The guards looked at each other. After a moment's hesitation, the leader sheathed his long sword and said coldly, "Wait!"
Chu Junyi replied just as coldly, "I'll give you three seconds!"
The guard's pupils constricted, and his anger flared. He stormed off to report the situation.
When Chu Junyi and his men rushed into the main hall, besides Steward Hao and his entourage, only Boss Qiao was there.
"Where are the people I assigned to you? Murdering a public official is a serious crime, and no one here can protect you."
Boss Qiao trembled in fear.
Steward Hao stepped in between them, blocking Chu Junyi's intimidating glare at Boss Qiao.
Chu Junyi then shifted his gaze to Steward Hao.
Steward Hao felt a shiver run down his spine but quickly regained his composure, thinking it was just a bluff from this young upstart. He decided to turn the tables on Chu Junyi.
"Lord Chu, do you know who the real owner of this estate is? Don't make a decision you'll regret."
Chu Junyi retracted his gaze and laughed out of anger. "Since you know who I am, you should also know who I'm working for. I'd advise you not to make a decision you'll regret either."
Steward Hao was speechless.
"Although you're the head of the Surveillance Bureau and hold a high position, you have no evidence or search warrant but still want to break into our Yin family's estate. Isn't this just using your power to seek personal revenge?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you probably haven't had time to destroy the evidence yet. So, whether I'm abusing my power or wrongly accusing you will be clear once we conduct a search."
"Search!"
"Yes!"
"Think it through. If you find nothing, how will you handle the situation?"
"If I find nothing, I'll go to Lord Yin in person to offer my apology. But if I do find something, you'll be charged with obstructing justice. I have the right to arrest you and summon you for interrogation!"
"You!" Steward Hao gritted his teeth. "You're really going to search!"
"Absolutely!" Chu Junyi said coldly. "If you try to stop me again, I'll arrest you right away!"
Chu Junyi's trusted subordinates immediately surrounded Steward Hao.
The guards behind Steward Hao also stepped forward and encircled Chu Junyi.
Chu Junyi scanned the circle around him. Suddenly, a big smile appeared on his solemn face. "Look! Attempting to assassinate and intimidate a court official. Now the evidence is conclusive, right? Even if Lord Yin himself comes, he won't be able to refute this!"
Steward Hao shivered at his laughter. No wonder people said he was a mad dog.
"Back off, back off!" Steward Hao ordered the guards to retreat, trying hard to suppress his anger.
But Chu Junyi didn't intend to let his men back off. Instead, he shouted, "Search!"
Nearly a hundred of his trusted subordinates then set off from the main hall, searching in four different directions.
The man hiding behind the rockery near the lotus pond was in a panic. He was still carrying the corpse on his shoulder, and there were bloodstains on the ground.
The officers were just a few steps away, searching every inch of the place. At any moment, someone might look up and spot him.
What should he do?
Steward Hao was also worried about this man. So he wanted to do something to distract the officers and help him escape.
But Steward Hao was just a nobody and couldn't stop Chu Junyi. So he thought of Lord Yin and secretly sent someone to inform him.
But as soon as that person climbed over the wall, he was knocked out by one of Chu Junyi's men who had been waiting outside. He didn't even have a chance to fight back.
Time passed slowly.
By now, the entire estate had been thoroughly searched. Even the flowers and plants had been uprooted in case the corpse was buried underneath.
The man carrying the corpse had to avoid the searchers while trying to clean up the bloodstains on the ground. Exposed to the scorching sun, he finally managed to climb onto the wall but found that the outside was also surrounded. So he had to retreat and continue hiding.
Although Steward Hao was sitting inside the house and wasn't exposed to the sun, he was sweating profusely out of anxiety for that man.
Chu Junyi, on the other hand, was sipping his water calmly and munching on the dry rations prepared by the princess. Occasionally, he would even chat with Steward Hao.
Steward Hao was so angry that he wanted to roll his eyes at him. Did they know each other well? What a weirdo!
Boss Qiao had already given up. He was sitting on the armchair with his legs stretched out straight, looking like he was ready to lie in a coffin.
For him, he had offended both sides. No matter which side won, he was doomed. So he decided to just accept his fate.
"My lord!" A trusted subordinate rushed in.
The three people in the room all tensed up.
Steward Hao's heart was pounding.
Boss Qiao had already lost all hope.
Chu Junyi frowned slightly, a mix of excitement and nervousness as the answer was about to be revealed. He tried to suppress his smile and asked, "Did you find it?"
The subordinate shook his head. "We've searched everywhere, but there's no sign of anything!"
Chu Junyi was stunned for a moment, and his expression turned solemn.
Steward Hao was overjoyed and let out a long sigh of relief. "Lord Chu, I told you so! I hope you'll keep your word. Someone, escort Lord Chu to see Lord Yin!"
Boss Qiao still looked hopeless. At the mention of "Lord Yin", his body trembled involuntarily.
"Are you sure you didn't miss any place?" Chu Junyi frowned in disbelief and looked at his subordinate.
The subordinate thought carefully and was sure they hadn't missed anything. They had even uprooted the plants. Where else could it be?
Chu Junyi didn't believe it. It was impossible for them to move the corpse out in such a short time.
Moreover, there was still nearly three hundred thousand taels of relief silver.
This was a trap he had set for the Yin family. The Yin family was desperate and wanted to launder the money on this estate.
If the money wasn't here, why did Boss Qiao bring so many empty carriages?
"I'll search it myself!" He stood up, handed his water bag to his subordinate, and walked out of the main hall. He walked around the estate, and sure enough, everywhere he went, even the plants had been uprooted, not to mention the rooms inside.
Had the corpse already been destroyed? What about the silver?
After walking around with no result, his gaze finally fell on the lotus pond. "Have you searched the pond?"
The subordinate was taken aback. They really hadn't searched there.
Chu Junyi ordered his men to drain the pond and search it.
Suddenly, a high column of water erupted from the pond. The man who had been carrying the corpse came out to surrender.
He thought he could avoid one wave of searches, but he didn't expect another, even more thorough one. Draining the pond would expose everything.
He couldn't handle it anymore. He surrendered and confessed his crime.
"Drain the pond!" Chu Junyi realized that the corpse and the stolen silver were probably in there.
Sure enough, after the water was drained, everything became clear.
Meanwhile, Yin Hong realized the seriousness of the situation when Steward Hao, who had been sent to transfer the silver, didn't return.
So he first sent someone to the Surveillance Bureau to check if Chu Junyi was there. When he found out that Chu Junyi wasn't there, he immediately sent someone to the estate to keep an eye on the situation. But it was already too late. The stolen silver had been found.
The only thing he could do now was to kill them all.