Cheng Maoming perked up immediately: “Who?”

“If this humble one reveals the name, can the magistrate promise me one thing?”

Cheng Maoming frowned: “What thing?”

“No more torture on this humble one.”

Cheng Maoming smiled: “If Master Fox provides information of great value, naturally I can agree. Master Fox, please speak.”

Master Fox fell silent for a while. The pain in his body left him without the courage to persist any longer, and he slowly uttered two words: “Yang Zhe.”

“The top scholar Yang Zhe?” Cheng Maoming’s face showed complete astonishment as he instinctively glanced at the hidden opening in the wall.

“Yes…”

“What exactly is going on? Yang Zhe is the top scholar, favored by His Majesty and trusted by the Crown Prince. Why would he work together with you people?” Beyond his shock, Cheng Maoming felt more bewilderment.

A top scholar who had achieved first place in all three imperial examinations—as long as he took things one step at a time, in ten-some years he might well become prime minister. What benefit could there be in siding with Emperor Pingle’s faction?

Not only could Cheng Maoming not understand it, even Emperor Tai’an, precisely because of this point, had given Yang Zhe the opportunity to prove his innocence after the villain who poisoned the Crown Prince accused him.

Master Fox’s expression grew dejected. After remaining silent for quite a while, he sighed: “Because he was originally from the former Emperor’s side. He is the former Crown Prince Ming.”

These words struck like a thunderbolt, stunning Cheng Maoming into stupefaction.

The former Crown Prince Qi Ming?

Yang Zhe was actually Emperor Pingle’s son, Qi Ming!

Cheng Maoming jumped straight up, his heart pounding so hard it nearly burst from his throat.

He had never imagined he could extract such information from Master Fox’s mouth.

This was the former Crown Prince!

Catching this big fish meant all those recent failures counted for nothing. He could practically see His Majesty’s dragon countenance filled with great joy, noble titles and wealth raining down upon him.

Wait a moment!

Cheng Maoming had after all weathered many storms as Commander of the Jinlin Guard. After his initial surge of emotion, he calmed down slightly and noticed something wrong: “When the former Crown Prince disappeared, he was already over ten years old. I still have some impression of the former Crown Prince’s appearance. Although there are considerable changes from childhood to young adulthood, it shouldn’t be enough to make him completely unrecognizable, right?”

In his memory, Crown Prince Qi Ming bore no resemblance whatsoever to the top scholar Yang Zhe.

Hearing this, Master Fox’s long eyebrows and fine features took on an expression that was half-smile, half-not.

Cheng Maoming had a flash of inspiration and blurted out: “Disguise?”

“Correct.” Master Fox nodded slightly. For a moment, he forgot his identity as a prisoner, and his expression revealed a trace of pride. “This humble one was invited by the former Emperor at that time. Their target was a farmer’s son from a family dedicated to farming and studying. That boy was about the same age as Crown Prince Ming, had been educated since childhood, and had a reputation for cleverness. When that boy went out to play with companions, they arranged for him to lose his footing and fall off a mountain cliff. When the family found him two days later, it was already Crown Prince Ming who had taken his place…”

The boy who fell from the cliff lost his memory and had to start recognizing and becoming familiar with everything anew. Crown Prince Ming had seamlessly obtained a completely new identity—an identity that could legitimately enter official service.

To reclaim the throne, Emperor Pingle had endured and plotted to this extent!

“Does this mean Yang Zhe has been wearing a mask all these years?”

The smug expression on Master Fox’s face grew even thicker: “His mask isn’t that kind—it was carved out with a knife as the brush.”

Speaking of which, Crown Prince Ming was his most accomplished work.

A chill crept up Cheng Maoming’s spine: “Inconceivable.”

This was too disgusting, too utterly conscienceless!

After instructing his subordinates to guard Master Fox well, Cheng Maoming went to the adjacent room.

“Heir, I must personally lead men to apprehend Yang Zhe. Let’s gather again later.”

“Chief Commander, go attend to your business first.”

Cheng Maoming couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries. He left hastily with a squad of Jinlin Guards.

The Hanlin Academy was idle to begin with. At noon, quite a few people ran to the eateries outside the government office for lunch, then strolled back unhurriedly. These people were noticeably keeping their distance from two individuals—one was Yang Zhe, the other Li Lan.

After Yang Zhe achieved top scholar status, he was granted the position of Compiler and entered the Hanlin Academy. Later, when庶吉士 (Shujishi) were selected, among several close friends, Li Lan was the only one who passed and also entered the Hanlin Academy to study. With both men in the same government office, whenever they had free time, they would gather together.

At this moment, the two paid no mind to their colleagues’ aloofness, walking while conversing in low voices.

“Young Master—”

Both men stopped and turned to see Yang Zhe’s book boy running over, out of breath.

“What is it?” Yang Zhe asked.

“Your letter.” The book boy presented a letter with both hands.

Yang Zhe took the letter, opened it to read, and showed no change in expression: “Brother Li, you go ahead first. This younger brother has some business to attend to and will return to the office a bit later.”

Li Lan didn’t ask further: “Brother Yang, go handle your business.”

“Brother Li, see you later.” Yang Zhe cupped his hands toward Li Lan.

Seeing this, Li Lan also cupped his hands and said “See you later.” As he turned to walk forward, his heart inexplicably felt somewhat strange, but if asked what exactly felt wrong, he couldn’t articulate it.

For some unknown reason, he looked back and only saw his friend’s figure standing upright as a pine tree, hurrying to the street corner where he turned and vanished from sight.

The street was lined with shops like fish scales. Yang Zhe casually walked into a clothing shop. Two quarters of an hour later, a young gentleman wearing a sapphire-blue robe emerged from the shop. That young gentleman boarded a carriage stopped by the roadside. The driver cracked his whip, driving the carriage toward the city gate.

Cheng Maoming, walking on the road to the Hanlin Academy, encountered a secret agent who came to report. After listening to the agent’s low-voiced report, he immediately changed direction.

At the city gate, the military guards on duty were far more stringent in their inspections of those entering and leaving than usual. They were particularly careful with those leaving by carriage, making certain to look inside the carriage compartment and confirm there was nothing suspicious before allowing passage.

The reason for strengthened inspections naturally related to the abduction of Lin Hao and her two companions. By now it had spread throughout the city—the villains specifically hid in carriage compartments to abduct young ladies from wealthy families.

The queue to leave the city gate was neither long nor short, moving forward slowly. Finally, it was the turn of that blue-curtained carriage.

The military guard lifted the carriage door curtain to look inside. The young man seated within slightly inclined his body forward.

“Thank you for your hard work, sir.” The driver pressed a piece of broken silver into the guard’s hand, his face full of smiles.

The carriage interior was completely visible at a glance. Apart from that young gentleman, there was no one else. Having received the silver, the guard naturally wouldn’t make things difficult. He stepped aside and readily let them pass.

“Wait a moment.”

The guard looked in the direction of the voice, and his expression couldn’t help but change.

It was actually a squad of Jinlin Guards.

“Stop that carriage!”

The guard hesitated for a moment before reacting, but that carriage had already passed through the city gate and begun galloping forward.

“Chase them!”

The carriage obviously couldn’t outrun fine horses. Before long, two Jinlin Guards on horseback blocked the carriage’s path.

The carriage horse came to an abrupt stop, neighing as it reared up on its front legs.

After the carriage stabilized, the young gentleman lifted the door curtain, his face showing anger. Upon seeing clearly who had stopped the carriage, he became more courteous: “I don’t know what business the magistrate has in stopping this young man’s carriage?”

The two Jinlin Guards didn’t answer, looking back instead.

Cheng Maoming rode his horse up close, looking down from his elevated position at the young gentleman seated inside the carriage, smiling faintly: “Compiler Yang changes his appearance to leave the city—what are your intentions?”

After Yang Zhe was cleared of suspicion, fortunately there had been Prince Jing’s Heir’s reminder. Cheng Maoming had dispatched secret agents to quietly keep watch, which was why he hadn’t let the other party successfully escape today.