The Big Fish Surfaces, Directly Targeting the Eastern Palace (Part 2)

Xiao Qianjun was no different.

He led the elites of the Demon Suppressing Division, meticulously searching county by county in the northern and western parts of Yong Province.

Every time they busted a hideout, their first priority was to find secret letters, and their second was to interrogate survivors.

Although most cultists had restrictions within their bodies that would cause them to die instantly if they tried to leak crucial information.

Xiao Qianjun, however, was an old hand and always managed to extract fragmented information before they met their end.

These fragmented pieces of information were gathered together.

Coupled with the secret letters and account books seized from various branch sect hideouts.

The clues about "Ming Yuan" grew more numerous.

But what made both Lin Changqing and Xiao Qianjun feel troubled was that this person was simply too cautious.

In all the secret letters, the codename "Ming Yuan" appeared only a handful of times.

And the content was always vague, never mentioning specific identities.

Contact with branch sects was never made in person, always through multiple intermediaries.

Each transaction had a dedicated person in charge, operating on a single-line contact basis, and anyone who had seen "Ming Yuan" was silenced.

"This person is by no means an ordinary mole for the Demon Cult."

Xiao Qianjun wrote in his message to Lin Changqing.

"He is fully aware of the Demon Suppressing Division's investigation methods and knows how to cover his tracks."

"I suspect this person is either a high-ranking official in the court or a member of the imperial family, otherwise, he wouldn't have so many resources and means to erase his traces."

Lin Changqing finished reading the message and casually handed it to Su Wanqing beside him.

"Xiao Qianjun is right, this fish is indeed cautious and cunning enough."

Su Wanqing took the message and read it, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Saint Venerable, do you think this 'Ming Yuan' might be—"

She hesitated, not finishing her sentence.

After all, that guess was too outrageous, even she herself couldn't believe it.

Lin Changqing didn't reply, merely patting Jin Yao's neck.

Jin Yao tilted its head and let out a low growl, flying towards the next hideout in Yong Province.

Three days later.

Wuyang County, Yong Province.

Lin Changqing and Xiao Qianjun met at the County Governor's mansion.

Their respective teams converged at the entrance, with the Demon Suppression Guards and Imperial Guards sealing off the entire street.

In the reception hall.

A large map of Yong Province was spread across the table.

Beside it were piles of documents and secret letters seized from various branch sect hideouts.

Lin Changqing sat in the main seat, holding a teacup.

Xiao Qianjun stood before the table, pointing to several locations circled in cinnabar on the map.

"Prince Wu'an, the seized documents from these branch sect hideouts all mention the codename 'Ming Yuan'."

"Although it's mentioned vaguely each time, your subordinate has had them cross-referenced one by one, and it's definitely the same person."

He pulled out three letters from the pile on the table and placed them side by side in front of Lin Changqing.

"The dates of these three letters are May of last year, September of last year, and February of this year."

"The letters all mention the help 'Ming Yuan' provided to the Holy Demon God Sect in entering the Capital City."

"The first letter states that 'Ming Yuan' helped the Demon Cult forge entry documents for the Capital City."

"The second letter states that 'Ming Yuan' informed the Demon Suppressing Division of a surprise raid in advance, allowing the branch sect to prepare."

"The third letter states that 'Ming Yuan' provided a map of the Capital City's defenses."

The more Xiao Qianjun spoke, the more solemn his expression became.

"Being able to forge official identity documents, knowing about the Demon Suppressing Division's surprise raids in advance, and obtaining the Capital City's defense map."

"None of these three matters could be accomplished by an ordinary official."

"However, the scope of officials who meet these conditions has been narrowed down considerably, those of Third Rank and above, or Fourth Rank and above who hold substantial power in relevant government departments."

Lin Changqing nodded and put down his teacup.

"Continue."

Xiao Qianjun picked up another document from the table, a thin account book.

"This is an account book seized from a branch sect's den in Yong Province. It records the Spirit Crystals and resources they've provided to informants in the Capital City over the past few years."

"One expenditure alone amounts to two million mid-grade Spirit Crystals, and the recipient's codename is 'Ming Yuan'."

"The payment was made last October, and the money was secretly transported into the Capital City by carriage."

Xiao Qianjun flipped the account book to that page and pointed to a line of text.

"Two million mid-grade Spirit Crystals is no small sum. There must have been cooperation from transport personnel during the transfer."

"My subordinates have already dispatched people to follow this lead for investigation. They should be able to..."

Just then.

Urgent footsteps echoed from outside the door.

A Demon Suppression Guard strode into the reception hall and knelt on one knee.

"Reporting to Prince Wu'an, Chief Director Xiao!"

"My subordinate was ordered to investigate the transport route of those two million Spirit Crystals and has made a new discovery!"

He presented a document with both hands, his forehead beaded with sweat.

"Those Spirit Crystals were transported into the Capital City in a carriage bearing the Crown Prince's Palace waist token! The entry time matches the records of the city gate guards perfectly!"

Xiao Qianjun took the document and glanced at it.

His pupils contracted sharply.

"The Crown Prince's Palace's waist token?"

His voice dropped to an extremely low register, his expression a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

The Demon Suppression Guard replied with absolute certainty.

"My subordinate confirms it is correct. The entry record clearly states it, and I also found the city gate guards who were on duty that year."

"That guard personally said it was indeed a carriage from the Crown Prince's Palace, and the driver was a eunuch steward from the Palace."

Xiao Qianjun fell silent.

He held the document in his hand, not speaking for a long time.

The reception hall fell quiet.

Just then, another Demon Suppression Guard hurried in.

"Reporting to Prince Wu'an, Chief Director Xiao!"

"My subordinate found this in the ruins of another branch sect's den!"

He presented a half-burnt brocade box with both hands.

Although the brocade box was burnt beyond recognition, a partially intact wax seal remained at the bottom.

Xiao Qianjun took the brocade box and turned it over.

When he saw the pattern on the seal, he froze as if struck by lightning.

The pattern on the seal was a coiled Five-Clawed Golden Dragon.

The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon—this was the exclusive emblem of the Crown Prince!

The transport of two million Spirit Crystals used a carriage from the Crown Prince's Palace, and now a secret document box bearing the Crown Prince's emblem had been found. All clues pointed in the same direction!

Xiao Qianjun slowly raised his head and looked at Lin Changqing.

His lips moved, his voice frighteningly hoarse.

"Prince Wu'an... all the clues point to... the Crown Prince's Palace."

"This 'Ming Yuan' is very likely the current Crown Prince—Su Mingyuan."

As these words were spoken.

The air in the entire reception hall froze.

Su Wanqing's teacup clattered to the floor, shattering into pieces.

Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and she staggered back two steps.

"Impossible! This is impossible!"

Her voice was sharp and trembling, her eyes immediately reddening.

"How could my Imperial Brother collude with the Demon Cult? This must be a misunderstanding! Someone must be framing him!"

But Xiao Qianjun did not respond to her.

He simply placed the brocade box and the entry record on the table, then picked up the three secret letters and the account book from before.

"First, the forged identity documents—the Crown Prince's Palace has a dedicated seal room, so forging a few identity documents would be easy."

"Second, prior knowledge of the Demon Suppressing Division's raid—as the Crown Prince, he has the right to attend court sessions. The Demon Suppressing Division's action plans are reported to His Majesty before execution, so the Crown Prince would have had ample opportunity to know in advance."

"Third, providing the Capital City defense map—only a very small number of people have the authority to access the Capital City defense map, and the Crown Prince is one of them."

"Fourth, the two million Spirit Crystals were transported using the Eastern Palace's carriages—this can no longer be explained by coincidence."

"Fifth, this brocade box with the Eastern Palace's seal—"

He pointed to the scorched brocade box on the table.

"When these clues are put together, they can no longer be explained by coincidence."

"The evidence... is almost conclusive."

Su Wanqing opened her mouth, wanting to say something more.

But all her words were stuck in her throat, unable to utter a single sound.

Lin Changqing sat in his chair, a look of surprise on his face.

"It actually turned out to be the Crown Prince, I really didn't expect this."

He picked up his teacup and took another sip, his tone filled with a touch of emotion.

He had already predicted that the identity of this big fish would definitely not be ordinary.

It would either be the Chancellor, a high-ranking minister like the Minister of Personnel, or perhaps even a prince or a royal prince.

After all, it was impossible to escape from the thorough investigation personally overseen by Xiao Qianjun without some solid background.

But he never expected this fish to be this enormous—the current Crown Prince—the future emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Second only to His Majesty, above ten thousand others.

After the current His Majesty abdicated, the entire Great Yu Dynasty would belong to him.

Such a person was secretly colluding with the Holy Demon God Sect.

This was no longer a matter of greed, this was a mental illness.

"The Crown Prince is actually colluding with the Holy Demon God Sect..."

Xiao Qianjun stood before the table, disbelief written all over his face.

He had been the Chief Commander of the Demon Suppressing Division for most of his life, fighting demons and the Demon Cult for most of his life.

He had captured at least dozens of Demon Cult informants, from high-ranking officials of the third rank to minor officials of the ninth rank, of all levels.

But the Crown Prince... the current Crown Prince colluding with the Demon Cult.

He had never seen such a thing, even in his dreams.

He turned to look at Lin Changqing, his voice filled with gravity.

"Prince Wu'an, this matter is of utmost importance and must be reported to His Majesty immediately."

Lin Changqing nodded and stood up.

"Let's go."

He raised his hand and tore open the space in front of him.

Xiao Qianjun collected all the evidence on the table into his storage ring and followed Lin Changqing into the spatial rift.

Su Wanqing stood in the reception hall, lost and dejected, watching the two disappear into the rift.

Her hands clenched the hem of her skirt, her fingernails digging into her palms without her feeling any pain.

Her imperial brother was an informant for the Demon Cult, codenamed "Ming Yuan."

Whether this matter was true or false, the entire Eastern Palace, the entire imperial family, would face an unprecedented earthquake!

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