"Was it stolen by an insider in the palace?" the Vice Minister of Justice asked via voice transmission. This was a matter of enormous gravity, and he dared not speak it aloud.
If they dug too deep into this, there was no telling what kind of hornet's nest they might stir up.
Had their Ministry of Justice somehow picked a fight with the imperial family lately? Two princes had already ended up in their custody, a feat completely unprecedented in history.
"More likely than not. Right now, there are only two possibilities: either an immortal made a move, or an insider stole it."
Yet no matter which possibility it was, neither made any sense.
There was simply no motive for the crime.
Who would have nothing better to do than steal the imperial throne? To make the Emperor hold court standing up?
If that were the criterion, seemingly every minister would have a motive.
"Go make a list and see who is familiar with the palace's formations."
"Understood."
The Vice Minister of Justice was efficient. Very quickly, he drew up a long list of imperial names, with Emperor Xia ranked right at the top.
Xu Xin smacked the Vice Minister of Justice upside the head. "Are you an idiot? Why would you put His Majesty on the list? Could His Majesty have stolen it himself?"
Hearing that, the Vice Minister of Justice hurriedly crossed out Emperor Xia's name.
Emperor Xia had nine sons and seven daughters. With the Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince already arrested, two suspects were eliminated.
Of course, besides the princes and princesses, Emperor Xia's personal attendant Eunuch Li and others were also suspects.
After obtaining Jiang Qun's consent, the Ministry of Justice swiftly launched their investigation.
"Minister Xu, how is the investigation progressing?" In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Jiang Qun summoned Xu Xin over, desperately eager to know the throne's whereabouts.
Otherwise, when his imperial father returned and found his seat gone, things would be exceedingly awkward for him.
"To report to Your Majesty, after two days of investigation, none of the princes or princesses appear suspicious—save for one."
"Oh? Who?"
Xu Xin said earnestly, "First Prince Jiang Qun."
"According to our investigation, ever since the First Prince returned from Jizhou, he has been missing for days without a trace. No one knows where he went. It is deeply suspicious!"
Jiang Qun broke into a sudden fit of violent coughing.
"Your Majesty, are you all right?" Xu Xin jumped in fright, thinking to himself that he might have enraged the Emperor.
Considering that His Majesty's lifespan was nearing its end, if he were to pass out from sheer fury, Xu Xin's guilt would be immense.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, just an old ailment." Jiang Qun waved his hand, signaling Xu Xin not to panic.
Clearing his throat with a dry cough, Jiang Qun said, "It is widely known that Qun'er has no interest in vying for the throne. He would never steal it, nor does he possess any motive. Minister Xu, you had best investigate someone else."
Xu Xin opened his mouth, wanting to ask if His Majesty was trying to shield the First Prince. But on second thought, what His Majesty said made sense. If other princes stole the throne, one could at least explain it as them 'trying out how it felt.' But the First Prince was famously indifferent to ambition. Why would he steal the imperial throne out of nowhere? It defied logic.
"Understood."
Leaving the palace, Xu Xin stood by the palace gates, lost in thought. But if it wasn't the First Prince, who else could it be?
"Forget it. I'll go present the reward to Lu Yang. That kid has always been sharp-witted; I'll go see what ideas he has."
Lu Yang had first reported the Fourth Prince's rebellion, then persuaded Shi Lei and the others to turn themselves in, resolving countless cold cases and mysteries. It was an enormous service, and the Ministry of Justice naturally had to commend him.
It was only because Xu Xin had been running ragged lately over the Fifth Prince's faction and the imperial throne that he hadn't found time to visit Lu Yang.
Now, he wanted a change of pace.
……
The Meng Residence.
The Immortal Fairy had moved into the Meng Family with four new members of the Great Soybean Dynasty, using the residence as their base of operations.
The Tribulation Transcendence cultivator secretly protecting Emperor Xia actually felt quite an urge to tell the Ministry of Justice the truth. Holding it in was excruciatingly difficult, and on several occasions he had nearly burst out laughing.
Unfortunately, his current mission was solely to protect Emperor Xia; he was forbidden from doing anything else.
He had thought that protecting Emperor Xia would be a dull chore, never expecting it to be so colorful and thrilling. It was far more entertaining than secluded cultivation.
"Would any of you like to come up and take a seat?"
The Immortal Fairy was rewarding the troops, allowing the three Great Generals a turn to experience the imperial throne.
"No, thank you. It doesn't look comfortable anyway." Ao Ling and the other two shook their heads in refusal, hinting that they harbored no covetous ambitions toward the throne. The Sovereign could set her mind at ease; there was no need for such tests.
"Very well then." The Immortal Fairy had not expected Ao Ling and the others to be so perceptive as to recognize her test. Had any of them dared to sit upon it, she would have stripped them of rank and confiscated their property.
The Immortal Fairy turned inward to her spiritual space to ask Lu Yang.
"Little Yangzi, what did you mean earlier by 'covetous ambitions' and 'confiscating property'?"
"Nothing. I was just talking to myself out of boredom."
While the Immortal Fairy was founding the Great Soybean Dynasty, Lu Yang hadn't been idle either. He had been sparring continuously with his Invincible Nascent Soul, his strength advancing by leaps and bounds to the point where he could faintly hold his own against it. He could even spare some focus to analyze the situation in the outside world.
Even though the price for doing so was being beaten by the Invincible Nascent Soul.
Yet Lu Yang persevered relentlessly, displaying commendable grit.
"Little Yangzi, we have the throne now. What's our next step?"
Lu Yang thought for a moment and said, "Rebellion requires legitimacy and justification. For instance, staging a scene where a white snake is slain with a sword, or having a fox cry out that 'Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng shall be king,' or digging up a stone from the river engraved with 'The stone man has one eye, inciting the Yellow River and the realm to rebel'—things like that. Of course, they're all fabricated."
How could the Immortal Fairy not understand? A single hint was enough, and she let out an elongated, enlightened gasp. "So it's just counterfeiting! I understand this completely—Ninefold Immortal and the others used to do that all the time."
"Fox cries are too common and not convincing enough. Oh, I know! We can go bury a stone underground with an inscription! Hmm, let's write: 'Great Soybean shall rise, Lu Yang shall be king'!"
"Uh, I'm of humble standing, so there's no need to include my name." Hearing this, Lu Yang hastily declined. He didn't want to be tied to a rebellion in the slightest.
The Immortal Fairy held Lu Yang in high regard. "Little Yangzi, don't belittle yourself. As a minister beneath my crotch—"
"It's a pillar-of-state minister," Lu Yang corrected earnestly. He still bore the duty of the Imperial Preceptor, overseeing the literary destiny of the Great Soybean Dynasty.
"Oh, right, pillar of state. As this immortal's pillar-of-state minister, how could this immortal mistreat you? Naturally, we share both blessings and fortune!"
While the Immortal Fairy and Lu Yang were conversing, Xu Xin arrived at the Meng Residence, heading straight for Lu Yang's quarters.
The Immortal Fairy didn't notice the disturbance outside, but the three Great Generals did.
Ao Ling was the quickest to react. They could not let Xu Xin see the three of them together with Lu Yang; it would be impossible to explain, and the truth about the Ancient Heavenly Court would be completely exposed.
Jin Caiwei clapped her hands three times, and the three of them transformed into three hanging paintings on the wall, blending in seamlessly.
Leading his men from the Ministry of Justice, Xu Xin pushed the door open and entered, laughing heartily.
"Haha, Lu Yang, my boy! So you were staying at the Meng Family! You certainly gave me quite a search. For reporting the Fourth Prince and persuading Shi Lei and the others to surrender, you have performed a great service, and I have come personally to commend you!"
To demonstrate the importance he placed on Lu Yang, Xu Xin carried the tray himself, bearing commendation scrolls, cultivation resources, and other rewards.
Then, stepping inside, his eyes landed on Lu Yang sitting upright upon the imperial throne—and Emperor Xia standing meekly by his side.
Chapter 939