Afternoon!
The Lantern Bearers are here!
Neither Xia Chen nor Li Wenzhong were too surprised.
This morning, their Yulin Guard had mobilized on a large scale, arresting so many people; this news simply couldn't be kept secret and had already spread throughout the entire capital.
As an intelligence organization, how could the Lantern Bearers not have received the news?
Initially, they hadn't paid much attention, but as some intelligence came in, their expressions turned serious, and they realized that something big had happened.
“Lantern Bearer Commander Cai Ming, acting on my Commander’s orders, is here to take someone!”
Cai Ming brought a dozen or so people, handed over his waist token, and spoke politely but with a firm attitude, immediately stating his purpose to take someone.
“Commander Cai, have you perhaps made a mistake? This is our Yulin Guard. To take someone from us, who are you taking?”
Qin Mu personally led his men to block Cai Ming at the entrance. He looked at Cai Ming confusedly and asked with an expression of bewilderment.
“Captain Qin, don’t play dumb. This morning, I heard the Yulin Guard mobilized and arrested a group of spies! The matter of spies has always been handled by our Lantern Bearers. The Imperial Army is responsible for the safety of the city. Now that the people have been arrested, they should naturally be handed over to our Lantern Bearer Prison for detention.”
Qin Mu smiled after hearing this; he was not intimidated in the least.
“This morning, we indeed arrested a group of people, but we don’t have any spies here. We received reports from the common people saying that those were lawbreakers preparing to conspire and carry out activities that would endanger the capital’s safety.
The duty of our Yulin Guard is to protect the safety of the capital. We are currently conducting an investigation to prevent any accomplices. Once our investigation is complete, we will naturally hand the people over to you.”
Cai Ming’s mouth twitched upon hearing this. Did they really think they could fool the Lantern Bearers as if they were idiots?
“Captain Qin, I don’t have the leisure to continue bickering with you. Regardless of whether those arrested this morning were spies or ordinary lawbreakers, just hand them over to us Lantern Bearers. We will handle the subsequent matters, and we won’t forget the brothers from the Imperial Army for any contributions!”
Cai Ming’s attitude was firm. After speaking, he directly led his men, intending to walk inside.
Qin Mu’s expression turned cold, and he also stepped forward.
“The Imperial Army Barracks is a vital place. Even if you are a Lantern Bearer, you are not authorized to trespass at will!”
After he spoke, the soldiers behind him all stepped forward, forming a human wall, blocking everyone else outside.
Cai Ming’s face was ashen. He seriously looked at the unyielding Qin Mu, his expression flickering between dark and light, until after a dozen breaths, he regained his composure and said coldly.
“Alright, I will report this matter to Commander. Your Imperial Army does not have the right to detain prisoners. We Lantern Bearers will impeach your Imperial Army for this!”
After uttering this harsh threat, Cai Ming turned and led his people away. Since they were determined not to release the people here, he couldn't possibly force his way in.
Moreover, it was clear that someone was benefiting from this matter behind the scenes; otherwise, how could a mere Captain dare to be so unyielding?
“Commander, what do we do next?”
“What else can we do? Go back and report to Commander. I am just a small Commander; how can I turn the world upside down in someone else’s territory?”
Cai Ming cursed angrily. He was agitated and kicked his subordinate who had asked the question a few times, but his eyes were very calm.
“The Yulin Guard would rather offend us Lantern Bearers than hand over the people to us. Is it because those people hold a great merit, and they are afraid we will steal the credit, or is there another reason?”
Cai Ming’s mind raced, and he quickly thought of the military defense map.
Only this matter could make the Yulin Guard so unyielding.
Cai Ming had a bad feeling in his heart. They had already received definite news that the people the Yulin Guard arrested this morning were from the Great Feng Surveillance Institute.
However, they didn't know the specific reason. Xia Chen and Li Wenzhong had already sealed off the news. There were only a few people who knew the full inside story, and those being interrogated were not allowed to leave the prison, precisely to prevent the news from leaking.
Although the Lantern Bearers were an intelligence organization, the Imperial Army was very special. Unless His Majesty gave permission, casually planting spies within the Yulin Guard would lead to serious consequences.
Therefore, even now, the Lantern Bearers still didn't know exactly what had happened.
...
...
When Cai Ming reported his conjecture, it immediately received serious attention.
A fully operational Lantern Bearers was terrifying, especially when they had a specific goal in mind.
Evening!
Based on Xia Chen's morning operation, the Lantern Bearers arrested a group of people from the Surveillance Institute who had received advance notice and evacuated their strongholds.
Under severe interrogation, they finally obtained the specific inside information.
Late at night!
“What? The military defense map was stolen by someone from the Surveillance Institute?”
Lu Li, the Commander of the Lantern Bearers, spoke in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on his subordinate who had come to report.
His subordinate stammered, “That’s what the interrogation results show!”
Lu Li sat back down in his seat, took a deep breath, and realized that things were troublesome.
They, the Lantern Bearers, had made such a low-level mistake, investigating the case for several days but getting the target wrong. What would His Majesty think if he knew this? Would he doubt his ability to handle affairs?
No wonder they had been investigating for several days but had not gotten any crucial results; they had gone in the wrong direction, so it would be a miracle if they succeeded.
“Call Shen Fang over here. How is he handling things? How could he get this wrong?!”
Lu Li was furious, but he quickly regained his composure.
“Get my clothes. I need to go out!”
It was already late at night; he had already gone to bed at his home, with a beautiful concubine in his arms, but he had been forcibly woken up.
And now he was completely sleepless. He had to go to the Yulin Guard immediately, bring back all those key figures, and also discuss with Li Wenzhong.
This matter must be transformed from their dereliction of duty into a situation where both the Lantern Bearers and the Yulin Guard discovered clues together, then investigated deeply, and finally captured the people from the Surveillance Institute.
Thus, not only would there be no fault, but there would even be merit.
But as soon as he had put on his clothes and walked to the front hall, he saw his butler rushing in.
“Master, someone from the palace is here!”
Lu Li’s expression changed upon hearing this, and he realized it was already too late.
The Yulin Guard had already made their move first.
...
Xia Chen got out of bed feeling refreshed; he had slept well last night.
Last night, he stayed at the Yulin Guard Barracks and worked overtime. He didn't leave until all the documents proving that the people from the Surveillance Institute had stolen the military defense map were prepared.
He knew that the subsequent matters had little to do with him; he was currently not on the level of those people's struggles.
Xia Chen practiced a set of punches in the courtyard, just as he was about to leave for the barracks to clock in for work.
“Third Young Master!”
A household soldier appeared outside Xia Chen’s courtyard.
“The Patriarch wants you to come over; he says he has something to ask you!”
“Alright!”
Xia Chen nodded. His steps, originally heading west, began to turn east, walking towards the inner courtyard.
He knew that it was likely about the military defense map. Both Xia Chen and Li Wenzhong believed that this matter required swift action, allowing it to be settled before all parties could react.
Therefore, Li Wenzhong entered the Imperial Palace overnight to finalize this matter completely.
...