Pang Ban's words were layered with hidden meaning, and thus, for the time being, he suppressed the reproach that ought to have been expressed. Jiang Cheng chose to trust the judgment of his disciple Shen Hao and used this as an explanation for Pang Ban's questioning. Pang Ban, in turn, accepted Jiang Cheng's choice—on the condition that the choice was the correct one. If anything were to go wrong, Jiang Cheng would not be able to evade responsibility.
Just as Jiang Cheng was trembling under Pang Ban's interrogation, news of military unrest in the South was already spreading throughout the Imperial City via various special intelligence channels.
Xuanqing Guard was not the only one with its own information networks; many people had excellent sources.
