When they reached the woods, the carriage stopped. Mo Qinghuan lifted the curtain and got off.
Since it had just rained, the ground was very muddy. She stepped into a pit and almost fell. Fortunately, "Mu Yanming", who got off the carriage right after, caught her in time, saving her from making a fool of herself in public.
In the distance, the Prefect of the Capital saw Mu Yanming and Mo Qinghuan arriving. Supported by his yamen runners, he walked towards them.
"Your humble official pays respects to the Regent and the Princess Consort of the Regent."
"Mu Yanming" gave a grunt. Holding Mo Qinghuan's hand with one hand and supporting her waist with the other, he walked up to the big pit.
By now, the big pit had been completely dug out, and the bodies inside had all been carried out and laid out neatly.
However, since the bodies had been burned, they were beyond recognition.
Mo Qinghuan looked around. Since it was already the winter month, the branches of the surrounding trees were bare. From time to time, some birds would land on them, chirping noisily.
When the wind blew, they would scatter and fly away.
There were no trees around the pit. So if someone wanted to burn the bodies here, they must have used the bodies themselves. And to make the bodies catch fire, they must have used something flammable.
"Mu Yanming" saw that she was deep in thought and didn't interrupt. His hand remained on her.
After Mo Qinghuan finished her analysis, she looked at the Prefect of the Capital. "Search the area nearby to see if there are any jars or other containers that could hold kerosene."
The Prefect seemed to have thought of something too. He immediately ordered his subordinates to search around.
During this time, Mo Qinghuan squatted down to examine the bodies. She found that all of them had been burned after death, and they must have suffered inhumane torture before they died, for their wrist and ankle bones were all broken.
However, as to why they were imprisoned and who imprisoned them, it was still a mystery...
She was still thinking when the people sent by the Prefect came back with the fragments of a jar. "Mu Yanming" helped Mo Qinghuan up. She took the jar and smelled it. "Sure enough, it's kerosene."
"Mu Yanming" took the fragments from the yamen runner and examined them carefully. "It's very ordinary kerosene. It can be bought in the market. It shouldn't be hard to find out who bought it."
Mo Qinghuan nodded. "Yes. And the shopkeeper should have an impression of the person who bought such a large quantity at one time."
The Prefect looked at the two of them. Mo Qinghuan felt that he seemed to have something to say, so she looked at him. "Your Excellency, just speak your mind."
The Prefect hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "My Lord, this matter is of great importance. Do you think we should report it to the Emperor first?"
Everyone in the court knew that the relationship between the Emperor and the Regent was tense. So in order to maintain the balance between them, everyone was very cautious.
"Mu Yanming" looked at Mo Qinghuan, as if asking for her opinion. And Mo Qinghuan knew that if he were here, he probably wouldn't choose to tell the Emperor, at least not until they had some results.
"My Lord, the Emperor has so many state affairs to attend to. Let's not bother him for now, so as not to make him worry."
"Mu Yanming" nodded. "Okay."
"All right. Then your humble official will order the men to carry the bodies back to the Capital Prefecture Yamen first."
Mu Yanming and Mo Qinghuan nodded, then got into the carriage. Bai Ke sat outside the carriage.
"This incident will surely cause quite a stir." Mo Qinghuan said. "By the way, Bai Ke, who reported the case today?"
Bai Ke lifted a corner of the curtain and stuck his head in. "It was a passing civilian."
"Let's go to the market first."
...
At this moment, on the border, in Beirong.
Mu Yanming was dressed in a black tight - fitting outfit with a jet - black cloak on his shoulders. Holding a whip in his hand, he sat coldly on a tall horse. He exuded a strong noble aura and the might of a powerful warrior from years of fighting on the battlefield.
Opposite him was a woman in red with a veil covering her face. Sitting on a horse, her head was full of braids with delicate silver ornaments on them. When the wind blew, they made a tinkling sound.
The woman looked at Mu Yanming affectionately. Her soft silk and smoke - like dress shone with colorful lights in the sun, making her look like a celestial being.
But Mu Yanming just lazily lifted his eyelids. His gaze didn't even stay on the woman. Then his cold voice came from his throat.
"Where's the information?"
The woman gave a charming smile. "Hasn't the Regent realized by now that this is a hoax?"
Only then did Mu Yanming look up at the woman. She was right. He had guessed it. When he was only halfway through his journey from the capital, he had noticed something was wrong.
However, even so, he still chose to come and check. In this way, even if the information was false, at least he had verified it himself and wouldn't regret it.
Seeing Mu Yanming staring at her, the woman coyly lowered her head. But soon she looked up again, looking at Mu Yanming without hiding her admiration for him.
"Regent, it was my fault in this matter. But I had no choice. Otherwise, I would never have dared to deceive the Regent like this."
Mu Yanming snorted. "You went to so much trouble to deceive this king into coming to Beirong. What's in it for you?"
The woman gently kicked her horse's belly and rode up to Mu Yanming. Her voice was like a silver bell. "It's really easy to talk to a smart person. Indeed, I have a favor to ask of the king, so I deceived you here. Please forgive me."
Mu Yanming lazily raised his eyebrows. "What makes you think this king will help you?"
The woman lowered her head, with sadness in her eyes. "To be honest, I don't know if the Regent of the Li State will help me, but I have no other choice but to take a desperate gamble." She took a deep breath and looked up at Mu Yanming again. "Actually, I'm taking the risk of being assassinated to come here and see you today."
"It seems that the news of the civil strife in the Beirong royal family is true."
The reason Mu Yanming dared to come alone was that he had already known about the current situation in Beirong. The royal heirs in Beirong were busy fighting each other, so no one would have the time to deal with him for the time being.
However, he still didn't expect that the fight for the throne had become so intense that the grand princess had to ask for help from another country.
"Yes, it's true. My younger brother will stop at nothing to get the throne. I've already been assassinated several times, and four of my twelve guards have died! So..."
As she said this, her emotions became agitated again. "So, I can't be soft - hearted anymore! Because he never intended to leave me a way out!"
"What if this king refuses to help you? Who else are you going to turn to?"
The woman forced a bitter smile. "I haven't asked anyone else. Your Highness is my last hope! So, I'm willing to offer three thousand li of mountains and rivers in exchange for your help. Will Your Highness agree?"