Old Carponsa pleaded pitifully before King Hajif, appealing to his emotions and reason. He then used the Arroyo family as a scapegoat, prompting the king to investigate the matter.
Naturally, the king held a highly respected position and could not personally call Ling Tian to discuss the issue. He needed a tool, and that tool was, of course, the Arroyo family.
Soon, the father and son, the Arroyos, arrived at the palace. They saw the grim-faced Old Carponsa and were somewhat bewildered, unsure of the king's intentions in summoning them.
"Arroyo, the Carponsa family has recently been targeted by multiple assassinations. Have I not already tasked relevant agencies to investigate this? What have you found so far?" the king questioned with a dark expression.
For Darussalam, domestic security, especially the safety of the royal family and high-ranking officials, was primarily the responsibility of those under Little Arroyo.
Despite the animosity between the two families, these cases still required Little Arroyo's subordinates to investigate.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have dispatched almost all our personnel to investigate this case. We have apprehended several assassins in the past few days and eliminated several others. However, upon questioning these assassins, they admitted that they received the assassination missions against the Carponsa family from assassin websites on the dark web. As for who the mastermind is, even they do not know..."
"Your Majesty, Arroyo is clearly not putting in sufficient effort. He has not taken this matter seriously and does not intend to help our Carponsa family deal with these assassins!" Old Carponsa suddenly interjected, directly blaming Little Arroyo.
Although Little Arroyo was not as old as the old fox opposite him, the Arroyo family's deep-rooted influence and his upbringing, coupled with his current high position, made him unafraid of the old fox's tactics.
"Lord Carponsa, is my explanation unclear, or do you simply not understand what the dark web is? Those assassins accept missions through assassin platforms on the dark web. The dark web is the underworld of the internet world, and those assassin websites are built by the world's top hackers. Forget about us; even the Americans cannot do anything about the dark web. How do you expect me to investigate? Perhaps I should hand over the perpetrators to you, and your Carponsa family can interrogate them yourselves!"
Facing Arroyo's questioning, Old Carponsa did not press further. He turned to King Hajif and said, "Your Majesty, it is not as Arroyo claims, requiring evidence. The matter is obvious; this is revenge from that doctor named Ling Tian!"
"Heh, you cannot just say things like that. Everything requires evidence. That Doctor Ling Tian is no ordinary person; not everyone can slander him. Without concrete evidence, why are you making baseless accusations?" Little Arroyo argued heatedly with Old Carponsa, causing the king to frown at the scene.
"Enough, stop!"
Upon the king's command, both Old Carponsa and Little Arroyo fell silent.
"Arroyo, you are here. Contact Doctor Ling Tian personally and ask him if he has anything to do with this matter!"
Little Arroyo's heart skipped a beat. He had not expected the king to employ such a tactic. Making a call to Ling Tian in front of the king, without any prior communication, might lead Ling Tian to say something treasonous, potentially giving Old Carponsa leverage. However, facing the king's cold gaze, Little Arroyo had no choice. He didn't even have the opportunity to tamper with anything. Reluctantly, he took out his phone and turned on the speaker.
After a long pause, the call was connected. Ling Tian's lazy voice came from the other end, as it was late at night.
"Hello, Mr. Arroyo. Why are you calling me so late? Is there something?"
"Yes, Mr. Ling Tian. I apologize for disturbing you so late, but we do have some matters to consult you about. His Majesty the King is with me and has some questions for you!" Little Arroyo, not wanting Ling Tian to speak rashly, tried his best to reveal the king's presence to Ling Tian, serving as a preemptive warning.
Although it was a small reminder, Ling Tian immediately understood why Little Arroyo was calling him at this hour.
"Your Majesty, hello! It is a pleasure to speak with you!" Ling Tian greeted politely.
"Hello, Mr. Ling Tian. I apologize for calling you at this hour and disturbing your rest. However, we are in a difficult situation. The security situation in our Darussalam is currently rather complex. There are some matters I wish to consult you about..."
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. Please, ask whatever you need. I will tell you everything I know!"
"Alright, Mr. Ling Tian. It's like this: in the past few days, someone has posted assassination missions online. Our Minister of Finance, Carponsa, and his family have been subjected to brutal assassinations... I know that when you were treating the princess in Darussalam, you had a conflict with Old Carponsa's son, Haymir. You were even shot at by gunmen at the time... We are still investigating this matter, but I can guarantee with my honor that this incident has nothing to do with the Carponsa family."
"Your Majesty, for me, that matter has already passed. It is no longer important who tried to assassinate me!" Ling Tian's tone was calm, and his attitude left the shrewd King Hajif unable to discern whether Ling Tian was the mastermind.
"Mr. Ling Tian, I want to ask a bold question: do these assassins targeting the Carponsa family have anything to do with you? Please don't misunderstand me; I am not complaining. I just mean, forgive and forget when possible. If you feel that the Carponsa family has offended you, I will have Old Carponsa apologize to you personally and offer you sufficient compensation..."
"Your Majesty, what are you saying? I am a doctor, a law-abiding citizen. How could I be involved with those assassins, or hire them? To put it bluntly, if I wanted to get rid of the Carponsa family, I have many ways to make them disappear without a trace, or die in endless agony! I could also ensure that no one could ever trace the killings back to me! Why would I go to such lengths to hire those assassins?"
Ling Tian's tone was measured, showing no abnormality. However, Old Carponsa on the other end of the line was trembling.