The entire Luo mansion was deathly quiet, which made the sounds of searching footsteps seem even more chaotic and heavy.

A soldier ran up to Grand Commander Lei. “Grand Commander, there’s no one.”

Another soldier rushed over. “Grand Commander, there’s not a single female family member in the mansion.”

…

Grand Commander Lei stood in the vast Luo mansion, his expression extremely ugly.

What a Jinlin Guard Commander—had he sprouted wings and flown away with his family?

A急促的呼声传来：”Grand Commander, we’ve discovered someone in a guest room!”

Grand Commander Lei immediately looked over and saw two soldiers pushing a young man forward.

Though dawn had not yet broken, lamps were lit throughout the Luo mansion. As the person drew near, Grand Commander Lei could clearly see the man’s appearance: he was an extremely handsome young man who, despite looking somewhat disheveled and wretched, lost none of his distinguished bearing.

“Who are you?” Grand Commander Lei demanded.

Good looks couldn’t put food on the table. With such a person appearing in the Luo mansion, he naturally couldn’t let his guard down.

Seeing so many people, Su Yao looked anxious and pained, pointing at his mouth and shaking his head repeatedly.

Grand Commander Lei didn’t understand at first and said impatiently, “Stop playing tricks!”

In his desperation, Su Yao made broken whimpering sounds from his throat.

Grand Commander Lei froze.

With such fine features, he was actually a mute?

“How was this person discovered?” Grand Commander Lei asked one of the soldiers.

The soldier hastily replied, “Reporting to the Grand Commander, this person was locked in the guest room from the outside.”

Grand Commander Lei’s gaze toward Su Yao changed.

If that was the case, could this person not be from the Luo household? Or perhaps a servant who had committed some offense?

Looking carefully at Su Yao, Grand Commander Lei shook his head inwardly.

He couldn’t be a servant—this person wore a scholar’s long robe.

Just then, a soldier suddenly said, “Eh, this person looks somewhat familiar.”

Grand Commander Lei immediately asked the soldier, “You know him?”

“This humble one doesn’t know him,” the soldier shook his head in confusion. “But I should have seen him somewhere—where did I see him—”

The soldier stared at Su Yao and his eyes suddenly widened. “This humble one remembers! The top scholar’s procession, the top scholar’s procession!”

Grand Commander Lei frowned. “Top scholar’s procession? What nonsense!”

“This humble one saw him during the top scholar’s procession—he’s the top scholar!”

At these words, Grand Commander Lei was greatly shocked.

He had been stationed long-term at the military camp and hadn’t joined the festivities of the top scholar’s procession, nor had he had many opportunities to interact with civil officials, so he had only heard the name of the renowned Top Scholar Su but had never seen him in person.

Soon several other soldiers also shouted, “That’s right, he really is the top scholar!”

Grand Commander Lei scrutinized Su Yao with suspicion. “You’re Top Scholar Su?”

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Su Yao had never felt so humiliated.

The proudly successful top scholar had become a mute—what a laughingstock this was.

But at this point, denying it would only make him feel more stifled.

Su Yao nodded vigorously.

“Then how can you no longer speak?”

Su Yao’s face showed deep anguish.

Grand Commander Lei pondered briefly and instructed his subordinates, “Bring a table and fetch writing materials.”

Before long, everything needed for writing was set before Su Yao.

“If Top Scholar Su cannot speak, then write it down.”

Su Yao bit his lip, gripped the brush, and wrote rapidly.

Grand Commander Lei looked at the characters appearing on the paper and was shocked.

The top scholar had actually been poisoned into muteness by Grand Commander Luo!

“Why did Grand Commander Luo poison you into muteness?”

Su Yao’s brush paused, and the dripping ink spread across the paper.

It now appeared that the Luo mansion had met with disaster, so his reason for being here required careful consideration.

Swallowing all the words he’d wanted to say while trapped in the guest room, Su Yao suppressed his suffocation and wrote: “Miss Luo abducted me into the mansion.”

Grand Commander Lei stared at those characters again and again, then raised his eyes to look at the young man who was as beautiful as a pearl or jade, and couldn’t help but believe it somewhat.

He had heard of that daughter of Luo Chi who kept male favorites—to him, her notoriety was even greater than Top Scholar Su’s.

After ordering people to search the Luo mansion inside and out without finding another soul, Grand Commander Lei was in low spirits and said coldly, “This matter is of great importance. I must trouble Top Scholar Su to come with me.”

Su Yao lowered his eyes without expressing objection.

From his calm observations during this time, Grand Commander Luo should have fled with his family. Looking at it this way, Princess Changle must have told the Emperor about Miss Luo’s birthday celebration.

But had Grand Commander Luo become obsessively devoted to his daughter to the point of madness—rebelling with his entire household just to avoid sending his daughter into the palace?

Su Yao’s disbelief wavered when he thought of how Grand Commander Luo had indulged his daughter in keeping male favorites.

It wasn’t impossible.

Grand Commander Lei arranged for some people to remain behind to clean up the battlefield while he brought Su Yao straight to the Imperial City.

By this time, the horizon had already begun to show the pale light of dawn.

Grand Commander Lei arrived at the Imperial City utterly confused, just in time to encounter Minister of War Du Ning, who was also rushing to have an audience with the Emperor.

“Minister Du.” Grand Commander Lei greeted him first, puzzled inwardly.

Why did Minister Du look as if the sky had fallen?

Minister Du responded weakly, “Grand Commander Lei.”

Grand Commander Lei was just preparing to probe a bit when a eunuch emerged. “His Majesty commands both ministers to enter.”

The two men exchanged glances and followed the eunuch inside.

Emperor Yong’an was waiting for results. Hearing that the Minister of War and Grand Commander Lei were seeking audience one after the other, his heart felt inexplicably uneasy.

It was one thing for Lei Ming to enter the palace to report, but what was Minister Du doing here?

“This subject pays respects to Your Majesty.” Grand Commander Lei entered first.

Emperor Yong’an asked coolly, “Well?”

Grand Commander Lei lowered his head. “This subject led troops to attack the Luo mansion and eliminated those who resisted, but did not find Luo Chi or his family.”

“What?” Emperor Yong’an’s expression changed drastically, and he demanded sternly, “Where are they?”

Grand Commander Lei bowed his head even lower. “They weren’t found in the mansion—only Top Scholar Su.”

Even though Emperor Yong’an was currently consumed with rage, hearing this left him momentarily stunned. “Top Scholar Su?”

Emperor Yong’an had a deep impression of that young and handsome newly appointed top scholar, and quickly realized, “Why would Compiler Su be at the Luo mansion?”

“Top Scholar Su wrote with a brush that he was abducted to the mansion by Miss Luo and poisoned into muteness by Luo Chi.”

Emperor Yong’an’s expression was extremely ugly. Disregarding Grand Commander Lei’s presence, he roared, “Tell Du Ning to get in here!”

After surrounding the place for so long, the people had disappeared—the problem nine times out of ten lay with the city gates!

And the soldiers guarding the city gates were under the Ministry of War’s management.

As soon as Minister Du entered, he knelt down and cried out, “Your Majesty, this subject is guilty!”

“Explain the situation clearly.” Emperor Yong’an spoke expressionlessly.

Minister Du hastily recounted how Grand Commander Luo had escaped from the city.

“The two hundred guards who pursued him haven’t returned either?” Emperor Yong’an couldn’t help grinding his teeth. “Then what about the bodies?”

Minister Du dared not raise his head. “The soldiers sent out later only discovered over a dozen bodies near the poplar grove…”

Emperor Yong’an closed his eyes, suppressing his overwhelming fury, but that suspicion still couldn’t be suppressed. “Where are the people? Nearly two hundred people—just vanished without a trace, neither alive to be seen nor dead bodies to be found?”

Minister Du was too frightened to speak.

Emperor Yong’an swept his fierce eyes toward Grand Commander Lei. “Lei Ming, what are your thoughts?”

Grand Commander Lei was shaken by His Majesty’s fury and honestly replied, “From experience, those two hundred guards probably ran off with Luo Chi.”