Chapter 533: First Attempt

Chapter 530: The First Probe

Cen Boqing was found guilty; the evidence was ironclad.

"'Qingfu Temple?'" Bai Ziqi paused in surprise, then immediately turned to Fu Shanyue and said, "We have a confession. The Crown Prince can now authorize Cen Boqing's arrest."

Fu Shanyue nodded, preparing to mobilize his men.

Bai Ziqi then added, "Commander Fan, you go help as well."

Fan Sheng immediately stood up and quickly exited the cellar.

Fu Shanyue's gaze flickered slightly, but he did not object.

After they had all left, Bai Ziqi's gaze turned to He Lingchuan: "You can handle the rest of the interrogation."

He Lingchuan nodded, ordered paper and a pen to be brought, and began to carefully interrogate Wu Kai.

Wu Kai, meanwhile, asked for a glass of water, gulped it down in one go, wiped his mouth, and then began to answer He Lingchuan's questions.

It turned out that Cen Boqing's father, Cen Qiao, had long been involved in hunting demons for their pearls. After Wu Kai became Cen Senior's confidant, he took charge of the business. When Cen Senior passed away, Cen Boqing inherited the enterprise and continued to have Wu Kai oversee it.

"Why did Cen Qiao start doing this in the first place?"

"The profits were extremely lucrative," Wu Kai said, leaning against the wall, utterly drained. "You wouldn't believe how quickly a household like the Cens spends money in Lingxu City... That place is truly a bottomless pit; no amount of money is ever enough. Years ago, the Cen family's properties even lost a lot of money. Without this income, the Cen family would have long fallen into ruin. How else could they have later had the prestige of marrying the Grand Minister of Agriculture's daughter?"

"Isn't marrying the Grand Minister of Agriculture's daughter like marrying into wealth?" He Lingchuan's question made even Bai Ziqi, standing nearby, look sideways. "Why would Cen Boqing still risk continuing?"

"He said several times he wanted to quit, but the buyers at Qingfu Temple wouldn't agree."

"Buyers?" He Lingchuan sneered. "You mean, your superiors?"

Wu Kai whispered, "You can't just quit something like this whenever you want."

He Lingchuan hummed in acknowledgment and wrote down the entire confession.

He took his time, and for a long while, the cellar remained silent.

After He Lingchuan paused for a considerable time, Bai Ziqi finally spoke up: "Who did you trade the pearl pulp with at Qingfu Temple, and who did you collect money from?"

"A temple priest named Hu," Wu Kai said. "Twice a year, we'd meet behind the temple. I'd hand over the pearls, and he'd hand over the money. We wouldn't exchange any other words unless the price for the pearl pulp changed."

"You don't know any other buyers?"

Wu Kai shook his head.

"Speak up, do you know them or not?"

"I don't."

Bai Ziqi paused, then asked, "Does the Grand Minister of Agriculture know about your dealings?"

The answer to this question had wide-ranging implications.

"We kept it very discreet," Wu Kai said with a shrug. "The Grand Minister of Agriculture and his wife never inquired, so perhaps..."

Bai Ziqi wouldn't let him off the hook: "So, does the Grand Minister of Agriculture know, or not?"

Wu Kai could only say, "I think, probably not."

He Lingchuan continued to quietly transcribe, refusing to speak.

He decided to leave these deeper questions to the special envoy from Lingxu City; he had no intention of getting involved.

"Did you provide false evidence to Fu Songhua?"

"Yes," Wu Kai admitted frankly. "Three years ago, Cen Boqing accidentally discovered that Fu Songhua, the fugitive who murdered the Bing Province Governor, was also living in the northwest corner of Baisha Jue, not far from the Cen residence."

"Those who walk by the river often will eventually get their shoes wet," Wu Kai said with a bitter smile. "Cen Boqing was also afraid that the truth would come out one day, so he had me prepare false evidence. If anything came to light, Fu Songhua would take the blame."

"Who designated the White-shouldered Eagle route you planned to use for the frame-up?"

"Cen Boqing."

"Why?"

Wu Kai swallowed. "I was just following orders; I don't know why."

"Now, about Zhongsun Mou," Bai Ziqi continued. "Why did he cooperate with you in fabricating evidence?"

"Zhongsun Mou's grandfather was nearing the end of his life and couldn't take any more tonic medicines. Cen Boqing then guided Zhongsun Mou to Qingfu Temple to seek a special medicine, the code phrase being 'longevity and peace.' After the old man from the Zhongsun family took it, he could live for another ten to thirty years."

"This time, when Cen Boqing discovered that Zhongsun Mou was the investigating envoy for both the courier case and the demon-hunting-for-pearls case, he used this secret to threaten him," Wu Kai said, asking for another glass of water. "Privately acquiring and consuming the elixir of immortality is a serious crime in Lingxu City."

"So, both the Cen and Zhongsun families are involved in the case." Bai Ziqi nodded to He Lingchuan again. "I'm finished with my questions; the rest is up to you."

He Lingchuan then asked Wu Kai about the whereabouts of the other demon-hunting subordinates.

At this point, Wu Kai no longer concealed anything, revealing the hidden locations, modus operandi, results, and contact codes of the other five demon-hunting groups.

While the ink was still wet on the paper, He Lingchuan handed the dossier filled with confessions to Bai Ziqi:

"Commissioner Bai, these other five groups of demon-hunting fanatics are all outside Chiyan's borders."

In short, apprehending them was not Chiyan's responsibility, but rather his duty as a special envoy.

Bai Ziqi took the dossier, put it away, then stood up and said, "I'm going to the Cen Residence; you should come along."

He Lingchuan naturally had no objection.

The inn was very close to the Cen Residence, just a few hundred steps away.

He Lingchuan walked with Bai Ziqi, followed by several guards.

He could feel the man subtly observing him, so he simply asked directly, "Commissioner Bai, is there something unusual about my face?"

The young man seemed very straightforward; others wouldn't dare ask him such a question. Bai Ziqi smiled gently: "Nothing unusual. I just noticed that for someone so young, your interactions with Crown Prince Yue don't seem like those of a superior and subordinate, but rather like peers and friends."

"I am not a Chiyan native, nor am I the Crown Prince's subordinate." There was no need to hide this; since Bai Ziqi had brought Fan Sheng, he must have learned He Lingchuan's basic information from the deputy commander of the Alliance Guard.

This person was meticulous and held a high position with great power. He Lingchuan always felt that the way he looked at him was a bit strange, so he immediately raised his guard and dared not make any mistakes.

Bai Ziqi said, "I went to Fu Country in my early years. The rulers and ministers were mediocre, but the merchants were very capable. They could essentially get you anything you wanted."

He Lingchuan thought of the Stone Gate Merchant Association and the Gan family, who did exclusive business with Granny Zhu, and couldn't help but smile faintly: "In poor mountains and treacherous waters, there are no obedient subjects. We all believe in seeking wealth through danger."

"'No obedient subjects in poor mountains and treacherous waters; well said.' Bai Ziqi also smiled. 'Why did Crown Prince Yue appoint you to handle the courier case?'"

"I am a foreigner, so I have fewer entanglements and fewer concerns," He Lingchuan said calmly. "Otherwise, as soon as we encountered Zhongsun Mou, Chiyan's officials wouldn't have been able to continue the investigation."

"'Not being an obedient subject has its advantages,' Bai Ziqi said slowly. 'But how did Crown Prince Yue know that this case would have such widespread implications?'"

He Lingchuan shrugged: "You'd have to ask him. I'm new here and don't know much about Chiyan."

"'To find a stranger unfamiliar with the country's affairs to investigate a case... Crown Prince Yue's actions are truly surprising.' Bai Ziqi glanced at him. 'How did you and Crown Prince Yue meet?'"

He Lingchuan's background was a mystery; Fan Sheng didn't know it, and Fu Shanyue hadn't mentioned it in his memorial.

"A while ago, when the Imperial Flow Nectar descended, we were both in the wilderness and fought fiercely over a piece of nectar paste," He Lingchuan recounted concisely. "Not wanting to suffer mutual destruction, we became acquainted through our fight."

"'That sounds like something Crown Prince Yue would indeed do.' What Bai Ziqi focused on, of course, was the unspoken meaning behind 'became acquainted through our fight.'"

What kind of temperament and methods did Fu Shanyue possess? He even killed his own biological brother!

Even Bai Ziqi considered him cold-blooded and cruel.

Only if Fu Shanyue couldn't kill the young man before him, would he consider befriending him.

But being able to fight Fu Shanyue to a standstill was clearly a glorious feat, so why did this young man speak of it so lightly?

"'I have one more question.' Bai Ziqi thought for a moment and decided to be direct. 'Fan Sheng said that Cen Boqing invited the spellcaster Cheng Yu to ambush you, but he was defeated and suffered a backlash, spitting blood. I've heard of Cheng Yu; he truly has some skill. How did you defeat him?'"

He Lingchuan said calmly, "I do have some means of self-preservation. But I didn't have the ability to counterattack Cheng Yu; he was injured by a backlash from his own spell."

"What spell did he use?"

He Lingchuan spread his hands: "He's a spellcaster, so it must have been some kind of malevolent curse, right? Unfortunately, I'm not skilled in that art."

Without waiting for Bai Ziqi to ask further questions, He Lingchuan turned defense into offense:

"You just said, 'that sounds like something Crown Prince Yue would indeed do.' It seems you know the Crown Prince very well."

He Lingchuan had his own secrets and couldn't afford to be interrogated endlessly.

"'We've had a few dealings,' Bai Ziqi said with a smile. 'As a prince of Chiyan, he studied in Lingxu City for over ten years. As for me, I was selected into the Star-Picking Tower from a young age, and being roughly his age, we've had a few social interactions.'"

"Roughly his age..." He Lingchuan scratched his nose.

Right, that guy Fu Shanyue only looked young, but he was actually over forty, making him a contemporary of Bai Ziqi.

Monsters indeed possessed certain inherent advantages.

"'Although the Crown Prince's temperament is somewhat... straightforward,' He Lingchuan carefully chose his words, though both knew he meant 'brutal,' 'but for a ruler, this isn't a flaw. On the contrary, he is shrewd, vigilant, and adaptable. Why does the King of Chiyan dislike him?'"

The King of Chiyan had always favored Fu Shanji and had no intention of making his eldest son the Crown Prince.

He would probably find it difficult to get an answer from anyone else, except Bai Ziqi. Even Jiao Yu, the Tiger, who had traveled with him for a long time, would change the subject when this matter came up.

Avoiding taboo subjects was a basic tenet for all officials.

Bai Ziqi fell silent, a rare occurrence, as if deep in thought.

After a while, he finally said, "It won't hurt to tell you; many people in Lingxu City know about it."

Of course, the "many people" he referred to were likely all from the top echelons.

He slowly said, "When Crown Prince Yue was young, he devoured his own biological mother!"

He Lingchuan was startled.

But he didn't ask any questions, knowing there was certainly more to come.

As expected, Bai Ziqi turned his head to observe his expression and continued, "Crown Prince Yue and his brother were born of the same mother, a commoner woman. Later, the King of Chiyan sent guards to bring the mother and sons back to the palace, but some accidents occurred on the way—terrible accidents..."

He didn't elaborate further, only saying, "Crown Prince Yue devouring his mother was also out of necessity, but the King of Chiyan dearly loved this consort, and has harbored resentment ever since, disliking him upon sight."

He Lingchuan murmured, "Now he probably dislikes him even more."

Fu Shanyue had recently killed his own biological brother. When the old king saw his eldest son, would the hatred for killing his wife and son immediately surge into his mind?