Liangzhou Government Office.

Zhao Tingying paced anxiously back and forth in his duty room, his hands clasped behind his back. Suddenly, he heard two "thump, thump" knocks on the door and hurried to pull it open. Standing outside was the head bailiff of the Liangzhou Government Office, also one of Zhao Tingying's trusted aides. He quickly asked, "What did Prince Duan ask?"

Three days had passed since Wei Ming and the others had examined Tian Youyu's body. During these three days, Wei Ming had changed his initial vigorous and decisive approach. He was no longer running about so diligently, but instead had his subordinate officials and attendants investigate in the city while he himself held court in the Liangzhou Government Office, summoning everyone involved in the Ghost Ship Case one by one for questioning.

Zhao Tingying knew his work was not flawless. If Wei Ming clung to the clues, he feared the questions would soon be directed at him. Therefore, he constantly monitored Wei Ming's movements, secretly instructing the head bailiff to remember the contents of the questioning and report back to him immediately after it concluded.

The head bailiff glanced left and right to ensure no one was watching, then slipped into the room and closed the door. He said to Zhao Tingying, "My Lord, His Highness, Prince Duan only asked about what time the brothers were dispatched on the day of Tian Youyu's incident, how the fishermen's bodies were discovered, and other similar things. Nothing special. This subordinate has already instructed all the bailiffs as you commanded, so there won't be any mistakes."

Half of the anxiety in Zhao Tingying's heart subsided. He nodded and said, "Good... very good. Was there anything else?"

The head bailiff thought for a moment and added, "Oh, there was one more thing. There was a mark on Tian Youyu's arm. That Lord Shen Yunshan made a rubbing of it, found its origin, and has already drawn out the complete pattern." He gestured with his hands to form a circle: "A round pattern, about this big, with the family crest of a Qiyun Kingdom sea merchant drawn on it. It looks like a bird. The Prince said it was the carving from the top of a box and asked if we had ever seen a red box with a family crest carved on it."

Zhao Tingying's mind buzzed in an instant.

He actually knew about that box... How could Prince Duan know that Tian Youyu was holding a red box that day!

"Who told him?" Zhao Tingying's rage was suddenly uncontrollable, and he practically roared, "Which bastard told him there was a red box?!"

The head bailiff was stunned by his roar and dazedly tried to placate him, "My Lord, don't be angry, don't be angry... Rest assured, we never saw that thing in the first place. Even if Prince Duan asks, he won't get anything out of it..."

Zhao Tingying said angrily, "You don't know a damn thing!"

The key was not whether they had seen the red box, but where Prince Duan had learned of its existence. Had Tian Youyu mentioned it to someone else who found him? Or did someone on Captain Liu's side leak the information?

If he knew about the red box, did that also mean he knew the true cause of death for Tian Youyu and the others? Was Prince Duan's grand display of interrogations in the Liangzhou government office really about investigating the Ghost Ship Case, or was he taking the opportunity to gather evidence against him, Zhao Tingying? And even further, how much did he already know about what the West Sea Governor-General, Fang Tianchong, had done?

Zhao Tingying's throat felt bitter, and his heart was in turmoil as if fried in hot oil. With no one to consult at the moment, he had to forcibly suppress his anger. He managed to calm himself and said to the head bailiff, "Have someone keep a close eye on Prince Duan for me. Where he goes, who he sees, what he asks—report any unusual movements to me immediately."

The head bailiff shivered under his grim and fierce gaze, quickly lowering his head and obediently saying, "This subordinate understands. Please rest assured, my Lord."

"Mm, go." Zhao Tingying waved his hand, then remembered something else and casually added, "Have Xiao Shi come see me."

The head bailiff carefully closed the door and left, hurrying off to find Xiao Shi to pass on the message. No one noticed the inconspicuous little green insect clinging to his shoulder. At that moment, Wei Ming was questioning the last old bailiff in the Liangzhou Government Office. After finishing the official business, he suddenly asked, seemingly casually, "Do you know who 'Xiao Shi' is?"

The old bailiff thought for a moment, then it dawned on him. "Oh, the Prince is asking about Shi Xiaoyan, right? That kid is a stable boy who tends to the horses in the manor. Because he's nimble and grew up with horses, his riding skills are excellent. Lord Zhao sometimes sends him to deliver messages and such."

"So that's how it is." A slight smile touched the corners of Wei Ming's lips. "You may leave."

The old bailiff bowed to him and slowly walked out. Shen Yunshan, who had been listening from the side, asked in confusion, "Prince, is there something wrong with this Xiao Shi?"

Wei Ming didn't answer, but instead smiled and said, "Who do you think he'll be writing to?"

Shen Yunshan: "Huh?"

Wei Ming: "Never mind him for now. How is your practice of Lord Zhao's handwriting coming along? Can you forge it yet?"

Shen Yunshan: "..."

He was a perfectly respectable Censor, but ever since he started investigating cases with Prince Duan, his skill in crooked ways was almost on par with the street vendors selling fake antiques and paintings.

Steeling himself, he said with difficulty, "Replying to the Prince, it's about seventy percent similar."

Wei Ming knew that these favored sons of heaven, to show their modesty, were accustomed to reporting on the low side. If Shen Yunshan said seventy percent, it meant it was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. He nodded in approval and asked again, "How is the carving of Lord Zhao's seal coming along?"

Shen Yunshan buried his head even lower in shame, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, "That... that's also finished."

"Good, well done," Wei Ming said encouragingly. "Don't be embarrassed. When you're out in the world, you must have a skill to rely on. In the future, when you handle cases, the situations you encounter might be even more complex than today's. After all, no criminal will willingly hand over incriminating evidence to you. As the presiding official, it's hard to obtain key evidence without using some tricks."

Shen Yunshan shook his head, tears in his eyes. "No, I don't think there will be a case more complex than this one. Prince, seriously, your subordinate still doesn't understand why we have to forge Lord Zhao's handwriting..."

Wei Ming's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "Wait patiently. It won't be long before you naturally find out."

In the dead of night.

Zhao Tingying handed a letter sealed with wax to Shi Xiaoyan, instructing him, "Hurry to the Qiao Continent Grand Camp and deliver this letter to Governer-General's personal guard, Captain Liu Qi. Ask him to pass it to the Governer-General as soon as possible."

Shi Xiaoyan was used to delivering messages. Without asking a single question, he took the letter and left. Zhao Tingying sat back down at his desk, vexed. He propped his head on his hand, thinking it over and over, but couldn't figure out which link in the chain had gone wrong for Prince Duan to learn of the box's existence.

Could it really be as he himself said, that Prince Duan had used some kind of supernatural arts... But wasn't his so-called 'immortal cultivation' just an excuse the Emperor had concocted back then to avoid disaster?

The more Zhao Tingying thought, the more anxious he became. He resolved to sound Wei Ming out the next day. That night, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep soundly. Early the next morning, he went straight to the Prefect's Manor, but he did not see His Highness, Prince Duan—he heard that he had taken the two lords out to observe the people's conditions and, incidentally, to have breakfast.

Zhao Tingying: "..."

He waited bitterly in the main hall of the Prefect's Manor until nearly noon, when Wei Ming finally arrived with He Guan and Shen Yunshan. Upon seeing Zhao Tingying, he even let out a "Hmm?" and said, "Lord Zhao isn't busy this morning? How do you have the time to sit here?"

Zhao Tingying quickly stood up and said with a placating smile, "Greetings, Your Highness. Greetings, my two Lords. This subordinate heard that Your Highness has been summoning bailiffs for questioning about the case recently and seems to have found new clues. Therefore, I came here specifically to see if I could be of any help and share some of Your Highness's worries."

He Guan and Shen Yunshan both looked at him with an exceptionally complex and profound gaze, faint dark circles under their eyes just like his, as if they hadn't slept well either. Zhao Tingying was baffled by their stares, thinking to himself, 'If they're this tired, why didn't they sleep more? How do they still have the energy to go out for breakfast? Serving a superior is truly a torturous assignment.'

Wei Ming raised his hand, gesturing for him to come into the inner chamber to talk in detail, while saying affably, "Lord Zhao, you've come at just the right time. This Prince was just about to look for you. Right now, there is indeed a matter that urgently requires your help."

Zhao Tingying quickly and skillfully expressed his loyalty: "Whatever Your Highness commands, this subordinate will certainly do his utmost and not fail the trust Your Highness has placed in me."

"With your words, this Prince is relieved." Wei Ming gestured for He Guan and the other to close the door, then pointed to the chairs in the hall. "No need for formalities. Let's all sit down and talk."

Seeing his cheerful and relaxed expression, as if he had no suspicions at all and wasn't about to call him to account, Zhao Tingying's unease lessened slightly. He cautiously perched on the edge of a chair and asked eagerly, "What does Your Highness wish to command this subordinate to do?"

"Jialiang, remember to take notes." Wei Ming took out a very familiar-looking envelope from his sleeve, pulled out a letter from within, and shook it. "It's actually not a difficult matter. This Prince would like Lord Zhao to explain, what is the meaning of this letter you wrote to Governor-General Fang last night?"

Zhao Tingying shot up from his chair with a "thud".

His face instantly turned deathly pale, his lips and mustache trembling like leaves in a cold wind. "You... you, where did you... No, this isn't my... This wasn't written by this subordinate! Your Highness, there must be a misunderstanding. I beg Your Highness to see clearly!"

"Hmm? Did this Prince misunderstand?" Wei Ming said faintly. "But the handwriting and seal on this letter are identical to the handwritten letter Lord Zhao gave this Prince that day. And the contents of the letter—it says that this Prince somehow learned that the fisherman was holding a red box that day and is searching for clues about it all over Liangzhou, fearing that the investigation will trace back to you, Lord Zhao, and the Governer-General's personal guard, asking for the Governer-General's instructions on how to proceed. This is all in your tone, Lord Zhao. How could it be a misunderstanding?"

"I... I..." Zhao Tingying's face was ashen. He could only deny it to the death. "I don't know... I didn't write it. I don't know anything!"

"Now that it's come to this, you're a man of status. Denial is a bit pointless," Wei Ming said with a slight smile. "Lord Zhao probably doesn't know yet, but while this Prince has intercepted your handwritten letter, your 'other letter' has already been delivered on time to the Qiao Continent Grand Camp by Shi Xiaoyan."

Zhao Tingying's eyes widened. "What do you mean? What other letter?"

"That handwritten letter from you, Lord Zhao, was a great help to me," Wei Ming remarked. "The 'other letter,' of course, is the one we wrote in your forged handwriting to Governor-General Fang Tianchong, saying that His Highness, Prince Duan, somehow found an identical red box and is asking for clues all over Liangzhou, asking him to quickly check if the original has been stolen and if there's been a leak among the troops."

Zhao Tingying was no fool. Even in this state of panic and terror, he quickly understood the key points. "You're missing one person... that guard named 'Gui Heng,' right? You wanted to get that box, but you didn't know where the Governor-General hid it, so you deliberately put on a show to bait me... then secretly swapped the letters during the delivery. After seeing the letter, the Governor-General would naturally go check according to its instructions. As long as you followed him, you could find where the box was located..."

"No!" He shook his head violently, refuting his own theory the next moment. "The Qiao Continent Grand Camp is heavily guarded, and the Governor-General is protected by elite soldiers. Even if your guard is highly skilled, it's impossible for him to slip into the grand camp without anyone noticing..."

Wei Ming propped his chin on one hand and said playfully, "Alright, Lord Zhao, that's not something you need to worry about."

"To tell you the truth, my man has already retrieved the box and is on his way back to the Capital. What do you think Governor-General Fang will think when he discovers the box is missing?" He looked down at Zhao Tingying and let out a soft laugh. "Lord Zhao, I'm afraid you can hardly escape the blame."

Zhao Tingying could no longer support his trembling body. As if his spine had been pulled out from under him, he slumped to the ground like a pile of mud.

No one in the hall spoke, nor did anyone help him up. Only silent, calm gazes pressed down on his back, bit by bit crushing the dignity he had meticulously built up over the years with power and influence.

"How... how on earth did you know?"

After a long time, Zhao Tingying finally asked in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness, Prince Duan, at what step did I lose?"

Wei Ming rose from behind the desk, walked over to him with his hands behind his back, and leaned down close to Zhao Tingying's ear, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I actually think you might feel better not knowing the truth, but if you must have the answer before you admit defeat, this Prince can tell you."

"'The one presiding over this case is that cultivator, Prince Duan. I hear he's an unorthodox character.' You said that yourself, remember?" Wei Ming said with pity. "Lord Zhao, you lost because you 'refused to believe in the strange'."

Zhao Tingying abruptly raised his eyes and met the exceptionally handsome and righteous face of His Highness, Prince Duan. His eyes held a smile, his brow was relaxed, and his expression could even be called gentle and amiable. But in Zhao Tingying's eyes at this moment, his entire being seemed to be suffused with an indescribable, demonic aura.

"The very first day I arrived, this Prince told you, I am an immortal cultivator."