Chapter 47: Blanket Search
"My lord, why not tell them about what Zhou Xiu did?" Tie Ma whispered.
"Those people?” Fang Chen snorted faintly, "Are they worthy of learning the truth?"
Tie Ma nodded slightly. Since the lord said that they weren't worthy, there was nothing more to say.
"Chen'er, how did you manage to provoke the soldiers of the Longdu Empire on your trip?" Fang Cangyou was curious.
Fang Chen briefly explained the situation, and when Fang Cangyou heard about Zhou Xiu's actions, he turned furious. "If I had known that when these guys were here, I would’ve ordered someone to beat them up!"
At that moment, a figure quietly approached the group.
Fang Chen looked at the newcomer, smiling faintly, and asked, "What's the matter?"
The person who arrived was Yuan Yu, Yuan Zhuang’s subordinate. She seemed anxious. Her voice hushed and frantic, she said, “My cousin has gone missing, my lord!”
Fang Chen frowned. "Missing? How so?”
"He hasn't appeared in the bureau since the day we arrested those two. I thought that he was probably just conducting an investigation privately and will soon come back, but even after several days had passed, he still didn’t show up. His parents were frantic and immediately came looking for me,” she said in a low voice.
Fang Chen nodded slightly and turned to enter the Fang manor. "Don't worry too much for now. Come in."
Yuan Yu felt a bit uneasy. She had a subtle feeling that something had happened to Yuan Zhuang because of that case they were investigating.
Inside the front hall.
As Yuan Yu was worried sick, she saw Fang Chen close his eyes, seemingly resting. She couldn’t help but grumble a little. She waited for a while, but when saw that he was still motionless, she quickly lost her patience, saying, “Divine General Fang, my cousin is in trouble because of that one case. That’s why, you shouldn’t ignore what happened to him.”
Xu Ge was the one to speak. "Constable Yuan, my lord is deep in thought. Please, calm down.”
Deep in thought? What is there to think about? Instead of thinking, he should just instead use his connections, deploy his men, and search for Yuan Zhuang in every nook and cranny of the city! That’s what he ought to do! They had to find him, dead or alive.
As she was lost in her frantic thoughts, Fang Chen’s soul took to the sky above the capital city. A shadowy streak flying above the city, in search of Yuan Zhuang. But the capital was massive, and searching for someone in it was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, Fang Chen’s soul could pass through walls. This blanket style search would allow him to locate Yuan Zhuang easily, as long as he hadn’t left the city.
An hour later, Fang Chen’s soul appeared in the Valiant Saber Guards Post in the Inner City. There were several high-ranked members flipping through cases, and others walking along the long corridors. They looked busy albeit extremely organized.
Unlike the Valiant Saber Guards in the Outer City, those in the Inner City numbered slightly more than ten. They were all officials that didn’t lead any constables. They seemed to be holding pretty high ranks among the Valiant Saber Guards. Among them was the chief pacifier.
The chief pacifier held a much greater authority than the captains. They could transfer guards at any time, order the arrest of criminals, and did not need to go through the questioning of the Grand Brilliance Bureau if they wished to detain anyone.
There was a private prison deep in the guard post. Inside was Yuan Zhuang, covered in blood and tied to a wooden post. In front of him, two captains of the Valiant Saber Guards were seemingly preparing for the next round of torture.
"Look, Lord Yuan, I advise you to confess. Otherwise, even if you were able to leave, you wouldn’t be in one piece anymore. And at that time, you can forget about working for the Grand Brilliance Bureau ever again,” one of the two captains said with indifference as he looked at the red-hot branding iron in his hand.
"What should I confess to?" Yuan Zhuang forced open his swollen eyes and stared firmly at the captain. "I’ve always acted with a clear conscience, and I’ve never used my personal connections to violate the law. What reason do you have to capture me?!” Pausing for a moment, he continued, "The emperor has issued an edict a long time ago. Criminal cases in the Inner City must first go through the Grand Brilliance Bureau and then through the Ministry of Justice. The Valiant Saber Guards no longer have the right to enforce the law within the Inner City. Moreover, I am a direct officer of the Grand Brilliance Bureau, my rank might be low, but I’m an official nonetheless! All of you are breaking the law right now! You are doing something you have no right to do, you know that very well! All of you will be beheaded!”
The other captain sneered. "It seems that you are still defiant. Although we’ve been accused and suppressed by many officials, don't forget; we are still working for the emperor. We have the authority to arrest you, so why should we be afraid of anything?”
"His Majesty... “ Yuan Zhuang's expression slightly changed.
"Speak! Why did you and Fang Chen go to the Outer City and look into that case? If you don’t open your mouth and talk right now.” He shook the red-hot iron in his hand. “I’ll make sure you’ll never have the chance to open it again!”
"I've already said everything. We were just having a stroll in the Outer City when we stumbled into the case out of nowhere. What else do you want me to say?!” Yuan Zhuang said indignantly.
The two captains exchanged glances. One of them said coldly, "I know you were looking into that one case about a person going missing from the minister of rites’ manor. Tell us, how much do you know about this case?"
"Are the Valiant Saber Guards of the Inner City involved in this too? I knew it! No wonder Captain Xu protected the guy who calls himself Granddaddy Lu. Were you the ones who caused those people to go missing?” Yuan Zhuang retorted angrily.
"We are the ones asking the questions, not the other way around.” The captain holding the branding iron said coldly. He took a step and pressed the hot iron against Yuan Zhuang's chest.
Sizzle!
White smoke rose into the air, and Yuan Zhuang trembled in pain. Sweat poured down his body profusely. He had no strength left to scream and could only let out feeble groans.
After being tortured for several days in a row, even his iron-like will was on the verge of collapse. But he knew the captors had a purpose for arresting him. He couldn't tell those two damn thugs that the case was initiated, not by him, but by Fang Chen. He could only pin his hopes on Fang Chen to get him out of this.
"Fang Chen is like a god when it comes to predicting these things. I've been missing for so many days, and Yuan Yu should have noticed by now. She should be able to locate me soon. I’ll be fine if I endure a little bit more," Yuan Zhuang comforted himself. If not for that, he would have collapsed long ago.
"Speak up! How much does Divine General Fang know about this matter?" The captain holding the branding iron asked coldly.
"If you have the ability, just kill me. But remember to ditch my body well and don’t forget to clear all the evidence! After all, if Divine General Fang learns of this matter, none of you will be left alive!" Yuan Zhuang hacked out a mouthful of blood and continued, "Also, don't forget who you're up against. Divine General Fang's cultivation has been restored. He’s the man who had burned the Qingsong Superior Academy down just because he felt like it. Who the hell are you compared to him?”
Enraged, the captain with the branding iron was about to brand Yuan Zhuang's mouth when the other captain stopped him.
"Don't do anything too extreme. What he said makes sense," the other captain whispered.
Even though Fang Chen was no longer active in the court and had no troops under his control, his methods were deeply ingrained in people's hearts. Even the Inner City’s Valiant Saber Guards feared him!
After a brief conversation, the two captains left the cell.
A young man wearing a black cloak stood outside.
"Chief Pacifier Liu, this person's words are consistent with those from a few days ago, with no discrepancies." one of the captains reported respectfully.
"Continue the interrogation," Chief Pacifier Liu said indifferently.
In the Fang Manor, Fang Chen slowly opened his eyes and said to the anxious Yuan Yu, "Yuan Zhuang is in the guard post of the Valiant Saber Guards in the inner capital. Follow me, we’re going to pick him up.”
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