The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Chapter 205 This is a capital offense

"Take these porcelain pieces away."

They didn't believe that the things they had worked so hard to transport for so long were just some porcelain.

After removing the porcelain on top, there were some broken porcelain shards underneath. Peeling away the shards, at the very bottom was a considerable amount of white salt.

"Come and see! There are weapons down there!"

The other box still contained porcelain and broken porcelain pieces on top, but weapons were underneath.

“Selling contraband salt and weapons is a capital offense.”

When Pei Du found out, he said, "Zhou Yurong is really bold."

“But they were all using the name of County Lord Xiao, and the Earl of Guangning cleared himself of the blame.” Jin Chui said with a bitter face. He had finally found a clue, but in the end, County Lord Xiao took the blame.

Pei Du put the note away. "We'll talk about it when those things are brought back. Just keep an eye on Zhou Yurong for now."

With the goods gone, Zhou Yurong must be extremely anxious and upset. Although selling these goods is a capital offense, it is indeed very profitable.

Another point that Pei Du was very concerned about was why Zhou Yurong was selling weapons in Luofeng City.

Jin Chui nodded: "Young Master, shouldn't we arrest those people? Last night was an excellent opportunity."

"Don't arrest them, use them as bait. We left two boxes, let's see what they do with those two boxes."

Whether it's a small fish or a big fish, catch it first and worry about the rest.

Shen Hanyu also received the news; their information arrived faster than Zhou Yurong's.

"They're actually selling smuggled salt and weapons! They're really courting death!" Shen Hanyu couldn't hide her excitement. So what if they used Xiao Ran's name? If they made a big fuss about this and investigated it thoroughly, they'd eventually find something out.

Miao Cui breathed a sigh of relief. "What should I do, Miss?"

Shen Hanyu thought for a moment: "Let's discuss it with Young Master Pei first. We need to make good use of those boxes of things, and also the people we've caught."

She carefully considered everything, afraid of making even the slightest mistake.

When Zhou Yurong finally received the news, he panicked. He looked at the person standing in front of him and was furious.

Where did the things go?

"No, I don't know. It was too dark. When we got to the warehouse, the people had already left, and the person guarding the warehouse had been arrested."

That means everything is gone, except for these few pieces of junk and two boxes of stuff.

With the delivery deadline fast approaching, this has happened.

Zhou Yurong thought for a moment and realized that he had to move the things from the mansion's private treasury out; they couldn't be kept any longer.

"You go first, I'll handle the rest."

The man went out and then stopped.

"Sir, they're pressing us for the goods. What are we going to do if we can't deliver?"

Those people in Luofeng City are indeed difficult to deal with.

"Go to Luofeng City and keep them calm. I'll make up for it after this storm has passed."

Zhou Yurong is quite good at assessing situations. He realized that someone was definitely plotting against him, and he could only keep his head down for now.

He acted quickly, ordering his men to secretly take the contents of his private treasury out.

Luo San Niang kept a close eye on the situation in the mansion, along with Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran knew about the private vault, so she called Zhou Yurong over.

"What are you so flustered about?"

“It seems like someone has discovered what we’re doing. I’ll get the stuff out of here first, and we’ll continue later.”

Xiao Ran was taken aback for a moment, but quickly said, "What do you mean by 'our business'? You were the one who handled all the selling, so don't involve me."

Zhou Yurong pursed her lips. Now she knows to distance herself, but why wasn't she like this when she was taking the money?

"You'd better handle this well, don't let anyone try to pin it on us."

"I know."

Zhou Yurong was in a bad mood, not knowing when the person behind the scenes would make their move.

Just as they had taken the items from the private treasury, the Imperial Guards stormed into the Guangning Earl's residence.

When Zhou Yurong saw the person who had arrived, she forced herself to remain calm.

"Princess Xiao is selling smuggled salt and weapons. By imperial decree, we must take her to investigate this matter."

Zhou Yurong's palms were sweating. "I'll have someone call her over."

Fortunately, they were using Xiao Ran's identity at the time, so only Xiao Ran was arrested.

Xiao Ran was brought out in a daze, and only after listening to what was being said did she realize that Zhou Yurong had schemed against her.

"If we both suffer, we all suffer," Zhou Yurong said softly as he escorted Xiao Ran to the Imperial Guards.

"take away."

The Imperial Guards escorted Xiao Ran away. Xiao Ran turned to look at Zhou Yurong, who was indeed cold-hearted and ruthless, having schemed against her in this matter.

"What's going on here?"

Lu Lingyue came out and saw the Jinwu Guards slowly walking away.

"Take her for interrogation. There's nothing else. Let's go in."

Lu Lingyue was unaware of the private vault, and Zhou Yurong would not tell Lu Lingyue about these matters.

Luo San Niang witnessed the entire process. Now that Xiao Ran is gone, only Lu Lingyue remains in the mansion, which is indeed in line with Lu Lingyue's wishes.

If Xiao Ran never comes back, Lu Lingyue's wolfish ambitions will be exposed, and she will have to find a way out and leave as soon as possible.

Having made up her mind, Luo San Niang was no longer willing to waste any more time staying here with these two madmen.

Lu Lingyue could hardly hide the joy in her eyes. Being taken away by the Imperial Guards meant that Xiao Ran must have made a big mistake.

Li Jiangui looked at the things Pei Du had sent over; they were all things he had intercepted from Zhou Yurong.

"Xiao Ran made this?"

Pei Du bowed and said, "I'm afraid even the Earl of Guangning will not escape blame. How could County Princess Xiao possibly do all this alone?"

Moreover, Xiao Ran doesn't have that kind of brain.

Li Jiangui had obviously thought of this as well, and he put down the weapons inside.

"That's strange. Where did the Guangning Marquis's mansion get all these things? Salt is one thing, but weapons can even be traded privately."

It's also worth investigating where Zhou Yurong gets his goods.

Pei Du's eyes darted around. "I think we can just interrogate Princess Xiao for now and let the Earl of Guangning reveal his own flaws. If we don't get results in time, the Earl of Guangning will definitely get anxious. Besides, these things were intercepted on their way to be delivered, so the buyer will definitely get restless too."

To kill two birds with one stone, Li Jiangui agreed.

"Okay, we'll do as you say."

Having achieved his goal, Pei Du felt much more relaxed. He would continue investigating along this line to see who would step forward in Luofeng City.

Li Jiangui thought that Xiao Ran was usually arrogant and domineering, so this was a good opportunity to teach her a lesson. Touching smuggled salt and weapons was just asking for trouble.

News of the smuggling of salt and weapons spread quickly, and almost everyone knew about Xiao Ran's foolish deeds, except that some evidence was still missing.

Xiao Ran, who was imprisoned in Dali Temple, never saw Zhou Yurong come to see her, nor did she reveal Zhou Yurong's identity.

"I want to see Zhou Yurong."

Xiao Ran persisted, insisting that Zhou Yurong must give her an explanation. They were indeed bound together by fate, but now it seemed as if they were sacrificing one to save the other.

“You have confessed everything, and we will let you see each other one last time.”

Xiao Ran gritted her teeth. If these guys were around on a normal day, she would have already slapped them to teach them a lesson. But now it's different; she's a prisoner.

Suppressing her anger, Xiao Ran said patiently, "Once I see Zhou Yurong, I will explain everything to you."