Chapter 1454: 1432 Thief
Chapter 1454: Chapter 1432 Thief
After thinking for a moment, Lord Tang stood up and pulled out a painting. It was a drawing of a rooster gemstone by the Crown Prince, which he had given to his subordinates to investigate the gemstone’s origin.
He held the painting next to the gemstone for a careful comparison and found that they were mostly identical.
As for the differences, he wasn’t too concerned. The Crown Prince wasn’t copying it; he drew it from memory, so there were bound to be discrepancies.
He put the painting down, leaned back in his chair, and pondered for a while, feeling conflicted.
Unless the Crown Prince was helping Zhou Man forge it, there was no way Zhou Man could present such a fake item, not in one day, nor in a year.
Such a colorful gemstone, and perfectly shaped like a rooster—how easy would it be to find one?
Not to mention it also required carving and polishing.
If it’s not a fake, then it must be real.
Lord Tang furrowed his brows in distress.
Zhou Man’s words and expressions told him it was fake, but the factual evidence suggested it was real.
Lord Tang rubbed his forehead, then decided to pack the items into a rattan box. After thinking again, he took them out and called someone, saying, “Find a good box.”
Such a fine item deserves a good box, doesn’t it?
Packing it in a rattan box seemed too shabby.
Lord Tang took the item to the Eastern Palace to let the Crown Prince verify it.
The front hall of the Eastern Palace was bustling. It was unclear what the Crown Prince and his officials were arguing about. Lord Tang waited in the courtyard for a while until the Crown Prince came out with a stern face, and they moved to a small study to talk.
As Lord Tang took the gemstone out of the box, he watched the Crown Prince’s expression.
Seeing Lord Tang take out the gemstone, the Crown Prince frowned, stood up, and moved away a bit, asking, “Where did you get this from Zhou Man? Did you see anything?”
Lord Tang asked, “Your Highness, are you sure this stone is the one you gave to Zhou Man?”
The Crown Prince didn’t come closer to look, and directly said, “It’s this one, what’s the matter?”
Lord Tang shook his head and smiled, “Nothing, just confirming with Your Highness.”
Seeing the Crown Prince still standing far away, he smiled and said, “Your Highness, rest assured, Zhou Man said that she has detoxified the stone. Now this gemstone is not poisonous.”
Even without the poison, the Crown Prince did not wish to see it, so he continued to stand far away.
Seeing this, Lord Tang put it away again and confirmed, “Did Your Highness say it glows at night and that the poison comes from the light?”
The Crown Prince frowned, “That’s what Zhou Man said then. Why, didn’t you ask her?”
He did ask, but every word that little girl said was suspect to him, so he didn’t believe it at all.
After a brief smile, Lord Tang asked a few more questions, focusing on how Zhou Man had determined the stone was poisonous at the time.
Having clarified this, he took the box and bade farewell.
Lord Tang didn’t dare take the item home, so he stayed at the Ministry of Justice to work late into the night. Lord Tang was so angry that he sent someone to bring him a bowl of soup every half hour.
Lord Tang sipped the third bowl of soup sorrowfully, and finally, night fell!
Once darkness set in, the dim room remained black as pitch, and the stone on the table showed no reaction.
Lord Tang sighed, got up in the dark, and felt his way out the door by memory. Once he reached the courtyard, the soft moonlight spilled down, making it no longer pitch black.
A Xiaos hiding in the corner saw this and immediately struck a flint to light a lantern, illuminating the way for their master.
Lord Tang let out a breath, “Zhou Man sure cleaned that poison thoroughly.”
The Xiaos couldn’t help but ask, “Sir, isn’t that a good thing?”
Lord Tang, with difficulty, replied, “I suppose?”
He began to walk home, furrowing his brow halfway, sensing something was wrong. He turned back to the office, and upon arriving at the courtyard, he noticed a flicker of light in his room. He immediately rushed forward and kicked the door open.
The person inside hadn’t expected him to return so soon. Holding the gemstone, they hesitated, unable to place it back in the box, and instead hugged the gemstone and jumped out through the window.
The Xiaos shouted, “Intruder—”
Lord Tang was already following closely, leaping out the window after him…
Stealing from the Ministry of Justice—did that thief have a death wish?
Finally, Lord Tang chased him through two gates, and surprisingly, there wasn’t a single guard in sight.
Just as Lord Tang was about to grab the thief’s clothes, someone suddenly appeared around the corner and blocked Lord Tang.
Lord Tang was instantly locked in a fight…
The Xiaos caught up, and Lord Tang immediately ordered, “Go intercept the gemstone!”
The Xiaos hesitated briefly, considering that while their master was lazy, his martial arts were barely adequate, so he went to chase the thief.
But clearly, there wasn’t just one accomplice inside the Ministry of Justice.
The Xiaos hadn’t chased far before being stopped again. Lord Tang sensed this, angrily kicked the person blocking him away, and leapt over him to continue the pursuit…
The thief, carrying the gemstone, ran all the way to the front courtyard. At the gate, when the guards turned and saw him, they lazily pointed and asked, “Which court are you from? What are you doing so late?”
The thief, holding the gemstone, leapt up directly, vaulted over the wall, and left.
The guards were stunned, immediately came to their senses, drew their swords, and shouted, “Thief! Quickly, catch the thief!”
Beyond the wall, the thief landed steadily, stood up, and was about to run away. Yet, in the dim night, something felt off, and he hesitated.
In the dim alley, someone struck a flint and lit a torch. As the torch flared, he saw a dozen horses in front of him, with riders holding blades watching him.
The torchlight made the horses uneasy, causing them to toss their heads, but their hooves remained still, clearly well-trained warhorses.
The thief couldn’t help but take two steps back, intending to run the other way, but behind him, he heard the sound of approaching hooves as a dozen other horses came down, also gazing down at him.
Just as the two sides were in a tense standoff, someone leapt down from the wall.
Once landing, Lord Tang glanced around and saw the situation in the alley. He immediately leapt aside, avoiding the thief’s attack range and not standing in line with the horses in the alley.
Once steady, he looked toward the side holding the torch and, upon recognizing the leader, he let out a sigh of relief, “Lord Yin, it’s you.”
Yin Li smiled slightly, “Little Master Tang, I said the capital prefecture is better than the Ministry of Justice, didn’t I? At least in my capital prefecture, thieves wouldn’t dare show up.”
Lord Tang was speechless, his heart full of complaints. The offices in the capital prefecture were cold and bureaucratic, and he would have to face Yin Li. When given the choice, he’d naturally prefer to work from the Ministry of Justice.
If he had to work late, he’d rather stay where he was comfortable.
Moreover, coming from the Eastern Palace, the Ministry of Justice was closer than the capital prefecture.
But this wasn’t the time to discuss this. He took a deep breath, pointed at the thief, and said, “Lord Yin, let’s catch him first. He still has the gemstone in his hands.”
Yin Li raised his hand, issued a command, “Seize him.”