It was midnight when Qin Zhuo left the Lu family. Although there was no curfew in the capital, there were not many people walking on the streets outside the residential area at this time.
Only one person's footsteps echoed on the empty avenue.
With steady, unhurried steps, I walked along the stone path until I reached the end of the alley and turned in.
The shadowy figure followed like a ghost, and only a very faint sound could be heard before silence returned in an instant.
-----
"Thump!"
A lump of something was dumped at the entrance of Prince Zhao's mansion. When the people inside came out to look, they only saw that lump on the ground; there was no other trace of it.
The shape of that lump gave him a bad feeling. He mustered up his courage and opened it. A human head rolled off the corpse with a thud, and blood splattered all over his face.
"Ahhh!"
The gatekeeper was so frightened that he screamed and ran inside.
"Your Highness..."
"Something has happened to the prince."
The guards made sure the people inside heard before reporting through the door: "Your Highness, someone has lost a human head outside the mansion gate. After identification, it was found to be a member of the Eagle Tribe, who is guarding the Lu family."
King Zhao, who was already asleep, was woken up. His concubine draped a robe over him, carefully helped him into his wheelchair, and then brought a blanket to cover his legs.
King Zhao never lowered his head throughout the entire process, not wanting to look at the mutilated limbs even once more.
He only spoke after everything was tidied up.
"Come in."
The guard rushed in: "Your Highness, the body has been brought in and placed in the front yard. I have already sent people to investigate, but the other party severed the head with a single stroke, seemingly without giving anyone a chance to react. The blood only splattered when the body reached the gate of the mansion, which shows that the skill is unpredictable and probably won't leave any traces."
King Zhao frowned: "When did Lu Qing get a martial arts master by his side?"
A concubine served Prince Zhao a cup of hot tea and analyzed the situation in a charming but clear voice: "Lu Qing escaped the attack from all sides. Today, it's probably not just Your Highness who's watching him. Perhaps it's not that he has more skilled men around him, but that someone went to see him and was discovered by our people, who then killed him to silence him."
Even without seeing it with your own eyes, your intuition tells you that this might be the truth.
King Zhao's face darkened: "Deliberately sending a corpse to me is not a sign of skill and daring, but a provocation against me."
Most importantly, the other party was absolutely certain that it was his person, but this was a secret bodyguard he had trained in private and almost never showed himself to others, so how could he be recognized?
"Lu Qing will surely submit a memorial tomorrow. Let's see who he targets. I want to see who is so eager to die."
The next morning, Lu Qing was the first to arrive outside the Golden Palace to wait.
Seeing him standing ramrod straight, holding a thick folded document in his hand, exuding an imposing aura, no one else dared to approach him to speak.
The memorials submitted by these censors were like shurikens to military officers. The Censor-in-Chief was the chief censor, and once his memorial was submitted, its destructive power was no less than that of a sword.
Lu Qing is currently in a state similar to a general about to go into battle, exuding a murderous aura that makes people afraid to approach.
Those who feel guilty are thinking of countermeasures, while those who don't are afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Finally, the morning court session began. After everyone had paid their respects, Lu Qing was indeed the first to present his memorial: "Your Majesty, I have received an anonymous letter written in blood. Li Yao, the son of Prince Zhao, has brutally murdered an innocent girl, torturing her to death. Her body has been found by the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review..."
King Zhao was waiting to see Lu Qing expose the mastermind behind the scenes, but he didn't expect that the other party would come directly at him and point his sword at his eldest son.
King Zhao had previously kept a low profile and rarely attended court. Later, after his leg was completely broken, he was even less able to attend court.
By the time he learned of the news at the court meeting, it was too late.
The Dali Temple had already examined the corpse and was ready to present it to the emperor.
Not only was King Zhao's son, Li Yao, arrested, but even the witnesses who had colluded with him were also arrested.
With a single move, he seized his lifeline, catching him completely off guard. King Zhao was so enraged that his gentle mask cracked completely.
The only good news was that he now knew who had killed him last night: "Qin Zhuo!"
The arrest of King Zhao's son for murder is arguably the biggest case of the year, and everyone in the court is watching to see how it will be judged.
Shen Ning overheard a bit of what Du Yunzhi was saying, but the affairs of the court had nothing to do with her.
Shen Ning was busy with preparations for the New Year, calculating everything meticulously. She thought this year's New Year would pass by in a fulfilling and busy manner, but unexpectedly, with only a few days left until the New Year, an accident still occurred.
"Miss, the old lady has passed away."
When Liu Ying rushed in to report, Shen Ning was still calculating on the abacus. After listening, she paused, then continued to finish calculating the accounts she had.
He checked the numbers, put them down, and then sighed.
"It's been brought forward again."
In her previous life, the old lady didn't die so young; she had at least another year to live.
Everything she knew was happening, but it was all happening earlier than she knew, and she didn't know whether it was good or bad.
Looking out the window, snowflakes were falling gently, and even though the room had underfloor heating, you could still feel the cold outside.
"What did the second wife say?"
Liu Ying's face was grim: "The Second Madam has already gone there, but she said she wants to set up the mourning hall here."
This is clearly a deliberate attempt to upset Shen Ning, forcing her to stay home and keep vigil during the Lunar New Year.
"Then let's set it up."
She herself has died, so why would she be afraid of a dead person?
“Let’s set it up in the main hall. Even if she is a second wife, she is still my grandfather’s lawfully wedded wife. My eldest son’s family has been supporting her, and now we will naturally send her away as my grandmother.”
Liu Ying immediately set about making arrangements. Shen Ning called Mo Lin over and handed him a list: "Go and report the death one by one according to the addresses and order on this list."
Mo Lin glanced at it a few times and nodded: "Understood."
Mo Lin used to be a hunter, but he has learned a lot from following Shen Ning during this time, and he no longer doesn't know which way the door of a city house is open.
Liu Ying led the people to set up the mourning hall, while Shen Ning changed into plain clothes and went to Nan Song Hall.
The people who were taking care of the old lady had already changed her into her burial clothes.
Zhao followed along, her expression sorrowful, seemingly genuinely heartbroken, since her mother-in-law, the old lady, had treated her quite well.
Shen Yan knelt on the ground, burning paper money, and sobbing softly.
Shen Ning glanced at it and put it away, thinking it was all just for show.
The old lady always lived in the main house. Every time the second house came to see the old lady, they either tried to extort her private money or encouraged her to take money from Shen Ning. Where was her filial piety?
"Are you satisfied now? All the members of our second branch are dead. From now on, you're the only one left in this family who can swagger around like a tyrant!"
Zhao's eyes were filled with undisguised hatred, as if she wanted to tear Shen Ning apart with her bare hands.
Shen Ning glanced at her lightly: "What's the rush, Second Aunt? The Second Branch still has you and Shen Yan, they're not all dead yet."
If she really wanted her dead, would she be here jumping around like this?
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