The scumbag was secretly having an affair, while I was openly having an affair with the prince.

Chapter 160 I will be back!

Of them, only Gu Simo and Ye Shijun saw a man wearing a silver mask last night...

These characteristics were described by You Hongxin and Ma.

None of the men in black arrested were wearing masks, so how are they supposed to tell them apart?

Gu Simo approached Yu Chiling and Ye Shishu with difficulty and said, “Your Highness, Little Sister, Hua Ping was expelled from Hua Xiang Pavilion when the old Pavilion Master was in power. I have only heard of his name and have never seen his face. Moreover, I have checked all these men in black and there are no signs of disguise. I cannot be sure whether Hua Ping is mixed in with these men in black.”

Yu Chi Ling took out a scroll of painting from his sleeve and handed it to her.

Gu Simo unfolded the document with great delight, "Your Highness is truly prescient, having obtained Hua Ping's portrait so early on!"

Ye Shishu leaned closer to her and looked at the portrait.

The person in the painting is young and has a handsome appearance. Based on the time when Hua Ping was expelled from Huaxiang Pavilion, this should be what Hua Ping looked like when he was young.

Ye Shishu's mind was filled with images of Hua Ping harming people. Looking at the people in the painting, she couldn't reconcile them with the enemy who conspired with the Wen and Ge families to poison her mother.

"Your Highness, where did this painting come from?" she asked Yuchi Ling, frowning.

"Found among the old pavilion master's belongings."

Ye Shishu looked at the small characters in the lower right corner of the painting. Not only was Hua Ping's name mentioned, but also his specialty: alchemy.

Hua Ping was expelled from Huaxiang Pavilion for privately refining elixirs for huge profits.

"More than ten years have passed, and I don't know how much Hua Ping has changed. I'll take the portrait and compare it to see if I can find him!" Gu Simo said and ran towards the direction where the man in black was being guarded.

"I'm going too!" Ye Shishu shouted as she chased after him.

Yu Chi Ling watched her retreating figure and followed her.

The men in black were divided into three groups: the dead were piled up in one group, the poisoned in another, and the living were all bound together with ropes in yet another.

Gu Simo took the portrait and compared it to the living person, but found no similarity.

Then, comparing them with those who were poisoned, there were still none.

Finally, she went to the pile of corpses and examined them one by one.

Ye Shishu followed behind her, and together they searched through people's heads, but they still couldn't find anyone who resembled the portrait.

"Second sister-in-law, Hua Ping's lightness skill is extremely high. He might not be hiding among these people, but rather hiding himself."

"This guy is too cunning!" Gu Simo cursed.

Just then, Ye Shiting and Ye Shijun arrived before them with their guards.

Gu Simo hurriedly asked Ye Shijun, "How is it? Have you found any fish that slipped through the net?"

Ye Shijun shook his head, "We've searched everywhere we could, but we haven't found any who escaped."

Ye Shiting looked at Yuchi Ling and asked, "Your Highness, what should be done with these people?"

Yu Chi Ling's cold gaze swept over the group, and he said in a chilling voice, "Kill them all without mercy!"

All the survivors have been interrogated. According to their own confessions, they were all refugees from outside the capital. Hua Ping recruited them and provided them with money to support them.

These people usually either steal in the city or bandit in the mountains, engaging in petty theft, robbery, and other evil deeds. They are notorious and have committed countless crimes!

At his command, the guards of Prince Cheng's residence quickly dealt with more than twenty prisoners.

Ye Shishu went to Yuchi Ling's side.

Seeing her silent and sullen face, how could Yu Chi Ling not understand her disappointment? He held her hand and whispered, "Don't worry, I will definitely catch him!"

In the evening, the grand procession left the imperial mausoleum.

As night fell, the imperial mausoleum returned to its usual somber and tranquil state.

Beside a tomb on the edge of a cliff, the once flat ground suddenly trembled, and then a dark shadow burst out of the ground.

Under the moonlight, half of the man's face was rotting, his eyes were filled with a sinister intent as he stared in a certain direction, his disheveled hair and black clothes were covered in mud, and he looked like a terrifying demon that had escaped from hell...

However, just as he was about to fly towards the exit of the imperial tomb, four figures suddenly descended from the sky and surrounded him from all sides.

"You didn't leave?!" The man stared at them in shock.

"Huaping!" Ye Shishu didn't waste any words with him, and asked him with hatred, "Why did you help the Wen and Ge families poison my mother?"

Hua Ping tilted his head to look at her, as if remembering something, and suddenly laughed, "You mean the General's wife? Her death is not my fault, you can only blame her for being stupid! That Ge woman had her eye on her money for a long time, deliberately sent someone to assassinate her, and then pretended to be a passerby who saw injustice and took the sword for her... Haha! I've never seen such a stupid person! Treating a poisonous woman as a benefactor and sister, and even betrothing her own daughter to the other woman's son!"

"As for why I work for the Wen family, it's because she saved my life." Hua Ping suddenly glared at Yu Chi Ling with a sinister look. "That hypocritical old man pretends to be a kind-hearted bodhisattva on the outside, but he's truly cold-blooded and ruthless towards his own disciples! I only secretly refined some pills to exchange for silver, and he wanted to sever my meridians and cripple my cultivation. If it weren't for the Wen family passing by by chance and unintentionally interrupting him, giving me a chance to escape, I would really be a cripple now!"

"You dog who aids and abets evil and harms the innocent—" Ye Shijun could no longer bear it and raised his sword to stab him!

Hua Ping used his light-footed skill to flash, and the next instant he landed on the edge of the cliff.

"I will come back, and then it will be your death day!"

Yu Chi Ling, Ye Shi Shu, Ye Shi Jun, and Gu Si Mo all saw through his intentions and attacked him almost simultaneously.

But as soon as Hua Ping uttered his fierce vow, he had already flown off the cliff—

The four of them stared at the bottomless darkness below the cliff, gritting their teeth in resentment.

In the end, it was Yu Chi Ling who spoke first, "Go back, the disciples of Hua Xiang Pavilion will clean house."

……

The four of them returned to the palace at midnight.

Seeing Qi Sui waiting for them at the Prince's residence, Ye Shishu hurriedly went forward to greet him, "Eunuch, what brings you here? How is Father Emperor?"

Qi Sui said with a smile, "His Majesty's health is fine now. This old servant is here on orders to deliver an imperial edict to Prince Cheng."

Ye Shishu respectfully accepted the imperial edict, unfolded it, and thought it was some kind of reward bestowed by the emperor, but unexpectedly it was an appointment decree for her man.

“Grand Scholar…” She turned to look at Yu Chi Ling, her eyes full of questions.

Why is Father Emperor giving him such an important official rank?

Was it a deliberate attempt to provoke Consort Lan and the Crown Prince into rebellion?

Yu Chi Ling stepped forward and said expressionlessly, "Please convey to my father that I have been unwell recently and need to rest."

Qi Sui frowned, looking him over as she asked in confusion, "Your Highness, what's going on?"

"The Queen and I are going to Jeju!"

"What are you going to Jeju for?" Ye Shishu asked him, puzzled.

"Go and fetch the Duke of Wei back to the capital."