Chapter 155: Unraveling the Mystery

What a coincidence!

Their party quickly departed from Jiangcheng, not daring to delay for even a moment.

Upon arriving in Luojing, they immediately reported the matter to the Emperor.

His Highness the Prince Huai had completely lost his mind, actually collaborating with the people of the Southern Frontier. Wasn't this an attempt to ruin the State of Qing? It was utterly terrifying.

"Your Majesty, my Imperial Brother has gone mad. He is cultivating poisonous herbs on a massive scale in Jiangcheng."

What?

The officials in the imperial court were instantly struck with pale horror. How could this be possible? Unless he had truly turned a fool, he would not commit such a mistake.

"Are you certain?"

"Everything we saw along the way consisted entirely of poisonous herbs. Moreover, the intentions of the people from the Southern Frontier are far from pure; they are very likely attempting to disrupt the imperial government," Han Qing said slowly.

He had always maintained a calm demeanor, but the current situation was undoubtedly far too terrifying.

"Your Majesty, please make your decision!"

Censor Official Lord Zhou hurriedly took a side. Especially given the current circumstances, he was certainly not foolish enough to wait around in that wretched place.

"Lord Zhou, one must not be too impulsive. What if His Highness Prince Huai is entirely unaware of this? Perhaps he has been deluded by others?"

The Right Chancellor spoke up in a timely manner. He certainly did not want to ruin the situation. After all, falsely accusing an imperial prince was a grave crime in the future—how could they possibly bear the responsibility?

"Indeed, Your Majesty must think twice. Once the Imperial Guards are dispatched, there will be no turning back."

Several ministers immediately offered explanations, which was only to be expected.

His Highness the Third Prince also chimed in immediately.

"Imperial Father, this son believes my Imperial Brother would not be so muddle-headed. It is very likely he has been framed by others. After all, when this son was stationed in that region, I did not discover the slightest impropriety."

The implication was clear. He was shifting all the blame squarely onto Han Qing.

Would they dare to admit the truth? Or did they truly believe that an imperial prince would suddenly plot rebellion?

"Enough. We shall make our own judgment."

The Emperor nodded and did not arrange for anyone to handle Jiangcheng, which left Zhu Yunzhi utterly bewildered.

What on earth was going on? Why were they not stopping it?

"Brother Han, I fail to see the point of this. Doesn't this just complicate matters further?"

"Because there is no concrete evidence, and the sovereign harbors deep suspicions. Right now, it is merely your word against theirs..." Han Qing said calmly, having nothing to worry about.

His Highness Prince Huai would not remain calm forever. When he would finally make his move depended entirely on what resources they currently possessed.

Meanwhile, His Highness the Third Prince was also panicking. He had gone to great lengths to seize an opportunity back then, only to have Prince Huai reap the benefits instead.

"Is what that fellow said true or false?" he asked his strategist, primarily wanting to learn the truth of the matter.

"Your Highness, news from the secret guards has not yet arrived, but several batches we sent out have yielded little use," the strategist said thoughtfully. The situation was indeed severe.

"What? Several batches sent out, and not a single one has returned?" they asked with perplexed expressions.

"That's right, not a single one."

The strategist nodded. That was truly bizarre. Could it be that Jiangcheng had already become something solely within the grasp of Prince Huai?

Absurd! The Third Prince refused to believe that his Imperial Brother would genuinely dare to defy the arrangements of their Imperial Father. That was simply too exaggerated.

After waiting for about an hour, they finally realized belatedly that a major problem had occurred.

"Your Highness, none of the others returned. They must have all fallen victim to the poisonous herbs," a returning secret guard reported, his condition visibly wretched.

A surge of excitement instantly filled the Third Prince.

*Oh, my dear Imperial Brother! Since you failed to restrain yourself and tried to squeeze out some extra silver, and I have caught you by the handle, you leave me no choice.*

An idea had already formed in his mind. It seemed he would need to find some helpers this time around.

"Is there any way to find some evidence?"

"Your Highness, the Wanqiong Tower in Luojing can assist us."

The Third Prince looked dazed. "Isn't that a pleasure house? Isn't it just a bunch of courtesans? What is this supposed to accomplish?"

"Your Highness, it is an organization of the pugilistic world. Even the previously arrogant Flowing Sand Pavilion gives them a modicum of respect."

This? "You want us to ask them to procure evidence?"

"Yes. They have people everywhere, and they will certainly be able to obtain the poisonous herbs from Jiangcheng, as well as the correspondence with the Southern Frontier." The strategist was proving quite loyal.

"Very good. Make the preparations." The Third Prince was brimming with confidence.

As for the Wanqiong Tower, it had indeed been quite lively these past few days. Ever since the top courtesan of the pleasure house arrived, the influx of patrons had grown steadily.

"Miss Zhilan, how long have you been here?"

"Two or three months. Originally, after I was taken away by Lord Lin Fei, I always felt the situation was precarious, but now it has grown even more peaceful," she said slowly.

At the time, she had indeed feared retaliation, but things were different now. Upon arriving in Luojing, doors were not barred to her at every turn.

"At first, Lord Lin found me some odd jobs, but I felt that having spent over a decade in a pleasure house, once I left, I wouldn't know how to go on." She replied with an impassive expression.

"Then this pleasure house...?"

"It is already mine. At first, they only dealt in selling intelligence, but now I have introduced other profitable ventures. Eventually, the proprietor handed the management rights over to me, though they are still responsible for acquiring the intelligence." Zhilan spoke calmly, without feeling as though she were leaking any confidential information.

"What kind of intelligence?"

"Investigating someone's identity, finding evidence—they can handle all of that here."

Zhu Yunzhi was startled. This was far too convenient! He had initially thought investigating the matter would be troublesome and that they probably couldn't get their hands on the evidence. But once Zhilan brought this up, they understood in an instant.

"Then how does your Wanqiong Tower sell intelligence? Do you negotiate directly with the proprietor to acquire it?"

"No, it goes to the highest bidder. Since many people might request the exact same clue, according to the rules of the underworld, we can only sell it to one."

So there were rules to it as well. Zhu Yunzhi nodded. "Will there be any intelligence for sale tonight?"

"Yes. If you want it, I will arrange front-row seating for you."

"Good."

Fortunately, they had a friend here. Otherwise, investigating the matter would have proven far more troublesome.

During these days, however, Han Qing had no desire to become entangled in the affair. In the Emperor's eyes, this was merely a pretext fabricated by the imperial princes to vie for power. He was nothing more than an ordinary official—why should he let himself get dragged into it?

Yet, the Sovereign specifically summoned him to the palace.

"Your Majesty, this subject is unaware of what this is about," he said with an expression of earnest sincerity.

"Concerning the poisonous herbs in Jiangcheng, do you truly not know the truth?"

Han Qing shook his head. "Your Majesty, we did indeed see vast quantities of poisonous herbs in the fields, but that is not sufficient grounds to directly convict His Highness Prince Huai. Perhaps he was entirely unaware of it."

He stood from a position of relative fairness. Upon hearing this, the Emperor did not rebuke him.