Chapter 426

Xue Fenglin had told Zhao Xifang about Lester in the morning; it was impossible to arrest the man that same night.

That would have made Zhao Xifang far too easy to expose.

Not worth it!

Indeed, Zhao Xifang had declined Xue Fenglin's several invitations.

"Coincidentally," he happened to be busy.

Of course, all of this was Zhao Xifang deliberately putting on a show for Xue Fenglin.

It would allow him to distance himself from the Lester affair later, dispel suspicion, and continue hiding his identity.

There was also the fact that he did not want to be tainted by opium!

Zhao Xifang was not stupid; moreover, he had already learned from Su Qiao that this substance was extremely harmful and addictive.

Naturally, he would avoid it whenever possible.

After arranging two or three meetings, each time he found Zhao Xifang was busy; Xue Fenglin merely thought his own luck was poor and the timing was always off.

He suspected nothing.

Thus, seven or eight days passed.

Su Qiao had Sun Youxu lead the Fuzhou Prefecture's Yamen Runners and Constables, along with several Embroidered Uniform Guards, straight to Lester's hiding place, the location of this Frank.

This Lester was residing in a private villa belonging to a merchant named Wu Zheng in Fuzhou.

The entire villa was located in a quiet alley in Nancheng of Fuzhou City; yet inside, the pavilions and towers were renovated to a standard no worse than the courtyards of wealthy families.

One could say Wu Zheng had invested considerable effort into the entire villa.

He spent a vast sum of money and much effort, only to let Lester live there.

This showed how high a status Lester held in Wu Zheng's heart.

He had been completely bamboozled!

The sudden arrival of the Yamen Runners and Constables, who then surrounded the courtyard, caught Lester off guard.

Originally, there was a secret passage within the courtyard leading out of the city.

It was a life-saving secret passage built by Wu Zheng himself.

For some reason, Wu Zheng had not told him about it.

Precisely because this secret passage was unknown to Lester, he could not escape at all and was quickly captured by the Yamen Runners.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were responsible for searching the courtyard.

Soon, they discovered a wooden box wrapped in iron sheets.

Upon opening the box, Sun Youxu immediately judged it to be opium paste.

Bang!

Slamming the box shut forcefully, Sun Youxu snorted coldly and said, "Take him away!"

Lester offered no resistance, as if he had anticipated this scene all along.

The merchant Wu Zheng was left stunned; even now, he did not quite understand what was happening or why he was being arrested.

He even wondered if he had offended someone who was now secretly targeting him.

As he was dragged away by the Yamen Runners and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, he kept wailing that he was innocent.

His voice was extremely shrill, utterly heart-wrenching.

However, it was of no use whatsoever; he was taken directly to the Prefect's Yamen.

To prevent other Frankish opium dealers from discovering the danger and fleeing into hiding.

Sun Youxu had specifically covered Lester's head with a black cloth bag.

By this time, Su Qiao had requisitioned the Fuzhou Prefect's Yamen.

Sitting together with Zhu Di on the high platform, they waited for the prisoners to arrive.

The officials of the Fuzhou Prefecture were also curious about what this Imperial Envoy Su Qiao intended to do.

They came along to observe, but their status allowed them to sit only on the lower sides.

The Prefect Liu Minghe, the Vice Prefect Zhao Hui, and the Assistant Prefect of Fuzhou, He Yunyi, were all present.

What Su Qiao found somewhat amusing was that the Prefect Liu Minghe sat alone on the left, while the Vice Prefect Zhao Hui and the Assistant Prefect He Yunyi sat on the right.

The two were chatting and laughing, appearing to have a very close relationship.

That was quite significant!

Zhao Hui and He Yunyi belonged to one faction, while Liu Minghe belonged to another; the two factions were mutually hostile!

Su Qiao silently noted this relationship in his mind but did not pay it much attention.

After all, it had little to do with him, as long as it did not affect him.

What did their discord have to do with him? Once things here were finished, Su Qiao would return to the Capital.

Zhu Di also glanced over once and did not take it to heart.

Zhu Di sat there with an air of authority; even though he was not wearing official robes, he held the jade pendant representing Zhu Youjian in his hand.

No one dared to cause trouble.

Similarly, no one recognized Zhu Di's identity.

"My lord, your subordinate has not failed in his mission; the suspects Wu Zheng and Lester have all been brought here!"

Without making them wait long, Sun Youxu returned with a vigorous stride to report.

"Good!" Su Qiao offered a faint compliment, then added, "Bring them up!"

Before going, the situations of Wu Zheng and Lester had been investigated in the utmost detail.

If they still managed to lose the man under such circumstances, they would truly be useless...

"Yes!"

"Bring the suspect!"

……

Wu Zheng and Lester were escorted by Yamen Runners into the main hall.

Wu Zheng was merely a merchant with no merit, possessing no privilege to avoid kneeling before officials.

Moreover, terrified as he was, he crashed to his knees with a thud.

Lester had lived in Great Ming for five or six years and was similarly quite familiar with its affairs.

He too dropped to his knees with a thud.

A Yamen Runner nearby stepped forward and yanked the black sack from his head.

Lester blinked in slight confusion, then looked around.

Confirming he was indeed inside the Guanfuya Sect of Great Ming.

He cautiously glanced up at Su Qiao, only to realize the Great Ming official interrogating him was so young.

Su Qiao and the other officials also cast a brief glance at Lester, this peculiar prisoner.

Pale red curly hair, blue eyes, and a foreign face.

Hmm, nothing particularly strange.

The only thing that caught Su Qiao's interest was his composure, or rather, his excellent mental fortitude.

Most people would be in a panic under such circumstances.

Yet he panicked for only an instant before regaining his calm.

This truly made Su Qiao somewhat interested in him.

However, the more important matters must be saved for later.

Su Qiao struck the gavel.

Crack!

Wu Zheng, kneeling below, shuddered 0.3.

"Bold Wu Zheng, do you know your crime?"

Though he had never interrogated a case, hadn't he seen pigs run even if he hadn't eaten pork?

Isn't that how later-era television dramas always portrayed it?

Anyway, within this hall, aside from Zhu Di, he was the greatest.

Yes, Zhu Di stood on his side.

He was the highest official in the hall; he could interrogate the case however he wished.

Wu Zheng was actually still in a state of utter confusion.

Assuming some enemy had framed him, he immediately cried out: "My lord, this humble one is innocent! This humble one has always been law-abiding, never breaking any laws. My lord accuses me, but this humble one truly knows not why."