"The Duyun Emissaries serve the celestial gods and rarely interact with court officials," Fu Shanyue said solemnly. "The one they see most often is the Demon Emperor!"
*Sending a special emissary who takes no side?*
*Is Lingxu City adopting an impartial stance?*
"In Beijia, the attendants of Zhaixing Tower and the lamp wardens hold high status, let alone the Duyun Emissaries," Fu Shanyue said briskly. "This Emissary Bai often travels far and wide executing the divine will. When you meet him shortly, be sure not to slight him!"
For those last few words to come from the mouth of the lawless Fu Shanyue, He Lingchuan knew the newcomer had to be extraordinary.
*Isn't he essentially a clergyman who serves the celestial gods?*
Fu Shanyue rose and went out to greet them in person.
Two people were already waiting in the inn's front hall, and one of them was surprisingly Fan Sheng.
Fu Shanyue walked over, immediately smiling. "Emissary Bai, long time no see!" He then nodded to Fan Sheng. "Commander Fan."
The other guest was far from imposing. His appearance was not merely ordinary, but even rather petty and wretched—a night-and-day contrast standing beside Fan Sheng.
Yet this only made He Lingchuan all the more wary of underestimating him.
On one hand, the habitually arrogant Fu Shanyue had done a complete about-face in his attitude toward Bai Ziqi. On the other hand, a Duyun Emissary's primary duty was to serve the celestial gods; given Beijia's kingdom-wide tradition of revering the divine, the selection of servants demanded at least a dignified and upright bearing, if not classical symmetry, to show respect for the celestial gods.
For Bai Ziqi to attain the post of Deputy Duyun Emissary with such an unsightly appearance, he had to possess extraordinary abilities.
Furthermore, Fan Sheng—the overbearing second-in-command of the Tongxin Guard—was standing behind Bai Ziqi at this moment.
Bai Ziqi beamed warmly upon seeing Fu Shanyue. "Your Highness! Haha, the last time we met you were still the Eldest Young Master, and now you are already the Crown Prince. Congratulations, congratulations!"
When he smiled, he exuded a strange charisma that made him seem far less unpleasant.
The two already knew each other, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, they invited each other to sit.
Fan Sheng and He Lingchuan took their seats as well.
Bai Ziqi dispensed with bureaucratic pretense and stated his purpose directly: "I was originally in the Twilight Plains when an urgent falcon dispatch from the Emperor sent me rushing here on duty."
"The Twilight Plains?" Fu Shanyue was startled. "No wonder you arrived so quickly. I assumed that dispatching an emissary from the imperial capital would take at least half a month."
The Twilight Plains lay south of Chiyan, some distance away, but coming from there was still vastly quicker than setting out from Lingxu City.
"Under ordinary circumstances, it certainly would," Bai Ziqi sighed. "Wasn't it just a coincidence that I happened to be out in the field? The Emperor likely didn't care to watch those old fogies bickering and tugging at his robes, so he pointed at me from afar, and I hurried over with all possible haste."
"Emissary Bai went to the Twilight Plains on official business?" Fu Shanyue did not believe for a second that he had merely lingered there. Stepping north by just a few paces crossed right into Chiyan territory; nine times out of ten, this fellow had already crossed the border!
Why had an imperial emissary from Lingxu City quietly slipped into Chiyan's domain?
"Naturally. Do you think I enjoy wandering around for no good reason?" Bai Ziqi chuckled, steering the conversation back on track. "Is the youngest of the Zhongsun family still missing?"
"The monster that swallowed him hasn't shown its head since," Fu Shanyue said with a heavy expression. "It doesn't look promising."
He turned and pointed at He Lingchuan. "The Emperor decreed that the Chiyan Kingdom investigate the disappearance of the eastern imperial eagle courier, and my royal father dared not neglect it. This is the special investigator I personally appointed. Following the trail all the way from Zhitian Township, we unexpectedly reeled in a massive fish."
The "massive fish," of course, referred to Cen Boqing.
He Lingchuan sat beside Fu Shanyue. Bai Ziqi had already scrutinized him several times, and now let out a long, deliberate "Oh?"
"I hear you are a native of Fu Kingdom?"
He Lingchuan met his gaze. "Indeed."
"Recount the case to me from beginning to end, in as much detail as possible."
Although Bai Ziqi had read the case memorial Fu Shanyue submitted, its contents could never match the granular detail of an account from the actual investigator.
He Lingchuan narrated the entire progression faithfully, striving for conciseness and precision without embellishment.
Of course, he made no mention of Mai Xuewen approaching him in private. After Zhongsun Mou met his end, He Lingchuan and Fu Shanyue had aligned their stories more than once, resolving to conceal this "minor matter" to avoid misunderstanding by Lingxu City's special emissary.
He Lingchuan had not been working on the case for very long—only about a month—yet the narrative was complex and full of twists. It took nearly half an hour just to lay out the essentials.
During this time, the pulp bead, the portrait, Mai Xuewen's cipher, and the *Records of Reverence for the Gods* used to decode it were all presented.
Fan Sheng remained quiet throughout, not uttering a single word.
Bai Ziqi listened with extreme attentiveness, occasionally asking questions, which He Lingchuan answered without holding back.
He Lingchuan had already made up his mind that when facing an emissary from Lingxu City, his best policy was absolute candor.
By laying out the bare facts of the events and exposing the entire process to the light of day, leaving no flaw even under a magnifying glass, He Lingchuan would keep himself safe.
Once the recounting was finished, Bai Ziqi repeated "Good, good, good" three times before saying, "From the sound of it, the special investigator handled the case quite appropriately. In other words, the crux of the problem currently lies with Wu Kai. Is his testimony the key to convicting Cen Boqing?"
"Precisely."
"If he refuses to confess, both he and Cen Boqing remain innocent." Bai Ziqi shook his head. "Isn't the case stuck right here, then? Do you have a strategy?"
"Wu Kai's subordinate Yang Song has already confessed and implicated him," Fu Shanyue interjected. "However, there is no physical evidence. Wu Kai is exceptionally cautious. If Emissary Bai has any good counsel, please enlighten us."
"I have only just arrived and still need to observe and listen more," Bai Ziqi said modestly. "Furthermore, does the Crown Prince believe Cen Boqing colluded with Zhongsun Mou to fabricate testimony regarding the courier case in order to cover up the truth? That is a very serious accusation."
The Zhongsun clan, the Cen clan, and the Minister of Agriculture—Chiyan had offended three major powerhouses of Lingxu City in one fell swoop.
"Fu Songhua, the major felon they framed as the culprit, and Pang Denian, Wu Kai's man responsible for bribing the head jailer and colluding in prison, are both detained, and their confessions have been recorded."
"Where is Fu Songhua's confession?"
Fu Shanyue had prepared it long ago and had an attendant present it.
Bai Ziqi spread it open, reading through it page by page with unusual intensity.
He Lingchuan noticed that he examined it almost word for word, especially the final few pages, where he barely turned a leaf for long stretches, his expression growing increasingly grave.
*Why is he spending more time on those last few pages than on all the preceding ones combined?*
He Lingchuan's mind stirred as he recalled a detail.
Cen Boqing had prepared well in advance, drafting a false confession long before. Should the truth come out, he intended to dump the blame onto the fugitive Fu Songhua.
Yet there was one point Cen Boqing could not sidestep: he had to explain in the false confession how the "mastermind," Fu Songhua, could have known the departure time and route of the eastern imperial eagle courier.
Otherwise, how could he establish that Fu Songhua was an enemy agent?
Therefore, Fu Songhua "must" have had an inside contact in Lingxu City.
Indeed, such a name appeared in the confession.
However, because the courier's disappearance had been an unforeseen accident that even Cen Boqing could not have predicted, modifying the prepared false confession to weave in new details and disguise an accident as a premeditated act made it nearly impossible to avoid leaving flaws.
Thus, the name of this inside contact was crucial.
Only if Lingxu City verified that name against reality would they accept the false confession as credible.
After finishing the document, Bai Ziqi pondered for a long time before remarking, "The greatest anomaly in this case is that Mai Xuewen's behavior makes no sense."
"Oh?" Both He Lingchuan and Fu Shanyue looked puzzled.
"He doesn't live in Baishaqu at all, nor did he buy a residence here. At most, he visits twice a year. Why, then, are his food, clothing, and everyday items all tied to Baishaqu? It's as though he was terrified people wouldn't notice."
He Lingchuan kept his expression unchanged, but felt a jolt inside. Those clues were buried amid a labyrinthine case, scattered here and there. Fu Shanyue's memorial had merely listed them simply, yet Bai Ziqi had managed to spot the oddity among them.
He Lingchuan had found it strange because he had investigated the case personally, present on the scene, seeing and feeling it firsthand.
Bai Ziqi, however, had identified the suspicious points purely from cold, succinct case files.
He was indeed worthy of being a special emissary entrusted with heavy responsibility by the Demon Emperor.
"Perhaps he just fancied those things?" Fu Shanyue shrugged. "Chiyan produces chewing tobacco, too, yet I only enjoy the kind from the Jeweled Tree Kingdom."
"Even if I don't point it out, the Cen and Zhongsun clans will eventually seize on these anomalies to attack the Crown Prince," Bai Ziqi said tactfully, before adding, "By the way, where is the suspect surnamed Wu being held? I would like to see him."
"Right here with me." Fu Shanyue glanced at He Lingchuan. "Previously, Fu Songhua was held in the county prison, but the head jailer was bribed by the Cen Estate. That place is no longer safe."
He Lingchuan suddenly stood up and darted out of the hall like an arrow.
His movement was so swift that he vanished in a whoosh.
Bai Ziqi frowned slightly. "What was that?"
*What happened outside?*
Fu Shanyue spoke at the same moment: "It's getting late. Why not dine here with me, Emissary Bai? I have some of Baishaqu's finest cooks on hand. Baishaqu is rich in local delicacies—creatures of the water and fowl of the air, braised to perfection. It isn't easy to taste such fresh fare in Lingxu City."
"I appreciate the Crown Prince's hospitality," Bai Ziqi said, glancing at the sky. "Shortly, I still need to make a trip to the Cen Estate."
Fu Shanyue let out an "Oh?" and asked, "Emissary Bai still intends to visit the Cen Estate?"
"I must hear both sides," Bai Ziqi replied with a faint smile. "This case is difficult to handle, and the Emperor places great importance upon it."
He could not listen solely to the Crown Prince; Cen Boqing's side of the story was also one of the Emperor's key concerns.
"If the case were easy, why would it trouble your great presence, Emissary Bai?" Fu Shanyue cleared his throat. "If it is confirmed that Cen Boqing is truly the mastermind, what does Emissary Bai intend to do?"
"Handle it according to the law," Bai Ziqi replied meaningfully. "As I said, the Emperor places great importance upon it."
"And if there is someone behind Cen Boqing?" That was what the Chiyan monarch and his son cared about most.
Bai Ziqi smiled. "One step at a time. Why is the Crown Prince in such a hurry?"
Fu Shanyue sighed. "Before I came here, my royal father gave explicit instructions. This case must be investigated to the very bottom, and the true culprit must be apprehended to give a satisfactory explanation to the victimized demon subjects of Chiyan!"
To put it simply, the Chiyan King's stance boiled down to eight words:
*Investigate to the end, never relent.*
Just as Fu Shanyue was about to say more, the tiger Jiao Yu pounced inside from outdoors, moving so fast he left an afterimage, and wasted no words:
"The suspect is coughing up blood!"
Chapter 522