Chapter 202

Chapter 202 - Missing

Faced with the evidence before him, Liu Shang was so furious that he trembled, smashing the two account books and the confession in front of Xuanzhi Mansion. He then turned and kowtowed three times to Teng Yu, saying, “Your Highness, I have never done such a thing. I am willing to accept any punishment. Those who know me will know this—I have a clear conscience!”

Teng Yu remained silent, while Xuanzhi Mansion impatiently shouted at Liu Shang, “You think you have a clear conscience? Lord Liu, aren't you afraid to speak such words? Can conclusive evidence be nullified by your claim of innocence?”

Liu Zhan, eyes red with anger, retorted to Xuanzhi Mansion, “Master Mu, why are you so relentless when I hold such a low position?”

“What do you mean? I have no enmity with you, so why would I oppose you? I've gathered all this evidence with great effort. Sir Liu, it’s best for you to confess!”

“Heh... Your Highness, I didn't want to speak up, but as a mere seventh-rank official who hasn't been promoted in years, I thought I'd do nothing significant in this life. Even so, I've never considered conspiring with anyone, nor have I ever dreamed of challenging those in power. I know that would be like striking a rock with an egg.”

Teng Yu glanced at Xuanzhi Mansion and said calmly, “I'm not unreasonable. If you claim you're wronged, then provide your evidence.”

Kneeling on the cold floor, Liu Zhan felt relieved upon hearing this. His biggest fear was that the Prince wouldn't allow him to explain and would only accept the evidence presented by Mu.

“This official has evidence!” These five powerful words surprised even Teng Yu, suggesting his information might not have been complete.

Shocked, Xuanzhi Mansion turned pale, exclaiming, “What proof do you have? You're daring to defy us with such minimal experience! Your Highness, you mustn't believe him.”

“Calm down, Xuanzhi Mansion. Conclusions require evidence. Since he can present evidence, let's examine it. I don’t want to treat anyone unfairly, but...” Teng Yu's tone shifted as he fixed his gaze on Liu Zhan, adding, “If Lord Liu's evidence is false, don't blame this prince for being harsh!”

“Yes, this official understands!” Liu Zhan knelt upright and, with trembling hands, removed his official uniform. As the onlookers looked on in confusion, he used his teeth to open his shirt and pulled out a few papers hidden within the folds.

Those who knew Liu Zhan were aware of his odd habit of disliking changing clothes. He often wore the same set repeatedly, only changing into a new uniform when the old one was worn out.

“Your Highness, this is the evidence I've gathered over the years. It proves that Master Tang, Xuanzhi Mansion, and over thirty other officials in Yunjin City have sold hundreds of thousands of kilograms of salt in the past decade, making enormous profits. Please take a look!”

Teng Yu furrowed his brows as he examined the papers. Some were new, others were old, indicating they were collected over time.

“Your Highness, don't believe his nonsense. How could he have gathered any evidence with his limited experience? It must be forged to clear himself of guilt! Your Highness, even if I were daring, I wouldn't commit such a heinous act.”

Xuanzhi Mansion protested loudly, almost swearing to curse himself, yet his eyes never left the papers, increasing his terror.

After reading the papers several times, Teng Yu suddenly looked up and asked Xuanzhi Mansion, “You claim the evidence is fake?”

“Yes, yes! It must be fake!” Xuanzhi Mansion nodded frantically.

As usual, Yin Xu went to the Sky Piercing Pavilion, memorized the positions of all the valuable items, and then left.

Everyone thought he was just casually strolling, as he had been wandering the streets whenever he had free time in recent days.

During this time, they couldn't avoid being followed by people, all of whom were killed. Yin Xu didn't ask who sent them or torture them for confessions, allowing them to die peacefully.

Today was no different. After killing a few pursuers, he circled around several streets. Just as they were about to advise Yin Xu to return, he suddenly left them and ran off.

Ding Yi and Mao Er, with their superior eyesight, saw that Yin Xu was chasing someone and hurried to follow him.

The remaining four bodyguards weren't as skilled in agility as Ding Yi and Mao Er. After pursuing them for a few streets, they lost track of him.

Knowing that the Seventh Young Master was a strong martial artist and that Ding Yi was with him, they assumed there shouldn't be any problems, so they split up to search the city.

After two hours of searching, they found Ding Yi and Mao Er in a remote alley, both unconscious.

Ding Yi and Mao Er were Dark Guards trained by the Third Prince, possessing abilities far beyond theirs. The fact that they were knocked unconscious indicated their enemies were formidable.

Upon waking them, the guards learned that Ding Yi and Mao Er had been attacked along the way by an expert adversary. After several battles, they were defeated and didn't know what happened afterward.

However, they were certain that the attackers didn't intend to harm them, as they would have been killed otherwise.

After this discovery, everyone decided to send someone back to inform the Third Prince while the rest continued searching for Yin Xu.

After listening to the report, Teng Yu's face turned terrifyingly grim. Someone had actually dared to target Yin Xu!

He knew the other party was most likely targeting him. While Yin Xu had offended some people over the past year, he rarely had deep grudges, so there was no reason to pursue him in Yunjin City to kill him.

Moreover, it seemed the other party didn't want Yin Xu's life.

Teng Yu couldn't guarantee that Yin Xu wouldn't fall into their hands. Though Yin Xu was highly skilled, without careful planning, there was always a way to capture him.

Right now, he feared that with Yin Xu's unyielding character, even without an existing enmity, he could create one. If the adversary got angry, things would become difficult to resolve.

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