Lianshan Xin's suspicion was ironclad.
It was based on the confession left behind by the fake Jiang Haoran before his death.
Everyone present was a witness.
Yet the person Lianshan Xin suspected possessed a rather sensitive status.
Zhang Aniu hesitated, his lips parting and closing without a word.
Prefect Jiang was also somewhat hesitant and cautioned, "Young friend, Zeng Ningbing... is the daughter of Elder Zeng of the Golden Scale Alliance."
Lianshan Xin chuckled. "Could it be that the esteemed Prefect of Jiangzhou fears an elder of a mere jianghu faction?"
"Naturally, this official does not fear him. It is just..."
"Just what?"
"It is nothing."
The matter between the Second Prince and Zeng Ningbing was mere gossip; no one had ever confirmed it with concrete proof.
And frankly speaking, it was impossible to ever find solid evidence.
Anyone clever knew that if the Second Prince wished to vie for the imperial throne, his primary consort would have to be chosen from daughters of influential established clans or leaders of supreme sects who could bolster his cause.
With Zeng Ningbing's background, she could at most be considered a so-called confidante, to put it politely.
To put it bluntly, she was merely a sparring partner for the Second Prince's casual dalliances in the jianghu.
It was not something that could ever be brought into the open.
Thus, Prefect Jiang did not raise it directly either.
He merely reminded Zhang Aniu once more: "Lord Heavenly Sword, young people may not understand the gravity of certain matters, but you should know that propriety and boundaries must still be observed."
Zhang Aniu's tone turned odd. "I did tell him."
"What?"
Prefect Jiang's gaze toward Lianshan Xin shifted instantly.
He had assumed Lianshan Xin was simply fearless out of ignorance, but now it seemed deliberate.
"Is the young brother aligned with the Crown Prince?" Prefect Jiang asked point-blank.
His ties to the Second Prince could not be severed in any case, so there was no need to pretend neutrality.
Zhang Aniu took the initiative to answer on Lianshan Xin's behalf: "He is the Chosen Son of Heaven handpicked by Shiyun, of the Heaven's Chosen lineage."
"What?"
Prefect Jiang's expression changed yet again.
Lianshan Xin had delivered far too many "surprises" to him.
"He actually belongs to the Heaven's Chosen lineage."
Then he could not possibly be the Crown Prince's man.
After all, the friction between Qi Shiyun and the Crown Prince was no secret among the upper echelons of Great Yu.
If he was not the Crown Prince's man, Prefect Jiang began to believe Lianshan Xin was genuinely acting out of public duty.
In truth, from the moment Lianshan Xin appeared in the Prefectural Estate until now, his competence had been plain for all to see.
Prefect Jiang had no reason to suspect Lianshan Xin was intentionally targeting the Second Prince. Thus, he stopped agonizing over it. "Since our young friend suspects Miss Zeng, let us look into it. However, this official leans toward believing it to be a misunderstanding."
Lianshan Xin smiled faintly. "Lord Prefect, earlier you believed this corpse on the floor was your son, which suggests you are not the best judge of character."
Prefect Jiang was left speechless.
"By the way, Tanhua Qi, bring Mingren's sister over as well. Earlier, while waiting in Minglun Hall for Lord Heavenly Sword's speech, I noticed Zeng Ningbing and Mingren's sister chatting together with great enthusiasm."
Qi Shiyun's expression also turned peculiar. "Mingren's sister? The one from Sakura?"
"Yes."
"It seems this Zeng Ningbing truly colluded with demons." It came as an unexpected turn for Qi Shiyun.
Once again, she felt slightly apologetic toward Lianshan Xin.
Originally, she had assumed Lianshan Xin was intentionally exacting petty revenge on Zeng Ningbing.
Now it seemed that regardless of whether Lianshan Xin harbored deliberate intentions, he never actually wronged an innocent person.
Before Mingren died, he had admitted having ties to Thousand Faces and cultivating the Myriad Manifestations Classic.
Qi Shiyun had been present on the scene at the time.
If Zeng Ningbing was indeed closely associated with Mingren's sister, coupled with the dead imposter posing as the Prefect's son... in Qi Shiyun's eyes, Zeng Ningbing's suspicion was already impossible to clear.
Lianshan Xin said solemnly, "I never frame anyone. Every Demon Cult degenerate I deal with will be convinced of their guilt before they die."
"Good."
Qi Shiyun departed the Prefectural Estate.
"Lord Heavenly Sword, have our Nine Heavens personnel secure the Prefectural Estate. Aside from the Lord Prefect and yourself, no one may enter or leave at will."
"It has already been arranged."
"I suspect it is already too late. Lord Prefect, check if anyone is missing from the estate. Also, do you recognize this fellow on the floor?"
Prefect Jiang shook his head. "This official has never seen him before."
"That is strange. If he was not familiar with Young Master Jiang, how could he have impersonated him under your very nose for so long without being noticed?"
Lianshan Xin had not intended to aim his spear at Prefect Jiang just yet, but the flaw was simply too blatant; he could not help but point it out.
Fortunately, Prefect Jiang's reply was seamless, giving Lianshan Xin an opportunity to turn his attention elsewhere: "To my shame, this official is weighed down by official duties. As Haoran grew older, he spent most of his time studying, practicing martial arts, and socializing with friends he met outside. He did not cross paths with me often."
"I see. In that case, I must thoroughly investigate Young Master Jiang's social circle as well."
Lianshan Xin had the intuition of a master detective: Jiang Haoran and Kong Sanlang likely shared a very close friendship.
Perhaps this entire matter was inextricably tied to both the Golden Scale Alliance and Kong Sanlang.
Of course, the ultimate culprit was undoubtedly still Thousand Faces.
"Reporting! A second-rank maid is missing from the Madam's quarters!"
Lianshan Xin and Heavenly Sword turned to look at Prefect Jiang at the same time.
Prefect Jiang's face turned livid. "Thousand Faces, you go too far!"
***
Meanwhile, matters were faring poorly on the other side.
Things were looking grim for Thousand Faces.
Ever since Nine Heavens descended upon Jiangzhou, Thousand Faces' intelligence network in the region had suffered tremendous damage, preventing him from receiving timely reports from various fronts.
Yet Thousand Faces was, after all, Thousand Faces.
As the Demon Cult's foremost intelligence figure and one of its Four Great Elders, his reputation was not unearned.
Though his network was half-crippled, after a day's delay, reports that threatened to shatter his demon heart began trickling in.
And the very first piece of news he received was that Heavenly Sword had been targeted for assassination in the Prefectural Estate.
"Master, you truly remain silent until the right moment, then astonish the world with a single strike!"
Reporting to Thousand Faces was another disciple he had secretly cultivated—Lanxin, the very second-rank maid who had vanished from the Prefectural Estate.
At this moment, she gazed at him with boundless veneration.
"Heavenly Sword merely gained a half-step advantage over you by fluke at the academy, and you immediately struck back with thunderous vengeance! When the news spread, the disciples of our Sacred Cult were thoroughly elated. Master, with you here, our Sacred Cult will surely carry out our uprising in Jiangzhou without a hitch. I believe that once word reaches the Sacred Cult, even the Cult Leader will shower you with praise!"
Thousand Faces was somewhat bewildered, but as someone with supreme disguise skills, he merely spoke in an offhand manner: "How is Heavenly Sword?"
Lanxin said admiringly, "Though not fatal, he was wounded once again. Master, this is the very first time Nine Heavens has failed twice against the same person. Your magnificent feat will surely shake the world!"
Thousand Faces nodded once more, his tone carrying a touch of restrained pride: "Do not intentionally publicize it. If Nine Heavens reassigns several more members here, our pressure will become far too great."
"Yes. Master, your indifference to fame and fortune truly makes you a role model for your disciple."
Lanxin found her master increasingly inscrutable.
"Master, to think that Jiang Haoran was also someone you cultivated. You are truly incredible!" Lanxin said with heartfelt reverence. "Unfortunately, he was discovered by that Lianshan Xin."
"Who?"
"Lianshan Xin, a nobody who just joined Nine Heavens. He discovered that Jiang Haoran had been replaced, and only then did your disciple learn it was your handiwork. Master, you kept me in the dark so thoroughly!" Lanxin lamented. "Your disciple was afraid of following in our fellow disciple's footsteps, which is why I took the liberty of leaving the Prefectural Estate without permission. I ask Master to punish me."
Thousand Faces' hands trembled slightly. "You mean to say... Haoran was discovered, and then your proactive departure was also noticed?"
"Yes. But to successfully wound Heavenly Sword, these were all necessary sacrifices," Lanxin replied earnestly.
Thousand Faces' hands trembled with ever greater violence.
Chapter 72