Cheng Yao found some of his account books and land deeds on the bookshelf. She took out a sheet of paper from her space and jotted down the key information before leaving.
Zhan Haoting continued discussing matters with his advisers in the study until late into the night. No one disturbed her, and Cheng Yao slept extremely well.
After breakfast, she put on her veil and went out.
The streets were packed with people, many of whom had gathered together to discuss what had happened at the Second Prince’s residence.
“I heard all one hundred and twenty people were killed. They didn’t even spare the dogs. The entire estate was practically swimming in blood.”
“That’s not right. A mysterious person opened the gates, and many people escaped. They ran through the streets shouting that the Second Prince was going to kill them.”
“Only a few servants managed to get out, but the officials caught them and took them into the palace to testify against the Second Prince. With officials from the Court of Judicial Review, the Capital Prefecture, and the Ministry of Justice protecting them, their lives should be safe.”
“You’re being too optimistic. They’re nothing but lowly servants, as insignificant as ants. No one would care how many of them died. It’s only because the matter was too serious to suppress that they’re putting on a show. If you don’t believe me, ask around again later and see whether those people are still alive.”
“…”
Cheng Yao clenched her fists.
According to the plot of the book, all those people would eventually die.
The situation at present was unfolding the same way. If she interfered recklessly, the world constructed within the book might collapse, and everyone in it might be reduced to nothing.
But these were more than a hundred innocent, living people. Could she really stand by and watch them die?
And if even her appearance could not change their fate, then what was the meaning of her having come here? Was she destined to experience the original heroine’s tragic fate all over again?
No. She refused to believe that!
Since she had come here, she was going to stir things up. If she did not turn this place upside down, she would be letting this journey through time go to waste. At worst, she would simply die!
Cheng Yao gritted her teeth as her mind raced, her mind raced. A moment later, her eyes lit up, and she laughed aloud.
Although Murong Chen, the Second Prince in the book, had wanted to rebel, he had already prepared the imperial robes and weapons he would need. In the end, however, he had lacked the courage to take that final step and had ultimately become a traitor to his country.
By now, he should already have made contact with a foreign vassal state.
If she found the evidence and plastered it all over the streets, then everyone in the country would learn the truth. Murong Chen would surely be nailed to the pillar of shame!
Murong Chen coveted the imperial throne. The bastard emperor could turn a blind eye to that—after all, it was his own empire, and it would not matter which of his sons inherited it. But if Murong Chen betrayed the country, the bastard emperor would never tolerate it!
As long as the bastard emperor refused to protect Murong Chen, the Second Prince would have no path left but death. Once that happened, killing the servants in his residence would serve no purpose, and they would surely be released!
She had not yet sorted through everything she had seized from Murong Chen’s residence. There had to be evidence of his crimes among it!
Feeling much more confident, Cheng Yao found a nearby inn and sat down. She ordered a private room and several dishes, then sank her consciousness into her space and began searching carefully.
By the time all the dishes had been served, she had found some clues among the documents.
Murong Chen was quite cautious. He burned every letter exchanged with the foreign vassal state, and he had hidden the intermediaries so thoroughly that no one would ever find them without deliberately searching.
Fortunately, he had used an intermediary. Whenever they met, the intermediary would present a special token—a bizarre jade pendant carved in the shape of a human head with a serpent’s body. It was the totem of the Liuxu Kingdom.
Cheng Yao pulled out the jade pendant. She no longer had any appetite, so she stored all the food in her space, changed into black night clothes, covered her face, and disguised herself. After leaving a few broken pieces of silver on the table, she left.
Ten li outside the city lay Great King Slope, a peaceful and tranquil village.
At the northernmost end of the village lived a newly arrived family. The head of the household was a burly man nearing fifty named Geng Qiusheng. He possessed extraordinary strength and made his living as a hunter, leaving early each morning and returning late at night.
His wife was thin and sallow-faced. People said she was ill and rarely went outside. The villagers seldom saw the couple, though from time to time they would spot people bringing gifts to visit them.
At first, everyone had been curious about the couple. But the two kept such a low profile, never going out or chatting with others, simply shutting their door and living their own quiet lives. As time passed, the villagers grew used to them and stopped paying much attention.
No one knew that the couple were spies from the Liuxu Kingdom, or that their home was the headquarters of their entire organization. Nor did anyone know that there were five people living inside that house, not two. And no one could have predicted that three months later, the couple would slaughter the entire village, leaving neither man nor beast alive.
Cheng Yao would show no mercy to scum like them.
However, they were highly skilled martial artists with lightning-fast reactions. It was only by relying on the mysterious comings and goings granted by her space that Cheng Yao managed, by the narrowest of margins, to subdue four of them, knock them unconscious, and bind them together.
Geng Qiusheng was actually a Han Chinese. He had simply fallen in love with a spy from the Liuxu Kingdom and willingly become her lapdog, hunting outside to provide for the entire group.
Cheng Yao hid in the shadows, waiting until the night had completely fallen. She intended to launch a surprise attack with lightning speed, but her opponent was an experienced hunter with exceptionally keen senses. The instant she brought her saber down, he swiftly dodged it. His fist, as large as a cooking pot, smashed toward her chest.
If that punch landed, it would crush her heart into eight hundred pieces! Cheng Yao broke into a cold sweat. With a thought, she vanished from the spot.
Geng Qiusheng’s pupils contracted sharply. He looked around in panic and instinctively ran toward the house.
Once a person’s mind was thrown into disarray, their reflexes suffered greatly.
Cheng Yao appeared behind him and struck him viciously with her saber. He staggered as though he were about to fall, but with sheer ferocity, he forced himself upright and attacked Cheng Yao again.
She barely managed to dodge and fell awkwardly into her space. This man’s martial arts were not as refined as those of the people inside the house, but he was exceptionally ruthless toward himself and possessed tremendous strength. In the end, Cheng Yao had to exhaust every ounce of her strength before she finally cut him down.
She then broke their hands and feet, dislocated their jaws, and injected all of them with anesthetic. Finally, she hired an ox cart from the village and had them transported into the city.
The next day, the sun shone brightly, yet a pall hung over the capital.
Evidence that the Second Prince, Murong Chen, had colluded with a foreign vassal state had been plastered all over the streets. The intermediary who had helped Murong Chen make contact with the foreigners had also confessed and admitted his crimes.
With both witnesses and physical evidence before them, the spies from the Liuxu Kingdom had no way to argue. They wanted to kill themselves, but they could not even move. They were truly living worse than death.
The ministers petitioned in the great hall for Murong Chen to be sentenced to death. Some even risked their lives to remonstrate, and if the guards had not intervened, they might have smashed their heads against the pillars and died.
The entire capital seemed to explode. Cheng Yao walked through the streets, where people filled every corner and alley.
The bastard emperor was probably preoccupied and overwhelmed at the moment, so he would not have time to concern himself with Zhan Haoting. That made Cheng Yao feel somewhat more at ease.
She wandered around for a while before making her way to the Haoyue Cloth Shop.
It was an industry belonging to the prince’s residence, but Madam Zhan held the authority over it. The shop was not profitable, and Zhan Haoting had never considered disposing of it, lest he arouse the bastard emperor’s suspicions.
“Fine Shu brocade, twenty percent off! Come and take a look, everyone passing by! If you don’t like it, you don’t have to pay!”
“Shu brocade clearance sale! An opportunity that comes once in a century! Buying it means making a profit!”
From far away, Cheng Yao saw several shop assistants calling out loudly at the entrance of the cloth shop. Yet few customers stopped to take a look. Some passersby even sneered.
“Idiots. Shu brocade was fashionable two years ago, but it’s outdated now. People have seen enough of it and are tired of wearing it. Who would buy it?”
“Other cloth shops are clearing out their stock too. Even at thirty or fifty percent off, hardly anyone is buying. And you’re still charging eighty percent? Who do you take us for—suckers?”
Cheng Yao paused for a moment. Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind: Shu brocade?
The book had mentioned that on the eighth day after the War King’s wedding—in other words, three days from now—a dozen or more connected cargo ships carrying Shu brocade would catch fire, reducing all the Shu brocade to ashes.
When the news reached the capital, the price of Shu brocade would soar overnight.
