Andrew Thompson cleared his throat, his face growing more sorrowful, yet a faint look of excitement flickered in his eyes.

"Today, the pack of traitors are blind, mistaking a hidden dragon for a snake. If you strike a snake and it does not die, one day the hidden dragon will soar, and it will surely sweep away these traitors!"

……

Evening brought more snow.

Snow fell upon the plum branches in the courtyard, blanketing the city of Chang'an and the distant outskirts beyond.

In a desolate, uninhabited field, a sudden roar broke the silence.

A small patch of snowy earth was pushed up.

A hand reached out from beneath, and then, someone struggled to crawl out from the ground.

Like a humble ant.

Chapter 7 Night View of Chang'an

As dusk fell, many more people were added to the cells of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

"Daoist George Foster, you plotted to help the The Brooks Family establish a crown prince using prophetic diagrams, and after your plan failed, you tried to escape. Is this true?!"

"I'm innocent! I only wanted to leave the The Brooks Family residence to avoid being implicated."

"Let me ask you again, did you see the crown prince send someone to the The Brooks Family residence to discuss destroying evidence with Henry Brooks?"

"I'm innocent!"

"Still trying to argue? Torture him!"

"…"

Matthew Grant, however, did not enter the torture chamber. He stopped under the eaves, hands behind his back, listening to the wailing inside while admiring the snowy scene.

When the sounds from the torture chamber finally subsided, John King stepped forward and reported, "Sir, George Foster has confessed. But the The Brooks Family steward, William Carter, refuses to admit that Charles Reed was sent by the crown prince, insisting he was just picked up."

"Picked up? Show me how you pick someone up like that."

"I'll go interrogate him again."

Matthew Grant neither agreed nor disagreed, murmuring, "According to that wretched maid's confession, he already handed the evidence to the crown prince, yet the crown prince hasn't reacted."

"We can still find a way to confirm the The Brooks Family's guilt."

"Does that matter?" Matthew Grant said. "What if we kill the entire The Brooks Family? The key is the crown prince, the crown prince, the crown prince!"

John King quickly replied, "The crown prince sent Charles Reed to Brian Clark's residence to set a fire and destroy the evidence. The proof is solid, and the man is in the crown prince's private residence—I saw it with my own eyes."

"I'll go see the Right Chancellor and have the Right Cavalry Guards search the place and seize him in one move! But this is a big deal…"

Matthew Grant started out resolute, but as he spoke, his tone turned questioning: "Are you sure the man is still there?"

"I've had people watching. No one has gone in or out since we took the The Brooks Family siblings."

"Go verify it. I'll prepare to request an audience with the Right Chancellor."

"Please wait a moment, sir."

Today, John King had first guarded Yongxing Ward, captured the The Brooks Family siblings, and immediately returned to interrogate River Song. As for the crown prince's private residence, he needed to check again.

When he returned to the office, his expression was grave. He saluted Matthew Grant and reported, "Sir, bad news. For some reason, chaos has broken out at the crown prince's private residence. Carriages and horses are coming and going, and we've lost track of our target."

"Slippery as ever," Matthew Grant cursed under his breath, ultimately not daring to order a search of the crown prince's residence. He could only instruct, "Send people to look for him."

"I've already arranged it," John King said. "I have another idea: Henry Brooks's son was also involved in destroying the evidence. If he is caught at the crown prince's residence…"

Before he could finish, the gatekeeper of Jingzhao Prefecture ran into the courtyard to report, "Sir Stephen Grant, someone has arrived from the Right Chancellor."

"Quick, invite them in!"

Matthew Grant dared not be negligent and hurried to greet the visitor.

After a few steps, he quickly turned back, found a small box, took out a clove, and put it in his mouth.

In fact, he came from a distinguished background, being the nephew of the Prime Minister. In his youth, he had been summoned by the Emperor, but due to severe bad breath, he incurred the Emperor's displeasure. The imperial words were, "This is a flaw, not to be used," nearly ruining his official career, so he had to curry favor with Richard Thompson. Since then, whenever meeting important people, he always kept a clove in his mouth to mask his breath.

……

The visitor that day was someone Matthew Grant recognized—a maid in a Hu robe named Lucy.

Lucy was very beautiful, which was why she could serve as one of Richard Thompson's attendants. She often ran errands for Richard Thompson, liked to wear Hu robes, and had a sharp, capable look.

She arrived on horseback, and as soon as she tied up her horse, Matthew Grant jogged to the front courtyard to greet her.

"Thank you for making the trip, miss. May I ask what instructions the Right Chancellor has?"

Lucy was cold and proud, frowning and waving him away to keep his distance. As she walked, she raised her hand and made a cross-hand salute to the absent Richard Thompson, saying coolly, "My lord asks you, how is the matter progressing?"

"Within one night and one day, the case has been fully investigated!" Matthew Grant declared forcefully. "The crown prince secretly ordered Brian Clark to befriend ministers. Because Brian Clark bore a grudge against Henry Brooks, he reported the matter. The crown prince then sent someone to the Liu residence to destroy the evidence."

"Where is the person?"

"This way, miss. Watch your step at the threshold."

Matthew Grant led Lucy into the office and took several confession papers from the desk.

"This is Brian Clark's confession, listing the ministers he bribed and the gifts exchanged; this is the confession of the Ms. Brooks maid, identifying the crown prince as having sent someone named Charles Reed to burn the study at the Liu residence together with the Mrs. Clark-Brooks…"

But Lucy had no patience for Matthew Grant's chatter. She raised her hand to cut him off and snapped, "I asked you, where is the person?!"

"The crown prince has hidden him, but as long as we convict the The Brooks Family, we can pursue the crown prince."

"It's useless. The crime has already been pinned on Brian Clark and the The Brooks Family as their private actions, unrelated to the crown prince."

"What… why?"

Lucy said coldly, "Because the crown prince has already divorced the second lady of the The Brooks Family."

"What?!"