Ch 210: Tian Weihu’s Dilemma

Although Long Yang could not move, he did not cry out in pain, but continued to taunt him with cold sarcasm. Finally, Tian Weihu had no choice but to strike his speech blocking point again.

Therefore, when Tian Wenhai led Prince Huai in, he looked at the bloodstains on Tian Weihu’s face, and then at Long Yang’s bruised and bloodied nose and mouth, and couldn’t help but reveal a look of disappointment, sighing, “Tian Weihu, you’ve really grown in ability! I entrusted you with interrogating him, how did you end up in this state?”

Tian Weihu glanced at Prince Huai, feeling extremely ashamed, and lowered his head, not daring to reply.

Prince Huai sneered inwardly and said to Long Yang, “Lin Tao, raise your head. This prince has received an imperial edict from the Emperor and has some questions to ask you.”

Naturally, Long Yang remained motionless and silent.

Tian Wenhai said, “The Emperor has sent Prince Huai to question you. Lin Tao, raise your head.”

Tian Wenhai hurriedly said, “I have already struck his Dazhui Point, and… his speech blocking point.”

“Ha,” Prince Huai couldn’t help but laugh.

Tian Wenhai said angrily, “You useless thing, I told you to interrogate him, how did you end up striking his speech blocking point instead?” With a wave of his hand, he released a surge of finger force, unblocking Long Yang’s acupuncture points. Long Yang raised his head, his eyes wide open, and looked at Prince Huai.

Prince Huai’s skin was very dark, like oiled wheat, the color it took on in the sunlight. It could be said that, as a top-ranking noble, his skin was perhaps a little too dark. However, aside from that, his appearance and bearing fully matched his status.

He stood tall and jade-like, with an elegant and steady demeanor. His star-like eyes beneath his sword-like brows emitted a deep, dim light, fixed on the face of the prisoner before him.

If one had to find fault, it could only be said that his lips were very thin, suggesting insufficient depth of virtue, and his nose, like a perilous peak or sheer cliff, was also too high and straight.

Long Yang stared blankly at Prince Huai; in an instant, the other man’s image transformed into a kaleidoscope of colorful phantoms, flashing rapidly through his mind. The phantoms, like reflections in waves, never quite solidified.

He felt a wave of headache and couldn’t help but clutch his head, groaning.

“Tian Weihu, I already told you not to use torture, yet you still injured him. Go to Old Cai and take thirty lashes yourself.” Tian Wenhai reprimanded Tian Weihu, then turned to Prince Huai and said, “Since the Emperor has sent you to investigate this case, it is inconvenient for me to eavesdrop. Farewell.”

Prince Huai nodded and, after Tian Wenhai led the way out, quickly walked up to Long Yang.

“Lin Tao, do you recognize this prince?”

Seeing Long Yang shake his head, he asked again, “Zhou Yang said you wanted to see me. Why did you flee halfway and file an imperial accusation instead?”

Long Yang snorted, “I’m accusing the Tian family; can you judge them?”

Prince Huai was not angry, but continued, “The Emperor has instructed me to only investigate the matter of the Crimson Sun Jade. How do you know it originally belonged to Sun Jiacheng?”

“Ah? The Crimson Sun Jade?”

“So you didn’t know. It’s the top-grade fire crystal stone.”

“Oh… I saw it at Sun Jiacheng’s place.”

“Did Sun Jiacheng ever mention its origin to you?”

“No.”

Prince Huai did not ask anything else, but silently, intently looked at Long Yang for a while, and then left in a hurry.

Long Yang stared in surprise at his departing figure, watching the door close.

Prince Huai had naturally read Zhou Yang’s secret letter. But just now, he didn’t ask a single question about the theft of the War God’s Body case. Why?

Could it be that the Crimson Sun Jade was even more important than the War God’s Body? Long Yang thought for a while—

Absolutely not! Compared to the two, the War God’s Body theft case was definitely much more important. Prince Huai’s actions were too unreasonable and must be suspicious.

Prince Huai walked into the courtyard and found Tian Wenhai still waiting. To avoid suspicion of eavesdropping on the imperial envoy’s interrogation, he deliberately stood far away.

“Prince Huai, why did you come out so quickly?” Tian Wenhai asked.

“This man is too uncooperative and refuses to confess. I have other matters to attend to, so I must leave first. Minister Tian, I will come back to interrogate him another day. You must inform the servant at the door.”

“Rest assured,” Tian Wenhai said with a smile. “That servant is stubborn; I just gave him another severe scolding.”

“He is a good servant,” Prince Huai said. “Don’t make things too difficult for him. Also, you are too lenient with Lin Tao. Why not use severe torture on such a person?”

Tian Wenhai sighed, “Although this person has committed heinous crimes, he was entrusted to me by the Emperor, and he is accusing Tian Weihu. It is already somewhat inappropriate for me to have the accused handle the interrogation. If I allow torture, I fear Tian Weihu might accidentally injure him fatally. Then, I would have trouble explaining to the Emperor!”

“In my opinion, there is nothing difficult to explain,” Prince Huai said sternly. “The Emperor entrusted him to you, and you have the authority to decide his life or death. Minister Tian, you might as well tell Tian Weihu to use his head…”

Lin Yangming had been waiting in the carriage.

He closed his eyes slightly, recalling past events, and for a moment, he was lost in thought.

Suddenly, he felt the carriage start moving again. Opening his eyes, he found Prince Huai sitting on the sofa opposite him.

Prince Huai took out a Moon Shadow Silk handkerchief and wiped his forehead—according to the Soul Shifter’s incredibly reliable memory, he had never made this somewhat “feminine” gesture before.

“Did Your Highness perhaps discover that he really is that person?” Lin Yangming asked cautiously.

“It’s possible. When I first saw him, I was relieved because I didn’t think he looked very much like him. However, as I stared at him closely, the more I looked, the more he seemed like him…”

“Your Highness, according to psychology, that’s just the effect of you projecting your preconceived judgments onto his appearance. In fact, your first impression of him is the most accurate.”

Prince Huai said angrily, “Stop showing off your knowledge to me. And stop swearing that it’s impossible. I want you to determine whether he is that person within two days.”

Lin Yangming thought for a moment, “Your Highness, if he really is that person, then he has truly lost his memory—otherwise, he would have returned long ago. Please find a way for me to see him alone. I can hypnotize him and delve into his subconscious to find out. It shouldn’t be difficult to make a judgment.”

Prince Huai waved his hand, “Don’t even think about it. He is currently in Tian Wenhai’s hands. Even I, if not for the Emperor’s orders, would find it difficult to see him. You must think of another way, and quickly!”

Lin Yangming sighed, cupped his chin in his hands, and thought for a while. Then, he straightened his body. “Your Highness, I’ve thought of a better way. As long as I go to Zifu, I can definitely confirm his identity. However, two days is too short.”

“I can only give you two days. You can use the Sea Affairs Bureau’s secret post stations. We use the best steeds, changing horses every hundred li. Two days later, I want you to report to me in person.” He took out a gold token from his pocket and handed it to Lin Yangming.

=The End=