Volume One: The Overseer and the Candidate Chapter Five: Truth Revealed in the Unreasonable

“……”

Beside the Sanli River, Huang Bingkun stood with a face full of speechlessness and bewilderment, staring at the young master of the Huang family before him, nearly on the verge of tears.

No, how could you bring this up now?

You truly are the main suspect, and I just forcibly snatched you from the hands of the Southern City Commandery with my men.

If you'd told me earlier, I'd have stopped at once.

Even if it was to curry favor with Lord Huang and cling to his powerful influence, I wouldn’t have dared to commit such an audacious act.

Of course, these words Huang Bingkun could not utter aloud, for the deed was already done, and moreover...

His gaze swept the surroundings warily. Even if a band of White Lotus rebels were to suddenly leap from the darkness or from the water, he would not be surprised.

But fortunately, all remained calm. Huang Ming showed no sign of unease, only furrowing his brow as he continued, “I remembered—the man in my carriage who called himself Ying Huo, everything stems from him.

“After the incident, he immediately targeted me. Clearly, he not only intended to use me, but also planned to make me the scapegoat for this affair!”

Reflecting on it carefully, Huang Ming could even reach a conclusion: the original host had likely died from that blow, allowing for his own transmigration and rebirth.

Hearing this, Huang Bingkun's confusion hardly diminished; he could only ask suspiciously, “Are you telling the truth?”

“Why would I lie to you? Otherwise, I wouldn’t have confessed everything,” Huang Ming turned to look at him earnestly, his eyes full of sincerity.

Whether Huang Bingkun truly believed him or simply felt he had no other choice, he could only nod subconsciously, though his tone remained bitter, “What now?”

“I certainly can’t go back, or they’ll pin everything on me,” Huang Ming said outright, and Huang Bingkun agreed.

“And this fact will soon be uncovered…” Huang Ming continued, “By the way, which office is responsible for this matter?”

“It concerns the White Lotus cult—the court takes it very seriously. As far as I know, the Ministry of Justice, Shuntian Prefecture, and our Embroidered Uniform Guards are all jointly investigating.”

“So many?” Huang Ming exclaimed.

“There’s no helping it. The criminal was snatched out of the hands of all three offices,” Huang Bingkun sighed.

Seeing Huang Ming’s lingering doubt, he explained further, “The captured criminal was a prominent figure in the White Lotus cult, so when he was unexpectedly caught in Henan, the court immediately dispatched people to escort him back to the capital for strict interrogation.

“It was a major case, and a considerable achievement. Several offices vied for credit, so they joined forces to escort him. That’s why, when the incident happened, I was able to learn about it immediately and rush to save you, Young Master Huang.”

Huang Ming nodded in understanding, “So, after the incident, all three offices are implicated and must thoroughly investigate, apprehending both the criminal and those who aided his escape?”

“Exactly. In our Embroidered Uniform Guards, it’s Captain Xu in charge. He must be in quite a predicament now…”

Huang Ming had no time to ponder Captain Xu’s current mood; he was far more concerned with his own situation.

He had been set up, pushed forward as the scapegoat, and worst of all, no one knew the real truth. Those in the government were all too eager to pin every crime on him.

Simply because he was the son of a eunuch.

In this predicament, even the Embroidered Uniform Guards—ostensibly his own faction—couldn’t be trusted.

As for his father, Huang Jin, residing in the palace, he likely didn’t even know about these events.

So, as always, he had to rely on himself. And now, it seemed matters were even more perilous than he’d imagined, so a breakthrough was needed as soon as possible.

Turning these thoughts over swiftly, Huang Ming examined the scene by the light of the moon overhead and the lanterns in his companions’ hands, asking, “How much do you know about what happened?”

“Not much. I only heard there was trouble on the bridge—a carriage crashed into the team escorting the criminal. Amid the chaos, several vehicles collided with the railings and plunged into the river, including the prison wagon.

“The soldiers on the bridge quickly sent people into the water, and urgently requisitioned several boats to dredge the river. They managed to rescue a few who had fallen in, but the criminal was nowhere to be found.

“The only thing recovered was a pair of shackles that should have been on the prisoner…”

Huang Ming’s brows furrowed tighter. “Did they block off the upstream and downstream sections at the time?”

“Of course. Not just upstream and downstream, but the entire stretch of Sanli River along the banks—hundreds of people, including the escorting soldiers, were dispatched to patrol, all to prevent the criminal’s escape.

“But the result remains—no one could catch him. The man slipped away like a fish, vanishing as soon as he hit the water.”

Huang Ming shook his head, “That’s impossible. This section of the river is more than a mile long. How could he evade so many searchers? And more improbable, he managed to break free from his shackles.”

“Exactly. I found it unbelievable as well. I heard he’d been severely tortured before being brought to the capital—he could barely walk, let alone escape underwater…”

A sudden thought struck Huang Ming, as if he’d grasped a crucial point.

But before he could unravel it, a squad of night patrol officers approached, shouting loudly, “Who goes there? Do you not know the curfew?”

Huang Bingkun merely exchanged a glance, and one of his men produced the badge of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, negotiating with the patrol.

Although the guards were currently out of favor, they were still not to be trifled with; the patrol quickly apologized and departed, not daring to linger.

This interruption caused Huang Ming to temporarily withdraw from his thoughts. “It seems there’s nothing useful to be found here.”

“Yes, Young Master Huang. Why don’t you come with me to the Northern Command for now? If other offices catch wind and arrive, it will be troublesome.”

Huang Ming agreed. At present, he could rely only on this Captain Huang.

Indeed, they were like grasshoppers tied together on a rope—only by uncovering the truth could the other avoid being implicated.

When the carriage sped north along the broad Zhengyangmen Avenue, Huang Ming leaned against the wall, eyes closed in thought, rapidly deducing—

This brazen prison break was riddled with anomalies.

Either it involved some supernatural arts or spirits, or there were deeper schemes hidden beneath.

As a transmigrator, a man of reason, Huang Ming naturally favored the latter.

Thus, the methods of the mastermind behind all this were likely as he had surmised.

Now, all that remained was to obtain further evidence—both witness and material—to confirm it.

Just then, Huang Ming felt the carriage tilt slightly: they had arrived at their destination, the Northern Command.