Five days ago, a team of Qing Lisi envoys tracking bandits disappeared without a trace on their way from the outskirts to Xiling, their fate unknown.
After five days of searching, they only managed to trace them to the place where they vanished.
They had ultimately disappeared within a dilapidated temple.
There were no hidden passages inside the temple, nor any signs of a struggle. The ground was marked only by hoof prints leading from the outskirts towards Xiling. Following that, these seven living people, along with their horses, seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving absolutely nothing behind.
The 京兆尹 dispatched people to investigate. They searched again and again but found nothing. Now, several days later, not only had the Ministry of War's border defense map not been recovered, but the Ministry of Justice had also lost seven Qing Lisi envoys. This was undoubtedly a resounding slap in the face for Lin Yuan and the imperial court.
"Not yet."
As of today, the people were still missing; they were neither seen alive nor found dead.
"Knock knock~"
A knock sounded on the door. Thirteen requested an audience.
"Enter!"
Upon hearing his lord's voice from within the room, Thirteen pushed the door open and entered. After paying his respects to Ji Jinmo and Nan Shiying, he addressed Ji Jinmo, "My lord, the people have been found!"
Nan Shiying, who had been lounging lazily against a soft couch, straightened up abruptly upon hearing Thirteen's words.
He said "people," not "bodies"?
Are they still alive?
"Where?"
"At a village at the foot of a cliff a hundred li from the dilapidated temple, but..." Thirteen's expression turned grim. "Seven people went missing, and only one has been found – Sang Ji, an envoy of the Ministry of Justice. According to the villagers who rescued him, he floated all the way down the stream at the foot of the cliff. He had multiple bone fractures and appeared to have fallen from the cliff into the stream."
"He was gravely injured and only regained consciousness a day ago. After waking, he asked the villagers who saved him to report the news to the local county magistrate, who dispatched constables. The person has just been brought into the Ministry of Justice."
The person had just entered the Ministry of Justice, and Thirteen had already received the news. It seemed that Ji Jinmo's raid on the Ministry of Justice with the Demon Hunting Army wasn't just for show; he had also intended to plant his own people amidst the chaos!
Nan Shiying tutted, stretched languidly with her hands raised high, and then hopped off the soft couch. Turning to Ji Jinmo, she said, "My lord, a day trip to the outskirts!"
Ji Jinmo remained silent for a second before putting down the memorial he was holding. He readily agreed, nodding, "Good~"
...
After the carriage exited the city gates, it traveled northeast from the fork in the road in the outskirts. As they passed the dilapidated temple, Nan Shiying called for the carriage to stop.
Nan Shiying and Ji Jinmo alighted and entered the dilapidated temple.
Inside the temple, footprints were scattered everywhere, some deep and some shallow, clearly indicating they were not all made in one day. It was unclear how many belonged to the people from the Ministry of Justice and the 京兆尹. Nan Shiying surveyed the surroundings before walking towards the pile of charred charcoal in the center of the temple.
She found a branch, scooped up some charcoal ash, and smelled it under her nose, raising her eyebrows slightly.
Although several days had passed, the pile of charcoal, which had not been dispersed by the wind, still retained a faint scent that did not belong there.
It smelled like a mixture of Ji Ming Cao and Luo Lie Gen.
Both of these medicinal herbs were ideal for producing a soporific incense.
No wonder there were no signs of a struggle. With this soporific incense, even an elephant could be knocked unconscious, let alone a few people.
Nan Shiying threw away the branch, clapped her hands to brush off the dirt, stood up, and paced back and forth in the temple. Then, she beckoned to Ji Jinmo, "Let's go!"
Thirteen followed behind, completely oblivious to what she was trying to do.
Back in the carriage, Thirteen couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, did you discover something?"
Nan Shiying replied, "Nothing much, really. Just that there was the scent of soporific incense in the charcoal pile, and there seemed to be some scuff marks on the northwest corner wall of the temple. Also, there was one spot on the altar that was noticeably cleaner than the rest."
Xuan Thirteen: "..."
And she called that "nothing much"?
"So, were those envoys from the Ministry of Justice drugged? Did the perpetrators not intend to kill them? But what about Sang Ji?" Thirteen's mind raced, but Sang Ji's appearance at the foot of the cliff made many of his speculations seem far-fetched.
"We'll know when we see him!"
Nan Shiying was too lazy to speculate so much at this moment. If she puzzled over it all the way there, only to have her theories overturned after hearing Sang Ji's account, it would be like a dung beetle wearing gloves – a pointless effort!
The Prince's carriage traveled a thousand li a day. Even while pulling a carriage, its speed was astonishingly fast, arriving at the village ahead of the people from the Ministry of Justice and the 京兆尹.
Upon hearing that the Prince Regent himself had arrived, the county magistrate, along with the entire village, knelt in welcome.
"Your subordinate (commoner) pays respects to Your Highness."
Everyone offered their greetings in unison. The county magistrate at the forefront bowed his head, his hands, which were touching the ground, trembling slightly, and his voice quivering.
"Rise!"
Ji Jinmo waved his sleeve, signaling everyone to get up.
After rising, the villagers waited aside with trepidation, daring not to move, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Silence enveloped the surroundings, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
These people were truly terrified of Ji Jinmo!
Nan Shiying looked up at his extremely stern face and couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
Hearing someone dare to laugh in front of the Prince Regent, the county magistrate felt his vision blacken, and he nearly fainted. He turned his head, his fierce gaze sweeping across the villagers' faces. Seeing that everyone stood with their heads bowed, cautious to the point of not even daring to glance up, he was taken aback.
Not villagers?
As he thought this, a clear voice reached his ears from the side: "Magistrate Zhou, where is the envoy from the Ministry of Justice that the villagers rescued?"
Zhou Cheng turned his head and saw a young gentleman with a delicate and refined face, dressed in white, standing beside the Prince Regent.
Judging by the voice, it matched the laughter from just moments ago.
So, it was him who had laughed earlier?
How dare he?
Seeing Zhou Cheng staring blankly, Ji Jinmo frowned. Sensing the displeasure on the Prince Regent's face, Zhou Cheng quickly suppressed his thoughts and replied, "Replying to Your Excellency, that envoy from the Ministry of Justice is currently at Cheng Tieniu's home... Oh, Cheng Tieniu is the villager who rescued the envoy from the Ministry of Justice."
"Magistrate Zhou, there's no need to be so polite. I am not an 'Excellency.' You may simply call me Feng Luan."
"This subordinate dare not!"
Zhou Cheng waved his hand, utterly unwilling to address him directly by name. However, Feng Luan... this name sounded so familiar.
Nan Shiying did not waste any more time on this matter. She said, "Then, Magistrate Zhou, would you be so kind as to lead the way?"
"Ah, of course, of course! Your Highness, Young Master Feng, please this way!"
Zhou Cheng led the way.
Although he had summoned a physician immediately after receiving the news, Sang Ji's injuries were severe, with multiple fractures throughout his body, making it impossible to move him. Therefore, he was still staying at Cheng Tieniu's home.