Chapter 814: Sun Hongye's Discovery

A shrewd person would choose the latter. Even though He Lingchuan had become a special envoy for Rongshan, he ultimately lacked a local power base in Yuancheng. He Chunhua, on the other hand, was currently the most influential figure in the capital. It was clear which master offered a more promising future.

Human hearts are fickle, and He Lingchuan genuinely didn't blame him for seeking his own future. But... He Lingchuan stared at him, his voice suddenly hardening: "But I want to ask you, did you kill Sun Hongye?"

Shan Youjun was startled, shaking his head vigorously. "No, no, I didn't do such a thing!"

He Lingchuan carefully observed his expression. "Explain the whole story," he said, "and I might spare your life." He didn't need to add "otherwise," as Qiu Hu stood just behind Shan Youjun, emanating a palpable, tiger-like killing intent.

The hairs on Shan Youjun's back stood on end. He clenched his right fist, desperately suppressing the urge to draw his saber, an instinctive impulse triggered by fear. *Where did the young master find such a murderous monster?* he wondered.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" he stammered, swallowing hard. "Sun Hongye and I had a decent relationship; I even borrowed money from him once, but I paid it back quickly. About a month ago, Master He suddenly asked me to monitor Sun Hongye's movements, saying his behavior was unusual and that I should report back promptly."

"I couldn't defy orders, so I had to comply. In the following days, I indeed noticed that Sun Hongye seemed to be probing for something. I tried to subtly question him, but he wouldn't say anything at all."

Shan Youjun paused. "And then?" He Lingchuan could tell there was more to the story.

"Later, I followed him to an inn in Yuancheng," Shan Youjun continued. "I saw him meet with Madam Zhu and hand her a book." He swallowed. "I reported this to Master He, and he told me to retrieve the book."

"The title of the book?"

"Commentary on Jade Flower Anthology."

He Lingchuan suddenly realized, "So you were the thief who snuck into Zhu Xiuer's house to steal the book?" Shan Youjun looked embarrassed. "And then?"

"Master He and I both went through the book and found nothing unusual," Shan Youjun explained. "Master He originally kept it in his study, but then, young master, you suddenly returned, so he gave the book to me and told me to hide it well."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Lingchuan held out his hand. "The book? Give it to me!"

Two breaths later, the slightly worn *Commentary on Jade Flower Anthology* was in He Lingchuan's hand. So Shan Youjun had taken this book; no wonder He Lingchuan couldn't extract any information when he tried to verify Butler Wu's dream.

"And then?" He Lingchuan asked, flipping through the book. "What did you do with Sun Hongye?"

"I didn't do anything!" Shan Youjun nearly swore to heaven. "Sun Hongye resigned from Master He's service and left, so Master He told me to see him off."

He Lingchuan frowned. "See him off?"

"It was just a simple farewell; I didn't kill anyone!" Shan Youjun coughed. "I saw him out of Yuancheng's East Gate, but I wasn't at ease, so I secretly followed him for two more days. I found that he indeed kept heading east without looking back, just staying in inns, eating, and traveling, and never engaging in idle chatter with others."

"Then I came back... and as soon as I entered the manor, I saw you, young master."

He Lingchuan gave a half-smile. "Not at ease? Was tracking him secretly your idea, or my father's?"

"I... it was my own initiative," Shan Youjun whispered. "People come and go in the manor; Master He doesn't care at all."

He Lingchuan understood that his father must have considered silencing Sun Hongye. A few months ago, if Sun Hongye had been so secretive under him, He Chunhua would probably have eliminated him without hesitation, as his greatest taboo was for others to discover his private offerings to the gods. The He family had suffered greatly because of this very secret. However, circumstances had changed. Now, He Chunhua was a powerful figure in Yuancheng, a distinguished rising star. Would the King of Yuan dare to punish him for making offerings to the gods? Even if the King knew, he would probably pretend not to. What was once a grave, mountain-like crime would now be no big deal if exposed; it would be like a paper hat on his head that could be blown off with a strong breath. He Chunhua had his leverage and was too lazy to care what Sun Hongye was doing, so he simply let him go.

"You can go," He Lingchuan said, waving to Shan Youjun. "Work hard for my father from now on."

Shan Youjun swallowed a bitter taste, knowing that with these words, the bond between master and servant was broken. He had deserted He Lingchuan first, so for the latter not to punish him was already an act of great magnanimity. He knelt down and said to He Lingchuan, "This humble one is ashamed before the young master. I wish you boundless prospects and a soaring future!"

He Lingchuan didn't look at him, instead picking up the *Commentary on Jade Flower Anthology* and opening it. Shan Youjun turned and left. As he passed Qiu Hu, he glanced at him again and saw the man staring at him with undisguised contempt in his eyes.

He walked outside the garden archway and looked back one more time, suddenly feeling a tinge of regret. Logically, following He Chunhua was the most rational and intelligent choice. But somehow, at that moment, he felt a twinge of regret, as if he had missed an important opportunity.

After Shan Youjun dejectedly withdrew, He Lingchuan took a note from his pocket—the one Sun Hongye had asked He Yue to pass to his elder brother before leaving. What followed was easy. He Lingchuan had already used this method once while investigating the elixir of immortality case: he used the numbers on the note to find specific pages and lines in the *Commentary on Jade Flower Anthology*. Quickly, Sun Hongye's riddle was solved:

"The young master's birth mother is buried behind White Pagoda Temple." These words stunned He Lingchuan into silence for a long time.

"Ah, what?" the Soul-Seizing Mirror exclaimed in surprise. "So Madam Ying isn't your birth mother? Oh dear, that's really... that's..." It had intended to say "interesting," but thought better of it, remembering it might get smacked. "Following you is certainly never boring," it concluded. "Every few days, there's something new, either thrilling or utterly bizarre. My previous owners never had such a colorful life."

He Lingchuan couldn't be bothered to respond to it. He had thought the secret Sun Hongye had quietly uncovered was He Chunhua's private offerings to the gods. But it turned out to be...

He propped his chin on his hand, falling into deep thought. As soon as he had arrived in this world, he had sensed that the He family's atmosphere was strange. He Chunhua's attitude toward his eldest son was twisted, and Madam Ying was notably cold toward He Lingchuan. The original owner was only sixteen when he fell off the cliff and had believed his mother simply disliked his dissolute ways. But as an outsider, He Lingchuan immediately saw that something was amiss. The way Madam Ying looked at her second son, He Yue, was with the genuine affection a mother should have; when she looked at He Lingchuan, it was pure aversion. It wasn't anger at his lack of ambition, but simply that she found him utterly displeasing. It wasn't until He Lingchuan gradually proved himself and sacrificed himself to cover their retreat by Xianling Lake that his relationship with Madam Ying greatly improved. Her gaze finally held some warmth when she looked at him. He had occasionally wondered privately, *Could the original owner not be her biological child?* His words had come true.

He recognized the place name "White Pagoda Temple." It was a temple located west of Blackwater City, dedicated to the western mountains and wetlands, and it had quite a lot of worshippers. He was going to Blackwater City anyway; should he make a detour to check it out?