Chapter 14 Division

"Patriarch Liu! We'll be taking this person away first. Please forgive us for the disturbance." Jin Sanniang's words were polite, but her gaze was fixed on Liu Suifeng. If he changed his mind at the last minute, she wouldn't hesitate to take action.

Liu Suifeng acted strangely, however. He had just stopped Liu Qiantiao from continuing, yet now he didn't seem worried that Liu Qiantiao would reveal the truth after being taken away.

With a wave of his hand, as if discarding a nuisance, he said, "Take him away! Take him away quickly! He gives me a headache just looking at him."

The group dragged the reluctant Liu Qiantiao out of the Liu residence.

But when Zhao Si Bai asked Liu Qiantiao what he hadn't finished saying, Liu Qiantiao started playing dumb again.

No matter how much Zhao Si Bai pressed him, he wouldn't utter another word, becoming inexplicably stubborn.

Liu Qiantiao's refusal to talk left them at a loss. They couldn't use torture or threaten him with death.

After all, Liu Qiantiao wasn't a criminal, and he was even the Liushanmen's next 'cooperation target'. If he behaved well, he might even be held up as a model.

The five exchanged glances, deciding to skip the topic of Liu Qiantiao's unfinished words for now.

Any secrets he was hiding could be slowly 'inquired' about after they returned to the capital and locked him up in the Liushanmen.

Zhao Si Bai first placed a soundproof talisman on Liu Qiantiao.

Then, he turned and asked, "What's next? Do we head back to the capital to report?"

Cui Yu objected, "We can't just go back like this. We were the first Liushanmen constables to arrive at the Han River pleasure boat incident. According to Liushanmen's ironclad rules, whichever captain first discovers a case is responsible for supervising it. If it can't be solved within a month, it must be reported and handed over to a higher-ranking captain."

"This rule was originally established to prevent captains from fighting for credit or shirking responsibility. If we just leave like this, we might be criticized when we return to the capital."

Jin Sanniang asked Cui Yu, "What are your thoughts?"

Cui Yu said, "Split up!"

Jin Sanniang nodded. "That's what I was thinking too. Cui Yu, you take Liu Qiantiao back to the capital to report."

At this moment, Zhao Si Bai suddenly interrupted, "Big Sister Jin! Although Cui Yu has a good memory and is knowledgeable, it might not be safe for him to escort this guy back to the capital alone. Let me do it!"

Jin Sanniang thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright! Then Zhao Si Bai will take Liu Qiantiao back to the capital."

"Qiao Wuqi and Cui Yu, you two will go to Xichuan as partners to gather information."

"Ma Bao is, after all, the governor of Xichuan. His every move will be watched by those with ulterior motives. We must find out why he suddenly left his post and took a boat to the Jiangdong region."

"Xiao Ye and I will stay in Dingchun and pay a visit to the Mo family to test the waters."

Jin Sanniang quickly made the arrangements.

The five split into three teams. Judging from the current clues, the most dangerous task was staying in Dingchun to investigate the Mo family.

Connecting the pleasure boat incident with the Bai family massacre eight years ago, which was almost identical, the Mo family was likely a dragon's lair, a tiger's den.

"By the way, who is the current governor of Hedong?" Ye Chuxiao asked.

Cui Yu replied, "The current governor of Hedong is Xiong Wei, who took office three years ago and previously served as the chief secretary of Xidu."

The Great Heng Dynasty's founding emperor a thousand years ago started his rebellion in Xidu, eventually sweeping across the land and seizing the throne.

Therefore, Xidu and the capital were known as the twin capitals of Great Heng.

Of course, in reality, the Great Heng Dynasty had lasted for a thousand years, and the capital, as the actual capital, had long surpassed Xidu in many ways.

Nowadays, Xidu mainly focuses on commerce and freight, and its power structure is far inferior to that of the capital.

Only one thing remains: the Empress Dowager, who currently holds power in Great Heng, comes from the Yang family of Xidu. Xidu... can be said to be the Empress Dowager's home turf.

Officials who come from Xidu are often labeled as part of the Empress Dowager's faction.

"Is he trustworthy?" Jin Sanniang asked.

The Liushanmen, on the surface, doesn't take sides.

Whether it's the Emperor of Great Heng or the Empress Dowager, they are only symbolic to the constables of the Liushanmen.

The pressure from above is naturally borne by the Divine Constables.

Jin Sanniang only wanted to know one thing: if they encountered an accident, could they seek help from this Governor Xiong?

Cui Yu thought for a moment and said, "In the Liushanmen's copied official evaluations, this Governor Xiong's assessment is mostly described as 'diligent and pragmatic'. Moreover, he has only been in Hedong for three years, so his ties to the local area shouldn't be too deep. He might be somewhat trustworthy."

Cui Yu's words were quite conservative.

He didn't strongly suggest that Jin Sanniang could trust Governor Xiong.

"I understand!"

"Now that the plan is set, let's act immediately."

"If you find anything, use the Liushanmen's information channels to send messages at any time," Jin Sanniang said.

Great Heng is relatively 'conservative' and backward in terms of information technology.

However, the rune networks of the island world Ye Chuxiao had visited couldn't be replicated in Great Heng.

The networks of the island world actually used runes and formations to connect the sky and the sea, forming a superimposed binary effect, like two vast giant nets, forming a complete cycle that enveloped the world.

This achieved the connection of the islands in the form of a rune network.

Great Heng doesn't have the geographical environment of the island world. Even if the same rune formations were set up in the sky, without a connection to the ground, it would be like launching a satellite without building signal towers on the ground, making it impossible to form a complete, widespread information network.

Of course, in theory, strengthening the propagation and intensity of signals in the sky should also be possible.

Ye Chuxiao knew the difference because he had considered replicating the rune network in Great Heng, but the key technical difficulties were beyond his current cultivation and knowledge.

The three groups separated.

Ye Chuxiao followed Jin Sanniang to visit Governor Xiong first.

They borrowed some errand-running yamen runners and soldiers from Governor Xiong.

Then, they went to the Mo family's ancestral lands.

The Mo family was different from the Liu family. Although they also resided in Dingchun, they weren't in Dingchun city but had large estates outside the city.

This was because the Mo family's main business was manufacturing spring brocade, and the factory buildings occupied too much land. They also needed a large number of people to work and take care of the premises, so living in the city for a long time wasn't convenient.

"You have something to say?" Jin Sanniang didn't gallop but reined in her horse.

Ye Chuxiao hesitated for a moment, still withholding the information about Old Corpse Pi, and said, "Zhao Si Bai's reaction today was a bit strange."

Jin Sanniang said, "You noticed it too?"

"Yes, he was too proactive and enthusiastic today, very different from his usual self."

"That's why I had Qiao Wuqi keep an eye on him. In reality, only Cui Yu is going to Xichuan."

Saying that, Jin Sanniang stared at Ye Chuxiao and said, "You probably have more to say. I can sense that you've been hesitant several times, as if you want to say something but are holding back."

Ye Chuxiao smiled upon hearing this. "Big Sister Jin! Don't try to trick me. If I have any thoughts or something I think I can say, I'll definitely be frank with you."

Jin Sanniang nodded, urging her horse forward a few steps. "Alright! I understand!"

Without making a sound, the two completed a simple exchange of information.