Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

The following day, the tribute mission was abducted in the imperial court, but the theft of the luminous pearl was not mentioned.

Wei Wujiu ordered his men to act discreetly and suppress the matter for the time being, but this could not be delayed for long.

After the court session, Wei Wujiu did not return to his residence. Instead, he had his attendants take him to the Eastern Depot, where he fabricated a story that he had recently intensified his investigation into the corruption case in Luzhou, and that Prefect Li Huaimin would soon be brought to the capital.

Two hundred miles outside the city, amidst the withered branches of the forest, the ground, where snow had fallen, was almost bare, yet a chill was in the air. Wei Wujiu, accompanied only by his Night Hawk, concealed his presence and quietly arrived.

"Sir, the tribute mission was looted here. No one was left alive, but judging from the signs of a struggle, it was probably a group of mountain bandits."

Night Hawk, based on the investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the information from his undercover agents, spoke up to report.

"Mountain bandits?" Wei Wujiu slowly observed the faint bloodstains on the ground and the damaged carriage.

He raised a question, but didn't say much, his stern face remaining expressionless. He then asked, "What did the coroner say about the autopsy?"

Night Hawk cupped his hands and said, "This matter hasn't been publicized yet, and the Prefect of the Capital doesn't know about it either. The coroners were from our Eastern Depot. The nineteen corpses had many external injuries, but they all died from poisoning."

"really."

Wei Wujiu spoke in a low, ambiguous voice, then looked up at the surrounding mountains again, "This is indeed a suitable ambush location, but the strange thing is that it's too obvious."

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the road is rugged and rarely traveled by. Those who did pass by were mostly merchants and caravans. Moreover, the official post road was just around the mountain road and was heavily guarded by soldiers all year round.

"No need to know any military strategy. Anyone who comes here and uses their brain a little will choose to ambush and attack here. It's just like those so-called mountain bandits who openly robbed people. Moreover, the post road is less than 20 miles away. If the commotion of the robbery is a little loud, it is very likely to attract government troops to come to the rescue."

As Wei Wujiu spoke, he casually shook his head slightly: "It's unlikely they're bandits."

Night Hawk agreed: "Indeed, there have been no bandits around the capital in the past ten years. If they were bandits from out of town who had been following the tribute mission, they would be unfamiliar with the area and it would be too strange for them to suddenly do this."

Wei Wujiu remained silent.

After walking around the area, I found a spot, bent down slightly, took out a handkerchief, and wiped away some of the bloodstains on the carriage. The bloodstains had dried, but I could still see that they were black and had a strange smell.

"If you're going to use poison, why bother with swords and spears?"

Wei Wujiu, puzzled, showed the black blood on the handkerchief to Ye Ying. He then took out another handkerchief to wash his hands: "If it was a bandit following the tribute mission, they could easily have poisoned it at the post station or inn. Wouldn't that have been so easy?"

Nighthawk, holding the handkerchief, was momentarily speechless: "This... I don't know."

Wei Wujiu patted Night Hawk on the shoulder reassuringly and casually explained, "If it wasn't thugs following us, or mountain bandits, then what else could it be?"

Nighthawk blinked. "Uh...someone from the capital?"

Wei Wujiu smiled slightly: "Clever."

"But to be precise, it was someone in the capital who secretly dispatched a group of people, deliberately disguising them as bandits and thugs, to create a false impression. And if I'm not mistaken, this robbery is probably just the beginning."

Wei Wujiu took a deep breath, stepped around the night hawk, and slowly walked straight towards the horses tied up in the distance.

Nighthawk paused for a moment, then followed, asking, "Does Your Excellency have a plan? What should we do next?"

Wei Wujiu frowned and thought for a moment, already having a plan in mind. However, Ye Ying was too straightforward, and there was no need to explain everything to him in detail. So he said, "Let's take it one step at a time."

Night Hawk gasped in surprise, then helped Wei Wujiu lift his horse from the stirrups. He then mounted another horse. "My lord," he said, "this matter concerns the Eastern Depot and cannot be taken lightly. Do you truly have no solution and wish to proceed cautiously and observe the situation?"

Wei Wujiu paused slightly, holding the reins, and glanced at Ye Ying with interest. His gaze seemed meaningful, but as he narrowed his eyes slightly, he instead shouted "Giddy up!" and spurred his horse forward.

Nighthawk was left scratching his head, completely bewildered.

Upon arriving at the Eastern Depot, Wei Wujiu first examined the nineteen corpses, verifying the sword wounds and the poisons inflicted. Then, he obtained a tattered piece of cloth from the coroner.

"My lord, this was found in the hands of the commander who was escorting the tribute mission. It must have been torn off by Commander Xiong in his desperate fight with the murderers before he died, as evidence he wanted to leave for us to identify the murderers," the coroner said, bowing.

Wei Wujiu nodded slightly, then picked up the piece of cloth with his handkerchief and examined it closely. It was black brocade with Shu embroidery.

The scraps of fabric were incomplete, but the embroidered patterns on them were faintly visible, like...

lotus.

Wei Wujiu's furrowed brows deepened. He moved to the window, looked at the tattered cloth again in the light from outside, and after a moment, his cold smile turned into a gloomy look.

It's not just any ordinary lotus totem, but the Midnight Lotus.

The lotus is considered the noble and elegant flower, rising from the mud unsullied. The Midnight Lotus is particularly rare, blooming at midnight and resembling the ephemeral beauty of the night-blooming cereus, which has drawn much attention and is regarded as the family totem by the Lin family.

"It seems this matter is related to the Lin family." Wei Wujiu put down the piece of cloth and casually tossed it back to the coroner.

The coroner was both astonished and puzzled.

Just then, Li Jinzhi knocked on the door and entered. Upon hearing this, he was greatly surprised. After bowing, he said, "Is what you say true, sir? Is this really related to Lin Rucong? But... his health has been poor these past two years. He has even neglected attending court and official duties, spending his days at home on sick leave. I heard he hasn't done anything outrageous. Could he be the one orchestrating this behind the scenes?"

Moreover, the looting of tribute and the theft of the rare luminous pearl were carried out in a cunning and secretive manner, clearly intended to ensure that the emperor would find out but be unable to investigate, ultimately leading to punishment of the Eastern Depot and Wei Wujiu.

However, Wei Wujiu is about to become Lin Rucong's son-in-law, and the wedding is imminent. Even if Lin Rucong is unhappy with his daughter's marriage, he has many ways to cause trouble, but he would not risk getting himself and the Grand Tutor's mansion involved by resorting to such a desperate measure.

"What do you think?" Wei Wujiu asked subtly, and decisively: "Don't make a fuss yet, continue the investigation."

If he's right, every trace that can be traced will point to Lin Rucong.

Deliberately framed.

What exactly does the person behind this want?

Wei Wujiu pondered for a moment, then strode outside, casually adding, "Where's Zhang Qian? Have him draft a memorial truthfully reporting the theft of the tribute and the luminous pearl."

Li Jinzhi was surprised and quickly followed. Since the two were fellow disciples, when no one else was around, he spoke frankly: "Didn't we agree to keep this from the Emperor and not let anyone know? What are you up to now?"

Wei Wujiu continued walking, though he was feeling a bit sleepy. He glanced back at Li Jinzhi, still half-asleep, and said, "Since I'm just idling around anyway, I'll have Zhang Qian draft a memorial quickly so I can go to the palace to apologize."