Chapter 493
~ THE CLUES LEFT BY YUE WANG ~
Linjiang Tongzhi was directly pulled down by the bodyguard. The victims who saw this scene trembled and gathered away from Mu Yunyao.
Mu Yunyao’s gaze swept across them singly and finally fixed on the two men with their heads lowered in the crowd, “Bring out those two men in black.”
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”
The two people were men who had simple and unpretentious faces. After being captured, they couldn’t help but kowtow to Mu Yunyao. “Princess, please spare our lives. We are all ordinary citizens. We came to this garden according to the arrangement of Lord Tongzhi.
“Bring them down and interrogate them as well.”
“Princess, we are all ordinary citizens. Why are you treating us like this? Do you think we are not pleasing to the eye? Even if you have the credit of providing relief to the victims, you can’t ignore human lives like this.”
Mu Yunyao turned her head, and her expression was cold, “I was only bringing you guys down for interrogation. Since when did I say I want your lives? The two of you keep saying that you are ordinary citizens, but I don’t think any ordinary citizen of Linjiang City who has the accent of the Capital is here!”
Si Shu stepped forward, kicked the man in the crook of his leg, and then pulled a dagger from the tattered shirt around his waist.”
Seeing that the situation was not good, the two men were about to bite through the poison sac behind their teeth to commit suicide, but before they could move, the guards who detained the two of them punched them in the cheek, directly knocking out two of their teeth.
“Miss, there’s poison behind the teeth. It looks like they’re deathsworn.” Even if such a person were alive, it would still be too difficult to find anything or interrogate him.
“Take them down and interrogate them first. I don’t believe that there really is a mouth that can’t be pried open.”
“Yes.”
Seeing this scene, the disheartened people immediately took a deep breath and looked around to see if anyone was mixed or among them.
Mu Yunyao looked at Linjiang Garden and turned around to speak to the victims. “I’ll arrange a tent as soon as possible. Please stay in the tent for the time being because there’s a high chance there’s a clue about the thieves hidden in Linjiang Garden, so we need to search it carefully and ask you for understanding.”
“Yes, this subject and the others will listen to the Princess’ arrangements.”
Mu Yunyao had brought food and medicine for them and had even killed the officials in the city who were corrupt and incompetent. While they felt fear towards her, they also felt admiration from the bottom of their hearts, so they didn’t dare to refute her words in the slightest and were arranged to leave obediently.
“Do search this place thoroughly and see if we can find any clues.”
After searching for nearly an hour and a half, someone found the black ash left behind by the burnt paper under the soil. There was the knockout powder, the remnants of the incense … But not a single thing really useful was found.
Mu Yunyao was walking casually when she suddenly saw a few osmanthus trees planted behind a courtyard wall.
She circled around the courtyard wall and arrived under the osmanthus trees. Suddenly, her vision sharpened as she walked quickly towards the osmanthus tree. She carefully measured the two inconspicuous pebbles placed under the osmanthus tree.
Si Qin and Si Shu followed, “Miss, what’s wrong with these few osmanthus trees?”
“Did you see those two pebbles? There was moss growing on the pebbles. However, there was no water in the garden, and it has not affected by the flood. The soil in the yard was also all dry … Go dig and see if you can find something.”
“Yes.” Si Qin walked forward and dug out the soil under the pebbles. Not long after, she found a box and opened it. There was a hairpin in it as if it was buried by a woman when she was bored.”
Mu Yunyao took over the hairpin and looked at it carefully. The Chang’e Jade Rabbit was engraved on the pearl hairpin, especially that rabbit, which was exceptionally exquisite and cute. Thus, she knew at a glance that it was buried by Yue Wang.
Mu Yunyao’s finger gently caressed the handle of the hairpin before her finger suddenly stopped. Mu Yunyao took a closer look and carefully examined it before twisting the head of the hairpin with her hands. She poured out a note from the handle of the hairpin, which seemed to be the handwriting of Yue Wang. “Water.”
Si Qin and Si Shu quickly thought, “Water? Miss, could it be that Wang Ye intends to say that he is in Yishui City?”
Mu Yunyao looked at the note and then at the few pebbles. Her brows slightly moved. “Is there water flowing in the Linjiang Garden?”
“Yes, the garden here has also attracted some fresh water, which runs through most of the courtyard.”
“But where have this kind of pebbles been laid?”
“If that’s the case… This servant will immediately go and find it.”
After searching for about half an hour, they finally fished something out from the water. It was like a stone and wrapped in layers of kraft paper. The kraft paper was opened layer by layer, revealing two ingots of silver.
“Miss, these two silver taels are marked underneath. It should be official silver.”
“Official silver?” It took such a lot of effort and wrapped so tightly, just to hide these two official silver?” Mu Yunyao took the silver taels and looked at them carefully. Suddenly, she felt that the weight of these official silvers wasn’t right. “This silver is too light...”
“Miss, could it be that these two silver ingots are fake?”
“It wrapped in kraft paper, because afraid the water will soak the two silver taels.” As Mu Yunyao spoke, she threw the silver tael directly on the ground. They heard a ‘pa da’ sound, and the silver actually broke into pieces.
Si Shu exclaimed, “This silver ingot s silver-plated on the outside, but inside is clay. No wonder it was afraid of being soaked in water!”
Mu Yunyao took a deep breath. “Collect all the broken silver taels. The other intact ingot of silver must be well preserved and not be lost!”
“Yes, Miss.”
On the way back to the county government office, Mu Yunyao’s expression had always been unsightly.
Si Qin carefully asked: “Miss, since now that you have clues left behind by His Royal Highness Yue Wang, I presume Wang Ye should be fine. Please do not be so worried.”
“If nothing had happened, how could such important material evidence have been hastily left in the water?” Mu Yunyao’s thoughts were heavy. “His Royal Highness Yue Wang is a strong martial artist, accompanied by Yu Heng and Yu Yi. In addition, the people from Bu Xian Lou are helping from the side. Just what happened to force him into such a situation. His purse was found in the cellar behind the county government office, and if it weren’t absolutely crucial, he definitely wouldn’t have thrown away the things that I gave him....”
Inside the county government’s prison, Tongzhi Linjiang and the two men were tied up, with bloodstains on their bodies, indicating being tortured.
Mu Yunyao came to the prison and looked at Linjiang Tongzhi, who was tied up. “My lord has suffered so much. Can it be that you still haven’t remembered to say something?”
“Even if you are a noble Princess, you can’t treat a government official in such a manner!” Linjian Tongzhi’s face was filled with grief and resentment.
Mu Yunyao sat in a chair brought over by Si Qin and Si Qi and sneered when she heard the words, “Any crimes you’ve committed, just picking it out is enough to put you to death.I’m just torturing you now, so I might at least save your life.”“I don’t understand what the Princess is saying.”
“The salt tax silver, the counterfeiting of the silver taels, conspiracy to murder the prince of the Dali Dynasty, the murder of the salt merchant, the collusion with the destruction of the riverbank....” Every time Mu Yunyao said the crime he committed, Linjiang Tongzhi’s expression became even more unsightly.
“How can a princess so casually slander the officials of the Imperial Court?” Linjiang Tongzhi retorted loudly, but there was a guilty conscience in his eyes.
Mu Yunyao sneered as she stood up. Instead of questioning as Linjiang Tongzhi thought, she walked directly out of prison.
Si Qin gave a small porcelain bottle to the waiting guard at the side. “Pour it down to Lord Tongzhi. Tomorrow morning, he will explain everything.”
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”