Chapter 134: Catch Up With That Commoner

These are turbulent times. The Regent is keeping a close watch on the Fourth Prince, and if he were to come here to discuss countermeasures with us, or if we were to go to him, it would easily be discovered by the Fourth Prince.

"Your concerns are valid. Let us think carefully about what we should do, what we should do..." Yan Heru muttered to herself, her mind racing as she searched for a solution.

Yet, as she pondered, she felt that something was amiss, though she could not immediately pinpoint what it was.

Qi Shengsheng, seeing her sister deep in thought, wisely refrained from interrupting. She stood quietly by, waiting for her sister to reach a conclusion.

After a long while, Yan Heru suddenly realized what was wrong. She looked up at Qi Shengsheng and said, "That man from earlier—send men to chase him down immediately!"

"Ah? Why? Hasn't he already told us everything he knows? Could he be lying to us?" Qi Shengsheng was momentarily confused by her sister's train of thought.

Despite her doubts, she was obedient and dispatched her subordinates to pursue the man.

Seeing them set off, Yan Heru still felt uneasy. She took Qi Shengsheng’s hand and followed, saying as they walked, "That man was very suspicious. Why did he know such specific details? And there were many inconsistencies in what he said. Think about it carefully: if he were truly just an ordinary person, why would he knowingly walk into a trap? He knew full well that the conversation between the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince couldn't have been trivial, yet he hid nearby to eavesdrop."

"But he explained that he was just possessed by a whim and followed them out of curiosity. Isn't that... plausible?" Qi Shengsheng asked.

Yan Heru shook her head. "That is exactly what’s wrong. Think about it: if he were truly a commoner, why would he be 'possessed by a whim' to do such a thing? You know as well as I do that these people struggle every day just to survive. They have no time to pay attention to the conversations of such powerful figures, let alone sneak up to listen in.

"Furthermore, if his story about having an elderly mother to support were true, he would be even less likely to engage in such dangerous behavior. All that talk about being 'possessed' was something he fabricated. I suspect he was deliberately stalking the Fourth Prince from the very beginning!"

Yan Heru’s expression grew increasingly grave. Qi Shengsheng found this analysis compelling and asked, "But he told us so much just now. Was all of that a lie?"

"What he said might not be entirely false, but there are certainly things he withheld. Moreover, he looked so terrified the moment he saw us; it was obvious he knew what I was going to ask, so he acted that way to make us lower our guard."

Having heard her sister’s analysis, Qi Shengsheng felt it made perfect sense, and she secretly reflected on why she hadn't spotted these points herself. "In that case, sister, let us hurry and catch him!"

Yan Heru nodded, and the two of them quickened their pace to join the search.

The man, not expecting them to pursue him, had stopped running and was walking leisurely when they caught up to him once again.

"Why have you grabbed me again? I’ve already told you everything I know! What more do you want?" the man exclaimed. Though his words were hurried, his face lacked any genuine sign of panic.

Yan Heru did not overlook this subtle change. She smiled and said, "We just have a few more questions. Why are you so nervous? I haven't even told you what I want to ask yet. And when we caught up to you, we didn't say anything else, did we? What are you afraid of?"

The man was left speechless. Yan Heru continued, "There were some things we didn't finish asking before you left, so we followed to ask them. There is no need to be afraid."

"You two are truly my ancestors! Just ask whatever you want and be done with it—stop pestering me, please!" the man said, looking at the two women with a mixture of exasperation and feigned helplessness.

Yan Heru smiled slightly at his reaction. "I don't care about your excuses, but I want the truth. You weren't 'possessed by a whim' when you followed the Fourth Prince; you were stalking him intentionally."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "If you weren't tracking him with a specific purpose, you could never have heard their conversation so clearly. You must have discovered that he was meeting the Third Prince and threatening him. You were genuinely afraid at that moment, but that didn't stop you from carrying out your mission, did it?"

As she spoke, Yan Heru exchanged a look with her sister, signaling for her to ensure her men kept a close watch on the man so he could not escape again.

Although Qi Shengsheng had only recently reunited with her sister, they shared a strong, intuitive bond, as if they had fought many battles side-by-side. She understood exactly what her sister intended.

"Don't talk nonsense! I never had any such intentions, nor did I do any such thing. Why would I stalk the Fourth Prince? What, do you think I was going to kidnap him?" At this suggestion, the man appeared genuinely shocked.

He did not even notice this reaction himself, but Yan Heru, catching the shift, pressed further: "Oh? Let me ask you another question. Are you not very good at lying in your daily life?"

"Ah?" The man was confused by the sudden change in topic. One moment she was asking about the Fourth Prince, and the next, she was asking if he was a good liar. While the two might be related, the logical leap felt far too wide.