"Committing suicide by poisoning?"

Chen Zhennan repeated the sentence, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible surprise.

The fact that these assassins chose to commit suicide after being captured shows that the mysterious organization was definitely extraordinary, and its members must have been extremely loyal.

Chen Zhennan couldn't even guarantee that his special forces members could achieve the same level of skill.

"This organization is more tightly controlled than we imagined," Wang Xiao said in a low voice, his tone tinged with seriousness.

Chen Zhennan nodded, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces.

"Things are getting more and more complicated, but at least one thing can be proven now: the Xiang family mansion is very likely the center of this 'underground city'."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Zhennan decisively ordered: "Wang Xiao, gather the Imperial Guards and enter the secret passages at dawn. Draw a map of all the passage routes and give it to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wang Xiao accepted the order and left; his figure quickly disappeared into the night.

Chen Zhennan left two of his special forces brothers to watch the well, and then took Yan Shiyu to the mourning hall.

There were only three people in front of the mourning hall at this time: Xia Kexin and two maids.

The candlelight flickered inside the mourning hall, and the faint scent of incense filled the air, creating a solemn and respectful atmosphere.

"emperor."

When Xia Kexin saw Chen Zhennan arrive, she quickly bowed, her voice tinged with fatigue.

Chen Zhennan nodded, his gaze sweeping across the mourning hall before settling on Xia Kexin's face.

"Thank you for your hard work, Madam Minister."

Xia Kexin quickly shook her head: "It's not hard work. My husband is dead, and this is what a wife should do."

Inside the mourning hall, candlelight flickered, and the air was filled with the faint scent of incense and the smell of death.

Chen Zhennan slowly turned around and sat down, his gaze sharp as a sword, piercing Xia Kexin's eyes.

"Xia Kexin, what is your responsibility in the organization?"

When Xia Kexin heard Chen Zhennan ask this question, she was shocked and her eyes widened. Her heart skipped a beat, as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

Xia Kexin hurriedly lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling, her voice trembling slightly: "Your Majesty, what are you saying? I know nothing, let alone what organization you are talking about."

Chen Zhennan looked at Xia Kexin's reaction and a cold smile appeared on his lips. It was obvious that Xia Kexin was pretending to be confused.

Chen Zhennan simply laid it all out, his voice carrying a hint of threat: "Xia Kexin, I can give you a chance to confess voluntarily, otherwise, when Xiang Hao is buried, that will be the time you go to jail."

Chen Zhennan's words made Xia Kexin tremble uncontrollably, her face turning pale, as if all the blood had been drained from her body in an instant.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Kexin still pretended to know nothing and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I really don't know anything. You must have misunderstood."

Seeing that Xia Kexin was unwilling to admit it, Chen Zhennan was not in a hurry. His voice was slightly amused: "Xia Kexin, the tunnels have already been discovered. You have three days to confess. Think it over carefully."

After speaking, Chen Zhennan slowly stood up, his figure casting a long shadow in the candlelight.

He waved to Yan Shiyu, and the two slowly left the mourning hall.

The door to the mourning hall closed slowly behind them, making a slight creak, as if drawing a temporary end to this unfinished conversation.

Yan Shiyu followed Chen Zhennan out of the mourning hall, his brows furrowed, his doubts as heavy as the night.

"Your Majesty, how did you determine that Xia Kexin is connected to that mysterious organization?" Yan Shiyu asked in a low voice, puzzled.

Chen Zhennan stopped and turned to face Yan Shiyu, explaining with a slight smile, "I'm just guessing, not entirely sure. But Xia Kexin is no ordinary woman. Her initial reaction was too calm, and now she's very flustered. Although I'm not sure if she was faking it, there must be something behind it."

Yan Shiyu nodded slightly: "So what should we do now?"

Chen Zhennan reached out and touched his chin, saying calmly, "Let's wait and see. Put enough pressure on her and see if she makes a mistake."

A gentle night breeze blew, and Chen Zhennan reached out and patted Yan Shiyu on the shoulder.

"Shiyu, go back and get some rest. Don't try to do everything yourself. A person's energy is limited. Don't overwork yourself."

Yan Shiyu nodded slightly, a hint of gratitude in his eyes: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave now."

Chen Zhennan waved his hand, turned and walked towards the front room. His figure cast a long shadow in the moonlight, making him look particularly lonely.

The next morning, as dawn broke, Wang Xiao led the Imperial Guards to search all the secret passages in the dense forest outside the city.

Not long after it started, shouts from his Imperial Guards could be heard coming from inside the tunnel.

"Commander, a large number of skeletons have been discovered here!" A guard's voice broke the silence of the dense forest.

Upon hearing the sound, Wang Xiao quickly entered the tunnel. He hadn't gone far when he discovered the white bones in the passage. Their clothes had long since rotted, indicating that they had been dead for a long time.

"Continue the search; don't overlook any clues."

Wang Xiao thought this was just an isolated case, so he simply ordered his imperial guards to continue the search.

Unexpectedly, in less than half an hour, the Imperial Guards discovered hundreds of skeletons and more than a dozen recently deceased corpses in the secret passage. Moreover, all of these corpses were disfigured and their appearances were completely unrecognizable.

Wang Xiao frowned. He immediately had someone draw a map along the secret passage, while he rode his horse to the Xiang residence.

...

Sunlight streamed through the windows into the mourning hall of the Xiang family mansion. Chen Zhennan sat in the main seat, his eyes occasionally glancing at Xia Kexin.

Wang Xiao approached Chen Zhennan, knelt on one knee, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, we have discovered over a hundred skeletons and more than ten recently deceased corpses in the secret passage."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan's eyes widened slightly, and he gestured for Wang Xiao to stand up.

Have these bodies been identified?

Wang Xiao shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "The faces of the corpses were all destroyed and could not be identified."

Chen Zhennan narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly, "Since the identity of the corpse cannot be confirmed, you should go back and continue the investigation, and hurry up and draw a map of the tunnel."

Wang Xiao accepted the order and left, his figure quickly disappearing outside the door, leaving Chen Zhennan alone to face Xia Kexin.

Xia Kexin remained silent with her head down, while Chen Zhennan slightly curled the corners of his mouth, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if trying to pierce through Xia Kexin's heart.

"Xia Kexin, did you hear everything that just now?"

Xia Kexin nodded slightly, her voice barely audible: "Yes, I heard everything."

Chen Zhennan slowly got up, his figure casting a long shadow in the morning light.

"I'm running out of patience. If you don't say anything, you'll be spending the night in jail."

Upon hearing this, Xia Kexin seemed quite frightened. She immediately knelt on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm willing to tell the truth, I'm part of the organization." "I recently caught a cold; it's so cold, it feels like the temperature suddenly dropped. How's the temperature where you are? Is it cold?"