The Prime Minister's heart was filled with doubt, and he looked towards Wen Mohan. Wen Mohan's face held a similar surprise, but his concern was whether Cen Yu had offended someone. After all, the Lonsheng Trading Company was under the Cen family's name. Were those people interrogating the shopkeeper and others to extract some information?
Lord Ling presented the item. The Prime Minister's pupils contracted upon seeing it, but he did not reach out. Instead, he asked calmly, "Did this item originate from the Lonsheng Trading Company?"
"Replying to the Prime Minister, this item comes from the Lonsheng Trading Company. The Lonsheng Trading Company produced many similar goods and sold them everywhere. This item looks like a royal seal, but the royal seals of our country are carved with dragons. I have never seen one carved with a phoenix. Does the Prime Minister know whose seal is carved with a phoenix?"
The Prime Minister pondered for a moment. "The Empress's phoenix seal is carved with a phoenix head. As for a seal carved with an entire phoenix, to my knowledge, there is only one place that has such a thing."
"Please, Prime Minister, enlighten me."
"The Blue Moon Kingdom," the Prime Minister said slowly. "This is a replica of the Blue Feather Kingdom's phoenix seal!"
Lord Ling felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat that soaked his clothes. He had never imagined that this item would be connected to the Blue Moon Kingdom.
"How did this become involved with the Blue Moon Kingdom?" Ling Xuan asked in surprise. He had initially thought it was a competitor's scheme, but now it involved another country's royal family.
Wen Mohan, being meticulous in thought, quickly realized that this was likely just the beginning.
"Once the Blue Moon Kingdom is involved, it's no small matter."
"Prime Minister, what do you mean?"
The Prime Minister pondered for a moment. "Do you know that the current Empress of the Blue Moon Kingdom did not ascend the throne legitimately?"
Lord Ling shook his head. He knew very little about the secrets of other countries, especially since it was not something honorable. The specific details were likely known only to the high-ranking officials of the Blue Moon Kingdom.
"Rumor has it that the current Empress of the Blue Moon Kingdom is the elder sister of the previous Empress," the Prime Minister said, steadying his mind, and began to explain. "This current Empress is a ruthless character. Not only did she kill her own sister who was the heir to the throne, but she also massacred her entire maternal clan."
"A truly heartless woman. Then what does this have to do with the phoenix seal?"
"The former Empress of the Blue Moon Kingdom had a daughter, but her father was unknown. It is rumored that during the palace coup, the imperial princess was taken away by the Empress's confidante. Along with her were taken the imperial heirloom phoenix seal of the Blue Moon Kingdom, and the military token that controlled all the troops of the Blue Moon Kingdom!"
Hiss! Lord Ling gasped. "My Lord... could the Lonsheng Trading Company be related to the Blue Moon imperial princess?"
The Prime Minister shook his head. "That remains to be seen. The current Empress of the Blue Moon Kingdom is not in good health. She launched the palace coup seventeen years ago, but she did not gain much. To this day, she has no heir. She has adopted several foster daughters, but how could the Blue Moon officials allow an outsider to inherit the throne? The Blue Moon Kingdom is currently unstable. The Empress does not possess the phoenix seal and the military token, has no children, and her family members have been wiped out. Currently, the only bloodline of the Blue Moon royal family, besides the Empress, is the imperial princess living in exile."
"Was the imitation phoenix seal appearing in the Imperial Capital of Yusheng the act of the Blue Moon or the Blue Moon imperial princess?" Wen Mohan inquired.
"Regardless of who did it, it's not good!" the Prime Minister sighed. "If it was the Blue Moon Empress's doing, it means the Blue Moon imperial princess is hidden in our Imperial Capital of Yusheng, and she wants to force her out. If it was the Blue Moon imperial princess's doing... it's possible she wants to provoke conflict between Yusheng and Blue Moon, using Yusheng to help her reclaim her country!"
Ling Xuan felt his head swimming in confusion. This was clearly an ordinary murder case, but how did it become entangled with the secret history of another country's royal family and even involve issues between nations? He felt his brain had stopped working!
"Is the Blue Moon imperial princess still alive?"
"I don't know. If she is alive, she should be seventeen," the Prime Minister slowly exhaled. "Lord Ling, recall all imitations of the phoenix seal items in the Imperial Capital. The sooner the better, we absolutely cannot let this situation escalate further!"
"This subordinate obeys."
After the Ling father and son left, the Prime Minister was in no mood to work. He stared blankly at the calligraphy on the wall, his thoughts wandering far away.
"Father, what are you thinking about?"
"The storm is coming," the Prime Minister said faintly. "If the Blue Moon were to go to war with Yusheng at this time, Yun Qi would surely be in turmoil again. The Northern Rong always likes to take advantage, and then Yusheng would face an attack from three allied nations. Coupled with the infighting among the princes, and the Empress Dowager not being content to remain quiet... Yusheng is in grave danger."
"Father, are there any special characteristics of the Blue Moon royal family members? Or perhaps any birthmarks?" Wen Mohan inquired after a moment of thought.
"That... I'm not quite sure," the Prime Minister said gently. "Perhaps Xiao Zhen knows something, as he has clashed with the Blue Moon on the battlefield before. However, the secrets of the Blue Moon royal family are not easily known to outsiders."
"Then how does the Blue Moon royal family confirm who is their imperial princess?"
"That I don't know." The Prime Minister felt a growing unease. The sudden news of the Blue Moon imperial princess, who had been missing for seventeen years, appearing in Yusheng, was cause for deep thought. Furthermore, no one could be sure of the current Blue Moon Empress's intentions towards this exiled imperial princess.
Wen Mohan nodded slowly. "Father, is the Blue Moon imperial princess seventeen years old?"
"She should be seventeen. It is said that the current Empress seized power while the former Empress was weak after childbirth. Otherwise, with the former Empress of the Blue Moon's disposition, she would not have been so easily overthrown." The Prime Minister shook his head. "I hope this does not involve us, otherwise, who knows what will happen!"
"Let's hope so."
After leaving the Prime Minister's study, Wen Mohan returned to his room and retrieved something from his porcelain pillow. It was the mechanical box that Xiao Man had lost to him in the Golden Palace. He had fiddled with the box for a long time without finding anything special, but based on his understanding of such mechanisms, the owner of this box was no ordinary person.
"Does this mechanical box belong to you, or to the Blue Moon royal family?" Wen Mohan had too many questions. If he didn't get to the bottom of it, he felt he wouldn't be able to rest. Moreover, since this matter involved Cen Yu, he was even more worried.
After a moment's hesitation, Wen Mohan took the mechanical box and left, heading straight for the Cen family. Cen Yu, as a merchant, had business dealings with Blue Moon, so perhaps he could glean some information from Cen Yu. Besides, the Cen family was already involved in this matter.
Upon Wen Mohan's arrival, Cen Yu was delighted. "You must have come after hearing about what happened at the Lonsheng Trading Company, right?"
"Yes. Was it the work of a rival?"
Cen Yu shook his head. "For the moment, I can't quite guess whether it's someone targeting me or someone seeking revenge maliciously."