Chapter 156: New Clues

Xian Buyue felt somewhat lost in thought after hearing this.

Shaoquan Wuyi's worries were also the concerns hidden deep within his own heart. Yet, amidst such a chaotic and tangled situation, how could he possibly break the deadlock?

How could he prevent Yuhaitian from perishing in his hands?

If he failed to hold and protect Yuhaitian, he would become a perpetual sinner through the ages, forever nailed to a wooden rack to suffer the supreme torment of heavenly thunder.

The heritage passed down through countless shifting eras must never be severed in his hands.

The Prince of Yong frowned and suggested, "Perhaps the affairs of the sects should be left to the sects to resolve. Father can tacitly grant legitimacy to the Four Orthodox League and let them check and balance the Demon Realm.

Among the various sects and factions, which ones are not interconnected beneath the surface? If we can manage to drag one into the quagmire, the rest will naturally be pulled out along with it.

When that time comes, should the worst happen, we can also free up our hands and focus on a single front."

Xian Buyue stood up, supported by Yang Yun as he descended the steps, and paced leisurely. "I only fear that once a precedent like this is set, the subsequent situation will spiral beyond control.

The original framework of Yuhaitian will inevitably be shattered, and all factions will be reshuffled."

The Prince of Yu, who had remained silent all this time, chimed in, "Father is being overly cautious. The situation in Yuhaitian is already uncontrollable.

Do you truly believe that future developments can be suppressed by mere human effort?

As the saying goes, blocking is inferior to dredging. Since the chaotic situation is already set, if we can leverage the momentum to forge a completely new landscape, it may not necessarily be a bad thing."

Xian Buyue released Yang Yun, preferring to walk by himself so that his restless mind could find a place to settle. To be sure, his second son was often far too unbridled, but his words were both reasonable and logical.

Yet, this precedent could not be established, and this trend must not be encouraged.

Once the situation slipped out of control, the consequences would become utterly unimaginable.

He took a few paces, then suddenly halted his steps. Raising his head to gaze at the carved dragons and painted phoenixes within the Baode Hall, he asked Shaoquan Wuyi in a tone as casual as discussing daily household matters, "Old friend, what is your view on this?

Should this matter be let loose, or reined in?"

Shaoquan Wuyi lowered his gaze, pondered for a moment, and replied, "The First Prince's approach is viable, and the Second Prince's concerns also hold a measure of logic.

If Your Majesty wishes to accomplish great things, you should strike a middle ground between the two."

Xian Buyue withdrew his gaze, swept his sleeves behind his back, and said, "Tell me what must be done. Coincidentally, since they are all here, you can let them learn a thing or two from you."

Shaoquan Wuyi repeatedly demurred, and after a round of polite modesty, he said, "Actually, it is not difficult. Your Majesty merely needs to turn a blind eye to these people and affairs.

When the time comes, natural forces will emerge to check and balance their development."

"I understand." After all, Xian Buyue and Shaoquan Wuyi had been monarch and subject for a long time; even though Shaoquan Wuyi spoke in riddles, it could not prevent him from grasping the full meaning.

In this way, they could comfortably sit atop the fishing platform and watch the mountain tigers fight. Letting the various factions contend with one another would inherently create mutual checks and balances.

As the ancient saying went, where the road is uneven, someone will step forward to tread it. Where matters are unjust, someone will inevitably find it unbearable. Whether people wished to establish sects or found factions, they invariably needed to seize a reputation first so they would have a righteous pretext.

Repame and renown—these were precisely their opportunities.

Seeing that the discussion was drawing to a close, the Prince of Yong took his leave of Xian Buyue. "Father, the case of the Lesser Zhou Village in my hands remains unresolved. If there are no other matters, I shall return to the Ruiyin Palace first."

"How are things proceeding on your end?" Xian Buyue raised a hand to signal the Prince of Yu and the Prince of Mu that they could leave first, using a glance to warn the two of them not to go disturbing their birth mother without cause.

With their intentions exposed, the two of them were so startled that they did not even realize when the letters in their hands had scattered all over the ground.

Pushing and shoving, trading blows and retaliating, they stumbled out of the Baode Hall.

The Prince of Yong replied, "Some clues have already emerged; Father need not worry."

"Since you are handling it, I have always felt at ease. Given that this involves the Sparse Star Tower, resolving the matter a day earlier means bringing it to a close a day earlier.

On the road ahead, having an extra helper is far better than having an extra formidable enemy."

"Your son understands. If there are no other matters, I will take my leave."

Xian Buyue nodded, gesturing for him to depart, while he himself returned to the throne to continue handling official documents.

Opening one of the memorials and holding a vermilion brush to review it, he lowered his head and asked, "Beloved minister, what is the Fourth Prince doing right now?"

Shaoquan Wuyi replied, "Isn't the Moon Prince currently at the Lesser Great Palace?"

"Don't give me that nonsense. Just tell me directly whether that brat has run off to play the sect master again."

Shaoquan Wuyi did not pick up on his prompt, instead bending down to pick up the letter that had fallen to the floor.

He gently smoothed out the creases, placed it on Xian Buyue's desk, and said, "Although the Moon Prince's actions are improper, they also sweep away many unnecessary troubles for Yuhaitian, do they not?

Moreover, if not for the Moon Prince operating in the shadows, how could the First Prince have truly secured the peace and safety of the royal city all these years?"

"Stop speaking up for that scoundrel."

"Whether this subject is speaking up for the Prince, does Your Majesty not know clearly in your heart?"

A simple, straightforward sentence, without the slightest ripple or wave, effectively choked Xian Buyue into speechlessness.

Sighing, he asked, "How has the Demon Empress been lately?"

"I hear that a few days ago she parted on bad terms with the Moon Prince, and the Prince left in a fit of pique."

"Arrange a few more personnel to keep a close watch. Remember, do not startle the snake in the grass."

"As you command, this subject will make the arrangements right away."

"Go."

After Shaoquan Wuyi departed, Xian Buyue lost all appetite for reviewing memorials, so he instructed Yang Yun to have everything moved to the Lingwu Garden.

Meanwhile, over at Chenliu's residence, the hour of the Monkey had arrived by the time he finally waited for the Prince of Yong to return to the palace. Before he had even crossed the threshold, Zhou Yi came forward to report, "Inspector Chen has been sitting here for a short while now; it appears he has urgent business to discuss with you."

The Prince of Yong nodded and said, "This prince is aware. How are things progressing at the guest chambers?"

"Reconstruction work has already been expedited."

"Very well. This prince will go see Chenliu. Guard the entrance well and do not allow any unrelated persons to enter and disturb us."

"This subordinate understands."

With that, the Prince of Yong crossed the threshold and entered the room. Zhou Yi quickly shut the door, raising his vigilance to the utmost as he kept watch over the surroundings.

Inside the room, Chenliu paid his respects to the Prince of Yong, and the two took their respective seats as host and guest.

"What has made the inspector so anxious? Could there be new progress in the autopsy and investigation?"

"The situation is as follows..." Seeing the Prince of Yong inquire, Chenliu recounted the entire matter from beginning to end, without omitting a single detail.

He also voiced his own misgivings. Hearing this, the Prince of Yong remained silent for a long time.

If Chenliu's hypothesis was viable, it meant they had previously been blind to the bigger picture, overly stubborn and biased, thereby missing the optimal timing.

Yet deep within his heart, a voice kept telling him that the appearance of Yi Qingchen was no coincidence.

However, he could not prove it himself, nor could they put forward any compelling evidence to level an accusation, leaving the entire affair deadlocked due to insufficient evidence.

Chenliu stated, "Baili Suxing said something very correct: given his circumstances, there is truly no need for him to act in such a manner.

Even though he currently relies on the Wusheng Gate behind him, the massacre of Lesser Zhou Village clearly yields no benefits for them. On the contrary, it places Baili Suxing, as the Seal-Breaker, in an even more perilous position.

And given the prestige of the Sparse Star Tower, there is truly no need for them to demolish their own walls."

The Prince of Yong remained silent for a moment before saying, "I understand everything you have said, but if that is the case, does it not mean our initial direction was completely wrong?

Or perhaps, the culprit deliberately calculated precisely this point."

Chenliu pondered for a moment and suggested, "Why don't we first extend our sincerity to Baili Suxing and combine our two forces into a single stream?

When the truth eventually comes to light, whether it is true or false, we can settle accounts then."

"What you say is feasible. Did he say anything else?" He remembered that earlier that morning when he questioned Suxing, the other party claimed to know nothing, which turned out to be probing for his situation.

"He said that he did not speak of it earlier with Your Highness because the evidence was insufficient. Although it is still insufficient now, Your Highness would do well to investigate two individuals: Guo Lin and Wang Quan."

"And what about him?"

"Presumably, he intends to investigate this matter through his own channels. Telling Your Highness serves two purposes: first, to demonstrate sincerity, and second, to enlist Your Highness's influence to pursue a dual-pronged approach."

"Guo Lin? Wang Quan?" The Prince of Yong suddenly looked at Chenliu and asked, "Does the inspector have any understanding of these two men?"

"None."

This... The Prince of Yong called out loudly toward the entrance, "Zhou Yi, come in."

Zhou Yi entered the room, bowed with cupped hands, and asked, "What are Your Highness's instructions?"

"Investigate two people for me."

"Who?"

"Guo Lin and Wang Quan."

To his surprise, Zhou Yi patted his chest and laughed, "This matter is not troublesome. Lesser beings might not know, but as for those two, I have actually caught wind of things concerning them.

When I used to frequent Lesser Zhou Village in the past, I occasionally crossed paths with them on the road a few times."

"Oh? Then tell me everything you know."

"Yes. Originally, I wasn't very clear about the two of them either. However, I have a few subordinates who frequently enjoy drinking flower wine; they can't afford the top-tier courtesans of the Jiuyao Tower, but as long as a minor, sesame-sized piece of gossip happens concerning those courtesans, it's enough to keep them debating and discussing it for days.

It was precisely because of this that I started paying attention to those two.

And strangely enough, the fact that Guo Lin could become a patron of that top courtesan could perhaps be explained by some family property left by his ancestors.

As for that Wang Quan, he was an absolute beggar through and through.

Even after mixing around Yuhaitian for quite a few years, he had not saved up much of a fortune. I heard that the very first time he entered the Jiuyao Tower, he spent every last coin of his savings.

Yet the strange thing was, after that, he still appeared frequently at the Jiuyao Tower, and each time he seemed flush with money. Only, whenever he went, he would always bring several unfamiliar faces into the building.

At the time, I even joked with others that this scoundrel must be acting as a pimp.

However, why does Your Highness wish to investigate these two?"

Before he had even finished speaking, however, a thunderous realization struck the Prince of Yong, accompanied by the faint sensation of a gathering gale.

"Repeat what you just said."

Zhou Yi was completely baffled, glancing over at Chenliu. Seeing Chenliu nod for him to speak, he mustered his courage and said, "Your Highness wishes to investigate..."

"Not that line, the one before it." Before he could finish, he was rudely cut off by the Prince of Yong.

"Could it be that that scoundrel was acting as a pimp?" What kind of remark was that? Could there be some profound mystery hidden within it?

Before he could figure it out, the Prince of Yong abruptly stood up and said, "Yes, exactly that line."

"Huh?" What did that mean?

Zhou Yi looked bewildered, turning to Chenliu: *Inspector, do you understand?*

Chenliu covered his face with one hand while secretly making a hand gesture with the other, signaling for him to hurry up and leave immediately, leaving the rest without needing to worry his head.

Understanding the hint, Zhou Yi hunched over and carefully retreated outside the room.

Chenliu looked at the Prince of Yong and said with unruffled calm, "Your Highness, have you gained a breakthrough?"

The Prince of Yong made no attempt to conceal it from him, replying, "Indeed, there is a harvest."

"Oh? I would like to hear the details."

Having grasped the crucial pivot, the Prince of Yong's expression instantly radiated brilliance. Even as he explained it to Chenliu, his tone carried the grand bearing of someone pointing the way across the rivers and mountains.

Yet none of that mattered. The important thing was that once they figured this out, all they needed to do next was keep watch and make arrests. Only then would the question of whether Yi Qingchen was innocent or culpable finally be brought to light.

Hearing this, Chenliu nodded repeatedly.

After what felt like an agonizingly long few days, they could finally welcome the dawn. Yet at the thought of E Hua's death, an inexplicable, sharp pain gripped his heart for reasons unknown.

The Prince of Yong halted his grandiose discourse, stepped forward, and asked with concern, "How is it? Do you need this prince to summon an imperial physician?"

Seeing Chenliu turn so deathly pale all of a sudden, his own heart could not help but leap into suspense.

Chenliu leaned over the desk, panting, dense beads of sweat already beading his forehead. After a long while, he wheezed, "No need. Perhaps I have been missing E Hua far too much, which caused a stifling blockage in my chest.

Besides, Your Highness's affair takes precedence."

"Are you truly certain?" The Prince of Yong remained uneasy.

"It is nothing."

"Very well." The Prince of Yong turned toward the doorway and commanded, "Zhou Yi, assemble your men and set out after nightfall."

"Understood."