Chapter 1023: Mysterious Box

"Cough, cough," Sang Hong cleared his throat. "Let's not make a spectacle of ourselves here. Let's go to my room to discuss."

He then led them back to his room, arranging for guards to stand a good distance away outside to prevent eavesdropping.

"Ah Zu, did you find anything?" Sang Hong sat at the head of the table, gesturing for them to pour their own tea and dispense with formalities.

"I've found out who reported the news to the capital," Zu An began, but Sang Hong stopped him.

He looked at Gao Ying and Pei You and said, "On this mission, we are acting under imperial decree, and you should all understand the implications. I know that your aristocratic families are intricately connected, and some of you even have relatives here in Yunzhong Commandery..."

Pei You's expression shifted slightly, clearly realizing Sang Hong was referring to his relationship with Pei Shao.

Sang Hong continued, "Nevertheless, I ask you all to clearly understand the gravity of the situation. Yunzhong Commandery is far more dangerous than you imagine. One misstep, and we could all meet a terrible end. Therefore, absolutely nothing we discuss here can be leaked."

Pei You abruptly stood up. "If Lord Sang doesn't trust me, then I won't stay to listen."

He started to walk away, but Gao Ying quickly stopped him, both persuading him and apologizing to Sang Hong. "Lord Sang, please rest assured. We are not so foolish as to be unaware of the gravity of the situation. Even if our relatives here in Yunzhong Commandery were close, let alone distant, we would never leak any information, especially now."

After being persuaded, Pei You cupped his hands and added, "To inform Lord Sang, although the Prefect of Yunzhong Commandery and I both share the surname Pei, Pei Shao belongs to the Linhaigong lineage, while I am from the Julugong lineage. It's well-known in court circles that our two factions have conflicting political views. While not outright mortal enemies, our relationship can be described as like fire and water. Why would I sacrifice my own interests to tip off Pei Shao?"

Sang Hong nodded subtly. Pei Zheng, the Duke of Linhai, held the position of Grand Tutor and was a key figure in Prince Qi's faction. Pei Ming, the Duke of Julu, served as Minister of the Board of Civil Office. Although he was at odds with Bi Qi, the Crown Princess's father, his son Pei Yi (who is Pei You's father) had an excellent relationship with the Bi family. Otherwise, Pei You would not have been chosen as one of the Crown Prince's guards when they entered the secret realm to complete the Crown Prince's imperial examination.

He then smiled. "Given my position, I must guard against potential issues. I didn't mean to specifically target any of you, my esteemed nephews. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Hearing this, Gao Ying and Pei You found an amicable way to resolve the tension. They cupped their hands and replied, "Of course, of course."

Only then did Sang Hong turn to Zu An. "Ah Zu, tell us what you've uncovered."

Zu An nodded. "I've discovered that the person who sent the message was likely Shen Zhou, the Duke of Yunzhong's personal bodyguard..."

He then briefly outlined his findings to the others, naturally omitting any mention of Pei Mianman.

Sang Hong's eyes lit up. "Excellent. Identifying him provides a breakthrough, and the next steps will be much easier."

"Did you two have any findings?" Zu An asked curiously.

"Yes!" Gao Ying said in a deep voice. "We investigated the secluded chamber where the Duke of Yunzhong disappeared and discovered a hidden secret passage."

Zu An raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Yunzhong Commandery's previous investigation report state it was merely a secret room?"

"It's possible they wanted to conceal something, or perhaps they simply didn't find it," Gao Ying explained. "The mechanism for that secret passage is extremely well-hidden. If I hadn't previously studied mechanical devices, I might not have discovered it."

A hint of satisfaction appeared on his face as he spoke.

"So, is it possible someone snuck in through the secret passage to assassinate the Duke of Yunzhong?" Zu An asked, a sudden thought of his own secret meetings with Bi Linglong via a hidden passage causing his face to flush.

"Impossible," Gao Ying shook his head. "This secret passage can only be opened from inside the room; no one can enter from the outside."

Zu An mused that Bi Linglong's secret passage was similar. "Where does the other end of the passage lead?"

"To the Biyu Pavilion, several li away," Gao Ying replied.

"Biyu Pavilion?" Zu An was momentarily taken aback. The name sounded a bit... unseemly.

At this point, Pei You began to explain enthusiastically, "I've already inquired. Biyu Pavilion is the largest and most luxurious brothel in Yunzhong Commandery. Every woman there has ample bosoms, slender waists, and long legs..."

"Cough, cough, let's stick to the main topic. There's no need to elaborate on irrelevant details," Sang Hong interjected.

Zu An suppressed a smile. "Why would the Duke of Yunzhong's escape route lead to a brothel? Does he have a favorite courtesan there?"

He was reminded of Duan Zhengchun, who supposedly had tunnels dug to chambers like Gan Baobao's for secret night assignations. Did the Duke of Yunzhong also have such a paramour?

"Unlikely," Gao Ying shook his head. "Lady Yu was once renowned as the most beautiful woman in the world. All the women in Biyu Pavilion combined wouldn't compare to her. With such unparalleled beauty at home, why would he be interested in common women?"

"Not necessarily," Zu An thought. "Even the finest delicacies can become tiresome; one might desire a change of taste." He mused that since Yu Yanluo and the Duke of Yunzhong had been separated for a long time, it was debatable if the Duke had even enjoyed those "delicacies" at all.

The others immediately exchanged strange glances. His own wife was also a renowned beauty. Was he speaking from personal experience?

At this point, Gao Ying added, "We specifically investigated, and that exit is not in any courtesan's courtyard. Instead, it's in a desolate back courtyard that even the Biyu Pavilion staff rarely visit. Therefore, the Duke of Yunzhong likely just used a high-traffic place like Biyu Pavilion to conceal his tracks, making it convenient to escape safely in case of trouble, rather than having an affair with a courtesan there."

"A good analysis," Sang Hong said, his eyes showing approval. "Nevertheless, send a few people to discreetly investigate Biyu Pavilion, being careful not to tip anyone off."

"Yes!" Pei You's eyes lit up, and he eagerly volunteered. He was naturally the first to take on such a task.

Visiting a brothel on the public dime – the thought alone was exhilarating.

Sang Hong's expression was peculiar. He thought that Ah Zu was more reliable; although Zu An had many female companions, at least they were drawn to him by his own charm, not found in sordid places like brothels.

"Cough, cough, I also have some findings," he continued. "Over the past few days, I've made extensive inquiries among the Duke's mansion servants and maids, as well as officials in Yunzhong Commandery. There are two noteworthy pieces of information."

"First, the head steward of the Duke's mansion is known as Uncle Ming. He is said to be highly trusted by the Duke of Yunzhong. Most of the Duke's mansion's internal and external affairs are handled by him and the head guard, Gong Pan. His status is even higher than Gong Pan's."

"However, after the Duke of Yunzhong's disappearance, he didn't go to Yu Yanluo's residence like Gong Pan did. Instead, he remained at the Duke's mansion, continuing to manage various affairs. Since Jian Taiding is now serving as interim governor, the Duke's mansion is virtually under Jian Taiding's control."

Zu An frowned. "It seems Uncle Ming defected to Jian Taiding a long time ago, otherwise he wouldn't continue working under him so smoothly."

Sang Hong hummed in agreement. "Whether it was pre-arranged collusion or an opportunistic defection later on, it needs further verification. We represent the court, after all, and cannot simply convict someone based on speculation."

"Lord Sang is right," the others replied, their expressions turning solemn.

Only then did Sang Hong continue. "The second piece of information I learned from visiting the Yunzhong Commandery Prefect's mansion is that there are rumors Jian Taiding harbors a special affection for his sister-in-law."

Pei You chuckled. "With a sister-in-law who's the most beautiful woman in the world, it would be strange if he didn't have any ideas."

He also regretted that he hadn't seen the legendary beauty when he visited Lady Yu's mansion earlier.

Zu An, however, was more concerned with another matter. "Did the Prefect tell my uncle this?"

Sang Hong sneered. "That old fox wouldn't come out directly. Of course, it was revealed through casual conversation by other officials in the mansion, but it's clearly Zuo Su's intention."

Next, they all summarized the various intelligence details gathered during this period. Finally, Sang Hong assigned tasks: "Gao Ying, investigate Shen Zhou's relationships before his death, and see if there are any suspicious connections. Pei You, you investigate Biyu Pavilion, being careful not to reveal your identity. Ah Zu, you go to Lady Yu's mansion to investigate Shen Zhou's belongings; only you can enter there now."

"Understood!" they all replied, accepting their assignments.

Zu An yawned as he departed. Sang Hong earnestly reminded him, "While you are at your most energetic and vigorous when young, you must still take care of your health."

Zu An immediately broke into a cold sweat. "I stayed up too late investigating the case yesterday and didn't get much rest."

To some extent, Sang Hong was his father-in-law, so he certainly couldn't let him know about these matters.

"Heh," Sang Hong chuckled, clearly not believing his excuse, but said nothing further.

To prove his vitality, Zu An did not return to his room to rest but went directly to carry out his task.

Before leaving, he first stopped by Xiao Jianren's room. "Lord Xiao, have the items I asked you to prepare last time been made?"

Xiao Jianren cupped his hands. "Lord Zu provided such detailed instructions that if we couldn't produce it, it would surely tarnish the reputation of the Embroidered Uniform Messengers."

With that, he handed over a box. "This box has a magic array on the outside that isolates air. Lord Zu, please be careful when using it."

Zu An took it and examined it, finally letting out a sigh of relief. "It's well done."

Xiao Jianren remarked, "Lord Zu is truly remarkable to devise such a clever object. But what exactly is this thing for?"

"It will be of great use later," Zu An chuckled, putting away the box and heading towards Lady Yu's mansion.