Douluo Continent: The Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, who intercepted the immortal herb

Chapter 57 The Holy Son Makes His Move, and the Heavenly Struggle Begins

Morning light pierced through the window, cutting out several patches of light on the sandalwood bed inside the room.

A furry head peeked out from under the covers.

Xiao Wu clung tightly to Su Chen, her cheek pressed against his chest, fast asleep.

A very soft knock came from outside the door.

"Enter."

Su Chen lowered his voice.

The door opened, and Xu Tinglan walked in carrying a copper basin.

She changed into a crisp, tailored Legal Department uniform that accentuated her stunning curves.

Her gaze swept over the intertwined figures on the bed, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment.

The copper basin was gently placed on the wooden stand, its bottom striking the wooden platform with a dull thud.

"Has the person been chosen?"

Su Chen brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen onto Xiao Wu's collarbone and sat up.

Xu Tinglan quickly shifted her gaze to the gold bricks on the ground: "Li Mu, Deputy Commander of the City Defense Army. Prince Xuexing's brother-in-law."

"He was usually in charge of the defense of the south of the city, and he was quite dishonest. But under the protection of the prince, the Ministry of Justice has been unable to touch him."

"He's the one."

"This is just one of the names on the very edge of the ledger."

Xu Tinglan looked up, her eyes showing hesitation. "Besides, his official rank isn't high. If we only expose him, won't we alert the enemy?"

Su Chen grabbed a coat and put it on, then walked barefoot to the basin.

Xu Tinglan subconsciously handed over the damp cloth.

My fingertips accidentally touched the back of his hand, and I recoiled as if I'd been electrocuted.

Su Chen grabbed her wrist with his other hand and forcefully took the cloth from her.

The warmth was transmitted through the thin skin, and Xu Tinglan's heart suddenly raced.

"The goal is to stir up trouble and alert the enemy."

Su Chen slowly wiped his hands, his tone indifferent, "Go and do it. Have Ghost Hand, that mute subordinate, change into coarse clothes and deliver the two copies of the bill he extracted to the gate of Zhang Wen's residence."

"Imperial Censor Zhang Wen?"

Xu Tinglan frowned. "He is known for being stubborn and inflexible, and he favors the Crown Prince."

"Only the toughest bones dare to bite into the fattest meat."

Su Chen threw the cloth back into the basin.

Water splashed everywhere.

Two hours later.

Zhang Mansion Study.

Zhang Wen stared intently at the few pages of hemp paper in his hand, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

The edges of the paper were soaked with the sweat from his palms.

"grown ups?"

The pageboy beside him held a teacup, his voice tense.

"The seal's secret mark, the transaction amount! Everything matches!"

Zhang Wen suddenly stood up, his elbow knocking over a teacup.

The scalding hot tea dripped down the edge of the table onto his cloth shoes.

He was completely unaware.

Where is the delivery person?

Zhang Wen grabbed the pageboy by the collar, his eyes bloodshot.

"They ran away—they just left them at the gatehouse and ran off."

Zhang Wen forcefully shook him off, carefully folded the two pages of hemp paper in half, and stuffed them into the innermost pocket of his chest.

"Fine! Prince Xuexing, you've finally met your match!"

He strode out of the study, his leather boots slamming heavily on the bluestone slabs.

"Prepare the sedan chair! We must proceed to the palace immediately to meet the Emperor!"

noon.

The Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.

"You bastard!"

The heavy jade paperweight, accompanied by the sound of wind, crashed heavily onto the white jade steps of the Golden Palace, shattering into pieces.

Emperor Xueye pointed at Li Mu, who was kneeling on the ground below, and coughed violently.

The old emperor's face turned purplish-red, and his chest heaved violently.

The entire court was completely silent.

Prince Xuexing stood at the very front, his face ashen, his jaw clenched so tightly he dared not even breathe.

How can he defend himself?

The evidence presented by Zhang Wen clearly revealed the money shops and banks where Li Mu sold stolen goods on the black market, the flow of silver, and even the secret codes of the contacts!

"Strip him of all his official hat and plumage! Throw him into a death row cell for a joint trial by the three judicial authorities!"

The imperial guards stormed into the main hall like wolves and tigers, dragging the limp and exhausted Li Mu out.

This imperial edict, like a thunderclap, completely shook the skies above Tiandou City.

Afternoon, around 3 PM.

West of Tiandou City, the Earl's Mansion.

The exquisite blue and white porcelain vase was smashed against the wall, shards of porcelain scattered all over the floor.

"Investigate! Investigate it now!"

The fat count, his collar taut and his flesh jiggling, roared at the kneeling butler, "Who leaked the information? Weren't the account books in that dead man Han Su's hands?!"

The butler knelt on the ground, his voice trembling: "Master, Lord Han's residence has been completely sealed off by the Ministry of Justice—"

The fat count suddenly felt dizzy and slumped heavily into the armchair.

The wooden chair creaked under the weight.

into the night.

Prince Xuexing's Mansion.

The silver charcoal in the brazier crackled and popped as it burned.

Prince Xuexing grabbed the bronze wine vessel from the table and smashed it hard on the head of the advisor opposite him.

Blood streamed down the advisor's forehead and dripped onto the expensive Persian carpet.

"That idiot Li Mu! Who gave him the written leverage?"

Prince Xuexing paced back and forth in the room, his eyes bloodshot.

"Your Highness, now is not the time to pursue Li Mu."

The aide, ignoring the blood, lowered his voice to a whisper, "Does Zhang Wen only have these two pages, or all of them? If it's all of them—"

The aide swallowed hard.

"There's a mole within our faction."

The moment the word "traitor" was uttered, the temperature in the study plummeted.

Prince Xuexing's gaze instantly turned sinister, sweeping across the empty room like a venomous snake.

The seeds of suspicion have already sprouted in the darkness.

At the same time.

The Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace, East Palace.

Inside the luxurious study, the underfloor heating was burning brightly.

The finest ambergris slowly drew a white line through the air.

Disguised as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, Qian Renxue, dressed in an elegant bright yellow casual outfit, leaned back in a rosewood chair, flipping through the secret memorials on her desk.

"Your Highness."

In the shadows, a black-clad agent knelt on one knee, his knee scraping against the carpet with a soft thud.

Qian Renxue didn't look up, her finger turning a thin page: "Speak."

"Li Mu, the deputy commander of the city's defenses, was detained at noon today. The Xuexing Prince's faction is in chaos. The Prince's staff left the city overnight, suspected of contacting the garrison. The other counts involved have all added hidden stakes in front of their gates."

Qian Renxue paused in turning the pages of her book.

She slowly raised her head, her gentle and refined face showing no ecstasy, but rather an unusual coldness.

"The methods were crude, but the results were excellent."

She put down the file and tapped her index finger rhythmically on the table.

Thump, thump.

"Zhang Wen is straightforward; he wouldn't come up with such a vicious scheme. Old foxes like him prefer to handle things gently and subtly; they would never use such methods."

"Only throw out the most peripheral piece, not to kill the enemy, but to disrupt the entire game."

The knocking stopped.

Qian Renxue looked at the secret agent: "Have you found the source of the evidence?"

"According to the informant of the Censorate, the person who delivered the goods was a beggar. The beggar later drowned in the moat."

The hidden cameras were buried even lower, "but my subordinates followed the black market's covert investigation and found that Li Mu was being targeted last night."

"Last night, Xu Tinglan, an officer from the Department of Justice, led a team to clear out Luanshidu."

"continue."

Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes.

"Xu Tinglan returned to her private residence in the south of the city. And Su Chen, the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall who had just entered the city, was currently staying there."

"Su Chen, the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall."

Qian Renxue slowly chewed on the name between her lips and teeth.

She stood up and walked to the tall French windows.

The night sky over Tiandou City was obscured by thick clouds, making it stifling and difficult to breathe.

A holy son who should have been living a life of luxury in Wuhun City.

A player who, upon entering the city, precisely severed the lifeline of the power struggle within the officialdom.

"The Spirit Hall's reach has gone too far."

Qian Renxue turned around, a golden glint flashing in her eyes.

That was the absolute majesty unique to the Angelic Martial Soul.

She walked to the desk, took out a gilded letter with the royal emblem, and wrote a few lines.

"Send it to the Xu residence in the south of the city."

Qian Renxue put the letter into an envelope, sealed it with sealing wax, and wrote, "Tell that holy son that I have prepared a small feast for him in the Eastern Palace tonight, and I urge him to grace us with his presence."

South of the city, the Xu residence.

Su Chen leaned back in a rattan chair in the courtyard, toying with an exquisite silver wine pot in his hand.

Xiao Wu was lying on his lap, fiddling with his fingers with a blade of grass.

A night breeze carried the faint scent of grass and trees emanating from her.

Hurried footsteps came from the direction of the main gate.

Xu Tinglan strode into the courtyard, her knuckles white from gripping the paper, clutching a letter with gold lettering in her hand.

She walked up to Su Chen and handed him the letter: "A secret summons from the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace."

Su Chen did not answer.

He glanced at the royal crest on the envelope and casually took a sip of his drink.

"It came even faster than I expected."

Xiao Wu grabbed the letter.

Upon seeing the signature, she jumped up like a little tiger guarding its food and hugged Su Chen's arm tightly.

"You're not allowed to go!"

Xiao Wu's eyes widened, her face full of vigilance. "This prince is looking for you in the middle of the night; he definitely doesn't have good intentions!"

"The neighbors all say he's prettier than a woman; he must be a vixen who's just trying to seduce people!"

Su Chen was amused.

He reached out and pinched her puffed-up cheeks.

"Don't worry. The person in this world who can deceive me hasn't been born yet."

"That won't do! If you go, I'm going too!"

Xiao Wu wouldn't let go, gripping his arm tightly with a stubborn expression, refusing to loosen her grip no matter what.

Xu Tinglan stood aside, watching the two's intimate actions.

The tension that had arisen from the secret summons was instantly replaced by a strange sense of irritation.

She looked away, her voice dry: "Your Highness, the Eastern Palace is a den of dragons and tigers, and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe is extremely cunning. If you go alone—"

"What? Is Steward Xu worried that I won't be able to return?"

Su Chen pushed Xiao Wu away and stood up.

He walked straight up to Xu Tinglan.

The distance has been shortened.

The man's body temperature and a faint smell of alcohol wafted towards me.

Xu Tinglan was forced to look up.

When she met those deep, dark eyes, her breathing immediately became erratic.

"The Department of Justice is responsible for protecting envoys, so naturally I—"

"Warm up a pot of good tea for me."

Su Chen interrupted her.

Rough fingertips gently brushed against her cuff.

"Wait for me to come back and drink it."