Cheng Maoming chuckled and waited for Qi Shuo to state his purpose.

He wanted to see what the Heir of Prince Jing was up to.

“That day when I went to Jinxiu Street, I discovered several people acting suspiciously, going back and forth as if scouting the area. I thought, among the capital’s many streets, Jinxiu Street is quite prestigious, and soon it will be displayed to the Yuliu envoys. If these people were to cause some destruction, wouldn’t it make Great Zhou the laughingstock of the world…”

Cheng Maoming’s temple twitched.

What exactly was the Heir of Prince Jing trying to say? He hadn’t noticed before that this person was so talkative!

As for Qi Shuo’s mention of people acting suspiciously, Cheng Maoming didn’t take it to heart.

The capital was prosperous and wealthy—how could there be a shortage of petty thieves seeking unearned gains?

This fell under the Five Chief Military Commissioners’ jurisdiction and wasn’t worthy of the Jinlin Guard’s attention.

Qi Shuo finally finished laying the groundwork. He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and said casually, “Since I happened upon it, I couldn’t very well turn a blind eye, so I had guards follow them. Unexpectedly, there was an astonishing discovery—these people were actually hiding large quantities of gunpowder at their residence—”

“Pfft!” Before Qi Shuo could finish, Cheng Maoming spat out a mouthful of tea.

He choked for a moment, coughing until tears came out. With reddened eyes, he asked, “What did the Heir say they were hiding?”

“Gunpowder.”

Cheng Maoming was both shocked and speechless.

How could the Heir of Prince Jing use such a calm tone to say such words, giving him no psychological preparation whatsoever!

“Is the Heir certain it’s gunpowder?”

Qi Shuo nodded. “Certain. Judging by the quantity of that gunpowder, once ignited, the consequences would be unthinkable.”

“Where are they staying?”

“They’re staying near Changchun Street, extremely convenient to Jinxiu Street.”

Cheng Maoming’s eyes darkened.

If deaths and injuries truly occurred when the Yuliu envoys arrived, that would be an earth-shattering incident.

But he still had many doubts.

“Heir… why are you telling me about this?”

Qi Shuo looked surprised. “You were the first person I thought of, Commander. Or is there another office more suitable to handle this matter?”

Cheng Maoming fell silent.

He actually felt somewhat touched.

“So the Heir believes they intend to bomb Jinxiu Street?”

Qi Shuo said seriously, “I’m only speculating they might commit evil acts. Bombing Jinxiu Street is one possibility, though I could be wrong—perhaps they just enjoy stockpiling gunpowder for fun.”

Cheng Maoming: “…”

After quite a while, he said, “For the Heir to discover these things is also no simple feat.”

Qi Shuo recalled Lin Hao’s explanation, a smile spilling from his lips. “It was purely a fortuitous coincidence.”

Cheng Maoming silently looked away.

The Heir of Prince Jing was smiling so strangely!

Qi Shuo picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone casual. “I just feel there’s no harm in paying more attention. If I’m wrong, an apology will suffice. But if these people truly have ill intentions and the Commander stops them in advance, that would be a great merit.”

Cheng Maoming’s heart stirred, though his expression remained unchanged. “That would also be the Heir’s merit.”

Qi Shuo smiled. “I’m just a carefree and wealthy minor prince—what use do I have for merit? Don’t frighten me, Commander.”

Cheng Maoming looked deeply at Qi Shuo. “If there’s a situation, I’ll inform the Heir promptly.”

The Heir of Prince Jing was increasingly earning his respect.

Thinking again about the world’s impression of the Heir of Prince Jing, Cheng Maoming felt rueful.

Many people and matters truly couldn’t be judged by appearances.

But what did this have to do with him? A clever person like the Heir of Prince Jing—establishing good relations was obviously not a bad thing.

“Then I thank the Commander.” Qi Shuo stood up to leave.

Cheng Maoming immediately arranged for his most trusted subordinates to lead men in a raid on Chen Mu and the others’ hiding place.

According to the information Qi Shuo provided, these people mostly went out during the day, leaving two behind to guard. To catch them all in one net, they naturally needed to wait for those people to return.

Dozens of Jinlin Guards quietly concealed themselves nearby, waiting patiently.

The sun gradually moved westward, and the sky slowly darkened. At that unremarkable residential dwelling, people entered one after another.

“How many now?”

“Six already, seems like one is still missing.”

“Then let’s wait a bit longer.”

This wait lasted another two quarters of an hour.

Dusk had already draped a layer of dark gauze over the buildings and streets, and the lurking Jinlin Guards grew anxious.

“Chief, still waiting?”

The lead Jinlin Guard stared at the entrance with a dark expression, saying in a low voice, “Close the net!”

At the agreed signal, the Jinlin Guards hidden in various places gathered together and kicked open the courtyard gate with one foot.

It was precisely the time when cooking smoke rose and dinner was to be eaten. Several people sat around a stone table in the courtyard chatting idly when this noise startled them into jumping up.

A squad of Jinlin Guards poured in, gripping long sabers with an imposing manner.

“You are—”

To remain concealed, these Jinlin Guards were all dressed in civilian clothes.

“Jinlin Guard investigating a case.” The lead Jinlin Guard displayed his badge and strode inside.

“Sir, isn’t there a misunderstanding? We’re all law-abiding citizens—”

“Arrest them.” The lead Jinlin Guard said coldly.

For the Jinlin Guard, it didn’t matter if they arrested the wrong people. If they truly arrested wrongly, they could just release them—would those arrested dare cry injustice? But if they hadn’t arrested wrongly, then that was just right.

So arresting them first was the most worry-free and effortless approach.

The several people hadn’t expected there would be no room for negotiation. Hearing the lead Jinlin Guard’s command, their expressions changed and they turned to flee in all directions.

Seeing them flee, the lead Jinlin Guard became even more certain and shouted loudly, “Don’t let a single one escape!”

There were eight people total in the courtyard, while there were dozens of Jinlin Guards—this meant each person had to face three or four Jinlin Guards.

Although these eight people had exceptional skills, they gradually fell into a disadvantage.

The intense sounds of fighting spread out with the night, and neighbors poked their heads out to look. Seeing the Jinlin Guards holding long sabers and standing guard all around, they all dared not make a sound.

Amidst this chaos, a man hidden in the darkness stared at the scene with a cold expression, clenching his fists hard.

These government troops had come without any warning—how had their whereabouts been leaked?

Du Qing—

A fierce glint flashed through Chen Mu’s eyes as he retreated step by step.

“Stop!” Suddenly a stern shout rang out as someone rushed over with a raised saber.

Chen Mu turned and ran.

“There’s another one here!” the Jinlin Guard pursuing from behind shouted loudly.

Chen Mu simply turned around and finished off the relentlessly pursuing Jinlin Guard with one slash.

Blood sprayed from the young body. Chen Mu nimbly dodged it and rushed into the night as the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the ground came from behind.

More footsteps sounded, with continuous shouts.

His feet didn’t stop as the wind howled past his ears. Though it was already the spring breeze that greened the mortal world, to him it was a bitterly cold wind that formed solid ice in his heart.

Urgent knocking sounded at a door. A voice from inside inquired, “Who is it?”

Chen Mu gritted his teeth. “It’s me.”

After a slight hesitation, the door was pulled open.

Chen Mu flashed inside.

Du Qing barred the door, somewhat shocked by Chen Mu’s disheveled state. “How did you—”

A hand shot out quick as lightning, grabbing at his throat.

In the brief time, several exchanges occurred. Du Qing was both angry and shocked. “What madness has possessed you?”

Chen Mu was even angrier, his every move merciless. “I should ask you—why did you inform on us!”