Chapter 20 The Culprit "Your Excellency is very capable."
The jailer who led the way suppressed his surprise. Those dignitaries rarely came here. Min Shian, as a princess, was so brave.
After a while, after passing through the narrow and dark corridor, Min Shian saw Yu Linglong huddled in a corner in the innermost room, weaving straw.
"Your Highness, please hurry up." The jailer bowed and quickly retreated after giving the routine instructions.
Yu Linglong heard the noise and looked over. Seeing Min Shian, she stood up, patted the dust off her body with one hand, and held the woven straw rabbit in the other hand, handing it to her through the iron fence.
Min Shian put the food box down first, took it and examined it carefully, and then solemnly put it away. He couldn't help but admire: "Linglong lives up to her name, she is very good at dealing with people."
"How did you know I was coming?"
Yu Linglong smiled sweetly, raised her chin and said proudly, "My father, the king, and my mother are loyal and devoted, and my sister has a keen eye for talent. Moreover, my sister loves me, so she will naturally not implicate me."
Min Shian looked behind her. Although this cell was at the deepest part, it was drier and brighter than the others. There was a small window at the top of the wall, allowing a ray of sunlight to filter in, dispelling some of the dampness.
Min Shi'an turned his gaze back to Yu Linglong. Although her lips were slightly chapped and her clothes were disheveled, her face was rosy, and it was obvious that she had been given special care.
Song Sheng always leaves room for maneuver when doing things.
"Lord Pushe didn't make things difficult for me. Please tell Shi Le for me that I'm fine." Yu Linglong smiled coquettishly when she mentioned Min Shi Le.
Min Shian did not stay long. Her purpose of coming here was to make Min Shile feel at ease.
The second crackdown on Wu Shi San was carried out secretly. Officers and soldiers intensified their inspections of various shops. Wherever Wu Shi San was found, it was strictly controlled.
Song Sheng also captured a group of unscrupulous businessmen who had falsified accounts. He immediately executed them on the spot to serve as a warning to others, and all the profits were sent to Beifeng.
I heard that Song Sheng had some unpleasantness with Song Linggong because of this.
However, at the moment, neither Min Shian nor Song Sheng had time to care about this batch of silver. No one knew who leaked the news that the King and Princess of the Western Regions were taken to the capital.
Combined with Song Sheng's strict inspections of shops in recent days, rumors spread and the people became panic-stricken.
"The escort team will arrive safely tomorrow. This person must have come prepared and was tricked!"
Min Shian spoke very quickly, her eyes were cold and her tone was stern, with an undisguised murderous intent on her face.
"Have the Honglu Temple come forward and explain that this trip to the Western Regions is to seek Your Majesty's blessing for a marriage. They must appease the people. Anyone with ill intentions will be executed on the spot!"
"yes."
Xie Zhuangyi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What about the Minister of State?"
"I'll go talk to him, just go ahead and do it!"
Chun Tao hurried over and whispered, "The escort team has settled down at the Huailin border."
Min Shian's expression finally eased a little. Her idea coincided with Song Sheng's, which saved her from wasting time talking.
The person behind the scenes knew every move in the capital. Seeing that his attempt to frame the Western Regions failed, he simply made a fuss about this matter to cause unrest among the people.
Min Shi'an couldn't think of anyone who could have planned this under the eyes of that black-hearted fox Song Sheng. Suddenly, her eyelids twitched, and she had a bad premonition.
Sure enough, the next moment, the maid outside the room reported: "Your Highness, the Minister of the Court is outside seeking to see you."
Min Shian was furious. She had spent so much energy on the Five Stones Powder, and that bastard Song Sheng actually dared to doubt her?!
"No! Get him out!"
Hearing this, the maid's face turned pale, her body trembling like a sieve, not daring to look to the side, and stammered: "Your Highness, Your Highness, can..."
A muffled laugh sounded above her head, and the maidservant immediately closed her eyes and fell to her knees with a plop. Neither side was someone she, a servant, could afford to offend.
Min Shian sensed something was wrong and opened the door. Seeing the scene before him, he glared at Song Sheng, sent the maid away, and said sarcastically, "Master Pushe is so majestic. So, how about giving this princess's mansion to you?"
Song Sheng was stunned for a moment, then realized that Min Shian seemed to have misunderstood something. The smile in his eyes deepened, and he said slowly: "I came here to discuss the rumors with Your Highness."
"Who dares to displease His Highness?"
Min Shian clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch him, and said with a forced smile, "Your Excellency is asking even though you already know the answer."
This guy is making fun of her again!!!
But since Song Sheng is not here to call for punishment, then everything can be settled.
The two walked side by side and talked. Min Shian briefly explained his plan. Song Sheng expressed his support and tilted his head, saying, "This is also your plan. Your Highness is as foresighted as a god."
The wind was cold and snowflakes were floating in the sky. They landed on the red plum blossoms on the branches and soon turned into water drops that fell down and disappeared into the soil.
Song Sheng suddenly said, "I have captured an interesting person. Your Highness, would you like to take a look?"
"Tell me about it first?" Min Shian withdrew his gaze from the snow-covered red plum blossoms, moved his body slightly, and looked up at Song Sheng.
"A swordsman in the Jianghu, a lone wandering heroine, embracing the bright moon."
The snow suddenly became heavier and fell like catkins. In an instant, a thin layer of snow had fallen on the coats of the two men.
Min Shian turned around, and Chuntao, who was following behind him from a distance, understood what he meant. She immediately trotted forward, handed her an umbrella, and then quietly stepped aside.
Song Sheng naturally reached out and took the umbrella and opened it to block the heavy snow. The distance between the two of them was inevitably closer than before. Min Shian felt the warm breath beside him, and the fingers hidden in his sleeves clenched unconsciously.
There was already snow under her feet, making a crunching sound as she walked. After a long while, she finally remembered what she had been talking about and said, "Lan Mingyue?"
She had heard a little about this person. Some years ago, she had captured a notorious flower-stealing thief in Cangzhou. Rumor had it that the thief's room was covered in blood and ink with the words "Lonely Wandering Heroine, Embracing the Bright Moon." Since then, her fame has spread, and she has traveled extensively, doing good deeds, but few have ever seen her true appearance.
"Why did you arrest her?" Min Shi'an's mind was wandering, and he continued casually, "Could it be related to her?"
"Um."
"That's what I said, how could it possibly be related to..." Min Shian suddenly came to his senses and realized that Song Sheng had not objected. He asked in surprise, "How could it be related to someone in the martial arts world?"
The two of them walked slowly to the pavilion in the backyard and sat down. Chuntao lit the fireplace and waited by the side. Like Min Shian, Song Sheng didn't like having anyone around him, and the only person who often appeared around him was Song Chen.
So he skillfully brewed tea and placed it in front of Min Shi'an, and then he slowly explained the reason.
Song Sheng's narration was clear and his language was very infectious. Min Shian listened attentively, as if what happened that day was right in front of him.
Song Chen arrived in Yuntong earlier than Xie Zhuangyi. At that time, the caravan was having difficulty traveling back and forth, and was in need of temporary helpers.
The masters guarding the goods cannot be more than three steps away from the goods, which causes many inconveniences, so these temporary thugs are there to help them.
Song Chen was a martial arts expert, and he was easily selected after only performing one-tenth or twelve-tenth of his skills, and traveled with the caravan.
This also allowed him to get closer to the goods - several boxes stacked together and locked with iron chains. The rich aroma almost made him faint, and in desperation he quietly pressed his acupoints to block his sense of smell.
At first, Song Chen did not notice anything unusual. When he reached the canyon tunnel, he was extremely alert, fearing that someone would cause trouble at this moment.
It was difficult to walk in the narrow aisle, and it should have been extremely difficult to make any small moves. But the strange thing was that when he saw the light of day again, he found that the box had slight scratches.
Others might think it was just an ordinary scratch, but he was proficient in swordsmanship and could tell at a glance that it was a sword mark left by a master.
Song Chen's back was suddenly soaked with cold sweat, but he didn't even notice it!
On the subsequent journey back and forth, he focused all his attention and after eliminating the person who was always jumping around, he finally caught the culprit.
It turned out that there was a depression above the rock wall at the corner of the tunnel, and the swordsman Lan Mingyue curled up in it, wearing a nightgown and holding a black iron sword, completely blending into the rock wall.
With her flexible waist and superb swordsmanship, she mixed the Five Stones Powder into the spices in the box.
Song Chen confirmed the location by relying on the different air flow rates, then quietly went back and caught those who had not had time to escape.
Now he has been imprisoned in the imperial prison.
"Your Excellency is very generous. You shared such an important clue with me. Aren't you afraid that I will steal your credit?" Min Shi'an said half-jokingly and half-seriously after hearing this.
"If Your Highness is willing to do it for me, it will be my honor. How can I take credit for it?" Song Sheng looked at the lake. The falling snow came with great force but went away silently.
Min Shian chuckled, put down the teacup, stood up and said, "In that case, please lead the way, Lord Pushe."
Although the Imperial Prison was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Capital Officials, it was actually more like being managed by Song Sheng's personal subordinates, because ordinary prisoners were never held there.
Only those who Song Sheng intends to personally interrogate and punish will be detained there.
No force can interfere.
The imperial prison was not far from the princess's mansion. The two of them arrived in less than a quarter of an hour by carriage. Only then did Min Shian see the full picture of the dreaded imperial prison.
If it weren't for the bright words "Imperial Prison" on the plaque, she would almost think she had walked into someone's mansion.
"Adults have quite unique tastes."
Min Shi'an curled his lips and jokingly said, "Are you trying to make this prisoner feel at home and confess?"
Song Sheng chuckled and did not answer, just leading the way.
After crossing the front yard, Song Sheng said slowly, "Lan Mingyue refused to say anything at first."
"Later, I came up with some ideas, and she finally said that she would follow the orders of the Princess of the Western Regions and would not mention the origin of the Five Stone Powder."
Min Shian didn't want to think about what kind of torture this guy had received before he forced him to tell him. He just followed his words and said, "Your Excellency is very capable."
"After that, she pretended to be crazy and stupid, and didn't know anything when asked." Song Sheng paused, then continued, "But I still followed the clues and found out something."
Min Shian was about to ask when she saw Song Chen walking towards her quickly, holding a document. When she saw Song Chen's eyes on her, she was slightly stunned, but it disappeared in an instant.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Song Chen bowed to her first, then handed the document to Song Sheng, unsure whether he should report it or not. But seeing that the two great Buddhas had no intention of speaking, Song Chen finally said, "Master, the man has confessed."
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