CHAPTER 439: CHAPTER 436: DARE OR NOT

Li You glanced at the eunuch, and the solemnity in his eyes made the eunuch’s heart sink, causing him to close his mouth.

"Eunuch, speak with caution," Li You said, "Do you realize the weight of the word ’rebellion’? If there is a mistake, neither you nor I can bear it."

The eunuch blushed, having spoken out of turn. It was his fault for overthinking the Emperor’s orders before coming from the capital.

Clearly, the Palace Department was supposed to come, so why send a eunuch? Young Li You followed the Emperor in his early battles and has always been one of the most trusted. Yet, now the Emperor is uneasy about his tasks, perhaps because Li You once recommended Song Xian after returning from Zhenzhou...

Realizing this, the eunuch understood he must keep a close eye on Song Xian, missing nothing.

Upon hearing of Song Xian’s conflict with the Palace Department, he spoke in haste and almost gave Li You leverage against him.

Though regretful, how could Song Xian dare to detain the Palace Department’s men? He previously persuaded Mr. Li to let Du Dianjian examine the situation first, fearing Mr. Li’s partiality, yet unexpected events ensued.

Without further thought, the eunuch followed Li You through the gates of the Meng family.

"Sir."

Chang An, who was about to escort Meng Changshu away, saw Li You and looked astonished: "Li... Sir... It’s really you..."

Li You frowned at the scene in the Meng family’s courtyard. Regardless of whether it was the Meng Family’s people or those brought by Song Xian, all seemed to treat it as a grave matter. Even if Song Xian was at fault, there wouldn’t be an immediate judgment. Why be so serious?

Li You asked, "What are you doing?"

"It’s Mr. Li."

The steward of the Meng family called out joyfully.

Chang An also came to his senses and instructed, "Go quickly and inform the master and Mr. Song, that those just now were indeed from the Palace Department, Mr. Li couldn’t be false."

The steward of the Meng family, receiving this news, hurried into the residence.

Li You didn’t bother asking Chang An but walked in to find Song Xian and Meng Su.

The eunuch who followed noticed something amiss; it seemed the steward didn’t believe those were from the Palace Department.

Why is this? Why are Song Xian and Meng Su so tense? Could it be there’s something else inside?

"Song Xian," Li You frowned, "What are you doing? Release Du Dianjian."

Upon seeing Li You in person, Song Xian withdrew his longsword he held.

Cold sweat rolled down Du Dianjian’s forehead: "Mr. Li, Song Xian acted without discernment, seizing me unjustly."

Song Xian remained calm: "Did Du Dianjian not draw a blade on us without questioning first? If we’re talking about starting a fight, Du Dianjian did so first."

Du Dianjian was momentarily speechless. In his prior anxiety, his mind went blank. Now, recalling the events, he finally pieced the story together: "It was Governor Meng who meant to conceal Song Jiedu, so we acted as we did."

"Is it concealment, or should we first verify your documents’ seal?" Song Xian said coolly, "Du Dianjian should clarify."

Du Dianjian, stiffening his resolve, replied, "It was clearly an attempt to cover up."

Song Xian’s gaze grew colder; Du Dianjian felt as if the sword’s edge was pressing against his neck once again, making his hair stand on end. He unconsciously took two more steps toward Li You.

Meng Su said, "I have never met this Mr. Du Dianjian, and I only wanted to verify the seal against the documents to confirm everyone’s identity first."

"Don’t blame Mr. Song and me for being cautious, we have no choice at the moment."

Li You spoke in a deep voice, "What exactly are you doing?"

Meng Su looked toward the study: "Mr. Li, please allow me to report in the study."

The eunuch also wanted to follow Li You inside. Meng Su hesitated, looking at Li You, "Sir, this matter is of significant importance. Unless someone trusted by the Emperor, otherwise... we dare not speak much."

The Emperor sent them to investigate Song Xian and Meng Su, yet Meng Su now blocked him. The eunuch, just about to speak in displeasure, was stopped by Li You, saying, "This is Huang Zhongguan, sent by Du Zheng."

Hearing this, Meng Su nodded.

The study door closed again. Du Dianjian stood outside with his people, guarding, still feeling the pressure from Song Xian. He had no inclination to enter the room.

Li You sat down, and Meng Su handed over the documentation about Ah Jing’s case to Li You for inspection.

The eunuch, not knowing what was written on it, only saw Li You’s frown deepening, his face gradually showing a hint of anger and authority.

"Is this true?" Li You finally asked.

The eunuch quickly stepped forward to examine the document.

Meng Su explained, "This document can be verified. Ah Jing and her younger brother have been properly settled. If Mr. Li doesn’t believe it, we can take a boat to that island and see. Some corpses are yet to be buried. But if you want to investigate, it’s best to not alert anyone, and secretly proceed, avoiding the garrison."

"Since what happened with Yang Wu, hearing all this... honestly, I’m scared to trust others lightly now," he confessed to Li You.

Li You responded, "So, you suspect even the Palace Department’s men are impostors?"

Song Xian interjected, "We just found a clue, yet immediately, men claiming to be from the Palace Department arrived, refusing inspection, drawing blades. If we were to surrender without resistance, we might end up charged with something else. Those men already act like lords at sea, if they truly detected our evidence, they would certainly act against us. Pretending to be the Palace Department is not impossible."

The eunuch wanted to question Song Xian, but after seeing the document, Song Xian appeared to have backing. Moreover, following this inference, Song Xian and Meng Su’s reaction seemed justifiable.

Song Xian continued, "Otherwise, I would not have confronted Du Dianjian from the Palace Department. Though I came to Yuezhou, I brought no more than three household generals. What could I accomplish by detaining Du Dianjian?"

Li You asked, "You just brought three household generals?"

Song Xian replied, "There are rules in the court; troops cannot leave their frontier post. Mr. Li, you can have someone verify this."

Li You looked at Meng Su, "Have you both been meeting for this matter?"

Meng Su affirmed, "Song Jiedu first encountered a case, then found discrepancies in the accounts, suspecting sea smuggling. He approached me, and upon investigating, we discovered this."

Li You questioned, "Why didn’t you report to the court?"

Song Xian answered candidly, "Before finding clues, we couldn’t speak carelessly. After finding the truth, we dared not report it lightly."

The word "dared" startled Li You: "You..."

Song Xian explained, "Years ago, an entire village was massacred, yet only two deputy generals were transferred. Even if the island’s carnage is discovered, the truth might stop at the Governor of Hai State, unable to reach the court."

Li You fixed his gaze on Song Xian, "You suspect more accomplices?"

Song Xian looked at Li You, "Mr. Li, do you dare to try?"

Li You asked, "Try what?"

"If we indeed uncover a tip-off," Song Xian said, "The truth might never reach the capital."

The eunuch felt a wave of coldness, as if there were places in the realm of Daqi, beyond even the Emperor’s control.