Chapter 138: The Hidden Hand in the Shadows

As these words were spoken, the ministers in the grand hall lost all color in their faces.

Panic rippled through the assembly; some stood stricken with dread, while others whispered among themselves. The sound of murmurs rose and fell in a restless tide. The situation, which had just been quelled, instantly dissolved into utter chaos.

Knowing full well this reaction was inevitable, the Prince of Yong waited until the crowd grew slightly quieter before speaking in a measured and unhurried tone. "My lords, hear me out.

The fire in the morgue is not necessarily a bad thing for us."

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials stared in blank astonishment. If this was not considered a bad thing, what on earth could possibly qualify? To be able to set a fire right inside the Hall of Revering Spirits—was the perpetrator ordinary in any way?

Censor Lu glanced at his colleagues, stepped out of the ranks, and asked, "How does Your Highness interpret this?"

The Prince of Yong replied, "To begin with, at the very least, this proves that the direction of our investigation has been entirely correct. Furthermore, it is highly likely that we have touched upon the culprits' most vulnerable nerve.

That is why they were driven to desperation, resorting to such heinous and inhuman acts."

Hearing this, Zuo Zhijian raised his angry brows and demanded, "Dare I ask Your Highness, in a murder case of such magnitude, what exactly have you managed to uncover that forced the enemy to act so recklessly regardless of the consequences?"

He knew that such a course of action plunged the innocent populace into grave peril.

Zuo Zhijian truly lived up to his name; his forthrightness was absolute. What others dared not say, he uttered. What others dared not question, he thrust forward bluntly.

Even though the ministers genuinely disliked his abrasive personality, his relentless and merciless questioning still made them break out in a cold sweat on his behalf.

Censor Lu wanted to hold him back and stop him from speaking further, but he was a step too late. Seeing the Prince of Yong's expression instantly darken, Lu could only offer a silent prayer for Zuo Zhijian's safety.

Fortunately, though the Prince of Yong was displeased, he was, after all, a man of high position. While his magnanimity might not match that of his father, it was hardly lacking.

Quickly suppressing his rising anger, he wore a placid expression and replied to Zuo Zhijian, "This matter is rather lengthy to explain. If my lords wish to hear the details, you will have to bear with me as I lay it out piece by piece."

Zuo Zhijian was not incapable of reading the room; he simply harbored no fear.

A gentleman should cultivate his character and uphold his integrity by offering direct remonstrance. How could one retreat simply out of concern for personal survival? Therefore, facing the Prince of Yong's veiled warning without the slightest hint of fear, he cupped his hands and said, "As long as Your Highness is willing to speak, we are all ears."

The officials gasped inwardly. Once those words left his mouth, there was no room left for negotiation.

The Prince of Yong had to answer, whether he wished to or not. Otherwise, he would lose credibility before the entire court.

The Prince of Yong cast a sidelong glance at Zuo Zhijian, his eyes narrowing slightly with a glint of cold frost—the precursor of brewing fury.

Yet Zuo Zhijian seemed entirely unaware, insisting stubbornly on an explanation.

Just as the tension reached a boiling point, the Prince of Yong suddenly reined in his cold glare and smiled faintly. "Speaking of this matter, I must first mention a certain person."

"Who?" Zuo Zhijian pressed relentlessly.

"Baili Suhe."

Zuo Zhijian paused for a moment, bewildered. "Him?"

The Prince of Yong nodded, pacing among the ministers, and said from the side, "Indeed. This person came to the palace this morning requesting an audience, and presented an extremely crucial piece of evidence."

"What evidence?" some official blurted out impatiently.

"Half a sleeve."

As soon as those words fell, an uproar broke out among the ministers. What kind of evidence was that? Could this paltry item possibly account for the fire in the morgue, the cremation of the corpses, and the death of the young boys?

Censor Lu was a rather tactful man—a trait his son, Lu Bingsheng, had thoroughly inherited. Stepping forward, he said, "Since Your Highness has mentioned this evidence, I beg you to explain its origin to us in detail.

Presumably, if it were merely ordinary, Baili Suhe would not have attached such importance to it, nor would he dare to trifle with the imperial majesty."

It must be said that Censor Lu's words were far more pleasing to the ear than Zuo Zhijian's.

Prompted by his remark, the Prince of Yong found a graceful way to step down. He praised, "Well said, Censor Lu speaks with great reason.

Baili Suhe and the Master of Distant Star Tower are close friends who share a bond of life and death.

Now that Master Yi is embroiled in this murder case as a witness, Baili Suhe worries that public outcry cannot be easily silenced and fears the world might misunderstand Master Yi due to ignorance.

Thus, sparing no effort, he searched Little Zhou Village through the night and recovered this item.

He entered the palace early this morning to present it to me. Shortly after, I made a trip to the Hall of Revering Spirits, simply not expecting the murderer's reaction to be so swift.

The moment the Coroner Chen and I were about to inspect the morgue, the culprits chose to destroy the bodies and cover their tracks.

Though it is a great pity that the autopsy records and corpses have been destroyed, little did they calculate that this very act would allow us to be certain there is definitely someone else lurking behind the murders in Little Zhou Village."

***

After listening to this, Zuo Zhijian asked, "I wonder if Your Highness has a countermeasure in mind? If such vicious fiends are not eradicated soon, they will surely become a grave menace to the Realm of Distant Seas."

The Prince of Yong replied, "I intend to seek out Baili Suhe for further consultation, with the hope of restoring peace to the Realm of Distant Seas as soon as possible, allowing the departed to rest in peace.

Furthermore, this will ensure that Master Yi's future travels will not be blighted by malicious gossip."

When he finished speaking, the ministers fell silent.

Even Zuo Zhijian could not find a flaw to pick for the moment. They could only wait to see what action the Prince of Yong would take and judge by the results.

Seeing that the timing was right, Xuan Buyue cast a meaningful glance at Yang Yun.

Yang Yun immediately called out in a resonant voice, "His Majesty is fatigued. Will my lords please withdraw?"

Instantly, the ministers chanted in unison and retreated.

Walking at the very end, just as the Prince of Yong was about to step out of Baode Hall, Yang Yun hurried after him, bowed, and said, "Please stay a moment, Your Highness."

"What instructions does Lord Yang have?" Turning his head, the Prince saw that the master of the throne had already departed.

Yang Yun cupped his hands. "I wouldn't dare issue instructions. His Majesty has invited Your Highness to Lingwu Garden for a conversation."

"My thanks!"

"After you, Your Highness!" Yang Yun returned the bow and accompanied him.

In Lingwu Garden, Xuan Buyue and his trusted ministers were taking a leisurely stroll.

Xuan Buyue walked with his hands clasped behind his back, turning his head to ask, "How does Your Excellency view the affair at Little Zhou Village? Do you find anything improper in the Eldest Prince's handling of the matter?"

Shaozhen Wuyi walked alongside him and replied, "Your Majesty holds your own scale in your heart; why ask a subordinate to weigh in?"

"Speak if I tell you to. I won't blame you if you guess wrong," Xuan Buyue chuckled. When would this man stop playing clever with him?

Shaozhen Wuyi looked at Xuan Buyue, paused for a fraction of a second, and smiled wryly as well. "If a young eagle is to mature, it must eventually face the tempest alone.

Your Majesty, why not simply wait and see what the Crown Prince can do?"

"Very well, I cannot argue with you." Xuan Buyue shook his head with a smile. Suddenly, Yang Yun's voice rang out from nearby: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."

"You may withdraw first," Xuan Buyue waved his hand, dismissing Yang Yun.

"This subject takes his leave." Yang Yun bowed and backed away.

The Prince of Yong stepped forward and paid homage, saying, "Greetings, Father."

Xuan Buyue made a slight lifting gesture with his hand. "Rise. There are no outsiders here now; tell me your true thoughts."

The Prince of Yong cast a furtive glance at Shaozhen Wuyi, but the latter's eyes remained fixed on the bridge of his own nose, completely unmoved.

After a moment of hesitation, the Prince stood up and said, "Everything this son spoke of earlier in Baode Hall came from the bottom of my heart."

"Is that so?" Xuan Buyue slanted his gaze. Will you not speak the truth even to your own father?

The Prince of Yong instantly stiffened, his face flushing hot. "Father, this case is intricately complex. Until I obtain concrete proof, this son does not wish to rush to conclusions."

Xuan Buyue turned to Shaozhen Wuyi. "You tell me."

Shaozhen Wuyi replied, "This subject believes that a tiger begets no dog-like offspring."

"You always manage to say all the right things." Xuan Buyue shook his head helplessly, turning back to the Prince of Yong. "Very well. Since the Chancellor of Letters says so, go ahead and handle this as you see fit. Just remember one thing: Baili Suhe must not be made an enemy."

A wave of joy washed over the Prince of Yong. He expressed his gratitude and took his leave.

"This son understands."

Granted permission by Xuan Buyue, the Prince of Yong walked with a spring in his step, hurrying toward Ruijin Palace.

At the same time, inside Jiutao Tower, Wang You also received the news brought by Wang Quan.

After their intimacy, Wang You picked up her outer robe from the floor, draped it simply over her shoulders, and sat before a bronze mirror, absentmindedly combing her long hair.

Wang Quan, wearing only a pair of large undershorts, walked up behind her, took the comb from her hand, and gently tended to her hair. Lowering his gaze, he reported, "Word has come from the Hall of Revering Spirits. A great fire broke out in the morgue, and Ehua, the young boy from Chenliu, perished within it.

As a result, all the corpses in the hall have been burned to ashes. Even with evidence in hand, Baili Suhe and the Prince of Yong can do nothing to us now.

Your humble servant is here to thank you, Master, for your timely rescue."

Wang You looked at her own reflection in the bronze mirror, a trace of displeasure clouding her delicate brows. She rebuked coldly, "Hmph, do not celebrate too early.

Though this move destroyed the crucial evidence, you must also understand that without this fire, Yi Qingchen would have found it difficult to extricate herself from the Little Zhou Village case for a long time.

Yet, because of the botched job you fools pulled, Baili Suhe effortlessly cleared Yi Qingchen of all suspicion.

In that case, everything we did beforehand has been rendered in vain."

Hearing this, Wang Quan missed a heartbeat, a guilty panic flickering in his chest as he asked tentatively, "Surely not? The brothers timed it with absolute precision. Those people breathed their last just a heartbeat before Yi Qingchen arrived.

Moreover, there were no survivors. Even if Yi Qingchen grew a thousand tongues, she could never clear her name."

Wang You watched the cowardly expression on Wang Quan's face in the bronze mirror, a surge of contempt rising within her.

With a mocking tone, she said, "What a joke. Who do you think your opponent is?"

"Ba... Baili Suhe."

"Fool."

"Master?" Wang Quan raised his gaze, uncomprehending why Wang You was mocking him.

"You only remember that Baili Suhe is the one who must be eliminated, but you forget that the Prince of Yong holds the security of the royal city in his hands, and this case has fallen into his jurisdiction.

Instead of exercising caution, you dare to hold him in contempt. Do not say I did not warn you—this man is a double-edged sword.

He can be wielded by you and me, but he can also turn and slay you in return.

Do you understand my meaning?"

When Wang You finished speaking, Wang Quan fell silent.

He understood the reasoning, of course, but he felt she might be making a mountain out of a molehill.

Earlier, when the sleeve fell into Baili Suhe's hands, they had no choice but to beg the woman before them for help.

Now, the crucial corpses were destroyed—in fact, all the corpses from Little Zhou Village were gone.

So what if the Prince of Yong and Baili Suhe held onto a sleeve? Could they possibly bring the vanished corpses back to life?

Since the corpses could not be restored, the sleeve was nothing more than a dead object.

What was there to fear?

Wang You looked at Wang Quan in the bronze mirror as if looking at a dead man. "And the vital blood essence I asked you to gather?"

Hearing this, Wang Quan immediately produced a porcelain bottle from behind his back and offered it respectfully before Wang You. "It is all here. Please examine it, Master."

Wang You took it, opened it for a quick inspection, and then sealed it again.

"A job well done," she said. "Go back and tell the others to tread lightly these days and leave no handles for anyone to grab.

Do not forget, the Hall of Revering Spirits is no ordinary place either. Should he catch even a trace of your clues, do not expect me to save you."

With that, she retrieved the comb from Wang Quan's hand and lowered her head to groom her dark hair once more.

Realizing this was a dismissal, Wang Quan put on his clothes and stepped out of Jiutao Tower.

After he left, Wang You sank into deep thought.

She was well aware of the fire in the morgue. Yet precisely because she knew, a chill crept down her spine.

With her own abilities, the utmost she could manipulate was the destruction of the corpses—reducing them thoroughly to ashes.

However, reducing them so completely that not a single vestige remained was exceedingly difficult for her to achieve. Thus, it was obvious that someone else had intervened behind the scenes.

Just who could it be?

Soon, her thoughts turned to the Son of Demons. But she immediately dismissed the idea. It was true the Son of Demons wanted Baili Suhe to die in disgrace and ruin.

Yet her own techniques and nature were different; her condition was even more peculiar.

One could not even truly call her 'human'.

Instantly, another person flashed across her mind...