Xiao Jingcheng's gaze skimmed over the words on the case file.
In the file, the confessions of the water bandits and mountain bandits were extremely detailed. They took turns to tell the ins and outs of the case of the Crown Prince's attack clearly.
According to the case file, this case ultimately stemmed from the Crown Prince's investigation into the private salt case in Ningzhou, which triggered revenge.
The Crown Prince was ridding the people of harm, which was a good deed. However, he inadvertently touched the interests of too many people.
In the capital, the Crown Prince, second only to the emperor, represented supreme glory.
But whether they were water bandits or mountain bandits, they were all desperadoes who lived on the edge of the knife. They followed the code of the martial world, and the laws of the Great Sheng Dynasty were nothing to them. So they didn't care about the Crown Prince at all. If someone blocked their way of making money, that person would only have a dead end.
Even after they committed this crime, they were not afraid at all because they had no families and were not afraid of being punished by the nine - clan extermination.
It could be said that with this case file, the death of the Crown Prince was a foregone conclusion.
If he hadn't miraculously left his body after falling off the cliff and possessed a big yellow dog, how would he have known that Xiao Yixuan, in collusion with the Chen员外 and others, had made so many small moves behind the scenes?
Xiao Jingcheng couldn't help but sneer when he recalled his experience investigating the private salt case in Ningzhou.
No wonder the evidence came so easily when he was investigating that case in Ningzhou. It turned out that they had already prepared to sacrifice the forces in Ningzhou.
However, did Xiao Yixuan really think he could cover everything up?
There were still many medical records in the room that Xiao Yixuan hadn't finished reading. Writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were all ready. Xiao Jingcheng took the case file, picked up a blank piece of rice paper, changed his hand, and wrote a few sentences in illegible handwriting on the paper. Then he hid the paper in the scroll and quietly climbed out of the window.
Xiao Wuchen didn't leave the Liuxiang Tower today.
After finishing the case of the Crown Prince's attack, Xiao Yixuan didn't let him get involved in too many things. So Xiao Wuchen suddenly became idle.
He sat in the room bored and could only casually flip through the storybooks bought from the market to relieve his boredom.
Just as he was reading the part where the heroes of the green forest saw injustice and punished corrupt officials, robbing the rich to help the poor, a strange noise suddenly came to his ears.
Xiao Wuchen put down the book in his hand warily, stood up from the chair, and looked back.
The half - closed window was gently shaking, and the case file intercepted by Xiao Yixuan was quietly lying under the window.
Xiao Wuchen's heart skipped two beats. He put down the storybook in his hand, got up, and quickly walked to the window. He suddenly pulled the window open and looked outside.
The backyard of the Liuxiang Tower was empty. There was no one there. He only saw the soldiers of the Pei family's army wandering carelessly at the back - door entrance, and there were a few stray dogs sitting in a corner not far away.
No one?
Then how did this scroll get here?
Xiao Wuchen's heart was beating faster and faster. He secretly scanned the surroundings with his eyes. After closing the window and bolting it, he bent down and picked up the scroll.
Back at the table, he carefully opened the scroll and found that it was exactly the case file he had written before. Even someone as calm as him couldn't help but feel secretly happy.
When the case file was unrolled to the bottom, a note fluttered out from inside.
Xiao Wuchen picked up the note. When he saw what was written on it, his pupils suddenly shrank, and he couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
The handwriting on the note was rather ugly, but it was clear enough to read what was written.
[The body escorted back to the capital by the King of Mu is not the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is not dead. The King of Xuan is now looking for his whereabouts. If you want to know the details, meet at Ling'an Temple in Tianyuan County in five days.]
Xiao Wuchen clenched his fist tightly and kneaded the note into a ball in his palm. He gasped for breath and subconsciously looked around. After confirming that there was only him in the room, he slowly exhaled.
He unfolded the wrinkled note in his palm again. His gaze shifted back and forth on the words on the note, and he let out a soft laugh.
He knew why his good second elder brother volunteered to go south with the King of Mu and was still staying in Dongli Town and reluctant to leave.
It turned out that the case of the Crown Prince's attack and disappearance was related to his good elder brother.
Once he had doubts in his mind, the things that had happened in Dongli Town recently were quickly connected in Xiao Wuchen's mind.
The Chen员外 was just a petty official. With such a humble status, even if the body of his youngest son disappeared after the burial, there was no reason for him to ask the King of Xuan for help, and it was not worth Xiao Yixuan's trouble to conduct a thorough investigation.
But Xiao Yixuan not only took it seriously but also called all the people who attended the funeral that day to question them, constantly asking if there were any abnormalities. It was obvious that the person who disappeared was not the Chen员外's youngest son at all, but the Crown Prince, Xiao Jingcheng.
No prince didn't want to become the Crown Prince and the master of the world. Xiao Wuchen also harbored a desire for that position in his heart.
However, he also had self - awareness. With his status, even if both Xiao Jingcheng and Xiao Yixuan died, it was unlikely to be his turn. His good father had never even given him a second look.
If Xiao Jingcheng really died, with Xiao Yixuan's current status in his father's heart, no one else but him would be the next Crown Prince.
By that time, would Xiao Yixuan make things easy for him?
The answer was no.
Neither the noble concubine nor Xiao Yixuan had ever taken him seriously. On the contrary, they were very vigilant against him.
Since that was the case, it would be better to seize this opportunity and stir up this muddy water even more. If Xiao Jingcheng could return to the capital alive one day, he could also get benefits from Xiao Jingcheng in return. It was truly...
Killing two birds with one stone.
Thinking of this, Xiao Wuchen burned the note, hid the scroll in his sleeve, then tidied up his clothes, walked out of the door, came to the door of Xiao Yixuan's room, and said to the guard:
"Is the second elder brother in the room?"
The guard replied, "Your Highness went out early this morning. We don't know where he went."
"I see. I don't have anything important either. I'm just bored staying in the room, so I wanted to find someone to talk to." Xiao Wuchen said, "Since the second elder brother is not here, I'll just go out for a walk by myself."
Only after seeing Xiao Wuchen walk out of the Liuxiang Tower with a leisurely pace, as if taking a stroll in another direction, did Xiao Jingcheng retract his gaze.
Next, it was time to see how much of a surprise Xiao Wuchen could give him.
Touching the thick stack of silver notes hidden in his sleeve, Xiao Jingcheng raised his eyebrows and said to the dogs like Big Yellow and Sorrowful Tiger, "Let's go. It's time to go to the next place."
In a desolate grassland south of Dongli Town, there was a hole about a person's height.
There were several dogs guarding the entrance of the hole. Inside the hole, a man covered in blood and beaten black and blue was lying there, groaning "ouch" "ouch" while covering the wounds on his body.
In the distance, Xiao Jingcheng, leading Big Yellow, Sorrowful Tiger and other dogs, was slowly walking towards the hole.