When the Dengwen Drum sounded, Gao Demao’s heart skipped a beat, not knowing what great matter would emerge. Hearing the Emperor call him, he hurriedly ran in holding his whisk: “This old servant is here! Your Majesty, please command!”

“What’s happening?! The Dengwen Drum is sounding again?!”

From the Emperor’s raised voice, one could tell how angry he was.

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This old servant has already sent someone to inquire. There should be news soon! Your Majesty must not worry. This old servant will go wait outside and report to Your Majesty immediately when there’s news!” Gao Demao knelt and repeatedly tried to soothe the Emperor.

Watching Gao Demao run out, the Emperor gritted his teeth, his face ashen, and couldn’t help but secretly hate Bai Qingyan again. If not for Bai Qingyan starting this, how could the Dengwen Drum keep sounding again and again!

Outside Wude Gate, many people from the capital had already gathered.

That woman and man had cried all the way from the long street, beaten the Dengwen Drum, saying they wanted to accuse the Wang family of Nine Curves Lane and Prince Liang of treating human life as worthless, being worse than beasts by using children for alchemy. They begged the Emperor to intervene and save their chi, who had been captured and taken to Prince Liang’s mansion!

Recently, rumors of missing children had become increasingly frequent. At first, small beggars went missing, then someone saw the corpses of those missing little beggars at the mass grave site. After that, children went missing outside the capital. Probably because it was close to the capital and the authorities were strict, such incidents stopped occurring, but instead, mountain bandits kidnapping children appeared near Shouyang.

This couple was farmers from outside the capital who had lost two sons. These two brought a man bound tightly, beat the Dengwen Drum, and loudly proclaimed their grievance, saying the witness was here, the evidence was at Prince Liang’s mansion, begging His Majesty to quickly send people to investigate.

The two were illiterate and had no written complaint… they just kept crying and shouting, begging the Emperor to intervene and save their two children, fearing that if too late… their children would be refined into elixirs.

Old Fang had made arrangements early on, and Prince Liang’s use of children for alchemy was too shocking to hear. When the farmers accused the Wang family of Nine Curves Lane and Prince Liang at Wude Gate, this matter spread throughout the capital at lightning speed.

When subordinates reported this matter, the Emperor was stunned, his complexion very ugly. Due to guilt, his anger subsided considerably.

Hearing that the man beating the drum outside had been beaten over a hundred times after striking the Dengwen Drum and was already bloody and mangled, the Emperor gritted his teeth and said: “Go give the order – tell them to stop beating him!”

This matter didn’t need investigation – the Emperor’s heart was clear as a mirror.

Prince Liang’s alchemy was for the Emperor, but… the Emperor truly didn’t know about using children for alchemy.

“Summon Prince Liang!” The Emperor’s lips were tightly pressed.

“Yes!” Gao Demao hurriedly sent someone to summon Prince Liang.

However, before Prince Liang arrived, the Censor and Court of Judicial Review Minister Lu Jin entered the palace first.

Lu Jin said this matter was already known throughout the streets. If not handled quickly, the people might doubt the imperial family and imperial power, with unimaginable consequences.

The Censor also knelt and kowtowed, begging the Emperor to thoroughly investigate this matter. If true, Prince Liang must be severely punished and absolutely not treated leniently.

The Emperor’s hands at his sides tightened as he said: “I have already sent someone to summon Prince Liang! Both beloved ministers need not be anxious!”

“Your Majesty!” The Censor stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty should dispatch General Xie Yuchang to immediately lead troops to surround Prince Liang’s mansion to prevent Prince Liang’s mansion from transferring and destroying evidence!”

The Emperor gritted his teeth. If the matter of Prince Liang refining elixirs for him, the Emperor, leaked out, having subjects and people discuss his violation of ancestral precepts would be minor – they might even think he, the Emperor, had ordered the use of children for alchemy to extend his own life. Then he would truly be unable to clear his name.

“Just randomly capturing someone and calling them a witness makes them a witness? So rashly dispatching troops to surround Prince Liang’s mansion – where is imperial dignity?!” The Emperor feigned extreme anger and said, “First, imprison those who accused Prince Liang and the so-called witness together. Everything will be decided after I have seen Prince Liang!”

After the Emperor finished speaking, he left with a flourish of his sleeves.

Only the Court of Judicial Review Minister Lu Jin and the Censor remained in the great hall, looking at each other helplessly and then toward the Crown Prince. But the Crown Prince had always feared the Emperor, and with the Emperor currently in a rage, how dare the Crown Prince touch this sore spot?

Bai Jinxiu, sitting in the Qin mansion, naturally also heard this news. After pondering for a moment, Bai Jinxiu put down the small silver cup containing cheese, placed the small silver spoon aside, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and turned to instruct Cui Bi to send reliable people with exceptional skills to watch Prince Liang’s mansion and the Wang family of Nine Curves Lane. If Prince Liang’s mansion and the Wang family intended to transfer evidence or kill to silence witnesses, no matter what method was used, they must protect those children and ensure that the people of the capital all knew about it.

After giving these instructions, Bai Jinxiu sat by the window lattice, gently stroking her abdomen. Although her elder sister didn’t want her to interfere in this matter, she could still add fuel to the flames.

Yin Shuang saw Cui Bi leave after receiving her assignment and took two steps toward Bai Jinxiu, her eyes bright and eager as she looked at Bai Jinxiu, waiting for her to assign a task.

Bai Jinxiu looked at Yin Shuang and smiled: “Yin Shuang, trouble yourself to make a trip to Duke Zhenguo’s mansion and ask my mother for some pickled vegetables. It’s inconvenient for me to return to the mansion frequently, but I miss that taste.”

Yin Shuang nodded solemnly: “Yes!”

·

Prince Liang was summoned to the palace, and the Wang family of Nine Curves Lane was also in chaos.

The Wang family only knew that Prince Liang wanted these children, but they didn’t know Prince Liang was using these children for alchemy!

Moreover, the Wang family’s only son Wang Kun was truly worthless. Not only did he like young male prostitutes, but he also liked young male prostitutes missing arms and legs.

Among the children sent to the capital, Wang Kun had secretly selected them behind his family elders’ backs, keeping some good-looking boys he fancied for himself, and only the remainder were sent to Prince Liang’s mansion.

If this matter was exposed, Prince Liang being a prince aside… their Wang family would be the first to suffer!

Those boys hadn’t sold themselves into slavery – they were all free citizens!

Squire Wang was extremely panicked and hurriedly ordered people to deal with those young male prostitutes Wang Kun had hidden at home. Wang Kun was unwilling, but hearing his father say this matter had blown up, he didn’t dare argue further and let his father handle it.

Squire Wang decided to be ruthless – he ordered all the young male prostitutes Wang Kun had brought home before and the newly arrived children… to be smothered to death and thrown into the dry well in the back courtyard, then fill the well.

Bai Qingxuan was currently Wang Kun’s favorite plaything. Not only was that small face beautiful, but the terrified expression he constantly showed delighted Wang Kun immensely.

Although Bai Qingxuan was mute, he wasn’t deaf. He was placed by Wang Kun in a white porcelain flower vase, and hearing Squire Wang’s words, his eyes widened as he kept making muffled pleading sounds.

Wang Kun looked back at Bai Qingxuan’s pale, terrified face, desperately pleading for Squire Wang to leave him just one, but Squire Wang said that once they got through this disaster, Wang Kun could have as many as he wanted later. Only then did Wang Kun reluctantly nod and refuse to look at Bai Qingxuan.

Bai Qingxuan’s eyes were splitting with rage. He was Duke Zhenguo’s grandson! Duke Zhenguo’s only grandson! The only bloodline! How dare they?! How dare they!