Proclamations of innocence were heard from everyone! From what they said, they did not seem to be lying.
Jing Rong glanced at the kneeling craftsmen before stepping in front of the iron wall. He used his hands to physically explore the edges of the hidden passage. It looked like a drawer without its sides. The trigger mechanism was also a puzzle; how was it opened?
Jing Rong asked, “Who was the one that was initially in charge of this iron wall?”
“It was Master Xiao!”
“Is he here?”
“He has already passed away for quite some time. He died from an illness.”
“He’s dead?” Jing Rong was mildly depressed. Was he that unlucky?
As if it wasn’t enough that he had to encounter a mysterious incident during his investigation. Now, even the clue that he spent so much effort to unearth, the only person that was directly involved with the case, is also dead. How is he supposed to continue investigating?
Officer Lin had picked up on Jing Rong’s brooding mood and tentatively stepped up. “Your Highness, perhaps this hidden passage was installed after the wall was constructed.”
“That is not possible!” An instant rejection. “Since this is made from steel and iron, it is not easy to create a hidden passage once the construction has been finished. There’s only one possibility; that it was constructed alongside the wall itself.”
Eh! Officer Lin had nothing to say after his conjectures were shot down. He could only look at the kneeling craftsmen and slap his lap as he exclaimed, “All of you better tell the truth! What’s the matter with this hidden passage on the wall?”
“Lord Lin, we are in the dark about this too. Master Xiao was the one in-charge of this wall. Now that he’s deceased, even if you throw us into the county jail, we still can’t tell you anything.”
“This...” How troubling! Lin’s face paled as he opened and closed his mouth a few times before he stopped talking altogether.
Jing Rong, on the other hand, continued his investigation on that hidden passage, making sure to scrutinize the surrounding wall and floor one more time.
There were no buttons, no movable parts, no protrusions or depressions at all!
In conclusion, there was no clue as to how the hidden passage was made to open. Was it because he had bumped into something during the removal? Jing Rong was unfamiliar with the workings of such mechanisms. Even if he were to investigate, he wouldn’t be able to discover anything useful in a short duration.
Forget it then! Jing Rong’s gaze darkened as he asked, “What kind of person is Master Xiao?”
One of the kneeling craftsmen replied, “He’s a very experienced craftsman with talented hands.”
“Elaborate.”
“Master Xiao initially worked elsewhere as a carpenter. When he first arrived in Yufu, he heard that the relay station would be used to store the relief funds and so joined our team of craftsmen. The construction of that wall had always been under his supervision, so we don’t know… if it was him who installed that passage in the wall. Since he’s dead, there’s no way of knowing now.”
“Then, he’s not from Yufu?”
“He’s not!”
“When did he pass away?”
“He died a month after the warehouse’s construction was completed.”
“What about his relatives?”
“I believe he doesn’t have any, he was always alone.”
There was an answer to every question. These people were all scared to death, how would they even dare to lie in this situation? Every single one of them had their head lowered, not daring to face this stern-looking prince.
Jing Rong was unable to glean any useful information, after thinking to himself, he waved his hand and sent the craftsmen away.
Officer Lin carefully inquired, “Since the man is already dead, what do we do now, Your Highness?” Is there even anything left to investigate!?
“You may be dismissed.”
“Ah?”
“Dismissed.” Jing Rong’s tone was frigid.
Officer Lin gulped and paused before leaving with his men in tow.
Jing Rong glared at the iron wall with a serious expression.
Lang Po realized the reason why the prince had sent everyone away and asked. “Your Highness, do you have any instructions?”
“Use every means you can to find out who exactly is this Master Xiao. The sooner the better.”
“Understood!” Lang Po immediately set out to investigate.
Jing Rong did not leave the relay station. Instead, he bade someone to bring over a chair and sat right down in the courtyard, waiting for Lang Po’s investigation report.
This prince is really strange!
As Jing Rong continued to sit in the courtyard, everyone in the relay station were on tenterhooks. After all, the hidden passage that had just been discovered in the storehouse was most likely how the disaster relief funds had been stolen. Thus, everyone present in the relay station was a suspect.
If you saw someone as authoritative as Jing Rong sitting grandiosely in the courtyard like that, wouldn’t it make you tremble?
Of course, there were people who did not understand. Just why is he sitting out there in the courtyard?
“Don’t tell me that His Highness will not leave until the person responsible for constructing that passage is found?”
“Isn’t he just being unreasonable? Master Xiao’s already dead, who is he going to look for?”
“Then, why do you think Prince Rong is sitting there?”
“I don’t know. Maybe… he likes the spaciousness of our relay station?” Everyone who had gathered to watch were discussing furiously.
...
Officer Lin gave the order for a good meal to be prepared and the table set in the vestibule before running over to Jing Rong. “Your Highness, you’ve been sitting here for quite a while now and must be hungry. I have bidden the servants to prepare a meal for you. Would you care for a taste?”
Jing Rong gave him a brief glance. Not a word was said!
“Your Highness? You must be tired after sitting there for so long. If you are not going to eat, then let this official arrange a room for you to rest.”
“No need!”
“Then...”
“I already told you to be dismissed.”
“But...”
Jing Rong’s expression darkened, his patience wearing thin. “Officer Lin, this prince does not like to repeat himself. Since you have no idea how the disaster relief funds are stolen, this prince will be looking into this. You need not interfere with my investigation anymore.”
Officer Lin’s lips froze mid-smile as he swallowed everything he wanted to say back down. Before he left, he clicked his tongue in confusion. He just couldn’t understand, if that deity was going to investigate the case, why is he just sitting there and not properly looking into it?
Was he able to figure out the identity of the person who stole the disaster relief funds as well as find the hidden passage just by looking at the moon and stars? That prince is really weird!
Jing Rong ignored the incredulous glances of the masses and remained seated in the courtyard. As the sky darkened, he began drinking tea as he admired the round moon that was hanging in the pitch black sky.
After an unknown period of time had passed...
All of a sudden, faint sounds could be heard from the tiles on the surrounding rooftops. Judging from the sounds, there were more than ten people.
Jing Rong secretly smirked. They’re finally here! His fingertips tensed against the teacup that he was holding as his gaze became cold and sharp. In the next moment, the teacup was sent flying towards one of the rooftops.
In response, a sword was drawn from the darkness and cleaved the cup in two as it fell to the ground. It was smashed to smithereens with a loud bang.
In an instant, a dozen men in black jumped out from the rafters. Just like that night, their blades were aimed towards Jing Rong as they leapt at him. Killing intent could be clearly seen from the men’s eyes.
Jing Rong jumped to his feet and drew a sword from the back of the exquisitely carved pearwood chair before throwing it at the men. A strike from the assassins split the chair into two and clattered onto the floor. Jing Rong used his flexible sword to engage the assassins’ swords and forcibly parried his attackers back a few steps away. He then took the opportunity to entangle some swords with his own, whirling them about with his blade and returning them to the group in black.
Several of the assassins were killed on the spot!