"Last time, you found the Prefecture Inspector Zuo Liangcai. Did you also discover who is behind him by following the clues?"
Because of a dispute over an iron mine, a local official involved in the conspiracy was angered and issued a death order to Marquis Mu Houchu. From there, his subordinates gathered and followed the clues from these small fishes that came out, and indeed, the officials they found were getting more and more high-ranking as they investigated through the layers.
It turned out that many officials of all levels in the entire prefecture, with Lian’an Town at the center, were involved in this conspiracy. The biggest figure they found so far was Inspector Zuo Liangcai.
But Mu Houchu didn’t believe that the real mastermind behind all this could be just Zuo Liangcai.
The Third Prince is not someone without strategy, then who else could it be?
A man in black bowed and said: "After careful investigation, it appears that Zuo Liangcai is connected to Gongsun Yi, the son of the former Prime Minister Gongsun Ming."
Mu Houchu’s brows slightly scrunched: "Gongsun Yi? He’s not dead?"
The former Prime Minister Gongsun Ming used to be a steadfast supporter of the Second Prince. He even attempted to seize the throne but was killed by an arrow from Mu Houchu in the Golden Throne Hall.
Later, when the Sixth Prince ascended to the throne, he ordered the execution of the Gongsun family. After all, they committed the grave crime of attempting to seize the throne, and extermination was a light punishment.
Gongsun Yi, the eldest son of Gongsun Ming by his legitimate wife, should have been beheaded. But unexpectedly, he slipped through the net.
Not only did he not die, but he secretly orchestrated such a big play behind the scenes.
If it weren’t for his vigilance, who knows what these forces led by Gongsun Yi would have caused.
Mu Houchu’s eyes became cold: "We can act tonight, sweep them all up, with a focus on capturing Gongsun Yi!"
"Yes!"
The man in black agreed and then disappeared into the night.
Mu Houchu looked up at the sky. Perhaps because spring had arrived, the stars now seemed more numerous and brighter than before. This peaceful and serene night scene was comfortable to look at.
He exhaled a soft breath; everything was finally coming to an end.
After tomorrow’s sweep, almost all the conspirators will be captured, and the heavy stone in his heart will finally drop. He will finally be able to face her and their future more candidly.
Finally, he no longer had to worry about her getting involved or hurt.
Because everything will end tomorrow.
The corners of Mu Houchu’s lips raised slightly in a soft smile, stunning time and gentling the years.
——
Because their wedding date was approaching, Ji Xinhe also thought to prepare something.
Although Mu Chu didn’t let her worry about the wedding, she had heard that when a woman is getting married, she is supposed to take the initiative to make some clothes, socks, or other things for the man to show her virtues.
Although she couldn’t tie herself to the word virtuous, it was still a significant event. He put such a high devotion to it, so she couldn’t just take it lightly, could she?
Early this morning, Ji Xinhe took Xiao Cui and Hong Qin to the town. She picked out some pretty jewelry and suitable fabrics and shoe soles to make clothing and shoes for Mu Chu.
"Xin He, it’s crazy how fast time flies. Today is already the fourth day of the month. You’re getting married in three days. I thought I would be the first to get married since my fiancé and I were betrothed since we were little. We had planned to get married in April this year, but you unexpectedly popped up and you’re getting married before me." Hong Qin teased.
Ji Xinhe muttered, "If you’re not convinced, you can get married tomorrow and you’ll be ahead of me."
She didn’t want to get married this early either, if it weren’t for that man constantly pressuring her!
Now, she doesn’t bother thinking about the consequences. After all, he was the man she loved, so it didn’t matter whether they got married sooner or later.
Thinking about this, Ji Xinhe couldn’t help but smile. She randomly picked up a hairpin from a stall: "Is this pretty?"
"It’s pretty. Xin He, you’re pretty, so anything you wear is pretty." Zheng Xiaocui said.
However, Ji Xinhe put the hairpin on Zheng Xiaocui’s head, laughed and said, "I think you look good with it, so I’ll give it to you."
Then, she directly paid for it.
Zheng Xiaocui hurriedly objected, "How can that be?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
Xin He holds her hand and laughs, "What do you mean ’how can it be’? If you feel embarrassed, this can serve as my early wedding gift for you."
Zheng Xiaocui’s face turned red instantly: "I, I, when am I getting married? It’s still too early to talk about betrothal gifts. Xin He, you’re joking again."
Ji Xinhe laughed: "Isn’t it inevitable?"
Don’t think she didn’t notice, her blockhead brother was almost enlightened. How could he not like such a good girl like Zheng Xiaocui?
She had already planned that after her wedding, she would immediately urge her brother to propose to the Zheng family.
"I’m not talking to you anymore!" Zheng Xiaocui blushed and stomped her foot while laughing.
Ji Xinhe was about to take them to the cloth shop across the street, but suddenly noticed a stir in the crowd.
"Make way! Make way! Make way!"
The bustling street quickly made way. A group of government officials was escorting a prison wagon towards them.
Ji Xinhe quickly pulled her two companions aside to make way for the prison van.
The people around were watching the wagon go by and discussing the matter fervently.
"Hey, who is the captured person? Why do I feel somewhat familiar?"
"You don’t recognize him? That’s our county magistrate, Official Li! I don’t know what he has done, but this morning, government officials, who appeared to have been dispatched directly by the superior authorities, stripped him of his official uniform right in the public court, and now they are escorting him directly to the capital!"
A gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd: "Really?!"
"What else can it be? I saw it with my own eyes — our county magistrate, goodness, I wonder what offence he has committed. Moreover, I heard that he was not the only one who was unlucky. Starting from Lian’an Town, quite a few officials in the entire prefecture ran into trouble. Without saying a word, their official uniforms were stripped, and they were directly sent to the capital. I suspect it’s a major crime!"
Listening to this, Ji Xinhe felt an unexplainable sense of curiosity. Although the matter was not related to her, she felt it was extraordinarily strange.
A while ago, from the county to the prefecture, it seemed that a lot of police had been mobilized to arrest Mu Chu. She thought he was a fugitive from the court, but today, those who arrested him were all arrested instead. What’s this all about?
It couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.
If that’s the case, then who is he?
Just as Ji Xinhe was feeling puzzled, she heard another voice.
"I guess this is probably related to some matters in the palace. My cousin, who runs a business in the capital, wrote to me a few days ago, mentioning that the prestigious Prime Minister Mu in the Imperial Court died in Lanshan City! I suspect that the Emperor is taking revenge for Prime Minister Mu, hence why the officials in more than half the prefecture of Lanshan City are being arrested?"
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