Chapter 351: Search
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
As the night deepened, Xiao Jin was seriously injured and lying unconscious in the manor. The news of Su Ying being locked up in the prison inside the Capital Governor’s Office spread in the quiet night.
In the darkness, Xiao Jue’s face revealed a look of eagerness that had been suppressed for a long time. He looked at the man kneeling in the darkness and said through gritted teeth, “Proceed. Tonight… tonight, I’ll have them consigned to eternal damnation!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
A group of soldiers broke the silence of the night as they rushed forward. Before long, Prince Qi’s Manor was surrounded by soldiers.
The guards of Prince Qi’s Manor came forward to check on the situation. “What are you guys doing?”
The soldier gave a sneer, “Someone discovered that Prince Qi was hiding the river pirate. We have a warrant to search the premises.”
The guard frowned. How could he give in to their demand based on a non-existent matter? “Impossible. How could the river pirate be in Prince Qi’s Manor?”
The soldier ignored the guard’s response. “Do you expect us to believe there’s no one just because you say so? Of course, we will only know after searching. Whoever dares to stop us will be arrested and executed on the spot!”
“You are threatening the people of Prince Qi’s Manor with execution on the spot? How dare you!”
One of the guards took advantage of the duration when those two were talking to quickly go in and report. However, Xiao Jin was still unconscious and Su Ying was not in the manor. There was no one here who could make the decision!
The faces of Jiang Yang and the rest clouded over. “Wang Su, you and Zhao Neng stay in the courtyard with a group of people to protect His Highness, the Young Prince and Young Princess. 1’11 go out and deal with them.”
“Alright.”
Jiang Yang gathered the guards of Prince Qi’s Manor and quickly went to the front courtyard to stop the soldiers.
“What are you doing? This is Prince Qi’s Manor. How can you act so outrageously here?”
The soldier took out a search warrant from the Capital Governor’s Office. “This is a search warrant with an official stamp. If you disobey the order, we have the right to arrest all of you!”
Jiang Yang looked at the search warrant and frowned deeply. This was indeed a search warrant from the Capital Governor’s Office. It was affixed with an official stamp and it gave the soldiers the right to search. If Jiang Yang stopped them, his action would only put Prince Qi’s Manor in a dilemma.
However, this also made him recall that it was these people who had found evidence of His Highness’s rebellion in his study. Jiang Yang was unwilling to bet on whether the same slip-up would be repeated in Prince Qi’s Manor!
After a moment of silence, Jiang Yang said, “Alright. But just in case, our people have to follow you.”
The soldier sneered indifferently and ordered his men to search the premises right away.
These soldiers were like locusts passing through the area. Wherever they went, they destroyed everything.
Jiang Yang saw their actions and clenched his fists in anger. However, this was the capital. If he killed these people, it would only bring more trouble to Prince Qi’s Manor.
When the leading soldier entered Xiao Jin’s study, Jiang Yang quickly followed him inside.
After entering, those soldiers turned the study room upside down, as if they would only be satisfied if they found something inside.
However, they did not find anything.
The leading soldier’s expression was a little unpleasant. At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out from outside the study.
“Leader, we found signs of a tree that had been loosened in the back courtyard of Prince Qi’s sleeping quarters. It’s very likely that there’s something buried under it.”
Jiang Yang’s expression sank slightly. Not everyone could go to Xiao Jin’s sleeping quarters. Who could have tampered with the tree?
He quickly followed the soldiers out.
When Jiang Yang rushed to the courtyard of Xiao Jin’s sleeping quarters, Zhao Neng and the others were blocking the soldiers from entering Xiao Jin’s room.
Just as the two sides were about to start fighting, Zhang Shuming suddenly ran over with an ominous expression and said that the First Prince, Xiao Jue, had arrived.
Everyone turned around and saw Xiao Jue stepping into the courtyard in an imposing manner.
“The Emperor issued an order. Prince Qi Xiao Jin is hiding the river pirate and has specially ordered me to assist the officials in searching the manor. Those who violate the order will be killed without mercy!”
Xiao Jue raised the Imperial edict in his hand. If Jiang Yang and the others tried to stop him, they would be defying the Imperial edict.
Everyone in Prince Qi’s Manor clenched their fists in anger. It was as if they had returned to the darkest day before they were exiled!
“Where’s Xiao Jin? Get him to show himself at once.”
“His Highness is not feeling well, so it is not convenient for him to come out to meet Your Highness,” someone replied to the First Prince.
Xiao Jue gave a sneer, “Xiao Jin must be so scared that he doesn’t dare to come out. Continue searching. We must not overlook any corner.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As soon as Xiao Jue issued his order, the soldiers became even more arrogant. Except for Xiao Jin’s bedroom which Jiang Yang forbade them from entering, the soldiers spared no effort in turning the rest of the place upside down.
Xiao Jue walked to the door of Xiao Jin’s room and looked at the furious Jiang Yang and the others.
“Jiang Yang, oh Jiang Yang. I’ve always thought highly of you. It’s a pity that you chose the wrong master. Even if you were a dog, you could only be one which was bullied.”
Jiang Yang’s eyes were bloodshot as he clenched his two fists. At this moment, the soldier in the back courtyard suddenly ran over. “Your Highness, there’s something strange buried under a big tree in the back courtyard. Please go and take a look.”
Xiao Jue couldn’t suppress the smile on his face. “Xiao Jin had planned to rebel in the past, but His Majesty was magnanimous enough to let him go. Could it be that his disloyal thoughts haven’t been extinguished yet?”
As Xiao Jue slandered Xiao Jin, he was already hurrying toward the back courtyard without stopping.
The expressions on the faces of Jiang Yang and the rest changed drastically as they followed Xiao Jue.
They couldn’t forget how His Highness Prince Qi was wronged back then!
The soldier dug out a box from under the tree with a shovel. There was a lock on the box, and it was obvious that it contained something very important.
Xiao Jue looked at the box, his eyes filled with glee.
“Break it open.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The soldier raised his saber and chopped off the lock on the box.
Everyone looked at the box, wondering what was inside.
Xiao Jue walked up and opened the box personally as if he had already planned this out.
“Xiao Jin, since 1 can have you consigned to eternal damnation once, I can do it a second time!” he thought.
“However, this time, no matter what happens, I must tear you to pieces first!”
Xiao Jue opened the box abruptly, and the dim light from the torch lit up the things inside.
He stared at the things in the box and his two fists were clenched so tightly that they were trembling.
Xiao Jue couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He picked up the things in the box. There was a baby undergarment embroidered with dolls and some other tiny undergarments. They were obviously clothes worn by children.
At this moment, a tiny skinny figure suddenly jumped out and snatched the clothes from Xiao Jue’s hands. His tender face looked particularly angry under the light of the torches.
“What are you doing? Shameless! Don’t take my younger sister’s and my baby undergarments!”
The veins on Xiao Jue’s forehead bulged violently. How could this be? How could this box be filled with children’s stuff?
“Impossible! This is impossible! Impossible! There must be something else that we haven’t found yet. Continue searching!”
“What is it that hasn’t been found that can make the First Prince so angry?”
Xiao Jue suddenly turned around and saw Xiao Jin standing under the corridor. He was only wearing a loose-fitting robe, and his face was hidden in a dark corner toward the back so that it could not be seen clearly, but the sight made Xiao Jue feel a chill down his spine..