Chapter 124: Catch Them All in One Sweep

"What do you mean by that, Heir Apparent? Are you suggesting we deliberately framed you? What a joke!" Eunuch Hai clutched the sorcery doll tightly in his hand to prevent anyone from destroying the evidence. "This room belongs to you, Heir Apparent. It is well known throughout Jiankang that the Duke's estate is heavily guarded. We haven't entered our own rooms today; could it be that someone other than you came here to frame yourself?"

"Why not? Aren't you standing in my room right now, holding this nonsensical doll, trying to frame me?" Jiang Lan walked toward the group of attendants, suddenly slapped the trembling one on the shoulder, and asked, "Isn't that right?"

The attendant was terrified, immediately falling to his knees and kowtowing. "This servant doesn't know, this servant doesn't know..."

Xue Mingrui stepped forward, placing a hand on Jiang Lan's shoulder, and asked, "Is something wrong with this attendant?"

Jiang Lan nodded and addressed everyone, "Earlier, I noticed this man acting suspiciously. While I was drinking tea and chatting with the Master, he used the excuse of needing to relieve himself to slip away. Just now, he deliberately tripped the attendant next to him, causing him to fall against the table. How incredibly convenient that a box fell out of the table, revealing the doll in Eunuch Hai's hand. Isn't that a bit too coincidental?"

Eunuch Hai gritted his teeth in hatred, gripping the doll even tighter.

"That is merely the Heir Apparent's wild speculation and holds no weight. We have all been sitting in the courtyard, and the door to this room has never been opened. Pray tell, how could this eunuch have entered? Did he fly in from the sky? If the Heir Apparent has no other solid evidence to prove his innocence, I suppose we must go before the Emperor and the Empress to request a royal judgment."

"We will go, certainly. However, to prevent court officials and the many who have heard of this from wagging their tongues and claiming the Empress is showing me favoritism, I intend to investigate this thoroughly."

Watching Jiang Lan, the Heir to the Duke of Wei, walking toward him step by step, Eunuch Hai was terrified and quickly ducked behind Deputy General Yuan.

"What is Eunuch Hai afraid of? Could it be a guilty conscience?"

"Heir Apparent, please do not spout nonsense. I am merely acting under imperial decree. It would be better if you kept your word and found a way to prove your innocence."

Without turning back, Jiang Lan continued inward, pushed open a window on the side, and pointed to half a sandy footprint left on the sill. He smiled, "I must thank you for the reminder, Eunuch Hai. This person indeed did not enter through the door. Flying is naturally impossible, but this window, on the other hand, makes things much easier."

Xue Mingrui stepped forward. "Such a glaring footprint; it's clearly fresh." He turned to the attendant on the floor and pointed at him. "Look at the footprints he left walking over here. Although they are somewhat worn, they are clearly stained with sand and gravel. If we compare them, we will know whether my brother Lan is telling the truth or not."

The attendant was clearly panicking, but Eunuch Hai did not want to give up.

"How can you be sure it's him? What is so strange about getting some sand and gravel on the soles of one's shoes? How can the Heir Apparent be so certain it was him? It is quite possible he accidentally picked it up in the palace."

"It is truly the attendant's misfortune. The area behind this window connects to the inner courtyard, where one of my disciples lives. A few days ago, I brought back Naonao from my aunt, the Empress Dowager. That little guy wasn't used to the environment and ruined quite a few of the plants. My disciple, being clever, cleared out the grass in this adjacent patch and laid down sand and gravel shipped from the Western Regions, specifically for Naonao to play in.

"The material of this sand is unique and is a royal tribute. This year's supply hasn't even arrived yet, and all of last year's stock is in my estate's backyard. Eunuch Hai, where exactly in the palace did your eunuch pick this up? I would very much like to go and see who has been acting in bad faith, secretly making off with the Western Region sand sent by the Empress Dowager's decree."

"This..." Eunuch Hai had not expected the Heir to the Duke of Wei to be so eloquent, effectively blocking every path. Now, he had no choice but to sacrifice the lizard's tail to save its life.

"You bold slave! How dare you frame the Duke's Heir! Your crime is punishable by death. If we take this before the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, you will certainly pay the price for your evil deeds. Treason against the Emperor—that single charge is enough to have your entire family executed!"

Eunuch Hai suddenly became righteous, and everyone in the room stared at him. Before he could even finish his sentence, the eunuch kneeling on the floor groaned and collapsed.

Jiang Lan stepped forward quickly to check. "He's dead."

"Heir Apparent, do not worry. I have understood the full extent of this matter and will certainly explain it clearly to the Emperor and the Empress. I will not allow the Heir Apparent to suffer such an unjust accusation."

Jiang Lan stood up, stopped the indignant Xue Mingrui, and bowed to Eunuch Hai. "I leave it to you, Eunuch."

Eunuch Hai then walked over to Kong Kong. "I must also ask the Master to accompany me to the palace to serve as a witness."

"Amitabha. Since I have come, this old monk shall make the journey. It is only in the spirit of Buddhist compassion."

Once the room was empty, Jiang Lan looked at the bloodstain on the floor, deep in thought.

Xue Mingrui, standing beside him, patted Jiang Lan, who was sitting in a chair. "Brother Lan, why did you stop your cousin just now? That Hai Cen is clearly working against you and trying to harm you. Since we have caught him in the act, we should have wiped them all out. Even if we couldn't, we should have used the opportunity to strike the mountain and shake the tiger. Otherwise, with these constant open arrows and sorcery, it's impossible to guard against everything."

"Letting him go is exactly how I plan to wipe them all out." It was nearly noon, and Jiang Lan was hungry. He swallowed the pastry in his mouth before continuing. "Hai Cen has some standing in the palace; to reach this point, there must be someone behind him. Whether the one making things difficult for me these days is his superior remains unclear. However, following the vine to find the melon is better than blindly fumbling in the dark as we have been."

"So, you're planning to cast a long line to catch a big fish?" Xue Mingrui took the plate of snacks away from Jiang Lan. "Stop eating. Hurry, your cousin will take you to eat something good later."

Jiang Lan licked his lips and drank half a cup of tea to satisfy his hunger.

"Usually, it's Yu Yuan who comes to deliver decrees. Today, although it was the Emperor's decree, it wasn't the usual trusted chief eunuch. I knew something was wrong the moment I saw him.

"At first, I wanted to go out and see what kind of person this 'Master' was. As soon as I stepped out, I saw the main gate surrounded by soldiers. It was aggressive, and there hadn't been a whisper of warning, so I knew something major was about to happen.

"I intentionally pretended to be defiant. Fearing I would disturb the Master's carriage, Hai Cen and Deputy General Yuan struck me unconscious."

"What? Struck you unconscious!" Xue Mingrui exploded upon hearing this. "Let your cousin see—are you injured? Is it serious?"

Jiang Lan stopped him from reaching for his collar, shaking his head. "It's nothing, just a bruise."

Xue Mingrui slammed the table, furious. He pointed at Jiang Lan’s head and scolded, "If you can't handle it, don't! Why be so headstrong? You wouldn't even let me help you at the stone table earlier. Look at you now, getting knocked unconscious and not saying a word. Is the other half of the blood flowing in your veins still that of our Xue family? How frustrating!"