Chapter 88: The Crime of Treason

If Mo Hanshan was indeed still alive, then his brutal crime of murdering children and discarding their bodies at the Temple of Lord Guan was likely a deliberate provocation—either towards Mo Qingshan himself, or even the entire Mo Sect—having caught wind of Mo Qingshan's presence in the capital.

The previous elder of the Mo Sect was known for his uncompromising sense of justice, unable to tolerate even the slightest wrongdoing. He both loved and harshly reproached Mo Hanshan, growing furious over his willful descent into darkness and his secret study of forbidden arts. When imprisoning him in the cold pool, the elder had warned him: if he did not reflect sincerely and repent, he would have his eyes gouged out, so he could never again practice those demonic arts.

Since the Mo Sect was hailed as the foremost sect in the land, and Mo Qingshan held its highest office and commanded great respect, Lu Ziqing saw no reason to doubt his words.

Yet Mo Hanshan had been expelled from the sect for many years, and searching for his whereabouts among the vast crowds of the world was like finding a needle in a haystack—an arduous task indeed.

Just as Lu Ziqing was preparing to devote all his efforts to this lead, the identities of the five murdered children were confirmed one by one.

As he had suspected, all five were of noble birth. Three were sons of prominent merchants in the capital, which was grave enough, but the remaining two proved even more troubling for Lu Ziqing.

One was the son of the current Imperial Censor, Fan Zhongyang. The other, even more remarkable, was a son of the Prince of Nanyang.

It was true that these noble houses had many offspring, and these children—all born of concubines—were likely not highly regarded in their own homes. But for them to be so cruelly murdered and discarded in this manner was a blatant show of contempt; such an outrage could not be stomached.

Censor Fan and the Prince of Nanyang took turns weeping and complaining before Emperor Mingde, demanding that the perpetrator be brought to justice. The wealthy merchants joined forces, dragging their wives and concubines to the Ministry of Justice each day to wail and protest.

As a result, Lu Ziqing was nearly driven to madness by this case.

One day, he was once again summoned to the Hall of Diligent Governance by order of Emperor Mingde.

Inside, the emperor sat solemnly on his throne. On one side stood Meng Tianluo and Meng Tianxu; on the other were the Prince of Nanyang and Censor Fan, both glaring at Lu Ziqing as if blaming him for failing to catch the culprit.

Lu Ziqing frowned slightly. Judging from today's gathering, trouble was brewing.

Emperor Mingde, too, was at his wit's end. Lately, he felt his health rapidly declining, fatigue setting in easily, and was constantly harassed by the sobbing complaints of Fan and the Prince of Nanyang. Already irritable, the lack of progress in the case only worsened his mood. Thus, when Lu Ziqing knelt before him to pay respects, the emperor’s expression was far from friendly.

He cast a cold glance at Lu Ziqing and said curtly, "Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Lu Ziqing stood up, and immediately the emperor asked in a grave tone, "Lu, have you made any progress in the case of those five children?"

"Your Majesty, Mo Hanshan has long been missing. Tracking him is no simple matter, but I am pursuing every lead," Lu Ziqing replied, bowing.

"Hmph! And why is Lord Lu so certain that Mo Hanshan is the culprit, and not Mo Qingshan?" came Meng Tianluo’s cold voice. "I’ve heard Mo Hanshan died twenty years ago. Lord Lu, are you not perhaps shifting blame onto a dead man to protect Mo Qingshan?"

"Why would Your Highness say so? I have no acquaintance with Mo Qingshan—how could I have any reason to shield him?" Lu Ziqing replied calmly, meeting Meng Tianluo’s gaze.

"Don’t think I’m unaware. Mo Qingshan is now the foster father of the eldest Miss Shen, and you, Lord Lu, are often seen with her at the Ministry of Justice. It seems you have a rather special relationship. In my view, you might well protect Mo Qingshan for her sake," Meng Tianluo pressed, refusing to back down.

Lu Ziqing felt a wave of dislike for Meng Tianluo. Shen Qianmo was the future consort of Prince Xuan. Meng Tianluo’s insinuations did him little harm, but they could easily tarnish Shen Qianmo’s reputation. He immediately countered, "Your Highness, please choose your words carefully. Miss Shen is the future Princess Xuan, as everyone knows. I merely respect her investigative skills and have invited her to assist in the case—nothing more."

"Why so eager to defend her, Lord Lu? I’d say the real issue is your incompetence. Mo Hanshan is Mo Qingshan’s own brother, both members of the Mo Sect. Even if Mo Hanshan is the true culprit, Mo Qingshan and the entire Mo family from Shandong cannot be innocent. Why haven’t you arrested Mo Qingshan or thoroughly investigated the Mo family?" Censor Fan interjected, righteous and stern.

Fan Zhongyang was known as the “Iron-Mouthed Censor,” renowned for his uncompromising honesty and sharp tongue in impeaching officials.

The Prince of Nanyang chimed in as well. "Hmph! Mo Qingshan is hardly innocent either. I’ve heard that that remnant of the former dynasty, Yin Zhan, was raised by him. Who knows what his intentions were? Your Majesty, even for sheltering such a traitor, Mo Qingshan deserves death."

No wonder the Prince of Nanyang was so furious. His daughter Meng Fu and son-in-law Tao Zhirui had perished in the great fire at Baoning Temple in Yunzhou—a disaster orchestrated by the Wuji Sect. Had Mo Qingshan not taken Yin Zhan under his wing, would the Wuji Sect ever have resurfaced? And now, with his own son’s death tied to the Mo Sect, how could he not grind his teeth in hatred?

Mo Qingshan had harbored a remnant of the previous dynasty? Everyone present, including Emperor Mingde and Lu Ziqing, was visibly shocked. Evidently, none had known of this before.

While Yin Zhan had trained in the Mo Sect, Mo Qingshan, wary of his sensitive background, had not kept him close by. Thus, apart from a few of Mo Qingshan’s closest confidants, no one else was ever aware he had raised Yin Zhan. How the Prince of Nanyang acquired such information was a mystery.

In truth, even the prince could not fathom it. The news had arrived a few days earlier in an anonymous letter. Its authenticity was unclear, but it presented a perfect opportunity to bring down the Mo Sect.

"Prince of Nanyang, is what you say true?" Emperor Mingde asked, his face dark as he struggled to contain his displeasure.

"Your Majesty, I, too, learned of this only recently and have yet to verify it. Given its gravity, I dared not conceal it. As for its veracity, I suggest sending people to Shandong to investigate the Mo family," the prince replied.

"Your Majesty, I believe the Prince of Nanyang speaks reason. If Mo Qingshan knowingly sheltered Yin Zhan, a traitor, then his intentions are truly evil," Fan Zhongyang echoed.

As Emperor Mingde aged, his thirst for power only grew. Recently, he often felt distracted and anxious, plagued by the sense that his throne was precarious. How could he allow anyone beneath him to harbor divided loyalties?

At once, he issued orders: Lu Ziqing was to secretly keep close watch on Mo Qingshan, taking care not to alert him. Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards were to depart for Shandong immediately to investigate whether Mo Qingshan had indeed harbored a traitor from the fallen dynasty.

The Imperial Guards were the personal confidants of successive emperors of Dasheng, answering directly and solely to the emperor. Their network of spies stretched across the realm, and their efficiency was unmatched.

A few days later, a piece of ancient jade, confiscated from the Mo family, was brought before Emperor Mingde.

It was a lustrous square piece of fine white jade, exquisitely carved and translucent, glowing with a gentle radiance.

Clutching the jade tightly, Emperor Mingde’s eyes blazed with fury.

Etched clearly into its surface was the character "Yin."

This was the royal token of the Yin imperial family of the previous dynasty, a jade pendant carried by every emperor of that house.

Mo Qingshan was truly audacious—he dared to secretly keep such a relic. Could he be plotting rebellion?

The Mo Sect held enormous sway in the martial world, with numerous disciples and outstanding talents. Should they rebel, they would be a force to reckon with—a threat that could not be ignored.

With that in mind, Emperor Mingde issued a command to the kneeling captain of the Imperial Guards: "Place every member of the Mo family under strict surveillance. Arrest Mo Qingshan at once for the crime of sheltering a traitor and possessing imperial relics of the former dynasty."

In the study of Prince Luo’s residence, his legal adviser was reporting to Meng Tianluo: "Your Highness, word has come that His Majesty has ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest Mo Qingshan, and the Mo family in Shandong is now under close watch. It appears the emperor is finally making his move against the Mo family."

Meng Tianluo grinned, his smile, under the candlelight, appeared especially sinister. "Excellent. The Mo family has always been close with Prince Xuan’s household. By eliminating them, we weaken Meng Yuanheng’s power. By the way, has that person indicated when he’ll act against Meng Yuanheng?"

The adviser replied, "He said the time is almost at hand, and Your Highness need only be patient."

A cold gleam flashed through Meng Tianluo’s viperous eyes. Meng Yuanheng, consider yourself unlucky. You only caught the eye of that old wretch by chance. Just wait and see—I’ll make sure you lose everything. Your army, your status, even your woman—I’ll take them all from you, without leaving a single thing behind.