Within the Dragon Tooth Guard, the three stewards had gathered once more.
"Grand Steward, Lü Wuji is Deputy Steward
Only now did Shangguan Yi fully understand why Elder Fei had been so furious. If it were Shangguan Yi himself, and his own people were inexplicably arrested and thrown into the Black Prison Area, he would be furious too—probably even more so.
"Do you know who Lü Wuji arrested?" Shangguan Yi probed.
"Not clearly. Elder Ning said it was her friend."
"
Shangguan Yi sighed. "That person is called
"Jiang Chen?" The two Deputy Stewards exchanged bewildered glances. Their high status meant they rarely concerned themselves with mundane affairs, and they hadn't paid attention to the name Jiang Chen either.
"Who is this Jiang Chen? Why are three of the four great dojos here to vouch for him?" Qi Tiannan's expression suddenly changed. "He couldn't be a disciple of the Treasure Tree Sect, could he?"
Hearing the words "Treasure Tree Sect," Shangguan Yi also paled. "If that's the case, then Lü Wuji has truly provoked a disaster of epic proportions!"
Just then, a subordinate came to report. "Stewards, the Dragon Tooth Guard members who were originally handling the case on the street have been brought in."
"Let them in," Shangguan Yi said quickly.
The few Dragon Tooth Guards from
"You few, don't worry. I have a few questions for you. I don't care what pressure you faced before or who threatened you; that doesn't matter. I will stand up for you. All you need to do now is tell the story exactly as it happened. Not a single word of personal emotion—I want the plain truth!"
Shangguan Yi spoke in a somewhat comforting tone.
"Hear that? The Grand Steward wants the truth."
Those Dragon Tooth Guards' teeth chattered as they struggled to calm down. The Platoon Commander then spoke. "It happened on the street outside the venue where the Qianlan Southern Palace Gathering was held. At that time..."
The Platoon Commander reconstructed the scene at the time. However, they hadn't seen the initial incident firsthand.
They could only recreate what they had witnessed after arriving. This included how Lü Wuji had later barged in and forcibly intervened, and how Battalion Commander Tian Shao had argued his case. They spilled everything like beans from a hollow bamboo tube.
Hearing that the person Jiang Chen had killed was a disciple of the Qianlan Northern Palace, the three stewards exchanged glances, all thoughtful.
At this point, a vague outline was becoming clear. The Qianlan Northern Palace disciple, Lü Wuji, and even the Deputy Steward behind Lü Wuji, Yang Zhao, were all on the same line—they were people of the First Prince.
Could this simple case really be entangled with the First Prince?
"Grand Steward, this matter seems difficult to handle," Qi Tiannan said, somewhat frustrated.
"I don't see any difficulty. Handle it fairly," Zhou Gui said firmly.
They had all heard of the Qianlan Northern Palace's reputation. Murder and robbery, highway banditry—that was what the Qianlan Northern Palace loved to do.
"Where are the witnesses and physical evidence now?" Shangguan Yi asked.
"The witnesses are in custody. The physical evidence was taken away by Commander Lü."
Shangguan Yi's expression darkened. He asked the Dragon Tooth Guards again, "What about Jiang Chen? What's his situation now?"
"Battalion Commander Tian Shao had him placed in an isolated cell, but now, I'm afraid Commander Lü has already obtained the dismissal order. We don't know the specific details at this moment."
Among the three Deputy Stewards of the Dragon Tooth Guard, Zhou Gui managed finances and economics. Lü Wuji's uncle, Yang Zhao, controlled personnel appointments and dismissals, while Qi Tiannan was responsible for miscellaneous duties.
Speaking of Deputy Steward Yang Zhao, he held the authority to appoint and dismiss battalion commanders and those of lower rank. His power was considerable.
Except that a Commander had to be appointed or dismissed personally by Grand Steward Shangguan Yi, Yang Zhao did indeed have the power to remove a Battalion Commander.
Having realized this, Shangguan Yi quickly said, "Old Zhou, I must trouble you to make a trip. Take my Grand Dragon Tooth Order immediately to the Black Prison Area. Stop Lü Wuji and make sure to protect Jiang Chen. If Lü Wuji dares to act wild, take him down by force. No matter who pleads for him, ignore them all!"
"Yes!" Zhou Gui accepted the order.
"Old Qi, you take men and retrieve that important witness. If anyone tries to stop you, suppress them. You absolutely cannot let anything happen to the witness."
Such a simple matter had somehow involved the four great dojos, and all of them were entangled. It even touched upon the open and covert struggles between the princes. Shangguan Yi dared not take it lightly.
No matter which side he favored, he would inevitably offend the other. All they could do now was handle the case impartially and restore the truth.
Only by doing so could they hold the moral high ground and avoid being universally condemned.
However, judging from the reactions of various parties, Shangguan Yi actually suspected that the Qianlan Northern Palace disciple's highway robbery was, in all likelihood, true.