Chapter 130: Tracking

In the hall where bookshelves stood in rows and documents piled like mountains, silence was so profound that the fall of a pin could be heard.

Facing the terrifying aura of Fu Qiwen before him, which was as vast as mountains and seas, Ceng Hai, kneeling on the ground, trembled uncontrollably; he struggled to open his mouth, wanting to recount the matter of Li Zhu's corpse once more.

But Fu Qiwen, at some unknown moment, had suddenly appeared by his side and asked in a deep voice:

"Where is the Third Imperial Prince's corpse now? Does anyone else know of this matter?"

Ceng Hai dared not raise his head and answered, trembling with fear:

"This subordinate has hidden the Third Imperial Prince's corpse, and immediately afterwards came to find my lord; during that time, I told no one."

Fu Qiwen, whose eyebrows and hair were half white, had deep wrinkles and an expression so solemn it was unbearable.

He had asked Li Musheng to help him deal with the Third Imperial Prince and others, while he himself devoted his full attention to the affairs of the Tianjin Guard and prepared for the campaign to annihilate the Falling God Peak.

Yet this was how the other party helped?

They had actually eliminated the person who needed to be dealt with, and moreover, they had eliminated another Imperial Prince.

He was truly audacious; how could he dare to kill the Third Imperial Prince?

Fu Qiwen's face shifted uneasily; with an Imperial Prince dying in his jurisdiction, although he did not kill him, he could not escape blame.

Moreover, if one traced the matter to its source, it was ultimately he who had asked Li Musheng for help, thereby triggering this incident.

Fu Qiwen had climbed up from the bottom of the Tianjin Guard step by step, navigating the officialdom for many years; he had seen every kind of storm and wave, but this kind of undeserved disaster was a first.

The entire hall remained silent for quite a while, while Ceng Hai, kneeling on the ground, felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

He cautiously raised his head, only to see Fu Qiwen suddenly heave a heavy sigh, his face quite grim as he said to him:

"After you return, you must hide the Third Imperial Prince's corpse well."

Upon hearing this, Ceng Hai was instantly stunned, his face full of astonishment.

He had come to find the Commander-in-Chief to seek a solution, yet this was how the other party solved it for him?

Then he might as well not have come; if he had known this earlier, he would have found a pit himself to bury Li Zhu's corpse, why make the wasted trip?

However, Fu Qiwen seemed to see through his thoughts and warned him again in a deep voice:

"After tomorrow passes, once I have left the Imperial Capital, remember to secretly return the Third Imperial Prince's corpse to the front of his residence."

"Remember, no one must know or witness this matter; otherwise, you should understand what the consequences will be."

Having said this, Fu Qiwen waved his hand and dismissed Ceng Hai.

In the past, if an Imperial Prince had died in his Tianjin Guard's jurisdiction, he would certainly have tried every means to dispose of the matter properly.

But now it was impossible; with the campaign to annihilate Falling God Peak imminent, he was currently overwhelmed with affairs and had absolutely no spare energy.

Furthermore, regarding the upcoming journey to Falling God Peak, his own life or death remained unknown.

In Fu Qiwen's view, if he met his end at Falling God Peak on this journey, naturally there would be no question of worrying about Li Zhu's matter anymore.

And if he were fortunate enough to return alive from Falling God Peak, then all the blame he would have to bear for this matter would be pardoned by Emperor Yuanwu due to the merit of annihilating Falling God Peak.

Therefore, although the killing of the Third Imperial Prince appeared to be a sky-shattering major incident, for Fu Qiwen, the solution was actually quite simple.

Gazing at Ceng Hai, who left with a distracted look on his face, Fu Qiwen shook his head gently, then summoned his two trusted aides.

He ordered one of them to secretly keep watch on Ceng Hai, while the other was to disguise himself as Li Zhu and leave the Tianjin Guard Headquarters.

He did not expect this move to deceive the Second Imperial Prince and the Right Chancellor and others; he only hoped it would buy him another day of time.

And once he left the Imperial Capital, how matters would develop was naturally beyond his control.

Having done all this, Fu Qiwen turned slightly and cast a glance toward the courtyard where Li Musheng was.

This Eighth Imperial Prince acted without any rules, doing as he pleased, utterly lawless.

To be honest, he could not fathom the other party, and moreover, he had been unconsciously looked down upon by the other party all along.

However, judging from the fact that the other party killed the Third Imperial Prince without a second thought, the other party merely despising him was not really a big deal.

Fu Qiwen shook his head, then returned to his desk to continue handling affairs.

From beginning to end, he did not go to find Li Musheng; he knew that even if he did, it would be useless.

After all, just like him, whether the other party could return alive from Falling God Peak next was still unknown.

At sunset, two men dressed lightly rode two fierce horses, followed by an ordinary carriage, leaving the Tianjin Guard Headquarters.

"Crack!"

On the street where pedestrians were gradually thinning out, the coachman Cao Gaoshan, dressed in coarse hemp clothes, waved the long whip in his hand, urging the two yellow biao horses pulling the carriage to gallop quickly.

Inside the carriage sat three people.

One middle-aged man, about fifty-three or fifty-four years old, wore a dark green silk robe with cloud patterns; his figure was slightly stout, dressed like a wealthy elder.

The other person was petite, wearing a snow-white brocade Confucian robe, with jet-black hair tied up with a jade hairpin, looking like a young scholar from some academy.

As for the remaining person, it was Li Musheng; he leaned against a soft pillow, glanced at the two people before him, fixed his gaze on the middle-aged wealthy elder opposite, and asked directly:

"My Lord Hu, the road to Lan Province is far; why bring along a young lady disguised as a man?"

Upon hearing this, the scholar in the carriage, with red lips and white teeth, pressed his lips lightly, raised his head to glance timidly at Li Musheng, then looked toward the wealthy elder beside him.

At this moment, Hu Rui'an, the Vice Prefect of the Right Command, waved gently at the scholar; on his round face appeared a smile, and he bowed to Li Musheng, saying:

"Your Highness, Miss Murong's father and the Commander-in-Chief are sworn brothers of the eighth degree, and her family happens to be in Sheng Province; Lord Fu, not trusting her to travel home alone, ordered her to accompany us."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng stroked his chin, his face showing a look of contemplation.

At this time, Hu Rui'an gave the scholar a slight glance.

Seeing this, Murong Xiaoya tightly pinched the hem of her clothes, hesitated for a moment, but finally bowed to Li Musheng and said in a voice like a mosquito's hum:

"This commoner greets Your Highness, the Eighth Imperial Prince."

Li Musheng glanced at the other party, raised an eyebrow, and did not make things difficult for her.

However, he felt that Fu Qiwen had ordered him to depart early not only because of the collusion between the Sheng Province Vice Prefect and the Governor with Falling God Peak, but perhaps also had a significant connection with this young girl before him.

Thinking thus, Li Musheng no longer paid attention to the two and did not continue to investigate further.

For him, none of these things were truly important.

More than an hour later, the carriage passed safely out of Shangyang City, racing toward Lan Prefecture.

……

Meanwhile, in a dark alley heavy with night, a man suddenly jolted awake from unconsciousness.

He immediately activated his martial qi and scanned his surroundings with caution.

After confirming no danger lurked nearby, he exhaled slightly, then leapt lightly onto a high wall to survey the area—his expression darkened:

"I hope the Eighth Imperial Prince is unharmed."

He was a top expert sent by the palace to protect Li Musheng, but today, while secretly following Li Musheng's carriage, he had been knocked unconscious—and had remained unconscious until now.

The one who knocked him out was Guan Tianqian, though he himself did not know it.

Now, having lost Li Musheng's trail, he had no choice but to return temporarily to the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters.

Yet, upon returning to the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters, he learned that Li Musheng had already left Shangyang City…

……

Inside the Third Imperial Prince's mansion, lit brightly with lanterns.

Ji Song, the Right Chancellor of Da Li, sat hunched in his armchair, his aged, withered face twisted with anxious unease.

Servants came and went constantly from the study, but every report conveyed but one thing.

The Third Imperial Prince had vanished after leaving the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters and could not be found to this day.

The Second Imperial Prince, Li Que, had remained at Li Zhu's residence since the incident involving Consort Ji, discussing how to assist in capturing the murderer.

Now he sat across from Ji Song, his face grim:

"You're all useless. A prince has been missing for hours, and you've found not a single trace."

The servants in the mansion froze, too terrified to speak. Seeing this, Li Que softened his anger and turned to Ji Song:

"Right Chancellor, do not be so anxious. Perhaps Third Brother is overwhelmed by grief over Mother Ji's fate and has gone out to clear his mind—he'll return soon. I've already dispatched our mansion's martial experts to search for him; we'll hear news soon enough."

Ji Song's dry, bloodless lips twitched, but he said nothing. After a moment, he bowed slightly to Li Que and asked:

"Your Highness, I am old and my memory is poor—please remind me once more: what did Commander Fu Qiwén say regarding Zhu's disappearance?"

Li Que sighed lightly, thought for a moment, then said:

"Commander Fu said he does not know Third Brother's whereabouts, but has dispatched men to search for him urgently and will notify us immediately if any news arises."

Ji Song nodded, then asked:

"Has the Eighth Imperial Prince replied?"

At this, Li Que's face darkened, and he shook his head:

"He has not replied at all—not a word since."

At this, Ji Song slowly closed his eyes and said:

"I know Zhu—he may be hot-tempered, but he always follows the rules. He would never deliberately vanish without a trace."

Speaking, he opened his clouded eyes and spoke slowly, voice hoarse:

"Fu Qiwén has always refused to assist us—but now, knowing Zhu has left the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters, he has suddenly reversed course and sent men to search for him…"

"Fu Qiwén's actions are suspicious. And the Eighth Imperial Prince has not replied at all—that is even more unnatural. Zhu's disappearance must be tied to these two."

Hearing this, Li Que frowned, his expression thoughtful:

"Given Third Brother's temperament, today's visit to the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters must have sparked a conflict with Consort Jing's son—but Third Brother is unharmed; the fact that he left the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters proves that."

"Unless… Consort Jing's son, still resentful, secretly struck again and kidnapped Third Brother."

Ji Song said nothing, seemingly agreeing with Li Que's guess, and replied:

"I've already ordered men to watch the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters—results may come soon."

Not long after, a shadow clad in night-robes dropped from the eaves, slipping soundlessly to the study's entrance and reported:

"Your Excellency, our agents have discovered that around dusk, an ordinary carriage quietly left the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters—its direction suggests it intends to flee Shangyang City tonight."

At this, a sharp gleam flashed in Ji Song's lowered gaze, and he turned to Li Que:

"Something out of the ordinary always hides a trick. The Eighth Imperial Prince, if not a fool, knows he has angered us—he would never dare leave the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters openly. If he must leave, he would act covertly—he is likely hiding inside that carriage."

Li Que's expression shifted, and he nodded:

"Whether or not Third Brother's disappearance is truly tied to him—if he is in that carriage, we cannot miss this chance to seize him. We must seize the initiative."

Ji Song gave a slight nod, then turned toward the figure at the door and asked:

"Have you tracked the carriage's movements?"

The black-clad man bowed his head:

"We have dispatched men to investigate. We should track the carriage soon."

Hearing this, Li Que rose to his feet and turned to Ji Song:

"He must have elite palace experts guarding him—ordinary men cannot capture him. Fortunately, my mansion has many martial experts—I am willing to lend my strength to Your Excellency."

Ji Song nodded, his voice hoarse:

"Then I am in your debt, Your Highness. If my guess is correct, Zhu's disappearance is almost certainly tied to the Eighth Imperial Prince. If we capture him, we will surely find Zhu."

At this, Li Que's expression turned solemn:

"Right Chancellor, rest assured—I will handle this. I will capture Consort Jing's son and bring back Third Brother."

With that, he took his leave and returned to his mansion to arrange the next steps.

Throughout, neither the Second Imperial Prince Li Que nor the Right Chancellor Ji Song ever considered that Li Zhu might be dead inside the Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters.

After all, in all of Shangyang City, there were almost no men who would treat a prince's life as worthless and kill without hesitation—like Li Musheng.

And Commander Fu Qiwén of the Shengzhou Tianjinwei would never allow such a thing to happen on his own turf, let alone help conceal Li Zhu's death.

……

The Second Imperial Prince's residence.

Inside an extremely luxurious room, wisps of fragrant smoke rose and curled; within pink curtains came bursts of bird-like, swan-like voices.

Wu Xiang Lao Ren was bare-chested, surrounded by a group of young women.

At this moment, Wu Xiang Lao Ren's face constantly shifted; every appearance that surfaced was exceedingly youthful and handsome, causing the women around him to feel dizzy and entranced.

"My beauties, can this old man's face still please your eyes? If you are not satisfied, speak freely to this old man; I will surely make every one of you beauties satisfied."

Wu Xiang Lao Ren, wearing the face of a man with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, spoke cheerfully to the women around him.

Yet Wu Xiang Lao Ren's facial features and his hunched, aged body were vastly different, looking extremely incongruous.

But the women around him seemed not to care; their minds appeared entirely captivated by the other's face, immersed in it and unable to extricate themselves.

And just as Wu Xiang Lao Ren was enjoying the warmth, softness, jade-like scent, a knocking sound rose from outside the door:

"Senior, Steward Song requests your presence."

Wu Xiang Lao Ren, disturbed, seemed extremely displeased; his sword-like eyebrows furrowed, and he said coldly:

"This old man is busy; I will not go."

However, the voice outside the door continued:

"Steward Song says news of the senior's enemy has been found."

(End of this chapter)