The secondary holding site lay farther northwest.
Not far enough to require another carriage.
Far enough that approaching openly would be foolish.
Song Jia stood outside Blackstone Repository while the Imperial investigators prepared a smaller pursuit group.
Only those necessary would continue.
Ding Wu.
Song Jia.
Sun Xun.
The Chief Imperial Investigator.
Six carefully selected Imperial guards.
Two formation specialists.
And Liang—
but only until he confirmed whether the old route matched anything in the records he knew.
Ding Shun would remain behind.
The Emperor had come farther into the investigation than anyone expected already.
He now had a compromised Palace administration, a hidden archive and several missing people to deal with.
Before the group departed, Ding Shun looked toward Sun.
"Do not destroy the next location before my investigators can examine it."
Sun raised a brow.
"Why are you telling me specifically?"
Ding Shun stared at him.
