Chapter 581: The Lost Tiger Tally

When he opened the letter and read its contents, Luo Jingshen's expression grew even more terrifying than before.

"Useless! Every last one of you is useless! You've been in the Xishu Kingdom this long and still couldn't dig up even that much info?"

He'd heard that Chu Yi, the Crown Prince of Xishu, had gotten his hands on two new weapons of devastating power—a single blast could take out hundreds, even thousands of enemies.

In less than half a day, they'd annihilated Empress Dowager Yuan's force of five to six hundred thousand troops.

That got Luo Jingshen's attention.

He figured, if he had those weapons, would he even need to worry about his cover being blown?

Even if someone found out he was a phony crown prince, he could use them to stage a coup and force Emperor Jingyang off the throne.

Because by then, nobody would stand a chance against him.

But who'd have guessed? The spies he'd sent out came back saying nobody in Xishu had ever laid eyes on those two weapons.

They'd investigated for ages and still couldn't describe what the weapons even looked like.

Reading that, Luo Jingshen nearly laughed out of sheer fury!

On the night of the coup in Xishu, the palace was lit up with gunfire and explosions, and the booms echoed through the capital all night without a break.

Every commoner in the capital knew about it.

And now this spy had the nerve to tell him nobody had seen those things—wasn't that just making a fool of him?

Empress Dowager Yuan's army was wiped out, but Chu Yi still had hundreds of thousands of men. How could nobody have seen those weapons?

If that were true, where did all the explosions come from that night?

And how did those soldiers end up blown to bits?

It was obvious the spy was lying.

Luo Jingshen was so furious he ripped the letter to shreds.

He roared, "Send more men to investigate! If they come back empty-handed, tell them to bring me their heads!"

"Bottom line, I have to get my hands on those two weapons."

Soldiers were only flesh and blood, after all. No matter how tough they were, how could they stack up against weapons like that?

Luo Jingshen truly believed that once he had those weapons, he'd be unstoppable.

Forget Emperor Jingyang, Luo Junhe, or Ji Yuntang—he wouldn't spare any of them a second thought.

Anyone who dared cross him would get blown to smithereens.

Linchuan could tell Luo Jingshen was in a foul mood after leaving Prince Ye's residence, so he kept his mouth shut, bowed his head, and quietly slipped out.

Luo Jingshen stormed back to his study, seething with resentment.

Out of habit, he pulled open the drawer beneath the corner of his desk to check on the Longyue Army's military tally.

But when the drawer slid open, Luo Jingshen froze.

Where the hell was the tally?

Where was his great big tally?

Luo Jingshen thought he must've been seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes—but the drawer was still completely empty.

Forget the tally—there wasn't even a single hair in there.

Panic hit him. He crouched down and yanked open every drawer, searching frantically, but came up empty.

He immediately called in the attendant on duty and demanded in a low voice, "Has anyone been in my study lately?"

The attendant saw Luo Jingshen's dark expression and started trembling in fear.

He thought for a moment, then stammered, "Your Highness, aside from you, Mr. Liu, and Guard Linchuan, no one else has set foot in your study."

The study was Luo Jingshen's private domain, and he'd explicitly ordered that no one enter without his permission.

Luo Jingshen frowned at the attendant's answer. Liu Qingya and Linchuan were his most trusted confidants, having served him for years. They'd never betray him, let alone steal the Longyue Army's tally.

Frankly, even if they did steal it, it'd be pointless—the Longyue Army couldn't be mobilized on a whim.

Luo Jingshen fixed the attendant with a sinister glare and pressed him again.

"Think harder. Besides those two, has anyone else been in my study?"

"If you can't come up with an answer, you won't need to keep living."

Hearing that, the attendant broke into a cold sweat.

He knew Luo Jingshen's temper—if he really couldn't think of an answer, Luo Jingshen would actually kill him.

The attendant's mind raced as he desperately racked his brain.

Then, a sudden flash of insight hit him—he actually thought of someone suspicious.

"Your Highness, this servant just remembered—Miss Xuehua went into your study once before."

Luo Jingshen's heart skipped a beat. "When?"

The attendant said, "About half a month ago, the night Your Highness was drunk."

"This servant remembers Miss Xuehua saying she needed to get some hangover medicine for you from the study, so I let her in."

"She came out a moment later holding a small porcelain bottle of medicine, so I didn't think twice about it and forgot all about it."

Now that he thought about it, Miss Xuehua's behavior that night was highly suspicious.

But back then, she and Luo Jingshen were thick as thieves—inseparable, glued to each other wherever they went.

The servants naturally figured she'd become Luo Jingshen's most favored concubine down the line.

Perhaps after Luo Jingshen ascended the throne, she might even become his imperial consort.

Moreover, Miss Xuehua had a fiery temper and often threatened to complain to Luo Jingshen.

Therefore, few servants in the Eastern Palace dared to offend her, and they all treated her with respect.

But who'd have thought it? Half a month ago, she vanished into thin air without a trace.

Luo Jingshen searched every corner of the Eastern Palace and even sent people out to comb the streets and alleyways, but found no trace of her.

The portraits they put up didn't turn up anyone who'd seen her either.

Luo Jingshen wasn't about to give up and kept digging into her whereabouts.

But so far, it hadn't gotten him anywhere.

The attendant swallowed nervously and said carefully, "Your Highness, Miss Xuehua's origins are unknown, and she vanished so suddenly—have you never wondered if she had ulterior motives for staying by your side?"

A flicker passed through Luo Jingshen's eyes. Of course he had suspected it, more than once.

But every time, he would lose himself in Xuehua's gentle warmth, unable to pull away.

After spending a few days together, Luo Jingshen felt that Xuehua understood him better than any other woman around him.

It was as if she could instantly guess whatever was on his mind.

That feeling gave Luo Jingshen a real sense of fulfillment, as if he had finally found his soulmate.

With Xuehua, his body and mind experienced unprecedented relaxation.

So her sudden departure left him feeling choked with pain for a long while.

Now, looking back, her behavior while staying by his side was indeed highly suspicious.

------------