Cheng Maoming chuckled and waited for Qi Shuo to state his purpose.
He wanted to see what the Heir of Prince Jing was up to.
“That day when I went to Jinxiu Street, I discovered several people acting suspiciously, going back and forth as if scouting the area. I thought, among the capital’s many streets, Jinxiu Street is quite prestigious, and soon it will be displayed to the Yuliu envoys. If these people were to cause some destruction, wouldn’t it make Great Zhou the laughingstock of the world…”
Cheng Maoming’s temple twitched.
What exactly was the Heir of Prince Jing trying to say? He hadn’t noticed before that this person was so talkative!
As for Qi Shuo’s mention of people acting suspiciously, Cheng Maoming didn’t take it to heart.
The capital was prosperous and wealthy—how could there be a shortage of petty thieves seeking unearned gains?
This fell under the Five Chief Military Commissioners’ jurisdiction and wasn’t worthy of the Jinlin Guard’s attention.
Qi Shuo finally finished laying the groundwork. He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and said casually, “Since I happened upon it, I couldn’t very well turn a blind eye, so I had guards follow them. Unexpectedly, there was an astonishing discovery—these people were actually hiding large quantities of gunpowder at their residence—”
“Pfft!” Before Qi Shuo could finish, Cheng Maoming spat out a mouthful of tea.
He choked for a moment, coughing until tears came out. With reddened eyes, he asked, “What did the Heir say they were hiding?”
“Gunpowder.”
Cheng Maoming was both shocked and speechless.
How could the Heir of Prince Jing use such a calm tone to say such words, giving him no psychological preparation whatsoever!
“Is the Heir certain it’s gunpowder?”
Qi Shuo nodded. “Certain. Judging by the quantity of that gunpowder, once ignited, the consequences would be unthinkable.”
“Where are they staying?”
“They’re staying near Changchun Street, extremely convenient to Jinxiu Street.”
Cheng Maoming’s eyes darkened.
If deaths and injuries truly occurred when the Yuliu envoys arrived, that would be an earth-shattering incident.
But he still had many doubts.
“Heir… why are you telling me about this?”
Qi Shuo looked surprised. “You were the first person I thought of, Commander. Or is there another office more suitable to handle this matter?”
Cheng Maoming fell silent.
He actually felt somewhat touched.
“So the Heir believes they intend to bomb Jinxiu Street?”
Qi Shuo said seriously, “I’m only speculating they might commit evil acts. Bombing Jinxiu Street is one possibility, though I could be wrong—perhaps they just enjoy stockpiling gunpowder for fun.”
Cheng Maoming: “…”
After quite a while, he said, “For the Heir to discover these things is also no simple feat.”
Qi Shuo recalled Lin Hao’s explanation, a smile spilling from his lips. “It was purely a fortuitous coincidence.”
Cheng Maoming silently looked away.
The Heir of Prince Jing was smiling so strangely!
Qi Shuo picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone casual. “I just feel there’s no harm in paying more attention. If I’m wrong, an apology will suffice. But if these people truly have ill intentions and the Commander stops them in advance, that would be a great merit.”
Cheng Maoming’s heart stirred, though his expression remained unchanged. “That would also be the Heir’s merit.”
Qi Shuo smiled. “I’m just a carefree and wealthy minor prince—what use do I have for merit? Don’t frighten me, Commander.”
Cheng Maoming looked deeply at Qi Shuo. “If there’s a situation, I’ll inform the Heir promptly.”
The Heir of Prince Jing was increasingly earning his respect.
Thinking again about the world’s impression of the Heir of Prince Jing, Cheng Maoming felt rueful.
Many people and matters truly couldn’t be judged by appearances.
But what did this have to do with him? A clever person like the Heir of Prince Jing—establishing good relations was obviously not a bad thing.
“Then I thank the Commander.” Qi Shuo stood up to leave.
Cheng Maoming immediately arranged for his most trusted subordinates to lead men in a raid on Chen Mu and the others’ hiding place.
According to the information Qi Shuo provided, these people mostly went out during the day, leaving two behind to guard. To catch them all in one net, they naturally needed to wait for those people to return.
Dozens of Jinlin Guards quietly concealed themselves nearby, waiting patiently.
The sun gradually moved westward, and the sky slowly darkened. At that unremarkable residential dwelling, people entered one after another.
“How many now?”
“Six already, seems like one is still missing.”
“Then let’s wait a bit longer.”
This wait lasted another two quarters of an hour.
Dusk had already draped a layer of dark gauze over the buildings and streets, and the lurking Jinlin Guards grew anxious.