The document bore the four characters "Prince Qingxu," clearly showing that Prince Qingxu had bypassed our direct administrator, a first-rank official, and issued the document straight to us. Its meaning was not complicated. First, we were to immediately stop investigating Chen Qingzhi. Second, I was to recall both teams at once. Third, it commended my spirit of braving danger and forging ahead in my work, followed by a few rewards.
I looked at the several fourth-grade annual qi plates on the table, and my expression inevitably darkened. You Hongying also knew I was unwilling to accept this and consoled me, saying, "The cause of this matter lies with me, so you don't need to feel too aggrieved. Besides, receiving a personal commendation and order from Prince Qingxu makes you the foremost third-rank official here, at least in name. Let this matter end here. Recall your people and distribute the items among them as compensation for their hard work during this incident!"
I was extremely depressed. Clearly, as long as we interrogated Chen Qingzhi, we could probably have gotten some leads, yet it had to be cut off here. Who would be willing to accept that? So I immediately said, "This probably wasn't Prince Qingxu's personal order, was it?"
"What are you trying to say? Do you still want to defy the order and reopen this case?" You Hongying furrowed her brows, displeasure appearing on her face.
"Could it be that Great God You doesn't want to?" I replied, somewhat annoyed as well.
You Hongying stood up and paced a few steps before saying, "The latest news came from Zhen Dayu's investigation. While he was checking the archives, he reviewed the Guardians' testimonies and found that several of them vaguely pointed to a problem with the divine essences of the officials