He Dared Investigate Jade Elegance Estate?!

Not long afterward, inside the main hall of Jade Elegance Estate.

Feng Ying and his son Feng Luo knelt on the floor with their hands and feet bound, held down by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Before them lay the corpse of a black wolfdog.

"Ah, you wouldn't keep your barking dog in check, so the Thousand Household had to come and do it himself."

Among the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zeng Chief Constable, who was acquainted with Chen Yi, sighed.

Quick-witted as he was, he guessed that the Thousand Household had little goodwill toward the father and son. Thus, he mocked them with all his might, speaking on the Thousand Household's behalf to deepen their friendship.

Chen Yi glanced at the father and son. Both their faces were contorted, but their expressions differed: Feng Ying was furious, while Feng Luo looked as though he had lost both parents, his face ashen.

Seeing Min Ning enter the hall to report, Chen Yi asked directly:

"Have the stewards confessed?"

"They have. To everything. We didn't even have to use force."

Min Ning answered.

Hearing this, Feng Ying's fury soared to the heavens, and he cursed:

"Those bastards who bite the hand that feeds them!"

"Shut up!"

As he spoke, Zeng Chief Constable stepped forward and kicked Feng Ying in the face. Then he glanced at Chen Yi's expression and continued:

"Making all that racket-who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm nobody, am I? Then what about Prince Jing?"

Feng Ying's face brimmed with viciousness as he turned to Chen Yi.

"Thousand Household Chen certainly enforces the law impartially. You even dare investigate Jade Elegance Estate. Will you investigate the Ding'an faction next? And then Prince Jing's Manor? Prince Jing himself! Do you dare?!"

Chen Yi merely smiled, not bothering to answer.

We've already torn away all pretense. Why worry about whether I dare investigate?

Never mind Prince Jing's Manor. If I get ruthless, I'll investigate even Yin Weiying, the Goddess of Mount Taihua-and investigate her hard.

Chen Yi gave Zeng Chief Constable a look. The latter deftly produced a wad of cloth and stuffed it into Feng Ying's mouth, cutting off his further roars.

Then Chen Yi's gaze fell on Feng Ying's son, Feng Luo.

Compared with his defiant father, Feng Luo was trembling with terror, as though his courage had shattered.

The reason was simple: his circumstances differed from Feng Ying's.

Feng Ying was the estate's master. With so much Five-Stone Powder uncovered, he would certainly lose his head. His son, however, would not necessarily share that fate-not only because he was one of the Nameless Old Matron's outer disciples, but also because Prince Jing's Manor would honor their old ties, and the Ding'an officials at court would submit memorial after memorial, striving to save his life. His eventual fate would be either exile or entering a Daoist temple as a renunciant.

Chen Yi's stare made Feng Luo's skin crawl. He began trembling and hastily said:

"I'm a disciple of the Magpie Pavilion's master! My name is recorded in the pavilion! I don't know how my father and I offended you, that you should come here to kill... If I die, the Nameless Old Matron stationed in the imperial palace won't stand by! And if my father dies, as his son, I won't..."

Chen Yi interrupted with a smile:

"For the Nameless Old Matron's sake, I won't kill you."

At those words, Feng Luo shut his mouth, then breathed a sigh of relief.

With a path to survival before them, his father Feng Ying felt a stir of joy upon hearing this. Even the anger in his gaze toward Chen Yi seemed to lessen somewhat, and he immediately made to rise.

Just as both of them breathed a sigh of relief,

"But your father dies today."

The blade's point thrust out and pierced Feng Ying's throat. His face froze before he collapsed to the floor, lips parting as his survival instinct drove him to gasp. But the air reached his throat only to be blocked by blood and escape through the hole. Unable to draw a breath, his head stiffened, and he died.

Terror filled Feng Luo's face. He opened his mouth to cry out, but for some reason, the sound caught in his throat.

After a long while, he calmed slightly. His hands and feet trembled as he stared fixedly at Chen Yi, as though trying to burn his face into memory so he could seek vengeance another day...

Just as Chen Yi's face registered in his eyes, the blade came again, plunging straight into his ankle and flicking upward to sever the tendon by force.

Feng Luo screamed in agony.

Expressionless, Chen Yi continued wielding his blade, severing every tendon in Feng Luo's wrists and ankles.

Even the Embroidered Uniform Guard could not help watching the scene with some horror.

Feng Luo's eyes reddened. He was too terrified to speak or even see anyone clearly. All he could hear was an icy voice.

"I severed your wrist and ankle tendons so you won't seek revenge in the future. Go cultivate longevity in a Daoist temple, and stop concerning yourself with worldly affairs. Take him away."

Chen Yi sheathed his blade. Several members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward and hauled away the grievously wounded Feng Luo.

Silence filled the hall. After a long while, Zeng Chief Constable coughed several times and said:

"During the fighting, Feng Ying chose death over surrender. Though the Thousand Household wished to spare his life, he was powerless to do so, and Feng Ying died fighting on the spot. As for his son Feng Luo... well, his treacherous heart remained unchanged, and he deliberately plotted a surprise attack. In the urgency of the moment, there was no choice but to sever his ankle and wrist tendons."

With that, he looked around at the Eastern Depot agents and chief constables present. They exchanged glances, then nodded repeatedly.

Chen Yi cupped his hands.

"When I return, I'll write a memorial requesting recognition and rewards for all of you."

At the mention of recognition and rewards, the hall instantly grew lively. Amid a few bursts of laughter, the bloodshed of a moment ago vanished like smoke and clouds.

Chen Yi beckoned to Zeng Chief Constable.

Zeng Chief Constable jogged over.

"Once we're back, lock Feng Luo in the Black Prison. Blind him with drugs, and brew him a dose of Contraceptive Decoction every night, with a little something extra. If you get the chance, sever his Longevity Bridge as well. Do it if you can; if you can't, leave it."

Chen Yi gave the instructions in a low voice.

He wanted to reduce Feng Luo's chances of seeking revenge to almost zero.

There was no helping it.

He didn't want male enemies, only female ones.

"He investigated Jade Elegance Estate?"

Listening to the servant's report, Prince Jing frowned and paced the hall with a teacup in hand.

Half a quarter-hour later, Prince Jing turned and asked, his eyes widening:

"He dared investigate Jade Elegance Estate?!"

The servant nodded hastily and hurried to say:

"Your Highness, as soon as I caught wind of his investigation into Jade Elegance Estate, I came to report it."

Prince Jing's face darkened.

"What about those Embroidered Uniform Guards? Why didn't they stop him? And if they wouldn't stop him, why didn't they send us word?"

The servant hurriedly explained:

"Most of those who went were from the Western Depot. There were some from the Eastern Depot, but not many."

"So there were still Eastern Depot men there! A pack of bastards who bite the hand that feeds them! They eat our food and use our resources-where have they all gone now?!"

As he spoke, Prince Jing gripped his teacup tightly, blue veins bulging on the back of his hand.

Prince Jing was the Previous Emperor's full younger brother and had long enjoyed a reputation for refinement. When had he ever been so furious? The sight frightened the servant into silence, and he lowered his head, breaking into a cold sweat.

"Tell me! Hurry up and tell me! Where have those men gone?!"

Prince Jing pointed and shouted abuse.

"...Your Highness, don't you remember... you sent them to kill that Western Depot Thousand Household earlier?"

The servant cautiously reminded him:

"Of the fifteen Embroidered Uniform Guards, ten died... With that overturned carriage ahead as a warning, the others didn't dare act rashly..."

As those words reached his ears, Prince Jing's grip loosened. The teacup fell and shattered on the floor. Fury assailed his heart, and he staggered before collapsing onto a sandalwood chair.

The servant hurriedly rose and stepped closer.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

Hearing that irritating voice, Prince Jing suddenly sprang up and kicked the servant to the floor.

"Good to kick this slave, good to kick this slave. This slave is a rootless thing-just don't hurt Your Highness's precious person."

Despite the vicious kick, the servant attentively began gathering the shattered teacup from the floor.

Prince Jing's expression shifted between dark and light. His face softened somewhat, and he gave a cold snort.

"You are a good slave after all. Have Huang Liuqing come over later and set up a killing trap. If it succeeds, I'll reward you with a few taels of silver to mark the good fortune."