Zou Cailiang paused for a long while before finally finding his voice. "Y-you... you lost an ancestral treasure too?!"
The more he spoke, the shriller his voice became, its pitch rising abruptly.
Being prefect was a bitter lot.
He was a heartbroken man who had truly lost his family heirloom, yet he had to "recover" treasures for three shameless scoundrels who were only pretending to have lost theirs. Just thinking about it made his heart ache.
-Jiang Lifeng was a young prince from the Prince of Nanyang's Residence. However far the Prince of Nanyang had fallen from favor, his son was still a genuine prince. If he had truly lost something important, how would it ever fall to Zou Cailiang to secure justice for this little lord?!
Fake! It had to be fake!!
Yet the "shameless scoundrel" below had no self-awareness whatsoever. At those words, he puffed out his chest and raised his head, declaring in a ringing voice, "That's right!"
Zou Cailiang: "..."
Zou Cailiang spoke with difficulty. "...Tell me about it."
Jiang Lifeng gave a light cough. "It was a Jade Pendant of clear, flawless mutton-fat white jade, with an Auspicious Cloud Pattern carved on the front and two Fairy Birds spreading their wings to take flight on the back. At first glance, it might seem ordinary, but it was presented as tribute by a neighboring country and personally bestowed upon my father by the Late Emperor. It is the only one of its kind and carries extraordinary significance. I hope you will spare no effort in helping me recover it, Lord Zou!"
As his words fell, the entire hall went silent.
Zou Cailiang, who was presiding over the case, choked on a breath, his face flushing an unnatural red.
The words "personally bestowed by the Late Emperor"