The sixth hour of the Sun of Dawn theft investigation.
It was already getting late, but there was no red glow, and the heavy black clouds made it seem like dusk had come, but also seemed not to come. Darkness had come to the world in advance.
The rain was still falling, and accompanied by the rumbling thunder, the depressing atmosphere and the presence of guards in the imperial capital filled the human capital with a sense of solemnity.
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
The investigation from the Fifth Palace of Shangxuan is very involved. In addition to the prince, there are many more cultivators related to the prince.
Most of these people were taken away in these six hours.
Some are in places of practice, some are in sects, and some are at home. When facing the majesty of the Human Emperor, any party must choose to bow their head.
If there is any resistance, they will be killed without mercy.
The falling rain also washed away the blood, but the smell of blood could not be dissipated, gradually churning with the night.
In the heavy rain at night, Xu Qing, wearing a sword-wielding robe, was walking on the way to the imperial palace. His steps became hurried according to his mood and environment.
He participated in the entire investigation of the Dawn Sun theft case in the Sword-bearing Palace, saw all the evidence that was found, and felt the undercurrents of various princes in the imperial capital.
"It shouldn't be like this."
Xu Qing raised his head, looked through the rain in front of him, and looked at the palace in the dark night.
Tianlao, in the palace, the entrance door is not the rainbow bridge, but the side door.
"None of these princes are ordinary people. It is impossible for them to be found to be related so easily, unless... someone single-handedly weaves and promotes all this."
"National Preceptor?"
"There is also the Human Emperor's self-certification, which is also a bit abrupt."
Xu Qing frowned. He always felt that after arriving in the imperial capital, there was a gap in the things he had seen. It was like a puzzle, with a key piece missing.
"Is it possible that there are not two people playing chess..."
Xu Qing's footsteps paused, and a thunderbolt rumbled across the sky, reflecting the palace and the thoughtful expression on Xu Qing's face.
For a long time, Xu Qing closed his eyes. When he opened them, he looked as usual and walked into the side door of the palace.
With the decree of the Sword Holding Palace, he successfully passed the review and walked into the underground of the palace under the guidance of three black-armored guards.
Feeling the coldness of the surroundings, the astonishing auras, and the forbidden runes on every brick and tile, Xu Qing understood that this prison should be regarded as the strictest prison in the imperial capital.
Even if he had a law, he still had to go through layers of inspections until it was determined that there was no problem, and Xu Qing was taken to the prison where Ning Yan was imprisoned.
There are nine floors in the palace's prison. The lower the floor, the higher the status of the royal family members and the more mysterious they are.
Especially after the sixth floor, all visits are strictly prohibited.
Ning Yan was detained on the third floor.
The entire prison was shrouded in restrictions, and Ning Yan was covered with a ring of seals, making him as ordinary as a mortal, unable to fly. His expression was very complicated, and he sat motionless on the ground.
It wasn't until he noticed Xu Qing's arrival that he reluctantly raised his head and looked at Xu Qing outside the restricted protection.
"Boss..."
Looking at Ning Yan, Xu Qing sat down cross-legged and glanced around.
"The environment here is pretty good, not as dirty as I imagined."
Ning Yan smiled bitterly.
"And it's quite quiet. You can meditate here."
Ning Yan was silent.
"After meditation, you may be reminded of some things you have ignored."
Xu Qing stopped talking and looked at Ning Yan calmly. Ning Yan was instinctively nervous. He looked at Xu Qing with eyes a little evasive.
Time passes, and a stick of incense passes.
Ning Yan lowered his head and Xu Qing closed his eyes.
There was silence.
Until another stick of incense passed by, Xu Qing stood up.
"Since you have nothing to say to me, I'm leaving."
Xu Qing turned around and walked out. Behind him in the cage, Ning Yan looked at Xu Qing's back. Hesitation and confusion in his heart were mixed together. Until Xu Qing took five steps, Ning Yan gritted his teeth.
"Boss."
Xu Qing's footsteps paused.
"Although there is a possibility that someone is pretending to be me in this matter, the greater possibility is... my brother, the eleventh prince."
Xu Qing turned around and looked at Ning Yan through the restriction barrier.
"The eleventh prince's tomb has been inspected and he is indeed dead."
Ning Yan had a complicated expression, touched the floor of the cage, lowered his head, and spoke softly.
"Boss...my brother and I are brothers. We often played a game when we were young."
Xu Qing concentrated.
"This game is hide and seek."
"But every time, he can find me. No matter where I am hiding, he knows it clearly."
"I don't know why. I asked him about it at that time, and he told me that I would know when I grow up. But he was obviously only born a stick of incense earlier than me."
"To this day, after I was sent here..."
Ning Yan raised his head and looked at Xu Qing.
"I know the answer. No matter where I hid back then, he could actually sense it with the special connection between us."
"I also felt it."
Ning Yan pointed at the ground.
"There is my brother's breath down there."
As soon as these words came out, Xu Qing's mind immediately stirred up.
"This aura is abnormal. I can't describe it. The only feeling is that it is... familiar, yet strange, and contains something strange."
"I tried calling, but there was no response."
Ning Yan was bitter and had mixed flavors. This day was a huge shock to him.
Especially when he sensed his brother's aura in the prison, his thoughts were subverted. He clearly remembered that his brother and his mother died together.
But now, under this prison, he actually felt his brother's aura.
He didn't know the reason for this, or why it happened like this, but he was not a child, and he understood... that there was a huge secret in it.
Xu Qing was silent, his eyes falling on the ground.
This is the third floor, and there are six floors below.
This place is the prison of the imperial palace, and only by order of the Human Emperor can people be imprisoned here.
"The dead person, who is suspected to be alive, appears in the heavenly prison where only the Human Emperor can order his imprisonment...and the eleventh prince, who is suspected to be alive, has stolen the Sun of Dawn."
"The purpose is unknown."
"Life or death is unknown."
Xu Qing raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows. His mind suddenly thought of the portrait of Ning Yan's mother. Looking at it now, it seemed that everything was inextricably related to the death of Ning Yan's mother.
And the Human Emperor has a big secret.
This is even more true for the National Preceptor.
After a long time, Xu Qing left the Tianlao and returned to the Sword Holding Palace.
He did not tell anyone else about this.
The investigation of Ning Yan was fruitless, which also made it impossible for the case to continue. It ended at the current result. Until late at night, after the eighth hour, the Sword Palace submitted all the investigation documents.
The other four houses were also handed over one after another.
To be continued...