The Beacon of Kyushu

Zhao Yuanzuo smiled lightly, "Everyone, we may have over-complicated this matter. If this matter is not aimed at the Song Dynasty or the throne, but only at the golden mace, can everything be solved easily?"

Lu Duan thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, what you mean is that someone simply fell in love with the Eighth Prince's golden mace, and took advantage of the Eighth Prince's drunkenness to steal his treasure. Afterwards, in order to get away smoothly, he stole the seal of Kaifeng Prefecture and disguised himself as a member of the Imperial Guard to challenge the prince?"

Zhao Yuanzuo said, "That's right, that's what I meant. I wonder if Judge Lu still remembers what the man who disguised himself as the imperial guards looked like yesterday?"

Lu Duan said without hesitation: "This person is thin and short, but his eyes are very bright. He seems to have a Luzhou accent when he speaks. He is probably not from the north."

"Luzhou?" Zhao Yuanzuo repeated softly, "Is this person carrying a short sword with seven stars inlaid with gems on it?"

Lü Duan was a scholar, so he naturally didn't pay much attention to the other party's weapon yesterday. After Zhao Yuanzuo's reminder, he hurriedly said, "Yes, it seems that there is such a sword. But he was wearing a cloak yesterday, and the dagger was mostly hidden in the cloak, so I didn't see it clearly."

Zhao Yuanzuo nodded slightly and sheathed his sword. "That's right! The person who stole the treasure was no one else but Ying Fei and Ying Rufeng, the most powerful thief in the martial arts world in recent years, known as the 'gentleman on the beam and the swallow in the clouds'. But he has always stolen from the rich to help the poor, so why would he steal from my cousin's golden mace today? It's really intriguing."

Zhao Tingmei used to think that his nephew was smart and skilled in martial arts, but he didn't expect him to be so knowledgeable. He couldn't help but give him a thumbs up and said, "Nephew, I have admired very few people in my life, but you are one of them. If you hadn't come the past two days, we would have been running around like headless flies, and we almost fell into the trap of the thieves and caused a disaster. I didn't expect you to see through the truth in just a few words. You are really smart!"

Zhao Yuanzuo smiled and said, "Uncle Wang, you are too kind. I have been studying and practicing swordsmanship at Qinghui Manor in Taihu Lake in recent years, so I know a few outlaws on the Jiangnan Road. But although we have roughly determined the identity of the thief, I still have no idea how to catch him."

Zhao Tingmei patted his belly and said, "My nephew, now that we know who the thief is, as long as we post arrest warrants everywhere in the Song Dynasty, how can we be afraid of not being able to catch a small thief?"

Zhao Yuanzuo shook his head and said, "No! First, Ying Rufeng is smart and alert. We cannot capture him with the arrest warrant. Instead, we may force him to not dare to stay in Song Dynasty anymore, so that the golden mace will be lost in another country. Second, once the official notice is posted, the theft of the golden mace will spread completely, and the people of Song Dynasty will be panic. If there are people with ulterior motives, they will take the opportunity to cause chaos and create unnecessary trouble. Third, although Ying Fei has lost his body and become a thief, he is still a gentleman on the beam who is loyal to the people. If we really post the official notice, if we really catch Ying Fei, we must execute him for the sake of national law. In this way, Song Dynasty will undoubtedly offend those people who have received favors, and even the entire martial arts world will openly become the enemy of Song Dynasty in the name of revenge for Ying Fei."

Zhao Tingmei shook his hands upon hearing this, and his fat face wrinkled into a bun. "My nephew, what you said makes sense, but how can we catch this wind? Are we just going to watch him come and go like a gust of wind?"

Zhao Yuanzuo did not rush to answer, but asked: "Uncle Wang, where is my cousin now?"

Zhao Tingmei didn't understand why Zhao Yuanzuo suddenly asked about Zhao Defang's whereabouts now, and said blankly: "Two days ago, he sent someone to report that he would go out of the capital to look for the golden mace himself, but it depends on your uncle..." He lowered his voice and glanced at Chai and Zhao at the same time, as if he was afraid that they would hear him. "Your cousin's departure from the capital to look for the golden mace is false, and he is worried that this is a trick by your uncle or your father to harm him. Therefore, he probably dare not return to the capital before the case is solved."

After hearing what Uncle Wang said, Zhao Yuanzuo looked a little disappointed. After a while, he said, "Uncle Wang, I'm not in Tokyo for many years. I wonder if there is anyone in the city who is good at ventriloquism. If there is, I might be able to catch Ying Rufeng." Zhao Tingmei usually worked on cases and rested in Kaifeng Prefecture. He rarely went to the city to hang out. After thinking for a long time, he said uncertainly, "My nephew, I seem to have heard your cousin mention that Yun Qingxiang's boss Lou Mingli is good at ventriloquism. I wonder if he can be used?"

Zhao Yuanzuo clapped his hands and said, "That's great. Yun Qingxiang's troupe owner Lou Mingli was a well-known figure in the martial arts world a few years ago. It is said that he was not an actor, let alone the owner of a troupe. He was a favorite student of the 'iron-mouthed master' Guan. Since Guan passed away, his ventriloquism skills have been ranked the best in the world!"

Zhao Tingmei thought about it and looked at Zhao Yuanzuo, saying: "My nephew, you are really well-informed, unlike me, your uncle, who only knows two things all day long. The first is eating, drinking and having fun, and the second is severe punishment. If you talk about other things, your uncle is really clueless and knows nothing!"

Zhao Yuanzuo smiled and said, "Uncle Wang, if you hadn't repeatedly pleaded with my father to give me all the books he copied from Yuyuan Manor and Yanhui Courtyard in the past, regardless of their types, how could I have read all the rare books in the world and learned all the secrets of the world?"

Zhao Tingmei laughed and said, "Hahaha, if that's the case, then it's me who made you successful! Otherwise, those books would have been burned by your father as banned books, or swallowed by your father himself, and would never have fallen into your hands."

That night, at the Palace of King Chu.

The magnificent palace of the King of Chu was still as magnificent as ever. Zhao Yuanzuo sat in the bedroom on a red sandalwood chair, staring at the candlelight on the table, thinking about how to catch the thief.

"Dangdangdang..." There was a dull knock on the door outside the hall. Zhao Yuanzuo looked through the window and saw that the person knocking on the door seemed to be a tall middle-aged man. He knew it was his uncle Zhao Tingmei. "Uncle Wang, please come in."

Zhao Tingmei smiled upon hearing this, pushed the door open and walked in, "My nephew, you said at noon today that you had a way to catch the thief. Now that Nanqing Palace has been planning for so long, I believe you must have a plan in mind."

Zhao Yuanzuo smiled and said, "Uncle Wang, I have made up my mind. I just need you to cooperate with Chai and Zhao, and we will be able to capture Ying Rufeng in one fell swoop."

Zhao Tingmei asked curiously, "Nephew, what exactly are your plans? Tell your uncle now."

Zhao Yuanzuo said: "My nephew's plan is very simple - to lure you into a trap!" (End of this chapter)