Lin Yuan, Jian'an Temple!
The assassins Wang Jushu spoke of, who were to assassinate Ji Hong, turned out to be the Changsheng Dao Sect and the remnants of Miao Jiang hidden in Jian'an Temple. This was interesting.
The letter Yuan Geng was holding was written on paper unique to the Xiliang royal family, while the people secretly plotting to assassinate behind the Zhuyu Gang, who were tracked down through Wang Er, were the Changsheng Dao Sect and the remnants of Miao Jiang.
One murder case had implicated three major powers.
Xiliang, Miao Jiang, Changsheng Dao Sect.
Liu Ling had died a worthy death, but it was unknown which party was the mastermind behind the events that unfolded from Liu Ling's murder.
However, it seemed more likely to be Xiliang at present!
After all, the sect leader of the Zhuyu Gang had identified the Changsheng Dao Sect and the remnants of Miao Jiang.
Listening to the confession relayed by Nan Shiying, Ji Hong's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, his hands rubbing the armrests of the chair. His face, flickering in the candlelight of the heavenly prison, showed no discernible emotion.
Ji Hong laughed.
He looked at Nan Shiying and asked, "Young Master Feng, I hear you are on good terms with my imperial uncle?"
As his gaze fell upon her, whether it was a trick of the light or not, Nan Shiying felt as if she were being locked onto by the vertical pupils of a venomous snake, sinister and cold, radiating an unspeakable danger.
Nan Shiying nodded nonchalantly, "Replying to Your Majesty, yes!"
"Oh?"
"I heard that imperial uncle is ill?"
Ji Hong asked softly, as if filled with concern and worry.
Nan Shiying replied, "It's just a minor ailment. Your Majesty need not worry. If the prince knew Your Majesty cared so much for his health, he would be deeply touched."
Zou Cheng shrunk back into the shadows, trying his best to minimize his presence.
"That is good. Imperial uncle is the pillar of Lin Yuan. If anything were to happen to him, it would be the misfortune of Lin Yuan."
The true meaning of these two people's words lay in what they didn't say.
"Enough, I am tired."
Ji Hong lowered his eyelids, casting a glance at Zou Cheng Yi. Zou Cheng Yi immediately understood his intentions, bowed in greeting, and led Nan Shiying out of the Imperial Prison.
The subsequent events were not for them to interfere with!
Nan Shiying did not return to the Ministry of Punishment's prison with Zou Cheng Yi, but instead, turned and went back to the Prince's mansion.
Zou Cheng Yi, with his gaze fixed on his nose and his nose on his heart, pretended not to notice. After a moment's thought, he did not return to the Ministry of Punishment either, but headed back to his own mansion. Calculating the days, he had not been home for nearly half a month!
...
Ji Jinmo had not yet retired for the night, and the study lamp was still lit.
Nan Shiying pushed open the study door, took off her outer coat, and tossed it aside. She entered the room and warmed herself by the fire. The charcoal fire in the study emitted no smoke, and instead carried a faint, elusive fragrance.
The room was filled with the scent of wood and the fragrance of fallen cherry blossoms.
Ji Jinmo put down the scroll in his hand and raised his eyes. A hint of blood clung to her clothes, but looking at her current appearance, she didn't seem injured.
"Interrogated the prisoner?" he asked.
Nan Shiying nodded, "The second-in-command of the Zhuyu Gang, tracked down through Wang Er. Master, things are becoming more and more interesting."
Ji Jinmo remained silent, gesturing for her to continue.
This style of conversation, where no one prompted her, made Nan Shiying feel somewhat bored. She rubbed her warmed hands and leaned onto the couch as if she had no bones. Ji Jinmo looked at her.
When she cross-dressed, a hint of heroism emanated from her brows. Even when she frowned, there was no trace of fragility, but rather a gentle feeling. However, the thought of her using this face to provoke so many women instantly cleared the smile from Ji Jinmo's eyes, revealing a hint of displeasure.
The rapid change was so abrupt that Nan Shiying felt inclined to call him a master of extreme facial expressions!
Fresh dried fruits were placed on the low table of the couch. Ever since the Prince had bestowed Green Wan and a few personal maids upon the Princess Consort, such tasks of service had fallen to Thirteen. The Prince did not eat these, but Thirteen replaced them daily, solely so that the Princess Consort could have fresh dried goods whenever she visited.
Of course, all of this was done with the Prince's tacit approval. To say tacit approval was inaccurate; it was clearly an explicit directive, and Thirteen was merely carrying it out.
Nan Shiying shelled a pine nut and glanced at Ji Jinmo with a somewhat exaggerated exclamation, "Master, you definitely wouldn't guess what I interrogated!"
"What?" Ji Jinmo asked, a smile curving his lips.
Thirteen crouched outside, contemplating what kind of answer he would receive if he asked this question. He thought for a long time, and suddenly his eyes welled up with tears. He couldn't imagine how Master would react in such a situation because, in reality, besides the Princess Consort, no one dared to play coy with Master.
Was it because they didn't value their lives enough, or because the wind on the frontier was too 'gentle'?
Therefore, he wanted to cry!
This was a sadness born from the gap created by a deviation in self-perception followed by self-correction.
If Xuan Yi were present, he would only have raised his long middle finger to him.
Ji Jinmo's reaction greatly pleased Nan Shiying. She said, "I interrogated the whereabouts of the assassins from the imperial hunt that day."
Ji Jinmo's expression faltered slightly; he clearly hadn't expected this.
"The even more astonishing part is yet to come!"
This time, Nan Shiying did not hold back and shared all the information she had obtained from the interrogation with Ji Jinmo. Finally, she asked, "Master, this feeling, don't you find it a bit strange!"
While telling Ji Jinmo about this matter, Nan Shiying felt another strange sensation. How to describe it? It was as if her body's sensory system had detected some information that her brain had not yet grasped – just a vague feeling, without any concrete evidence or grounding. However, no matter how unfounded this feeling was, it was enough to make one pay attention and even believe it.
"You mean, everything is going too smoothly?"
Nan Shiying nodded.
It was so smooth it was astonishingly so!
"But it also makes sense," she continued after a moment of silence. "It was a conspiracy from the start!"
Ji Jinmo glanced at her and slowly nodded.
...
Ji Hong issued two orders: first, to secretly apprehend Zhao Yu, and second, to round up the assassins hidden in Jian'an Temple.
After Zhao Yu was apprehended, he was taken to the heavenly prison.
From Zhao Yu's confession, a name emerged – Liu Yuchi!
Zhao Wuyan's legitimate wife.
Zhao Wuyan's legitimate wife, Liu Shi, her father was Liu Yi, the prefect of Yunan Commandery. Her mother, however, was not the daughter of a renowned noble family, but an orphan whom Liu Yi had saved while traveling. At the time, Liu Yi was not the legitimate son and had no inheritance rights. Furthermore, he had been rebellious since childhood. Despite his family's opposition and even severing ties with his clan, he insisted on marrying this orphan girl. He left home for several years and, relying on his own talents, made quite a name for himself. Meanwhile, the legitimate son of the Liu family fell gravely ill and passed away, and Liu Yi, as a matter of course, inherited the Liu family and became the prefect of Yunan Commandery.
Zhao Wuyan was once the commander of Yunan Commandery. He married Liu Yuchi, Liu Yi's only daughter. A few years ago, he was transferred back to the capital to serve as the commander of the capital.
...
The synchronized sound of footsteps echoed from the street. Iron boots trod the ground, the edges of armor scraped against spears. A well-armed army was marching towards the Zhao mansion.