Pei Qingcheng nodded in deep agreement. Ashiheng had already angered the emperor. If the opponents managed to pin the crime of murdering a court official on him then he would truly have no way out.
The opponents could not admit that they knew Ashiheng had disguised himself as a yamen runner and followed Gao Zeyu away. Yet they knew where the breakthrough point lay. They knew the Zhong residence was aware of it and would definitely pry open the mouths of the Zhong family.
Yes.
Someone immediately took the order and rushed urgently to the Zhong residence.
Meanwhile Ying Xiaotang and the others lingered near the city gate area. They were puzzled by two matters.
First was whether Ashiheng had been in the carriage that the guard commander Li Qi drove away.
Second was whether the people killed in the warehouse were really done in by Ashiheng.
Soon a veteran from the army who had examined the scene came to report. My lord all thirteen bodies inside died from sword wounds. They should have been killed by the same person. The killers sword likely had an unpolished notch on it.
Ying Xiaotang and Pei Qingcheng exchanged a glance. If it was truly Ashiheng who did it could he have such great skill to silently kill so many people and still abduct the guard commander Li Qi to send him out of the city?
Given these points Ying Xiaotang and the others had reason to suspect that someone else had intervened in this matter. They did not know if that person was an enemy or a friend to Ashiheng.
Before long light cavalry galloped in from outside the city with an urgent report. My lord the carriage driven by guard commander Li Qi has been stopped. Li Qi was found with his throat cut and dead inside the carriage. The killer is nowhere to be seen. There is reason to believe that after the killer killed Li Qi he startled the horses to make them continue forward as a distraction while the killer himself escaped midway. Li Qis subordinates are already checking suspicious spots along the route to determine the killers escape direction.
Another one killed?
Just killed a fifth rank civil official and now a sixth rank military officer?
Ying Xiaotang and Pei Qingcheng glanced at each other again. They felt this matter was getting bigger and bigger. They found the killer somewhat mad.
The two knew deeply that even the opponents had not done something like directly assassinating Ashiheng inside the capital. They wanted to pin a crime on Ashihengs head and kill him under a proper pretext. How could they act so unscrupulously.
Before long the carriage that had taken Li Qi out of the city returned. It also brought back Li Qis body.
After the army veteran examined it he spoke in a low voice to Ying Xiaotang. The killer should be the same person.
Now it was not good to speak loudly as quite a few court officials had already arrived.
The Minister of Justice with a dark face personally led a group of Justice Department personnel to the scene for inspection.
Several high ranking court officials in purple robes had come.
This was no small matter. Court officials of the fifth and sixth ranks had been murdered like this and a pile of yamen runners had also died. This was an open provocation to the Jin Kingdom court and it touched the interests of the power structure class. It had offended these people collectively.
These people in order to protect their own interests and to avoid the same thing happening to them one day would definitely strike hard to deter others.
In short this trend must not be allowed to grow.
Drive.
A group of Justice Department fast horses thundered out of the city.
At the order of the Minister of Justice the most elite trackers and pursuers of the Justice Department and indeed the entire Jin Kingdom moved out in batches. They clearly intended to pursue the killer with full force.
This type of strength was not something any jianghu force could compare with. It was comprehensive and professional.
Ying Xiaotang kept a tense face and watched coldly. He did not say much.
He had kindly suggested earlier that military personnel be sent to assist in the capture. The other side who seemed startled had directly and strongly refused.
The other side had almost said outright that military people were unreliable.
Outside the Zhong residence around a hundred men guarded the front and back gates.
They were people sent by the Xuan Duke. They had also privately reminded the Zhong family not to admit that Gao Zeyu had taken Ashiheng away and had explained the situation to them.
Upon learning that someone had directly killed Gao Zeyu Zhong Su was also frightened and naturally guaranteed that he would not say a word.
Yet a burst of noise from outside shattered his hopes and made him understand what it meant for reality to be cruel.
The steward Li who ran to the gate to check the situation was extremely alarmed. Imperial guards.
More than a thousand troops had directly surrounded the Zhong residence. These thousand plus men all wore dark red armour. This was the imperial guard directly under the emperor.
Only the emperor could mobilise the imperial guard to surround the Zhong residence like this. How could steward Li not be alarmed.
The men sent by the Xuan Duke were also resolute. They firmly blocked the gate and did not let the imperial guards enter.
What do you want to openly defy the imperial decree?
The imperial guards confronting them parted on both sides and an elderly eunuch walked out. He directly showed a golden command token to the men blocking the gate.
The men blocking the gate were startled and all knelt on one knee.
The eunuch announced loudly. By the emperors decree the Zhong residence is suspected of harbouring a wanted criminal. It is to be sealed immediately. All members of the Zhong residence from top to bottom are to be taken into custody and handed over to the Justice Department for strict interrogation. Anyone who obstructs may be executed first and reported later.
Steward Li behind the gate was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and quickly ran back inside the residence to report.
After delivering the decree the eunuch shouted at the kneeling group. Make way now.
The men blocking the gate immediately stood up and quickly moved aside to both sides.
There was no choice. The killer who had committed the crime near the city gate had gone too far and offended the public anger. The relevant power circles had acted swiftly and alarmed the emperor who directly mobilised the imperial guards to intervene. This was not something they could stop.
The eunuch thus entered with great swagger full of power and arrogance.
This scene of breaking in alarmed the servants in the pavilions and waterside buildings of the Zhong residence causing chaos.
The intruding imperial guards had already started seizing people. Regardless of status they were all detained first.
Sigh.
Zhong Su in the inner residence heard the report and sighed towards the sky. What he feared had come. It had really arrived.
He turned towards a pavilion raised his hand and made a gesture.
Soon there was a bang sound of explosion.
Whoosh. A firework that was hard to see clearly in daytime shot into the sky trailing a red line straight towards the heavens.
Steward Li and Du Fei both looked over in astonishment. Even they did not know what was happening.
Inside the capital there was a quiet mountain forest. Entering the mountain brought seclusion. Buildings and pavilions on the mountain added splendour while outside the mountain was the bustling world.
This was one of the good places in the capital. It was originally a royal private garden but later the emperor put it to other use. It had become another renowned place the Si Nan Mansion.
On the street not far from the Si Nan Mansion the cripple Old Wu had been staring in the direction of the Zhong residence and waiting eagerly.
As the time was approaching evening he suddenly saw something faintly rising into the air in the distance. He thought he was seeing things.
He rubbed his eyes looked carefully again and saw red mist dispersing. Greatly alarmed he immediately turned and headed towards the main gate of the Si Nan Mansion.
He hurried over limping. He knew that once Zhong Yuanwai used the signal to summon urgently it meant the situation was critical.
There were guards at the gate of the Si Nan Mansion. The ones guarding the outer perimeter were also imperial guard troops.
Before the cripple Old Wu could get close the gate guards pointed at him signalling him not to approach.
How could the cripple Old Wu not approach. He quickly stepped forward cupped his hands and said. Please trouble you to report to the Earth Mother. This lowly one wishes to present a treasure to her.
Just anyone wanting to report to the Earth Mother was that a joke. It was no different from someone at the palace gate casually asking to report to the emperor.
Looking at Old Wus clothes he was clearly just a servant.
He was immediately pushed away by the guards fell on his bottom and rolled several times.
The guard scolded. This is not a place for you to make trouble. If you do not roll away now watch your worthless life.
The cripple Old Wu pushed himself up from the ground. Sharp pain came from his wrist. He felt his wrist was at least sprained. He looked back at the red mist faintly dispersing in the air then at the inaccessible main gate of the Si Nan Mansion. He became extremely anxious stood up with effort and shouted loudly towards the mountain. Little Cloud Map this lowly one has a precious Little Cloud Map to present to the lady. This lowly one wants to present the Little Cloud Map to the lady.
Daring to shout loudly here he was simply tired of living. Two guards went up and punched and kicked him.
Little Cloud Map this lowly one wants to present the treasure. Little Cloud Map this lowly one wants to present the treasure.
The cripple Old Wu who was beaten until his mouth and nose bled and rolled on the ground still shouted desperately with all his might.
Stop.
A member of the Si Nan Mansion staff who was entering or leaving suddenly stopped and shouted loudly. He quickly went over pushed away the beating guards squatted down and asked. What map did you say?
The cripple Old Wu was not young and could not withstand such a beating. Several ribs had been kicked broken one arm had been kicked broken and several teeth had been knocked out. Blood flowed from his mouth and nose. One eye swelled shut in the blink of an eye leaving only a slit.
Yet upon hearing the question he who was breathing heavily still tried hard to shout intermittently in a loud voice. Little Cloud Map. What this lowly one is presenting to the Earth Mother is the Little Cloud Map.
The gate guards did not understand what the Little Cloud Map was but this Si Nan Mansion staff member understood as soon as he heard it. He was quite shocked. He looked Old Wu up and down at his clothes. He did not know how an ordinary commoner knew about something like the Little Cloud Map. He quickly asked. Where is the map?
The cripple Old Wu lay on the ground trying hard to catch his breath. He let out a sigh and for a moment could not speak.
That Si Nan Mansion staff member immediately helped him sit up placed a palm on his back and channelled inner energy to help regulate his breath.
Old Wu immediately breathed out. The treasure map is only to be presented to the lady. If I do not see the lady then I would rather die than give it.
That Si Nan Mansion staff member said in a deep voice. You must understand that there are many people in this world who think too highly of themselves or whose minds cannot be reasoned with. If anyone who wants to see the lady only needs to fabricate a reason and the lady has to meet them then what would that become?
This lowly one understands. The cripple Old Wu nodded vigorously. He reached out and touched his other hand that could no longer move grasped one finger and suddenly with a crack sound he broke one finger right in front of the other party. His whole body trembled in pain. Blood and saliva mixed at the corner of his mouth and dripped in strands. Trembling he replied. If there is any falsehood may my life be like this finger.
The guards who had beaten him earlier were shocked and looked at each other.
That Si Nan Mansion staff member was also deeply moved. He immediately picked the man up horizontally and rushed up the mountain.
At this time the Zhong residence had been cleared.
Whether masters or servants all had been gathered in the front courtyard. Together with the guards more than a hundred people all knelt on the ground surrounded by a circle of imperial guards keeping watch.
Zhong Sus face was pale.
Wen Jianhui sobbed. She did not know how a good family could suddenly fall into such a state.
The two sisters kneeling together had different expressions. Wen Ruwei bit her lip and looked left and right. Zhong Ruochen had no expression.
The servants of the Zhong residence were all trembling with fear.