Zeng Anmin's words echoed in everyone's ears like a sudden thunderclap blasting through a dense fog. Emperor Jianhong's finger, holding a chess piece, paused slightly as he looked at Zeng Anmin expressionlessly.
Zeng Anmin's earlier speech was highly logical, bringing a sense of clarity as if parting the clouds to reveal the sun. To deduce so much from a mere string of confessions... This kid... could actually be of some use.
"So, who is it?" Ning'an's little brain worked fast. She raised her pointed chin and looked down at Zeng Anmin condescendingly. "You still haven't said who stole the Dragon Inspection Map, nor have you said where the map is."
Having grown up in the Imperial Palace since childhood, everyone she met treated her with the utmost respect. Her way of speaking had always been this straightforward and direct.
Zeng Anmin's lips curled up slightly. "Here it comes. Now for the main event," he thought. Everything he had just said was ultimately to pave the way for his next move. Otherwise, even if he talked until he was blue in the face, the emperor wouldn't believe him, and everyone would just think he was blowing hot air. Whether he could clear his father's name and whether he could continue his pampered life of luxury entirely depended on what he did next!
Zeng Anmin slowly looked up, his gaze extremely gentle. His starlit eyes looked straight at Princess Ning'an. He bowed slightly and, instead of answering directly, countered with a question, "To answer you, Princess, what if tonight, I were to be rescued in a prison break by my father's subordinates? The entire Observation Department would be furious and deploy all their forces to arrest me... What would happen then?"
Although these words were directed at Ning'an, everyone else's breath hitched upon hearing them.
"You still want to escape?!" Ning'an's eyes widened completely. She glared furiously at Emperor Jianhong, pointed at Zeng Anmin, and said, "Royal Father, this thief is truly arrogant to the extreme! Arrogant to the extreme..." She was so angry that she was practically speechless.
Zeng Anmin's mouth twitched. "If this woman had used even a fraction of her venom on her brain, she wouldn't be this insufferable. She is truly stupid!" he thought. Left with no choice, he could only offer a bitter smile and look at Ning'an patiently.
"Your Highness Ning'an, I am not really trying to run away. This is just a ploy to lure the snake out of its hole.
"For the thief to dare commit such a crime as an ordinary person, it shows that his nature is to take extreme risks.
"In order to frame my father, the thief will definitely not allow the Dragon Inspection Map to reappear in this world. Therefore, he will surely return to take the map away, just to cement my father's guilt.
"With the Observation Department left empty, he will inevitably risk returning to the department to retrieve the map!
"Because he knows full well that the longer he delays, the greater the chance the map will be discovered by the people of the Observation Department. So he absolutely will not pass up this opportunity.
"And this is also a prime opportunity for us to catch the thief, recover the Dragon Inspection Map, and follow the clues to dig out the mastermind behind the scenes!"
After saying this, Zeng Anmin shot a disappointed glance at Ning'an's flat chest. He then turned his head to Emperor Jianhong with a calm gaze. He didn't want to waste any more breath on Ning'an. People always said that big-breasted women had no brains, but the facts proved that a woman's intelligence had absolutely nothing to do with her cup size.
Emperor Jianhong narrowed his eyes, carefully savoring Zeng Anmin's deduction. After thoroughly sorting through it, he didn't detect any flaws. Especially after considering Zeng Shilin's highly upright character and utmost loyalty to the Holy Dynasty... Zeng Anmin's reasoning seemed increasingly logical. After a long while, he slowly looked up at Zeng Anmin and gave a slight nod. "Acceptable."
Hearing this, the myriad of anxieties in Zeng Anmin's heart finally settled. He took a deep breath and bowed to Emperor Jianhong. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
At a quarter past the Yin hour.
A martial arts expert clad in black descended upon the Observation Department and infiltrated the Imperial Prison. Within a few strikes, the Prison Guards were all lying on the ground, their fates unknown. He rescued Zeng Anmin, the son of the newly imprisoned Fengqi Road Governor, Zeng Shilin. After being blocked by several experts from the Observation Department, he had no choice but to abandon the idea of rescuing Zeng Shilin and fled with Zeng Anmin.
In an instant, the entire Observation Department was furious. All of their experts were dispatched, and every Red-clothed Guard mobilized to hunt down the thief! That night, the entire Liangjiang County City was ablaze with light, filled with countless shouts of battle. The commoners feared for their lives.
At the Observation Department.
With all the experts dispatched, it appeared tranquil under the veil of night. It was nearing October, and even the weather in Jiangnan left one's ears and nose cold at night.
At the Map Institute.
After the Dragon Inspection Map was lost, the Imperial Inspector was furious and ordered the arrest and imprisonment of Zeng Shilin, along with Commander Wang Deli of the Liangjiang Commandery Observation Department. At this moment, the place seemed deserted and somewhat desolate.
As a light breeze blew by, and after playing his part in the act, Zeng Anmin was carried by the White-clothed Venerable back to the shadows of the Map Institute within the Observation Department. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Zeng Anmin gave the White-clothed Venerable a thumbs-up, his face slightly flushed. "You have great skills, My Lord. It's just a bit... BLARGH... BLARGH."
Zeng Anmin felt a bit embarrassed. He had actually carried over his motion sickness from his past life.
"Hmm." The White-clothed Venerable merely raised his chin slightly, swaying his incredibly smooth white hair. His voice was flat as he said, "Let go."
"Huh?" Only then did Zeng Anmin notice that, in his panic just now, he had accidentally grabbed the white-clothed youth's hair. "Uh, my apologies." Zeng Anmin smiled apologetically. Just as he was about to speak, he felt that his hand was somewhat sticky. By the moonlight, he looked down and found a viscous, glue-like liquid on his hand.
"Hmm?" Zeng Anmin looked astonished. He looked up at the white-clothed youth's hair again, then down at his own hand. "No way, bro... So your flowing white hair is... dyed???" he thought. "What, does the Immortal World also have edgy, alternative punks?"
Meeting Zeng Anmin's bewildered gaze, the white-clothed youth looked away and coughed. "A light application of hot water for fifteen minutes will dissolve it naturally."
Zeng Anmin's mouth twitched. After a long while, he hesitantly offered, "Actually, I know some hair-perming techniques that can make your hair curl like the waves of the ocean, giving it a more exotic and mysterious vibe."
After Zeng Anmin said this, the white-clothed youth was initially stunned. He had a noble status and was considered quite knowledgeable in the capital, but this was the first time he had ever heard of the "hair perming" that Zeng Anmin spoke of. Then, his eyes lit up sharply as he looked at Zeng Anmin, his tone even holding a trace of anticipation. "Truly??"
He couldn't help but mock inwardly, "As expected, there's a reason perms are more expensive than dye jobs." At this moment, the White-clothed Venerable had faintly shed his mysterious veil in his heart, morphing into the image of a rebellious teenager.
He was just about to continue speaking when the white-clothed youth suddenly interrupted him. "Silence. Someone is coming."
Hearing this, Zeng Anmin's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes lit up brightly. "They're here! My deduction was correct after all!" he thought. He looked gratefully at his Golden Finger interface:
[Rapid Enlightenment: Intelligence, Enlightenment, and Enlightenment increased several times over. Duration: five hours. Time remaining: half an hour]
At this moment, he wished he could kiss it twice. "So useful! Five-star rating!" he thought.