Chapter 202 - Missing
Faced with the evidence before him, Liu Shang was so furious that he trembled, smashing the two account books and the confession in front of Xuanzhi Mansion. He then turned and kowtowed three tis to Teng Yu, saying, “Your Highness, I have never done such a thing. I am willing to accept any punishnt. Those who know
will know this—I have a clear conscience!”
Teng Yu remained silent, while Xuanzhi Mansion impatiently shouted at Liu Shang, “You think you have a clear conscience? Lord Liu, aren't you afraid to speak such words? Can conclusive evidence be nullified by your claim of innocence?”
Liu Zhan, eyes red with anger, retorted to Xuanzhi Mansion, “Master Mu, why are you so relentless when I hold such a low position?”
“What do you an? I have no enmity with you, so why would I oppose you? I've gathered all this evidence with great effort. Sir Liu, it’s best for you to confess!”
“Heh… Your Highness, I didn't want to speak up, but as a re seventh-rank official who hasn't been promoted in years, I thought I'd do nothing significant in this life. Even so, I've never considered conspiring with anyone, nor have I ever dread of challenging those in power. I know that would be like striking a rock with an egg.”
Teng Yu glanced at Xuanzhi Mansion and said calmly, “I'm not unreasonable. If you claim you're wronged, then provide your evidence.”
Kneeling on the cold floor, Liu Zhan felt relieved upon hearing this. His biggest fear was that the Prince wouldn't allow him to explain and would only accept the evidence presented by Mu.
“This official has evidence!” These five powerful words surprised even Teng Yu, suggesting his information might not have been complete.
Shocked, Xuanzhi Mansion turned pale, exclaiming, “What proof do you have? You're daring to defy us with such minimal experience! Your Highness, you mustn't believe him.”
“Calm down, Xuanzhi Mansion. Conclusions require evidence. Since he can present evidence, let's examine it. I don’t want to treat anyone unfairly, but…” Teng Yu's tone shifted as he fixed his gaze on Liu Zhan, adding, “If Lord Liu's evidence is false, don't bla this prince for being harsh!”
“Yes, this official understands!” Liu Zhan knelt upright and, with trembling hands, removed his official uniform. As the onlookers looked on in confusion, he used his teeth to open his shirt and pulled out a few papers hidden within the folds.
Those who knew Liu Zhan were aware of his odd habit of disliking changing clothes. He often wore the sa set repeatedly, only changing into a new uniform when the old one was worn out.
“Your Highness, this is the evidence I've gathered over the years. It proves that Master Tang, Xuanzhi Mansion, and over thirty other officials in Yunjin City have sold hundreds of thousands of kilograms of salt in the past decade, making enormous profits. Please take a look!”
Teng Yu furrowed his brows as he examined the papers. So were new, others were old, indicating they were collected over ti.
“Your Highness, don't believe his nonsense. How could he have gathered any evidence with his limited experience? It must be forged to clear himself of guilt! Your Highness, even if I were daring, I wouldn't commit such a heinous act.”
Xuanzhi Mansion protested loudly, almost swearing to curse himself, yet his eyes never left the papers, increasing his terror.
After reading the papers several tis, Teng Yu suddenly looked up and asked Xuanzhi Mansion, “You claim the evidence is fake?”
“Yes, yes! It must be fake!” Xuanzhi Mansion nodded frantically.
“Then let's investigate! Investigate everything! Until this matter is resolved, both lords shall be confined in Ya Garden!” Teng Yu summoned Han Qing, instructing him to arrange accommodations for the two, stating that they might need to negotiate and stay for a few days.
He simply didn't want to waste ti in Yunjin City, as there were hidden tensions within the imperial city that could erupt at any ti. Although he didn’t wish to get involved, he couldn't ignore the issue.
Xuanzhi Mansion realized he was under house arrest. If the investigation went to completion, it would be difficult to ensure that no issues were uncovered.
He paced the house, attempting to contact the outside world. He needed to alert them to prepare, or the consequences would be severe.
Unfortunately, the guards outside refused to budge. No matter how much he coaxed or tempted them, they ignored him, proving to be of good character.
“That damned Liu Zhan!” Xuanzhi Mansion cursed, hoping they could safely weather this storm.
If the investigation uncovered the truth, the Mu Family, being a prominent class in the south, would still require ti for the Third Prince to convict him.
Traveling south from the Eastern Ocean for a month would lead him to other countries. Along the way, he would pass countless islands, and when the ti ca, he could occupy one and beco a king, potentially enjoying more glory than he did now.
Having thought of an escape plan, Xuanzhi Mansion felt less afraid. He began ordering servants to bring him tea and food, asserting that he was not a prisoner and still had the right to enjoy.
Upon hearing about it, Teng Yu just smiled and did his best to satisfy the requirents of the Xuanzhi Mansion, even arranging for a servant to accompany him.
“Your Highness, why must you treat him with such kindness?” Han Qing asked, confused. To him, this Mu fellow was already as good as dead, so why treat him well?
“Right now, he's the only one we have. To prevent those people from becoming desperate, it's fine to treat him well.” He wouldn't enjoy it for more than a few days anyway.
Teng Yu had thoroughly prepared to head south, having gathered ample evidence when he brought Tang Jian down. This ti, he conducted a deeper investigation to make the evidence even more substantial.
“Send people to monitor those officials. They are not allowed to leave Yunjin City or have any contact with the outside world…” Before Teng Yu could finish, a guard rushed in from outside, exclaiming, “Your Highness, it's bad!”
Seeing the man's face, Teng Yu's expression changed, “What happened? Didn't I instruct you to follow the Seventh Young Master?”
The guard pressed his forehead to the cold ground, “Your Highness, Seventh Young Master… He… He's missing!”
“What do you an, missing?” Teng Yu couldn't comprehend and looked at the guard as if he were a sharp knife.
The guard, fearing Teng Yu, recounted the events without holding back.
It turned out that today, Yin Xu had gone out as usual. Apart from bringing Ding Yi, Mao Er, and the four guards Teng Yu had recently assigned him, all of whom were experts.
As usual, Yin Xu went to the Sky Piercing Pavilion, morized the positions of all the valuable items, and then left.
Everyone thought he was just casually strolling, as he had been wandering the streets whenever he had free ti in recent days.
During this ti, they couldn't avoid being followed by people, all of whom were killed. Yin Xu didn't ask who sent them or torture them for confessions, allowing them to die peacefully.
Today was no different. After killing a few pursuers, he circled around several streets. Just as they were about to advise Yin Xu to return, he suddenly left them and ran off.
Ding Yi and Mao Er, with their superior eyesight, saw that Yin Xu was chasing soone and hurried to follow him.
The remaining four bodyguards weren't as skilled in agility as Ding Yi and Mao Er. After pursuing them for a few streets, they lost track of him.
Knowing that the Seventh Young Master was a strong martial artist and that Ding Yi was with him, they assud there shouldn't be any problems, so they split up to search the city.
After two hours of searching, they found Ding Yi and Mao Er in a remote alley, both unconscious.
Ding Yi and Mao Er were Dark Guards trained by the Third Prince, possessing abilities far beyond theirs. The fact that they were knocked unconscious indicated their enemies were formidable.
Upon waking them, the guards learned that Ding Yi and Mao Er had been attacked along the way by an expert adversary. After several battles, they were defeated and didn't know what happened afterward.
However, they were certain that the attackers didn't intend to harm them, as they would have been killed otherwise.
After this discovery, everyone decided to send soone back to inform the Third Prince while the rest continued searching for Yin Xu.
After listening to the report, Teng Yu's face turned terrifyingly grim. Soone had actually dared to target Yin Xu!
He knew the other party was most likely targeting him. While Yin Xu had offended so people over the past year, he rarely had deep grudges, so there was no reason to pursue him in Yunjin City to kill him.
Moreover, it seed the other party didn't want Yin Xu's life.
Teng Yu couldn't guarantee that Yin Xu wouldn't fall into their hands. Though Yin Xu was highly skilled, without careful planning, there was always a way to capture him.
Right now, he feared that with Yin Xu's unyielding character, even without an existing enmity, he could create one. If the adversary got angry, things would beco difficult to resolve.
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