Madam Tang immediately shut her mouth in fright, but still muttered quietly in defiance, "You asked me to tell the truth, but when I did, you got angry. It's really difficult!"
Madam Tang thought she was whispering, but of course Prince Ling heard her.
The guards beside Prince Ling, seeing their master's expression and wanting to avoid a deadly incident, took Madam Tang and Zhang Zhaocai to another room. They made them reveal everything they knew about Su Li's family. A guard recorded it on paper and even had Madam Tang draw a map of Haizi Village, marking Su Li's house and its layout.
Madam Tang had been to Su Li's house and even marked which room was Su Li's bedroom.
Prince Ling's men were clearly pleased with the information Madam Tang provided. They tossed a silver ingot to her, which she caught and found it was fifty taels!
"If you dare to spread today's events, consider your head lost!" The guard made a threatening gesture, then threw another twenty taels of silver to Madam Tang. "Keep an eye on Su Li's family, report daily to this teahouse's private room. Someone will contact you. Keep your mouth shut, and you'll be rewarded!"
Madam Tang immediately received seventy taels of silver, so happy she forgot everything else. Clutching the silver, she nodded and bowed, promising to watch Su Li's family closely and report on time every day.
After sending Madam Tang and her son away, the attendant handed Prince Ling the confession to review.
Prince Ling carefully examined it, feeling puzzled: why did Madam Tang's information about Su Li differ from what his spies had gathered?
For example, Madam Tang said Su Li had long been in business with Li Yanhao, the heir of Prince Huainan, who had been staying at Su Li's house since the New Year and hadn't left. But his spies found no such information.
Logically, such a big matter shouldn't have escaped the notice of Prince Ling's spies...
Prince Ling pinched the paper and fell into thought: there must be a problem somewhere. It seemed like an invisible net was blocking his investigation into Su Li.
"Who is behind the scenes meddling, my little chili pepper?" Prince Ling gently stroked the map of Su Li's house that Madam Tang drew, tapping on her bedroom. His smile grew more intriguing. "No wonder you're the woman I fancy, little chili pepper. No matter who is behind the scenes, I will have you!"
Prince Ling pondered for a moment when suddenly a secret guard rushed in, panting heavily and injured!
"Your Highness, our men were ambushed! Many brothers have died!" The man grimaced in pain, clutching his wound. "Since midnight, our men in Qingmiao City have been attacked everywhere by prepared top experts. Our losses are severe!"
"What! Who did this!?" Prince Ling's expression changed, his pupils narrowing sharply.
"It seems... it was the Crown Prince!" The messenger spat out blood, collapsed to the ground, and gasped, "I fought desperately to grab this from them — a token from the Eastern Palace!"
Prince Ling picked up the token and stared wide-eyed, teeth grinding fiercely. "The Crown Prince, again the Crown Prince!"
"Prince Ling, a secret report from the capital says the Crown Prince is secretly contacting the Kingdom of Chu, apparently trying to marry Princess Mingyu!" Another secret guard rushed in hastily.
Prince Ling's face changed again, and he slammed his fist on the table. "The things I want, who dares to snatch! Even if it's the Crown Prince, I won't care! Tomorrow, we return to the capital!"