Chapter 141: The Medicinal Ingredient!

"My Lord, this is the Zhen'an Bo Mansion!"

Having led his men at full gallop straight here, it did not take long for them to arrive. Looking at the magnificent mansion before him, only a cold expression remained on Shen Yu's face.

This massive mansion, one could only wonder how many sins were buried within.

"Surround it! Do not let a single person escape!"

"Yes!" Following this response, the guard of several hundred men immediately surrounded the place, and several men stepped forward directly, kicking the main gate open.

"Which blind thing dares to kick open the gate of the Earl's mansion!" As soon as the gate was kicked open, a burst of angry cursing came from within, and immediately after, people rushed out.

"Do you know what place this is? Is this somewhere you can act... Army, the army?"

"Take them!"

"Clang! Clang!" Several sounds of blades being drawn rang out, and gleaming blades were held directly against the necks of the servants who had rushed out. The few who had just been shouting loudly felt their legs go weak and collapsed directly to the ground.

"Mil-Military officers, is there some misunderstanding? This is the Zhen'an Bo Mansion!"

"It is precisely your Zhen'an Bo Mansion that I am looking for!" Without even glancing at these people, Shen Yu walked straight inside. The guards following behind him also surged in.

"What is going on? Who dares to come to our Earl's mansion to cause trouble!" Just then, a man looking like a steward walked over, cursing and swearing, but he froze the moment he saw the scene at the gate.

He rubbed his eyes, confirming that the dense crowd of soldiers surrounding the mansion was real and seemed to have sealed it off completely. His complexion changed slightly, but he quickly recovered.

"Whose subordinates are you? This is the Zhen'an Bo Mansion! Who let you barge in like this!"

"So what if it is the Zhen'an Bo Mansion? Your young master has committed crimes. There are victims accusing him of murder, robbing shops, forcibly abducting women, and oppressing the common people. The Prefecture Office has accepted this case; tell your young master to get out here!"

"What? This is slander! Our Zhen'an Bo Mansion has strict family discipline, and our young master is a refined gentleman who knows propriety and etiquette. How could he possibly do such a thing? How can you arrest people without distinguishing right from wrong? Also, who are you to dare come to our...?"

"This official is the Prefect of Songnan Prefecture!"

"I... it, it is you?!" Upon hearing this name, the steward swallowed the words he was about to use to curse, and he felt a panic in his heart, wishing he could slap himself. He never imagined that the person who came would actually be him.

A person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree; if it had been someone else, it would have been fine, but this person had come in person. It was rumored that this Prefect was notoriously stubborn and iron-willed, to the point that even their Earl was three parts wary of him.

The Ministry of Personnel controlled promotions, and the Minister of Personnel held great power. Yet, even for such a family, this man arrested them as he pleased without giving any face. Now, he had brought the army to the Zhen'an Bo Mansion; he was clearly here with ill intent.

"Prefect, our young master is not at home!"

"Not at home? This official does not believe it. Does the Zhen'an Bo Mansion intend to harbor a criminal? Men, search for me!"

"My Lord!" His voice rose significantly. The steward blocked Shen Yu's path and said loudly, "This is the Zhen'an Bo Mansion! Have you considered the consequences?"

"Consequences? Hmph, this official's business is not something for a steward like you to worry about!" With a light huff, Shen Yu did not even bother to look at the other party and ordered coldly, "Search!"

"You, you!"

"You what? Move aside!" Pushing the steward to the side, Shen Yu strode inside. They thought that by saying he wasn't there, he would just leave? They thought too highly of themselves.

Not there? Not being there is fine; it just so happened he had no excuse to search the Zhen'an Bo Mansion, and they had eagerly provided a good one. If he didn't search it inside and out, he would be doing himself a disservice.

He didn't believe that he couldn't dig up those unspeakable things here. As long as he had evidence, not a single person here would be able to run; he would pack them all up and take them away.

"My Lord, nothing was found, and no abnormalities were discovered!"

"My Lord, there is nothing here either?"

"Nothing?" A cold light flashed in his eyes and vanished. These people who were accustomed to oppressing the common people outside—how could their home be clean? Who were they trying to fool!

"My Lord, you have seen it yourself. Our Zhen'an Bo Mansion is clean and is a family of good standing. How could we possibly hide filth? My Lord, do not listen to rumors. Also, since there is no harvest, please return, My Lord!"

"Return? You think too highly of yourself. This official hasn't even started looking yet!"

"You!"

"Get lost!" Coldly glancing at the steward, Shen Yu continued to search around the Earl's mansion. The place covered a vast area, at least a hundred mu, so searching it was somewhat troublesome.

Inside the residence, pavilions and towers were everywhere, with rockeries and flowing water throughout; every spot was extremely exquisite. But in Shen Yu's eyes, every spot could potentially hide a Mechanism.

"Wait, this rockery..." In an exquisite, antique-style courtyard, Shen Yu suddenly stopped his steps. Here, a rockery was arranged in layers, like surrounding mountains, extremely magnificent.

Outsiders might marvel at the exquisite craftsmanship of the artisans, but in Shen Yu's eyes, he saw traces of a Mechanism.

"My Lord, this is the Earl's courtyard. The Earl loves mountains and rivers, which is why he specially arranged a rockery here!"

"Is that so? But why does this official feel that this rockery is arranged a bit too exquisitely?" After looking carefully, Shen Yu strode over.

"What a coincidence, this official also likes mountains and rivers. You don't mind if I take a look, do you?"

"My Lord, this is the Earl's favorite. Please, My Lord, do not touch it lightly!"

"Drag him away!" With a cold huff, Shen Yu directly took down the chattering steward and stepped into the rockery himself.

He explored it with his hands for a moment, then pressed several spots in succession. One of the rockeries suddenly shifted, revealing a deep, dark entrance.

"This..." Seeing this scene, the steward's face turned deathly pale. He did not know why the traps inside the rockery had not been triggered, as if the other party knew the Mechanisms here by heart.

If the traps had been triggered, even if they couldn't hurt anyone, the people inside the secret passage would have noticed. But now, the traps hadn't been triggered, and the people inside would only assume that their own people were coming, without the slightest bit of precaution.

"It's ruined!" Watching the Prefect seem intent on going in, a look of desperation flashed in the steward's eyes. The True Qi in his body circulated rapidly, and a layer of frost coated his hands.

"Snap!" Before he could act, a small stone left Shen Yu's hand and struck him on the neck. The steward felt a pain in his neck and passed out instantly.

"Little brat, still trying to play tricks on me? Overestimating yourself!" He huffed coldly at the side, then ordered loudly, "Men, seal this place! Do not let anyone approach!"

He stepped inside. The deep entrance led to an unknown destination, but the path was filled with Mechanisms, forcing him to waste quite a bit of time dodging them one by one.

He did not know how much time had passed when Shen Yu felt a few faint sounds reaching his ears. It sounded like a series of pleas, full of begging, like a cuckoo crying blood.

"Earl, Young Master, I beg you, let him go! He is still just a child, please show some kindness!"

"Hahaha, kindness? I, your young master, have never had such a thing!" Immediately after, a wild, arrogant laugh came over, accompanied by the heart-wrenching cries of an infant. Then, there was a 'bang', and the infant's crying stopped abruptly.

"Ah!" A near-maniacal scream echoed through the entire passage, making Shen Yu's heart tighten and his pace quicken.

Although he could not see the situation inside, he could generally judge it from the sounds. He hoped it was not as he feared.

"Kill!" A low, cold shout rang out, accompanied by the sound of blades being drawn, and the woman's crying vanished completely.

"Hmph, good, very good! A fine product! Only the Heart Blood shed in extreme anger and desperate sorrow is the perfect medicinal ingredient!"