"What evidence do you have?" Murong Xingchen was shocked by the woman in front of her. How did she know so much? Did Qiu Zeyu tell her, or did she discover it herself?
"Remember the Eight Treasure Duck I mentioned? Manager Wang of Zuixianglou said that Huamanlou orders three ducks every ten days. Guess who this Eight Treasure Duck is for?"
"What if she likes to eat it herself?"
"Aunt Guan is Hua Yuhe's adoptive mother, and she knows Hua Yuhe's preferences very well. Duck is cold in nature, and it is not suitable for women to eat too much. After Hua Yuhe reopened Hua Manlou, she became even more concerned about her appearance, and she would never knowingly do something wrong."
"I understand now. Wu Tongling must have ordered the Eight Treasure Duck for him. Therefore, Wu Tongling must not be dead, and he must be living in the Flower Pavilion. As for who he works for, that's still unclear. But one thing is certain: Er Gou and his wife were killed by Wu Tongling." Murong Xingchen reasoned as she pieced together the information. "Then why would he kill Er Gou and his wife?"
"Perhaps it's to hurt our business! Or perhaps Er Gou and his wife stumbled upon some secret of his. This is something Lord Murong will need to investigate."
"Okay! Anyway, thank you for the clue. There's one more question I'd like to ask you." Murong Xingchen finally brought up her biggest question.
"you say."
"Wang Po reports: there's still one person hanging upside down from a tree at the scene. Why were they let go?"
Lan Yamei smiled and said, "Let's lure the snake out of its hole! He will definitely go back to report after completing his assassination mission. No matter who sent him to silence him, we can catch the mastermind by following this clue."
Murong Xingchen then exclaimed that something bad had happened; after so much time, that person had long since disappeared without a trace.
“He can’t escape! I slipped a sachet into his clothes when he wasn’t looking. I’ll find a well-trained dog and follow the scent to catch him.”
After hearing this, Murong Xingchen immediately told the guards outside the hall, "Go and bring the military dogs over."
Soon, a spirited, black and yellow Chinese rural dog was brought out. Lan Yamei took out another sachet from her pocket and let the dog sniff it, and the dog immediately ran out the door.
The group followed the dog to the crime scene, circled around it, and then ran towards Huaguo Mountain following the scent.
The two men, mounted on their horses, exchanged a glance and both understood.
As the group approached the chaotic rocky peak of Huaguo Mountain, Gouzi ran towards a river at the foot of the slope.
The group followed closely behind, while the dog paced anxiously around the riverbank.
"Looks like that person has crossed the river; the dog can't smell anything anymore." After saying that, Lan Ya Mei was the first to ride her horse across the river.
Sure enough, with the guards' help, the dog crossed the river and, following the scents on the ground, darted towards a cave behind a pile of rocks. The others followed closely behind, and it turned out that there was a hidden paradise behind the pile of rocks!
Pushing aside the withered branches partially obscuring the cave entrance, one discovers a renovated cave room, about twenty square meters in size, with smooth walls that appear to have been carved out by hand. It contains a bed, a water tank, and all the necessities of life.
Unfortunately, after searching the whole place, they couldn't find Wu Tongling. However, a pair of wooden clogs on the ground caught Lan Yamei's eye. She picked them up and looked at them, then said to Murong Xingchen, "These are the shoes that the Japanese love the most. It seems this is their lair."
Murong Xingchen looked at it, completely bewildered, "Why would he fake his death?"
"We can probably only find out by capturing him."
Murong Xingchen said to the guards, "Search immediately, don't overlook any clues."
Soon the guards found two bodies on the back slope of Luanshi Peak! When Lan Yamei arrived, she only took one look from afar before fainting.
Because one of them was the black-clad man he had let go, and the other was Qiu Zeyu.
Catching the man and laying him on the ground, Murong Xingchen ignored Lan Yamei and rushed straight to Qiu Zeyu. This was the Emperor's man! How could he have died near the hideout of the Japanese warrior Wu Tongling? Murong Xingchen checked his breathing and found he was still breathing faintly. "Quickly save him, he's still alive."
When Lan Yamei woke up, she rushed over, checking the pulse with one hand and the breath with the other. Once she confirmed that the person was still alive, she was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes.
Just as everyone was getting Qiu Zeyu to the clinic, Murong Xingchen had already issued a nationwide arrest warrant for the Japanese man Wu Tongling! He also immediately began interrogating Hua Yuhe, subjecting her to severe torture if she didn't cooperate!
At the same time, the emperor, who had already returned to Chang'an, also received a secret report. Upon reading it, he was so angry that he smashed a set of blue and white porcelain on the spot.
Liu Xun hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down! The case is already underway, and the wanted poster clearly states that Wu Tongling is a Japanese! I don't think anyone would dare to hide him. As long as we catch him, we won't have to worry about uncovering the big fish behind him."
"That's true! But I'm furious! I never imagined there would be such a huge scandal in Lin'an. Is Liu Xuewen blind? Or did he know about it but didn't report it, or even collude with him? It's despicable! I wish I could tear him to pieces!"
Liu Xun was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and immediately knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, there is something I dared not say before. I was afraid that Your Majesty would be angry, so I dared not speak."
The emperor was already furious, and Liu Xun was one of his confidants, so he immediately said, "Speak your mind! I hate being lied to the most."
Liu Xun wiped the sweat from his brow before bowing his head tremblingly and saying, "Didn't Your Majesty order me to dismiss and investigate Liu Xuewen, the former prefect of Lin'an? Only after investigating did I learn that he is the nephew of my third aunt's second maternal aunt. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor had no time to listen to his nonsense and said impatiently, "What are you talking about? This is a distant relative."
Liu Xun hurriedly explained, "This kid actually claimed to others that he could get directly to the Emperor's ears through his servants! So many people in the martial arts world are giving him benefits."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
