Chapter 1466: Each Making Their Own Plans

She paused. "Even if the investigators suspect you, their suspicions will remain just that—suspicions. Without any evidence, they can't do anything to you."

"Will my transfer order to the Northern Frontier be affected?"

"It will take some effort, and it might even be delayed a bit. Those ministers, like Baitan, will certainly seize the opportunity to cause trouble!" Qingyang reassured him. "But with me, you will eventually be able to set off."

Chongwu let out a breath and bowed deeply to her. "Thank you, Palace Master! I am useless; I've caused you so much trouble."

He was filled with gratitude, knowing that Qingyang's words indicated absolute certainty; otherwise, his transfer north would be indefinitely postponed.

Qingyang continued, "Back to the case. Without evidence, the accusation won't stand. Some people are even more suspect than you, for example, Qu Ruhai, the Left Patriarch of Luodian. Furthermore, you hold the responsibility of stabilizing the Northern Frontier. If the Monarch wants to suppress the Luodian people, he'll need to send you on your way quickly."

"Understood." Chongwu felt much more at ease.

"You need to tell me more details," Qingyang asked him. "Your departure time, your route back to Yaoguo, and who else would know about it?" If someone had accurately predicted that Chongwu would stay overnight in Zhuo'an, the frame-up plan could be carried out.

"This information must be reported to the Royal Court, so relevant officials would know," Chongwu thought for a moment. "Besides them, my father, two uncles from my clan, and two of my lieutenants also know. However, it took me some time to prepare the tribute gifts, so perhaps an observant person could deduce it."

"Was your trip to Zhuo'an a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

"No," Chongwu said with a wry smile. "I anticipated that Mangzhou would be crowded, so Zhuo'an was already included in the route reported to the Royal Court."

"Tell me about your experience that night, the more detailed, the better."

Chongwu recounted everything in detail, trying not to miss a single word, even his conversations with He Lingchuan, Fan Shuang, and others at the banquet.

Qingyang listened with exceptional focus.

"According to the testimonies of Fan Shuang and Zhao Song, after you went out to catch the thieves, they continued drinking for another half an hour before returning to their rooms to rest. It wasn't even nightfall yet."

Chongwu asked, "Palace Master, do you suspect He Xiao?"

"The true perpetrators deliberately led you to the desolate village to catch petty thieves, which indicates the trap was set specifically for you. You mobilized over a hundred people to catch just a few, yet you couldn't find a trace of them, meaning they are quite skilled in cultivation," Qingyang pointed out. "Therefore, anyone who knew you were at the Zhuo'an inn that night, and who possesses significant personal strength or has capable subordinates, is a suspect."

Chongwu thought for a moment: "In that case, He Xiao's subordinates are all elites. According to him, they are a battle-hardened tribe from Yaguo who defected to Yangshan."

"You also just mentioned that Fan Shuang caused a drunken commotion in the middle of the night, and He Xiao's subordinates stopped him, but He Xiao himself never appeared." Qingyang propped her chin with her hand, wondering if He Xiao had performed a 'cicada shedding its shell' trick.

Perhaps due to past events concerning Lingxu, she was somewhat concerned about this person.

Chongwu didn't know how to respond. He certainly had no intention of excusing He Xiao, but there had been a torrential downpour in Zhuo'an that night, and who knew how many nobles had drunk early and gone to bed. Qingyang's suspicion of He Xiao based solely on this point seemed a bit weak.

"So, there are two questions," Qingyang continued. "Does He Xiao have the ability to kill Xue Zongwu, and by what means did he travel to and from Mangzhou?"

Chongwu whispered, "Palace Master, it was the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities who killed General Xue. Do you believe He Xiao could be the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities?"

Qingyang fell into deep thought.

Is that possible? Could He Xiao's cultivation be superior to Xue Zongwu's? To defeat Xue Zongwu, who possessed primal energy, one would need to be far more than just a little stronger. Not to mention Yaoguo, even looking across the entire Blazing Gold Plain, Qingyang could only think of a handful of names. That young man, He Xiao, is he qualified to be on that list? Furthermore, He Xiao doesn't possess General Chongwu's divine steed, at least not outwardly. How could he travel hundreds of miles overnight, there and back, and calmly kill Xue Zongwu and Qi Yunsheng in between? Logically, it seemed unlikely. Unless he possessed the ability to travel a thousand miles underground.

As she thought of this, Qingyang suddenly had an idea. "You said there was a torrential downpour that night?"

"Yes," Chongwu added. "It's the rainy season in Yaoguo, and it rained almost the entire way on our journey back."

Qingyang remained silent, as if lost in thought.

"Palace Master?"

Chongwu's voice brought her back to reality. Qingyang pressed her temples, musing that her idea was a bit far-fetched.

"Never mind, I'll just follow the current line of deduction. Could the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities be connected to immortals or Spirit Mountain? Spirit Mountain also possesses many secret treasures; traveling a hundred miles overnight would be no issue. Assuming it was the work of Spirit Mountain, He Xiao's suspicion couldn't be entirely ruled out. He started his career in the rear of Mugu, and he also had some connections with Mugu's national preceptor. But speculating based solely on this point was too vague. He Xiao's identity and background were indeed complex."

Qingyang stood up. "I'll go back first. Remember what I told you."

General Chongwu bowed. "I shall respectfully follow your instructions, Palace Master!"

Qingyang put on her veiled hat and left through the back gate of General Chongwu's mansion. She had only walked a few steps when Heyang emerged from the shadows and followed behind her.

"The Red Fortress auction has concluded. The first villa at Serene Lake Estate, which He Xiao participated in bidding for, sold for 38,000 taels. It was bought by Zhang Zhan from Prince Qing's Residence."

Qingyang paused slightly. "Prince Qing's Residence?"

38,000 taels for a lakeside suburban house was clearly an excessively high price. Serene Lake Estate was clearly intended for officials and nobles. Why would Prince Qing's Residence, as a member of the royal family, get involved in this?

Qingyang rubbed her temples. "This Monarch Yao really knows how to cause trouble!"

"Palace Master?" Heyang was still waiting for her instructions.

"Leave it," Qingyang said magnanimously, continuing to walk. "The Monarch Yao is feeling aggrieved and wants to regain some ground. Let him be for now."

The Monarch Yao had repeatedly been outmaneuvered by her, so he must have accumulated a great deal of resentment and was looking for ways to vex her. She had taken all the advantages, so why should she bother to dispute with him over minor things? Knowing when to tighten and when to loosen control was the art of both offense and defense. Having established herself in Lingxu City for over a hundred years without falling, she naturally understood that one should not push people too hard or go too far. As long as the Monarch Yao did not cause any substantial harm, she would be magnanimous.

"He Xiao's Serene Lake Estate, has it not completed the approval process yet?"

"It won't be approved. The Ministry of General Affairs and the Imperial Manufactory can always find reasons to obstruct him," Heyang replied, keeping pace. "Next, he'll likely be preparing to purchase building materials, so I've also briefed some people. It won't be easy for him to get suitable materials." To complete the tasks Qingyang assigned, he always made two sets of preparations.

"Oh?" Qingyang glanced at him. "In a huge city like Tianshui, he still can't find building material suppliers?"

"The official residences and villas he's building are for high-ranking officials and nobles, so they will certainly require large quantities of azure-square stone." The Palace Master has been in Yaoguo for less than a year, so she wouldn't have paid attention to construction matters, Heyang explained. "Tianshui City has specific regulations regarding building materials. Gold-disk stone is reserved for temples and the royal family, while azure-square stone is for official residences. Ordinary wealthy merchants are not permitted to use it without authorization, or they risk imprisonment. Therefore, the supply of gold-disk stone and azure-square stone is quite limited overall, and their distribution channels have always been controlled by a few large stone merchants." Knowing this, Heyang naturally has his methods.

A smile appeared in Qingyang's eyes. "Well done."

Heyang was not only loyal to her but also capable of drawing inferences and was highly reliable in his work. She had not kept him by her side in vain.

That evening, at the You Residence.

You Rongzhi had been out of the city on official business during the day and had just returned home. No sooner had he changed his clothes and washed his face than his attendant rushed in to report:

"Master, Master, the Red Fortress auction has concluded!"

You Rongzhi had been thinking about the Red Fortress auction all day, but he had official duties and no time to attend in person, so he had sent someone to monitor it.

"How did it go?"

"The lakeside villa at Serene Lake Estate was highly sought after, and the bidding was fierce. Qu Ruhai, the Left Patriarch of Luodian, even intervened midway, but in the end, it went to Prince Qing's Residence."

This result greatly surprised You Rongzhi. "What? Prince Qing's Residence bought it? For how much?"

He had expected the Serene Lake Estate to fetch a high price, but he hadn't anticipated a royal family member making the purchase.

"Thirty-eight thousand taels."

You Rongzhi's eyes narrowed. "That expensive? What would Prince Qing's Residence do with Serene Lake Estate? Were they just burning money? No, that's not right. They must have received some information, right?"

"Also, I heard something else: the Yuwen family and the Gu family both—uh—reserved a villa from Lord He, who is overseeing the Serene Lake development. They reserved them on the spot!"

"These two families followed suit?" You Rongzhi murmured to himself. "What could be the reason?"

The Yuwen and Gu families were both official merchants, and their instincts were exceptionally keen. Furthermore, both families had young men who were close to He Xiao, making it easiest for them to get firsthand information. Were they optimistic about Serene Lake Estate? Don't be ridiculous. No matter how good the development plan for that place was, there wasn't even a single tile laid yet. What prospects could there be to discuss?

Hmm? The plan?

Serene Lake Estate was being built on the south shore, directly across the water from the small villa where Regent Qingyang resided.

Could it be?

You Rongzhi shivered, then suddenly slapped the table. "Brilliant!"

He rarely lost his composure like this; his attendant was startled. "Master?"

You Rongzhi composed himself, stood up, and said, "Bring a lamp. I need to see my wife." The family's finances were controlled by his wife; he couldn't quickly come up with that much money himself, so he had to appeal to the mistress of the house.

His wife was already asleep. She was woken by him, and she yawned as she asked, "How much do you need?"

"About 50,000 taels, as an advance."

His wife gasped, thinking she had misheard him in her sleep-addled state. "How much?!"

"Fifty thousand," You Rongzhi coughed lightly. "And it might not even be enough."

"Five thousand taels for a suburban villa?" His wife looked at him with suspicion. "You're not planning to use this money for something else, are you?"

"How could I?" What else could cost 50,000 taels? What was his wife thinking all day? "Prince Qing's Residence just bought the first one at auction for 38,000!"

"Prince Qing's Residence has deep pockets; how can we compare? Besides, why do you need 50,000 taels?"

"Thirty-eight thousand sounds expensive, but I estimate it will be worth even more later," You Rongzhi said urgently. "Prince Qing's Residence has set a good precedent. If we buy now, we'll make a pure profit later."

"Why?" His wife was somewhat surprised. "What's the mystery behind this?"

"Come closer," You Rongzhi whispered a few words to her.