Chapter 474: Attention

Chapter 474: Chapter 474: Attention

As for what exactly Lian Xiang and Ning Ziye are thinking, Shen Hao cannot guess for the time being, but today’s gains far exceeded his expectations.

A meal of exceptionally delicious Cold Moon Fish was already a rare treat, and even more so, he managed to personally obtain news about Moon Shadow Tower from Lian Xiang herself.

Hong’en Hall is a property of the Moon Shadow Tower?

It’s plausible, but it also adds an extra layer of mystery.

According to Shen Hao’s past conjectures, with the resources he currently controls, a place like Hong’en Hall, whose origins remain untraceable, should belong to someone on the official side, because only official businesses mutually obscure each other, making it difficult for outsiders to find out the truth. Yet Lian Xiang told him the force behind it is the Moon Shadow Tower.

What is the background of the Moon Shadow Tower? To say that it has been the most prominent intelligence organization in the Jingjiu Dynasty over the past few decades would not be an exaggeration. The name Moon Shadow Tower has appeared many times in internal government reports of the Xuanqing Guard, yet no concrete evidence or flaws have ever been seized; it’s like they’re loaches slipping through the mud—seen but never firmly grasped.

Now, however, Shen Hao feels as though he may have caught traces of the Moon Shadow Tower.

At the very least, Sound Cultivators, Ning Ziye, Binding Princess, Moon Shadow Tower, Hong’en Hall—connecting these key points together already allows for many useful inferences.

Of course, all this must be premised on the information being genuine. He still cannot determine whether Lian Xiang is deceiving him, deliberately mentioning Moon Shadow Tower to blur his line of investigation.

As for his feelings toward this woman, Shen Hao himself cannot state them clearly. There is certainly goodwill, but also vigilance; an urge to get closer, yet also a rational desire to maintain distance. As for what might become of them in the future, Shen Hao can’t say for sure.

Nevertheless, if he can truly make contact with the forces behind Hong’en Hall, it would certainly be a net positive for Shen Hao.

To understand the opponent means first to come into contact with the opponent. Only through frequent contact can one slowly uncover the true nature behind them.

The next day, Shen Hao rose early, washed up and ate breakfast, then headed to the Thousand Households Station. He had taken yesterday off, but Wang Yiming had diligently tied up the loose ends of the "Ma San Case." Early in the morning, he was already waiting outside the Public Office, gave a detailed report on the situation, and had also prepared the final procedure needed to close the case.

"Sir, yesterday the Governor’s Office dispatched people to thoroughly verify all the heads—none were missing. The primary criminals, led by Ma San Kui, had their heads collected and taken away, and the relevant written papers have been left behind..."

"Well done this time. According to the rules, grant the brothers three days of rest, staggered in shifts. For now, distribute some silver coins from the camp’s public accounts as a reward. When the official rewards come down from above, there will be additional incentives."

Wang Yiming’s eyes lit up: "Sir, have you received news already?" He wasn’t after silver or elixir; what he was after was merit. After all his years in service, finally catching a big credit, he could look forward to receiving some recognition at last.

"Yes, I heard Lord Jiang mention it last time. This time, having even captured the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War is bound to bring a great reward. Have the brothers rest assured and wait for it—I estimate it should arrive at the beginning of next month."

"Very well, sir! The brothers will be beside themselves with joy when they hear it." Wang Yiming himself grinned from ear to ear.

"Also, for those brothers who, because this case involved the military and were thus excluded from the specific tasks, you should be sure to comfort and explain to them. It was a special situation—not targeting anyone personally. From now on, let this rule be standard: anyone who might be associated with a case is required to voluntarily recuse themselves. Write this into the Black Banner Battalion’s code."

"Understood, sir. I’ll see to it."

"Good. Go ahead with these tasks, and after you spread the word, you can take two rest days yourself. By the way, bring Wang Jian here later—I have some questions for him."

Wang Yiming acknowledged and withdrew. After the time it took for a meal, Wang Jian knocked on the door of Shen Hao’s Public Office.

"Can’t you adjust and let yourself rest once in a while?" When he saw Wang Jian, the man was still sporting a pair of dark circles under his eyes, visible exhaustion on his face—a look that revealed days without a decent night’s sleep.

"Sir, I can’t help it. There have been too many leads these days; even though I’ve handed the rest down, I still have to keep an eye on the general situation myself, or I just don’t feel at ease. But it’s almost done—once things are clear here, I’ll finally rest for a good while."

Though recently Wang Jian had been exhausted, his gains were significant; he was becoming more and more proficient with the "Document Message Library" that Shen Hao had introduced, and gradually recognized its immense hidden benefits and conveniences. Lately, his main task had been compiling and archiving information related to the "Ma San Case," incorporating it into the document library.

"As long as you know your own limits. I’m warning you: with your current level of Cultivation, prolonged fatigue will sap your body’s potential and affect your future cultivation ceiling. If you want to climb further, don’t act tough; you must be careful."

"Thank you, sir, for your guidance. I understand."

"I asked you here today for two things. First, about the Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company—I’ve already discussed it with Liu Hengyi. You’ll approach him privately and assign a few men to be stationed permanently at the carriage shop."

Wang Jian had already heard some hints of this matter earlier, so he was prepared and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Also, has there been any news on that Zither Master in the Imperial City whom you’ve been monitoring?"

"To answer, sir, I had men map out the daily movements of that Zither Master called Binding Princess—nothing unusual so far. If you’d like, I can have the compiled summary stamped and delivered to you this afternoon?"

"Mm, send a copy over. Also, focus extra attention on this matter—report immediately if there’s any development."

Wang Jian accepted the order, and Shen Hao waved him off.

Previously, Shen Hao had seen the matter of investigating Binding Princess as a private issue, instructing Wang Jian to "look into" it; but now he had said "pay attention," and the change in wording indicated a clear shift in his attitude toward the Binding Princess affair. Wang Jian didn’t say it, but he definitely understood this.

The reason for Shen Hao’s shift regarding the Binding Princess investigation was the information he learned from Lian Xiang last night.

If what Lian Xiang said is true, and the force behind her is Moon Shadow Tower, then as Binding Princess is the mentor to both Lian Xiang and Ning Ziye, her own identity is highly likely to be entangled with the Moon Shadow Tower, potentially even as a key figure within the organization.

And from Binding Princess’s background, she made her name in the Imperial City with the backing of the Seventh Prince, Yang Shu. Shen Hao had long suspected there was some kind of transaction between them. At the time, he thought Yang Shu was extending favors to win over some great Gated Clan. But now it seems it wasn’t about any Gated Clan—it was purely a matter of dealing with a grey organization.

Does contact between a prince and a grey organization count as a crime? Absolutely! And it’s a serious crime at that. This is more outrageous than colluding with official factions in the court. In years past, such a matter could have utterly toppled a prince with no chance of recovery.

But today, this is no longer so certain. Even though Shen Hao is far from the Temple Hall, the minor clues he brushed upon during the "Ma San Case" gave him some insight into upper-level political winds, and so he has no choice but to keep this matter buried for now, while continuing to probe deeper.