Chapter 258: Chapter 196: The Mastermind? Pardon for a Great Crime, Yun Qinghe’s Warning

Prince Chongwen’s carriage made its way out of the Imperial Palace.

Lu Yunqing remained silent, not saying a word. The many Guest Scholars and Tributors at his side didn’t dare disturb him.

They could see the Prince was deeply troubled.

The most senior among them, an old man holding a sword, spoke softly, "Your Highness, you should have known this would be the outcome. No one can resist the temptation of the Emperor’s Throne."

Lu Yunqing looked up at the old man and said calmly, "Sixth Brother did nothing wrong. It’s all my fault."

"That’s not necessarily true. It might not be your fault, Your Highness," a young Confucian Scholar inside the carriage said with a smile.

"What do you mean by that?" Lu Yunqing asked, his eyes narrowing.

The young Confucian Scholar spoke in as relaxed a tone as he could manage. "Your subordinate has investigated. Although the Prince Jin’s Mansion has fallen, the Endless Pavilion still exists. In fact, the Demon Dao’s underground forces are even more rampant than before."

"Get to the point."

Lu Yunqing had no patience and spoke with cold indifference.

The young Confucian Scholar cupped his hands respectfully. "I fear there may still be a mastermind behind the Endless Pavilion’s affairs."

"You’re talking about Xun Yu, aren’t you? The Master will make a move; he wouldn’t dare to be presumptuous. And after my father-in-law acted last time, he destroyed all of Xun Yu’s clones. Who knows what lonely ghost he’s become? He’s probably just drifting through the wilderness."

The young Confucian Scholar shook his head. "I’m not referring to National Preceptor Xun, but someone else entirely. It’s strange that after the Court arrested its members, the Endless Pavilion could still maintain such a high degree of autonomy without any chaos. It’s as if someone has been quietly controlling it since Prince Jin died."

Lu Yunqing said, "Perhaps there’s a second-in-command figure managing the situation. What’s so strange about that?"

The young Confucian Scholar insisted, "Prince Jin’s death was too bizarre. He had no one protecting him, his Divine Soul was annihilated, and his body was lost. He vanished as if into thin air. If his life lamp hadn’t been extinguished, his death couldn’t have been confirmed at all. Even for the Third Prince, Lu Guangyao, the Three Academy Cultivators found his body in the Grotto Heaven. Therefore, your subordinate believes that Prince Jin’s death is not the end of the story. There may yet be a turn of events."

The tall woman in tight-fitting clothes beside them snorted coldly. "Ruan, you’re always beating around the bush. It’s annoying to listen to. Don’t you just think the Sixth Prince is suspicious? Would it kill you to just say it?"

The young Confucian Scholar gave an awkward smile and carefully glanced at Lu Yunqing’s expression. Seeing that he wasn’t angry and seemed to be in thought, he tutted, "I was just afraid of upsetting the Prince, you know."

Lu Yunqing asked, "You think Sixth Brother was the one who killed Prince Jin, that he’s the real mastermind? You can’t just make baseless accusations. Where’s your evidence?"

The young Confucian Scholar coughed. "First, Prince Huai’an is not to be underestimated. He’s not the same man he was before. On this trip, he actually managed to win the debate against you, Your Highness. Even I didn’t expect that. We truly can’t look down on him."

"Are you sure it wasn’t just the Prince being sentimental about their old relationship, choosing to be the bigger man and not argue with Prince Huai’an, so he let him win on purpose?" the tall woman in tight-fitting clothes said sarcastically.

"Don’t interrupt me. Let me finish," the young Confucian Scholar said, displeased.

"Second, in the Wilderness Grotto Heaven, Prince Huai’an disappeared for a period of time right when the Three Religions’ Saints arrived to provide aid. According to the case files from the Three Academies, this time frame perfectly matches when Prince Jin, Lu Guangjing, went missing in the Teleportation Array."

The tall woman in tight-fitting clothes challenged him, "If that’s true, then why haven’t the Three Academy Cultivators gone to question Lu Mingyuan? If you can see it, you think those Confucian Scholars from the Three Academies who investigate cases day in and day out can’t?"

"Within the Three Academies, who is investigating this matter?" Lu Yunqing asked after a moment of contemplation.

"The Cultivators from the Celestial Master’s Mansion within the Thunder Pool Daoist Academy," the young Confucian Scholar said grimly.

"You think the Celestial Master’s Mansion is helping Lu Mingyuan cover this up?" the tall woman in tight-fitting clothes said, raising an eyebrow.

"It’s very likely," the young Confucian Scholar nodded.

Lu Yunqing asked, "If Sixth Brother killed Lu Guangjing, how does that make him the mastermind?"

The young Confucian Scholar sighed. "If you were the man you used to be, Your Highness, you would have seen something was wrong at first glance. You’ve become too soft-hearted, still holding a soft spot for Prince Huai’an."

"Your Highness, think about it. Assume Prince Huai’an has the power to kill Prince Jin. Assume he can work with the Taoist Sect to destroy the body, eliminate all traces, cover up the evidence, all while biding his time in the shadows. Wouldn’t such a person be even more terrifying than Prince Jin?"

"A person like that... isn’t that the very definition of a mastermind?"

Hearing this, Lu Yunqing fell into a rare silence.

...

「At this very moment.」

Lu Mingyuan was at the entrance of Qingzhu Hall, receiving an official from the Drumming Institute. All he had to do was sign this petition.

Over the next few days, he would await the Drumming Institute’s retrial, go before the court to state his case, and then, after the Government Office verified the facts, his name would be completely cleared.

He just hadn’t expected to be exonerated so quickly. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He wasn’t even prepared for it.

Before, the review had been stalled and then rejected.

But now, with a new hearing paved by an edict from the Emperor, even if he were guilty, he could be declared innocent.

It was all just a formality.

After signing, Lu Mingyuan returned to the main courtyard.

There, he saw the figure of a white-haired woman he hadn’t seen in a long time. She still wore her green Daoist Robe, her willow-like eyebrows swept up at the temples. Her features were delicate and defined, as if carved from ice and jade, and she possessed an aloof, otherworldly air.

Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but say speechlessly, "Is the Imperial Palace your home? You come and go as you please?"

Yun Qinghe chuckled lightly. "What’s that supposed to mean? I have an official identity now, at least. I’m using the alias Bai He, a member of the Thunder Pool Daoist Academy, secretly guarding the Imperial Palace. So isn’t it perfectly normal for me to walk around the palace?"

"What is it this time?" Lu Mingyuan asked, stretching lazily.

Yun Qinghe’s tone was dripping with mock sincerity. "I’ve come to congratulate you. You’ve finally received His Majesty the Emperor’s pardon. You can finally leave this godforsaken place and obtain that supreme freedom!"

"There’s no need for congratulations," Lu Mingyuan said with a wave of his hand.

Yun Qinghe snapped, "You big oaf, who’d actually want to congratulate you? Can’t you hear my sarcasm? Do you even remember what I told you before?"

"What did you say?" Lu Mingyuan thought back but couldn’t recall anything specific.

"You really don’t remember anything!" Yun Qinghe said, facepalming and narrowing her eyes.

Lu Mingyuan pouted. "Why the aggressive tone? Can’t you learn a thing or two from your senior sister?"

Yun Qinghe looked ready to pick a fight, crossing her arms and huffing coldly. "I’m warning you, don’t you dare get any ideas about my senior sister! And that whole ’Fairy’ act? As if anyone cares."

"She has countless pursuers, including sect masters, venerated Masters from temples, and even True Monarch Human Immortals. If you dare to have ideas about her, you must really want to die."

"Enough about your senior sister. Get to the point!" Lu Mingyuan cut her off.

Only then did Yun Qinghe remember her purpose for coming, her expression turning serious.

"Didn’t I tell you before to be careful of your Father Emperor? It seems you didn’t listen."

Lu Mingyuan was speechless. "I actually do remember you saying that. You just weren’t clear, so how was I supposed to know what you meant?"

"Speaking of which, what’s wrong with my Father Emperor?"

To be safe, Yun Qinghe lit a Talisman that concealed Celestial Secrets and said faintly, "I’ve been lying low in the palace and have gathered quite a bit of information."

"I’ve discovered that your Father Emperor is using a Forbidden Technique to extend his life. At the same time, he spends every day in the Deep Palace playing chess by himself."

"Doesn’t that mean his health is fine?" Lu Mingyuan mused.

Yun Qinghe shook her head. "None of that is a secret; you just don’t know it. Your Father Emperor wasn’t always like this."

"Strictly speaking, he has only himself to blame for ending up in his current state with an insufficient lifespan."

Lu Mingyuan found it strange. "That is odd. Father Emperor’s Cultivation isn’t low. Why is he already close to death after only eighty-some years?"

Yun Qinghe said nonchalantly, "I’m not afraid to tell you: his Destiny is running out, so his Cultivation can no longer break through. His campaigns to the south and conquests in the north are one reason, his repeated defeats against the Demon Country are another, and the most important point is his split with the Three Religions."

"Emperor Yong’an’s relationship with the Three Religions is not as harmonious as it seems. Perhaps only the Confucian Temple is on good terms with him, enough to help him extend his life with the Seven-Star Divine Lamp."

"That’s why I told you to be careful."

"Now you should understand, right? Don’t get lost in the joy of having your case overturned."

Many questions surfaced in Lu Mingyuan’s mind. Finally, he looked at Yun Qinghe and asked, "How did you reach that conclusion? Are you sure everything you saw wasn’t just what Father Emperor wanted you to see?"

"You think my information is unreliable? That I’m lying to you?"

Yun Qinghe puffed her cheeks, indignant. "Take a good look at who I am! I’m Yun Qinghe, an Innate Sword Immortal Seed, born with a Sword Embryo, champion of the Fuyao State’s Inquiry Sword Tournament, and the number one Sword Cultivator of the Celestial Master’s Mansion!"

"I’ve been to more places than you’ll see in your entire life, and I have far more Magical Treasures than you. Not even a Thirteenth Realm Saint can track me. Why would I lie to you?"

"Alright, alright, I get it."

Seeing her rattle off her achievements as if counting her family treasures, as boastful as ever, Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but smile wryly.

’If what Yun Qinghe said is true, then why is Father Emperor just watching the princes kill one another? What’s his goal? What does he gain from this?’

...