Jingrong finished his analysis.

Lang Bo also suddenly understood, though he still had concerns. “But what if… Kong Qu can’t figure it out? Or what if he thinks Your Highness is deliberately using the Crown Prince as an excuse to borrow troops from him?”

This concern was not without merit.

However—

Jingrong smiled with confident assurance. “Kong Qu is a clever man! Since he’s clever, naturally he won’t do anything foolish! Now, this prince is putting all his eggs in one basket, betting that he will lend the troops.”

A gamble!

And just at that moment, Shi Ziran entered from outside, travel-worn and dusty. Though it wasn’t raining outside, his clothing was covered with water droplets—he must have hastened his journey, not taking the main road but cutting through some forest path to hurry back.

“Your Highness.” Shi Ziran bowed his head.

“How did it go?”

“Following Your Highness’s instructions, I went to Hanzhou to see Kong Shengyi and conveyed Your Highness’s meaning to him. He neither agreed nor refused, saying he needed to consider it.”

Kong Shengyi was the cousin of Empress Xuanshu. After resigning from office and leaving the capital, he had raised a battalion of troops in Hanzhou. The Emperor turned a blind eye, for the sake of the Empress’s dignity allowing him to do so, treating it as letting him retire peacefully.

The message Jingrong had Shi Ziran take to Kong Shengyi was identical to what was written in the letter sent to Kong Qu.

Jingrong nodded, his objective achieved. “If things go according to this prince’s calculations, Kong Qu and Kong Shengyi should have already contacted each other.”

However, Shi Ziran had concerns. “Even if Your Highness mentioned clues about the Crown Prince’s siege of the palace, Empress Xuanshu and the Crown Prince are already dead, the Kong family has fallen from power. They surely want to stay as far away as possible—why would they help Your Highness oppose Prince Yi? Moreover, Prince Yi’s power is now at its peak.”

The worry was not excessive.

The powerful members of the Kong family—Empress Xuanshu and the Crown Prince—were both dead. That they could maintain a foothold outside the capital was already extremely fortunate; they could well guard their troops and live comfortably.

But to lend troops in order to investigate the truth of the Crown Prince’s siege of the palace—

If lucky, they might help and ultimately uncover the truth.

If unlucky, the Kong family would probably be completely wiped out.

This risk was far too great.

Yet Jingrong was fully confident. From the moment he thought of Kong Qu and Kong Shengyi, he had already predicted the subsequent events with complete clarity.

He said, “The military generals of the Kong family value honor and righteousness. If they believe what this prince says, they naturally won’t remain idle.”

…

The next day at the Hour of the Rabbit, just as dawn was breaking, a major incident occurred at the marquis’s residence.

“Ah!”

That cry shattered the heavens.

It didn’t come from a servant or maid, but from Marquis Kang himself.

The sound came from the courtyard where he stored his treasured collections.

This early in the morning, almost everyone in the residence went to watch, surrounding the courtyard so tightly that not even water could leak through, each person craning their neck to look inside.

Ji Yinshu and Jingrong also received the news and immediately went over.

Upon entering the courtyard, they saw Marquis Kang inside, wailing with sobs, holding some strange treasure in his arms, frantically wiping away tears.

“What’s going on?” Jingrong asked a servant.

The servant quickly answered, “Your Highness, it’s… the Marquis’s treasures have all been switched by someone.”

“Switched?”

Such an interesting occurrence?

One must know that what Marquis Kang loved most in this life was nothing other than those treasures he had collected. Having them switched was equivalent to taking his life!

Marquis Kang was both angry and heartbroken, holding a counterfeit in his arms, tears streaming down.

Jingrong looked around the room. He had seen all the treasures here before, and Marquis Kang had let him handle them. They looked the same as before.

He stepped forward and said, “Marquis, what exactly happened?”

“I don’t know which damned person actually switched out all the treasures in this room.”

“Aren’t the items still here?”

“But they’re all counterfeits.”

Counterfeits?

Jingrong casually picked one up and weighed it a few times. Indeed, it didn’t feel as comfortable in hand as when Marquis Kang had previously placed it in his hands.

His brows furrowed. “How could this happen?”

Marquis Kang wiped his tears miserably while saying, “I don’t know either. I came over early this morning, wanting to polish these items, but when I looked, everything in here had become counterfeits. In the span of one night, they were all stolen, and these counterfeits were left here in their place—clearly meant to slap me in the face.”

Having said this, he viciously hurled the porcelain in his hand to the ground.

“Bang”—it shattered into countless pieces.

Fragments flew everywhere.

The surrounding people didn’t dare breathe loudly.

Fearing they might be implicated innocently.

Jingrong said, “Hasn’t this courtyard always had guards? Whether the main gate or the rooms, all were locked, and the keys are in your own hands, Marquis. How could a thief get in?”

“Yes, the keys are with me. When I came to look yesterday, these treasures were still perfectly fine. In just one night, everything was switched—how were they switched? How could there not be any commotion at all?”

This was truly infuriating!

Jingrong examined the door, then checked the windows, while asking, “Has the Marquis interrogated the guards of the courtyard?”

“I asked them—they heard no commotion. Moreover, with so many items, if it truly was some notorious bandit’s doing, moving things in and out, it would be impossible for even the guards outside the residence not to notice.”

Suddenly—

“Therefore… the real treasures are still within the marquis’s residence.” Ji Yinshu spoke up.

Marquis Kang started with surprise, his eyes lighting up as he looked at her. “Is Master Ji saying the items aren’t lost?”

“Not only are the items not lost, they’re safe and sound in the residence.”

“Where?”

He was eager to know.

But Ji Yinshu spoke unhurriedly, “Marquis need not be anxious. Since I say the items aren’t lost, then they’re definitely not lost. However, as for where they are now, we’ll need the true mastermind behind this to personally lead us to find them. Who knows, this time we might even catch the ghost causing trouble in the residence.”

Eh?

Marquis Kang was shocked!

The onlookers were also extremely shocked.

Could this theft of treasures truly be the work of a ghost?

Everyone felt both apprehensive and curious.

Marquis Kang continued to press. “Master Ji, please speak clearly—who exactly is it?”

She directly stated, “It’s someone neither you nor I would expect, and moreover, it’s not just one person. Rest assured, Marquis, I will definitely help you catch that ghost. However, in broad daylight, ghosts don’t come out. Wait until nightfall, and all will become clear.”

Hmm?

Marquis Kang pondered her words, but his heart settled down. As long as the treasures weren’t lost, that was good.

At this moment, Jingrong, having heard her words just now and having completely investigated the room, walked to her side and asked in a lowered voice, “Are you confident? The door of this room isn’t broken, the windows aren’t broken, and even the roof hasn’t been disturbed.”

She tilted her head slightly. “Does Your Highness suspect it’s a ghost?”

“You know this prince doesn’t believe in such things.”

“Then that settles it. Why doesn’t Your Highness wait quietly with the Marquis—we’ll catch the ghost tonight.”

Full of confidence!