Chapter 65: Prison Pickup
The three of them were silent all the way until they arrived at the gate of the government office in the capital. Qingqing suddenly realized: "Master, we are here to visit Qingyi." But it was already dark and the government office had been closed and locked. How could they get in?
While Qingqing was thinking, Qingfeng looked at Ye Qingyu, and seeing his master nodded, he took a step forward and knocked on the door hard.
"Who is it? The master has gone to bed. Come back tomorrow if you have anything!" An impatient response came from inside, but the door did not open.
Seeing this, Qingfeng summoned his inner strength and slammed the door hard, as if it would shatter if it wasn't opened. The person inside cursed and reluctantly opened the door, yelling angrily, "Who the hell are you? Don't you know where this place is?"
"Chu Qingyu from the Northwest Palace is here to pay a visit to Lord Zhang!" Ye Qingyu said in a cold voice. Although his voice was not loud, it had a sense of majesty.
The gatekeeper was stunned at first, then his eyes widened, as if he had seen a ghost. His legs softened and he fell to his knees with a plop, kowtowing profusely: "Young Prince, spare my life, Young Prince, spare my life!"
"Go and report quickly. The king is waiting here."
Qingqing was startled: "Master, how dare you come and barge into someone else's government office like this? Although your master is a prince, there are also laws in the Great Chu! Could it be that you are here to ask for someone?"
"Young prince, wait a moment. I'll be right there!" The gatekeeper scrambled to his feet and rushed to deliver the letter. With a sharp eye, Qingqing noticed a puddle of water where the man had just knelt, and couldn't help but wonder: Did he pee his pants out of fear?
Not long after, Mr. Zhang from the Beijing government office was seen running out while putting on his clothes. He even put his boots on backwards and looked very embarrassed.
"Young Prince, I'm sorry I'm late to greet you! Please forgive me!" As soon as Lord Zhang arrived at the door, he knelt down and kowtowed, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud. Everyone knew the status of the Young Prince of the Northwest; he was a beloved figure in the eyes of the Emperor.
"I'm here to pick him up. Where is he?" Ye Qingyu asked coldly. His voice was as cold as ice. The black iron scabbard at his waist was faintly shining with cold light.
"Ah? This..." Lord Zhang's cold sweat flowed down the folds of his official robe.
"Hurry up and tell me!" Ye Qingyu suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at Lord Zhang.
"This...this..." Lord Zhang was an official appointed by the imperial court, and yet someone had a sword pointed at his neck? Qingqing realized belatedly that her master was really angry, and very seriously.
Lord Zhang was trembling all over, feeling as if his head would fall off at any moment. How could the rumored gentle and refined young prince of the Northwest be so violent? He actually dared to violate the laws of the Great Chu State and threaten the officials in public!
"Reply...Reporting to the young prince...the murderer named Qing Yi has been transferred to the Dali Temple." Lord Zhang said tremblingly, secretly thinking that he was lucky that he acted decisively and passed the hot potato to the Dali Temple Minister overnight. Otherwise, looking at the situation, the young prince of the northwest might have to demolish his own yamen.
"Transferred to the Dali Temple? Why? When did it happen?" Ye Qingyu asked angrily. Qing Yi was not an official, so why was he transferred to the Dali Temple?
"Just...just an hour ago." It turned out that after Xue An left, Lord Zhang had been worried, wondering how to handle this matter. Xue An's intentions were clearly to kill him. If it were an ordinary citizen, Lord Zhang might have chosen to go along with Xue An's intentions, considering the influence of Uncle Xue. However, the other party involved in this case was the young prince of the Northwest, a man equally formidable. Whether to release or arrest him, Lord Zhang knew he would be caught in a dilemma and would inevitably offend one of the parties.
After much deliberation, Master Zhang and his advisor finally came up with a plan. They decided to submit a petition to the Dali Temple, stating that a highly skilled murderer was in the capital's government offices and needed to be urgently transferred to the Dali Temple's cells for strict custody to prevent his escape. This way, they avoided directly offending Xue An or the Northwest Prince while also passing the hot potato to the Dali Temple.
The cells in the Dali Temple are different from those in the government offices in the capital. It is the highest-standard place used by the Chu State to detain serious criminals. It is heavily guarded, and there are guards with high martial arts skills watching over it day and night. Even for martial arts masters, it would be extremely difficult to escape from it.
He originally thought that after he wrote to the Dali Temple, he would have to wait until tomorrow before the Dali Temple would send someone to pick up the prisoner.
But he never expected that soon after the letter was delivered, people from the Dali Temple arrived in a hurry. The speed was so fast that he even felt that even if he did not write a letter, the Dali Temple would take the initiative to pick him up for some unspeakable reasons.
Ye Qingyu and Qingfeng exchanged a glance, both eyes filled with worry. "What should we do? Breaking into the government office in the capital is a small matter. The Emperor would probably reprimand us at most if he found out. But we absolutely cannot force our way into the Dali Temple. Otherwise, even with my status as a young prince, I will not be able to escape punishment."
Ye Qingyu pondered for a moment, then turned and left. Qingfeng and Qingqing hurriedly followed. Meanwhile, Lord Zhang knelt on the ground, unable to rise for a long time, secretly thankful that his life had finally been saved. He vowed to himself that he would dispatch that troublemaker, Captain Wang, tomorrow. Couldn't he just turn a blind eye while patrolling the streets? He had to get himself into so much trouble!
"Master!" Qingfeng called in a low voice, trying to calm the master down from his anxiety.
Qingfeng was keenly aware of his master's anxiety. How could the normally calm and composed young prince have ever done anything so outrageous? He knew his master's concern for Qingyi, so he wondered if he was really planning to force his way into the Dali Temple.
"Qingfeng, you must immediately arrange for people to thoroughly investigate the details of the dead little beggar, as well as the people he had contact with during his lifetime! In addition, check for me one by one who has been in and out of Lord Zhang's place today, and don't let anyone go unnoticed!" Ye Qingyu ordered in a deep voice as he walked quickly forward.
He was extremely anxious at the moment, his heart full of worry for Qing Yi. When he heard Qing Yi being arrested and taken to the government office in the capital, he was instantly confused and rushed over to demand his release without a second thought.
But he never expected Qing Yi to have been transferred to the Dali Temple. This guy, usually fearless, had become so docile? He surrendered obediently when they tried to apprehend him? He even called himself a hero every day, but was he unable to handle even a few constables?
Ye Qingyu grew increasingly angry as he thought about it, but thankfully, his mind had gradually calmed down from his initial anxiety. This must have been orchestrated by someone behind the scenes. If so, then I will reveal who is behind this. Once I find out, I will make them pay a heavy price. No mercy!
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