Since a harsh reprimand from his royal father was unavoidable anyway, he was determined to at least thrash Fu Shanyue within an inch of his life and see the day's trip to the lower city fulfilled!
Anyone traveling to or from the Floating Isles had to pass through Jinghong Crossing.
They lay in wait right along Fu Shanyue's inevitable route, waiting for the hare to walk into the trap.
*Want to lodge a complaint? Take a beating first!*
Who would have guessed that the bastard would not show up at all!
Another hour passed, and dawn broke. Another detachment of palace guards rushed over, glaring at them the moment they arrived. "What do you think you are doing, blocking the way here?"
"The Crown Prince ordered us to search for someone."
"Search for whom?" the other guard demanded sharply. "Over a dozen officials coming and going have seen you all standing here, wondering what catastrophe has struck Tianxin Island! What you did down in the lower city has already alarmed the imperial palace. Just now, both the Crown Prince and the Grand Guardian were summoned by the Emperor. You are to report to the palace as well to await questioning!"
The Crown Prince's guards had no choice but to comply. "Understood."
"What are you still standing around for? Follow us!"
***
Two hours earlier.
He Lingchuan sat with his legs crossed by an open window in the dining hall on the second floor of the inn, watching lightning coil through midair like dragons and serpents while billions of crystal droplets plummeted from the sky.
"Hey, ever since the Floating Isles were raised, has lightning from the heavens been unable to strike the lower city?"
Fu Shanyue paused, thinking for a moment. "I've never paid attention."
In any case, he was not the one getting struck.
Fu Shanyue bolted down the exquisite breakfast without tasting a bite, then wiped his mouth. "I'm off to Tianxin Island."
Dawn had yet to break. He was determined to press this grievance until the heavens fell and the earth shook!
Without looking back, He Lingchuan simply waved a hand behind him, wishing him a smooth journey.
Fu Shanyue put on a rain cape and was about to head out with a dozen subordinates when a guard suddenly rushed in, reporting in haste:
"Your Highness, the Minister of Agriculture has arrived."
Fu Shanyue blinked. "The Minister of Agriculture?"
Several figures stepped inside from the torrential downpour outside. The leader took off his oiled rain cape, revealing none other than Yao Mao, Lingxu City's Minister of Agriculture.
When it came to the elixir of immortality case, the Minister of Agriculture was a hurdle that could not be bypassed. He Lingchuan looked down from the landing. The high official possessed a square face and sharply slanted, thick brows. He had a naturally imposing demeanor that demanded deference, immediately recognizable as someone of high status accustomed to barking orders.
He was not yet fifty, with a thick head of black hair and a vertical crease between his brows, clearly from frequent scowling.
The figure beside him possessed bright eyes and fine white teeth. He Lingchuan recognized her as well:
Yao Xingning.
The eldest daughter of the Minister of Agriculture and the wife of Cen Boqing.
She looked nothing like her father.
Fortunately so.
Over by the railing, Fu Shanyue placed a hand on it and vaulted straight down from the second floor, landing directly before the Minister of Agriculture. Only then did he cup his hands in salute.
"Lord Yao, what storm blew you all the way here?"
By age and seniority, Fu Shanyue was the junior. If the Minister of Agriculture had paid a visit under normal circumstances, Fu Shanyue would have walked down the stairs to bow, saying something like, *Goodness, why have you graced my humble abode in person, bringing such honor to my house?*
Instead, not only did he leap from the balcony, but his words dripped with sarcasm.
Who could blame him when he held all the cards right now?
As expected, Yao Mao took no offense whatsoever. He even raised a hand to return the salute, his expression grave. "I was shocked to hear of the incident at Panshan Residence. Were you injured, Your Highness?"
He ought to have looked concerned, but his face remained stern no matter how one looked at it.
"What do you think, Lord Yao?" Fu Shanyue spread his arms and spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees before him, his posture completely flippant.
"Your Highness, I brought my daughter here to make it clear that this matter has nothing to do with my family!" Yao Mao stated with absolute clarity.
Yao Xingning took a step forward as well. "Crown Prince Huan's killing and arson at Panshan Residence was by no means instigated by me! Ever since returning to Lingxu City from Baishaqu, I haven't seen Crown Prince Huan once."
The Crown Prince of Beijia was named Wu Huan.
Fu Shanyue drew out a long "Oh." "Is that so?"
Having uttered those three words, he fell silent.
Did they really think empty platitudes could brush off all responsibility?
"If Xingning truly had done that, what good would it do our family? The evidence against Cen Boqing is ironclad; that case cannot be overturned."
When Yao Mao said this, Yao Xingning's face turned pale at his side, but he paid her no heed.
"Even if there is no profit in it, venting some anger still feels good. There are plenty of people in this world who love doing things that harm others without benefiting themselves," Fu Shanyue said, entirely unmoved. "I have a survivor who said Crown Prince Huan snarled as he slaughtered my servants that he was going to vent his fury on behalf of 'Little Xing'!"
Yao Xingning closed her eyes, and a vein throbbed on Yao Mao's temple.
"Crown Prince Huan is too young and easily led astray. He has been close to Xingning since childhood, sharing a deep bond. But after Xingning returned to Lingxu City, the Emperor forbade her from visiting him, so Crown Prince Huan has been quite displeased these past few days."
Fu Shanyue said indifferently, "Because he was displeased, he murdered my people and burned Chiyan's estate to the ground?"
What did the old fox mean by that? Was he trying to suppress him using Crown Prince Huan's name? According to the Minister of Agriculture, Crown Prince Huan had flown into a rage and slaughtered people not because Yao Xingning had instigated it, but precisely because he lacked Yao Xingning's company and soothing presence.
"Your Highness, we are victims as well. Someone is working in secret to deflect the blame onto us. Neither you nor I must fall for their scheming," the Minister of Agriculture reiterated once more.
"What is true, and what is false? I'm getting a little confused here," Fu Shanyue said, spreading his hands. "When I stayed at the courier station, it was blown up. When I stayed at the Panshan Residence purchased by Chiyan, someone came to slaughter my people and set fire to it, burning half the compound to ash. I only came to Lingxu City to follow up on the investigation into the elixir of immortality—purely official business. Why does someone wish so desperately to see me ground to powder?"
The "elixir of immortality case" was a massive, agonizing scar on the Minister of Agriculture's heart; no one in his household dared mention it. Yet Fu Shanyue went out of his way to trample directly on his sore spot, trampling it again and again.
"That culprit deserves ten thousand deaths!"
"This truly should never have happened, and I feel deep sorrow over Your Highness's losses," the Minister of Agriculture sighed. "Your Highness has lost your residence in the lower city. My family is willing to offer an estate on Mount Baiyun known as Xiangxue Residence for Your Highness to rest."
Panshan Residence had already been signed over to He Lingchuan by Fu Shanyue, but outsiders were unaware, still believing it to be the Chiyan Crown Prince's official residence for conducting business in the lower city. Therefore, the destruction of Panshan Residence was an exceedingly vile incident—practically a resounding slap across the Chiyan Kingdom's face.
Yet the Minister of Agriculture had deliberately framed Panshan Residence as Fu Shanyue's private property in his phrasing, attempting to reduce a major political incident into a minor personal matter.
Fu Shanyue gave a slight sneer. "Since the Minister of Agriculture proclaims his innocence, why offer to compensate me with an estate?"
"Ultimately, this trouble originated with Cen Boqing. My daughter was blind to choose such a ruinous son-in-law, dragging our entire family into the mire and bringing collateral harm upon Your Highness!" The Minister of Agriculture glared at Yao Xingning, making no attempt to conceal his wrath. "In that regard, my household bears responsibility!"
*Old fox,* Fu Shanyue cursed inwardly. On the surface, he remained cold. "I thank the Minister of Agriculture for his kind intentions, but my Chiyan Kingdom has not fallen so poor that we cannot afford an estate to house ourselves!"
"As for how this matter will finally be settled—" he said slowly, "—that rests entirely in the Emperor's hands!"
Giving mere lip service without an ounce of genuine sincerity, and expecting to wave the whole thing away with a couple of smooth excuses?
The Minister of Agriculture let out a long sigh. "Rest assured, Your Highness. Our family will certainly help ferret out the mastermind behind this!"
Fu Shanyue remarked meaningfully, "The Minister of Agriculture need only help himself."
Yao Mao continued, "Lingxiao Peak will likely summon us soon. Your Highness, we shall go to seek an imperial audience first, and stay in regular contact hereafter!"
Fu Shanyue gave a curt grunt, still distant.
The Minister of Agriculture and his daughter braved the rain once more to depart. Soon, He Lingchuan heard the sound of galloping hooves outside, click-clacking farther and farther away.
The inn had been bought out entirely by the Chiyan Kingdom yesterday, leaving no other guests. Fu Shanyue leaped back up to the second floor and said to He Lingchuan:
"Fascinating. The Minister of Agriculture has never spoken to me with such mild courtesy. In the past, whenever I saw him, he always kept his emotions completely hidden, carrying his nose high in the air as if his eyes were set in the crown of his skull."
"He needs something from you." As the true aggrieved owner and an audience member throughout the whole exchange, He Lingchuan chuckled. "No one's spine is too stiff to bend."
"He rushed over through the downpour with Yao Xingning simply to inform me that they didn't do it," Fu Shanyue said, seeing through the matter clearly. "Crown Prince Huan rushed down so abruptly to pick a fight with me; there is a ninety percent chance the Emperor will summon father and daughter. They only came over beforehand to pay their respects and make their stance known, without offering a single shred of substantive benefit."
He turned to He Lingchuan. "That grand estate on Mount Baiyun, Xiangxue Residence, is at least three to five times larger than Panshan Residence. Never mind the exquisite landscaped gardens; it even has several hot springs with different medicinal properties. I've heard the water from one of those springs is superb for brewing wine and making pastries. Furthermore, the reason it is called 'Xiangxue'—Fragrant Snow—is that white magnolias and fringe trees grow everywhere on the grounds. Come summer and autumn, the boughs are draped in immaculate white like a blanket of frost and snow, sending fragrance drifting for miles."
"That Xiangxue Residence is clan property of the Yao family, its value incomparable to Panshan Residence. Supposedly, even Yao Mao himself is fond of it, staying there for a couple of months every year. How about I pry it away to compensate you?" Fu Shanyue clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Though whenever I come to Lingxu City in the future, I will stay there."
He Lingchuan smiled. "No rush. Let's wait and see."
Fu Shanyue stared at him for a long moment before giving him a thumbs-up. "You rascal, you truly are ruthless."
Having come to know He Lingchuan somewhat, he could tell from his expression and attitude that He Lingchuan had quite an appetite.
Panshan Residence, truth be told, was merely an average-sized compound. Disregarding the Chiyan Kingdom's face, it could not even be counted among the luxury estates of the main city.
Anyone else receiving the Yao family's Xiangxue Residence as compensation would probably be grinning from ear to ear.
As for the servants slain in the residence, Fu Shanyue had never cared about them, but a slaughter occurring inside Panshan Residence would certainly cause its property value to plummet.
Seen that way, Xiangxue Residence seemed even more enticing.
He asked He Lingchuan, "How much of the Minister of Agriculture's words do you believe?"
"Until he can prove his innocence, I don't believe half a word!" He Lingchuan took a sip of tea. "Every single one of our adversaries in Lingxu City could argue that crossing us brings them no benefit. Besides, our list of suspects needs a heavy new entry."
Fu Shanyue crossed his arms. "You mean the true culprit behind the elixir of immortality case?"
He Lingchuan nodded. "We've caused them so much trouble. Wouldn't their consciences bother them if they didn't seize an opportunity to strike back?"
"With Emissary Bai hot on their heels, do they even have the leeway to seek revenge on us?"
"They aren't just one person," He Lingchuan said solemnly. "If Yao Xingning truly didn't go whining to Crown Prince Huan, then who told him? Whoever pulled the strings has likely wiped away all traces. Even the palace won't find it easy to investigate."
He Lingchuan poured himself another cup of hot tea. "By the way, aren't you in a rush to head up to the Floating Isle?"
"Not anymore." Fu Shanyue narrowed his eyes. "Let the relevant parties go first. I can wait in line."
Chapter 589