Chapter 1101: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

He decided to go find Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei to clarify what was going on, but unfortunately, after searching for half a day at their previous lodging in Yunzhong Commandery city, he found the place deserted. He then searched around the city for a while longer, but still couldn't find any trace of the two women. He couldn't help but sigh, marveling at how people from the Demonic Sect truly appear and disappear without a trace.

Upon returning to the guesthouse, Sang Hong arrived to speak with him. "Today, I led men to the Yu family to arrest Yu Xuanqing," Sang Hong said.

"Oh, did Lady Yu try to stop you?" Zu An hurriedly asked.

Sang Hong shook his head. "She didn't stop us," he replied, "but when we found Yu Xuanqing, we discovered he had committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

"Suicide? Could it be a—forced suicide?" Zu An frowned.

"From the traces at the scene, it was indeed suicide," Sang Hong snorted. "However, Yu Xuantao also died when we were about to arrest him. For this to happen twice, it's too much of a coincidence. I highly suspect Lady Yu played a very dishonorable role in this."

Thinking of Yu Yanluo's peerless beauty and their interactions over this period, Zu An realized that as the head of a clan, she was by no means as harmless as she appeared. However, he didn't quite believe that she had silenced Yu Xuanqing.

"By the way, we found some evidence at Yu Xuanqing's residence," Sang Hong said in a deep voice. "Currently, it appears that Zuo Su and Uncle Ming used him to manage the specific details of the smuggling with the demon race, with transport fully handled by the Pegasus Merchant Association. I'm preparing to take men to arrest the people from the Pegasus Merchant Association, bring them back for interrogation, and cross-reference their statements to confirm if this evidence is true."

"Pegasus Merchant Association…" Zu An was startled. He never expected action to be taken against the Pegasus Merchant Association so quickly. However, as an imperial envoy, Sang Hong's actions were reasonable, and Zu An couldn't object. So he said, "I'll go with you, Uncle."

He was worried that Qiu Honglei might suddenly appear to rescue the Pegasus Merchant Association's people, and it would be bad if she got hurt. As for Yun Jianyue showing up, then he'd have to worry about Sang Hong. Either way, with him mediating, some accidents could always be avoided.

Sang Hong hesitated: "But you are injured…"

"It's fine, I just won't participate in the fighting," Zu An explained. "Arresting a mere merchant association's people can be handled by the Imperial Guards alone."

Sang Hong thought for a moment and agreed: "Alright then, you stay close to me to avoid being harmed by any villains."

Hearing his concern, Zu An felt a warmth in his heart. Things were so unpredictable. In Brightmoon City, he and the Sang family were sworn enemies, but now they were almost like family.

Next, Sang Hong led a group of Imperial Guards straight to the Pegasus Merchant Association. For added security, he also mobilized some commandery soldiers from the Prefect's mansion. Since Gao Ying was now the County Lieutenant, mobilization was convenient.

The Pegasus Merchant Association was still unaware of what was happening. At first, the overseer outside yelled, asking if they knew where they were, but he was quickly taught a lesson by the Imperial Guards. Sang Hong didn't waste words with him; he immediately ordered his men to go in, make arrests, and seize all evidence.

A group of soldiers rushed into the mansion like wolves. The Pegasus Merchant Association had indeed hired many guards and warriors; they initially thought there was trouble and drew their swords, ready to fight. But upon seeing they were imperial soldiers, led by an imperial envoy, they all lost their nerve. They were just earning a living; they had no intention of rebelling against the imperial court.

Sang Hong was not the type to kill indiscriminately without questioning. He quickly announced that the Pegasus Merchant Association was suspected of assassinating the Duke and smuggling with the demon race. He stated that those who were unaware should lay down their weapons and surrender, and they would not be prosecuted afterward. His words quickly shattered the will of most of the guards. Who would dare to be associated with such a crime? One by one, they hurriedly threw down their weapons and surrendered.

However, not all surrendered. Some key figures of the Pegasus Merchant Association saw the unfavorable situation and began to break out. Soon, fierce sounds of fighting came from the innermost areas.

Sang Hong snorted and walked directly towards the back garden. Worried that it might be Qiu Honglei and others, Zu An also hurried to follow.

Upon reaching the back garden, he couldn't help but sigh in relief. He saw the Imperial Guards fiercely fighting around a dozen people from the Pegasus Merchant Association. All those in the center were men; Qiu Honglei and others were not among them. The people from the Pegasus Merchant Association were individually skilled, but the Imperial Guards had the advantage in numbers and coordinated formations, so it was an evenly matched fight.

Zu An noticed two familiar faces among them. One was a chubby man dressed in a dull yellow outfit, resembling a local tyrant, wielding an abacus with formidable power. The other, with green hair, occasionally summoned clusters of thorns from the ground to split the Imperial Guards' formations. If it weren't for those two, this group would probably have been subdued by the Imperial Guards long ago.

"Master Jin and Master Mu," Sang Hong snorted. He recognized them; they were the ones who had ambushed the convoy transporting prisoners to the capital from Brightmoon City. Upon seeing them, he couldn't help but recall his son's tragic death, and his expression immediately soured.

At that moment, Master Jin slapped his abacus. The abacus beads scattered like falling flowers, shooting towards the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards screamed in agony, and a large number of them immediately fell. Fortunately, their armor had special enchantments, providing extraordinary defense. Although their lives were saved, they were incapacitated for a short time.

At this moment, Master Mu also extended his hand. The trees in the garden rustled, and their leaves instantly flew off, each transforming into a sharp blade to attack the remaining Imperial Guards. Sang Hong snorted coldly. He launched forward with a move like a roc spreading its wings, arriving before the leaves. With a sweep of his wide official robes, he collected all the leaves into his sleeves, then with a flick, he shattered them all into dust.

Sang Hong continued without stopping, charging into the fray like lightning. In a few exchanges, he injured Master Jin and Master Mu, causing them to fall to the ground. Then, the surrounding Imperial Guards swarmed forward, placing their blades at the two men's necks. Seeing this, the others immediately lost heart and were soon all subdued.

Zu An secretly sighed with emotion. Having grown accustomed to seeing Grandmasters recently, he had forgotten that Sang Hong's cultivation was also top-tier for most martial artists.

Next, the Imperial Guards searched the association and found that the president, Zhang Che, was not there. It was unclear whether he simply wasn't present or had received advance warning and fled. Because of the large number of people and physical evidence, Sang Hong didn't waste time and began the interrogations directly at the association.

Unaccustomed to scenes of severe torture, Zu An didn't watch how they conducted the interrogations. He simply found a room and began to meditate and cultivate.

Not long after, Sang Hong found him with a solemn expression: "A'Zu, we have a problem."

"What is it?" Zu An knew how resolute Sang Hong's will was, so for him to be so troubled meant it was no small matter.

Sang Hong said in a deep voice, "The results of the interrogation just now—while many stubborn ones refused to speak, some couldn't endure and confessed: The Pegasus Merchant Association was actually working for the Prince of Yan."

"What!" Zu An was startled. Did that mean Qiu Honglei and the others were also allied with the Prince of Yan? But previously in Yi Commandery, Qiu Honglei had clearly been captured by the Prince of Yan.

"We also just found some correspondence, account books, and approvals from various yamen in Yi Commandery in a room," Sang Hong lowered his voice. "Although there isn't absolute proof yet, it's highly likely to be the case. The Prince of Yan and the Demonic Sect are actually in league, and they're involved in the smuggling case with the demon race."

Zu An frowned: "But the Prince of Yan and the Demonic Sect have been fighting yearly for all these years, battling to the point of utter chaos…"

"It's just a tactic to feign weakness and gain prestige," Sang Hong sneered. "This Prince of Yan is quite cunning. He uses this to make the imperial court continuously allocate resources to him, while also taking the opportunity to expand his army and influence."

Zu An suddenly understood. No wonder Qiu Honglei, despite being captured back then, seemed to have suffered no abuse. And how she had hesitated to speak, asking him if he would blame her if she ever lied to him about something. He had thought it was about something else before, but now he realized she was referring to this. No wonder the convoy transporting Demonic Sect prisoners was ambushed by Demonic Sect experts so coincidentally right after it left. The matter that Gold Token Seventh had been investigating but dared not speak openly about was probably this. After all, this matter involved a Prince; without conclusive evidence, one could easily disappear without a trace.

Sang Hong said in a deep voice, "This matter is too significant. The Prince of Yan has his own army and influence. If we push him to rebellion, even if we manage to escape back to the capital, we would likely be held accountable by the Emperor and sentenced to death." He understood the Emperor's political tactics too well. What the Emperor valued was not whether something was right or wrong, but its impact on imperial power. Perhaps, to appease the Prince of Yan, they would even be killed as a group of 'treacherous officials spreading seditious rumors' to quell his anger.

Zu An naturally understood that the Emperor's primary enemy was currently the Prince of Qi, so he certainly wouldn't want to create new complications. "What do we do next?" he couldn't help but lament. This country, while appearing prosperous on the surface, was actually rife with internal crises. Perhaps just a single spark could ignite a great age of chaos.

"We won't investigate this case further," Sang Hong said, a cold glint in his eyes. "We'll simply announce that the Pegasus Merchant Association colluded with Uncle Ming to help the demon race smuggle, and simultaneously push the mastermind role onto the Demonic Sect. They're certainly not lacking in dirty accusations, and besides, they truly were involved this time.”

Zu An immediately felt a pang of discomfort. He knew this was the most appropriate solution for now, but the problem was his close relationship with Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei.