Chapter 118

The news that some people had broken into the execution ground and taken the prisoners away reached the emperor soon.

At this point, the emperor, Nangong Ao, was playing chess with Xue Shili in the hall. Hearing the news, Xue Shili, who was holding a chess piece, shivered slightly. When he looked up and saw the look on the emperor’s face remain calm, he put down the chess piece on the chessboard, showing no emotional fluctuation on his face.

Nangong Ao did not seem to care about what had happened and he still fixed his gaze on the chessboard while asking Li Baojia, the associate minister of the Ministry of Justice who came to report, “Where’s Zeng Huazhou?”

“Lord Zeng was kidnapped and taken out of the city by the gangsters…” Li Baojia answered.

However, before he could finish his words, Nangong Ao suddenly chimed in, “Then they let go of him?”

“Huh?” ‘His Majesty had received the news before I came here?’ Li Baojia wondered in surprise. He then nodded in a panic, “Yes!”

Nangong Ao did not flare up. He picked up a chess piece and placed it on the chessboard before he continued coldly, “What’s the crime of rescuing condemned prisoners from the execution ground? And what punishment does he deserve to have the condemned prisoners taken away from the execution ground? Let him decide what to do next!”

“Yes! Your Majesty, I’m leaving!” With that, Li Baojia left in terror.

As if nothing had happened, Nangong Ao and Xue Shili continued to play chess.

After quite a while, after the maidservants had changed their tea and snacks, Nangong Ao suddenly gestured them to leave. Looking at Xue Shili, he asked, “Lord Xue, who do you think is behind all this?”

Without hesitation, Xue Shili put the chess piece into the chess box and rose to his feet in a panic. He then bowed to the emperor and answered, “Your Majesty, I’m not that smart and I don’t dare to make wild guesses!”

With a faint smile on his face, Nangong Ao beckoned him to straighten up. “Calm down, Lord Xue! I…”

He paused deliberately and tapped on the chessboard with his right index finger. Hearing the tapping in the dead silence, Xue Shili felt as if his heart were being hammered! A moment later, Nangong Ao continued, “I won’t let any of my subordinates die unjustly!”

Xue Shili was clear about what he meant. He immediately knelt on the floor with a bang, almost tearful. He promised with a resolute look, “Your Majesty, you’re the wisest monarch in the world! I promise as long as I’m still alive, I’ll spare no effort in the performance of my duty!”

“Lord Xue, you may rise!” Though Nangong Ao was still smiling, the coldness flashing in his eyes could make anyone shudder!

When Li Baojia rushed back to the Ministry of Justice in haste, Zeng Huazhou had just got over the shock. After decades of struggle in officialdom, he had finally attained his present position and glory. He was already over fifty, and he knew well that the consequences could be terrible, so after those kidnappers escaped from the city and set him free, though he was already scared out of his wits, in spite of the deep wound in his neck, instead of asking his subordinates to take him home to rest, he moaned and let them bring him to his office in a semi-conscious state.

Lying on the bed in the backyard of the government office of the Ministry of Justice, where the officials would rest after lunch, though faint blood was still oozing from the thick gauze that the imperial physician had wrapped around his neck, Lord Zeng insisted on listening to Lord Li’s paraphrasing of what the emperor had said. When he heard the sentence “What punishment does he deserve to have the condemned prisoners taken away from the execution ground?” his eyes rolled upwards and his face became even paler.

Lord Li was so frightened that he could not help but shiver. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Lord Zeng, take care of yourself! Lord Zeng… ”

Thankfully, Lord Zeng did not pass out. He gradually regained his breath and started shivering as well. Running his fingers along his injured neck, he was filled with regret. As the saying goes ’a single slip may cause lasting sorrow’! If he had known that those condemned prisoners would have been rescued from the execution ground, he would not have offered to supervise the execution to claim credit! ‘It’s unfair!’ though he complained inwardly, he had to admit that dealing with a case involving Prince Mu might be asking for trouble!

“Lord Zeng!” Lord Li did not complain as he did, and his brain was spinning fast. After a while, he suggested, “Would you like to ask Lord Zhang, Zhang Mingqi, to come to discuss with you?”

Zhang Mingqi? After pausing for a few seconds, Lord Zeng suddenly widened his puffy eyes and started pushing Lord Li, “Go, go ask Lord Zhang, Zhang Mingqi to come! Hurry up! ”

An hour later, the officer they had sent out came back. “Lord Zhang is out for a visit!” he reported.

“Where did he go?” The two leaders of the Ministry of Justice were anxious. They did not have much time to waste.

“Qingzhou!” the officer replied.

“Qingzhou?” Lord Zeng looked at Lord Li but only saw the latter shake his head slightly. It seemed the officer of the Ministry of Justice did not have the right to inquire about what the governor of the city was doing in Qingzhou. At the thought of this, Lord Zeng asked him to leave.

As soon as the officer left, Lord Ceng sighed anxiously. “Heavens! What should I do?”

“Don’t worry, Lord Zeng. The wanted posters were sent to the government offices in all provinces of our country. I believe we’ll…”

“Wait!” Before Lord Li could finish his comforting words, Lord Zeng suddenly recalled the conversation he had with Lord Zhang a few months ago. Didn’t Lord Zhang mention that Physician Ling, who had cured Prince Mu’s illness, was from Qingzhou? Lord Zhang had always suspected that there was a connection between Princess Liuxu’s assassination and Prince Mu’s poisoning. Now that the assassin who tried to kill the princess had been put to death, and the criminals who poisoned Prince Mu had already confessed… What did Lord Zhang go to Qingzhou for? Did he still want to investigate further?