Chapter 63: Chen Mo

Zhou Fu.

In the bedroom, Zhou Jingan was sweating profusely.

Creak, creak, creak—

Half a quarter-hour later.

Zhou Jingan suddenly shuddered and collapsed onto the bed.

The woman took a breath, sat up, and wiped his sweat with a silk handkerchief, thinking to herself:

"Young Master seems to really like this Tianlin Guard uniform—every time he puts it on, he doesn't even need a boosting pill, and his pace quickens so much… but I wonder who this 'Chen' he keeps muttering about is…"

Zhou Jingan lightly traced the jade rabbit, his eyes cold.

The incident at Zuiyue Pavilion, though hushed up as much as possible, still leaked whispers—there were too many witnesses.

Especially his forced kneel… it had become a joke among the nobility!

For men of their noble standing, heads may be severed, blood may flow, but face must never be lost!

"Today in court, Father will publicly accuse Chen Mo of abusing imperial authority and committing high treason!"

"The deadline for the demon race case is approaching, and there's not a single lead—Chen Mo, as lead investigator, cannot escape blame!"

"With two crimes combined, he'll have a hard time surviving this!"

"This is just an appetizer. Once Great Achievement is secured, the Chen family will be crushed with a mere flick of the wrist—then I'll make him suffer properly!"

Thinking of Chen Mo's pitiful state beneath his feet, Zhou Jingan twisted into a twisted smile and clenched his fingers tightly.

"Ugh!"

The woman's expression showed slight pain.

Then she noticed something, her eyes widening in surprise, "Young Master, you're in such high spirits today?"

Zhou Jingan rolled over, ready to press on again, when suddenly a loud "Boom!" echoed from the courtyard, followed by chaotic noise.

Knock, knock, knock!

The door was knocked on.

Outside, a servant's urgent voice cried, "Young Master, something's happened! Tianlin Guard has broken in!"

The black-robed woman froze. How could the Tianlin Guard actually be here?

Zhou Jingan frowned.

He quickly dressed and strode out to the courtyard.

There, the solid wooden gate lay shattered on the ground; a group of figures in dark-patterned black robes advanced like a dark cloud. Zhou Fu's guards stood in opposition, but were cowed by their aura, retreating step by step.

The Tianlin Guard's fearsome reputation was known throughout the Great Yuan—folk say: Black robes at the door mean confiscation and death!

This Xuanlin robe was the very symbol of terror among the nobility!

Seeing this scene, Zhou Jingan's heart clenched with alarm.

"What's going on…"

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd, lazily yawning.

Chen Mo?!

…

Tall and lean Liu Mang stepped forward, lightly pushing his blade's hilt, revealing a sliver of cold steel, and said coldly, "Tianlin Guard is on official business—dare you obstruct us? Do you not want your head?"

Zhou Fu's guards trembled with fear, daring not to resist.

At that moment, a furious voice rang out: "Chen Mo, how dare you!"

The guards parted, and Zhou Jingan strode forward, glaring fiercely at Chen Mo, "How dare you lead men to storm the residence of a government official? Do you truly think the Zhou family is a soft target?!"

Chen Mo replied calmly, "We are here on imperial orders to investigate the demon race case…"

"Bullshit! You're clearly using official power to settle personal scores!" Zhou Jingan's temple veins throbbed.

Investigate?

According to Chu Zhuo's report, Chen Mo spent his days idling in Lin Siya, utterly neglecting the case.

Besides, I've been extra cautious lately—had zero contact with the demon race; there's no way they could find anything on the Zhou family!

The only possibility is that after court, the Empress punished me, and Chen Mo, holding a grudge, used this as an excuse to frame and retaliate!

This despicable worm!

But this move struck right at my weak point!

"You know full well what crime it is to settle personal vendettas and harm public duty."

"Leave now with your men, and we can still negotiate—I'll pretend nothing happened! But if you escalate this, watch your official robes!"

Zhou Jingan forced down his rage.

Even Tianlin Guard, granted imperial authority, could not forcibly enter the residence of a Rank 3 official without a decree from the Donggong!

Chen Mo shook his head. "Young Master Zhou, you misunderstand—I'm not here to negotiate."

Liu Mang stepped forward and slapped a yellow parchment onto Zhou Jingan's face.

"Suspect Zhou Jingan, accused of illegally mining Red Sand and secretly colluding with demon race, guilty of treason!"

"All persons associated with the Zhou family are to be immediately arrested and imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, awaiting tripartite tribunal review!"

?!

Zhou Jingan's pupils shrank sharply!

If it were only the demon race case, it might still be Chen Mo's framing—but now they mentioned illegal mining of Red Sand?!

The yellow edict before him was carved with every word like a blade, bearing the Donggong seal—no one, not even with a hundred lives, would dare forge it!

Zhou Jingan snapped his head up, scanning the surroundings.

No sign of Zhou Li—his heart sank halfway to ice.

At that moment, Chen Mo said in a low, drawn-out voice, "Stop looking. Zhou Li has already been arrested and brought in. Together with Vice Minister Zhou, he's waiting for you inside the Imperial Prison."

Boom!

Zhou Jingan was struck as if by lightning, his mind going completely blank.

The next instant, he was pressed face-down onto the ground by Liu Mang, his cheek scraping against the brick and stone, his wide-staring eyes filled with utter disbelief.

Impossible!

How did Chen Mo find out?!

"Arrest them!"

"Yes, sir!"

The bailiffs filed in one after another, kicking open each door in turn as they rushed inside to make arrests.

The entire Zhou Fu erupted with cries of alarm rising and falling; every family member was brought out to the courtyard, squatting on the ground in shackles.

Most of them still wore blank, bewildered expressions, not knowing what was happening.

At that moment, a guard's face flashed with a vicious look. He suddenly erupted into action, slapping a palm toward the bailiff beside him.

Taking advantage of the moment when the bailiff dodged sideways, the guard broke free of his restraints and shot up from the ground, soaring into the high air like a grey hawk!

Trying to run?

Whoosh—

A flash of silver light streaked past, and both of the guard's legs were severed clean at the roots. He hit the ground with a heavy thud, fresh blood gushing out like a spring.

"Don't let him die before he confesses."

Shen Shuchou stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm and indifferent.

The bailiffs stepped forward to stanch the bleeding, dislocated every joint in his body, and bound him tightly with restraining chains.

The Zhou family members watched this scene, their faces gradually turning pale, finally realizing at this moment just how serious the situation was.

……

At that moment, Qin Shou ran over to Chen Mo's side and said in a low voice, "Boss, there's a discovery…"

Chen Mo glanced at Shen Shuchou beside him, cleared his throat, and said, "If you have something to say, say it out loud. What are you being so sneaky about?"

The big boss is right here beside us—what are you reporting to me, the little boss, for?

Still trying to hog the credit right in front of your superior?

You clueless wretch!

Qin Shou hesitated for a moment, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, "Reporting to my lord, this subordinate has discovered a secret chamber. Inside, there are five barbarian slaves locked up, and none of them are wearing any clothes!"

"……"

Chen Mo was speechless. He shot a glance at Zhou Jingan.

Little Zhou sure knows how to have fun—five of them, no less?

Not that I'm looking down on you, but given that scrawny body of yours, aren't you afraid of being drained dry?

Feeling his brother-in-law's gaze carrying a faint murderous edge, Chen Mo put on an upright, righteous expression and said, "Take them all away and hold them pending sentencing!"

Although he was quite fascinated by the scenario of taming barbarian slaves, he'd pass on ones someone else had already trained—they held no challenge, and besides, he had no desire to be a kindred spirit with Little Zhou.

……

The raid and seizure operation continued.

During the arrests, they met with considerable resistance. Among them, an old man was the strongest, approaching Martial Path Rank 4.

But in the end, he was still pinned to the wall by a single spear thrust from Shen Shuchou.

From this one could see the gap. Chen Fu's guard captain Cen Long was a genuine Rank 4 Spirit Sea Realm cultivator, and He Yuzhi was even more so a Martial Dao Grandmaster—even if a Thousand-Man Captain of the Sky Qilin Guard came in person, he couldn't settle it.

"This is the effect of combining a sect with an official house. No wonder Old Man's back is so stiff at court—there must be reasons on this front…"

"Sects use martial force to challenge authority, governing their territories autonomously. Once the foreign threats are quelled, they'll definitely face a reckoning from the imperial court…"

"It seems the Chen family's choice to follow Consort Yu wasn't without reason…"

Chen Mo pondered these things in his heart as his divine sense swept across the entire Zhou Fu.

After his soul power had greatly increased, his perception had become even more delicate and penetrating—any trick or scheme could not escape his all-seeing eye.

He lifted his leg and walked into the main room, came to the inner chamber, and pointed at the western wall as he said, "Smash this wall open."

The bailiff beside him hefted an iron hammer, swung it in a full arc, and slammed it into the wall. The wall merely trembled slightly—it was unexpectedly solid.

"I'll do it."

Qin Shou took the hammer, channeled true essence into both hands, let out a fierce shout, and smashed it in!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

It took three full-power strikes before the wall finally collapsed, and the piled-up silver poured out like a flood!

The entire wall was hollow, and had been reinforced with a formation. Inside, it was stuffed full of gleaming white silver!

"Good lord, this has to be several hundred thousand taels, right?"

Qin Shou couldn't help clicking his tongue.

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "You're underestimating the capabilities of a Rank 3 official of the Ministry of Revenue far too much… Come, pry up the floor over here."

The bailiffs smashed through the floor tiles, and gold, silver, and jewels gleamed dazzlingly.

"There's a hidden chamber under the bed in the next room…"

"Two crates of gold bars are buried under the soil of the flower bed over here—be careful, there might be a formation…"

"Quite a lot of spirit marrow is hidden at the bottom of the pond…"

"There's a hidden compartment under the dressing table, and inside it is… never mind, it's a 'Mr. Horn'…"

Chen Mo moved through Zhou Fu, with a crowd of bailiffs trotting along happily behind him.

Wherever he casually pointed a finger, treasures were sure to be dug up!

I've never raided a house this satisfyingly!

"Boss, don't forget—we're here mainly to search for evidence…" Qin Shou, fearing he'd get carried away and delay the mission, couldn't help whispering a reminder.

"I think this antique vase is evidence—pack it up and take it." Chen Mo waved his hand.

"…"

Chests of gold, silver, and jewels were carried into the courtyard; the Zhou family's expressions grew even more despairing.

No matter what crimes Vice Minister Zhou committed, these embezzled fortunes alone were enough to warrant execution!

The Zhou family is finished!

Zhou Jingan's face was ashen; he said not a word.

…

On the other side, Chen Mo dismissed the other constables and walked alone into the study.

Arriving beside the bookshelf, he observed for a moment, then pulled out the books one by one in a certain order.

Boom—

A muffled thud; the bookshelf rotated, revealing a hidden compartment in the wall.

He pulled out the compartment; inside lay a black pouch, embroidered with green mountains and clear waters, exquisitely crafted.

"A Numinous Pouch?"

Chen Mo dripped a drop of blood onto it—no reaction.

It must be an owned item.

"Hidden so secretly, it must contain something important."

"The Empress should have a way to break it open—I'll have to visit the palace again. I wonder if she's calmed down yet…"

Chen Mo put away the Numinous Pouch.

…

…

…

The Imperial Palace, Xuanqing Pool.

The entire bathhouse stood within a standalone pavilion, built entirely of Bai Yu, sizable in scale; dragon-headed fountains lined the walls, continuously spewing warm, clear spring water to ensure the pool always held flowing water.

The Empress leaned against a jade platform, her body submerged within.

Amid swirling mist, her graceful figure was faintly visible; her neck stretched like a swan's, her collarbones pale and delicate, below which two soft mounds pressed against the water, their perfect curves clearly visible through the clear liquid.

Sun Shanggong knelt behind her, silently combing the Empress's black hair with a jade sandalwood comb.

After court dismissed, the six department ministers gathered in Zhaohua Palace; an hour later, they left one by one, heads hung low and faces grimy.

She had never seen the Empress so furious.

Clear water holds no fish; in officialdom, how many can remain unstained by mire?

The Empress knew full well the ministers' secret schemes—so long as they were capable and got things done, she could choose to turn a blind eye.

But secretly mining Red Sand and secretly colluding with the Demon Tribes? This blatant act of treason had crossed her absolute bottom line!

"Red Sand, the Demon Tribes, and that Ministry of Works official… their goal must be the Eight Directions Cleansing Demon Array."

"But even if they destroyed the Great Array, what benefit would it bring the Zhou family?"

"Or is someone pulling the strings behind them?"

The Empress's gaze grew deep; her bosom rose and fell.

The Zhou family had been thrown into the Imperial Prison; now they could only wait for the verdict of the Three Departments' joint trial.

"Besides this, I have another matter I'm curious about."

"If Chen Mo never leaves his house, how did he solve this case?"

Sun Shanggong paused, then said: "Lately, the city has been rife with rumors—Chen Mo may have deliberately lulled the enemy into complacency while secretly gathering evidence. Such skill and strength at such a young age—if he cannot be won over by His Highness, he may…"

The implication was obvious.

Today's court upheaval all stemmed from Chen Mo, helping the Noble Consort's faction secure a Great Achievement; if he grows strong enough, he may become a sharp blade in Noble Consort Yu's hands!

But the Empress shook her head. "The Demon Tribes are deeply entangled—this concerns the stability of Jiangshan. Chen Mo has removed a major threat to the imperial court; this is a Great Achievement. Whether the Noble Consort's faction exploits this for their own gain is another matter entirely—do not confuse the two."

"Still, I must admit—I underestimated his abilities."

"Such talent is truly worth fighting for."

Sun Shanggong hesitated. "But the Chen family is tightly bound to Noble Consort Yu, deeply rooted—trying to turn him seems hopeless…"

The Empress scooped up water and poured it over herself; droplets traced her curves, her skin gleaming like refined lamb-fat jade.

"Hopeless? Not entirely… I noticed he seems to get along well with Zhu Er?"

"Besides, Zhu Er also played a major role in this case—have them both come to the palace."

"I'd like to see for myself whether Chen Mo truly has three heads and six arms."

…