Pei Shaoqing didn't start his return journey until the next morning.
News that King Shu had been executed for treason had already spread throughout Jin Guan City, but conspiracy theories were rampant.
"King Shu offends Lord Pingyang one moment, and the next he's accused of treason and killed by Lord Pingyang's men. There's no way I'll believe there isn't more to the story."
"Yeah, yeah, I heard that back at Furong Pavilion, Lord Pingyang accused King Shu of plotting treason then and there. And now King Shu really has been executed for treason. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a coincidence. A real coincidence, indeed!"
Early in the morning, a group of old men at a noodle stall were chattering amongst themselves in low voices, speaking as if they were privy to some secret knowledge.
