Congratulations!
The corridor of the Dali Temple morgue was dark and cold, with glass lamps hanging on the walls for lighting. The lamps were spaced far apart. Several people wearing light black and red armor led the way with lanterns, followed by Li Xi.
Wu Qi and Yi Shen's identities were too special. They had no official status or position, yet they were required to investigate the case. The two did not know whether to be pleasantly surprised or frightened by this. After exchanging a brief glance, they walked at the back of the group without prior arrangement.
Even though she was at the back of the line, Wu Qi was not frustrated or uneasy at all. As she stepped into the morgue of Dali Temple for the first time, she turned her head to look left and right, thinking to herself: This Dali Temple is indeed solemn and majestic. People who have committed many evils would probably feel as if they were being given a salvation when they come here, and would involuntarily confess all the evil deeds they have done.
The further they went in, the more guards there were, especially at the entrance to the morgue in the inner room. Wu Qi roughly counted twenty guards, all holding swords and keeping their eyes straight ahead.
It seems that some very important person has really died.
Before entering, Yi Shen stood beside Wu Qi and whispered, "Don't act rashly."
“Of course, of course. Traveling with Young Master Yi, I will not act rashly.” Wu Qi leaned closer to Yi Shen, with a hint of warning and teasing, “I heard that person died a gruesome death. Yi Shen, are you scared? If you are, hide behind me and I will protect you.”
Yi Shen stared at her intently, then lowered his gaze and said, "I'm not afraid."
"Then I will protect you too!"
Wu Qi had heard that the man's death was gruesome, and she was prepared for it. She was usually quite brave, but she was still shocked when she saw that the man's eyeballs had been gouged out. When the coroner lifted the white cloth and she saw the man's upper body, she was so surprised that she couldn't speak.
It's so tragic!
This person had a wound running from his right wrist down his arm and chest to his left wrist, and another wound running from the center of his neck down his chest to the center of his legs. The blood seeping from the wounds was mixed with some dirt, a shocking and eerie sight.
What evil thing did this person do?
Whom did I offend?
The soft fabric brushed against Wu Qi's hand, like soft clouds or a gentle breeze. She glanced at Yi Shen and touched the back of his hand with her fingertips to indicate that she was alright.
Seeing that the two men were neither afraid nor did they try to hide anything from them, Li Xi, following the Emperor's instructions, recounted all the information he knew: "This man is named Zhou Lang, the chief envoy of the Gilding Bureau."
After His Majesty ascended the throne, he established a pavilion and a department. The pavilion is called the Cizi Pavilion, and the department is called the Liujin Department.
The Bureau of Gilding is in charge of gilding affairs. It is not subject to the supervision of officials and is independent of other departments. The chief and deputy chiefs of the bureau are appointed by the emperor himself, and all transfers within the bureau must be approved by the emperor. The chief chief only needs to report to the emperor and only needs to obey the emperor's orders.
The head of the gilded guild is not only an extraordinary figure, but also someone who holds the reins of the gilded guild.
Wu Qi frowned, thinking to himself: This matter is definitely not simple. If we dig deeper, it will surely involve a wide range of people. However, the children of noble families have never touched the imperial court, let alone the fact that this case involves Liu Ge.
Tricky.
"His Majesty instructed me to convey this message to you two," Li Xi said. "There is no need to conceal your wisdom or feign ignorance. You must speak frankly and do your utmost to assist. If this case is solved, you will be richly rewarded."
Wu Qi and Yi Shen exchanged a glance, bowed together, and said in unison, "Yes."
People from prominent families have always refrained from inquiring about or associating with important officials of the court. Li Xi briefly described the two of them to Zhou Lang.
"Zhou Lang was orphaned and unmarried. At the age of twenty-six, he gained the emperor's favor by passing the imperial examinations three times in a row and was appointed as the magistrate of Pingwu. Later, because he discovered the gilded dagger in Pingwu City and handled it properly, the emperor promoted him to the head of the Gilded Dagger Bureau. He has always been a loner and has a solitary nature. I have never heard of him being on good terms with anyone."
Upon hearing this, Wu Qi glanced at the corpse and thought to himself: It was Zhou Lang who discovered the halberd in Pingwu City.
The enemy boasted that Bei Kun was invincible, which sounded satisfying, but it was indeed nonsense.
Without the gilded halberd, the Northern Kun is nothing but a lump of scrap metal; forget about entering the sea, even moving a foot is a pipe dream. The gilded halberd is the soul of the Northern Kun and a rare treasure. After the Battle of the Four Seas, all nations are researching the Northern Kun and naturally know that the gilded halberd is of paramount importance, so they all go to great lengths to adopt it.
Li Xi placed the halberd he had taken from Zhou Lang's mouth in front of Wu Qi and Yi Shen, his face showing reluctance, and said, "This is the halberd he had in his mouth when he died."
Under the lamplight, the glittering jade dagger shone brightly, swaying slightly within the jade artifact as she moved.
Li Xi glanced regretfully at the dead Zhou Lang and sighed, "Chief Zhou was an upright and honorable official, a high-ranking minister, and a loyal minister."
boom--
Wu Qi's heart was struck by these words.
Although the Emperor said they didn't need to feign ignorance, it was best to cover it up and pretend not to know anything when asked. But she had actually seen the two burying the body, and now she knew that the deceased was actually a high-ranking official in the court.
Even if a villain is murdered, the world should investigate the cause of death, let alone when the deceased is Zhou Lang.
Thinking this through, Wu Qi said solemnly, "The 'Liu Ge' mentioned by Chief Zhou is not the 'Liu Ge' of the tiger's side."
Li Xi was not very familiar with the Liuge, but after hearing Wu Qi's words, he picked up the Liuge and examined it closely under the lamp. He saw that the Liuge gleamed under the lamp.
She asked, "Why does the lady make such a judgment?"
Wu Qi replied, "The gilded halberds from Tiger's Edge are dark and dense in color, mostly used in the Northern Kun region, and heavily guarded by soldiers. The selection process is extremely rigorous, making it difficult for ordinary people to obtain them. However, the gilded halberds mentioned by Chief Zhou are thinner and brighter in color, so they must be from Pingwu Mountain."
The origins of the glittering dagger are twofold. One is Hubangxue, which is not far from the capital. Wu Qi's father, Wu Shanyun, was the first to discover the glittering dagger here and use it in Beikun. The other is Pingwu Mountain, located in Pingwu City. The glittering dagger here has a bright color and is often used for small items such as glass lamps or swallow chicks because it is relatively thin.
Li Xi murmured, "Pingwu City..."
Pingwu City is far from the capital, located in a frigid region; even at top speed, it would take two days and two nights to reach it. Without seeing the actual scene, Wu Qi dared not make a definitive statement, and could only say, "Liuge Mountain in Pingwu is also heavily guarded, but after all, the emperor is far away."
Even if the murderer wasn't from Pingwu, it's likely that he had some connection to Pingwu.
However, Wu Qi did not say these words aloud.
Just then, a man dressed in light black and red armor came to report, "An old man was found in the bamboo grove in the backyard of Chief Zhou's residence. He is Chief Zhou's servant, but he is terrified and clinging to the bamboo."
Li Xi said, "Let's go take a look together."
The mansion where Zhou Lang lived was bestowed by the Emperor. It was far from the bustling city, quiet and secluded, a rare tranquil place in the capital, and indeed, it was quite unique.
Wu Qi looked northwest and said that if he followed this road straight, he would arrive at the Moonfall Camp.
This mansion is not far from the Moonfall Camp.
As far as she knew, the Moonfall Camp was under the jurisdiction of the Golden Temple, and its elite soldiers took turns on duty day and night. If the servants had sought help from the Moonfall Camp in time when Zhou Lang encountered misfortune, Zhou Lang would certainly not have met such a tragic end.
Could it be that Zhou Lang did not die at the Zhou residence?
Or perhaps Zhou Lang was killed by someone he knew?
All his doubts vanished when Wu Qi saw the servant carrying bamboo.
The servant, dressed in tattered hemp clothes, with cloudy eyes and a face like boot leather, trembled as he hugged the thickest bamboo in the bamboo forest. He laughed maniacally at them, sometimes silent, sometimes shouting. No matter how many people asked him questions, he would only hug the bamboo and say one sentence: "Humans are worse than dogs, humans are worse than dogs!"
Upon seeing this, Wu Qi thought to himself, "Zhou Lang died in the Zhou residence, and this servant should know something about it."
Yi Shen was very tall. He took a small step forward, without needing to measure, so that he could cover most of Wu Qi behind him without blocking her view.
The person behind him suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
Yi Shen turned his head and heard Wu Qi say, "Yi Shen, don't you think that servant is looking at you?"
With too many people around, Wu Qi dared not speak loudly for fear of causing trouble. He could only tug at Yi Shen's sleeve, tiptoe close to his ear, and whisper, "But we don't know this person."
Suddenly, she paused, then asked incredulously, "You've been seeing other people behind my back?"
"No, I don't know him."
The servant's eyes cleared for a moment upon seeing Yi Shen, then his gaze swept over Wu Qi before he reverted to his foolish state. When he spoke again, he mistook Yi Shen for Zhou Lang, pointing at Yi Shen and weeping bitterly, "Foolish, foolish! Bad people come from poor and remote places. Why did you save them, A Lang? You might as well let them die in the cold winter and be bitten to death by dogs!"
The crowd stepped forward again and asked in a low voice, but the servant only shouted, "Humans are worse than dogs, humans are worse than dogs, Pingwu City is worse than a doghouse, a doghouse is good, Pingwu City is bitten by dogs!"
Wu Qi stared intently at the servant, who occasionally met her gaze. She thought to herself: This man is neither foolish nor stupid; he is quite clever. He is feigning madness to sue Pingwu City.
It seems that if we want to thoroughly investigate this case, we should go to Pingwu City.
Li Xi also saw through this and said to Wu Qi and Yi Shen, "Please make preparations, we will be going to Pingwu tomorrow."
The Zhou residence was vast, yet the servants could only hide in the bamboo grove in the backyard, neither eating nor drinking, presumably for their own safety. Wu Qi asked, "May I ask, Lord Li, what about these servants?"
"Put this man in jail and keep him under strict guard. No one may see him without my permission."
"yes."
Several people stepped forward to help the servants. The old man who had been holding onto the bamboo tightly earlier let go of it and allowed the men to take him to the prison. When he passed Wu Qi, he glanced at her.
Wu Qi nodded silently to the servant.
"Today's matter is now concluded," Li Xi said. "We will depart for Pingwu promptly at 1:15 AM tomorrow. Please inform your parents at home, but this matter is of great importance, and since the truth has not yet been uncovered, please refrain from further discussion."
The two agreed.
Inside the carriage, Wu Qi shook Yi Shen's sleeve, his previous composure completely gone.
"Yi Shen, Yi Shen, I was wrong. Please don't remain silent. I know I acted rashly. Please forgive me, Third Young Master Yi. The renowned and pure Third Young Master, taciturn, magnanimous, and compassionate..."
She went further and further absurdly, even using the phrase "as beautiful as an angel" to describe Yi Shen.
The newly tailored clothes were wrinkled by Wu Qi's grip, but Yi Shen showed no displeasure and let Wu Qi apologize to him. When he heard the phrase "beautiful as a flower and the moon," he frowned almost imperceptibly.
“Sit still,” he said.
The Yi family's carriage was spacious and comfortable. Wu Qi, instead of sitting in a perfectly good seat, insisted on squeezing in with Yi Shen. Hearing Yi Shen speak, she thought to herself, "Thank goodness, he really wasn't angry."
Wu Qi remained seated, still clutching his sleeve, and said, "How can I sit still if you don't forgive me? Not only can I not sit still, I'm also constantly on edge, unable to eat or sleep, and thinking about you day and night."
Seeing that she was about to continue speaking, Yi Shen said, "You did nothing wrong, and I'm not angry."
"Then why don't you speak?"
Yi Shen glanced at her and said, "Didn't you just say I'm taciturn?"
Wu Qi thought about it and realized that among the idioms she had just mentioned, there really was one that meant "taciturn".
She laughed so hard she almost fell over, and only when she looked out the window did she realize that a light drizzle had started to fall without her noticing.
The capital city has always been bustling, and the light rain could not hide the noise at all. Only raindrops and wisps of wind could be seen sweeping across the bricks and tiles, and sparrows on the eaves perched in the distance, leisurely enjoying the slanting wind and drizzle. The continuous drizzle fell to the ground without disturbing ordinary people.
Wu Qi reached her hand out the window and caught the fine raindrops. The cool, moist raindrops fell into her palm. She smelled the fragrance of flowers hidden in the rain and let a gust of wind blow the raindrops onto her face.
When she looked at Yi Shen again, her eyes were filled with a smile.
"With the fragrance of flowers and the gentle rain as our companions, it seems our trip to Pingwu was fraught with danger but ultimately safe," Wu Qi said with a smile. "Congratulations in advance to Young Master Yi for uncovering the truth! Congratulations!"
"Congratulations to you too," Yi Shen said.
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