Free Web NovelChapter 442: Reopening the City Gates
At the relay stations, the envoys from Nanyuan and East Shu grew restless. Unlike the envoy from Xi Yan, they submitted petitions requesting to take their leave.
For half a month, there had been no word from the investigators. It was as if they had simply vanished into thin air.
The Beili Emperor had Abbot Miao Yuan examine the East Sea Luminous Pearl, but besides its glow, the abbot could not detect anything unusual.
As for the matter of ghosts and spirits, the abbot chanted the Diamond Sutra before the Beili Emperor’s doors for three days and three nights, claiming it would soothe the Emperor’s agitation.
The Beili Emperor was already frustrated over his inability to find the culprit. Listening to the old monk’s chanting did nothing to soothe him; instead, his temper flared. He had Miao Yuan escorted out of the Imperial Palace immediately.
Once a person starts believing in the supernatural, their conviction becomes unshakeable.
Within ten days, several Mages and Daoists were summoned to the palace in succession to perform rituals in Consort Yuan’s residence.
News of the rituals in Consort Yuan’s palace spread like wildfire, with rumors that her residence was haunted by something unclean. As a result, the palace maids serving her at night were all on edge, trembling with fear.
Consort Yuan had been unable to eat or sleep these past few days and had visibly lost much weight. She didn’t care about the gold and treasures; what was important were the few vials of medicine and the token from the Medicine King sect.
That token was crucial to the entire Medicine King sect. Failing to retrieve it would lead to immense trouble.
For the past ten days, Yuan Yintang had scoured the streets and alleys of the Capital City dozens of times, yet he found not a single trace. Worse, his Gu worms had shown no reaction whatsoever.
It was as though the thief and the Gu worms they were tracking had never been there at all.
Faced with something so bizarre, he could think of no other explanation besides the work of ghosts or gods.
Every residence in the Capital City had been searched several times, and now the residents were extremely resistant whenever they saw soldiers approaching their doors.
The General’s Estate had also been searched a few more times intermittently over the past few days, but there were no major disturbances.
The closure of the city gates had already severely impacted the lives of the common people. Furthermore, the envoys of the three nations remained trapped in the Capital City. Those in the know understood it was to apprehend a thief, but outsiders might suspect Beili of intentionally detaining them. If this dragged on, it would surely incite discontent from the other nations.
With all the officials in the imperial court submitting memorials, the Beili Emperor, however reluctant, had no choice but to order the city gates reopened.
On the fifth day of the new month, the Capital City, which had been sealed for half a month, finally reopened its gates.
The soldiers were withdrawn from the streets, but the city gates remained heavily guarded, with anyone attempting to leave subjected to strict questioning.
「The General’s Estate.」
In contrast to the widespread panic, Ye Qianning was enjoying a rare period of tranquility.
With the city gates sealed and search parties everywhere, almost no one visited the General’s Estate except for the investigators. All things considered, it was quite peaceful.
The moment the gates opened, a backlog of letters and messages arrived.
Some were older ones from her master, but there were also six or seven sent by her father.
The first few mostly asked about her situation at home. The last couple were sent after he heard about the trouble in the Capital City, urging her to take shelter with the Zhan family or the Qian family.
The final letter showed her father was growing anxious from not having received a reply.
After finishing the letters, Ye Qianning picked up her brush. On a sheet of Xuan paper, she wrote to her father about her recent circumstances, telling him that all was well and he shouldn’t worry.
"Young Miss."
Luo Xuan was back.
"How did it go?" Ye Qianning looked up.
"Du Ying and I spent five days at the black market. As it happened, a batch of children—more than one hundred and thirty of them—were put up for sale. We negotiated a price and paid a deposit. Du Ying stayed behind to keep an eye on things while I came back for the rest of the money, but I was barred from re-entering the city. The day before yesterday, Du Ying sent word that the children had already been auctioned off again." As he spoke, Luo Xuan knelt. "I have failed in my duty. Please punish me, Young Miss."
"There were extenuating circumstances. It’s not your fault."
’News in and out of the Capital City has been blocked for half a month, after all.’
