Feng Jinxu, who had been hiding in the shadows of Qingzhou, had now gathered evidence with the help of the Ding Wang Mansion's secret guards.
This included Liu Xianfei's years of amassing wealth from private salt fields, her secretly winning over court officials, and her embezzlement of disaster relief supplies during the Qingzhou posthouse fire.
However, the most unbearable discovery was the mystery surrounding the Sixth Prince's lineage.
The portrait had been sent to the Ding Wang Mansion, and anyone with eyes could see how much the old man in the painting resembled the Sixth Prince.
For this reason, he truly couldn't understand Wei Shaochen.
Having met both of them, how could he not guess the logic behind it?
What was the purpose of helping an outsider, not of the Xiao family bloodline, contend for the throne?
To overthrow the dynasty and gain greater power?
It seemed logically understandable, but the true situation remained unknown.
Having collected most of their evidence, it was naturally time to leave.
That night, as they were preparing to pack and head for Dongdu City, they were ambushed by Wei Shaochen and his men.
This was the first time the two of them had a direct confrontation.
"I never knew the eldest son of the Feng family was so capable, even faking his death to investigate from the shadows. It seems you've had quite a harvest."
"Likewise, aren't you, Young Master Wei, also working for the Sixth Prince for many years without revealing yourself?"
Wei Shaochen smiled. When he smiled, he bore a strong resemblance to Duke Wei.
After all, they were grandfather and grandson, so it was not surprising to have similar features.
"What have you found out?"
"What are you afraid I've found out?"
With just two sentences exchanged between them, they understood each other.
Wei Shaochen stared at Feng Jinxu, and behind him, more than ten people had appeared without him noticing. They were all dressed in black, wielding swords and sabers. Although they made no sound, their posture clearly indicated they were not to be trifled with.
"It seems you've investigated everything. In that case, I must ask for your pardon, as I cannot let you leave Qingzhou."
Capturing Feng Jinxu had been part of their plan from the beginning. However, it was clear this person would not defect to them. Since that was the case, he could not be allowed to live.
It would be best to take both the man and the evidence.
With a gesture, many people in crimson attire appeared beside Wei Shaochen.
Feng Jinxu frowned, "You still have dealings with the people of Nanyue?"
"Oh? You didn't find that out? Then you can go and ask the King of Hell directly."
As soon as the words fell, the crimson-clad figures charged towards Feng Jinxu, their every move aimed at killing, without the slightest hesitation.
The Ding Wang Mansion's secret guards were not to be underestimated either, especially since this unit had been personally trained by Xu Lin.
Although their numbers were less than a third of the crimson-clad men, their combat effectiveness was not to be belittled.
Feng Jinxu did not know martial arts, so he did not rush forward. Fortunately, he had made preparations. All the evidence had been sent in two batches: one to Dongdu City, and another to Yang Zhao in the southwest. What he had here was merely some fragmented information.
Even if he did not survive tonight, it would only be his death.
But the Sixth Prince's crimes would still be publicized, and that was enough.
The fighting was fierce. One of the secret guards retreated to Feng Jinxu's side and whispered.
"Sir, I will escort you away first. Once we rendezvous with our brothers outside, we will immediately set off for the southwest. The Ding Wang Army is there, and these people won't be able to do anything to us."
"And them..."
"Ding Wang Mansion's secret guards, not a single coward among them."
Feng Jinxu's eyes darkened. He knew that there would be no good outcome for them, but now was not the time for sadness. As long as he was alive, there would be hope.
Thus, the man pulled Feng Jinxu and leaped towards the rear.
Seeing Feng Jinxu attempting to escape, Wei Shaochen immediately shouted.
"Don't let him get away!"
"Yes!"
The crimson-clad men tried to pursue, but the Ding Wang Mansion's secret guards were not to be trifled with and would not let them pass. The entanglement and fighting intensified.
Wei Shaochen watched Feng Jinxu escape with his own eyes, his anger burning. He ordered the crimson-clad men.
"Kill all these eyesores!"
The crimson-clad men felt the same, but they had never expected the black-clad men to be so formidable. Despite being vastly outnumbered, they could fight one against two, or even one against three!
Their combat prowess was terrifying. Finally, one of them roared, "Form the array!" The dozen or so men who had been fighting separately immediately gathered together, instantly exploding like a firework, scattering the surrounding crimson-clad men like falling leaves.
The leader threw a smoke bomb, and then the secret guards dispersed and fled.
By the time Wei Shaochen and the crimson-clad men reacted, they had vanished without a trace.
With a cold snort, Wei Shaochen felt like a hunter who had failed to catch his prey, his breathing becoming rapid with anger.
"Order all routes heading north to be blocked. Don't let a single bird escape. I refuse to believe he can escape Qingzhou's inescapable net!"
Wei Shaochen was clearly confident in the trap he had set, but he was completely unaware of the Ding Wang Mansion's secret guards.
For many years, their focus had been entirely on dealing with the Ninth Prince and the First Prince, and they had long since put the Ding Wang out of their minds. Even today, he believed the Feng family served the First Prince and held him responsible.
He did not know that the true mastermind behind it all would be the long-absent Ding Wang.
After Feng Jinxu and his group escaped, they dispersed and headed directly southwest.
The distance was not very far, but due to Wei Shaochen's blockade, their progress was slow. Sometimes they had to cross mountains and ridges, and even camp in the wilderness.
Originally, they thought Lord Feng would not be able to endure hardship, but to their surprise, he did not utter a single complaint. Although his steps could not keep up with the marching speed of the group, he did not lag behind.
Everyone was somewhat impressed.
The journey from Qingzhou to Shuzhou in the southwest, which should have only taken a few days, was more than doubled in time due to the mountainous terrain of Qianzhou.
By the time Feng Jinxu and his group met Yang Zhao, he had lost a significant amount of weight.
He looked even more pathetic than the refugees in the southwest had previously.
"Eldest Young Master! What happened to you all?"
"Quickly, find a way to inform the Prince. Qingzhou's collusion with the Nanyue people is definitely problematic."
They had wanted to send this news out long ago, but fleeing all the way and with the northern routes blocked, it was difficult to send messages. They could only wait until they reached the southwest and found Yang Zhao.
Yang Zhao was slightly surprised, but the next sentence left Feng Jinxu and the others completely stunned.
"No wonder, why the Prince arranged for Princess Qianling and General Jiang Xun to go to Nanyue and Jiaoren. It turns out he had already sensed something was amiss."
Upon hearing that the Prince had already made arrangements, Feng Jinxu finally let out a sigh of relief, and then fainted from exhaustion.
"Quick, find a military doctor!"
Everyone rushed about, settling Feng Jinxu into the military camp.
When Feng Jinxu woke up, he was already at the Wen family's residence.