Chapter 164 Suspicion

"That day I came out of Changchun Street and went to the teahouse where we had agreed to meet you. I was very careful along the way and didn't see any suspicious people..." Chen Mu recalled the scene of that day carefully.

For someone like him, caution is his top priority, and he is far more impressed by the surrounding terrain and the people he meets than ordinary people.

As he recalled, his tone changed: "However, when I entered the teahouse, a girl followed me in."

Du Qing's heart moved: "Girl?"

Chen Mu nodded: "Yeah. Actually, there were other people coming in at that time. The reason why I unconsciously paid attention to that girl was because -"

He paused and said frankly, "She is beautiful."

Du Qing raised his eyebrows slightly, without misunderstanding.

It is instinctive for them to pay attention to their surroundings when going out, and those with special looks or behavior are undoubtedly more likely to be noticed.

"That girl is very pretty. I subconsciously felt that she was somewhat out of place in the teahouse. What's even more coincidental is that she also went upstairs and entered the elegant room next to ours..."

Listening to Chen Mu's words, the doubts in Du Qing's heart grew wildly like weeds.

Of course, his judgment is not based solely on intuition like Chen Mu's.

A little girl, no matter how harmless she looks, first has an intersection with the gentleman, then appears in the same place as Chen Mu, and then Chen Mu gets into trouble soon after. It would be foolish to think that it is a pure coincidence.

"But even if there is suspicion, trying to find that little girl is like looking for a needle in a haystack." Chen Mu said in a deep voice.

Although he still remembered what the girl looked like, there were so many people in the capital, where could he find her?

"It's indeed not easy to find." Du Qing agreed calmly.

He didn't plan to reveal the identity of the little girl for the time being.

Chen Muben already suspected the gentleman, and when he learned that the little girl had had dealings with the gentleman, it became even more difficult to explain.

He needs to check it out first.

Du Qing secretly made up his mind, but his expression remained calm: "So what are your plans?"

Chen Mu's suspicion of Du Qing had not been completely dispelled, and he said vaguely, "I have no plans for the time being. Prepare a set of clothes for me, and I'll stay here for two days to avoid the limelight and then leave."

"good."

At this time, Jinlin Guard Commander Cheng Maoming had already received a report from his subordinates.

"Is it really gunpowder? Take me to see it!"

Cheng Maoming went to the temporary storage area for gunpowder and saw wooden barrels, each tightly tied with hemp rope and with fuse sticking out.

Seeing him approaching, his subordinates hurried to stop him.

"Get out of the way." Cheng Maoming ignored his subordinates and walked closer to check.

He had seen gunpowder before, and it wouldn't explode if left like this.

Cheng Maoming touched the wooden barrel, and his expression changed when he saw the black stain on his fingertips.

It’s gunpowder!

Although he could not estimate the power of the gunpowder, judging from the quantity, if it were concentrated together and ignited, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Fortunately, Prince Jing reminded us!

"How many survivors did you bring back?"

The subordinate looked a little nervous. "There are only two survivors. Four of the other six died in the fight, and the other two committed suicide when they saw they couldn't escape."

Cheng Maoming's eyes turned cold.

If they can't escape, they will commit suicide. This is what suicide warriors do. It can be seen that these people have complicated backgrounds.

Perhaps, as Prince Jing had suggested, their goal was to kill the Yu Liu envoy. Then these people were likely Qi people, or remnants of Emperor Pingle.

Cheng Maoming cheered up.

Whether it was the people of Qi or the remnants of Emperor Pingle, it was a great achievement for him who organized this conspiracy.

Prince Jing really gave him a great gift.

Cheng Maoming silently accepted Qi Shuo's kindness and decided to interrogate the two survivors personally.

Even if this incident has nothing to do with the Qi people or the remnants of Emperor Pingle, he wants them to be involved.

He definitely took the credit for this achievement.

The next morning, Cheng Maoming hurried into the palace to report.

Emperor Tai'an was furious when he heard this: "Is he really one of them?"

Cheng Maoming's expression was solemn. "One of them refused to speak despite all kinds of torture, but the other's mouth was pried open. They were indeed Emperor Pingle's men. Their plan was to ignite the gunpowder when the Yu Liu envoy passed through Jinxiu Street and push Yu Liu to the side of Da Qi..."

"How can this be!" Emperor Tai'an slammed the table and gritted his teeth in hatred.

Cheng Maoming lowered his eyes slightly: "Your Majesty, calm down. Don't let these little people make you sick."

Emperor Tai'an looked at Cheng Maoming with admiration: "You did a good job this time. Thank you for your hard work."

"It is my great honor to share the emperor's worries."

"I have always trusted your abilities." After praising you, Emperor Tai'an returned to his most pressing concern. "I have the Five Cities Military Department cooperate with the Jinlin Guards to conduct a thorough investigation of any unfamiliar faces in the capital. We must identify those responsible."

"I obey your order."

"Also, strengthen the covert protection of Yu Liu's envoys."

"yes."

As soon as Cheng Maoming left the palace, he sent someone to invite Qi Shuo.

The two met at a tavern, and Cheng Maoming toasted enthusiastically: "Thank you, Prince, for the clues you provided. You prevented a shocking conspiracy."

Qi Shuo smiled and said, "I just happened to meet him by accident. It was the Grand Commander who really saved the people from the dire situation."

Although he knew it was just a polite remark, Cheng Maoming still found it pleasant to hear.

Prince Jing is really good at talking.

"So, those people have been arrested?"

Cheng Maoming looked regretful. "One escaped. After questioning, it turned out to be their leader."

Qi Shuo's expression turned serious. "Then we need to find the one who slipped through the net as soon as possible. The leader must have other options and might come up with something else."

Cheng Maoming deeply agreed with this.

After that, police officers were everywhere on the streets conducting inspections. Almost all outsiders were interrogated, and some who spoke suspiciously were thrown directly into jail.

Suddenly, the scoundrels disappeared and the supply of prison food increased dramatically.

Lin Hao met Qi Shuo and got the latest news.

"So, the mastermind hasn't been caught yet?" Lin Hao thought of Chen Mu, who always had a gloomy face, and felt secretly sorry.

In her opinion, there was nothing good about this kind of person who was blindly loyal to the emperor and would do anything to achieve his goal.

"There's been no activity at the abandoned house these past few days." Qi Shuo looked at Lin Hao and speculated, "This person must have met the one who followed you. Maybe that person provided cover for him, allowing him to evade the Jinlin Guards' search."

Although Lin Hao didn't want to embarrass Du Qing, he couldn't ignore the potential harm Chen Mu might bring: "This possibility is not small. Does the prince know where that person is?"

Qi Shuo shook his head: "I haven't found it yet. That person is too cautious."

The person in charge of keeping an eye on the deserted house tried to follow Du Qing twice, but lost him once and was nearly discovered once, so he didn't dare to follow him again.

"Now that all government offices are on guard, and this guy's in hiding again, he shouldn't be plotting anything in the short term, right?"

"Probably not, but you should be careful recently and don't let the person who followed you see you again."

Lin Hao nodded: "I know."

With Du Qing's keen sense, she really couldn't appear in front of him too often.