Chapter 489: Yuan Shu

Snow particles congealed on the eaves, and the stillness of the cold night was split by that teasing voice.

Liu's whole body stiffened, her neck tightened, her voice trembling uncontrollably, carrying difficult-to-mask panic and forced sternness, shouting sharply toward the shadows that the torch couldn't penetrate: "Who?! Who is it?!"

"Who is speaking! Who is pretending to be a ghost!"

Before the words faded, her body couldn't help but tremble slightly, her gaze wandering between the flickering firelight in the courtyard and the ink-like darkness.

The jewelry and treasures all over the courtyard had now become phantoms that made people's hearts panic.

At the same time, the servants who were moving boxes and cages in the courtyard all paused.

The wooden boxes carried on their shoulders almost slipped, the bundles in their hands paused in mid-air, and even the accumulated snow under their feet was forgotten to be pressed, making a fine crunching sound.

Yuan Shu was shocked, but he suppressed the surging panic, shouting loudly: "Be on guard!"

"You guys stop being stunned, hurry up and take out your weapons, be on guard quickly!"

The servants woke up like a dream, the previous fear suppressed by the instinct to survive, responding in unison: "Yes!"

Before the words faded, everyone rushed toward the sticks and tools piled in the corner, some picking up wooden staves, others gripping iron rulers.

Footsteps were messy but hurried as they retreated to the side of Yuan Shu and his wife, standing in a semi-surrounding formation.

Liu leaned tightly against Yuan Shu's arm and asked: "Old Master, who do you think that person speaking is?"

Yuan Shu's eyebrows furrowed tightly, his expression solemn like the unmelted cold snow outside the courtyard, shaking his head slowly, his tone solemn without half a ripple, saying word by word: "Don't know..."

Just at this moment, Yuan Er caught a glimpse of black shadows moving on the manor wall, his hair instantly standing on end. He stretched his neck and shouted loudly to remind: "There is someone on the wall!"

Before the words faded, before everyone could see the outline of the black shadows on the wall, countless cold lights had already broken through the air from the darkness—

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Dense silver needles shot toward the courtyard like shooting stars, carrying a sharp sound of breaking through the air, heading straight for the servants who were on guard.

Yuan Er responded quickly, shouting loudly again to remind: "There are hidden weapons, be careful!"

Upon hearing the sound, the servants immediately waved their sticks, wooden staves and iron rulers dancing into residual shadows under the torchlight, blocking the incoming silver needles.

The crisp sound of "clinking" followed one after another, but there were still fish that slipped through the net...

The next moment, a painful "Ah!" sound pierced the night sky, and a servant covered his shoulder and stumbled half a step.

"Are you okay?" Yuan Er hurriedly turned to ask.

The servant pinched the silver needle that was stuck in his clothing and flesh, frowning with confusion: "What is this thing?"

"It looked very powerful, why isn't it very painful?"

Yuan Lao Si on the side also covered his arm where he was hit by a silver needle, his eyebrows twisted into a knot, murmuring uncomprehendingly: "I don't seem to have anything either..."

But before he could finish, he suddenly let out a muffled "Ugh!", his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight into the snow.

This scene shocked everyone before they could come back to their senses, and the previously confused servant softened his legs and slid down along the wall.

Immediately after, the figures falling down were one after another, the servants lost consciousness one by one, not even having time to hum, and fell into the accumulated snow and the treasures all over the ground.

In just a moment, the remaining servants all fell down in a mess, the light of the torch reflecting a piece of dead silence.

Yuan Shu witnessed this scene, his pupils constricted, the solemnity on his face instantly torn apart by extreme shock.

He stumbled back half a step, his voice trembling uncontrollably, carrying unbelievable panic: "This... this... this all fell down without even touching?"

His gaze swept over the unconscious servants all over the ground, his hands trembling uncontrollably, and cold sweat had already broken out on his back, soaking the inner clothes in this late-night cold wind.

The gaze of the Liu woman was fixed firmly on the top of the wall; the dark-colored embroidered martial garments worn by those black shadows were exceptionally eye-catching.

The collar was embroidered with dark silver patterns, the waist tied with a wide belt, the style was absolutely not what ordinary Jianghu people or government soldiers had.

She shivered like a sieve, her fingernails digging deep into Yuan Shu's arm, her voice carrying a crying tone of extreme fear: "What kind of people are these?!"

Her voice was full of broken crying, and even her breathing was about to stop.

Yuan Shu's gaze was also locked on the black shadows on the wall, his legs trembling like lead, cold sweat flowing down his temples, soaking his sideburns.

He gasped suddenly, the air in his chest carrying a chill, his whole body at a loss, trembling: "Should... should be... the embroidered envoys of the Mingjing Si..."

As soon as the words came out, he couldn't help but shiver.

The reputation of the Mingjing Si and the embroidered envoys had improved a lot in recent years, no longer making people hear their names and tremble, and even being praised...

But this was limited to law-abiding commoners...

The accumulated snow reflected the weak torchlight. Chen Yan stepped on the broken snow and walked into the courtyard slowly, his black brocade robe moving slightly in the night wind, the collar rolled with snow-white fox fur edges.

Behind him were Gao Jiong, Houmo Chen Xiao, and Zhu Yi and Hongye, while several embroidered envoys spread out in a surrounding formation, trapping Yuan Shu and his wife in the center.

He stopped at a distance of about a zhang from the two, a faint smile on the corners of his mouth, his gaze sweeping over Yuan Shu's pale face, and he praised loudly: "Yuan Shu, you have good eyes!"

Immediately, the smile suddenly faded, his tone shifted, and he continued: "However, you haven't answered this office's question just now!"

Yuan Shu looked at the black-clothed fox-furred figure, his pupils constricted, his lips moving as he murmured repeatedly: "This office?"

When the torchlight completely illuminated the visitor's face—his eyebrows were handsome but carried a daunting majesty.

The moment Yuan Shu saw it, his face lost all blood color, his whole body went numb with shock, and his voice broke: "Chen... Lord Chen Yan?!"

Before this exclamation faded, his legs softened, and he could no longer support his body.

With a "thud," he knelt straight into the accumulated snow, his knees hitting the frozen ground, making a muffled sound.

Liu looked at her husband's kneeling figure, then raised her eyes to look at the man in black brocade and fox fur, her lips trembling as she murmured: "Lord Chen Yan?"

The torchlight reflected on Chen Yan's face, sword eyebrows and star eyes, heroic and imposing, the majesty around him was incomparable to ordinary powerful people.

Her pupils constricted suddenly, a stormy sea rising in her heart, surprised: "Is this heroic young man that one...?"

It could only be the existence whose prestige resounded through Chang'an, whose power was overwhelming, and who was worshipped by the people as the blue sky of the current age.

As soon as the thought fell, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her whole body softened, and she could no longer stand on her feet.

Following Yuan Shu, she knelt to the ground with a "thud."

Her forehead almost stuck to the cold accumulated snow, and she didn't even have the courage to raise her head.

Yuan Shu knelt in the accumulated snow, his whole body shaking like a sieve, both hands pressed tightly on the ground, his forehead constantly knocking toward the frozen ground.

"Thud thud" sounded, and blood stains soon seeped out.

His voice was chaotic and out of order, carrying a crying plea: "Lord Chen Yan, the little one was wrong!"

"The little one shouldn't have been blinded by greed, and went to hire grave robbers to rob that tomb!"

"It was all the little one's greed!"

"Please forgive me, Lord Chen Yan!"

Every time he knocked, the accumulated snow rustled down.

All the fear and regret in his heart turned into this incoherent plea.

Yuan Shu knew the power of Lord Chen Yan and the Mingjing Si, but he never expected that they would come so quickly...

Liu followed closely, her forehead knocking heavily on the ground covered in accumulated snow, the cold snow particles wetting her sideburns and cheeks, and she pleaded repeatedly with a crying voice of despair: "Lord Chen Yan, this couple was wrong!"

"Please forgive us!"

Every plea trembled, and the muffled sound of her forehead colliding with the ground intertwined with Yuan Shu's knocking sound, particularly harsh in the silent snowy night.

Chen Yan frowned slightly, looked down at the accumulated snow all over the ground and the blood stains on the two people's foreheads, curled his lips impatiently, and said in a low voice: "Stop knocking... raise your heads!"

Yuan Shu's knocking action stopped abruptly, and he hurriedly responded, his voice still carrying an uncalmed tremor: "Yes... yes..."

Having said this, he gritted his teeth and slowly raised his head.

Because he didn't dare to look Chen Yan in the eye, he just stared at the tips of the other's boots, his whole body still trembling uncontrollably.

Chen Yan leaned over slightly, the fox fur edges of his black brocade robe sweeping across the accumulated snow, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold sneer, his tone carrying a touch of mockery: "Yuan Shu, I thought you didn't recognize this office!"

Yuan Shu's heart tightened, and he nodded and bowed repeatedly, his voice carrying deliberate flattery and difficult-to-mask panic: "How could that be!"

"Your prestige, even if the little one is ignorant, how could I not know it?"

The smile on Chen Yan's face did not dissipate, but frost had already condensed in his eyes. The playful expression was tempered with coldness, and his voice suddenly turned sharp, like an ice cone piercing the silence of the night: "Then tell this office, who gave you the guts to dump the corpse on the street after killing someone!"

Saying this, he raised his hand and patted Yuan Shu's trembling shoulder lightly, his movements casual, but his tone was so sinister that it made people's scalps numb: "Is provoking this office an interesting thing?"

Yuan Shu's whole body stiffened, his pupils suddenly dilated, the panic on his face instantly replaced by confusion and incomprehension, subconsciously shrinking his neck, his lips moving, murmuring in a low voice: "Why is Lord Chen Yan's point of questioning this?"

As soon as this thought flashed, the biting cold climbed all over his body along his spine. He hurriedly knocked his head like garlic, his voice trembling, explaining repeatedly: "My Lord, the little one is wronged!"

"It really wasn't instigated by this lowly one!"

"It was the house slaves of this lowly one's estate acting on their own initiative!"

"This matter has nothing to do with this lowly one!"

"I beg you, Lord, to investigate clearly!"

Chen Yan stood up abruptly, his dark brocade robe stirring a gust of cold wind. His eyes narrowed like a hawk's, his sharp gaze locking onto Yuan Shu as he spoke sternly, "Is there any point in such sophistry!"

"Without your authorization, where would your house slaves find the courage to do such a thing!"

Yuan Shu trembled all over like a withered leaf in a gale, his knees rubbing against the accumulated snow until they were ice-cold, yet he could not spare a thought for it, stammering out two words first: "Truly...!"

His Adam's apple bobbed violently as he swallowed the bitterness and terror filling his mouth. His voice was broken beyond recognition, yet he tried his utmost to defend himself: "This lowly one would not dare lie to you! Even if you gave this lowly one a hundred guts, I would never dare utter a single false word before Lord Chen Yan!"

The blood on his forehead mixed with melted snow, dripping down his cheeks onto the snow in front of him, blooming into spots of dark red. "This lowly one also does not know why they were possessed to do such a stupid thing, but it truly was not instigated by this lowly one..."

"Lord, please see clearly; I beg you to believe this lowly one!"

Not to mention Lord Chen Yan not believing it, Yuan Shu himself was also very surprised; he could not figure out for the life of him why idiots like Yuan Wu would be so brainless...

Before his voice had even faded, he suddenly raised both hands, his ten fingers stretched straight, palms facing the sky, as if to peel open his own sincerity for others to see.

His eyes were full of urgency and pleading, and he swore with great conviction: "This lowly one can swear to the Buddha!"

"Every word spoken just now is true. If there is even one false word, let this lowly one fall into the Avici Hell after death, never to be reincarnated!"

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Yuan Shu. His gaze wandered back and forth between his pale face, the bloodstains on his temple, and his tense hands. A playful arc curled at the corner of his mouth as he murmured in a low voice, "Oh? Swearing such a poisonous oath?"

He stood still for a moment, his sharp eyes taking in all of Yuan Shu's panic and urgency.

Immediately, he raised a finger and pointed at the house slaves lying unconscious in a heap on the ground, asking, "Then which of these people are the house slaves you speak of?"

Yuan Shu shook his head: "Yuan Wu and those few are not among them..."

Hearing this, Chen Yan's brows shot up abruptly, his trailing tone full of hidden meaning: "Hm?"

Sensing the displeasure between Chen Yan's brows, Yuan Shu's heart tightened. He hurriedly knelt and crawled forward half a step, explaining with an increasingly urgent voice: "Lord, it is like this..."

"Because those wicked slaves acted on their own initiative and violated the law, and even dared to show contempt for the majesty of the government, this lowly one learned of it this afternoon and applied family law, teaching them a harsh lesson, beating them until they were half-dead!"

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, fearing the other party would not believe him, and added: "Right now they are still locked up in this lowly one's mansion in Kaiming Ward; they would never dare to escape privately!"

Chen Yan turned his gaze to Houmochen Xiao beside him, his tone steady and without ripples, and said: "Mirror Keeper Houmochen, send men to the Yuan mansion in Kaiming Ward and drag those house slaves back!"

Houmochen Xiao immediately cupped his hands and bowed, responding loudly: "As you command!"

Having said that, he turned his head to look at the several Embroidered Attire Envoys behind him, his eyes turning stern as he ordered in a low voice: "You few, go quickly and get it done!"

Those Embroidered Attire Envoys nodded in unison. Their figures moved, their dark silhouettes sweeping over the courtyard wall like ghosts, disappearing into the night in an instant.

Chen Yan stepped toward the carriage piled high with wooden crates, leaning over to glance at the dazzling array of rare treasures inside.

The luster of jade, the mottled surface of bronze, and silk scrolls and ancient paintings stacked among them were all rare treasures stolen from the tomb.

He picked up a piece of mutton-fat jade disc and weighed it; the jade was warm and cool to the touch. A smile that was not quite a smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he said loudly, "Yuan Shu, you really have quite a lot of treasures stolen from the tomb!"

Seeing this, Yuan Shu hurriedly piled his face with flattery, his head almost touching his chest, and said with utmost respect: "Lord, if you like them, all these treasures are offered to you!"

Hearing this, Chen Yan glanced sideways, his eyes full of undisguised mockery, and snorted coldly: "These stolen goods, this office will naturally confiscate them all!"

Having said that, he threw the mutton-fat jade disc back into the wooden crate, making a crisp "clanging" sound.

Offered?

Is there any need to offer them?

Not to mention these treasures, even the entire Yuan family estate will have to be confiscated...

He turned and walked back to Yuan Shu, his tone suddenly sinking as he asked: "Now you tell this office, where did you obtain the location of that tomb!"

The flattery on Yuan Shu's face froze instantly, and he fell into a state of conflict. His hands gripped his hem tightly, and his lips stammered for a long time, only squeezing out two intermittent words: "It's... it's..."

Chen Yan narrowed his eyes and urged sternly: "Speak!"

Seeing him still hesitating, he stepped forward, staring down at him, and added very considerately: "If you have even half a false word, this office will definitely make you have a good taste of the three hundred punishments of the Mingjing Si!"

Yuan Shu shuddered, instantly panicked, and without any further concerns, he immediately confessed everything: "It... it was an iron-masked man who told this lowly one!"