Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 159 Investigation of Prince Yu [Thanks to "LC Studying Diligently" for the generous donation]

[P.S.: Sorry, I only saw the patron's donation this morning, hence the late update.]

Several months later, Lin Xuan and Wenren Yue were once again serving as officials in the same government office.

Unlike their previous superior-subordinate relationship, the two are now equals, and Lin Xuan has even caught up with her in terms of strength.

While at the Commandery Office, Wenren Yue and Lin Xuan did not have much interaction.

The two worked in their respective duty rooms.

The Sixteen Guards held a very important position within the Jingye Division.

The commander cannot do everything personally. The Seven Sons of Jingye will only participate in some important missions. Almost all the complicated matters within the department have to be summarized by the Sixteen Guards.

The Jingye Division was an agency directly under the emperor and independent of the court. It was responsible for investigation, arrest, and interrogation, and had immense power. Even the cabinet could not control the Jingye Division.

The Azure Dragon Guard, responsible for the capital region, is the core of the core. Its specific duties include investigating and apprehending major cases, monitoring officials and dignitaries, eliminating enemy spies, providing special security, and building intelligence networks, among others.

Lin Xuan was busy with various tedious tasks until the afternoon.

As the official was leaving, Wenren Yue appeared outside Lin Xuan's duty room and asked, "Going back?"

Lin Xuan put down a file in his hand, stood up and said, "Let's go."

The two were neighbors in Bozhou, and when they arrived in the capital, they lived even closer together, making it more convenient for them to go to and from the government office together.

The two walked out of the Commandery together. Zhou Heng stood in the courtyard, watching their backs as they walked away, and shook his head helplessly.

It seems that Lord Chen did not take his reminder to heart at all.

After leaving the Commandery, the two walked along the familiar streets towards the mansion. Wenren Yue suddenly asked, "His Majesty wants you to marry Miss Zhao. What about Qingluan and A'luo?"

Lin Xuan sighed deeply and said, "It is difficult to disobey the emperor's orders. We can only take it one step at a time."

Wenren Yue crossed her arms and said, "His Majesty treats you very well. Miss Zhao is a renowned talented woman in the capital, and countless men want to marry her. I never expected His Majesty to bestow her upon you in marriage..."

She couldn't help but lament the cruel twist of fate.

While in the southwest, she was still wondering whether Lin Xuan would eventually marry Qingluan or A'luo.

Unexpectedly, the woman who eventually married him was Zhao Wan, a talented woman from the capital, someone she could never have imagined at the time.

Lin Xuan suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, how...did you know my identity? Did I expose myself somewhere?"

He believed he had not revealed any flaws.

If any oversight occurs, it must be addressed as soon as possible.

It's alright if Wenren Yue finds out, but if Nanzhao finds out, trouble may follow.

Wenren Yue glanced at him and asked, "If I hadn't found out myself, were you planning to keep it from me for the rest of your life?"

Lin Xuan coughed lightly and said, "Of course not. I was planning to tell you when the opportunity arose, but I was afraid you would be angry, so I didn't say anything..."

Wenren Yue stopped blaming him and said, "Last time Princess Yongchun caused you trouble, His Majesty reprimanded her and revealed that the new salt law was your contribution. Later, Princess Yongchun inadvertently told me..."

Lin Xuan was speechless for a moment.

Despite all his calculations, he never expected that it would be His Majesty who would betray him.

He never expected that Princess Yongchun and Wenren Yue were actually quite close, and that his identity would be exposed in such a way...

The devil is often in the details. Many great undertakings fail because of some small details. Lin Xuan finally realized this.

Just as Lin Xuan was about to continue speaking, his gaze suddenly shifted slightly.

Wenren Yue noticed the subtle change in his expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Xuan continued walking with her on the street, his steps steady, and said softly, "Don't turn around, someone is following us."

Long-standing habits have made Lin Xuan always pay attention to his surroundings, no matter the time.

The two men were quite skilled at tracking, clearly having received professional training.

Lin Xuan initially relied on intuition, but after releasing his spiritual power, he indeed clearly detected two extremely faint yet deliberately distant auras, like maggots clinging to their bones, following them neither too close nor too far.

Wenren Yue's expression shifted slightly, but she didn't say anything.

The two walked side by side without exchanging a single word, each returning to their own residence.

Lin Xuan had just returned to the inner courtyard and closed the gate when a figure descended from the sky.

Lin Xuan looked at her and said, "I'll go check and see where they come from."

Wenren Yue shook her head and said, "No need, he's one of Prince Yu's men."

Lin Xuan remembered that Zhou Heng had once reminded him not to offend Wenren Yue or get too close to her. These past few days, he had only been thinking about how to get her forgiveness and had forgotten Zhou Heng's reminder.

Lin Xuan looked at Wenren Yue and asked, "What's going on between you and Prince Yu?"

Wenren Yue looked away and said calmly, "He and I have no relationship whatsoever."

Lin Xuan understood; it turned out that His Highness the Crown Prince was only indulging in wishful thinking.

Wenren Yue was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "In the future, when we're outside, you shouldn't get too close to me."

This wasn't the southwest, and she worried that Prince Yu might harm Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan nodded and said, "Understood."

Wenren Yue glanced at the kitchen and said, "I'm hungry."

Since he had wronged them, Lin Xuan immediately said, "What would you like to eat? I'll make it right away..."

at the same time.

Prince Yu's Mansion.

The guard in black said, "Your Highness, Miss Wenren went to the Commandery with Chen Yu today, and they returned together after the meeting."

Prince Yu's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. He took a sip of tea and said calmly, "They are all from the Sixteen Guards, and are neighbors and old acquaintances. It's normal for them to go to and from the office together. Keep an eye on them. Report back to me if anything else happens." "Yes."

The guard respectfully clasped his hands in a fist salute and slowly withdrew.

Prince Yu put down his teacup, his brows furrowing slightly.

He wanted to take A-Yue home, but she refused him every time. If she treated everyone like this, it wouldn't be a big deal, but she was getting so close to another man, and Chen Yu was a promising young man favored by his father. He couldn't help but think about it...

After a long while, he gently tapped the table and whispered, "Someone come here."

A figure dressed in black walked in slowly, bowed, and said, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

Prince Yu tapped his index finger lightly on the table and said, "Check which of these upright young men were serving in Sizhou and Bozhou a few days ago. Invite them to a banquet at the Prince's residence tonight..."

……

As night fell, the Prince Yu's mansion was brightly lit.

A small banquet is being held in the flower hall.

Those invited were a dozen or so young men from the Qingliu faction who had just been transferred back to the capital from the southwest. Most of them had previously served in the Southwest Pacification Division and made relatively outstanding contributions to the suppression of the Yang family. After returning to the capital, they were all promoted.

Some of them served in the military or the Jingye Guard.

Some people have already moved from the military to the imperial court. Although their official positions are not high, they have bypassed the imperial examination and have a promising future.

Prince Yu had close ties with the Qingliu faction, and his teacher was the current second-in-command.

Both publicly and privately, he had valid reasons for hosting these people.

Inside the flower hall, Prince Yu raised his wine cup, looked at everyone, and said with a smile, "Come, come, on behalf of the court, I toast you all to thank you for your contributions to stabilizing the southwest of our Great Yong..."

Everyone raised their glasses in return.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"Your Highness is too kind. We have only made some minor contributions and are unworthy of your toast..."

"Everything was orchestrated by the imperial court."

Although the people were embarrassed to be praised by Prince Yu, their faces were full of pride, as if they had really made a great contribution to the court.

Although they were in the southwest, they were just eating, drinking and having fun.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

Prince Yu raised his wine cup, walked towards a figure, and smiled, "Qingya, I toast you to thank you for taking care of Ayue in Sizhou."

Shen Qingya quickly picked up his wine cup, downed the wine in one gulp, and then smiled, "A-Yue is my cousin, it's only right that Qingya takes care of her. Your Highness, you're too kind..."

Prince Yu took a small sip of wine and asked, "There's something I want to ask you. Did A-Yue have any close friends when she was in Sizhou? A-Yue's birthday is coming up soon, and I'd like to invite her friends from the southwest to the capital to give her a surprise..."

Shen Qingya was slightly taken aback, then shook his head and said, "Well, really, no. As you know, Your Highness, A-Yue has always been a loner, even in Sizhou. She spends most of her time cultivating, and I rarely even see her..."

Although he went to Sizhou with his cousin, he did not stay in Sizhou for long before he was dismissed from his post and transferred back to the capital.

He didn't know if his cousin had any friends after that, but she didn't have any before.

At this moment, Du Yunzhou, who was standing next to Shen Qingya, spoke up: "Your Highness, when Miss Wenren was in Bozhou, she had a good friend. They went to and from the government office together, rented a place outside the government office, and even ate three meals a day together..."

Prince Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, "A-Yue has friends like this?"

Du Yunzhou nodded slightly and said, "That man's name is Lin Xuan. He is a captain under Miss Wenren. When Miss Wenren was transferred to Bozhou, she specifically transferred him there as well..."

Prince Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.

He asked in a deep voice, "Is this person male or female?"

Du Yunzhou seemed to realize something, lowered his head slightly, and said, "He is a man..."

Prince Yu clenched his fist tightly in his sleeve.

When A-Yue was transferred to Bozhou, she took him with her. The two rented a place together outside the government office and even ate their three meals together every day...

His heart sank immediately upon imagining certain scenes.

The story of a noble lady falling in love with a lowly poor boy, a trope often found in storybooks, kept flashing through his mind.

Shen Qingya looked surprised and asked in astonishment, "Lin Xuan, that kid went to Bozhou with my cousin?"

Prince Yu looked at him and asked, "You also know this person?"

Shen Qingya nodded and said, "This person was originally a minor officer in the Jingbian Division of Sizhou. Although his cultivation was low, he had some skills and methods. My cousin wasn't very familiar with him. It seems that some other things happened after I left Sizhou..."

The reason he left the southwest early, instead of waiting to be transferred to Bozhou and receive credit, was thanks to Lin Xuan.

Of course, to save face, he didn't say these things.

Prince Yu's gaze was deep and intense. Although he was trying his best to restrain himself, a cold anger was already surging in the depths of his eyes.

Wenren Yue was his chosen Crown Princess. He made this decision more than ten years ago. How could anyone else be allowed to touch his woman? Even though nothing had happened between Lin Xuan and her, the fact that they shared a place, ate three meals a day, and lived together day and night had already exceeded the limits of his tolerance.

This person must die.

He raised his eyes and asked seemingly casually, "Where is Lin Xuan now? Is he still in the Southwest? If he were transferred to the capital, A-Yue would surely be very happy..."

"Commander Lin has died in the line of duty."

Du Yunzhou sighed, saying with some regret, "He was ambushed by the Yang family during an escort mission and died in the line of duty along with several colleagues from the Jingbian Division. It's a pity, Commander Lin was quite a capable person..."

"died?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu was visibly taken aback.

Filled with jealousy and anger, it felt like punching empty air, leaving an indescribable sense of frustration.

He can't possibly argue with a dead person...

(End of this chapter)