Chapter 2493: Chapter 102: The Reason for Autumn
Lin Youxie’s identity is special.
She is the last heir of the four great Green Badge Aristocratic families.
The once illustrious four great Green Badge families were the earliest core of the Green Plate System. Wielding the green badge across the Eastern Region, they would capture evildoers and seize Qi traitors, earning widespread fame!
Today, the Imperial City Inspection Mansion is the absolute core of the Green Plate System. The Beiyar Commander receives direct orders from the Son of Heaven and oversees the arrest officers of various counties, truly representing the will of the entire Green Plate System. Despite the modest rank, it is the power center of Linyi City.
The illustrious surnames Lin, Li, Wu, and Cheng have faded away in the tide of history.
The only remaining strong ones in the God Descending Realm, Wu Lie and Li Youjue, both have died.
The former died, still holding an esteemed name, while the latter died burdened by guilt and mutilation.
The last glow of the Green Badge Aristocracy thus dissipated.
As the orphan of the famous arrest officer Lin Kuang, Lin Youxie also chose to leave Qi Country after the Feng Gu case, heading to the Triple Punishment Palace for further study.
Regarding her disappearance, Jiang Wang couldn’t help but think deeply.
This is why he personally visited Beiyaduwei, why he wanted to look Zheng Shangming in the eye.
He clearly understood that with the current Emperor Qi’s magnanimity, he could completely tolerate Lin Youxie abandoning the country. Even though the heir of the Green Badge Aristocracy, like Li Youjue, deeply resented the Qi Court, believing the Jiang Dynasty betrayed the Green Badge Aristocracy. Even though Lin Youxie, this last heir could potentially become a public weapon for another country.
Since Emperor Qi granted Lin Kuang and Wu Lie esteemed names, he wouldn’t do anything further to Lin Youxie. He is the Son of Heaven, not one to fuss over such ruthless details.
But Jiang Wang had no confidence in the current Daqi Empress.
After all, she is someone who dares to act violently under the Son of Heaven’s nose, cutting off all past clues, a figure who could throw a father’s corpse before his young daughter.
Call it decisiveness or ruthlessness, but what Jiang Wang thought was ’she doesn’t seem like a mother of the country.’
Of course, the current empress, who has firmly held her position at the top of the Daqi court palace for many years, received the Son of Heaven’s respect and enjoyed high esteem in the court and among the people, is no ordinary figure.
What Jiang Wang saw and observed was only the tip of the iceberg.
Yet, precisely this tip sent chills down his spine...
Zheng Shangming quickly prioritized searching for Lin Youxie’s whereabouts as a key task for the Inspection Mansion, raising its priority among numerous disappearance cases.
He then said to Jiang Wangdao: "Come to my room, let’s discuss this matter in detail."
Judging by Zheng Shangming’s actions, about Lin Youxie’s disappearance, he should be unaware, and even he seemed to have some uneasy speculations.
But Blue-plate Catchers are a sharp bunch, and Zheng Shangming has a family background. Jiang Wang was not certain of his judgment.
So he responded calmly, "Alright."
The two quickly left the Beiyaduwei hall and went to Zheng Shangming’s private office.
The room was simply furnished.
An image of the Legal Beast Xie Zhi hung on the front wall, the brushwork vibrant and the aura dignified.
Before this large image was a desk piled high with files. A sixteen-step-square room had only two chairs: one positioned before the desk and one behind it.
The right wall of the desk was completely blank, while the left wall was covered with various drawings, some depicting people, others crime scenes, all vividly detailed.
Speaking of painters, even in current intellectual circles, there are biases. For instance, painters of the Taoist and Confucian schools generally focus on expressionistic style, while the military and Mo school painters emphasize realism. Buddhist painters have no fixed impression, painting randomly various things.
Of course, this is not absolute; it is merely a general mainstream style.
The painting "A Stream First Enters a Thousand Flowers’ Splendor" by Qingya Academy’s Chief Bai Gexiao remains considered a peak of realism.
Yet, Qingya Academy’s painters always have been known for their expressionistic style.
Returning to Zheng Shangming.
His painting skills are average; neither good nor bad, at least Someone Jiang couldn’t appreciate much. He only saw the effort in each stroke and the margins of the paintings were filled with notes.
His effort in casework was very clear in these details.
Zheng Shangming closed all the doors and windows and gestured, "Sit."
He swiftly walked to the desk, skillfully organizing the files, categorizing them carefully.
It’s hard to imagine he once despised working with the Green Badge.
Now he sat at the long desk, having gathered all files, his brows revealing undisguised heaviness. After a pause, he asked, "Brother Jiang, when was the last time you saw Lin Youxie?"
"Early May, in Deer Frost County," Jiang Wang stated clearly, "She said then she was heading to the Triple Punishment Palace for further studies. Then there was no contact. Until recently, I returned from a mission on the grassland and wrote to the Triple Punishment Palace to ask her some questions. But the letter was returned unopened, stating the person could not be found."
"Could there be any misunderstanding from the Triple Punishment Palace? I mean, is there any chance she’s pursuing studies somewhere crucial, or ordinary disciples there don’t know she’s in Triple Punishment Palace?" Zheng Shangming continued asking.
"Probably not. But I have sent someone to reconfirm." Jiang Wangdao.
Zheng Shangming said, "Alright. I will assemble capable Green Plate individuals to search for her whereabouts, focusing heavily from Deer Frost County, without withholding Green Plate System’s intelligence network. However, you still need to be mentally prepared, given so much time has passed, even Deer Frost County will likely struggle to track down traces. This is likely a long-term process..."
