Chapter 299 Ochre Yellow

"hiss……"

Ling Duo, who had kept his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, took a deep breath, and took three steps back.

Each step was extremely heavy and made a hollow echo.

It was as if the chill from the underground instantly filled his lungs, and at that moment, all the blood in his body seemed to freeze.

Those eyes that always seemed somewhat silent were now filled with incredible horror.

Fear surged up violently, instantly filling my chest and attacking my heart.

Beads of sweat the size of beans instantly appeared on his forehead, rolled down his pale cheeks, hit the cold ground, and left a small dark wet mark.

His chest heaved violently, and his breathing became heavy and rapid, as if he had just experienced a life-and-death struggle.

Under his "momentum", he can not only evoke the other party's deepest memories, but also make every detail visible.

Ling Duo saw details that even An Che hadn't noticed:

Just before An Che's father An Shichen blocked his view, under the moonlight, the man in the courtyard turned slightly backward.

It was precisely because of this small change that Ling Duo "saw" an extremely dazzling and absolutely unmistakable color on the inside of his slightly open collar.

Ocher yellow!

Under the bright moonlight, that color carried a suffocating sense of dignity and taboo, which was imprinted in Lingduo's perception.

Boundless chill crept up his spine, swallowing him up in an instant, and then "bounced" him away.

An Che was lying on the torture chair, letting out a very short gasp and his body convulsing violently.

Then his head drooped and he fainted.

call……

Lingduo felt as if his throat was being strangled in the area he was familiar with.

He calmed himself down and quickly checked An Che's condition.

He helped him swallow the secret medicine again to maintain his life, and then immediately left the underground and rushed to the imperial study at the fastest speed.

A window on the north side of the imperial study was open. This was the passage left by Qin Minghuang specifically.

Ling Duo came to the window quietly, touched his true energy lightly, and entered only after receiving the order.

The gentle "force" like flowing water enveloped the dragon table, but did not alarm Su Quan and Qingluan Guards who were waiting outside the door.

"how?"

Lingduo knelt on one knee with his hands clasped together.

The captain of the Xuanji Guard had the privilege of not having to kneel, and seeing him perform such a great ceremony, Qin Minghuang subconsciously narrowed his eyes.

"Report to His Majesty..."

Lingduo told the whole story of what he had perceived without any judgement of his own, simply stating the facts.

Qin Minghuang's breathing quickened, his fists clenched, his nails digging deep into his palms without him realizing it.

Ochre yellow is a color that only the royal family is qualified to use.

An ordinary broker in Fengjing City had been working for more than ten years without any improvement, but suddenly he became rich by getting close to a group of Hu merchants.

He climbed so many steps in one year and bought a big house in Beijing.

This matter is bizarre enough. Even if it is true, how could An Shichen have such a relationship with the royal family?

Or visiting him at his home late at night?

Qin Minghuang didn't believe that he dared to secretly use ochre yellow.

This can only be explained if An Shichen became successful because of a member of the royal family.

"Didn't you see his face clearly?"

"No, judging from the sky, it was late at night, so An Che's intrusion must have been an accident.

In less than two breaths, he was discovered by his father and taken away from the scene.

And he only saw the back of the person; he had already left before he turned around, with only a slight angle of his jawline."

Silence fell again. After a long while, Qin Minghuang spoke again: "Are they similar?"

This... he only saw a small angle, how could he be sure?

Ling Duo hesitated for a moment, then said honestly, "The height and build seem similar, and the jawline... there's no discrepancy."

People have similarities, and it is difficult to completely identify someone by looking at their back.

What's more, we can only see a little bit of the angle of the jawline, and we can't even be completely sure of the skin color.

The imperial study exuded a heavy, invisible pressure that was even more disturbing than the gloomy sky.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, and Ling Duo's fingers, tucked into his sleeves, curled slightly.

He felt the pervasive heavy gloom, weighing heavily on this tiny world, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

There was a very light sound coming from the front, like some jade artifact was placed on the table, and Lingduo's shoulders tensed instantly.

The next moment, a faint voice was heard:

"An Shichen became successful that year, and judging from his clothes, it should be late autumn.

It’s another full moon night, which can be locked in for a few days.

Go check the Annotated Records yourself, and I await your reply."

"yes!"

Lingduo stood up and disappeared silently.

After walking two or three hundred steps, he reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Even though he was a captain of the Xuanji Guard and had seen and handled many secret cases, this was the first time he had encountered such a high level of problems.

The fact that his calves didn't tremble in front of His Majesty shows that he has a strong mental quality.

Ling Duo rushed to the Xuanjiwei document library as quickly as possible.

The guard here is a captain of Xuanji Guard, with a cultivation level of the upper fourth rank.

He did not choose to hide and came face to face with the guard.

Stored here are settled documents, as well as various palace archives and records.

The Captain of Xuanji Guard does not need to register the specific documents he wants to review and can browse them at will.

Ling Duo stepped in and immediately enveloped the surroundings with his "momentum", and then headed straight for the old calendar archives area.

The emperor had officials who were specifically responsible for recording the "Daily Records", and other imperial heirs also had "Records of Notes".

Although it is not as detailed as the "Daily Records", it still needs to be recorded every day according to the rules.

Lingduo quickly found the archive location. Below the Thirteenth Princess was the Third Prince's "Record of Annotations".

Since we have already guessed the year, it is not difficult to lock on to a specific one.

In less than half a cup of tea, Lingduo got the information.

He used "force" to cover it, restoring even the smallest details such as dust and footprints to their original state, to ensure that no one could find out that he had been to this area, let alone had read the "Records of Annotations" of the old calendar royal heirs.

After leaving the archives, he disappeared and rushed back to the imperial study at lightning speed.

"Your Majesty, according to the 'Records of Records', there is no record of him leaving the palace during the nights of the suspicious days."

Qin Minghuang slowly exhaled a breath of foul air, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.

Is he trying to hide his mistake? But what connection could he have with a small broker?

Even if there is, why would you condescend to visit the other party's house late at night?

Suddenly, a flash of lightning flashed through Qin Minghuang's head and he stood up suddenly.

She recalled the life of An Shichen that Lingduo had investigated before. He was doing a lot of business when he was on the rise.

Especially after establishing fixed trade with Hu merchants, he also gained a certain reputation in Fengjing.

One of them is suspected dealings with human traffickers.

Qin Minghuang's heart was like a raging storm, because an extremely absurd guess came to her mind.

There was no substantial evidence to prove it, but there was an intuition so strong that it was hard to erase, which kept stinging her brain.

Her third brother, the former crown prince, may still be alive!