be fair, bestowing upon him a handsome appearance. His family background was exceptionally illustrious; his grandfather, Zhang Kaidi, served as prime minister for three consecutive Han emperors, holding a high position and great power; and his father, Zhang Ping, inherited this honor, serving as prime minister for two Han emperors.