There was nothing strange in the entire room! The large cabinets standing next to the wall were placed there to store goods. Amongst the cabinets, only one of them had a single candlestick placed there. A fallen candlestick!
Jing Rong walked over and muttered a single line. “It’s a candlestick again!”
He was just about to reach out and grab it when his hand froze in midair. Jing Rong’s line of sight fell upon the visible fingerprints that were on the candlestick as well as...
At that moment, his brows involuntarily furrowed!
Officer Lin, who just entered through the door didn’t dare to interrupt and chose to stand at one side, watching and waiting silently.
Jing Rong scrutinized Officer Lin with a sidelong glance and his gaze fell on Lin’s hands and sleeves. His clothes were supposed to be clean and spotless. Yet, a corner of his sleeve had been soiled by dust. It was clearly soiled not too long ago. Jing Rong’s eyes narrowed, as he seemed to have understood something! “Officer Lin.”
“I’m here.”
“Has this storehouse been left empty for a long period of time?”
“That’s right, the roof had been fixed numerous times due to water leaks from the rain. In the end, we couldn’t be bothered with repairing it anymore and the room was left empty just like that and we do not use it to store any logistics anymore.”
Jing Rong let out an understanding sigh. “No wonder there is so much dust on this cabinet.”
Next, he righted the candlestick that had toppled over. The moment he did so, the exposed passageway slowly closed up once more. Just like the doors of a subway train!
Only there was no noise generated. It turns out, the switch was not within the metal wall of the storehouse, but the candlestick that was located in the room next to it.
Officer Lin was dumbfounded. He stared at it with his mouth open in shock. “Wh...what’s this about?”
Jing Rong’s face was expressionless, it was unknown if his present mood was that of worry or astonishment.
In response, he moved the candlestick’s position back to when he had found it. When the round protrusion on the candlestick rested against the wooden boards, a circular depression unexpectedly appeared in that spot. Just like a button.
In response, the passageway reopened once more!
“This is the key to opening the hidden passageway.” That was his verdict!
Lang Po saw that and quickly realized. “It looks like the candlestick just happened to fall over onto the switch due to the vibrations that occurred during the demolishing of the storehouse. I finally realized why I was unable to find the passageway when I first went into the building, it was because that old man had taken away the candlestick that was used to trigger the mechanism.”
Only Jing Rong himself knew that someone had intentionally caused the candlestick to fall over, not because of vibrations.
“Lang Po.”
“I am here.”
Jing Rong tossed the candlestick over to Lang Po. “I hereby order you to infiltrate the Si Residence and use this candlestick to open the hidden mechanisms inside.”
“Understood.”
Lang Po received the candlestick from Jing Rong and immediately left in high spirits.
Officer Lin, who was still standing there in a daze, came up and asked. “Your Highness, is this case related to the Si Family? Could the relief funds already be...”
He had yet to finish his sentence, when Jing Rong had left the house just like that! Officer Lin was stunned but had no choice but to follow after him.
The courtyard was littered with corpses and blood. A lot of deaths had indeed occurred in such a short period of time!
Jing Rong tilted his head to look at Lin with a cold gaze and instructed. “Tidy up this place. Make sure tonight’s events are not leaked out.”
“Yes!” An immediate reply.
Jing Rong, on the other hand, led his men away. He had just departed from the relay station, when he called out for Shi Ziran. That guy appeared out of nowhere and stood obediently by Jing Rong’s side. “Your Highness?”
“Have you completed the task that I had instructed you to do.”
“It was just as Your Highness had predicted, the relief funds were already taken away.”
“Hm, let’s...stick to the plan.”
“Yes!”
...
At Anchang Court.
It was getting late. Ji Yunshu sat in the courtyard awaiting Jing Rong’s return. Qiao’er came over and inquired. “Teacher, it's already so late. Why don’t you turn in and rest?”
She shook her head.
“Then, do you want to wait inside the house?”
She shook her head.
At that moment, Shi Zijin came over and reported. “Teacher, His Highness has returned.”
Ji Yunshu bounced to her feet and went over.
Jing Rong was seated in the hall with a stern face. Mo Ruo and Tang Si were present too. Even Zuo Yao was present; however, he stood there with a bowed posture. After all, he was still guilty of a crime.
“Well?” Ji Yunshu asked.
In response, Jing Rong began to tell her everything that had happened at the relay station.
“Zhao Huai?” Ji Yunshu was confused. “How could it be him?” He was related to the Si Family?
“The matter of the hidden passageway and the case of the missing relief funds are both related to the Si Family. Zhao Huai’s attempt to destroy the passageway was clear that he knew what the Si Family had been up to. He could even be one of them.” Jing Rong summarized.
Ji Yunshu’s pretty eyes closed slightly as she seemed to have realized something. Something...that had troubled her for a long time. She softly muttered to herself, “Gaoshan Gang? Secret mechanisms? Si Family? Assassins? The Imperial Duke?” Her voice was extremely soft, to the point where it was barely audible to the people next to her.
Mo Ruo rested his back against a pillar in the hall as he calmly listened to the recounting of the events. “This Zhao Huai, when I first asked him, said that he came to Yufu to look for an old acquaintance. But I never knew that his acquaintance would be someone from the Si Family. Now, things are getting interesting.” His tone was so leisurely!
Zuo Yao, who was next to him hurriedly added. “Your Highness, since we already know who has swapped out the relief funds, let me bring some men to the Si Residence and catch them.” I volunteer to do that!
Jing Rong gave him a glance, “Magistrate Zuo need not be hasty, I’ll be in need of your assistance soon.”
“What is Your Highness trying to say?”
“This prince has already sent Lang Po ahead to the Si Residence. As long as we can confirm that there are hidden passageways, it’s fine to arrest them there.”
Oh! Zuo Yao nodded. “Yes, Your Highness is thorough indeed.”
Jing Rong gazed mildly into the distance as though waiting for something.
The next day, Lang Po still did not return. However, in his place, a male visitor had arrived.
“Your Highness, someone is here to meet you.” A guard reported.
The corner of Jing Rong’s mouth raised slightly as he made a sound in affirmation.
The visitor did not seem to be a mere servant from an ordinary household, from his clothes, he seemed more like a trained soldier. “Prince Rong, the master of my house requests for your presence”
“Young Master Wen?”
“Yes.”
What’s supposed to come has finally arrived. Jing Rong stood up with a sweep of his robe and whispered to Mo Ruo in a low volume as he walked past. “Promise me that you will look after Teacher Ji.”
“Rest assured.”
Jing Rong gave Ji Yunshu a glance and smiled. “I’ll be back soon. It’s time for the case about the missing relief funds to come to a close.”
Ji Yunshu on the other hand, shook her head in denial. “Aren’t you jumping straight into a trap if you go?”
“Jumping straight into a trap? You’re underestimating this prince!”
“But...”
“Lang Po is my subordinate. Even if he needs to be saved, I must be the one to do it.” How resolute!
The hand that Ji Yunshu used to grab onto Jing Rong’s arm slowly loosened its hold as she realized that she was unable to stop him. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed upon Jing Rong’s receding figure. Her heart felt as if a vice had tightened around it.