Holding a long sword, Zhuang Weicheng followed closely behind 'Firefly', charging at the forefront. He glanced at the other deputy commander, who was several steps behind him, and a sinister smile appeared on his lips. Without Lin Yan interfering, this credit would definitely be his!
Suddenly, the fluttering 'fireflies' stopped and hovered in place, spinning around. Zhuang Weicheng stopped in his tracks, puzzled. What was going on? Could it be that they had lost their presence and he couldn't find the mastermind behind it all?
While he was wondering what was going on, the 'firefly' suddenly moved, drifting quickly towards a courtyard like the wind. Zhuang Weicheng's mind raced, and he followed the 'firefly' to the front of the courtyard. Looking at the tiny fireflies drifting in, and then taking a closer look at the courtyard, his smug expression instantly turned grim, and his eyes became terrifyingly dark. How could this be?
"Hey, isn't this Deputy Commander Zhuang's house? How did those lights drift inside?" Nangong Xiao walked forward, lightly waving his folding fan. His charming eyes were cold and wicked, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a hint of coldness and anger. The Gu worms were actually raised by his family.
Shen Lixue stared intently at the mansion with its high walls, and the Gu-attracting Gu drifted into the Minister's residence!
"This...it must be a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding." Zhuang Weicheng's smug smile had vanished, replaced by a terrifyingly gloomy look in his eyes. What exactly happened? How did those lights drift in here?
Nangong Xiao sneered, "Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, an investigation will tell!" Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he strode forward and pounded on the gate of the Minister's residence: "Open the gate! Open the gate! The Imperial Guards are investigating!"
"They're here, they're here..." With an old voice, the gate opened, Nangong Xiao pushed aside the old man and strode in, followed closely by the Imperial Guards.
"What are you doing..." The old man was stunned and stammered. He looked at the Imperial Guards, who were wearing long swords and had a murderous look in their eyes. He wanted to stop them, but he didn't dare to.
Zhuang Weicheng winked at the old man: "Butler, they're here to investigate a case. Go and wake up Father and Mother!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The butler snapped out of his daze, quickly agreeing and running into the courtyard.
Shen Lixue's gaze darkened, and Zhuang Weicheng's eyes showed some panic. Was he afraid that the Gu would be discovered?
Nangong Xiao, leading the Imperial Guards, swaggered into the inner courtyard, chasing after the 'fireflies'. The sleeping Minister Zhuang was awakened, threw on a robe, and came out, scolding, "What are you doing in the middle of the night…"
Looking up, he met Nangong Xiao's captivating gaze. Behind him, nearly a hundred Imperial Guards stood solemnly. Minister Zhuang's angry rebuke abruptly ceased, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Nangong...Your Highness..."
"Minister Zhuang, I apologize for disturbing you so late." Nangong Xiao lightly waved his folding fan, adopting a nonchalant demeanor. "Just now, I chased after several scent-seeking Gu worms to the Minister's residence. I would appreciate your cooperation in finding the Gu worms..."
"Gu worms?" Minister Zhuang frowned deeply. "Young Master Nangong, what are you talking about?"
Nangong Xiao smiled and said, "Once we find the Gu, Minister Zhuang will understand!"
"Master!" Madam Zhuang came out after getting dressed. Looking at the hundreds of Imperial Guards holding long swords, she gripped Minister Zhuang's arm tightly, feeling flustered, scared, and at a loss.
Shen Lixue frowned. Were they pretending, or were they truly unaware...?
A royal guard rushed in to report: "Your Highness, the lights have stopped in front of a small house in the backyard!"
"Is that so? Let's go take a look." Nangong Xiao smiled coldly, raising an eyebrow at Minister Zhuang and his wife: "Minister Zhuang, Madam Zhuang, come along too, it'll be perfect for clearing up your doubts!"
Nangong Xiao's gaze swept over Zhuang Weicheng, who was retreating rapidly, and he suddenly raised his voice: "Vice Commander Zhuang must also come. This is a major event for Minister Zhuang's mansion. How can the master be left out of the observation!"
"Of course!" Zhuang Weicheng suddenly stopped and turned to look at Nangong Xiao. His gaze was cold and his aura was ruthless. He would not back down even if he lost the battle. Lei Taiwei and the others were following behind the emperor. Even if he did not go to call for reinforcements, they would soon arrive here and speak up for his family.
Nangong Xiao gave a signal, and several Imperial Guards walked behind Minister Zhuang and his family of three, indirectly monitoring them as they walked towards the small house in the backyard.
It was a courtyard that had been idle for a long time, but the wooden door was very sturdy and not a breath of wind could get in. The Imperial Guards swung their swords, the iron locks fell off, and they kicked open the tightly closed door.
A few lanterns shone through the room, revealing it to be empty. In the corner sat several earthenware jars, their lids covering their contents. The faint light drifted into the room, landed on the jars, and vanished without a trace.
Minister Zhuang's face turned deathly pale instantly, his lips trembled, and he was completely bloodless.
The Minister's wife muttered to herself, "This house used to be used to store firewood. When did they put earthenware pots there?" How could there be fireflies in this weather, and even land on the earthenware pots?
Shen Lixue stared coldly at the earthenware pot in the corner without saying a word.
"Deputy Commander Zhuang, what do you have in this earthenware pot?" Nangong Xiao looked at Zhuang Weicheng with a half-smile.
Zhuang Weicheng glanced at him coldly: "My father loves to drink, and my sister is almost of marriageable age. This sealed bottle must contain red wine that will be part of her dowry."
"I wonder if Deputy Commander Zhuang could open a jar for us to see, to prove our innocence?" Nangong Xiao's lips curled up slightly, his charming eyes turning cold. Daughter Red Wine is always sealed after it is brewed and stored in a well-ventilated cellar or buried underground. Who would put it in this dilapidated woodshed?
Do you think he's a fool? Trying to fob him off with such a flimsy excuse.
"What's so difficult about that!" Zhuang Weicheng replied coldly, and strode into the woodshed.
"Cheng'er!" Minister Zhuang exclaimed, secretly giving Zhuang Weicheng a wink.
Zhuang Weicheng glanced at Minister Zhuang and comforted him, "Father, don't worry, it's just a jar of wine, nothing will happen. I will make them prove that our Minister's Mansion is innocent!"
Turning around, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhuang Weicheng strode to the wine jar without looking back.
The woodshed was quiet, and the earthenware pots stood silently without making a sound. Zhuang Weicheng took a deep breath, raised his large hand suddenly, and swung his long sword, instantly cutting off the lids of each earthenware pot.
"Puff puff puff!" Before everyone could take a closer look, several unidentified creatures suddenly darted out of the jar. One landed on Zhuang Weicheng, who was closest to it, while the others quickly attacked the people outside the house.
Nangong Xiao was startled and shouted, "It's a Gu poison! Retreat quickly!"
The Imperial Guards were taken aback and quickly retreated. The Gu poisons, unable to find a host, dared not give up and continued to rush forward.
Suddenly, a chubby black shadow darted in front of Shen Lixue and clung to her. Shen Lixue flicked her slender hand, and a gleaming silver needle flew out, deeply embedding itself in the Gu worm's body. The chubby little body was pinned hard to the wall.
Just as Shen Lixue was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the chubby little body suddenly moved, broke free from the control of the silver needle printer, and attacked Shen Lixue again.
Shen Lixue was taken aback. The silver needles couldn't kill the Gu worms?
Just as the Gu worms flew over again, Shen Lixue was about to change to larger silver needles when Dongfang Heng frowned, swung his palm, and smashed the Gu worms. The stench instantly filled most of the small courtyard.
Over here, the Emperor and the War King, along with their princes and ministers, strode into the inner courtyard of the Minister's residence. Gazing at the exquisite mansion, their faces were terribly grim. The master Gu was actually in the Minister's residence! His ministers had been secretly raising Gu, endangering Qingyan...
Entering the backyard where the dilapidated hut was located, the emperor saw the Imperial Guards in disarray not far away. He frowned and was about to ask what was going on when a small black shadow flew straight towards him. Nangong Xiao's cry of alarm pierced through the clouds and resounded through the sky: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, be careful! That's a poisonous Gu!"
---Aside---
(*^__^*) Hehe... Tomorrow I'm going to start torturing people, so if you guys have any votes, please send me one as encouragement! Love you all, mwah!
Chapter 089: The bookmaker goes to jail, the Lei family is stripped of power.