Madam, You Wouldn't Want...

"Chen Fan, I found a destroyed secret passage in the bedroom. I have no idea where it leads!"

Just then, Lu Xuening's voice came from a room in the side residence.

Hearing this, Chen Fan immediately hurried over and saw that Lu Xuening had lifted the bedroom floorboards, revealing the buried passageway beneath.

"With our strength, reopening this passage shouldn't take too long, right?"

Chen Fan said.

"This should be the secret passage Cao De and that woman used for their trysts. But do we still need to find out who that woman is?"

Lu Xuening asked doubtfully.

The evidence they had found in the side residence was now enough to prove that Cao De had indeed colluded with demons and monsters. Although there was no direct evidence, the circumstantial evidence was sufficient.

As long as she reported the matter, Dragon Abyss Prefecture would certainly send Divine Aperture Realm experts to investigate everything. Their mission was more than half complete.

"I'm not trying to find the woman involved with Cao De. I'm curious how Cao De got to this side residence. If he came through the front gate, or climbed over the wall like us, someone might have seen him."

"So I'm guessing this passage may lead to two different places. One is where that woman is hiding, and the other is where Cao De is hiding."

"If we find evidence proving that the end of this passage is connected to Cao De, we can nail him to the wall for good. No matter how silver-tongued he is, he won't be able to overturn his confession!"

Chen Fan said meaningfully.

In truth, he was also quite curious about the woman with Cao De. If they really found her, it would surely leave people thunderstruck.

"You're right. I'll find some tools right away. We'll start digging now. The soil in this ruined underground passage is loose, and with our strength, we might be able to clear it before dawn!"

Lu Xuening's eyes immediately lit up. She found two iron shovels in the side residence, and the two of them got to work.

By midnight, they had reached a fork in the passage. They each dug down one tunnel, and around the fifth watch, Chen Fan broke through one of them.

Crash!

Chen Fan shoved hard. With a crack, he pushed open the exit sealed by wooden boards.

"Who is it?"

"Brother De, is that you?"

Someone had jolted awake from sleep, and Chen Fan's eyes immediately brightened.

He looked up and determined that this was beneath the bed in someone's bedroom. He crawled out of the passage and under the bed, then crawled out. The moment he poked his head out, he saw a beautiful mature woman in a dudou leaning over the bed and peering beneath it.

Their eyes met directly!

"Ah... mmph, mmph!"

The beautiful woman had just been about to scream when Chen Fan stretched out his hand and forcefully covered her mouth.

"Madam, you wouldn't want anyone to know about your affair with Cao De, would you?"

Chen Fan nimbly crawled out from beneath the bed and climbed onto it. Holding the beautiful woman's mouth shut, he whispered his threat into her ear.

The beautiful woman's eyes widened, and then she nodded vigorously.

"I'll let you go. Don't make a sound, or I'll twist your neck off. If you understand, blink!"

Chen Fan added.

The beautiful woman blinked frantically.

"Who are you?"

"Why did you crawl out of the secret passage?"

the beautiful woman asked softly.

"Madam, it seems you haven't understood the situation yet!"

"From now on, I ask and you answer. If you dare lie to me, I'll twist your head right off!"

Chen Fan said viciously.

"What is your identity? What is your name?"

"Me? My name is Wang Menglu. I am the County Governor's second wife."

the beautiful woman answered.

"A concubine is a concubine. What second wife?"

Chen Fan curled his lip.

But today, he had truly gotten his hands on a jaw-dropping piece of gossip.

Cao De, the Hundred-Household Officer of the Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct, was having an affair with the County Governor's favored concubine. This news was absolutely explosive!

The demons and monsters had supported the County Governor as a puppet to stand against Cao De on equal footing, while Cao De had sacrificed his looks to seduce the County Governor's favored concubine and obtain intelligence.

"Why isn't the County Governor sleeping with you?"

Chen Fan suddenly asked curiously.

"My monthly bleeding came, so he went to find one of the servant girls in the residence."

"But if you want it, I can use other methods."

Wang Menglu gazed at Chen Fan with seductive eyes, licking her red lips with her tongue.

Although Chen Fan was covered in mud, she could still see by the moonlight that he was rather handsome. And just now, when Chen Fan had covered her mouth from behind and held her in his arms, she had felt his strong, powerful arms and solid chest.

If Chen Fan wanted to entertain any crooked thoughts about her, she probably would not refuse.

After all, she was merely a frail little woman. If he insisted, then she could only give herself to him!

"Thanks!"

"Absolutely unnecessary!"

Chen Fan knocked Wang Menglu unconscious with a hand chop, then laid her flat on the bed. As an afterthought, he gave her ample chest two squeezes.

Not bad. There was plenty there.

No wonder the County Governor and Cao De could not get enough of her!

He returned the way he had come, and just then, Lu Xuening had also dug through her passage.

This side led to a rice shop along the street. The shop had long since closed, and the entrance to the secret passage was in the storeroom behind the shop. It was separated from the County Governor's residence by a single street, but the straight-line distance was actually not far.

"Find out what connection this rice shop has to Cao De. Then we can convict him."

"Still, are you sure sending the evidence to Dragon Abyss Prefecture will be enough to bring down Cao De?"

Chen Fan asked doubtfully.

Lu Xuening had indeed been sent down from Dragon Abyss Prefecture as a Ninth-Rank Black-Robed Constable, but the yamen had no authority over the Brocade Guard.

The Brocade Guard answered directly to the Emperor of Great Zhou. It was a privileged department charged with overseeing Aristocratic Clans and sects, as well as slaying demons, monsters, and ghosts. It had imperial authorization to execute first and report later!

By rights, even the Prefectural Governor of Dragon Abyss Prefecture had no authority to deal with Cao De, a Hundred-Household Officer of the Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct.

Brocade Guard Squad Leaders held ninth rank, Chief Squad Leaders held eighth rank, Hundred-Household Officers held seventh rank, Chiliarchs held sixth rank, Myriad-Household Officers held fifth rank, Commanders held fourth rank, and Lord Protectors held third rank. This was the main path of promotion.

Naturally, such a privileged department as the Brocade Guard also had other staff members, who could concurrently hold positions such as Deputy Hundred-Household Officer, Vice Chiliarch, and Deputy Myriad-Household Officer.

So Cao De, a Brocade Guard Hundred-Household Officer, was of the same rank as the Ping An County Governor. Although the Prefectural Governor, who held fifth rank, outranked him by a vast margin, the two had no superior-subordinate relationship. Thus, the Prefectural Governor could not convict him.

"I'll report the situation here to the Prefectural Governor's Mansion in Dragon Abyss Prefecture. The Prefectural Governor can then negotiate with the Left Chiliarch of Dragon Abyss Prefecture, and the Left Chiliarch can convict Cao De."

Lu Xuening was first stunned. Her gaze flickered twice before she gave a reasonable explanation.

"Is the Prefectural Governor of Dragon Abyss Prefecture close with Lord Left Chiliarch?"

Chen Fan asked curiously.

"The Left Chiliarch has guarded Dragon Abyss Prefecture for thirty years, while Prefectural Governors are transferred after five-year terms. The current Prefectural Governor of Dragon Abyss Prefecture is not particularly close with the Left Chiliarch either."

"But because the Brocade Guard and the yamen often handle cases together, it's only proper that they give each other face."

Lu Xuening smiled awkwardly and explained.

"It's getting late. Hurry back and sleep for a while. I'll leave the matter of investigating this rice shop to you."

Chen Fan felt there was something off about Lu Xuening's words, but he could not figure out exactly what it was.

The original Chen Fan did not understand the situation in Dragon Abyss Prefecture either, so for now, he could only trust Lu Xuening.

"No problem. Leave this little matter to me!"

Lu Xuening nodded.

The two climbed over the wall and left the rice shop, each returning home.