Sitting on the threshold of the ruined temple, a seven-year-old girl with little braids tied with hemp rope watched with eyes full of curiosity as the guards took the man away.
Behind her, a fifteen-year-old boy who had just woken up from a nap walked out holding a chipped earthen bowl.
Seeing the little girl sitting upright on the threshold, her eyes staring intently straight ahead, he casually cracked a joke.
"Stop waiting. You are sick and your medicine costs money. Your brother has definitely abandoned you."
The little girl felt wronged.
She stubbornly raised her head and retorted, "My brother would never do that! He said once he earned some silver today, he would take me to see a doctor and buy me meat buns to eat."
The boy let out a mocking sneer, "Meat buns? You sure have a wild imagination. I would say dog shit is more like it."
The little girl turned her head and ignored him. Her thin, frail little face was taut, and her gaze remained fixed on the dirt road next to the rocks not far away.
It was the only path leading to the ruined temple; she would be able to see anyone who passed by.
But this time, the little girl waited from noon until dark, yet her brother never returned.
Ye Liangyu took the man to the Jingzhao Prefecture and interrogated him for a full two hours. Then, holding the signed confession, he gathered everyone from the Censorate and knelt on the steps outside the Imperial Study.
Fei Yanzhang, who had received a message from Ye Liangyu in advance, brought Dongfang Shaoting and many other officials over, waiting for the matter to blow up so the Emperor would have no way to protect the culprit.
When the others saw Ye Liangyu leading all the censors to kneel on the steps, they were extremely curious.
Could it be about the recent rumors in the capital?
But without any evidence, why had the entire Censorate mobilized?
Were they trying to crush Prince Qi using public opinion?
The Emperor never expected that just by sleeping in for a little less than an hour today, the outside world would be turned upside down.
By the time he rushed over from his bedchamber, almost all the officials of the third rank and above had already gathered outside the Imperial Study.
His gaze swept over Ye Liangyu, who was taking the lead kneeling at the very front, and Xiao Chengjing frowned with a headache.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to reprimand them, Fan Guanshan walked over briskly from a distance.
Noticing so many officials kneeling at the entrance of the Imperial Study, his footsteps paused for a moment, and then he looked toward the Emperor and lowered his head.
Seeing Fan Guanshan like this, Xiao Chengjing's heart gave a heavy thud and instantly sank to the bottom of a cliff.
Could the rumors spreading in the capital be true? Was the mastermind behind the scenes really Rong Che?
After walking into the Imperial Study, Xiao Chengjing first had someone call Fan Guanshan inside.
His face was dark, and his brows were filled with a chilling air.
"How is the matter I asked you to investigate?"
Fan Guanshan cupped his hands and reported, "Your subject found out that the rumors all originated from the beggar's temple outside the city. However, I was a step too late. By the time I arrived, the little beggar who spread the rumors had already been killed, and none of the others had seen the person who paid the money."
Blood rushed to his head, and Xiao Chengjing clutched his chest, struggling to catch his breath.
Fan Guanshan continued, "When your subject arrived at the ruined temple, the nearby beggars said that an hour ago, guards had arrested someone in the surrounding mud houses."
"Your subject then rushed to the Jingzhao Prefecture to inquire. The Governor of the Jingzhao Prefecture said that he and Lord Ye had caught a witness to Prince Qi's treason. Presumably, the people from the Censorate kneeling outside the hall right now are here for this very matter."
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Xiao Chengjing right on the top of his head; saying he was struck by five thunderbolts would not be an exaggeration.
He stumbled and collapsed onto the dragon throne, shaking his head in disbelief, looking just like a withered old tree battered by fierce winds.
Having waited for a summons that never came, Ye Liangyu raised the confession and letters in his hand and shouted loudly, "For his own selfish desires, Prince Qi instructed Count Zhongqin, Li Mingge, to steal potatoes from the imperial estate to trade with the Shuobei State. Your subject possesses the correspondence between Prince Qi and Prince Wei of Shuobei State, Gong Linjue, as well as the confession of the messenger from the Li residence. I implore Your Majesty to investigate this case thoroughly and mete out severe punishment to answer to the millions of people in the Dongzhao Kingdom!"
Wave after wave of his shouting hammered against Xiao Chengjing's eardrums, shaking him so much that he could barely sit straight.
