216: Chapter 216 Processing

Half an hour later, Pei Tianquan and his group successfully entered the prefecture city by carriage.

Along the way, their group traveled unimpeded, without attracting the attention of other factions.

It was not until they reached the entrance of the Prefects Residence that they drew frequent glances from many passersby.

In the hearts of the common people, the Prefect was undoubtedly one of the most powerful and noble figures in Jinhuai Prefecture.

For a carriage to dare to park directly at the entrance of the residence was absolutely extremely rare.

The common people naturally did not lack a sense of gossip, secretly speculating about the origin of the carriage.

It was at this moment that Pei Hu stepped off the carriage and walked toward the residence guards. After a brief exchange, the guard hurried away.

In less than half an incense stick of time, the guard walked out of the residence with a middle-aged man whose hair was slightly gray.

This middle-aged man was none other than the Prefect's steward, Pang Shi.

Pei Tianquan was no stranger to this Prefect's steward. Almost all of the Prefect's external affairs were communicated to the major factions through Pang Shi's hands.

Since taking charge of the Jinhuai Branch, Pei Tianquan inevitably had to interact with the prefectural government. Over time, he had dealt with Pang Shi a few times, but that was all.

This time, the fact that Pang Shi could come in person actually surprised him a little.

Upon seeing Pei Tianquan, Pang Shi immediately greeted him, his attitude so warm that one might think the two were very close.

Seeing this, although Pei Tianquan was somewhat surprised, he still returned the courtesy.

After some polite exchanges, he followed Pang Shi into the inner courtyard of the residence.

The inner courtyard was not large, only about half a mu in size. It was inferior to the courtyards of some ordinary third-rate family, let alone the luxury of Great Family. Only some ordinary flowers and plants were planted here as decoration.

Although he had dealt with the Prefect's residence many times, this was his first time entering the inner courtyard.

Pei Tianquan's gaze kept moving, carefully observing the surrounding environment. It was not that he was worried about encountering danger here; this was simply the instinctive reaction of a Martial Artist.

Pang Bo was not in the inner courtyard; he was led by Pang Shi to a room in the center. The furnishings in the room were simple, exuding a touch of elegance.

"Brother Tianquan, please rest here for a moment. The Prefect still has some matters to attend to and will arrive by the Si hour." Pang Shi signaled a maid to pour tea while explaining to Pei Tianquan.

Pei Tianquan nodded slightly, not delving into the root cause, but waiting patiently.

Although it is said that the best part of the day is the morning, it was currently only the Chen hour. He absolutely would not believe that Prefect Pang Bo was still busy handling official business at this time.

Fortunately, it was not long before the Si hour, about a quarter of an hour.

Calming his mind, a look of fatigue appeared on Pei Tianquan's face. After traveling all night, plus being busy and exhausted over the past few days because of Yin He, even with his Martial Artist physique, he could not help but be affected.

Fortunately, everything was about to end.

With his mind blank, time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, it was the Si hour, and Pei Tianquan met Prefect Pang Bo of Jinhuai Prefecture.

Prefect Pang Bo started with some polite words, the gist of which was to apologize for keeping Pei Tianquan waiting.

After a brief exchange, the two got straight to the point.

"I have presumptuously disturbed you, Prefect, because of the contraband matter. Just yesterday, I discovered the traces of the villain who framed my Yuanhang Trade Caravan in Liuhe Town and captured him. I have already handed the person over to Steward Pang, and I hope the Prefect will uphold justice for my Yuanhang Trade Caravan." After saying this, Pei Tianquan handed over the incriminating evidence provided by Yin He.

Taking the evidence, Prefect Pang Bo did not rush to look at it, but instead revealed an expression of sudden realization. "So that's how it is. In just three days, President Pei has solved this case; you are truly a living Zhuge detective. If this matter was indeed done by this person, I will certainly return justice to the Yuanhang Trade Caravan."

"Then I will trouble the Prefect. This is a small token of my appreciation, thanking the Prefect for giving the Yuanhang Trade Caravan this opportunity to prove our innocence." Pei Tianquan bowed slightly and presented a gift box.

"President Pei, you are too kind. The Yuanhang Trade Caravan abides by its duties and benefits the people; it is the cornerstone of my Jinhuai Prefecture. That President Pei can prove your innocence is the good fortune of Jinhuai." While speaking, Prefect Pang Bo signaled with his eyes for Pang Shi to accept the gift.

"President Pei, you have traveled a long way; why not rest at my residence for a while?"

"I still have many official duties to attend to; I will come back to bother you another day, Prefect." Pei Tianquan declined.

"Since that is the case, I will not insist." Prefect Pang Bo said indifferently, then immediately looked at Pang Shi beside him.

Pang Shi understood immediately and escorted Pei Tianquan all the way to the main entrance of the residence, watching him board the carriage before slowly leaving.

The Prefects Residence.

In a room on the north side of the inner courtyard, the sound of two people talking could be vaguely heard.

"The matter is clear; this was orchestrated by the Qian Clan behind the scenes, and Yin He was merely an abandoned pawn. According to the Qian Clan's style of doing things, this pawn should have been disposed of long ago. I didn't expect that not only did he survive, but he was also found by Pei Tianquan."

"This matter went too smoothly; this old servant always feels there is something fishy." Pang Shi said in a deep voice.

Fishy!

Prefect Pang Bo took a deep look; how could he not understand the implication of Pang Shi's words?

The thief crying 'stop thief'!

Regarding the contraband, the Yuanhang Trade Caravan might have known about it in advance, and secretly protected Yin He, in turn, plotting against the Qian Clan.

Although there was a slight possibility of this, Prefect Pang Bo did not believe the Pei Clan would do so.

The most important point is that the risk outweighs the benefits.

A Great Family that wants to survive for a long time would not do this.

One must know that plotting against the Qian Clan—if it failed, the Yuanhang Trade Caravan would suffer heavy losses. Conversely, if the plot succeeded, the benefits would not be great.

As the number one Great Family in Jinhuai, it is impossible for the Qian Clan to fall over such a trivial matter; it would be good enough to just scratch their skin.

Not to mention, the current size of the Pei Clan is far inferior to the Qian Clan.

To put it bluntly, for a third-rate family to take the initiative to plot against a second-rate family that is still in its prime is like an old man eating arsenic—courting death.

Even if there were support from the Chen and He families behind them, they absolutely would not do it.

And given how the Pei Clan has been able to develop rapidly over these years, they would not be such fools; it is impossible for them not to understand this principle.

However, he did not explain too much, but pointed to the evidence on the side and instructed Pang Shi, "Since this matter was not done by the Pei Clan, then lift the blockade on the Yuanhang Trade Caravan. As for the Qian Clan, deliver this letter to them; I want to see the Qian Clan's sincerity."

"Yes." Pang Shi nodded and silently retreated.

...

Jinhuai Branch.

After returning here, Pei Tianquan did not rest immediately. Instead, he first sorted out what had happened over the past few days, and only then did he pick up his pen to write a letter.

Before long, the letter was written. Not until the ink was nearly dry did he instruct the hidden guard beside him, "This letter must be delivered to the Old Ancestor."

The next instant, the hidden guard disappeared into the courtyard.