The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion

Chapter 467: Mountain Encirclement

The water here was very deep!

According to the information that the young official heard, the eldest son of Prince Yongyi, Niu Jizong, was escorted to incense by his mother when he was walking back to the city at the foot of Tiewang Mountain. He was then shot in the throat by a sharp arrow flying from the roadside forest and died instantly.

The arrow shaft was carved with the word "Wei", and its material and shape were the same as those left in Wei Ruolan's arrow pot. Even Wei Ruolan's personal servant admitted that the arrow was shot by his master accidentally, so it flew out of the forest and killed Young Master Niu by mistake.

But several noble sons who were hunting with Wei Ruolan also confirmed that his arrow's strength was moderate. It was reasonable to say that even if he could pass through the dense forest, he could never shoot Young Master Niu from a distance of more than fifty steps to death. Therefore, it was believed that there must be something strange in this.

Anyway…

This case was not just an accident, it was likely a continuation of the ”Dragon Root Case” and even a retaliation from Emperor Guangde.

So, the matter with Prince Xinyang might just be a cover-up. He used a seemingly cunning tactic to attract the attention of the Niu family of the Xinyang Princess Consort, but instead killed the Niu family's son to vent his anger!

Even better, both the Wei family and the Niu family were the backbone of the ”Later Party,” and even if the Niu family suspected that it was ordered by Emperor Guangde, there was no place to seek justice.

Moreover, if such a thing happened, the Wei family would inevitably become estranged from the Niu family. If the Niu family insisted on severely punishing Wei Ruolan, even Prince Beijing might fall out with the Niu family.

For Sun Shaozong, the most important thing at the moment was…

“Your Excellency.”

Sun Shaozong solemnly clenched his fists and said, "There seems to be something strange about this case. Lord Wei is also the second deputy of our Criminal Department. How can I ignore it? I hope to temporarily postpone my trip to Jinmen and start investigating this case first, so that…”

“Absurd!”

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Yucun's old face darkened, and he angrily scolded, "Because Lord Wei is your deputy, you should avoid suspicion in both emotions and reason! Not only you, but all levels of the Central Judicial Office should avoid suspicion.”

“But…”

“No need to say more.”

Sun Shaozong wanted to say something more, but Jia Yucun shook his sleeve and unquestionably ordered, "The court has its own public opinion on this case, why should you intervene recklessly? Now that the official documents are all ready, why don't you go to Jinmen Mansion quickly to submit the list to avoid missing the autumn verdict.”

As soon as he spoke, he had already issued an expulsion order, and Sun Shaozong reluctantly left the living room.

He could only see that the young official sighed deeply in his heart. Lord Sun and Lord Wei were not in harmony, but unexpectedly, at a critical moment, Lord Sun was still willing to provide such protection.

But he didn't know that as Sun Shaozong walked out, he secretly praised Jia Yucun as a playwright with clear eyebrows and eyes.

How could Sun Shaozong not know the reason for avoiding suspicion?

The performance just now was just a way of using Jia Yucun's advice to break through this barrier and naturally stay out of it.

And Jia Yucun's response was not only just right but also plucked up the entire Central Judicial Office being involved in this matter.

After leaving the Magistrate's courtyard, Lin Delu had already handed over the official documents. He had originally planned to follow him to Jinmen Mansion, but now that Wei Ruolan had made a mistake and there was no one in charge of the execution, Lin Delu naturally had to stay in the Capital.

Sun Shaozong brought the official seal and escorted two large boxes of directories and atlases to the dock. Just as he was about to board the ship and head south, he saw a dusty person approaching, kneeling on both knees and crying, "Second Master, I... I have finally seen you again.”

“It’s you?”

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After seeing this person's face clearly, Sun Shaozong couldn't help but be surprised because he was one of the servants he sent to Qianxiang Country a few months ago to deliver a letter to his father-in-law, Ruan Liangshun.

Sun Shaozong looked up and saw no signs of anyone else around him. He couldn't help but urgently ask, "Why is it just you? What about the others? Was there an accident on the way, or was it the Ruan family?”

“Report back to Second Master.”

“The road was fine, but upon inquiring at Qinglin Mansion, I realized that the Ruan family had already been in trouble. For some reason, the Old Master Ruan had offended the Prime Minister of Qianxiang Kingdom, Ruan Fuzhong, and was sent to prison in early June.”

“We got the news and were ready to come back to report it. Unexpectedly, as soon as we left the city, we caught up with a group of officers and soldiers from the Qianxiang Kingdom, and without any reason, they attacked us with swords, wanting to kill us.”

“Fortunately, I have some martial arts skills and have always been accustomed to walking on mountain roads. That's how I managed to escape.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong couldn't help but furrowed his brows. His father-in-law was one of Ruan Fuzhong's henchmen and even had some relatives relationships with Ruan Fuzhong. Now he has been sent to prison, was it…

“Besides the Yuan family, are there any other high-ranking officials from the Qianxiang Kingdom who have recently been convicted and questioned?”

“Yes, yes.”

The servant repeatedly mentioned several names, and according to Sun Shaozong's knowledge, at least half of them belonged to the ”Measure the financial resources of Qiannan and win the favor of Great Zhou Dynasty” leading party.

Obviously, this was a cleansing campaign against the ”Clearing up the people who are close with the Zhou” within Qiannan. It seemed that the day when Qiannan declared war on the Great Zhou Dynasty was already imminent.

These Southern barbarians were good at timing, and they chose a time when the situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty was unstable and people were panicking!

Anyway, this news must be reported to the court as soon as possible.

So Sun Shaozong put aside his desire to board the ship and head south and told the accompanying government officials to wait on the dock for the time being. Then, with the summoned servants, he hurriedly rushed to the Northern Detective Department.

Although the Central Judicial Office also had channels for reporting, firstly it was not confidential enough, and secondly, in terms of efficiency and convenience, it was far inferior to the Imperial Army.

However, as he entered the gate of the Northern Detective Department, Sun Shaozong felt the atmosphere was quite dignified. He casually pulled an Official and asked, only to find out that the Envoy, Lu Hui, had ordered all the spies and cavalry in the Capital to return to the yamen to report, reportedly to launch an internal self-inspection.

As for what exactly it was for, no word has yet been spread.

Tch!

This was indeed a tumultuous autumn!

Upon hearing that Lu Hui was in the inner hall of the back hall, Sun Shaozong led the servant to search for him and asked the Hundred Households guarding the door to report.

“This…”

Unexpectedly, the Hundred Households hesitated for a moment but shook their heads and said, "Please be calm and not impatient, Inspector Sun. It's not long since Lord Lu gathered everyone in the front hall to lecture. If you have anything to say at that time, it's not too late to report it in person.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozong's face darkened. Since serving as a Thousand Households Inspector, although he didn’t often move around in the Northern Detective Department, his position was only below that of Lu Hui and other Pacifier, and he could even compete with the Southern officials.

At present, a Hundred Households in this district didn’t even ask Lu Hui and directly turned him away…

When he just mentioned Lu Hui, he didn't seem to show much awe.

Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong immediately raised his voice and asked, "What is your surname and position? Why have I never seen you with Lord Lu before?”

“Inspector Sun.”

Just as Sun Shaozong was questioning loudly, Lu Hui's voice suddenly came out from inside, "Come in and speak.”

Upon hearing Lu Hui's invitation, the gatekeeper, the Hundred Households, hesitated momentarily before dodging and giving way to a passage.

This move was even more revealing, but Sun Shaozong was too lazy to entangle himself with a guard, so he ordered his servants to wait outside and strode into the inner hall.

This inner hall, rather than being a living room, looks more like a martial arts arena, with four rows of weapon racks standing at both ends, equipped with at least thirty types of weapons, and armor, bows, and crossbows hanging on the walls.

At present, Lu Hui was standing in front of a quaint style riding bow, and the middle-aged man in a cloth and blue shirt was whispering something. It wasn't until Sun Shaozong stopped in the middle of the living room that he turned around and pointed to the cloth man next to him, saying, "Inspector Sun, come and greet…”

“Lower official, Sun Shaozong…”

Unexpectedly, before he could finish his introduction, Sun Shaozong calmly arched his hand and said, "I have seen the two Pacifiers.”

“Haha.”

The person chuckled a few times and said curiously, "Have you seen me before?”

“I have never seen you before, Pacifier Shi.”

Sun Shaozong shook his head and met the surprised gaze of the person, explaining, "But since taking office, Lord Lu has always been in command and prohibition. However, the Hundred Households outside the door not only voluntarily refused me from entering, but also hesitated for a moment when he heard Lord Lu's orders. It shows that he was not under the jurisdiction of the Southern Detective Department.”

“And although you came here in cloth clothes, you were able to stand side by side with Lord Lu, standing up in front of him without losing out. If it weren't for Pacifer Shi from the Southern Detective Department, who could you be?”

The person in cloth clothes in front of him was Shi Mingchong, the Pacifer of the Southern Detective Department!

In fact, Sun Shaozong was able to recognize Shi Mingchong's identity mainly because of Lu Hui's implicit anger but strongly showing his patience.

There were only two people in the Southern Detective Department, including Commander Xia Shouzhong, who could make Lu Hui so afraid. The second was Pacifer Shi Mingchong, while Xia Shouzhong was a eunuch. The bearded person in front of him could only be Shi Mingchong.

“Hahaha.”

Shi Mingchong replaced a light smile with a laugh and then looked at Lu Hui again, saying, "This Inspector Sun has two wise eyes like rumors. I think the Northern Detective Department responsible for leading the investigation this time will be none other than him.”

Investigation?

Sun Shaozong's heart couldn't help but be moved. Was Shi Mingchong coming to the Northern Detective Department to pacify the Assistant Magistrate’s murder of Niu Chongda, the eldest son of the Niu family?

“It’s not appropriate.”

Lu Hui shook his head decisively and said, "Lord Sun has some grudges against both families, and he is the immediate supervisor of Wei Ruolan. It is reasonable to avoid suspicion of this case.”

It was indeed for this matter!

Subsequently, Lu Hui looked at Sun Shaozong again and said, "As a result, I didn’t send anyone to notify Inspector Sun to come, but I did not know…”

“Your Excellency.”

Sun Shaozong hurriedly said, "I have other important matters to report, and the matter involves court secrets. I dare not delay for a moment.”

It was related to court secrets?

Upon hearing these words, Lu Hui immediately turned his gaze back to Shi Mingchong, who was also quite witty. After saying a few words, he walked out of the living room.

“Your Excellency.”

After Shi Ming rushed out, Sun Shaozong didn't rush to report the intelligence of the Qianxiang Kingdom. Instead, he frowned and said, "Isn't the Southern Detective Department too arrogant this time? Even if they were responsible for organizing this case, there's no reason to gather all the spies we secretly arranged to investigate.”

The Southern Detective Department's actions are clearly suspicious of the case of ”the eldest son of the Niu family was killed by an arrow,” and the Northern Detective Department was behind the scenes.

Wasn’t this a blatant attempt to tear apart their face?!

Has the Supreme Emperor's favoritism towards the Niu family reached such a point?

“No.”

Lu Hui shook his head and said, "Calling the spies back for self-investigation was not done by the Southern Detective Department but at the command of Commander Dai.”

What was the meaning of Dai Quan?

Was it to clear up the relationship and prevent others from suspecting the Northern Detective Department?

Wasn’t this the saying of ”a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure?”

With Dai Quan's shrewdness and ability, he probably wouldn't have done such an act of adding insult to injury.

Should it be that...

The death of Niu Jizong was not arranged by Emperor Guangde, so Dai Quan suspected that someone had made unauthorized claims?

Or was it simply a suspicion that someone intends to provoke a more intense conflict to profit from it, so they were busy ordering the Northern Detective Department to conduct a self-inspection?

But if it weren't for Emperor Guangde's intention, who would have acted?

The biggest beneficiary of provoking the conflict between the Supreme Emperor and Emperor Guangde seemed to be the Niu family, but the Niu family was not willing to use their painstakingly cultivated eldest son as a sacrifice, right?

Was it Prince Zhongshun and Prince Yishun who played tricks?

But where did those two idle Princes come from with the ability to play games?

It has to be said that this case was complicated and confusing.

He then heard Lu Hui saying, "Let's not talk about this for now. Didn't you say there is something confidential about the court that needs to be reported to me?”

Sun Shaozong then restrained his doubts and bowed to report, "It's like this; a concubine of mine is from the Qianxiang Kingdom…”

Just as Sun Shaozong reported the latest developments in Qianxiang Kingdom, two people were whispering in a luxurious study.

The elder spoke first and said, "With this petition, it's enough for us to break with the Niu family and fall to Your Majesty's side.”

The handsome young man was a bit uneasy and hesitated, saying, "It's just that Erlang has to ruin his future and marriage because of this. It's a pity.”

The elder interrupted his words and said decisively, "It is the saying that one must endure hardship before becoming a master. Moreover, in the current situation, there is no need to worry too much.”

“Besides, the companion has already committed suicide since he returned to the city. Apart from you and me, even Erlang doesn't know what the situation is! As long as he bites to death that he was framed by someone, with the protection of the Prince and the evidence of various noble families' children, can the Niu family still kill him to vent their anger?”

Sigh~

The handsome young man sighed and said, "Everything arises from greed! If it weren't for the loss of heart and mind of the Niu family, how could I bear to kill that Niu Yizong?”

As he spoke, he remained silent for a while and waved his sleeve with a hint of interest, saying, "Well, it's too late to say anything more now. Could you please arrange it for me, Brother? I want to go to the Supreme Court to meet Erlang.”

When the elder was ordered out of the living room, the young man lost his soul and sat in front of the glass mirror.

Looking at his haggard face in the mirror, he muttered to himself, "Don't say it's the Niu family, I'm afraid even my brother-in-law couldn't guess. It's the Elder who secretly instructed him to kill Niu Jizong's son to vent his anger.”