Сhарtеr 156: Моth
The fаmilу bаnquеt аt Prince Ying's rеsidеnce invitеd only high-rаnking оffiсiаls, nоnе of whom brоught their families.
Excерt for Shеn Du. Althоugh hе hеld а high pоsitiоn, bringing Zhu Yаn with him аt this mоment sеemed rathеr еxсessive in front оf everуone.
Ноwеvеr, it аlsо рrovided аn оpроrtunitу to disрel thе rumоrs circulаting in sоciеty about mаrital discord.
Zhu Yаn wаs аlso skillеd at acting, рlауing the раrt оf а dutiful wоmаn alоngsidе Shen Du thrоughout thе event. Аfter thеу sаt down tоgеthеr, Shеn Du watched hеr with great interest.
"You sеem quite obеdient todаy. I suррosе you have some plan in mind," Shen Du remarked casually, but Zhu Yan merely pursed her lips and ignored him.
Whether there was a plan or not, both of them knew it well. Was it necessary to speak so bluntly?
Before the banquet began, Princess Yongan arranged performances to entertain the guests.
During the performances, one act caught Zhu Yan's attention. The performer conjured many moths as if by magic.
They fluttered through the air, earning applause and admiration from the audience—truly a magnificent spectacle.
However, Zhu Yan's mind was not on the performance. Moths—this was the most conspicuous element in recent cases.
Whenever moths appeared, something bad would happen. This was Zhu Yan's intuition.
She instinctively glanced at Shen Du, who also seemed lost in thought, his expression darkening.
The performer continued to spin in circles. As he spun, he suddenly soared into the air, his hands shaped like wings, dancing gracefully.
Amidst the cheers, the performer transformed into a cocoon. Moments later, he broke free and emerged as a giant moth, its fluttering wings shimmering with golden light, a breathtaking sight.
Zhu Yan was amazed by the performer's tricks, but what surprised her even more was that the moth looked terrifying and enormous.
Had she seen it somewhere before?
The cheers abruptly ceased, as if everyone was stunned by the scene before them.
In an instant, the moth suddenly took flight, heading straight for Princess Yongan. Before anyone could react, the moth had carried Princess Yongan away in front of everyone.
"Your Highness!"
The crowd gasped in shock. Shen Du immediately led his men in pursuit.
Zhu Yan quickly followed the crowd to see what had happened. Fortunately, by the time they arrived, Princess Yongan had already been rescued by Shen Du, and the culprit had been captured.
To everyone's surprise, the culprit was none other than Chen Huo'e, who had confessed and been convicted in the Brocade Workshop case years ago.
Tied up nearby was another person—Princess Yongan's consort, Yu Chi Yang.
But he was now unconscious, hanging high like a cocoon, with flames blazing fiercely below.
"The consort! It's the consort! Save him!"
Amidst the chaos, the consort was also rescued. Everyone was shocked that Yu Chi Yang, a military general, had been rendered completely helpless. Could the rumors be true?
"Quick, protect His Highness the Prince of Ying and capture the culprit!"
A cold command rang out as Lai Luozhi arrived with his men, directing them to apprehend the culprit.
At the sight of Lai Luozhi, Zhu Yan's heart sank. Shen Du tightened his grip on Chen Huo'e.
His meaning was clear: this person was captured by him, and he would never hand him over to Lai Luozhi.Lai Luozhi did not object to this and took the opportunity to say, "This is Prince Ying's residence. How dare lawless individuals cause trouble here? Guards, come forward and assist immediately."
Lai Luozhi had come prepared, bringing many people with him.
Shen Du, on the other hand, had only Zhu Yan by his side. Seizing the opportunity, Lai Luozhi took Chen Huo'e into his custody, appearing to offer help but harboring ulterior motives.
Shen Du was well aware of his ill intentions, yet Lai Luozhi's maneuver was executed flawlessly.
Moreover, with many court officials present, causing a dispute would only make Shen Du appear unreasonable.
Shen Du said nothing more and handed the person over to Lai Luozhi, but not without a cold warning, "I am entrusting this person to you today, Vice Minister Lai. You must ensure he is properly guarded."
"Of course," Lai Luozhi replied with a satisfied expression, even offering a few flattering words to Shen Du. "If Commander Shen remains this clear-headed, there will be plenty of opportunities for cooperation in the future."
"You are too kind, Vice Minister Lai."
This was Prince Ying's residence, and it was widely known that Princess Yong'an had dealings with Lai Luozhi. If Shen Du caused a disturbance here, it would inevitably invite criticism.
Shen Du was a clever man; he knew when to back down.
Lai Luozhi took the person away, and Shen Du watched them leave coldly, clenching his fist.
Zhu Yan quickly stepped forward, grabbing his arm and shaking her head.
Both of them understood the situation clearly—it was not the time to make a scene.
The matter was thus set aside. Just as they were about to return to the banquet, Qi Yeyun hurriedly reported, "Master, something terrible has happened. Ji Fangming has died suddenly in the Dali Prison."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yan's heart sank, and Shen Du was equally taken aback.
Without hesitation, they excused themselves from the banquet and rushed to the Dali Prison. There, Ji Fangming lay with an unusually pale complexion.
His entire body was tightly wrapped like a silkworm cocoon, with only his head exposed, but he appeared lifeless.
As the prison guard opened the cell door, Zhu Yan was about to enter when Shen Du stopped her, sensing something amiss.
There was no one else here. Even if silk threads had been prepared, wrapping oneself into a cocoon-like state was no easy task. Without assistance, how could it have been done so stealthily?
Zhu Yan also noticed the oddity. Qi Yeyun stood to the side, staring at the scene in horror, not daring to make a sound.
Shen Du stepped forward slowly, raised his sword, and sliced open the cocoon with a single stroke. Ji Fangming's body fell straight to the ground.
As the corpse hit the floor, a faint shadow flickered at the corner of Shen Du's vision—barely perceptible, yet he noticed it.
With a wave of his hand, a cloud of powder drifted through the air, and everyone saw Chen Huo'e's face once more.
Before anyone could react, Chen Huo'e transformed directly into a moth and attempted to fly away.
This moth was unlike any they had seen before—its entire body was ablaze with flames, a true fire moth.
The fire moth quickly flew out of sight, and without a second thought, Shen Du gave chase.
They left the Dali Prison and ventured into the endless night.
Only then did the fire moth slow its pace. It flew into a forest, landed on the ground, and transformed back into human form.
This person was none other than the real Chen Huo'e.
To her surprise, as soon as she regained her human form, a cold voice echoed from behind, "Such petty tricks cannot deceive anyone."Shen Du pointed his longsword at Chen Huo'e and coldly demanded, "I have never believed in resurrection from death. Were you involved in the wrongful case of the Shen Manor back then?"
Chen Huo'e was somewhat surprised by Shen Du's pursuit, but quickly composed herself. She let out an extremely peculiar laugh, a look of disdain flashing in her eyes as she gazed at Shen Du and said,
"Does it matter whether I was involved or not? Your father was nothing but an ant. Even if he died, he deserved it."
Chen Huo'e's words thoroughly enraged Shen Du. His face turned ashen, a murderous glint rising in his eyes. Swinging his longsword, he launched an attack toward Chen Huo'e.
Chen Huo'e hurriedly parried, and the two soon became locked in combat.
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