No wonder Ning Chen was so shocked. Robbing the imperial tombs was the capital crime of capital crimes.

Whoever it was, once they were caught, wiping out nine degrees of kin wouldn't be the half of it... Every relative and friend would be put to death. Not just family — even friends and neighbors would be finished.

Ning Chen's first thought was the Underworld Thieves' Sect.

Only a few days ago he'd been talking with Geng Jing about why the Underworld Thieves' Sect would risk showing up in the capital.

So this was what they'd been after: the imperial tombs.

Ning Chen bowed and asked, "Father Emperor, may I ask whose tomb was robbed?"

The Xuan Emperor ground his back teeth. "It was the late emperor's mausoleum. The late emperor's bones are missing."

Shit!!!

They'd even made off with the bones.

It had to be the Underworld Thieves' Sect. No doubt about it.

Before, Ning Chen hadn't been sure whether this gang really was the Underworld Thieves' Sect.

Now he was ten parts certain.

The Underworld Thieves' Sect were Prince Qi's remnants. Prince Qi's whole household put to the sword, the Underworld Thieves' Sect destroyed — the late emperor had given every one of those orders.

And now the only tomb they'd robbed was the late emperor's. It was naked revenge.

What would ordinary grave robbers want with a skeleton?

His old man's grave dug up and the bones carried off — no wonder the Xuan Emperor was this angry.

Imperial tombs had been robbed before, but only those of earlier dynasties.

The Great Xuan belonged to the Xuan Emperor now. Dig up his old man's grave, leave his bones who knows where — that was a slap in the Xuan Emperor's face, a challenge to the whole court.

This was going into the history books for sure.

His old man's grave dug up while he was on the throne — that blot on his record would never wash out.

The Xuan Emperor's face was livid. His eyes all but shot fire.

"Geng Jing, what is your Inspectorate for?"

Geng…