"The house is full of sick people, and it's easy to get infected. Why don't I examine you and see if you've been infected?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Qin Quan readily agreed.
As Ye Qing Cheng requested, the group returned to Luo Qin Quan's room and sat down for a pulse diagnosis.
After the pulse diagnosis, Ye Qing Cheng did not reveal the results and asked Luo Qin Quan to take off his shirt.
"This..."
Luo Qin Quan hesitated, as exposing his chest was still somewhat difficult to accept.
However, Ye Qing Cheng was currently disguised as a man and did not pay much attention to it, waving her hand and explaining:
"I need to check if you have developed any rashes, which is the most important symptom of infection by this strange disease!"
Hearing this, Luo Qin Quan no longer hesitated.
Although he had not personally inspected the infected individuals, he had heard from his subordinates that many people had developed terrible rashes on their bodies in recent days.
Seeing him take off his shirt, Ye Qing Cheng turned to the guards of the Prince's manor and said:
"Take all these clothes and burn them. You've been to the house, so it's best to avoid re-infection."
Luo Qin Quan, who had initially wanted to stop them, blinked his eyes. He inwardly felt that her words were reasonable and let them proceed.
After a feigned examination, Ye Qing Cheng smiled and stated that the other party was in good health and had no problems for the time being.
With that said, she intended to leave with Xiao Wang Ye.
Just then, Luo Qin Quan suddenly frowned and called out to the two of them.
"Doctor Ye!"
Ye Qing Cheng and Xiao Wang Ye stopped in their tracks, their hearts simultaneously tightening, and turned back with feigned composure.
Could it be that Luo Qin Quan had noticed something amiss?
Before the two of them could inquire, Luo Qin Quan turned his head and said to the servants behind him:
"There's something on my clothes, go and get it back for me."
The servant, receiving his gaze, immediately understood and nodded in agreement.
Ye Qing Cheng and the other exchanged glances, each relieved inwardly, and left with the person again.
The few of them arrived at Ye Qing Cheng's room together. As instructed, the guard of the Prince's manor placed Luo Qin Quan's shirt in the brazier in the corner of her room, not yet having started to burn it.
Upon seeing this, the Luo mansion servant quickly ran over and began searching through the clothes in the brazier.
Xiao Wang Ye, with Ye Qing Cheng, walked over and watched coldly, a hint of deep meaning in his expression.
After some bustling, the servant managed to retrieve an object from the clothes and carefully brushed off the dust.
As the two of them looked closely, they saw a metal token with exquisite patterns.
Xiao Wang Ye's eyes darkened, and he secretly nodded at Ye Qing Cheng.
This item was the same token that Yang Ming had taken from the thieves last time.
It was identical!
Thus, it seemed that the "adult" the group of thieves had spoken of was Luo Qin Quan. This time, he wouldn't be able to escape.
Receiving Xiao Wang Ye's meaningful glance, Ye Qing Cheng shifted her gaze and walked a few steps forward, approaching the Luo mansion servant.
She deliberately leaned her head closer, examining the object in the other's hand with admiration, and exclaimed, "This token is so unique, I've never seen anything like it. Young man, do you know what this is?"
The servant, upon hearing this, quickly withdrew the token into his sleeve, a look of vigilance appearing on his face.
However, faced with Ye Qing Cheng's curious inquiry, he couldn't pretend not to hear. He could only force a smile and perfunctorily say:
"My lord made this token for fun. He usually looks at it for appreciation; it has no other purpose."
Saying this, he stood up, bowed to Xiao Wang Ye, and performed a礼.
"Your Highness, this servant has found the item and will now take my leave."
In response, Xiao Wang Ye merely waved his hand, calmly letting him go.
They had not expected to gain much information from a mere servant, nor did they intend to make things difficult for him.
Now that the facts were laid bare, this token must belong to Luo Qin Quan, and the thieves had the same one.
There was undoubtedly a connection between these two.
The matter of stealing grain was indeed as Xiao Wang Ye had suspected, with Luo Qin Quan's involvement.
Upon hearing his judgment and deduction, Ye Qing Cheng was furious and grabbed her sleeve, ready to rush out and question Luo Qin Quan.
But Xiao Wang Ye stopped her, shaking his head and saying, "With just a token, we cannot convict Luo Qin Quan. He has deep roots in the city; with only this, we cannot shake his position."
Looking at his thoughtful expression, Ye Qing Cheng sighed and sat down on a chair, lost in thought.
The situation in the city was not going smoothly. The source of the strange disease remained unresolved, and with Luo Qin Quan lurking nearby, constantly watching, the path ahead would not be easy.
Just as they were contemplating their next move, Luo Qin Quan, also within the Luo mansion, was in a rage, agonizing over the same matter.
"My lord, all our brothers are dead, and those people emptied the cave, leaving nothing behind!"
Luo Qin Quan paced back and forth in his study with a furrowed brow. Before him knelt a man, speaking with a bitter and fearful expression.
"Enough!"
He slammed his palm onto the desk, glaring at the man with hatred, his eyes seemingly about to spew fire.
"What use are you to me, you bunch of imbeciles? You lost an entire cave of grain, and you don't even know who did it! What else can you do?"
Just as he had emerged from the house, a servant had suddenly reported that all the grain he had stored in the cave had been stolen.
This was precisely why he was so furious and couldn't figure out who was responsible.
According to his subordinates, those who carried out the act were swift, accurate, and ruthless. Not a single guard in the cave was spared, and not a single bag of grain was left behind.
With such methods, it was difficult for Luo Qin Quan to guess who it might be.
The most likely culprit was Xiao Wang Ye. However, the remaining half of the grain that Xiao Wang Ye had seized had already been transported back.
If he had stolen Luo Qin Quan's grain, he would surely have returned with the convoy.
In Luo Qin Quan's estimation, Xiao Wang Ye was ruled out first. After all, the other party's forces had already returned to the city, and he hadn't brought back any extra grain.
However, he couldn't swallow this injustice and could only order his subordinates to search secretly.
With such a large quantity of grain, the other party must sell it after stealing it, right?
There was no mention of large quantities of grain being sold anywhere in Fengdu city, so it was likely that the perpetrator had not yet made a move.
After sending away the messenger who had reported the news, Luo Qin Quan remained deeply worried and tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
By the time morning arrived, with dark circles under his eyes, he, for the first time ever, proactively went to the granary.
The grain in the granary was still pitifully scarce. It only contained the grain that Xiao Wang Ye had raised this time, with nothing more.
Luo Qin Quan stared blankly at the small amount of grain, pondering where his own grain could have gone.
Just then, Xiao Wang Ye, who conducted his inspections on time every day, arrived at the granary with his men, ambling along.
"Oh, Lord Luo, you're up so early."