Imperial henchmen? My divine skills are all hacked versions.

Xu Xian took out three pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them over with both hands.

"This was found in Sun Buhai's house. It wasn't me who searched it. A lame thief found it in Sun Buhai's house. He thought it was a bank note, but when he opened it, he found it was just waste paper and threw it to me."

"There are three sheets of paper. The first one is a list of intercepted cold iron recorded by Sun Buhai. From the time the iron left the mine to the time the caravan picked it up, the time, quantity, train number, and the person who signed for it are all verifiable."

"The second one is an unsent letter, written by Sun Buhai to an official in the capital. In the letter, he implies that he has something on him and that if something happens to him, he should expose it. The third one... please see the last line, sir."

Mo unfolded the third sheet of paper; it was a written order, neatly written and formally worded, its gist being...

"The cold iron of Qingzhou is a matter of great importance to the military and the nation. It is hereby decreed that Sima Sun Buhai of Qingzhou shall retain 20% of it each month and entrust it to the Shuntong merchant caravan for transport to the designated location!"

The warrant was stamped with a cinnabar seal at the end. The seal was small, but the inscription was clearly legible.

"It's actually the Crown Prince's seal!" Mo Feichang's pupils shrank dramatically.

"Exactly!"

Xu Xian said in a deep voice,

"My lord, regarding the mission case, when I was escorting Princess Yunshang back to the capital, Helan ambushed and killed us on the official road... In the end, the tax silver case was investigated, and Eunuch Gao died in his private residence. Before he died, he purged all the people at the Jingzhou post station."

"The Gu master in the dye shop involved in the children's case confessed to being one of the Fourth Prince's men, but could Eunuch Gao work for both the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince at the same time? At least one of these two princes was aware of the situation. The mission case and the tax silver children's case must be linked to the same person..."

"Now the Cold Iron case has implicated Sun Buhai. The female assassin first tried to kill me at Taibai Tower, when I was still investigating the tax silver case. The fact that she chased me here to assassinate me while I was investigating the Cold Iron case shows that it's still the same person behind it..."

"Sun Buhai's warrant was stamped with the Crown Prince's seal. All the cases were linked together: the envoy case destroyed the alliance, the tax silver case stole money and grain, the children case turned common children into Gu soldiers, and the cold iron case supplied strategic materials to the Di Kingdom."

"The mission, the tax money, the children, the cold iron—all four cases point to the same person. This person not only wants money and people, but also wants to collude with the enemy. They're determined to rebel!"

Mo remained silent for a long while, looking down at the warrant bearing the seal of the Crown Prince in his hand.

"Even if the Crown Prince wasn't the mastermind, he's definitely involved. The seal of the Eastern Palace isn't something you can just get your hands on. This seal is of great importance; only the Crown Prince can keep it. Even the Crown Princess can't get her hands on it."

"Whether the Crown Prince stamped the seal himself or it was stolen by his closest confidant, the Crown Prince cannot escape punishment. After returning to the capital, I will first report this matter to His Majesty."

Xu nodded first, then spoke again.

  [At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 101𝖐𝖐𝖘.𝖈𝖔𝖒]

"My lord, I suspect there is a mole in the Qingzhou Inspection Bureau. Every time I come to Qingzhou, my actions are leaked in advance. When I go to check the accounts at the mine, I am ambushed on the way. When I go to the Sima Mansion to arrest someone, the assassins arrive as soon as the person dies."

"The only people who know about my actions are those within the Qingzhou Inspection Bureau. I request that you investigate, sir."

"I understand..."

Mo frowned slightly, folded the three pieces of paper, and put them into his sleeve.

"Don't make a fuss about the mole. After we get back to Beijing, I'll bring in people from elsewhere to investigate. You're coming back to Beijing with me first."

Xu nodded in agreement, and the two walked out of the back hall one after the other.

Mo Fei did not say much, but told Yang Xu to pass on the order that everyone pack their things and leave immediately.

Xu Xian returned to the inn to pack his things. Hua Xi was squatting on the threshold, holding a tortoise. He stuffed his change of clothes into the rattan trunk and bought two catties of candied fruit at the Qingzhou market.

Hua Xi smelled the sweet aroma of the candied fruit and stood on tiptoe, trying to get a better look by grabbing his hand. He gently patted her head.

"I'll give you something to eat on the way..."

Then he picked her up, mounted his horse, and rode towards the city gate.

...

Inside the Inspection Department, Wang Yanni stood by the window of her office, watching Xu Xian's departing figure on horseback, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Mo Feichang is here. Even if he had the intention, he would never dare to make a move under Mo Feichang's nose.

If His Highness blames him, there will be an explanation. The Chief Justice himself came; what can a mere garrison commander do?

He picked up the cold tea on the table and took a sip. His wrist trembled slightly, but he felt much more at ease.

Footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, and a black-clad guard knocked.

"Sir, the pharmacist you requested has arrived."

Wang Yanni paused, her hand still holding the teacup. "Pharmacist?"

He looked up and saw the old pharmacist carrying his medicine chest walking in from behind the Black Cavalry.

Their eyes met, and the old pharmacist smiled slightly, his face crinkling with wrinkles.

"Commander Wang, I have written a prescription for the young lady and have come to deliver it to you. There are a few herbs whose decoction methods I must explain in person. If the medicine is not prepared correctly, it will be a waste of time."

Wang Yanni chuckled, waved her hand to dismiss the Black Cavalry Guards, welcomed the old pharmacist into the office, and then turned to close the door.

His face darkened the moment the door closed.

"Are you crazy? Si Zheng is still in the city, and you dare to come knocking on his door? What exactly do you want?"

The old pharmacist placed the medicine box on the table and slowly opened the lid, rummaging through the bottles and jars inside.

"I'm here to deliver a message. Make your move by Luoxia Lake, and the butcher will help you."

Wang Yanni's eyes widened. "Are you telling me to die? Si Zheng is unfathomable. He was a third-rank official twenty years ago. Who could kill someone in front of him?"

The old pharmacist chuckled, took a palm-sized porcelain bottle from his medicine box, and placed it on the table. "Just go ahead and do it. Mo Feichang... won't stop you."

Wang Yanni froze, her pupils shrinking sharply. "You mean this Si Zheng..."

"Your Highness has been worried ever since you discovered that Ouyang was missing. That girl knows a lot, but she doesn't know a little either. After all, she has been by Your Highness's side for twelve years and has seen too many people she shouldn't have seen."

The old pharmacist stroked the mouth of the porcelain bottle, as if he were caressing a chess piece.

"His Highness sent men to chase after her all the way to Qingzhou, only to find out that she had fallen into Xu Xian's hands. But coincidentally, the men His Highness sent were acquainted with me. They just came to me and asked me to inform you to kill Xu Xian and the others, which is exactly what I wanted to do."

Wang Yanni's heart sank to the bottom.

This "Mo Feichang" is fake.

The real Mo Feichang is probably still in the capital, sitting under an old locust tree writing poetry.

The "Mo Feichang" in front of him was actually one of His Highness's men in disguise. No wonder he always felt that this "Sizheng" was a bit too tall. Xu Xian and he had only met Mo Feichang a few times and couldn't tell the subtle differences at all, let alone the Black Knights.

Most of these Black Knights had only met Mo Feichang once when they joined the army in Kyoto. After being assigned to various states, they rarely saw Mo Feichang again, so how could they distinguish between the real and the fake?

Your Highness's power has grown to this extent!

Wang Yanni said expressionlessly, "Since the butcher has taken action, killing Xu Xian and the others should only take a dozen or so moves. I don't need to go, do I?"

"No, no, no..."

The old pharmacist raised a finger and shook it, chuckling, "You're the one who killed. The butcher just watches you do the work; he won't help you, he'll just clean up after you're done..."

"Take a lock of your hair, and place it along with the corpses of Xu Xian and that female assassin, and give it to the Butcher for safekeeping. If you don't do it, I will expose all the good deeds you've done!"

"If these matters are reported to the Investigation Department, you will be Sun Buhai's accomplice and a conspirator in the massacre of his entire family. If you betray us, I will hand over all the evidence, along with the documents you personally signed, to the Investigation Department."

"When you're executed, your daughter will have no one to care for her. She's only just learned to stand and walk; you don't want her to have to kneel down again, do you?"

Wang Yanni clenched her teeth, and blood seeped from her mouth.

He looked at the porcelain bottle on the table, at the old pharmacist's smiling, kind face, and finally closed his eyes and nodded.