Ning Chen and Geng Jing rode hard back to the Inspectorate.

The whole Inspectorate was sealed.

Pan Yucheng came hurrying up. “Geng the Purple Coat, I’ve taken men over most of it. It looks as though the Left Chancellor is no longer in the Inspectorate… What do we do next?”

Geng Jing looked at Ning Chen.

Ning Chen thought about it a moment and said, “Lord Geng, the Left Chancellor is no longer in the Inspectorate, and there is no use in all of us gathering here… Take men and find Commander Nie. Search the whole city.”

“Old Pan, get everybody who was on duty last night together. I want to question them shortly.”

Geng Jing and Pan Yucheng nodded.

When the two of them had gone, Ning Chen went down to the prison again, to the cell where the Left Chancellor had been held.

He looked around him.

How had the man gotten out?

Ning Chen even pushed the dry straw aside on the floor and went over the ground itself, and made sure there was no hidden passage or anything of the kind.

Strange.

How had they gotten a man of much the same build in under the eyes of that many guards, and the Left Chancellor out?

Could they have bought the whole guard of the prison?

Impossible. The thing had happened yesterday, and there was no time at all to buy every guard.

No matter how Ning Chen turned it over, he could not make sense of it.

His gaze fell on the cell opposite. The man held opposite was Ning Ziming.

Ning Chen was about to go and ask Ning Ziming whether he had seen anything, or heard anything.

But as he was going out of the cell door his step checked.

His gaze had fallen on the night-soil bucket in the corner.

He thought at once of the night-soil cart.

But that was wrong too. A night-soil cart could not get into the prison, and they could hardly have stuffed a man into that little bucket and carried him in and out.

The Left Chancellor was built like a pig. That bucket would not take one of his legs.

Ning Chen shook his head and went to the cell opposite.

Having questioned Ning Ziming, he came away with nothing.

Ning Chen went outside.

Pan Yucheng had already gathered the men who had been on duty the night before.

Ning Chen called them into the room one at a time and questioned each of them.

And still came away with nothing.

Everybody had done his own job last night, and nothing strange had happened.

Pan Yucheng frowned. “The devil’s in it. A whole living man, and he vanishes into thin air?”

“How on earth did he get away?”

Ning Chen’s brows were locked tight. He could not work it out either.

Then, suddenly, he thought of somebody.

Ning Chen called in the red coat who had been drinking the night before.

“How many of you were on duty last night altogether?”

The red coat said in fear and trembling, “Reporting to Ning the Silver Coat, there were twelve of us, guarding the death cells.”

When he had said it, the red coat dropped to his knees and begged, snot and tears together:

“Ning the Silver Coat, it really is nothing to do with me. I’ve just had a child. I beg you, let me off, let me off!”

He had drunk on duty, and now a serious criminal was lost. He could hardly escape the blame!

Ning Chen said heavily, “Who brought the drink last night?”

“This small man brought it himself.”

“How much did you drink? Was anybody drunk?”

The red coat said in a shaking voice, “Only one jar was brought, and the twelve of us divided it. This subordinate cannot hold much, and a few cups were already too many, so I did not dare drink more.”

“Did anybody go off and sleep somewhere in the middle of it?”

“No, no… This small man was a little dizzy, but I never left my post half a step.”

Ning Chen said heavily, “And the others? Did anybody go off and sleep in the middle of it?”

The red coat said quickly, “No!”

“From last night until I found the Left Chancellor gone, did anything strange happen at all?”

The red coat thought about it and said, shaking, “It was the same as always. Nothing happened.”

Ning Chen’s eyes went hard. “Think before you speak… Otherwise nobody at all can save you. You know yourself how great a crime it is to lose a serious criminal.”

The red coat’s face went a dreadful white with fright. “This subordinate… every word this subordinate says is fact. I beg Ning the Silver Coat to see clearly!”

Then his expression stiffened slightly, as though something had come to him.

Ning Chen said quickly, “Has something come to you?”

The red coat hesitated, then said, “Last night a eunuch came to visit the Left Chancellor. He said he came by His Majesty’s order to ask the Left Chancellor about some matters.”

Ning Chen’s eyes contracted. “What did this eunuch look like? What did he and the Left Chancellor say?”

The red coat said quickly, “That eunuch was somewhere around thirty. This subordinate did not take in his face very clearly. I only remember that he had a black mole below his earlobe.”

“The eunuch was asking questions by decree, and this subordinate did not dare go near. I don’t know what he and the Left Chancellor said.”

Something flickered in Ning Chen’s eyes.

What would His Majesty want asked? He would not send just any eunuch for it, and even if he did want something asked, he would send Eunuch Quan.

“I’ll ask you this. Was this eunuch fat or thin?”

The red coat said quickly, “He was very thin. Thinner than you are, Ning the Silver Coat.”

The corner of Ning Chen’s mouth twitched. He had the feeling he had just been called a beanpole.

Pan Yucheng said, “You suspect that eunuch swapped himself in and got the Left Chancellor out?”

Ning Chen nodded.

“I examined that body. It isn’t a eunuch.”

Ning Chen let out a disappointed sigh.

“How long did the eunuch stay? Did he leave alone?”

The red coat said quickly, “He stayed about half an hour, and then left alone.”

Ning Chen’s brows were locked tight, and he could not help saying furiously, “The devil really is in it, God damn it.”

“Old Pan, go and look into where that body came from.”

Pan Yucheng said, “I’ve sent men already.”

Ning Chen rubbed the space between his brows. He had nothing to go on at all, and all he could do now was pray the Left Chancellor was not out of the city yet and that Nie Liang and Geng Jing could find him.

Ning Chen walked out of the room in his irritation, and the cold wind outside cleared his head a little.

Since the man has already gotten away, there is no sense in tearing at how he got out… What matters now is finding the Left Chancellor.

If the Left Chancellor is not out of the city yet, where would he be hidden?

The Left Chancellor had been thrown into the death cells yesterday afternoon, and today he was gone.

Who had ability of that order?

The Left Chancellor’s disappearance certainly had to do with the eunuch who visited the cell.

Which meant that whoever got the Left Chancellor out was somebody from the palace.

The Empress?

Probably not. The Empress is not that stupid. Using a eunuch to get a man out — isn’t that the wolf standing up and announcing himself?

Then again, she may have sent a eunuch on purpose, precisely so that I would think exactly this.

Ning Chen’s brows were locked tight.

Then he thought of somebody else… the crown prince.

Ning Ziming had said the Left Chancellor had a connection to the crown prince, but the thing was not settled yet.

The crown prince’s nature was mild and honest, and Ning Chen did not want to believe he was a bad man.

Though of course that did not rule out the crown prince being a fine actor with the character well set.

And if it really is the crown prince? If I go and call on him now, will I beat the grass and startle the snake?

Whether it was the Empress or the crown prince, he could not go at it openly… The moment they caught wind of it they would certainly kill to close mouths.

Ning Chen suddenly thought of somebody… the Ninth Princess.

He could get it out of that little brat.

Ning Chen said a word to Pan Yucheng, then rode Diaochan out of the Inspectorate.

The Fallen Phoenix Court.

The Ninth Princess was in a red dress with simple ornaments in her hair, bright and young all over.

The Ninth Princess seemed to have a special fondness for red.

She was building a snowman with several maids, her small face and small hands red with cold.

“Careful, don’t drop it…”

She was working with several maids to lift a snowball. This was the snowman’s head.

They fitted the head on the snowman.

The Ninth Princess put her hands on her hips and admired her own masterpiece, very pleased with herself.

She had not been happy for more than a few seconds when the snowman’s head came off and smashed to pieces.

The Ninth Princess’s expression froze!

“Ahh, ahh, ahh… I’m so angry, I’m so angry…”

The Ninth Princess stamped where she stood in her rage.

Before the maids could get a word of comfort out, the Ninth Princess had worked it out for herself. “Never mind, we’ll make another one.”

Just then a maid came hurrying up.

“Princess. Ning the Silver Coat begs an audience!”

“Who?”

“Ning the Silver Coat.”

The Ninth Princess rubbed her hands together and blew a breath of warm air onto them, and said in her excitement, “Bring him in, quickly. This princess is bored… He took the King of the Left Court alive. He’s certain to have a great many interesting things.”

“Yes!”

The maid withdrew, and a little while later brought Ning Chen in.

“I greet the Princess!”

The Ninth Princess looked at Ning Chen. “I hear you fought your way all the way to the North Royal Court? And took the King of the Left Court alive.”

Ning Chen nodded. “I did!”

“I never expected you to be so impressive!”

Ning Chen said, smiling, “Only good luck.”

“Don’t be modest. Father Emperor says you’re very impressive, so you must be very impressive.”

“Ning Chen, tell me quickly. What interesting things happened along the way?”

Ning Chen nodded. “A good many interesting things happened along the way!”

“Then tell me, quickly.”

Expectation filled the Ninth Princess’s face.

Ning Chen was about to open his mouth when the Ninth Princess suddenly asked, “Ning Chen, can you build a snowman?”

“Uh… I can!”

“Wonderful! Then build a snowman and tell me the story at the same time.”

Ning Chen: “???”

Christ… hands going and mouth going at once. A mill donkey doesn’t get worked this hard. Ning Chen said it inwardly.

But the princess had given an order and it could not be refused.

He began building the snowman, and spun the story out of his mouth as he went.

When they heard how Ning Chen had led a thousand men a thousand miles at a run, filling their bellies with snow and grass roots, until at the end his soldiers were too starved to lift their blades, and how Ning Chen alone had fought ten thousand men of the North Royal Court and killed until the blood ran like a river and the edge of his blade turned over from the hacking—

The Ninth Princess and the maids let out cry after cry, worship all over their faces, little stars in their eyes.

“And… and then what?”

Ning Chen glanced at the Ninth Princess, saw the look in her eyes, and something jumped in his chest.

Christ!!!

That was hasty!

Girls of that age worship a hero more than anything.

He had been enjoying himself for the moment, made himself the king of the bullshit artists and blown a whole gale of it, and now the Ninth Princess was looking at him in a way that was not right at all.

Damn it, I came here on business, not to pick up girls.

I’m begging you, whatever you do, don’t fall in love with me. Ning Chen prayed inwardly.

The Xuan Emperor had hinted at it several times, openly and otherwise, and he truly did not want to marry a princess.

“In the end my soldiers all got their strength back and killed the enemy bravely at my side, and we took the King of the Left Court alive.”

Worship filled the Ninth Princess’s face, and her eyes shone. “Ning Chen, you’re wonderful!”

Ning Chen said quickly, “The Princess praises me past my deserts. Your subject is not wonderful. Not the least bit wonderful.”

While he was speaking he fitted the snowman’s head on.

“Princess, it’s done!”

The Ninth Princess came running over with her hands behind her back and her skirts flying, hopping as she came.

Then her foot slipped and she pitched forward, and let out a scream of fright.

Ning Chen heard it and turned around without thinking, and the Ninth Princess went straight into his arms.

The Ninth Princess’s body went rigid, her small face flushed pink. Ning Chen’s arm was still around her waist and the two of them were pressed close together… It was the first time she had ever been in such close contact with a man, and it made her so nervous that fine beads of sweat came out on the tip of her nose, and she had no idea what to do.

Every one of the maids stood with her mouth open.

Heye came running over. “Princess, are you all right?”

Ning Chen steadied the Ninth Princess on her feet, stepped back several paces and said:

“The ground is wet and slippery. The Princess should be careful!”

The Ninth Princess stole a look at Ning Chen, and seeing that his expression was calm, quietly let out her breath.

The truth was that Ning Chen was not calm in the least. He was making his own commentary… the Ninth Princess’s really are small. If Yudie came into my arms like that there would still be a good distance between us.

Ning Chen turned the subject. “Princess, the truth is your subject came to find you because there is something he wants to beg your help with.”

The Ninth Princess blinked her big clear eyes a few times and asked, a little bashful, “What help?”

“This morning your subject had urgent business and went into the palace to see His Majesty, and on the way he knocked a eunuch down by accident…”

“Ah? Are you all right? Which mangy dog was so blind as that?”

Ning Chen: “???”

“Princess, it was I who knocked him down by accident, and knocked him down rather hard, but I had urgent business at the time and could not stop to see to him… Thinking it over since I came back, it has sat badly with me, and I would like to apologize to him face to face.”

The Ninth Princess said “Oh,” and then, “Do you know which eunuch it was?”

“I don’t! Your subject only remembers that he had a black mole below his earlobe… Your subject would trouble the Princess to keep an eye out for me, and if the man is found, please let your subject know at once.”

The Ninth Princess laughed prettily. “Only a little thing like that? Seeing that you built me a snowman and told me a story, this princess will certainly find him for you.”

(End of Chapter 176)