Chapter Ninety-Nine: Spinning Grand Illusions

The bustling crowd of common folk was all watching intently.

The King of Yan’s expression instantly darkened.

He had originally planned to take the man back directly, but now, given the other’s words, he couldn’t just whisk him away without solid evidence for interrogation.

Moreover, the local magistrate had already stated that Han Qing had no motive for the crime.

In fact, Han Qing held considerable prestige in the area.

If he were to openly arrest this man, it would only stir the displeasure of the local people.

As a prince, he certainly did not wish to become the subject of gossip.

“Do you have any evidence proving you had a motive to kill at that time?” suddenly, Second Young Master Du jumped out from the crowd.

His eyes revealed a hint of determination as he produced several forged letters.

The letters clearly outlined the motive for the alleged crime.

“What else do you have to say?”

“If a few letters are enough to condemn me, then I have letters of my own, which prove that you have committed some truly treasonous acts.”

This—

Second Young Master Du was stunned.

Why would the correspondence between them and the King of Yan be in Han Qing’s possession?

And the handwriting was indeed their own.

“It’s all just a misunderstanding,” Old Master Du, who had come expecting to watch a spectacle, realized the situation was becoming increasingly complicated and immediately tried to intervene.

“A misunderstanding, yes, I also think it’s just a misunderstanding. After all, these letters could easily be forgeries created by others,” Han Qing waved his arm dismissively and handed the letters back to the King of Yan, seemingly sparing him some face.

The King had been eager to destroy Han Qing, almost exposing himself in the process.

Now he was furious.

“How do you conduct affairs? How could you let something so important fall into someone else’s hands?”

“No, we never expected these letters to be in his hands. Besides, we burned the original letters with fire at the time,” Second Young Master Du said, utterly bewildered.

He had no idea what had happened, yet he was about to take the blame.

“Enough. You are no match for him. Using such clumsy methods is utterly ineffective,” the King of Yan said cautiously.

It seemed he had to speed things up.

If this dragged on any longer, the copper mine would inevitably be exposed.

When that happened, not only would they lose their lives, but his entire family might be wiped out.

“Can we just let that man run rampant?”

“I didn’t come here just to help you become the so-called richest man in Blue City. If we settle the copper mine matter, how can you not have as much gold and silver as you want?” he said coldly.

This group had such short-sightedness, begrudging others for earning some wealth.

If they cared about such trivial things, it would only lead to their own ruin.

“Very well, I will follow your orders,” Old Master Du, a shrewd man, immediately understood the problem and had no hesitation.

He even planned to advise his sons not to lose great opportunities over small gains.

But the King of Yan wouldn’t let Han Qing off so easily.

Having intercepted others’ letters, who knew what other methods he might use?

Better to be cautious.

“Brother Han, the King of Yan is not someone to provoke. If we treat him like this, he will surely bear a grudge,” Zhu Xiao suddenly said.

He knew this prince well; back in Luojing, even minor offenses against him were severely punished.

The emperor had even reprimanded him for it.

Now that they were no longer in Luojing, did that mean he could act with impunity?

“I know. But that’s exactly why we have to push him to the edge. If we do nothing, how else will he reveal his true colors?”

Zhu Xiao nodded. He was willing to trust this plan.

A few days later, the prince issued a decree ordering that all able-bodied men in households must undergo training, promising additional monthly silver payments.

Wasn’t this like manna from heaven?

They were told it was simply training to learn skills, not that they would be used as laborers.

Some people began preparing eagerly, even excitedly.

“You seem quite fascinated by these notices. Don’t you want this shop anymore?” a young ruffian, who had been reading several notices, teased.

Han Qing replied lightly, his eyes probing slightly, “No, I find it all very strange. It might well be a lie.”

It seemed this ruffian understood quite a bit.

He immediately saw through their intentions.

“Indeed. But I need you to investigate and find out the truth. Are you willing?”

The ruffian looked puzzled. Why bother with such idle affairs?

Besides, their hotpot shop was thriving, customers coming in waves.

Why wade into murky waters?

“Aren’t you trying to bring down the Du family? If this so-called training is connected to them, wouldn’t you want to go?”

That struck a nerve.

They indeed found it ridiculous but had been skeptical from the start, sensing something was amiss.

“Isn’t this an order from the prince? And it’s supposed to help local people gain more productive skills. How could it be linked to the Du family?”

The ruffian was unconvinced.

“Perhaps you’ll find out if you go,” Han Qing said quietly, offering no further explanation.

The ruffian agreed.

As for the hotpot shop, they left it in others’ temporary care.

Once the announcement was made, the entire Blue City erupted in excitement—each household would receive ten taels of silver.

Who wouldn’t want to take part in such a windfall?

Any household with strong adult men had them taken away.

“This prince truly cares for us common folk, not only solving cases but also improving our lives!”

“Yes, our family can’t usually come up with that much silver in a year. Suddenly having ten taels, we don’t even know how to live!”

“Same here. I’m just waiting to learn the skills. Maybe we’ll have better days ahead.”

Encouraged by the silver, the people eagerly joined the training.

But the silver would only be distributed after training was completed.

The people all believed it—after all, how could the prince’s words be false?

Only Han Qing looked on with disdain.

The notice said the men could return, but what if they never came back?

Only their elderly and weak family members would suffer.

The King of Yan was truly ruthless, scheming to deceive the people completely.