Su Yunmo, lost in thought, didn't eat much.
Halfway through their meal, Qian Xue entered from outside. "Master, the message has reached the Marquis's mansion. Lin Ze Qu has believed it."
The little dumpling paused, its chopsticks poised to feed Ye Jingyu, then abruptly withdrew them, its eyes narrowing dangerously.
Ye Jingyu's eyelids twitched, and he turned to look at Qian Xue.
Qian Xue: "???"
Had he returned at an inopportune moment?
Su Yunmo shoved the food from the chopsticks into her mouth, then slammed the chopsticks onto the table, crossing her arms and looking at Ye Jingyu. "Are you planning on not eating anymore from now on?"
Damn it, so he had figured out a plan all along, and was just putting on a show?
Ye Jingyu quickly tried to placate her. "I was just teasing you, my dear, my dear."
He shot Qian Xue a glare.
Qian Xue quickly stepped forward to deliver the important news. "Master Jiang's people have already begun their actions. Lin Ze Qu will make his move in about three days."
Su Yunmo grew anxious. "Take action for what? Explain it in detail."
Ye Jingyu waved Qian Xue away.
Qian Xue bowed and retreated, leaving the stage to his master.
"Hey, you haven't finished explaining, don't leave yet!" Su Yunmo was at a crucial point in the story and, seeing Qian Xue leave, turned back to Ye Jingyu in annoyance.
Ye Jingyu smiled, opening his mouth and making an "ah" sound to indicate he was ready.
"Can you not be so childish!" Su Yunmo glared at him, then picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it into his mouth, not exactly gently.
But Ye Jingyu didn't mind.
As he enjoyed the little dumpling's service, he said, "Since Lin Ze Qu's past actions cannot be brought to light, we can create an opportunity for him to make a mistake again."
"The treasure map is something he has always wanted. Perhaps there's more to this so-called treasure, but it's certain that Lin Ze Qu wants a large sum of money."
"But the problem now is, what does he want so much money for?"
Su Yunmo narrowed her eyes, her expression gradually becoming serious.
This was a question she hadn't really considered.
Lin Ze Qu wasn't the type of corrupt official who cared about petty gains, nor was he someone who indulged in extravagance. If he wanted money, it must be for a significant purpose.
Perhaps…
A glint flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes, and she instinctively clenched her fist.
She hoped it wasn't what she was thinking.
She lowered her brows and looked at Ye Jingyu. "You're not planning on giving him Yuqin Tower, are you?"
"Momo is so smart," Ye Jingyu praised her sincerely.
Su Yunmo looked at him with a complex expression and also said sincerely, "I really can't understand the world of the rich."
Although Master Jiang wouldn't teach his daughter, he was efficient in his work.
Perhaps Lin Ze Qu was too anxious due to his recent decline.
He didn't even wait for the three days to pass and had already begun his move.
The next afternoon, Qian Xue invited Su Yunmo to watch a play.
After Jiang Li had sent people to cause trouble in the capital and then entered Yuqin Tower under its name, it provided Lin Ze Qu with an opportunity to enter Yuqin Tower legitimately. Subsequently, under Qian Xue's arrangement, he found flaws in Yuqin Tower and sealed it himself.
Ye Jingyu feigned "heartbreak" over this, even confronting Lin Ze Qu and demanding he withdraw his men from Yuqin Tower. In the end, Lin Ze Qu successfully took over.
Ye Jingyu was "utterly defeated."
Before the authorities could officially seal Yuqin Tower, Lin Ze Qu transferred all the wealth within it.
Another night passed, and Lin Ze Qu secretly left the capital under the cover of darkness, heading to a dense forest on the outskirts of the city.
Beneath the dense forest, there was a hidden secret passage.
When Ye Jingyu led his men to apprehend him, he was still inside the cave passage and hadn't emerged.
Soon, the area outside the secret passage was swarmed by government officials, illuminating the night.
Seeing Ye Jingyu leading the group, Lin Ze Qu frowned fiercely. "So it was you!"
Good heavens, he had truly underestimated him. He thought the Yuqin Tower incident was just bad luck that allowed him to seize a great advantage, but now it seemed it was intentional!
"Prince Yu is indeed a hero, a truly grand gesture. I am truly impressed!" he said through gritted teeth.
Ye Jingyu smiled at him, flicking away a non-existent speck of dust from his sleeve. "What do you mean by that, Marquis? I don't understand."
He had personally led the sealing of Yuqin Tower, and the 'evidence' against it was found by his most trusted subordinates.
Now that things had come to this, it was his own doing, and had nothing to do with him.
Lin Ze Qu took a deep breath. Seeing the crowd surge in, he clenched his fists tightly.
Damn it, he really hadn't expected them to find this place. This was going to be troublesome!
Upon entering, everyone froze in place.
Within the secret passage lay an endless array of weapons.
Even Ye Jingyu was taken aback, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Marquis, do you know that privately hoarding weapons is a serious crime!"
He had always known this man was ambitious, but he never imagined his ambition would reach such a scale.
With such a vast quantity of weapons, it was enough to raise an army of a hundred thousand men!
Lin Ze Qu's clenched fist began to sweat. "Whether it's a serious crime or not is not for you to decide. I want to meet His Majesty, and I will explain myself to His Majesty!"
His Majesty knew that Ye Jingyu had always been at odds with him.
Even though he had caught him red-handed, it wasn't a dead end. As long as he met His Majesty, and he denied everything, His Majesty would believe him to some extent.
If he didn't believe him, it wouldn't matter. He would just say that these weapons were hidden here by someone else, and he had discovered them and merely intended to transfer them to the Ministry of War.
It was just that he was a bit slow and hadn't been able to inform the Ministry of War before Ye Jingyu caught him.
Ye Jingyu saw the flicker in his eyes and guessed his thoughts. "If the Marquis wishes to see His Majesty, you must first see if His Majesty is willing to see you. Guards, take him away!"
The constables stepped forward to escort Lin Ze Qu.
Lin Ze Qu glared with his fierce eyes, scaring the constables back.
He then shot Ye Jingyu another fierce glare, his eyes filled with unwillingness as he strode away.
Qian Xue instinctively looked at Ye Jingyu.
Ye Jingyu made a gesture, and Qian Xue followed, accompanying the constables in escorting Lin Ze Qu away.
Once everyone had left.
Su Yunmo emerged from the shadows, stretching. "Following you all day has been exhausting."
She had to admit that Ye Jingyu was truly capable. This plan was so well-orchestrated; if it wasn't Lin Ze Qu, anyone else would have been caught.
Ye Jingyu remained silent, his brow furrowed as he stared at the weapons.
Su Yunmo walked over and nudged his waist with her elbow. "I'm praising you, give me some reaction?"
She looked up at the weapons and clicked her tongue. "But your act was a bit too grand. Where did you find so many weapons?"
Ye Jingyu took a deep breath, his eyes growing darker. "These weren't found by me, they belong to him."
"Belong to him?" Su Yunmo didn't react for a moment, and after a while, her expression gradually turned grim.
Looking at the weapons filling the cave, her voice suddenly rose. "Did Lin Ze Qu really have these made by his men?"
Ye Jingyu walked forward, passing by a few weapons, and then stated with certainty, "They weren't bought, they were forged."
With such a massive quantity, it must have taken at least ten years to forge them.
Su Yunmo also realized this was no small matter and sneered, "I really didn't realize my father had such ideas."
Illegally forging weapons and hoarding wealth, was he planning to raise an army and rebel?
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