Analysis of Dean Hua

"Alright, next, let's talk about today's explosion on Chang'an Street." After Mo Qingkuang finished expressing his gratitude, the Empress spoke in a detached tone. 

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the explosion on Chang'an Street today was mainly caused by death warriors. The entire force of the guards in the capital was mobilized to apprehend them, and none escaped, but also none sought to survive; they all chose to end their own lives." Zheng Tao respectfully reported, bowing. 

"Death warriors?" A faint surprise could be heard from behind the curtain. "Who has the ability to cultivate so many death warriors in the capital?" 

"Your Majesty, many noble households in the capital have private guards, some of which may have also harbored death warriors to some extent. This makes it difficult to investigate," answered Hua Ge. 

"The attackers this time numbered around fifty. Among the noble families in the capital capable of harboring more than fifty death warriors, the scope narrows significantly," Zheng Tao shook his head. "If we filter out the families with conflicting interests in this year's imperial examination, it comes down to just a few." 

"Oh? Dean Zheng must have already identified some suspects?" 

"Yes, Your Majesty. According to my investigation, among the families in the capital capable of harboring over fifty death warriors, not one is without significant power. Including our three, there are a total of eleven households," Zheng Tao nodded. 

"If we narrow it down to families with some involvement in the imperial examination, there are only two." 

"Which two?" 

"The Li family. Li Zheng's only son, Li Ang, is exceptionally talented and should have ranked in the top three. However, he was defeated by Lin Yang of the Yuan Sword Sect and was severely injured, almost to the point of death," Zheng Tao replied. 

"The Li family?" The Empress's voice remained calm, but they could sense some doubt in it. 

"Yes, the Li family has been loyal to our Tianxuan dynasty for generations. However, they suffered great humiliation in this martial examination, with their heir almost losing his life." 

"The Yuan Sword Sect is powerful, and the Li family cannot challenge them. Therefore, it is not inconceivable that the Li family harbours resentment and seeks to provoke further conflict between our Tianxuan and the Yuan Sword Sect, in order to seek revenge." 

"Think about it, when we first learned of the attack on Chang'an Street, our first reaction would be to suspect that the Yuan Sword Sect, enraged by a failed plan, sought revenge, or intended to suppress the new generation of talent in Tianxuan," Zheng Tao's analysis was logical and profound, making it hard not to believe at least partly. 

"Indeed, what Dean Zheng says makes some sense," Hua Ge nodded, then continued, "However, according to Dean Zheng's analysis, I believe I can now confirm the other suspected family. It is the Wang family!" 

"The Wang family? The one with Wang Hua?" Fu Qing asked in surprise. 

Although he had learned that Mo Qingkuang suspected Wang Hua for reasons that made Hua Ge and Zheng Tao somewhat doubtful, investigations were already underway. 

Dean Hua smiled confidently and said, "I have had close dealings with Wang Hua. While I may not know his true face, I have some understanding of his character." 

"You may not know, but the attack on Chang'an Street this time resulted in Mo Qingkuang leading away the top three in martial arts, and on their way back, they were attacked again. Furthermore, the three in the literary examination were also caught up in the chaos, and Wang Yu even had a leg blown off." 

"Wang Hua is cautious and meticulous in his actions. If he were a traitor to the empire, this calculated act of sacrificing his own grandson could absolve suspicion from his Wang family's involvement." 

"Wang Hua's suspicion was raised because Wang Yu had a conflict with Mo Qingkuang before, losing face at the Lu Ming Banquet last night." 

"Before the parade, Wang Yu apologized to Mo Qingkuang and personally helped him onto his horse, expressing his willingness to yield to him. This also clears suspicion from the Wang family." 

Dean Hua explained his thoughts calmly. 

"In that case, does it mean that the Wang family is no longer under suspicion?" Zheng Tao asked in confusion. 

"No, it's precisely because of this that the Wang family becomes even more suspicious!" Dean Hua shook his head calmly. 

"Firstly, Wang Yu suffered a significant loss of face at the highly publicized Lu Ming Banquet, making it unlikely for a young man to let go of his prejudices overnight and admit that Mo Qingkuang is superior." 

"Could that also be attributed to the strict family ethos of the Wang family?" 

"Even if the Wang family has a strict family ethos, it would be understandable for Wang Yu to apologize to Mo Qingkuang before the parade and even help him onto his horse, willing to concede a little." 

"However, even if he was willing to concede a little, it wouldn't justify giving the entire front row to the martial examination scorers, a situation unprecedented in the history of the imperial examination. The top three in martial arts and the top three in literature were positioned at the two ends of the procession, with a significant distance between them!" 

"Besides that, I carefully examined the situation at that time. The first embroidered ball containing explosives was heading straight for Mo Qingkuang! The second one was also thrown towards the back of Mo Qingkuang, surrounding him." 

"It was only after Mo Qingkuang had defused the first one that there were successive explosions of embroidered balls, causing the massive explosion on Chang'an Street. At that time, the top three in the literary examination were at the very end of the procession, so even if the embroidered balls exploded, they could not have been affected." 

"Mo Qingkuang, isn't that right?" Dean Hua raised an eyebrow confidently at Mo Qingkuang. 

Mo Qingkuang carefully recalled the situation. Indeed, the first two bombs were aimed at him, and it was only after he had defused them that more were thrown down. 

He nodded decisively, "Dean Hua is indeed correct." 

"Exactly, it was because Mo Qingkuang unexpectedly saw through the fake embroidered balls that the other side resorted to creating chaos and intensifying their efforts," Hua Ge said seriously. 

"According to Princess Han's description, Han Meng, the Zhanma Sword, initially targeted only Mo Qingkuang for assassination. It was only after Princess Han exposed his true identity that he had the idea to silence her. Strictly speaking, this should have been an assassination aimed solely at Mo Qingkuang." 

"I suspect that the mastermind behind the scenes is Wang Hua! I know his style of doing things too well, and this looks very much like him!" Hua Ge asserted confidently; his usually misty eyes unusually bright. 

Initially, he had harbored doubts about Wang Hua possibly being a spy for the empire, but even after a night of investigation, he had no leads. 

He had been reluctant to believe that his longtime friend Wang Hua could be a traitor to the empire. 

However, after carefully considering the causes and consequences of the explosion on Chang'an Street this time, he had no choice but to ultimately point the finger at Wang Hua. 

If Wang Hua was indeed a spy for the empire, then it was crucial to eliminate Mo Qingkuang, who was not only the most outstanding talent of the new generation of the Tianxuan Empire but arguably the most outstanding talent in history. 

The plan to assassinate Mo Qingkuang was extremely meticulous, with even the route Mo Qingkuang would choose to report the incident being accurately calculated. 

At the same time, Wang Yu's actions and his serious injuries were used to divert attention away from the Wang family. 

If it weren't for Mo Qingkuang's fortunate escape, he might have already died at the hands of Han Meng.