Chapter 72: The Setter

It was getting dark.

There was a curfew in the neighborhood and the lights in the backyard of the palace were turned off.

Several furtive figures climbed over the gap in the Kaihuafang courtyard wall that was destroyed during the war and headed straight for the Changhua Palace.

The walls of the Changhua Palace were quite high and difficult to cross. They crept to the corner of the wall, threw a stone inward, lay on the wall, listened for any sound in the darkness, and then threw a rope ladder up and hooked it on the wall.

The dark shadows climbed up the courtyard wall. There was no human figure inside, but they seemed to have expected this. They identified the direction in the darkness and headed straight for Xiliuwu.

It was late at night, and Xiliuwu was shrouded in darkness and silence.

The shadows listened to the noise inside, and one of them lowered his voice and asked, "Are you sure that person is hiding here?"

Another person replied: "Don't worry, the news is absolutely accurate."

The leader waved his hand and everyone sneaked into Xiliuwu.

The dock became increasingly darker due to the shadows of the rockery. Several people groped their way outside the house and listened attentively to the sounds inside.

The slight snoring made them feel relieved. After confirming that the target was in the house, they took out a few incense sticks, lit them, burned through the window screen and reached in.

A light smoke filled the room. After waiting for a moment, they raised their hands and knocked lightly on the window twice.

There was no movement inside. Several people looked at each other and nodded, inserted the tip of the knife in their hands into the window gap, pulled open the window bolt, opened the window and jumped in.

The room was silent, except for the slight bulge in the bedding on the bed and the sound of snoring.

The dark shadows quietly walked to the bed, then lifted the quilt and put the sack in their hands down.

It's soft and doesn't feel like a human body.

The shadows immediately looked down and found that there was only a piece of clothing rolled into a long human shape on the bed.

Knowing that something was wrong, they immediately turned around and were about to leave when the light at the door suddenly came on.

The man illuminated by the light had a short stick held diagonally in his right hand, which flickered in the firelight, making him look murderous and terrifying.

He took a few steps forward, and in the firelight, the short stick struck out like lightning, and screams immediately rang out.

But it was only one or two short sounds and then it ended.

Mingjiu rushed in from outside and took a look, only to see men in black rolling on the ground. All of them had either broken arms or legs, and none of them could stand up.

He was so angry that he screamed, "Damn it! These people came to find me, why did you kill them all and leave no one for me?!"

The person who killed the opponent in just a few moves was naturally Ling Tianshui.

He didn't bother to pay attention to Mingjiu, and just nodded towards the back: "It's okay."

The light moved to the door, and Qiandeng walked into the house holding a lantern.

Her eyes fell on the group of black-clad men on the ground and she asked, "Who are these people?"

Ming Jiu fumbled around their bodies and found a few small bronze plates, which were the orders to enter and leave Princess Gao's mansion.

"Look at the fairy pearl, it was sent by that arrogant princess!"

Seeing their identities exposed, the men didn't struggle to deny their crimes. Instead, they fell to the ground and shouted, "Princess Lingling, you are harboring a criminal expelled by the imperial court. You are defying the law and you will be punished!"

"Oh, so the prince's return has been exposed." Qiandeng put down the lantern in his hand, his expression calm. "Then you knew that the person living here was a Uighur prince, yet you still dared to come in and rob him. How dare your master be so bold?"

Ling Tianshui said coldly, "After all, if the princess was found harboring someone, she would only be punished by the court. However, if something happens to the Huihe prince in the Changhua Palace, it would be a major diplomatic issue, and the entire Changhua Palace would be implicated."

Mingjiu was furious: "Well, the arrogant princess is not only arrogant, but also stupid and vicious! She is also hateful and fierce! She has become mad because of sadness! This prince will never let her go!"

Before Qiandeng could correct his "madness", hurried footsteps could be heard outside. Daimao rushed in and said urgently, "County Lady, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived, and... the Princess of Changyi is accompanying him."

"You calculated the timing so perfectly, are you sure you can succeed?" Qian Deng glanced at the men in black and signaled the guards to take them up to see the prince together.

In anticipation of the Crown Prince's arrival, the Changhua Palace naturally opened its doors wide. Even though curfew had already begun, everyone in the palace lit red candles to welcome him.

When Qiandeng led his men down the stairs, the prince was just getting off the carriage. His eyes met Qiandeng's and he was a little hesitant.

But she smiled at him, her face radiant under the light: "Your Highness, you have come here so late at night. I wonder why?"

"Lingling, Changyi just came looking for me. He said he heard that a thief had broken into your mansion with ill intentions." Seeing that she was safe and sound, he felt a little relieved. "Are you okay? I've brought the Eastern Palace guards here. Will they help you conduct a thorough search?"

Before she finished speaking, the curtain of the prince's carriage was lifted, and a figure in heavy mourning was helped down by a female official. He stared at her with arrogance and contempt. It was none other than the Princess of Changyi.

"The princess is here too?" Qian Deng glanced at her, nodded in greeting, and then said to the Crown Prince, "I dare not trouble the East Palace guards. The thief who sneaked in tonight has been apprehended by us."

The prince breathed a sigh of relief: "Lingling, you are indeed good at managing the palace. We have averted the danger."

"We've already discovered the identities of these thieves. Master, please take them back," Qian Deng said, motioning for the guards to bring the men in black up. They then removed the bronze plaques from their bodies and presented them to Xiao Fuyu. "The Princess's residence has been undergoing major changes recently, so it's not uncommon for people within the residence to cause trouble. I hope Princess Changyi will exercise more control over them."

The Crown Prince glanced at the bronze plaques in astonishment, then turned to Xiao Fuyu: "The thieves who caused the trouble are... from your residence in Changyi?"

"Princess Lingling has misunderstood. These men are indeed from my mansion, and I sent them, but they are not the thieves I mentioned." Seeing that the plan had failed, Xiao Fuyu remained calm. He raised his hand, grabbed the bronze plate, and threw it at the men in black, saying coldly, "I heard that there was a thief in your mansion who was expelled from Chang'an by the court. As soon as I heard the news, I was worried about your safety, so I sent these people from the mansion to calm the thief down, and then asked His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to take charge to prevent any changes and the thief's escape!"

Hearing her say this, the prince must have understood. Who else could have been expelled from Chang'an except the Huihe prince Mingjiu? It turned out that Xiao Fuyu had tricked him here to prove Qiandeng's guilt.

When he looked at Xiao Fuyu, anger was evident in his eyes.

But now that things have come to this, even if the prince minds, Xiao Fu Yu will never let Qian Deng go.

She secretly clenched her fists, letting the sting of her nails digging into her palms. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she trembled and choked as she confessed to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, the Princess of Lingling knew full well that the Huihe prince was the murderer of my mother, and the court had rendered a fair judgment. Yet, even before my mother's body was cold, she had colluded with the Huihe prince, disregarding the court's orders and secretly bringing him back to a secret place in the palace! Your Highness, the Princess of Lingling has defied the court and openly shielded the Grand Princess's murderer. She deserves death and is beyond the reach of the law!"

The prince looked at Qian Deng, and she immediately said, "Your Highness, please understand. This is only the Changyi Princess's one-sided statement. I hope Your Highness will be able to see through this and clear the Changhua Palace of the injustice."

Xiao Fuyu angrily retorted, "Princess Lingling, do you dare to say that the person isn't in your Changhua Palace? Did you harbor the criminal expelled by the court? Your Highness, please immediately surround the palace and conduct a thorough search to see who is hiding in her backyard!"

The Crown Prince knew that if this matter were to get out, it would be bad for Qiandeng's reputation, and he didn't want to make a big deal out of it. He advised, "Changyi, I believe Lingling wouldn't openly disobey the court. Let her explain herself. There must be a misunderstanding..."

"Actually, there's no misunderstanding." Qian Deng lowered his gaze towards the Crown Prince, gathering his sleeves, and said, "Prince Mingjiu is indeed in my residence now."