ng Su’s expression briefly showed a hint of tension in his eyes, and although he quickly returned to normal, Prefect Zhao saw it clearly.
Just as expected.
It seed that Prefect Zhao had finally blown away so of the fog in front of him, and the things hidden behind were about to reveal their true form.
Prefect Zhao was not going to let it go; he stared at ng Su: "Are you aware of the smuggling operations at sea by the County Magistrate of Xiangshan? I thought you were a clear-headed person, but it seems you have also followed these people down a foolish path."
ng Su imdiately said, "I wouldn’t do such a thing."
"I think you wouldn’t either," Prefect Zhao seed to see ng Su for the first ti, "you should now summon the frontier generals; I will question them personally."
After saying this, Prefect Zhao felt sothing was not right and stood up: "Where are all the ships of Yuezhou? Have they gone to sea in recent days? I will personally go to inspect with my people. In our area governed by Mingzhou, large ships have been seen heading toward Yuezhou. As the Prefect of Mingzhou, I must investigate thoroughly before reporting to the court."
When Prefect Zhao finished speaking and was about to leave, ng Su remained silent for a long ti before saying, "The day is already late, Lord Zhao. If you want to investigate, it would be better to do so early tomorrow morning!"
"I cannot stay away for too long," Prefect Zhao said, "you should know the rules."
ng Su still said nothing.
Prefect Zhao imdiately lost his temper: "Fine, if you refuse to let anyone take there, I’ll go myself."
"Lord Zhao," ng Su also said firmly, "this is Yuezhou, and you have no authority to interfere in matters of Yuezhou, so please return! I will handle the official matters of Yuezhou myself, and even if there is any mishap, I will take full responsibility."
"Absurd," Prefect Zhao looked at ng Su in disappointnt, "I never thought you would beco like this."
ng Su ordered his subordinates, "Escort Lord Zhao."
Prefect Zhao gave a cold laugh: "I used to think you would accomplish sothing, yet despite your petition to the court to establish the Mariti Trade Commissioner, I also submitted reports alongside..."
As Prefect Zhao spoke, he waved his sleeve, at that mont, ng Su’s eyes flashed with so apology, but ultimately, he did not keep Prefect Zhao.
Prefect Zhao seed eager to return to Mingzhou to submit a report, and he left Yuezhou with his n.
After Prefect Zhao left, ng Su exited the governnt office and walked straight to a courtyard in the city. Upon opening the gate, he saw Chang An guarding there.
ng Su nodded to Chang An and imdiately stepped into the courtyard.
All of this was clearly observed by a spy following behind, who, fearing being discovered, did not stay long and hastily left the alley, circling the city twice to ensure no one saw him. Then he changed clothes and left the city.
As night fell, Prefect Zhao and the spy entered a manor, one after the other.
The steward by Prince Lu’s side sat in the study, listening to Prefect Zhao and the spy talk.
Prefect Zhao said, "The ship should have been sent out by ng Su. When I ntioned the ships, ng Su tried to cover it up and then refused to let inspect them, evidently because the ships were damaged when facing off against Li Tao and hadn’t been repaired in ti."
The spy said, "After Lord Zhao left, ng Su went to a residence, and I saw that it was Chang An, who is by Song Xian’s side, open the door."
Chang An is a guard by Song Xian, always staying by his side. Now that Chang An is in Yuezhou, it ans most likely Song Xian is here too.
Everything seed clear; the steward did not dare delay and imdiately sent soone to bring the news to Prince Lu. Perhaps the Prince’s guess was right. The actions of ng Su and Song Xian may not be just for Li Tao.
This discovery was monuntal; the steward felt fear, and currently, only the Prince could resolve Song Xian.
The steward ordered, "Keep an eye on ng Su and Song Xian’s every move. Now that we know they’re the ones causing trouble, send people to hide in the fishing villages along the coast of Yuezhou. I don’t care what thod you use, whether instructing the spy or sending swimrs, find those ships and confirm if they’re damaged. If these ships set sail again, we must know imdiately."
Having arranged this, the steward left the manor because, after learning of such an enormous secret, he rushed straight back to Prince Lu without so much as catching his breath.
"Has sothing happened?" Prince Lu looked at the steward’s pale face, "Have you found out who it is?"
The steward didn’t even take a breath before reporting, "It’s Song Xian, Song Xian and ng Su are in cahoots."
Prince Lu did not show any surprised expression: "I see."
The steward was dumbfounded, looking up to carefully observe Prince Lu. The Prince had already withdrawn the usual nonchalant deanor and no longer had the cheerful smile on his face, but instead beca incredibly serious.
The steward’s heart skipped a beat; the last ti he saw Prince Lu like this was when the late emperor passed away, and the current Emperor ascended the throne.
That ti, Prince Lu’s sche failed.
According to Prince Lu’s plan, he would estrange the current Emperor from Prince Guangyang, allowing the Emperor to remove Prince Guangyang himself, and then reveal the truth to the late emperor. The late emperor, seeing the true nature of the current Emperor and realizing that this son was not a sincere person, would definitely choose a new Crown Prince for Daqi.
However, the late emperor fell ill rapidly and never recovered, almost never regaining consciousness while bedridden.
Under such circumstances, it was impossible to reverse the situation.
All of Prince Lu’s painstaking arrangents ca to nothing, leaving him to watch helplessly as the current Emperor ascended the throne.
Since then, Prince Lu quietly arranged everything now, amassing troops at sea while feigning naivety before the Emperor.
Attempt one failed, but the second attempt could still be made. The position was worth the effort.
Over the years, Prince Lu maintained a smiling deanor even in front of confidants. This evening, however, his tone seed indifferent, yet he appeared deeply serious.
"Your Highness," the steward said, "what should we do?"
Prince Lu said, "Li Tao failed to do his job well, killing a man nad Liu Xi. This man’s cousin had a good relationship with Xie Shao Yuan, and Song Xian may have discovered the matter through the Liu Family and sohow suspected . But in such a short ti, they lack sufficient evidence, so they lured Li Tao on the sea."
The steward confird his suspicions.
Prince Lu continued, "There has been no news from the Capital City, indicating that the Emperor should not be aware of this matter yet; otherwise, ng Su and Song Xian wouldn’t be so cautious."
As for why they haven’t reported it to the court, perhaps because this matter wasn’t thoroughly investigated, or perhaps...
Prince Lu sneered; Song Xian wished to make significant contributions, and involving him would require patience and solid evidence.
"Fortunately, it’s Song Xian," Prince Lu said calmly, "Song Xian doesn’t know that due to Prince Guangyang’s matter, the Emperor has always harbored suspicion towards him, and I have also previously instructed people to keep reminding the Emperor that Song Xian isn’t trustworthy."
"Even if Song Xian is formidable, how does he compare to the forr Prince Guangyang? If Song Xian were to gain a foothold in the North for three to five years, perhaps I would be rendered helpless, but now it’s different... The thods used to estrange Prince Guangyang from the Emperor can still be effective once again."
"Prince Guangyang... Encountering was their fate, and just when a descendent managed to escape, I must personally reunite their family now."
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