Chapter 55: Entering Prince Jiang’s Mansion

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Entering Prince Jiang’s Mansion

Watching Wang Deli leave, Zeng Anmin turned his head to look toward Prince Jiang’s Mansion.

"Mr. Zeng, are we still going home?" Dachun asked, having just ridden his horse over and looking at him cautiously.

"To Prince Jiang’s Mansion."

Zeng Anmin didn’t hesitate. Expressionless, he gently pulled the reins with his fair hands and squeezed his legs.

"NEIGH!"

The warhorse beneath him let out a long neigh, turned around, and broke into a mad gallop. Dachun quickly spurred his horse to catch up.

The Observation Department was at least the better part of an hour’s ride from Prince Jiang’s Mansion, but Zeng Anmin managed to cut the time down to just half an hour.

"WHOA!"

Zeng Anmin pulled tight on the reins, and the horse gradually slowed down. He planted his feet in the stirrups, dismounted, and looked up at the massive residence before him. The prominent characters of Prince Jiang’s Mansion gleamed brightly.

Outside the residence stood nearly two thousand armored warriors. Their long spears formed a dense forest, and they stood meticulously straight, encircling the entire compound. A chilling aura of killing intent rushed forth.

He didn’t waste time. Once Dachun arrived, he took the lead and strode toward the main gates. Halfway there, a deep, resonant voice rang out.

"Halt!"

Looking up, an armored warrior was staring at him coldly. The man was clad in full military garb, his expression stern, and his square face was particularly striking. Just standing there, he looked like an iron tower. It was Lin Rong, the Garrison Assistant General of Liangjiang Commandery, and his father’s direct subordinate.

Zeng Anmin’s expression remained unchanged as he approached Lin Rong and pulled out the token from his waist.

"Left Chief Clerk of the Observation Department, Zeng Anmin."

"Mr. Zeng?" Hearing his name, Lin Rong’s solemn face showed a flicker of surprise. He rested a hand on his sword hilt and stepped forward to greet him. "What brings you here, Quan Fu?"

"How could I not come when such a major incident has occurred in our jurisdiction?" Zeng Anmin’s face was grave, his voice carrying a trace of coldness. "I ran into Wang Deli earlier and am already aware of the situation. I hope you can make things convenient for me, Mr. Lin, and let me go inside to investigate."

"Please!" Lin Rong didn’t hesitate at all; a hint of joy even surfaced on his face.

The Governor’s son, Zeng Anmin, had solved the case of the missing Dragon Inspection Map, the Zhang Lun case, the Shen Jun case, and King Jiang’s rebellion case... The ins and outs of every single case had been compiled into files by the Observation Department and sent to all major commandery offices for observation and study. Zeng Anmin’s reputation for solving cases with divine accuracy had already spread throughout the entire officialdom of Fengqi Road.

"Thank you."

Zeng Anmin’s gaze was sharp as he led Dachun toward the mansion gates.

"Open the gates!" Lin Rong ordered the soldiers on duty at the entrance from behind.

Two grunts swiftly pushed the large doors open, allowing Zeng Anmin to finally get a clear look at the courtyard beyond the gates.

Inside the courtyard, there was practically a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten. Every single soldier had a stern expression, standing as straight as a pine tree with spear in hand. These sentry posts extended all the way to the inner courtyard, covering every possible hiding spot.

His father placed great importance on the rebellion case involving King Jiang. Therefore, practically the entire elite force of Liangjiang Commandery had been stationed inside Prince Jiang’s Mansion. The densely packed guards numbered at least two thousand, and there was no shortage of patrols constantly sweeping the area.

"Commander Wang said King Jiang’s disappearance didn’t trigger any disturbances?" Zeng Anmin recalled his earlier encounter with Wang Deli on the street, slowly raising his gaze to land on Lin Rong’s face.

Lin Rong sighed, his hand tightening slightly around his sword hilt.

"Because King Jiang is a major criminal, he was imprisoned and guarded in isolation. However, due to his special status, we didn’t dare treat him too harshly before the imperial decree arrived.

"We only locked him in his room and doubled the guards around the entire building. Commander Wang even stood watch at the door day and night...

"Even more, Commander Wang would personally enter the room to check on him every hour. Before the Shen hour, King Jiang was still inside. By the You hour, when Commander Wang entered the room again, it was completely empty..." Lin Rong said, his face revealing a hint of bewilderment.

Hearing this, Zeng Anmin furrowed his brows and asked, "Are there any secret passages in Prince Jiang’s Mansion?"

"Yes. On our first day standing guard, we searched the entire Prince’s Mansion. There is a tunnel leading to a secret room, but aside from some wealth, there was nothing else inside.

"That’s why we deliberately chose a room as far away from that secret passage as possible to detain King Jiang," Lin Rong replied in a deep voice.

"Could he have flown away since there are no secret passages?" he wondered.

Zeng Anmin pondered for a long time. This summary of the case lacked any distinguishing details and provided him with no new leads.

"Let’s go look at the holding cell first," he said, looking at Lin Rong expressionlessly.

"Alright, follow me."

Zeng Anmin followed Lin Rong deeper into the residence. Shortly after, they arrived at a courtyard. Front and back, there were at least two hundred saber-wielding guards, all Red-clothed Guards from the Observation Department.

"Greetings, Left Clerk Zeng!" Seeing Zeng Anmin appear, the group of Red-clothed Guards looked extremely respectful as they saluted him.

"At ease."

Zeng Anmin casually pressed his hand down, paying them no mind. His gaze fell upon the door of the building. The Red-clothed Guards had secured the entire perimeter incredibly tightly.

He didn’t hesitate to push the door open, only to be immediately hit by a foul, pungent stench. The odor was stinging to the nose, carrying a faint metallic tang. When his eyes landed on the several chamber pots inside the room, his expression shifted to one of understanding.

Although they wouldn’t subject King Jiang to physical torture, there was no way they would let him live comfortably either. With days of eating, drinking, and relieving himself all in the same room, it wasn’t hard to understand why the smell was so awful.

Zeng Anmin looked around. The room’s furnishings were sparse. There was only a bed, a table, a bookshelf, and a few basins. Right now, however, it was a complete mess. Clearly, the armored warriors had turned the place upside down while searching after King Jiang’s disappearance. Even the books and vases from the bookshelf had been tossed into a pile on the floor, leaving only the bare shelf behind. Aside from that, there was practically nothing else.

The roof was tightly sealed, and soldiers surrounded the perimeter. Wanting to vanish into thin air from here... was difficult. It was entirely impossible.

"A secret room," Zeng Anmin stroked his chin, muttering to himself. "Could it be an Instantaneous Array?"

His mind suddenly recalled the time he captured Qi Xianlin on Shuiyun Island, and the Profound Array Department’s magic that Qi Xianlin had used. Although his father had shattered it with a single wave of his hand, he couldn’t forget that right here, there were only two Martial Artists: Lin Rong and Wang Deli. It wasn’t impossible that they had failed to notice the activation of an array.

Zeng Anmin was deep in thought, but he knew absolutely nothing about the Profound Array Department’s arrays. How they were cast, whether they required auxiliary tools, what methods were needed—he was clueless about all of it.

"Mr. Lin, how much do you know about the Profound Array Department’s Instant Movement Array?" Zeng Anmin suddenly spoke up, looking at Lin Rong.

Lin Rong was standing at the door. Hearing this, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"I had the exact same thought the moment King Jiang vanished into thin air. However, casting an array requires laying out Spirit Stones and drawing Array Patterns. None of those were found in this room, so we had to rule it out."

"Are there no arrays that can be cast without those things?" Zeng Anmin instantly caught the loophole in those words.

"There are, but that requires the strength that only a Fourth Grade Meridian Master of the Profound Array Department possesses."

A familiar voice drifted in from the doorway.

"Lord Governor." Hearing that voice, Lin Rong immediately bowed respectfully toward the outside.

A moment later, accompanied by the sound of light footsteps, a stern-faced Zeng Shilin walked into the room.