Chapter 141: Questioning |
Hearing this, Shen Qiming gave a light nod, saying, "I was just about to tell Your Highness about this very matter."
With that, he took a lead-sealed letter from inside his robe and presented it through the iron door with both hands.
Li Zhi took the envelope, gave it a casual glance, then opened it and read quickly through the contents by the dim light of the yellow oil lamp on the stone wall.
Very shortly, his brow furrowed involuntarily, and an expression of obvious surprise showed on his face.
"The Hidden Kill Order is actually on him."
Li Zhi's heart sank, and he ran his gaze over the contents of the letter once more to confirm.
Having confirmed he had not misread it, Li Zhi suddenly let out a cold laugh and said quietly, "Truly fearless in his ignorance."
Hearing this, Shen Qiming outside the cell door raised his head slightly, but staying in his place and knowing his role, he asked nothing further.
At this point, Li Zhi turned and sat back down on the straw mat in his cell, picked up a brush and quickly wrote out a letter at the small table, then sealed it in an envelope and passed it once more to Shen Qiming outside the door, saying, "After you go back, the person you met last time will come on their own to collect this letter. In the meantime, you need do nothing."
Li Zhi gave a gentle wave of his hand and narrowed his eyes toward the iron door outside, saying calmly, "Tell my elder sister there is no need for her to be anxious. The wait should not be too long."
...
At the same time, the Right Minister in full white mourning attire and the Second Prince Li Que, surrounded by a crowd of martial experts, left the Tianjin Guards headquarters with dark expressions and made their way to the Third Prince's residence.
They had originally surrounded the Tianjin Guards headquarters intending to force Fu Qiwen to come out, but to their considerable surprise the guards of the grand Tianjin Guards headquarters in the capital were in such a state of relaxed disarray at this time that they barely encountered any resistance before their group had occupied the entire premises.
But what surprised them even more was that Fu Qiwen, just like Li Musheng, was not in the Tianjin Guards headquarters at all and had disappeared without a trace.
"Could that Fu Qiwen have fled out of guilt?"
The Second Prince Li Que's expression was extremely unpleasant, while the Right Minister Ji Song, his face drawn with grief, slowly closed his eyes and said in his hoarse voice, "The Tianjin Guards must have a major operation underway in the near future. This old subject had actually already anticipated that much, but that the matter would implicate Fu Qiwen himself was not something this old subject foresaw."
Then he slowly opened his eyes again, saying, "But this old subject is certain that Zhu's affair is necessarily connected to Fu Qiwen and that Eighth Prince. Since they cannot be brought down through the court at present, letting them die out there will serve just as well."
The moment those words fell, the Second Prince Li Que looked at Ji Song's aged and haggard face, then furrowed his brow and said with some hesitation, "It is not that I disagree with the Right Minister's thinking, but Fu Qiwen's martial Dao cultivation is impossibly deep. Moving to assassinate him would be genuinely extremely difficult."
Hearing this, Ji Song raised his eyes slightly to look at Li Que, saying, "Your Highness need not worry. Whatever business was important enough for Commander Fu Qiwen to go out in person is absolutely not a minor matter. This old subject suspects he is likely already in over his head at this moment."
"Perhaps in the past we truly had no means of dealing with him, but this is an opportunity. As long as we can find him, there is every chance of taking his life."
With that, Ji Song rose slowly and then bowed toward Li Que with solemn formality, saying, "As long as Your Highness helps this old subject avenge Zhu, from this day on this old subject will follow Your Highness's lead without reservation or wavering."
The moment those words fell, Li Que's expression shifted sharply, and he quickly reached out to help Ji Song up. The hesitation that had flickered in his eyes vanished in an instant, and he said in a low, firm voice, "The Right Minister is too gracious. Third Brother's business is my business. I will lend every bit of my strength to avenging Third Brother."
"And furthermore, my residence commands a great many martial world experts. Taking down that Fu Qiwen will be no problem at all."
Hearing this, Ji Song gave a quiet cough and lowered his head, saying, "With Your Highness's word, this old subject is at ease. I will seek out Master Youshan's assistance and have the Tianji Pavilion lend their hand in helping this old subject avenge Zhu."
Li Que felt a measure of relief inwardly. In truth, he had only half believed Ji Song's words, but if the Tianji Pavilion of the martial world were to lend their aid, then perhaps the matter did stand a genuine chance of success.
At this point, Ji Song raised his head and looked toward Li Que, asking, "Your Highness, is there any word regarding that Eighth Prince?"
Li Que furrowed his brow slightly, then shook his head, saying, "Word came back from my people earlier that the carriage seems to have traveled a great distance after leaving the capital and has most likely already passed out of the capital province by now."
As he spoke, his tone shifted, and he added quickly, "However, the Right Minister may rest easy. The martial expert I dispatched should catch up with them very soon."
Ji Song gave a nod and clasped his hands, saying, "I am grateful for Your Highness's trouble. This old subject has not closed his eyes for many days and is feeling quite worn. I will excuse myself to rest for a while. Your Highness please feel free to stay."
With that, Ji Song had his servants help him up and departed from the Third Prince's mourning hall.
Seeing this, Li Que watched the man's departure with a measured, outwardly warm gaze.
Only once Ji Song's figure had disappeared from sight did he glance at Li Zhu's body lying at the center of the mourning hall. Yet the look in his eyes at this moment was utterly cold and indifferent.
Then, without lingering another moment, he returned to his own residence under the protection of numerous martial experts.
On the other side, Ji Song went back to his study and had a servant brew a pot of hot tea, then sat quietly to wait.
Before long, with the sound of wind passing through the doorway outside, a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's robe with a square headband appeared soundlessly in the study.
"Master Ji, please accept my condolences."
Master Youshan let out a quiet sigh.
He looked at the hunched and grief-stricken old man before him, and his gaze was filled with compassion.
Hearing this, Ji Song slowly raised his head and looked at the middle-aged man before him, asking in his hoarse voice, "Does Master Youshan have any leads regarding the killer of my daughter?"
Master Youshan gave a slight nod, then sat down across from Ji Song.
Seeing this, a trace of life finally showed on Ji Song's otherwise expressionless face. He poured a cup of hot tea for the man and said, "Please tell this old subject what you know."
Hearing this, Master Youshan picked up the teacup and took a sip, then thought briefly for a moment before speaking, saying, "Master Ji, while the Tianji Pavilion has some accomplishments in the gathering of intelligence, we are not all-knowing and all-capable. If there are any inaccuracies, I ask for the Master's understanding."
Ji Song waved a hand, saying, "Think nothing of it. Please speak plainly, Master Youshan."
Hearing this, Master Youshan finally spoke, saying, "The reason Imperial Consort Ji was killed is connected to the Cangyuan Marquis household case. And according to what the Tianji Pavilion has investigated, a figure who cannot be separated from this matter is the daughter of the Cangyuan Marquis, Cang Yinyue."
"A great many things have occurred in connection with this young woman of late, and the root of all of it traces back to another person entirely, which is none other than the Eighth Prince of Great Li."
Hearing this, Ji Song's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "Please continue."
Master Youshan's gaze flickered, and he shook his head, saying, "That Eighth Prince is no simple figure. There is a very great deal of mystery surrounding him."