RWNEFE -Chapter 308 Witnesses Found, Targets Disappear Collectively!

Che Mingyuan knew his old friend was teasing him and didn’t take offense, even laughing a few times—something rare for him.

“This is all thanks to Brother Wei. If not for you, I’d probably still be recuperating at home.”

Wei Jie looked at Che Mingyuan in surprise. They hadn’t seen each other for several years, and the man who used to be like a block of ice could now joke?

He cast a subtle glance at Shen Lanxi. As the saying goes, those who stay near vermilion become red, those near ink become black. Only by following the right person could someone adopt such a relaxed bearing.

“There are too many ears around, so I won’t say much—congratulations!” Wei Jie said sincerely.

Che Mingyuan accepted the words with a smile. “My lord’s and my official robes haven’t been finished yet. Once they’re ready, we’ll come to the Court of Judicial Review every few days.”

Wei Jie understood immediately: Shen Lanxi would not be coming to the Court every day.

That relieved him somewhat. After all, a place like the Court of Judicial Review wasn’t very suitable for a woman to be entering and leaving daily.

“Many thanks to Lord Shen for your consideration, and thank you, Brother Che, for speaking on my behalf.”

Shen Lanxi smiled. Wei Jie was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review—her immediate superior. He was a perceptive man; he understood that making things convenient for her was also making things convenient for himself.

Moreover, Che Mingyuan truly was a rare talent, and she appreciated the favor of his recommendation.

Led by Wei Jie, she made a formal tour of the Court, enduring the looks of officials who dared not voice their displeasure. That counted as officially assuming her post.

From that point on, everyone who had come to the capital with her—including herself—now held some position in the city.

With her title in the Court of Judicial Review and the imperial decree in hand, she openly entered and exited the Ministry of Revenue’s treasury to investigate the Wei family army’s grain-supply case.

And she really did find some clues. Two convoys transporting provisions had openly left the city—there was no way such a thing could leave no trace at all.

“Immediately bring in the gate guards Zhang Younian, Feng Qing, and the others for questioning.”

On the day those two convoys left the city, these were the men guarding the gates. Yet the exit record mentioned only one convoy. Shen Lanxi had already found witnesses who could prove that two convoys had indeed gone out, both disguised as government troops.

The evidence was solid; there was no room for denial.

Such a major breakthrough had to be reported to Emperor Renxiao to demonstrate her loyalty as a subject.

Her subordinates had just gone to apprehend the men when her memorial was sent to the palace.

The imperial summons arrived almost at the same time as her men who had gone to make arrests.

“Lord Shen, this is bad—the men are all gone. I asked around; they each left the city using different excuses.”

The guard delivering the decree had heard it personally, so Shen Lanxi went to the palace with him to explain.

Before leaving, she gave instructions: “Seal off their residences. Bring in anyone familiar with them to the Court of Judicial Review for questioning.”

“Yes, my lord.”

When Emperor Renxiao heard the news, he flew into a rage and exclaimed in disbelief,
“They are court officials! How could they do such a thing?”

Did they even know what they had abandoned? Positions that countless people would fight desperately to obtain—opportunities for wealth and advancement.

Then the name Zhou Tianzi suddenly came to mind, and the emperor’s fury intensified.

“Good! So their hands have already reached right under my nose. Lanxi, investigate this thoroughly. I will immediately issue an edict ordering all Six Ministries to fully cooperate with you in capturing this traitor. If you encounter him during the arrest, I permit you to mobilize the troops of any yamen within the capital.”

Shen Lanxi bowed. “Your servant receives the decree!”

The decree sounded like it granted great authority, but in truth it was more impressive in name than in effect. Each government office had no more than thirty staff in total, including clerks and other civil personnel. The number of men who could actually be mobilized was at most a dozen or twenty.

Even gathering all the personnel from every office in the capital wouldn’t equal the strength of a single unit of the Imperial Guards.

That final clause was practically useless. The earlier order—requiring the Six Ministries to cooperate—was at least somewhat meaningful.

What Shen Lanxi didn’t know was that the moment she left, Emperor Renxiao summoned Zhou Ruyuan to the palace.

“A rebellious traitor calling himself Zhou Tianzi has already extended his hand into the court. I have ordered Lanxi to investigate this matter thoroughly. As a woman, it is inconvenient for her to conduct such an inquiry alone. I command you to assist her in investigating this case. There must be no mistakes!”

Zhou Ruyuan felt an inexplicable surge of excitement. “Many thanks, Father Emperor.”

He had thought that after returning to the capital he would be left sitting idle for a long time. He hadn’t expected his father to assign him a task so quickly.

His father arranging for him and Shen Lanxi to work together made the intention obvious.

But… when he thought of Wei Dongzhu by Shen Lanxi’s side, Zhou Ruyuan’s eyes darkened again.

The imperial decree in his hand no longer felt as light as it had at first.

Less than an hour later, Shen Lanxi received notice of the joint appointment. She let out a cold laugh and casually tossed the decree aside.

So the earlier edict had been poorly planned for a reason—this was where the real move lay in wait for her.

“My lord, the emperor’s intention?” Che Mingyuan understood in his heart but didn’t state it outright.

Shen Lanxi spoke without restraint: “To check me, to restrain me—an apparent promotion but a hidden demotion. They want to step on me to elevate Zhou Ruyuan.”

Che Mingyuan quickly glanced around in alarm, but fortunately they were all their own people.

“My lord, shall we go to the Court of Judicial Review now, or visit the homes of those men?”

“Visit their homes,” Shen Lanxi replied.

“Yes, my lord.”

After receiving the decree, Zhou Ruyuan went to the Court of Judicial Review to meet Shen Lanxi—only to find that she was not there.

“Do any of you know where Lord Shen has gone?”

The officials of the Court were extremely guarded when it came to Shen Lanxi. Hearing that Zhou Ruyuan had been assigned to assist in the investigation, each of them understood the situation clearly.

“We don’t know where Lord Shen has gone. Men and women should keep proper distance; it’s not convenient for us to speak much with her.”

“Lord Shen has only just arrived at the Court. We haven’t spoken with her.”

Since the emperor had that intention—and the Prince of Zhen’nan likely did as well—they surely wouldn’t wish to see a woman constantly appearing in public and interacting too closely with men, would they?

“Your Highness might ask Lord Wei,” one official suggested. “I mean nothing else by it—Lord Wei is our superior. If Lord Shen went somewhere, she would likely have informed him.”

Zhou Ruyuan thanked the official and immediately went to find Wei Jie.

Meanwhile, Shen Lanxi spent more than half a day visiting all the men’s homes.

Che Mingyuan reported, “Either their families died early, or their relatives don’t live in the capital. On the surface they seemed close with neighbors and colleagues, but on closer inspection, there was no deep connection.”

A bold speculation suddenly formed in Shen Lanxi’s mind.

“Is it possible that these people all assumed other people’s identities?”

Che Mingyuan had noticed it as well.

“They all share one characteristic—either their wives are dead, or they never married. All of them live alone.”

“I’ll have people investigate their pasts immediately.”

Shen Lanxi’s gaze was sharp. “If they didn’t steal identities, then it means these people were already serving someone long ago—controlled from the start.”

Just thinking about the second possibility made Che Mingyuan shudder. It would almost be better if they were impostors.

If they had truly been planted since childhood, then how early had the mastermind behind all this begun laying out this game?