Chapter 57 Imperial Edict (Updated at a fixed time in the evening, if it is written earlier, it will be updated earlier...

In the dining hall, the rain was still falling, and Jian Wuliang's interrogation had been interrupted.

It was because after King Qi learned that Liu Wuzheng was the murderer, he did not accept this result.

He was determined to make a fuss about this case. Now that the matter with the Censor had been resolved by Jiang Hui's lightning-fast methods, and the Yan family massacre case had also been cut off because the survivor Yan Siqing was sent away by Jiang Hui, the only case that could be used in the future was this serial murder case.

Otherwise, if he fought with Prince Yan like this and invested so much effort, and Prince Yan still escaped unscathed, and there was a big uproar in the process, he would have suffered a loss.

So he had to torture Liu Wuzheng himself and force him to confess the person behind it.

It just so happened that Jiang Huiren was not there at the moment, and Jian Wuliang was unable to stop King Qi.

"A mere scholar, if not for his hidden martial arts skills, would be powerless and unable to accomplish these things. There must be an organization or higher-ups behind the scenes plotting and helping him. Master Jian, since you are the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, how could you be so soft-hearted as to let me in?"

Prince Qi seemed to be a gentleman and kind-hearted man, but in fact he was cruel and vicious, so he wanted to use severe punishment immediately.

Although Liu Wuzheng's face turned pale as paper, he still managed to hold on, arguing that he was the one who had killed someone...

The man was dragged outside the dining hall and was about to be executed.

Outsiders don't know the inside story. Some people think he is really the murderer, while others are shocked and confused.

Is this true or false?

This scholar...

"Start the punishment!" King Qi gave the order.

At this moment...Jian Wuliang suddenly shouted: "Stop!"

Prince Qi was furious and was about to scold Jian Wuliang, but he saw that the latter had already made a move and threw a hidden weapon towards the upper corner of the hall.

clang!

The masked man who jumped down appeared like a ghost, scaring many people to scream. Then he swung his knife to cut off the hidden weapons, landed on the ground and turned sideways, as if he was going to take a hostage!

Yes, the masked man knew that he was seriously injured and that he would not be able to escape from Jiang Hui's grasp by normal means. He could only go to the dining hall to take the powerful and influential people as hostages and force Jiang Hui to let him go.

This man was able to fight Jiang Hui for a few rounds. His martial arts skills were far superior to those of Ruo Qin and other capable people. How could he be easily dealt with? Jian Wuliang was completely unable to suppress him. He watched...

Crash!

Jiang Hui had already caught up and jumped down from the middle, blocking the masked man and Huai Xuan and the others.

His robes fluttered as he swept his sword across.

Bang!

The masked man blocked hastily, but this time, he was chopped away along with the knife.

The blood is boiling... swept to the ground.

"Someone come!"

"Get it!"

At the critical moment, the man suddenly took off the mask on his face and revealed his true face.

Instead, he shouted in front of everyone, "Your Highness, the Heavenly Secret Crossbow was stolen from our camp. I learned that someone was impersonating our Heavenly Secret Camp and causing trouble, so I risked my life to come to the White Horse Temple to secretly catch the culprit. This is justified and does not violate any laws. Are you going to attack me?!"

"Jingye is the murderer, why are you protecting him?!"

"Are you two in cahoots?!"

What a great way to save yourself in times of crisis?!

Marquis of Dongling?!

He actually came to White Horse Temple?

Was he here to investigate a case, or... everyone remembered how desperate he was just now.

Huai Xuan frowned and touched his neck.

Everyone was shocked for the second time. Jian Wuliang quickly glanced at King Qi, and King Qi narrowed his eyes with a flicker in his eyes.

Jiang Huiwei had a blank expression on his face. He turned the blade and sneered, "What a thief crying 'Catch the thief!' My Lord, did you come here to investigate the theft, breaking the law, or did you come to the White Horse Temple long ago to kill and silence the witnesses? You should go and explain to His Majesty..."

Prince Qi looked uneasy, his fists clenched, and he stared coldly at the Marquis of Dongling. Their eyes met, and the Marquis of Dongling knew what he meant - being caught was a foregone conclusion, and if he talked nonsense... then no one would be able to save him, and his whole family would have no chance of survival.

At this moment, Jian Wuliang actually understood - when Jiang Hui discussed with him, he said that he would use the opportunity of King Qi closing the mountain to thoroughly investigate everyone, ostensibly to investigate pilgrims, but actually to investigate monks and other courtyards.

This is just the first step.

So they found Jingye.

It doesn’t matter whether Jing Ye or Liu Wu Zheng is the murderer. What matters is that there is a “murderer”.

This murderer killed so many people and deliberately used the crossbows of the Shenjiying in order to direct the investigation towards the Ministry of War.

In fact, we can already lock down the events of that year.

Because Yan Guangxue, Chen Kaizhi and even the previous generation Zhong Yuanbo were all related to an old case of the Ministry of War.

——The Case of the Three Thousand Ice Armors in Snowman Valley

There was a culprit behind this case, but his entire family had been wiped out long ago. The murderer brought up the past and killed those related people one after another. Either there were survivors in the culprit's family who came for revenge, or he came to seek justice.

Since it is about seeking justice, the one who is most afraid of the murderer is the criminal behind the case. The other party will want to catch or even kill the murderer and bury everything more than the Dali Temple and the court.

Therefore, Jiang Hui undoubtedly used the Dali Temple and everyone else to "hook" the person behind the scenes.

Thus, a Marquis of Dongling was caught.

Is this the Crown Prince's skill?

He didn't care about the details at all. It was like a war. There would definitely be casualties, but attacking cities, plundering brothers, and capturing enemy leaders were the quickest and easiest ways to cut the Gordian knot.

Jian Wuliang was amazed. Even though the Marquis of Dongling had a sudden inspiration and was making such a cunning excuse, as long as he was caught and thoroughly investigated, all the evildoers and right and wrong would be exposed.

Catch, investigate, and use iron fists.

Compared to his own restraints in this case, Jiang Hui's method was much more direct.

At present, it seems that the dust is settling.

"This Marquis is innocent, Your Highness, you..."

Marquis Dongling wanted to say something more, but suddenly he pressed his chest and his face turned pale.

The Dali Temple officials and the guards from Prince Yan's palace who were chasing after them just arrived and were shocked when they saw this scene, and Jian Wuliang's face suddenly changed.

"Doctor!"

It's too late.

Everyone watched as the leader of the Tianji Camp, Dong Linghou, revealed his identity, held his chest, whimpered in pain, and finally vomited blood and exploded to death.

He fell to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices.

Everyone was shocked, and Jiang Hui's face darkened.

After a moment, Prince Qi suddenly said, "As far as I know, the Tianji Battalion did have bows and crossbows stolen, and the matter has been reported to the Ministry of War. Although the Tianji Battalion is located in Chang'an City, it also has the authority to patrol the Chang'an area. Recently, regarding the Red Flame Ghost Fire Case, His Majesty has ordered all departments to cooperate in patrolling the area to investigate and arrest the perpetrators, so there has been a lot of movement of troops from all walks of life. We can also take the imperial army out of Chang'an to protect ourselves. Therefore, if there is any enemy situation, the Tianji Battalion has the authority to provide support."

"Then, the Duke of Dongling's visit to the White Horse Temple did not violate the laws of the court."

"Of course, he learned this news. It might be related to the letter I sent to the Suburban Patrol Battalion this morning asking for help. Isn't that what you meant by Chilin, the more people involved, the easier it will be to investigate the case?"

"So, maybe you killed the wrong person?"

"This truly pains the king..."

The commander of the Qi Palace's guards reacted quickly, shouting, "Your Highness! Why did you kill the Marquis of Dongling? He was, after all, a military marquis, in charge of the Heavenly Secret Battalion! How will we explain this to the court and His Majesty, even though he died at your hands despite not violating any laws?"

"Master Shaoqing, why don't you arrest him?!"

The loud voice shook the sky.

It seemed as if the minions of Prince Qi's Mansion had already trapped the Prince of Prince Yan's Mansion.

Ruoqin and the others were horrified, realizing this was most likely a setup—a setup by Prince Qi?!

Unless the Duke of Dongling can be convicted, or it can be proven that his actions in coming to the White Horse Temple were illegal, otherwise...

They immediately surrounded their master and drew their swords.

The two sides were in a standoff, and the situation was tense.

The guards from other mansions naturally didn't dare to get involved and could only stand by helplessly...

Originally, Dongling Hou was arrested and was definitely a suspect.

But since he died suddenly, it's hard to say.

The only one who had fought with him before was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Prince Qi's sharpness, cunningness and viciousness were fully demonstrated at this moment.

No one knew whether this was a trap set by him, but just as Jiang Hui had waited for the opportunity to catch the Marquis of Dongling, Prince Qi had now seized the opportunity to trap Jiang Hui.

The dining hall is no longer a comfortable place for worldly people to eat.

It's a game of thrones.

Jiang Hui had a chance of winning just now, but now he was on the verge of defeat - the most important thing was that the Duke of Dongling seemed to have made arrangements before coming. No wonder he took the initiative to remove his mask and reveal his identity when he was in danger. He was sure that he was ready for action, and even if he was exposed in the White Horse Temple, he had a reason to deal with it.

After all, Jingye was indeed suspected of being the murderer at that time.

King Qi knew about this, so he seized the opportunity.

And the Marquis of Dongling was indeed dead.

Jian Wuliang rubbed his fingers, he knew that there must be something complicated behind it, it was too sudden, as if it had been planned in advance.

I'm afraid His Royal Highness the Crown Prince didn't expect that there would be a game within a game.

But if it was a trap set by King Qi, the price would be too high - Marquis Dongling was killed by someone after all. Did King Qi arrange for him to die from the beginning?

To exchange a Marquis of Dongling for a Prince of Yan...

Well, it’s also a big profit, definitely worth it.

You can tell by the way Prince Qi couldn't suppress his hypocritical smile.

But the most difficult thing now is the Dali Temple!

Faced with the confrontation between the two sides and the difficult question of whether to arrest Jiang Hui, everyone in the Dali Temple was at a loss.

Jian Wuliang felt like he might have already gone bald, but he could only bite the bullet and say, "Whether the Marquis of Dongling violated any rules by coming to the White Horse Temple requires a thorough investigation by the Ministry of War so that we can report to His Majesty. As for the cause of his death, it's possible that he was assassinated by the real culprit of the Red Flame Ghost Fire Case, so we need to investigate thoroughly. Due to the seriousness of this case, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and I may need to return to Chang'an together to meet His Majesty..."

He didn't want to arrest anyone here directly.

Prince Qi: "The laws of the country are strict. Even a prince who breaks the law is subject to the same punishment as a commoner. As the elder of Chilin, I shall make the final decision!"

"Come here, take him down!"

He ignored Jian Wuliang's hesitation and wavered his hand to give orders!

Xie Rong was nervous and took a step forward, but was stopped by Xie Juanshu. He was stunned.

"Second brother!" Huai Xuan wanted to stop him.

Sudden!

Just as he was looking at the mask shattering into powder on the ground, Jiang Hui suddenly raised his eyes, moved his hand, and raised the sword.

All the warriors present were nervous. Even the people in Prince Qi's Mansion, who were originally fierce and hostile, had sweat in their palms and clenched their weapons.

King Qi was also frightened and took a step back.

The red-scaled beast is fierce and brave, and can defeat an enemy on the battlefield.

If it is a fight to the death.

I'm afraid that in the end, he will be the one to leave here alive, while most of them...will be killed in the battle.

Just when the war was about to break out.

clang.....

With a hook of his foot, the scabbard on the ground bounced up, inserted it into the lower back and hung it, then the tip of the sword was slowly inserted into the scabbard with the backhand.

The sword is sealed with a clang.

"Since there is a suspense, then this prince will cooperate with the investigation."

He's actually willing to give in?!

Prince Qi was stunned. He wished this man would disobey his orders and be killed on the spot...

But Jiang Hui was willing to surrender?

King Qi: "Tie him up."

The people from Prince Qi's Mansion demanded money. Ruoqin and others were furious, but they had to put away their swords because of Jiang Hui's order.

asshole!

Did Prince Yan's Mansion also lose to Prince Qi's Mansion?!

Can't swallow it!

The atmosphere was tense, but Jiang Hui had a blank expression on his face. Just as he was about to be taken away, he suddenly frowned and looked towards the path below the square.

Someone is coming.

The other party also appeared.

"Wait a moment."

He was wearing a golden armor and a military robe, holding a long sword behind his waist in one hand and a carved Xiezhi beast on his waist with the other hand. His eyebrows were fierce and his expression was majestic.

It was also brought by the host.

Behind him followed a group of guards who were also majestic in golden armor.

"ah!"

"yes...."

"It's the Jinwu Guards!!"

"Jinwu Guard Major General Zhou Li!"

"Is he here for his brother's body?"

"That shouldn't be the case. The Jinwu Guards are the emperor's personal guards and they cannot leave without permission."

Prince Qi was confused and bewildered. Why would the Jinwu Guards come? And...

Zhou Li lowered his eyes and said that he was here to announce the imperial decree.

"Your Highness Prince Qi, Your Highness Princess, Your Highness the Crown Prince, and Your Excellency the Junior Minister, His Majesty has issued a directive: He has appointed individuals to take full responsibility for investigating the Red Flame Will-O'-the-Wisp case and... the Snowman Valley Three Thousand Ice Armors case."

When the later case was mentioned, everyone present was either confused or had a change of expression. Even Huai Xuan had a heavy expression.

Was it this case? It was a huge sensation back then, and the entire family of a first-rank military marquis was exterminated, and countless properties were confiscated.

"So, whether it's His Royal Highness or any other suspicious individuals, all those involved will be investigated."

"We can also deploy anyone at any time to cooperate with the investigation of this case."

Jian Wuliang's eyebrows twitched secretly: he remembered that he had just sent a secret letter to Chang'an by express horse before dawn. Even if it was fast, it would take at least three days for the letter to arrive and announce the decree. Because of the rainy season, the dispatch of carrier pigeons and hawks was affected. Even if it was a flying letter, it would take at least a day.

But the other party... stopped Yan Siqing who was being sent out of the White Horse Temple on the road. The pace was wrong.

This means that His Majesty has been keeping an eye on the White Horse Temple and has long been aware of the connection between the two cases.

It can only be said that as a monarch, he always relies on only one person. Although Jian Wuliang is a popular figure in the palace, he is actually just a minister. Similarly, Zhou Li is the same.

But it’s never just the two of them.

The heart of an emperor is as deep as the sea.

Everyone was shocked and confused, making groundless speculations. However, Jiang Hui, who was in the most disadvantageous situation, raised his eyebrows and said nothing.

Prince Qi was uneasy, but he forced a smile to maintain his authority. "Zhou Li, did His Majesty ask you to investigate the case?"

Zhou Li is favored, and the Zhou family has a decent foundation, but do they dare to investigate Jiang Hui?

The Chang'an governor surnamed Zhou was like a loach. It was impossible for him to take a clear stand and he always tried not to offend either side.

The Zhou family will not change their neutrality and join Prince Yan, trying to handle the case in front of the palace, while trying to exonerate Jiang Hui and drag themselves into trouble?

King Qi felt that there was something fishy going on.

Zhou Li raised his hand coldly, saying, "Your Highness Prince Qi has misunderstood. The person His Majesty truly appointed is that person."

Jiang Hui didn't care much and looked back.

On the side of the high platform outside the dining hall, facing the sea of ​​clouds, the air was thick with moisture in the morning, and several people were standing under the eaves of the surrounding corridor.

Several Jinwu Guards seemed to be guarding three people, one of whom...

The scenery is graceful, with drizzles of rain and a gentle breeze on your face.

She was looking at him.

Her features were unclear under the dim eaves, and at first glance, it was hard to tell whether she was a man or a woman. Her robe sleeves fluttered slightly, and the wind and rain in the mountain temple were not as fluttering as her.

Jiang Hui knew it was her.

He knew she was looking at him, but he couldn't understand what was in her eyes.

Zhou Li walked over with the imperial edict in his hand and glanced at him coldly, "Mr. Yan."

As soon as he arrived at the White Horse Temple, he used a tone similar to the one Jian Wuliang used to address her, which seemed to blur her identity but also had a hidden meaning.

"Now, you can accept the order."

"His Majesty wants you to investigate the case."

"Are you going to obey or not?"

Jiang Hui's pupils trembled, and the hilt of the sword that had already been sheathed was suddenly grabbed.

He took a step forward, his internal strength surging, his eyes as sharp as knives.

Obviously, regardless of the success or failure of all his arrangements, his most proud, most core, and most successful goal had actually been destroyed.

Jinwu Guards, stop her.

She can't leave, and has to take full responsibility for these complicated cases?

What does your majesty mean?!