BVAHEDLA[W Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Ancient 33, The Chess Game is Not Yet Settled

The moment he saw the handwriting appear, Chu Li-fei felt a sense of “as expected” in his heart.

Fortunately, Qi Fu was psychologically dark. He probably wanted to keep these letters as evidence, perhaps to blackmail the Crown Prince in the future, or use them as a handle to threaten them, so he kept these letters.

Now, they were providing them with evidence to uncover the truth.

Several letters laid out the plans of several people clearly, without reservation, before everyone. From how to obtain the money needed to manufacture the armor, to murdering Lü Ying’s parents and disguising it as an accident; to how to send the armor into the Qi residence and be “coincidentally” discovered, everything was arranged perfectly.

Just like the secret letter intercepted from Liu Shuo-yu, the handwriting written with this ink only appeared when heated. In this way, Chu Li-fei could already determine that this case was done by the Crown Prince’s party.

But how to prove that all this was related to the Crown Prince? Or rather, how to make Lu Yuan-jing believe that all this was done by Lu Mo-lin.

Even, until they could produce evidence that was irrefutable—

Evidence that even Lu Yuan-jing couldn’t protect him from.

After all, Lu Yuan-jing didn’t know about the existence of this ink. The signature on that secret letter only had one “Lu” character, which could only prove that its owner was a member of the royal family, and couldn’t prove anything else.

And Lu Mo-chen, who was beside him, felt particularly uncomfortable seeing Chu Li-fei deciphering the handwriting on the letter so skillfully.

He pursed his lips slightly, and at the same time, he was also wondering in his heart. Chu Li-fei was so familiar with the Crown Prince’s party’s secret communication encryption method, did it mean that in this life, he had already sided with the Crown Prince and was one of his people.

But if what he thought was really the case, then why was Chu Li-fei now trying so hard to uncover the truth of this case?

A huge wave rose in Lu Mo-chen’s eyes, looking at Chu Li-fei with an aura that could devour everything, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

Unfortunately, he ultimately didn’t ask. He didn’t dare to ask, for fear of hearing an answer he didn’t want to hear from Chu Li-fei’s mouth.

Now was not the time…

Lu Mo-chen could only repeat it in his heart over and over again to numb himself and suppress all the dark thoughts in his heart.

Not yet… at least not yet…

Let him wait a little longer…

And Chu Li-fei, who was beside him, was still immersed in his own thoughts, and didn’t notice the sudden darkening of Lu Mo-chen’s expression at all.

He spaced out.

Now, only the last move was missing.

The outcome of this chess game would soon be revealed.

The next day.

Everyone gathered in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and even the remaining members of the Qi family were all present.

But to put it bluntly, there were only Feng Rao and Lü Ying. Old Madam Qi had already been buried a few days ago. Although everything was simplified, she could be considered to have passed away peacefully.

Qi Lu was brought up. After not seeing him for a few days, he seemed to be even more disheveled. His hair was messy, and he was a few pounds thinner, his face haggard and sallow. Feng Rao couldn’t help but feel a sourness in her nose when she saw this, and she turned her head away.

Qian Ming didn’t beat around the bush at all. His opening words were shocking: “Your Majesty, according to my investigation over the past few days, it wasn’t Qi Lu who privately hid the armor, but someone else!”

“Oh?” Lu Yuan-jing sat on the dragon chair high above. Hearing Qian Ming’s words, he narrowed his eyes with great interest. A sharp light of scrutiny flashed in his eyes, showing the majesty of an emperor. “Then tell me, who exactly is this person?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this person is—” Qian Ming paused at this point, seemingly unintentionally glancing at Qi Lu, and then opening his mouth to say, “Qi Lu’s biological brother—Qi Fu.”

As soon as these words came out, except for Chu Li-fei and the others, the other people in the hall gasped.

But the first to lose his composure was Qi Lu.

He widened his eyes in disbelief: “Impossible!”

But his expression was one of loss, as if he had already noticed this, but he had always been unwilling to face it. Now, he was just making a final struggle.

And Qian Ming took in everything in the hall, as if he was very satisfied with the shock of others. He simply went all the way and continued to pursue the victory, saying an even more explosive news: “Of course, Qi Fu couldn’t have done so much by himself. There are helpers behind him.”

“And this person behind the scenes must be wealthy and powerful, otherwise he wouldn’t have the guts and ability to instruct Qi Fu to do such a reckless thing.”

Before Qian Ming could finish his words, he was interrupted by an old minister: “Master Qian, you’ve said so much, stop being so mysterious. Who exactly is this person behind the scenes?”

Qian Ming didn’t answer immediately when he heard this, but turned to look at the Crown Prince’s direction: “I wonder if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has heard about the fire in a gambling house in the suburbs of the capital the night before yesterday?”

Seeing Qian Ming lead the topic to himself, Lu Mo-lin sneered and said unhappily, “This Prince usually has to share the worries of the Emperor and is very busy. Naturally, I don’t have time to linger in places like gambling houses, and I don’t know anything about the so-called fire. Besides, we are now judging Qi Lu’s case of treason. I wonder what the fire in the gambling house that Master Qian said has to do with this case?”

The people in the hall nodded in agreement. Occasionally, a few people who knew the inside story of the gambling house changed their expressions slightly and discussed with their colleagues in a low voice.

Qian Ming smiled, seemingly not seeing Lu Mo-lin’s slightly angry face. He put on a regretful look: “Is that so? Your Highness is busy dealing with affairs and is really sharing the worries of His Majesty, or is it that—”

Qian Ming changed his tone: “Are you busy and overwhelmed by the fire in the Hongguang Pavilion?”

“I wonder if His Highness will feel sorry when he learns of this news?”

“Hongguang Pavilion?!” The ministers below could no longer sit still after hearing these three words and began to discuss. Several people even had beads of sweat sliding down their foreheads in such cold weather. Their eyes were dodging, probably regretting that they hadn’t called in sick and stayed at home today.

Lu Mo-lin’s usual bright and clear expression shattered for a moment, but it returned to normal in the next second. Extremely terrifying storms seemed to be brewing in his eyes. Dissatisfied with Qian Ming’s accusations, he said in a deep voice, “What does Master Qian mean by this?”

Qian Ming deserved to be valued by Lu Yuan-jing. Even in the face of this situation, he was not afraid at all. He didn’t care about the Crown Prince and continued to confront him.

This time, he ignored Lu Mo-lin’s words. He turned around and bowed to Lu Yuan-jing: “Your Majesty, I have found out that the person behind the scenes who instructed Qi Fu is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”

As soon as these words came out, the hall was no longer filled with the whispers of just now. Instead, it fell silent in an instant, and everyone was silent. For a moment, only the sound of gasping could be heard.

Please, this was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the heir to the throne of the Great Yan, and the future emperor.

Moreover, he held great power, was favored by the emperor, and even his mother’s family was not to be trifled with.

Who would dare to provoke him?

Probably only Qian Ming dared to accuse the Crown Prince in this situation.

Being charged with such a big crime, how could Lu Mo-lin endure it? He immediately scolded, “Ridiculous, what evidence do you have?”

Qian Ming ignored him, but took out the account books and lists that Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen had obtained at the Hongguang Pavilion that night and handed them to the eunuch beside him to present to Lu Yuan-jing.

Of course, along with it was the stack of letters found in Qi Fu’s study yesterday.

The moment he saw the familiar letters, Lu Mo-lin’s originally confident face shattered, like fine porcelain smashed on the ground. Even if it was repaired, it was still covered with hideous cracks.

Damn it! That damned Qi Fu! What was he keeping this for!

Didn’t he tell him to burn it in the first place?

Furious flames burned in Lu Mo-lin’s eyes. He now only wanted to drag Qi Fu out from underground and cut him into pieces. A bottle of poison was really too cheap for him!

A useless waste who does more harm than good!

But fortunately, he was already dead.

Lu Mo-lin liked dead people because dead people wouldn’t speak.

He believed that he wouldn’t reveal any flaws or leave any traces in the letters. He had always been cautious in this regard.

And Qi Fu was dead, so there was no proof. As long as he refused to admit it, what could Qian Ming do to him!

Yes, as long as he refused to admit it…

He was the heir to the throne of the Great Yan, and the only heir. Who else could be worthy of this position besides him?

Lu Mo-lin thought angrily. His gaze shifted from Qian Ming and finally landed on Lu Mo-chen.

In the few days beside Chu Li-fei, his younger brother seemed to have grown taller, and he didn’t look as timid and cowering as before. Although he still looked a little thin beside Chu Li-fei, it was not difficult to foresee his tall and straight appearance when he grew up in the future.

Lu Mo-lin sneered to himself, so what?

The position of heir to the throne could only be his! If Lu Mo-chen developed thoughts he shouldn’t have, he would teach his younger brother what “brotherly respect” was.

When the time came, don’t blame him for being ruthless.

After glancing at Lu Mo-chen with disdain, Lu Mo-lin carefully raised his eyes and glanced at Lu Yuan-jing.

He saw Lu Yuan-jing constantly flipping through the papers in his hand, his face tightly stretched, and he didn’t show any joy or anger on his face.

But the more this was the case, the more panicked the people below became.

The twelve-stringedmiǎn guān – crown cast a heavy shadow on his face, like rolling dark clouds, making people feel confused.

The so-called difficulty in predicting the Emperor’s heart was nothing more than this.

Lu Mo-chen’s heart was beating like a drum. He knew clearly that the chain of evidence was still not complete, but there was no time left.

If Lu Yuan-jing insisted on favoring Lu Mo-lin, he could only accept his fate.

In the end, was he still one step away…?

He lowered his head. The black glazed tile floor faithfully recorded everyone’s expressions, but it couldn’t record everyone’s sinister thoughts.

He raised his eyes slightly, but saw Lu Yuan-jing lightly open his lips:

“Qi Lu—”

Everyone held their breath together, waiting for Lu Yuan-jing’s final sentence.

For a moment, even the sound of a needle falling on the ground in the hall could be heard clearly.

“Executed after the autumn equinox.”

As soon as these words came out, the stone hanging in some people’s hearts finally fell to the ground, and they let out a long sigh. Some people shook their heads, as if regretting something.

Lu Mo-lin then realized that he had unknowingly broken out in a cold sweat. He breathed a sigh of relief as if he had survived a desperate situation, relaxed his body again, and looked very carefree. He hooked up a smile and sent a provocative look to Qian Ming and Lu Mo-chen.

A group of guards listened to the decree and quickly grabbed Qi Lu’s wrists.

Feng Rao and Lü Ying’s eyes turned red, and their eyes were full of helplessness and panic.

After all, no one could face death calmly. A group of guards also quickly surrounded the two of them.

Qian Ming said anxiously: “Your Majesty, there are still doubts in the case…”

But before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Lu Mo-lin in a hurry: “Master Qian, Father has already given you and Royal Brother an extra week.”

“Are you questioning Father’s decision? Or are you admitting your incompetence?”

The latter’s condescending posture and the ridicule revealed in his tone made Lu Mo-chen clench his fists in humiliation.

He was not reconciled.

Anger made him lose his mind, and Lu Mo-chen almost rushed forward, but his steps were stopped by a cool hand covering his shoulder.

Raising his head along the arm, Lu Mo-chen saw its owner clearly.

Chu Li-fei pressed his shoulder and shook his head at him gently.

Lu Mo-chen then woke up as if from a dream. As if a basin of cold water had been poured on his head, he regained his senses.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.

Lu Mo-lin looked at all this with amusement, as if everything that was happening in front of him was just actors singing in the theater.

If he was happy with the singing, he might even reward them with a few ingots of silver.

At the same time, Minister Feng suddenly knelt on the ground, tearfully begging Lu Yuan-jing to be lenient.

But Lu Yuan-jing only answered faintly to this: “My mind is made up, there is no need to discuss this matter any further.”

Minister Feng could only watch his daughter being taken away.

Just then—

“Wait a minute!” A clear and heroic female voice came from not far away.

She held Chu Li-fei’s waist tag, and brought a person behind her. She walked with a vigorous pace, and for a moment, no one dared to stop her.

The guards who originally wanted to escort Qi Lu down were also suddenly startled, as if they had been pressed the pause button, and they stopped their actions.

And Chu Li-fei, who heard the voice, closed his eyes deeply, and a meaningful arc was raised at the corner of his mouth. When he opened his eyes again, the originally calm eyes seemed to be ignited at this moment, turning from weak sparks into a raging fire that was enough to start a prairie fire.

The last move had just been made, and the outcome was still undecided, so let him see if he could turn the tide.