Zhou Gu immediately ordered Ziye to restraighten both old Zhao and Zhao Fei, and then deployed his own guards to escort the two to the front hall, directly inviting He Zheng to accompany him to the Imperial Palace.
He Zheng knew nothing. Yet, whatever Zhou Gu, with his status, was doing, it was sure to be approved by the Duke, and the Emperor also wanted him to cooperate with Zhou Gu. Hence, he had no choice but to follow Zhou Gu’s plans and actions, and together they escorted the detained men to enter the palace.
Zhou Gu’s troop of guards was nearly a hundred in number, and He Zheng also brought a handful of about ten with him. As such, the group of people, several hundred in all, surrounded the vehicle carrying the detained old Zhao and Zhao Fei, creating a security ring so tight that not even the wind could sneak through. Without any hitch, they successfully entered the palace.
When they arrived at the entrance to the Palace, it’s He Zheng who sent someone to report to the Emperor. After the Emperor gave his order, Zhou Gu instructed his guards to leave, keeping only Ziye with him, and accompanied He Zheng in taking the detained men to see the Emperor.
The Emperor wasn’t expecting Zhou Gu to visit him so soon. After Qingping left, he was having a headache and had asked Eunuch Yu to massage his forehead.
Eunuch Yu had barely begun to massage when someone reported that the young master Zhou Gu had come to seek an audience with the Emperor, bringing detained old Zhao with him.
The Emperor signaled Eunuch Yu to stop and instructed him, "Let him come with his men to see me."
Eunuch Yu agreed.
In a short while, Zhou Gu came with old Zhao and Zhao Fei in front of the Emperor. Having never personally seen the Emperor before, old Zhao and Zhao Fei could barely lift their heads and were simply kneeling on the ground.
Zhou Gu paid tribute to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I couldn’t delay the matter confessed by old Zhao and need you to judge. Therefore, I brought him here to report to you "
Since he had grown up in the Imperial Palace and had not yet held a court position, he didn’t have to behave as a vassal and refer to himself in the third person.
The emperor nodded his head, "Speak!"
Old Zhao was trembling and couldn’t get the words out.
Zhao Fei was braver, "Dad, you have to speak up quick! Tell everything you know to the Emperor. I don’t want to die."
Upon these words, old Zhao finally gained a bit of courage and confessed everything in a shaky voice, from being threatened by a certain person about Princess Zhenmin to everything else, he revealed it all.
The Emperor’s face became grimmer as he listened, "You said someone gave you a booklet? It records the incidents related to Princess Zhenmin? And you said that person also had a white tiger pattern specially made for Imperial Guard boots?"
Old Zhao nodded, "It’s true, I dare not deceive your Majesty."
At this point, the face of He Zheng turned pale too. At first, he was standing but then immediately kneeled down. He thought that it was no wonder that after Zhou Gu saw him, he didn’t say anything and didn’t ask him to interrogate anyone either. He simply indulged him with two cups of tea and then directly asked him to see the Emperor with him. It turned out that the Imperial Guard he was in charge of was involved.
The Emperor’s gaze fell on He Zheng and he sternly asked, "He Zheng, do you know about this?"
He Zheng quickly responded, "Your servant has no knowledge of this."
The Emperor snorted coldly, "Trust you to be ignorant. If you were aware of this and allowed it to happen, I must be blind to have promoted you to be the head of the Imperial Guard."
He Zheng heaved a sigh of relief.
Zhou Gu handed a drawing made by old Zhao to the Emperor, saying, "This was drawn by old Zhao. Please have a look, your Majesty."
The Emperor received it, glanced over it without seeing anything unusual, and handed it to He Zheng, "Most familiar with those from the Imperial Guard are you, their leader. You take a good look for me to see if he is one of you. From his physique to eyes, even though he is rigorously covered, if he is familiar, he should be recognizable."
He Zheng lowered his head to take a look, and his face changed slightly, "Your Majesty, I know this person. He is indeed from the Imperial Guard. His name is Feng Si."
"Where is he now?" the Emperor asked, "Is he on duty with the Imperial Guard today?"
He Zheng shook his head, "He took leave three days ago."
"Send your men immediately to search for him in his house and bring him back to see me," the Emperor ordered, then glanced at Zhou Gu, "You go with him."
Zhou Gu agreed, thinking to himself that while the Emperor said he believed He Zheng, he still needed him to supervise on the side. He truly deserved to be the Emperor.
Thus, the two set out together, leaving the Imperial Palace. With He Zheng leading them, they aimed straight for Feng Si’s house.
Old Zhao and Zhao Fei, seeing that Zhou Gu had left, widened their pale faces and opened their mouths to retain him, but dared not make a sound.
The Emperor ordered Eunuch Yu, "Take both of them away. You personally appoint someone to watch over them. If something amiss occurs, you shall be punished with death."
Eunuch Yu’s complexion shifted, and he hurriedly complied, not daring to be negligent. He selected two eunuchs he trusted and handed the men over to them. He then instructed them repeatedly, "Keep a sharp eye on them. If anything happens, it’s not just my head on the line, but your lives as well."
Both eunuchs took their instructions seriously and reassured him, "Don’t worry. We will be watching very closely, and we’ll definitely keep a good watch."
Feng Si’s house was located in the southern part of the city where many ordinary citizens lived. Technically, given Feng Si’s position with the Imperial Guard, he should have been able to afford a more prosperous living. But Feng Si had an unwell elderly mother and a younger brother at home. The monthly expenses of his mother’s medical treatment and his brother’s school fees made it difficult for them to lead an affluent life. They lived in a modest courtyard with only three small tiled rooms.
When He Zheng and his men burst into the house, Feng Si was not home. There was only an old woman lying in bed. Seeing so many guards of the Imperial Guard, she was scared and struggled to sit up on the bed, "Who are you all..."
Zhou Gu noticed that she was seriously ill, so he stopped her from getting up and asked her gently, "Ma’am, where is Feng Si? We came to find him."
"Oh Feng Si, his younger brother got into a fight and hurt his leg. He took leave, brought his brother to get the medication." The old lady responded.
"Why didn’t you invite the doctor to come to your house?" Zhou Gu asked.
"To ask the doctor to come, we need to pay for the doctor’s trip, it would cost more silver." The old lady explained.
Zhou Gu nodded, "Which pharmacy did he go to?"
"Not far, just at the east end of the street, it’s called Li Quezi’s Pharmacy." After saying that, the old lady tentatively asked, "What are you looking for him for..."
"He holds a position in the Imperial Guard and there is some unfinished business. Therefore, he took leave. We specially came to ask him." Zhou Gu comforted the old lady’s uneasy heart, "You rest, ma’am. We will go to the pharmacy you mentioned to find him."
Once finished speaking, Zhou Gu signaled He Zheng to leave. He nodded, and they both exited the old lady’s room and headed straight for Li Quezi’s Pharmacy.
At this time, there weren’t many people in Li Quezi’s Pharmacy. Only an old doctor, hobbling, was treating and changing the dressings for a young boy, who was around ten years old.
When Zhou Gu and He Zheng walked in, He asked the young boy, "Are you Feng Si’s younger brother? Where is your brother?"
The boy looked rather thin and frail, "My brother was called out by someone."
"Who called him? Where did he go?" He Zheng asked.
The boy shook his head, "I don’t know. I didn’t see the person. I just heard someone calling my brother from outside the window, and he left. It’s been a while now."
Li Quezi said from the side, "About the time to drink two cups of tea."
He Zheng looked at Zhou Gu.
Zhou Gu immediately walked out of Li Quezi’s Pharmacy and said to He Zheng, "Spread out the men to look for him. Since his younger brother is here, he shouldn’t be far."
He Zheng thought the same and nodded. With a wave of his hand, the remaining Imperial Guards fanned out to search.
Zhou Gu didn’t stay in the pharmacy, he walked along the alley with He Zheng for a few steps.
Soon, an Imperial Guard reported, "Commander, Feng Si was found dead in the alley ahead, it looks like he was stabbed in the throat by a sword. He died recently, his body is still warm."
He Zheng’s expression changed.
Zhou Gu’s expression also slightly changed. He immediately rushed to the alley with He Zheng, and saw that the Imperial Guards had already surrounded the alley, protecting the scene without moving Feng Si’s body.
When the two approached, the Imperial Guards dispersed.
He Zheng squatted down to check, then stood up and told Zhou Gu, "He indeed just died recently."
Zhou Gu asked, "Who discovered it first?"
"It was me and him." Ziye pointed at one of the Imperial Guard soldiers.
Zhou Gu nodded. Since Ziye was with him, all those who came with the Imperial Guards today could be ruled out as suspects. He scanned the surroundings and noticed there were no signs of a struggle. Likely, the killer was someone familiar with He Zheng. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been called out here to talk and killed by one sword strike. Then he told He Zheng, "Please have the coroner examine the body."
He Zheng nodded.
Zhou Gu instructed Ziye, "You go, bring back the best coroner."
Ziye agreed and immediately left.
Zhou Gu turned back and returned to Li Quezi’s Pharmacy. He asked the boy, "You said you didn’t see anyone, but the person who could call your brother out must be someone your brother knows. Didn’t you recognize the voice?"
The boy shook his head, "The voice sounded very strange, I didn’t recognize it."
"Li, what about you?" Zhou Gu turned to Li Quezi.
Li Quezi shook his head, "Why? Didn’t you find him? While I was applying the medicine to this boy, I didn’t see anyone either."
"My brother shouldn’t have gone far. After changing the dressing every day, he always carries me back. He is really fast." The boy noticed Zhou Gu’s well-dressed appearance and noble aura and carefully said, "Why not wait patiently for a while?"
Zhou Gu looked at the boy, and he couldn’t bring himself to let him know that his brother had been murdered. Feng Si was the pillar of their family. With Feng Si gone, how would his mother and this small boy continue surviving?
At this point, He Zheng walked in and heard what the boy had said. He told the boy, "Your brother was killed by someone after he was called out. He died in a dark alley not far from here before we could find him. Try to think carefully, who could it be, who called him out?"
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