After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"Announce."

Yinzhen uttered a sound, his eyes shifting in a mysterious way.

Ning Baixuan... The bright yellow quilt covering the emperor rose and fell gently.

Yinzhen, lying on the dragon bed, spoke very softly, so the little eunuch outside the door was bound to not hear him. Yunxiang stood up, said something to the door, and only then did the little eunuch reply with a "Yes, sir."

Not long after.

Wearing a melon-shaped hat and a black riding jacket, the first-rank official in charge of the Sticky Rod Office hurriedly entered the Yangxin Hall's sleeping quarters.

"This servant greets Your Majesty."

Mu Shu, who had two small mustaches on his face, bowed deeply, knelt down solemnly, and kowtowed several times.

Yinzhen said, "Get up and speak."

"twitter."

Mu Shu stood up and bowed respectfully:

"Your Majesty, after a day and a night of searching, my men have finally retrieved Ning Baixuan's body from the moat."

Yunxiang had been ill these days, and it was only because his elder brother was injured that he rushed to the palace to see him. He had never seen this southerner who beat his son in the Southern Dynasty's Golden Hall.

The Iron-Capped King frowned and said:

"Was that corpse really Ning Baixuan?"

Mu Shudao:

It's almost certain.

Yinzhen's voice became complicated:

"He really is dead? Died so easily?"

The emperor inexplicably recalled the figure he had only seen once.

On their first meeting, he angrily rebuked the other party for half an hour in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and even threw a memorial at his face.

Although it was just one meeting, the person's features and figure were firmly imprinted in his mind.

A wild and untamed steed.

Yinzhen pulled his right hand out from under the bright yellow quilt and covered his forehead with it.

He had originally planned to have another talk with Ning Baixuan, the new leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect, after destroying the sect in the next few days.

If this person still refuses to surrender and is unwilling to serve him wholeheartedly, then continue to imprison him.

Even after the Southern Dynasty is destroyed, if this person is still unwilling to give up and still wants to be loyal to the former dynasty whose fate has run its course, then...

Then he could only grant the other party's wish and imprison him until his death.

Oh.

It's such a pity to waste such talent.

Yinzhen thought to himself with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, often including regret or nostalgia).

He was capable of scheming against Alin and Mushu, and especially, using the Heavenly Principle Sect as a pretext to plot against his cavalry... causing the deaths of over two hundred Eight Banners cavalry. Such a person sent chills down his spine.

Similarly, if such a person could be persuaded to surrender and be used by him, he could probably become a military genius like Nian Gengyao within ten years.

pity.

died.

Yinzhen sighed with emotion.

He originally thought the other party had faked their death and wanted to hide in Consort Nian's funeral procession to escape the city.

However, despite the risk of angering him, Ortai thoroughly inspected Consort Nian's funeral procession, and even had the palace eunuchs examine Consort Nian's funerary objects, but he still couldn't find Ning Baixuan's figure.

Therefore, Ortai Guanning Baixuan was still inside the city. After a day-long search of the inner city, many remaining members of the Heavenly Principle Sect were found, some of whom may have been innocent, but they were all killed.

Ortai had important matters to attend to and had already been delayed for a long time. After asking for permission, he led his men out of the city and rode two horses to Miaofeng Mountain.

The task of searching for Ning Baixuan fell solely on Mu Shu's shoulders.

Mu Shu's elite troops were dispatched, with some trying every means to retrieve the bodies and others continuing to search the entire city.

"Under my command is a prodigy named Fei Ting. Fei Ting has an exceptionally keen sense of smell and is a brilliant detective, often being seconded to the Ministry of Justice. Fei Ting has determined that the corpse covered in knife marks and unrecognizable from being submerged in water must be Ning Baixuan."

Yunxiang frowned and said:

"Could it be Fei Ting of the Hangjia clan of the Bordered Blue Banner?"

Mu Shu's eyes lit up, and he nodded gratefully, saying, "I am Fei Ting of the Hangjia clan, thanks to Prince Yi's high regard."

Yunxiang smiled and said, "This person is indeed quite famous."

He looked at Yinzhen:

"Two years ago, when I was investigating the mansion of a corrupt official and looking for the silver he had embezzled, the Ministry of Justice searched everywhere but couldn't find it. So they went to Fei Ting. I don't know what method Fei Ting used, but he managed to find a hidden compartment in the corrupt official's mansion and found 30,000 taels of silver, as well as a batch of calligraphy and paintings. It made me a fortune."

Yinzhen said directly, "Promote Fei Ting to the rank of Second-Class Imperial Guard."

Mu Shu hurriedly kowtowed on Fei Ting's behalf to express his gratitude: "This servant thanks Prince Yi for his kindness in promoting Fei Ting and His Majesty for his advancement."

Yinzhen waved his hand: "How did Fei Ting arrive at this conclusion?"

Mu Shu lowered his head and said firmly:

"Fei Ting never believed that the river could be opened; unless the evidence was conclusive or he was certain in his heart, he preferred to remain silent."

"The last time Ning Baixuan killed Yue Le, it was Fei Ting who noticed something was off about the smell on Ning Baixuan's clothes and alerted A Lin."

"After Ning Baixuan explained the origin of Yue Le's bloodstains on his clothes, the servant was half-convinced. Fei Ting, though young, was very decisive and said that although he had little evidence, Ning Baixuan must be lying!"

"This servant immediately became suspicious and ordered Ah Lin to keep a close watch on Ning Baixuan. Ah Lin did as instructed, but Ah Lin... Ah Lin..."

Mu Shu's tone was filled with emotion and sorrow. After lightly placing some responsibility on the shoulders of the deceased Alin, the highest-ranking official of the Sticky Rod Bureau suppressed his grief and continued:

"Later, while I was trying my best to analyze Han Qing's whereabouts, Fei Ting went to great lengths to search for weapons in the ruins of the Southern Kingdom's embassy, ​​comparing them with the knife wounds on Yue Le and the others. Finally, he found irrefutable evidence proving that Yue Le and the others were killed by Ning Baixuan!"

Mu Shu's voice was slightly agitated, and he felt both resentful and fearful. If it weren't for Fei Ting, he didn't know how long he would have been deceived by that scoundrel Ning Baixuan that night!

Yinzhen exclaimed "Oh," and asked in doubt, "Is Fei Ting such a talented person?"

The deaths of Yue Le and A Lin caused him great distress, but he never expected that Fei Ting would appear in the Sticky Rod Office so soon.

The sorrow that had been simmering in Yinzhen's heart at the thought that Ning Baixuan was indeed dead was temporarily relieved.

Mu Shu bowed and said, "That's right! Fei Ting carefully compared the knife wounds on the dead man's body and found that they were all caused by the precious swords wielded by the imperial guards of our dynasty."

"Although the face of the corpse was difficult to identify, and the person had been submerged in water for a whole day, there was still some odor remaining on the body. Fei Ting discovered that the clothes on this person matched the clothes Ning Baixuan wore in the Peach Residence of Prince Duan's Mansion."

Yunxiang frowned and said:

"Has the Princess Consort of Prince Duan been asked to identify her?"

Yinzhen also turned his gaze over.

Mu Shu took a deep breath, his expression turning serious, and slowly addressed the Emperor and the Iron-Capped Prince at the head of the table:

"Your Majesty, and Prince Yi, it is precisely because we had Prince Duan's wife verify it that we and Fei Ting are so certain."

Yinzhen revealed a disdainful smile and said:

"She said yes?"

She said no.

Mu Shu subconsciously denied the Emperor's words, then regretted it deeply. However, she couldn't take back her words, so she could only quickly lower her head and reply:

"Your Majesty, when the Princess Consort of Prince Duan arrived at the scene, her maidservant vomited upon seeing the corpse. The Princess Consort's complexion appeared normal, but Fei Ting, with keen observation, remarked, 'The Princess Consort's hands are trembling.'"

"The princess consort approached and looked at the gruesome, foul-smelling corpse. After just one glance, she said urgently, 'This can't be my brother. My brother must still be in the city.'"

Yinzhen narrowed his eyes and furrowed his rather thin eyebrows.

"The Princess Consort entrusted the servants to continue searching for Ning Baixuan within the city. After the Princess Consort left..."

Mu Shu's eyes were solemn, and his tone was resolute as he said:

Fei Ting said to the servant:

"The Lady Consort... is lying!"

Mu Shu bowed and said, "The Princess Consort must be unwilling to accept that her younger brother is dead, which is why she lost her composure and was worried about the possibility of something happening."