Chapter 76 Cousin, don't be afraid, I'll protect you...

Peach Blossom Slope was already remote, and the Liu family occupied a large estate at the foot of the mountain.

The nearest farmhouse to his home was three or four miles away.

The murderer came to the door in the middle of the night again.

Therefore, when the Liu family was massacred, no one noticed.

The murderers were still there, lying in ambush in the nearby bushes and deep forests.

Tang Xinuan and her group arrived at the manor and were monitored the entire time.

To eliminate any potential threats, the murderers decided to kill Tang Xinuan and the others as well.

When Tang Xinuan heard her cousin call her, she turned around and saw the grass swaying. She instinctively shouted, "There's a bad guy! Run!"

She didn't know martial arts, so she quickly pulled Xiaoqian to find a safe corner.

Tao Guan had followed Zhou Chuanxing since childhood and survived countless battles. Although he couldn't match Zhou Chuanxing in skill, he was still considered a first-rate expert.

By listening to the wind and kicking up pebbles, two dark figures fell not far away in the blink of an eye.

Zisu and Lianqiao were ordered to protect Tang Xinuan. At this critical moment when the situation was unclear, they would not rush out to fight, but would only protect Tang Xinuan at close range.

Huang Qi and Bai He rushed out immediately to find the murderer.

Chu Yannuo reacted quickly, but he was worried about his cousin, so he held his sword and stood in front of her to protect her.

The current situation is that Tang Xinuan is pulling Xiaoqian and hiding behind a large water vat.

Three cautious "bodyguards" stood beside him.

Only Tao Guan, Huang Qi, and Bai He fought hard against the twenty or thirty men in black.

These assassins were all seasoned veterans of the Imperial Guard.

Of the three, Lily had the lowest martial arts skills and was quickly struck in the arm by a sword.

Lian Qiao couldn't help but go to help, "Sister, protect Miss Tang."

She quickly felled one of the men in black, then noticed Chu Yannuo standing motionless next to Tang Xinuan, and shouted angrily, "Young Master Chu, can't you lift a sword?!"

It's true that Chu Yannuo protects Tang Xinuan, but it's also true that he wants to take her away under the guise of protecting her.

"Zisu, go help them."

Zisu refused to go, saying, "His Highness has ordered that Zisu stay by the young lady's side at all times. But if Prince Chu doesn't help, we'll all be doomed here."

Chu Yannuo had no choice but to reluctantly join the battle.

Tang Xinuan hid behind a lotus flower, took out her weapon, and aimed at a man in black.

She hadn't tested the weapon on any real people since it was finished, so this was a good opportunity to test its power.

"Whoosh—"

The mechanism was activated, and a steel needle shot towards the man in black. In the blink of an eye, the man let out a wail, then collapsed, clutching his chest in agony.

"Hit! Hit!"

Xiaoqian was overjoyed, "Miss, Miss, your weapon is amazing!"

This was the first time Tang Xinuan had witnessed its killing power.

Now she wasn't afraid anymore. She stood up from behind the large water vat and looked for her next target.

As Chu Yannuo fought, he saw his cousin's weapon killing people, and remembered that it had been aimed at him just yesterday.

If I get shot, I'm done for!

How could my cousin have such a powerful weapon? Did the Regent specially make it for her?

Chu Yannuo suddenly remembered that when his cousin had just left the Marquis's mansion, he went to the Ordnance Bureau and found Xiaoqian there.

It seems that the weapon was made around that time.

"hiss--"

Chu Yannuo was lost in thought when he was suddenly stabbed with a sword. Fortunately, it was only on his arm and the wound was not deep.

With Lian Qiao and Chu Yannuo joining the fight, the murderers quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.

With Tang Xinuan's weapon, she hit three people in the blink of an eye, making the murderer even more cautious.

They're here to earn a bounty, not to die.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the group exchanged glances and suddenly ran frantically in all directions.

The Liu Family Manor is located at the foot of Peach Blossom Slope Mountain, surrounded by barren hills.

The murderers vanished into the depths of the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

There's nowhere to trace it.

Concerned for Tang Xinuan's safety, Tao Guan ordered the others to stop.

He then personally examined the dozen or so murderers who had fallen to the ground.

Tang Xinuan didn't recognize these people, but Tao Guan, who frequently visited the palace, did see one of them who looked familiar.

The man even wore the waist tag of an imperial guard.

Tao Guan carefully put away the waist token, intending to take it back to the Regent.

Tang Xinuan noticed and chased after her to check, "What's that? Let me see."

The person who was the apple of the prince's eye, Tao Guan dared not disobey and obediently handed over the waist token to her.

Tang Xinuan didn't recognize the item. "What kind of person would carry one?"

Before Tao Guan could answer, Chu Yannuo interrupted, "They are imperial guards."

His arm injury wasn't serious, but he deliberately acted as if he was about to die as he swayed in front of Tang Xinuan, even letting out painful groans.

Tang Xinuan was focused on finding evidence.

I didn't notice his little scheme.

"If you find anything else in the pottery jar, bring it to me immediately, or you can stop following me."

No one understood better than the pottery jar the place Tang Xinuan held in the prince's heart.

This is a perfect opportunity for him to curry favor with powerful figures.

Offending Miss Tang is more serious than offending the Prince.

"Your subordinate knows he was wrong. This is the waist tag of an imperial guard. Your subordinate suspects... the Empress."

Tang Xinuan knew that revenge would be difficult, and that Grand Tutor Wang was worse than a beast.

She had just discovered Liu Cheng when his entire family was massacred.

It seems that the fact that Grand Tutor Yao has been arrested can no longer be kept secret.

Will Grand Tutor Yao be silenced?

Judging from what Grand Tutor Yao said, he knew nothing, only that the case was suspicious, and after accepting 100,000 taels of silver, he never investigated it again.

Grand Tutor Wang probably wouldn't kill someone who knows nothing.

Chu Yannuo never found an opportunity to take his cousin away.

He caught me when I heard the word "Empress".

“Cousin, it’s dangerous here. I’ll take you away. Since the Empress sent people to kill Liu Cheng, she will definitely not let you go. I will avenge Grandpa and Uncle. Come back with me…”

"Young Master Chu," Lian Qiao said unhappily, holding her sword horizontally between Chu Yannuo and Tang Xinuan, "Do you think we're all dead? How can you so blatantly steal the prince's woman? You don't want to live!"

Not to be outdone, Lily simply held the blade of her sword to Chu Yannuo's neck, "If you bewitch Miss Tang again, I'll skin you alive!"

Chu Yannuo knew he couldn't take his cousin away in front of the two of them, especially with that repulsive pottery jar in the background.

I could only reluctantly take a step back.

"Cousin, don't be afraid, I'll protect you."

Throughout, Tang Xinuan remained indifferent, as if she hadn't heard a thing.

Chu Yannuo opened his mouth, wanting to say a few more persuasive words, but with the several girls eyeing him covetously, he could only tell himself to behave.

...

Upon receiving the news, the local magistrate quickly arrived with his constables.

He's a fool; he tries to frame everyone he meets with a murder charge so he can get away with it as quickly as possible.

After all, it was a major case involving the annihilation of dozens of families, and it happened within his jurisdiction. How could a mere county magistrate like him possibly find the murderer?

"Why are you all at the crime scene? I can tell you're all lying through your teeth. Arrest them all!"

Tang Xinuan truly felt sorry for Liu Cheng.

Having suffered the massacre of his entire family and then encountering a muddle-headed county magistrate, the truth will likely never come to light.

I wonder how much he benefited from Grand Tutor Wang back then, and whether it was worth sacrificing his entire family's lives.

"How dare you!" Tang Xinuan flashed the waist token Zhou Chuanxing had given her. "Open your dog eyes and take a good look. We were ordered to question Liu Cheng. When we arrived, his whole family was already dead. Instead of finding the murderer, you're making things difficult for us."

Magistrate Zhao was blind and didn't recognize the Regent's waist badge.

Judging from Tang Xinuan's aura, it must be a very remarkable object.

"This is……"

He reached out and took it to examine it closely.

The clay pot, its face full of disgust, raised its leg and kicked.

"You bastard, this is the Regent's waist token. Seeing this token is like seeing the Regent himself. How many heads do you dare to put up and take it!"

Who is the Regent?

Just recently, more than two hundred officials were executed, ranging from a first-rank Left Chancellor down to a lowly ninth-rank official in Jiangnan.

He was only a seventh-rank official; how could he dare offend the Regent's men?

He hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy, "It was my fault for being blind and presumptuous. I beg you gentlemen to forgive me."

Tang Xinuan didn't mean to make things difficult for him, but such an incompetent official was just causing Erlang more worry.

"With so many people murdered, do you have any leads?"

Magistrate Zhao was terrified. He was completely confused and had no clue what to do. Then he was kicked by the pottery jar. Although it was a kick to the buttocks, it was more serious than a kick to the head.

"My lord, have mercy on me, my lord, have mercy on me, my humble duty... my humble duty..."

He himself was indeed clueless, but there was a talented person in his office who he had always suppressed, but who came in handy at the crucial moment.

He scrambled to his feet and pulled Wu Zhouping, who was examining the body, over. "He has a clue, he has a clue, he has a clue. Leave this to him, and he'll definitely find the murderer."

Logically, in such a situation, the pottery jar, as the regent's assistant, should have taken the initiative to step forward and take charge.

However, the Regent instructed that any problems should be handled by Miss Tang as much as possible, and he would only step in if she couldn't handle them.

He understood that the prince was intentionally letting Miss Tang gain experience to help her grow stronger.

So he stood by and watched quietly.

Tang Xinuan didn't have that many thoughts in mind; she just wanted to get evidence against Grand Tutor Wang.

Liu Cheng's entire family may not have been killed by Grand Tutor Wang, but the presence of imperial guards here is inextricably linked to the Empress.

If someone can find the murderer, it would be a huge help to her.

Thinking of this, she looked at Wu Zhouping, who had been dragged over by Magistrate Zhao.

I don't know how much he drank, but even from two or three steps away, the pungent smell of alcohol on him made me want to vomit.

Tang Xinuan couldn't help but wrinkle her nose, her face full of disgust. "Him? He can investigate cases?"

Tang Xinuan was young and dressed as a boy. With her fair skin, red lips and white teeth, she looked like a noble young master from a wealthy family.

She looks down on others, and they look down on her in return.

Wu Zhouping was still a little dazed, and glancing at her with the help of the alcohol, he said, "You're not even fully grown yet, and you're already doubting me?"

Tang Xinuan did have doubts.

She had seen Sun Qingzhao, who looked like a flower, and Yao Lin, who was disliked by his own father. She had also seen Chen Yu, who looked somewhat like her brother, and the frustrated and unsuccessful ambassador of the Ordnance Bureau. They were all talented, but none of them were like this person, who was smelly and reeked of alcohol.

"Who are you? What makes you so capable? How dare you drink so much on duty? Is there such a provision in the Great Zhou Law?"

Officials are naturally not allowed to drink alcohol while on duty.

However, Wu Zhouping was not strictly speaking an official.

Seeing him arguing with the official, Magistrate Zhao scolded him in a low voice, "Wake up! This is an official from the capital. Don't you want to die?"

Then, with a forced smile, he explained to Tang Xinuan and the others.

"My lord, don't let his drunken appearance fool you, he's a man of great talent."

"Oh," Tang Xinuan asked curiously, "Tell me, how is he so talented?"

Magistrate Zhao spoke at length about Wu Zhouping's life.

"He was a Jinshi in the last imperial examination ten years ago. While others were rising through the ranks to become officials, he kept getting lower and lower."

Tang Xinuan's interest was piqued. "There's such a thing?"

Magistrate Zhao usually suppressed Wu Zhouping, but today he didn't want to offend his superiors, so he had no choice but to do his best to promote Wu Zhouping so that he could take the blame.

"This humble servant would never dare to lie to you."