Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 223 Double Life
"Your Highness." The palace servants hurried forward to support the unconscious Prince Yongyang.

"If anything happens to the prince, you will have your entire clan exterminated!" The personal eunuch jumped up and cursed, "Get lost!"

"Get out of here!" Several eunuchs chased the three people out.

"Your Highness, please do not bring shame to your father and grandfather! The throne of King Yongyang cannot be lost in your hands!" Even when he was chased to the door, Ren Yuan was still shouting, "You still have no descendants!"

The Fifth Dimension also shouted: "If the prince has figured it out, he can come to us. If you are embarrassed to come to your house, just let someone call us and we can come over."

"Get out!" With a bang, the door of the palace was closed tightly.

Nangong said helplessly: "It's good now, we were kicked out."

"We've gained quite a lot this time, Nangong." The Fifth Dimension said with a smile, "Yuan, tell me about it."

"First of all, it can be basically confirmed that King Yongyang should have little to do with this matter. I think he at most knows that someone is refining the elixir in the back mountain, and he may not even know the real method of refining the Red Spirit Pill." Ren Yuan said.

"It's very likely." Diwu Wei agreed, "This kid doesn't look like he can take responsibility. If he knew about the consequences, he would definitely not let anyone do it in the back of his own manor."

"Indeed, refining the Red Spirit Pill in the villa of the royal palace is really audacious!" Nangong nodded and said, "This is totally inconsistent with his character. Could it be that his mother really did it?"

"Why the hell is he refining the Red Spirit Pill?" Diwuwei shook his head and said, "If you want to maintain your beauty and health, just refine a few pills and eat them. Is it necessary to turn it into an industry?"

"Short of money?" Ren Yuan asked softly.

"No. The emperor has given generous rewards to the royal family, and the royal palace has numerous industries. There is no need to engage in such a dangerous sideline." Nangong shook his head and guessed:
"To win over the rich and powerful? Isn't it said that the Red Spirit Pill is very effective for ordinary people and is most suitable for gifts?"

"He is already a prince. Who else does he need to give gifts to? Does he want to go further? The emperor has so many sons. He is just a nephew. It is not his turn." The Fifth Dimension whispered.

"But judging from his performance, the Queen Mother does seem to have some problems." Ren Yuan suggested, "Why don't I turn into him and try to get his mother to say something?"

"Puff..." Diwu Wei took the kettle from Nangong and spit out the water all over the floor as soon as he took a sip. "You are getting more and more reckless. You dare to pretend to be a prince to deceive the queen dowager. Is this something a ghostwriter can do?"

“Don’t do that. If you are accused of impersonating a prince, you will lose your head.” Nangong shook his head helplessly.

"Let's start with the people around the Queen Mother." The Fifth Dimension said, "Those people follow her from morning to night, and they know a lot."

He said to Ren Yuan, "You go back first, and ask Captain Yan and Deputy Zu to interrogate those alchemists. The manager we caught last night was interrogated too hastily, so we need to interrogate him again. Maybe we can get some new results."

"Yes." Ren Yuan responded and returned to the Gou Chen Division.

Diwuwei and Nangong rushed to Longquan Villa.

~~
In Guanyin Mountain.

Ji Buli led two ghostwriters to confront the palace guards at the gate of Longquan Villa. When he saw Diwuwei coming, he asked, "Are there any progress over there?"

"At least we got into the palace." The Fifth Dimension asked, "You didn't even get through the door?"

"Of course not." Ji Buli smiled bitterly and said, "The Queen Mother has spread the word that if anyone from the Gou Chen Division dares to set foot into the villa, she will not live."

He lowered his voice and said, "If we force her to death, we will be in trouble. It's really not worth it."

"Yeah." The Fifth Dimension nodded, looked at the high walls of the villa and sighed, "It seems like a wasted trip."

"We still have to work hard on those alchemists. I don't believe that the real mastermind will not come to see the alchemy field after painstaking efforts?" Ji Buli said. "Well, this is human nature." The Fifth Dimension nodded again and said, "Then I will go back."

After saying that, he took Nangong and disappeared from everyone's sight.

~~
By the time Diwuwei and Nangong returned to Qilin City, it was already dark.

The two of them hadn't eaten all day, so they held their bowls and ate noodles while talking to Yan Fei and Zuan.

"Master, why did you come back so soon?" Yan Fei asked.

"Don't mention it. It's a wasted trip." The Fifth Dimension smiled bitterly and asked, "Did you gain anything here?"

"Yes." Yan Fei smiled and said, "After Yuan sent the message back, I asked the guard to arrange separate interrogations. Zuan and I interrogated the steward we caught last night."

"We asked him, who assigned you this task?" Zuan continued, "He said it was the order of the Queen Mother."

"We asked him again, who was the person who delivered the message?" Yan Fei said again: "He said it was Mr. Xia who was beside the Queen Mother."

Husband is a respectful title for the eunuch.

"We didn't pay much attention to it at first." Yan Fei continued, "Then we interrogated an alchemist and asked him, 'Has no one in the manor visited the alchemy field from the beginning to the end?'"

"He said there was a eunuch named Xia Gonggong."

"Could this Mr. Xia be the one in charge?" Diwu Wei took a sip of noodle soup and asked, "Is there a portrait?"

"Yes." Zuan said as he placed two portraits that were not exactly the same, but 90% similar, in front of the Fifth Dimension.
"This husband doesn't look old at all." The Fifth Dimension studied the portrait and said, "He looks quite familiar. Nangong, have you seen this man?"

"Isn't this Xiahou Hong?" Nangong recognized the man at a glance and asked, "When did he enter the palace to become a eunuch?"

"That's the problem." Yan Fei said in a deep voice: "Xiahou Hong just gave birth to a son years ago, and I went to give gifts on your behalf at that time."

"Then there are only two possibilities. Either this Xia Gongren is his long-lost twin brother, or Xia Houhong plays two roles." The Fifth Dimension analyzed: "He is a bully in the capital and a eunuch in the mountains."

"And a double life," Zuan couldn't help but say excitedly, "It's exciting just thinking about it!"

"Most likely it's the same person. How could the Xiahou family have twins living abroad?" Nangong put down the bowl, wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, and said softly, "And I remember that the Queen Mother of Yongyang and Xiahou Hong seemed to be relatives."

"I remember now. There were rumors in the capital earlier that Xiahou Hong made a fortune from the Red Spirit Pill." Yan Fei slapped his head and said, "Later he denied it flatly, and then no one mentioned it anymore."

"Okay, it seems that Xiahou Hong is the key to breaking the deadlock." Diwu Wei also put down his bowl and said, "Zuan, go and call Yuan."

"Okay." Zuan smiled and said, "Now our leader can't do anything without Yuan."

"It's rare to have a kid who likes to use his brain. If it's useful, we should use it more." The Fifth Dimension said as a matter of course: "Uh... this is called cultivation, do you understand?"

"So this guy is just so realistic." Zuan stood up and complained, "He used to advise people not to think too hard, but now that he's your subordinate, he's become a 'brainy kid'."

"Did I say such a thing? Why don't I remember it?" The Fifth Dimension looked confused.

ps.2200 first order plus more
(End of this chapter)