Chapter 62: Chapter 62
"Seal the gates! No one leaves this residence until the thief is found!"
Master Song’s voice thundered through the wedding hall, shaking everyone to the core. The music stopped, and whispers filled the air like frightened birds.
Chief Yan, clearly alarmed, rushed forward. "Master Song, what is going on? The wedding is about to begin, why cause such chaos now?"
Master Song’s face darkened with rage. "Chaos?" he barked, slamming his hand on the table. "One of the people here has stolen something important from the Song family! Until that person is found, no one leaves this place alive!"
Gasps echoed. Guests clutched their sleeves, their faces pale. Chief Yan felt his knees weaken. "You can’t be serious..."
But Master Song was dead serious. At his signal, more guards stormed into the hall, swords drawn and faces cold. The air turned heavy, like a storm about to break.
And then—
A deep, calm voice broke through the panic. "If anyone here is going to die, then it means I’m not doing my job as the Chief Prosecutor of this empire."
Everyone turned.
A tall man in a dark robe embroidered with gold stepped into the hall. His presence alone made people move aside. He walked in slowly, his gaze sharp and unreadable. "I am Prosecutor Han," he said firmly. "And from this moment, Master Song and everyone in the Song household are under house arrest."
The room went silent. Even the guards froze.
"What-what are you saying?" Master Song stammered, his anger fading into confusion.
Prosecutor Han raised a hand, and another officer stepped forward, holding a sealed scroll and a small wooden box. "Master Song," he said coldly, "you have been accused of illegal salt trading and embezzlement of four hundred thousand taels from the imperial treasury."
A murmur of disbelief ran through the hall.
Song Lan’s face drained of color. "That’s impossible! Where’s the proof?!"
Prosecutor Han’s lips curved slightly. "The proof..." He lifted a black ledger high for all to see, "...is right here."
Master Song’s knees nearly buckled. His face turned pale as death. He opened his mouth but no words came out. His wife gasped, clutching his arm, while Song Lan just stood there trembling.
Prosecutor Han gave a sharp nod to his men. "This ledger contains records of your illegal shipments and forged accounts. The empire has seen enough."
At that, another officer stepped forward and raised his voice, "By the order of the Imperial Court, the wedding ceremony is officially called off! All guests may now take their leave immediately!"
The hall broke into chaos again, but this time no one dared to speak loudly. People bowed and hurried out, whispering in shock.
Chief Yan quickly took his wife and Yan Mei away, afraid to be caught in whatever storm was about to fall on the Songs. Guards were already surrounding the hall.
Lin Xu stood frozen, her mind blank. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The ledger... that’s the same one Mo Ying took!
Her heart raced wildly as she turned around, searching through the crowd. "Mo Ying..." she whispered. But he was nowhere.
The hall was clearing fast, yet she couldn’t find him. Not among the guards, not by the door, not even in the shadows.
As the last of the guests left, she stood there; she couldn’t help but wonder who exactly he was and how he had gotten himself caught up in all this.
"Mama! Where did everyone go?" Mo Bao asked as she immediately went back to her senses.
"Um... we better get going too, c’mon."
"What about Papa Ying?" Yiling asked as she hadn’t seen mo Ying since the wedding started.
Thinking of a quick lie, Lin Xu quickly said, "He’s umm he left with brother Fuhan already so lets just go!"
She carried Mo Bao in her arms as Yiling and Yuen followed behind her until they entered the carriage that carried them back home.
Meanwhile, the entire Song family were all lined up straight, kneeling before Prosecutor Han.
Frowning, Song Lan let out, "You claim to have proof... but how are we to know that you didn’t frame us and create a fake ledger! After all, we are aware of how you’ve done something like that to ruin many noble families."
His words made Prosecutor Han smirk as he then revealed, "Yes, you do have a point. I am very capable of that, but you see... the person who had gotten the ledger isn’t someone capable of such things!"
Just then, someone walked towards them, his steps were slow but carried so much weight that made all their heads turn.
It was someone they were quite used to, though his temperament at this moment and expression were completely different.
"Young Master Mo!" Prosecutor Han bowed slightly together with his men as the Song family were left in complete surprise.
Standing before them was the supposed farmer husband of Yan Mei’s friend. They couldn’t help but wonder why Prosecutor Han was bowing his head to him.
Smiling, Mo Ying patted Prosecutor Han on his shoulder, "You did a good job. If you hadn’t arrived so fast, then some people would have lost their lives."
Finally facing Song Lan and his father, Mo Ying smirked, "You look like you just saw a ghost... am I that scary, Song Lan?" He tilted his head in a teasing manner as he laughed slightly.
Getting Mo Ying a chair, Fuhan placed it in front of the Song family as Mo Ying took his seat comfortably.
"When I saw you first, I recognized you almost immediately, but you? You really do forget people easily, huh?"
His words made Song Lan’s eyes widen as he placed two and two together before finally figuring it out.
"Y-Y-You... you are Mo Ying . T-the General’s First son!" He announced, his words taking the entire Song family by surprise as the smile on Mo Ying’s face widened even more.
"Finally, took you long enough... seriously, I didn’t expect you to forget how I looked after all. You did almost push me to my death twenty years ago... or does that not ring any bell?"