Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 338: One-track mind

The next morning, Ren Yuan visited Prince Yuzhang.

This time he was not turned away and successfully entered the governor's office.

Looking around, I could see that this government office, which had been through several dynasties, was full of shabby atmosphere...

The large patches of water stains and mildew on the walls look like a blurry and bizarre landscape painting.

The paint on the doors and windows was mottled, revealing the wood grain underneath. Even the ebony plaque in the lobby was covered in dust and cracks, and the four black characters "代天守牧" were full of cracks and lines, and it was impossible to tell what color they were originally.

Although it is said that 'officials do not build government offices', this place is really too shabby for a prince to live and work in.

"You haven't seen the Prince of Yuzhang's Palace in Beijing yet." Zu Geng said softly, "The prince is like this, living like an ascetic monk."

Ren Yuan nodded. No matter what, officials’ frugality is worthy of praise.

Zu Geng led him into the inner bedroom that smelled of strong medicine. He saw that the walls of the huge bedroom were bare except for a bed and a table. Xiao Zong was lying on the bed, and there was a medicine bowl on the table. There was nothing else...

Even the bed curtains were the coarse gauze curtains used by ordinary people.

It's no wonder that Xiao Zong thinks that business is the root of all evil. Living like this, he really doesn't need businessmen to do anything...

Xiao Zong was wearing a starched, bleached robe, his upper body leaning on the pillow, looking at Ren Yuan with a sickly face, waiting for him to salute him.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I've come here on the emperor's orders. According to etiquette, Your Highness should pay respect to me first, and then I'll pay respect to Your Highness." Ren Yuan didn't even bend.

"You! How dare you!" Xiao Zong's personal eunuch was immediately furious, pointing at Ren Yuan and cursing, "Are you trying to piss off the prince to death?"

"Rules cannot be abolished." Ren Yuan said calmly.

In fact, rules are dead, but people are alive. Whether to enforce or bypass them depends on your mood.

Although the other party acted pitiful, he did not forget Liu Zhongjun and the hundreds of villagers who came to Fangxian Township.

This revenge must be avenged!

After a moment of stalemate, Xiao Zong sighed and said, "I know who you are. My sixth uncle, eldest sister, and two useless cousins all died in your hands."

"Yes!" Ren Yuan nodded and said, "But as long as they don't commit crimes, what can a mere ghostwriter like me do to them?"

"So... my father sent you here because he has determined that I have committed a crime?" Xiao Zong coughed twice, his face showing neither sadness nor anger.

"What are you talking about, Your Majesty?" Ren Yuan shook his head. "The Emperor only ordered me to come to Your Majesty's place to look for something, but he didn't say that the thing must be taken by Your Majesty."

After a pause, he said expressionlessly, "It's just that the prince is the most suspicious."

"You!" The eunuch was about to lose his temper again, but was stopped by Xiao Zong, who then asked Ren Yuan, "What was lost in the palace that made father so angry?"

"So..." Ren Yuan looked at Xiao Zong. "Your Highness doesn't admit that you took it?"

"I don't even know what I lost, how can I admit it?" Xiao Zong coughed a few more times in anger.

"Then how did the prince know that it was lost in the palace? And not outside the palace?" But Ren Yuan Youyou asked back: "How do you know that the emperor is angry, and not confused?"

"..." Xiao Zong's expression froze, and he coughed to cover up his panic. After a while, he said with an unhappy face: "I just asked casually, how can I be so strict? Do you want to use my words to frame me?"

"So this is how the Gou Chen Division interrogates cases. It really opens my eyes!" Xiao Zong sneered.

“I don’t know how many unjust, false and wrong cases have been handled!”

After all, he had been in high position for a long time, and he had been the governor for such a long time, most people really couldn't stand it. "Your Majesty, don't rush to accuse me, you don't look sick." Unfortunately, Ren Yuan was an ordinary person, and he didn't buy his tricks at all. He said calmly: "If you really have a clear conscience, take off the jade from your neck, and I will know once I ask."

"You!" Xiao Zong was suddenly speechless.

He knew that Gou Chen Si had the magical power to make people tell the truth. Although he was not sure whether it would be useful to him, he did not dare to gamble.

So it becomes a situation where you are stuck in two directions... If you take off the protective jade talisman, you might be exposed.

If you don't pick it, it means you have something to hide...

"This amulet of mine was given by Buddha. No one can take it away!" Xiao Zong could only say in a low voice.

"I was the one who picked the amulets from Xiao Zhengde and Xiao Zhengze. They weren't that difficult to pick up." However, he was exposed by Ren Yuan on the spot.

"You...don't even think about leading me by the nose!" As a result, Xiao Zong could only rely on his status to get away with it, but his arrogance was definitely suppressed.

"Hehe..." Ren Yuan curled his lips and sneered in disdain.

If it were someone else, this might have been an overconfident provocation, but his smile actually made Xiao Zong feel a chill on his neck, as if he was going to follow in the footsteps of Xiao Zhengde and Xiao Zhengze.

"Then just assume that Your Majesty doesn't know," and then he said to Xiao Zong word by word: "I'm telling you, it's the Imperial Seal."

"Ah?" Xiao Zong was surprised. "No wonder my father made such a big fuss..."

Ren Yuan smiled, appreciating Xiao Zong's not-so-great performance. "We have reconstructed the scene and seen the whole process of the prince committing the crime."

"If it weren't for irrefutable evidence, I wouldn't dare speak to His Majesty in this way." As he said this, he waved his hand and reproduced the scene at that time.

It was exactly the same situation when Blind Yan and another person dug a tunnel into the secret vault of the Imperial Palace, stole the jade seal and defecated.

Moreover, the other man's face was blurry at first, but when Ren Yuan replayed it this time, it was clearly visible, and it was Xiao Zong's face...

Seeing this, Xiao Zong's pupils shrank sharply, his face turned pale, and beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on his forehead.

In fact, Ren Yuan does not know the fifth dimension's trick of 'being there', but his great magical power 'Mirror Image in the River of Oblivion' can allow the other party to see any scene he wants him to see.

Even if Xiao Zong had a protective jade talisman, he still couldn't tell that the picture had been tampered with by Ren Yuan...

This means that evil people will be punished by evil people.

"Who knows where you got this picture? Anyway, if I say I don't know, I don't know. If you don't believe me, just search it!" Xiao Zong had no choice but to muffle his voice and said, "Don't blame me for getting mad if you can't find it!"

"Sorry." Ren Yuan waved his hand, and Yang Zhong and Chen Baxian immediately led people to search.

According to Chen Qingzhi, the imperial seal is a treasure unique to this world. Even gods cannot take it away, and naturally it cannot be stored in a space magic weapon.

Moreover, one can use the Heavenly Eye to see the colorful gem light that cannot be concealed by the jade seal, so as long as it is in the governor's office, it will definitely be found.

But Chongguang Chuang searched the governor's office but still found nothing...

"What did I say?" Xiao Zong said, as if he knew it would happen. "What else is there to say now?"

"Today's search is just a routine matter. Not finding the jade seal now does not prove the prince's innocence." Ren Yuan seemed to have known this for a long time, and said calmly:
"Don't worry, as long as the jade seal is in Guangling City, I will find it sooner or later."

"Then let's wait and see." Xiao Zong smiled coldly, feeling fearless.

(End of this chapter)