Chapter 183: Ao Tian

As soon as the two walked to the entrance of the Tixing Mansion and saw it was Ao Tian, the yamen runners of the Tixing Mansion immediately drew their long swords and surrounded them. Gu Yun stood with Ao Tian and was also surrounded by the flashing swords. Ao Tian snorted coldly and was about to make a move when his wrist was pressed by Gu Yun. At this time, Lv Jin had already heard the news and rushed over. Seeing Gu Yun holding Ao Tian's hand, his brows furrowed slightly, and he watched the two quietly.

Gu Yun let go of Ao Tian's wrist and asked, "Are Dan Yulan and Su Ling back?"

Lv Jin nodded.

"I want to see them, immediately!" Gu Yun's tone was urgent. Lv Jin guessed she must have some new discovery; after all, she had brought Ao Tian back. Only, Ao Tian at this moment seemed different from what he had seen in the past. Usually cold and arrogant, today he looked like his whole body was permeated with a manic and violent aura.

Lv Jin vaguely felt the urgency of the matter and didn't dare to delay, taking the two to the study.

In the study sat Dan Yulan with a solemn expression, Su Ling with a dark face, Lou Xiyan who still had a faint smile, and Zhuo Qing with a strange expression.

Seeing this formation, Gu Yun frowned. Lou Xiyan and Qing were actually here too. This explosion case was far harder to clean up than the previous rape case!

Zhuo Qing looked Gu Yun up and down before asking in a low voice, "Are you okay?"

Gu Yun shook her head. Everyone shifted their eyes from her to Ao Tian. He stood outside the study with his back to them. His rebellious posture didn't look like a prisoner at all! Ao Tian's indifference and arrogance made Cheng Hang unable to help but growl, "Ao Tian, do you think the Ministry of Justice prison is a place you can come and go as you please!"

Ao Tian remained silent, not even turning his head. Seeing Cheng Hang was about to rush over, Gu Yun said in a loud voice, "We just went to see someone."

We? How intimate! Su Ling's stiff and cold expression became even colder, but he endured it and didn't say a word.

Dan Yulan asked, "Who?"

"The person who kidnapped Ye Mei."

Everyone present was stunned. If Ye Mei was really kidnapped, the person who kidnapped her was very likely the culprit of the explosion case. Cheng Hang asked urgently, "Where is the person? Can't the two of you catch him?" Not to mention Gu Yun's martial arts were not weak, Ao Tian's kung fu could definitely be counted as a top-tier expert! The reason they didn't catch the person was probably because he didn't want to catch him!

Gu Yun explained, "We could catch him, but if we did that, Ye Mei would be in danger."

Cheng Hang had always admired Qing Mo, but at this moment he felt Qing Mo was completely favoring Ao Tian. With a breath stuck in his throat, he said coldly, "Ye Mei went missing—whether she hid herself or was captured, no one can say clearly. Perhaps all of this is just a trick by Ao Tian and Ye Mei to sabotage the celebration! Miss Qing, don't be fooled by him!"

Was he questioning her judgment?! Gu Yun's sharp eyes narrowed, and she said coldly, "I have my own analytical ability; you don't need to worry about that for me. If the government insists that Ye Mei is the culprit of the explosion, then let's speak with evidence. First, the shoe print on the wall was drawn by you personally; it is clearly a man's size. I have seen Ye Mei; her feet are no different from ordinary women, and it is impossible for her to leave such a large shoe print. Second, Mo Bai said he only parted ways with Ye Mei at the third quarter of the Hai hour. Now there is a witness proving Ye Mei had no time to commit the crime. I have two points of evidence proving Ye Mei is not the culprit of the explosion case. What evidence does the government have to prove Ye Mei is the culprit? Red clothes and a golden mask? Anyone can imitate this kind of attire. As for that threatening note, Ao Tian has already identified it; it is not Ye Mei's handwriting at all. Just based on a piece of paper, a piece of clothing, and a mask, you conclude Ye Mei is the culprit—isn't that too hasty and childish?"

Gu Yun's analysis and questioning left Cheng Hang speechless, and even the entire Ministry of Justice lost face. Zhuo Qing shook her head secretly. These people actually competing with Gu Yun in terms of investigation and evidence collection—that was just asking for death. She came from a criminal investigation background and was an absolute expert at solving cases!

Mo Bai's deep blue eyes couldn't hide his admiration. A group of grown men were not even as clear-sighted as a woman!

Dan Yulan sighed softly and said somewhat helplessly, "Miss Qing, it's not that we don't believe you, but if you and Ao Tian don't explain the ins and outs of the matter, it will be very difficult to resolve this!" Of course he knew the evidence was insufficient, but all surface evidence pointed to Ao Tian and Ye Mei. If he didn't start with them, how could he answer to the Emperor and the envoys of various countries?

Without the support of the Ministry of Justice and the General's Mansion, the chances of finding Ye Mei were slim. Gu Yun glanced at Ao Tian. Ao Tian's black eyes narrowed slightly, which was considered tacit approval for her to explain the ins and outs of the matter. If it were before today, he would never have said it, but now he just wanted to find Ye Mei quickly—to find her before the Zi hour!

With Ao Tian's tacit approval, Gu Yun said in a low voice, "Ao Tian and Ye Mei are actually biological siblings. Their father was a person from Juling Island. The reason so many things happened this time is that Ao Tian's uncle, Ao Ji, wants to force him to return to the island to compete for the Clan Leader position. Killing, explosions, kidnapping Ye Mei, and sabotaging the celebration are all for this purpose. Ao Ji has hidden Ye Mei. If we capture him now, Ye Mei will be in danger. We can only save Ye Mei first, and then capture the person!" Gu Yun had tried her best to downplay Ao Tian's background, only hoping they could find a way to save Ye Mei first. As long as Ao Ji didn't have Ye Mei as a protective talisman, it wouldn't be difficult to deal with him.

Juling Island? Su Ling and Lou Xiyan's eyes darkened at the same time. Ao Tian was actually the person Juling Island was looking for. No wonder they dared to bomb the post house and dared to talk about washing the celebration in blood. There was nothing in the world that Juling Island dared not do.

Lou Xiyan raised his phoenix eyes, glanced at the proud back outside the door, and then looked at the sister-in-law who seemed to be particularly concerned about Ao Tian, and said in a low voice, "The post house explosion has made the Emperor furious. After hearing that the culprit threatened to release Ao Tian, otherwise they would wash the celebration in blood, he is even more enraged. He has already ordered that if the culprit is not caught before the celebration, or if more explosion cases continue to occur, Ao Tian will be beheaded before the celebration begins!"

Beheaded? So far, there should be no solid evidence to prove Ao Tian is the culprit for the previous cases, and he didn't participate in the explosion case either. How could they just say behead him? Is this what they call the supremacy of imperial power? Gu Yun sneered. Yes, if the Heart-Plucking Case couldn't be handled well, couldn't a second-rank official like Dan Yulan be thrown into prison for three years? What did Ao Tian count for in Yan Hongtian's eyes!

Gu Yun's hands unconsciously clenched into fists. Zhuo Qing hurriedly said, "It's useless to say anything now. The most important thing is to find Ye Mei and that Ao Ji. There are five days left before the celebration; time is running out."

Although she also disliked Yan Hongtian's despotism, she could understand the concerns of a monarch and the dignity that could not be provoked. But Yun would absolutely never agree. In her world, right was right, and wrong was wrong. Ao Tian didn't kill anyone, so he shouldn't die!

Now she only hoped that five days would be enough to save Ye Mei, otherwise, there was no guarantee what Yun would do by then!

There were no five days; there were only a few hours!

They didn't know this, but Gu Yun and Ao Tian knew it very well. Ao Tian, who had been silent, finally turned around, stared at Gu Yun, and said, "You said you have a way to find her!" He only hoped she wasn't lying to him!

Just as Gu Yun was about to speak, a yamen runner said in a low voice outside the door, "My Lord, two soldiers claiming to be from the Su Family Army want to see Miss Qing Mo."

Gu Yun said urgently, "Let them in."

The yamen runner glanced at Dan Yulan, and seeing him nod, he hurried out. A moment later, he led two men—one tall and strong, one lean and thin—inside. The two entered the study and headed straight for Gu Yun, calling, "Boss."

Seeing Su Ling was also there, Leng Xiao and Ge Jingyun then called respectfully, "General."

Su Ling nodded expressionlessly. She was really something, making this group of boys loyal to her, forgetting who was the one paying their salaries!

Gu Yun reached out and said urgently, "Did you find it?"

"Yes." Leng Xiao nodded, took out the cloth towel Ao Tian saw in the morning from his bosom, handed it to Gu Yun, and whispered a few words in her ear. A smile finally appeared on Gu Yun's face for the first time today. She had finally found it!

Gu Yun raised a confident smile, opened the cloth towel in her hand, and said in a loud voice, "Actually, the two explosion cases didn't leave no clues. I found this kind of thing in the pits of the two post house explosion sites."

What did she find? Cheng Hang hurriedly walked to Gu Yun's side, saw some dark green tiny cloth scraps in Gu Yun's hand, and asked, "What is this?"

Handing the cloth silk to Cheng Hang, Gu Yun replied, "I didn't know what this was at first, but just now I found out. This is a kind of silk paper used by the government to wrap explosives and gunpowder. It can be moisture-proof and heat-insulated. If I'm not mistaken, the culprit used it to wrap the explosive packages and threw them into the post house together."

Cheng Hang presented the cloth towel in his hand to the table in front of Dan Yulan so that everyone could see the things inside clearly. He continued to ask, "What can this explain?"

"During the celebration, personnel and goods entering and leaving the capital must undergo strict inspections. Explosives and such things are even more impossible to transport in. So where did their explosives come from? Currently, on the streets of Qiongyue, soldiers are patrolling back and forth in the open and in secret every day. Who would carry a large pile of explosives and wander around the street, attracting attention?"

Lv Jin's mind was more delicate than Cheng Hang's. Upon hearing her say this, he immediately realized, "You mean, the lair of this group of culprits might be near the government warehouse where salute gunpowder and fire stones are stored?"

Gu Yun nodded in appreciation. Cheng Hang's eyes lit up, "In the capital, there are two government gunpowder warehouses in total. One is next to the West City Gate, and one is near the cloth market in the south of the city. We can divide our forces into two groups to surround and intercept them!"

Gu Yun snapped her fingers lightly and replied, "I have the same intention! Lv Jin and Cheng Hang go to the warehouse at the West City Gate, and I will go to the cloth market in the south of the city with Leng Xiao and Ge Jingyun. What does Lord Dan think?"

She had already arranged everything; what else could he say? Dan Yulan could only nod and reply, "Since there are clues, naturally we must investigate."

Gu Yun smiled with satisfaction. Just as she was about to leave with Leng Xiao and the others, Mo Bai, who had always followed Lou Xiyan like a shadow, suddenly said, "I'll go with you!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 184 =====