Chapter 91
Xu San's crimes were discovered, but it was still difficult to find evidence and bring him to justice.
The fastest way is to send people to Nanman to find the other disciples of Master Xu San who raises Gu.
However, the murder happened in Nanman, and both the murderer and the victim were from Nanman. So Xu San would have to be handed over to Nanman for handling.
Some sentimental female relatives felt a little sympathy when they thought that after Xu San left, Xu Tao had lost her loyal guard, was blind, and had no good home.
Chu Hua: [Tong'er, is Xu Tao completely blind?]
The system is still very rigorous: [Almost.]
Just when everyone thought Chu Huan might have a way to save Xu Tao, she said, "I hope the cooperation between Dasheng and Nanman can begin as soon as possible, so that she can see the light again soon."
It turned out that she had no choice, and everyone just felt sorry.
Soon, the birthday party was over.
After seeing off the other guests, Chu Huan returned to her room to write a letter.
Qingzhu was grinding ink nearby, not daring to disturb her. The system didn't have that concern: "Sister Huan, who are you writing to?"
Chu Hua: [Shuntian Prefecture.]
The serial murders of headless corpses have caused panic among the people of the capital. The system has investigated the entire case so clearly. If she does nothing, it will not only be inconsistent with her own code of conduct, but also easily damage the current relationship between her and the court.
System: [You and Shuntian Prefecture didn't have much of a past relationship. You rashly told them you solved a case they had no clue about. Isn't that a slap in the face?]
Since this is a group chat mode, it didn't say: Even if the Shuntian prefect had a high degree of favorability towards you in the past and frequently wanted you to go to Shuntian prefecture to investigate cases, there is a high possibility that you will offend someone this time.
Chu Huan paused while writing the letter. It wasn't that she didn't have concerns, but the present moment was more important than a possibility.
[Every day of delay could result in more victims. Human life is paramount.]
[There's nothing you can do when you don't know, but once you know, you can't keep procrastinating until the best time to act.]
The system is a data code that can understand that "human life is the most important thing" but cannot empathize.
For it, the safety and honor of the host it is bound to are the first priority, and the host's interests should not be harmed because of others.
Then, it thought that the host would be the empress in the future, and had the awareness of "loving the people like one's own children" in advance. This was a good thing!
The system stopped trying to persuade him: [I am your ruler, whatever you say is what I will do.]
Chu Huan didn't know what the system was thinking, but when she heard the inexplicably rippling tone of the system, she felt it was better not to ask.
Don't worry, I won't be so reckless as to reveal all the information you've found. I'm just pointing out that the murderer chopped off the body's head, most likely because the fatal wound was in the head, and the murderer is trying to hide the traces.
System: [Yes, you can give a subtle reminder, but if you say the cause of death was eye gouging, that would reveal too much.]
[Perhaps the Shuntian Prefecture will even wonder if you're in cahoots with the murderer? Otherwise, how could they infer something about the eyes based on just a few rumors? Even the best detectives wouldn't be that far-fetched.]
This is why Chu Huan carefully considered: [Yes, remind them to go to the mass grave again.]
How could the murderer, who killed, beheaded, and disposed of bodies so brutally, have only found a dozen victims in four months? There must be other bodies that have not been found in Shuntian Prefecture. A mass grave is the perfect place to hide them.
System: [How do we draw their attention to Su Shou, Wang Lin, and Yang Si?]
Chu Hua: [There are so many bodies with their eyes gouged out in the mass grave. The Shuntian Prefecture yamen runners, through either surveillance or investigation, will soon find Yang Si. It won't be difficult to follow up with Wang Lin, Su Shou, and Xu San.]
Anyway, after the Jinyiwei submitted the report, the Shuntian prefect knew who to bring to justice. It was just a superficial reason, which was reasonable. As long as both parties were willing to keep the peace, it would be fine.
This is indeed the case.
When Cai Gang arrived at Shuntian Prefecture with Chu Huan's letter, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was reading the report sent from the palace. The sadness on his face gradually dissipated as he read the content.
"I see! This prefecture has long said that she should be allowed to come to Shuntian Prefecture. She should belong to my Shuntian Prefecture!"
Cai Gang: "..." If you have the guts to say this in front of the Minister of Justice, see if he will beat you.
He glanced at the envelope in his hand and put it on the table silently, "Sir, this is a letter from Miss Chu."
"Got it, let it go." Shuntian Prefecture Governor was busy looking over the details of the serial murder case and responded casually. Suddenly, he remembered something and called out to Cai Gang who was about to leave. "Cai Gang, wait a moment and take a letter back to this government."
Cai Gang:?
The Shuntian prefect opened Chu Huan's letter and read it quickly, then wrote a warning as he continued, "If Miss Chu asks about it later, please say good things about me. Praise me for working late at night and being loyal to my duties, but be careful not to overdo it, or she might think I'm buying you off."
Cai Gang: “…”
The Imperial Guards were the emperor's trusted aides. Who would dare to bribe them openly? Do you think your life is too long?
Shuntian Prefecture's full attention was on the letter in his hand, and he didn't notice Cai Gang's indescribable expression. "If you could help play up her misery, let her know how difficult our Shuntian Prefecture is, arouse her sympathy, and let her come to Shuntian Prefecture to help investigate the case, that would be great."
"That's right! When you praise Shuntian Prefecture, remember not to mention the Ministry of Justice. If Miss Chu goes to the Ministry of Justice and tries so hard but the Ministry of Justice gets there first, this prefecture will be vomiting to death!"
"besides……"
Cai Gang was so nagging that his expression became numb and his eyes were dull. After returning to Qianhuaju, he couldn't wait to hand the reply letter to Chu Huan.
Chu Huan asked with concern, "Did something happen on the way? You don't look very happy."
The system slowly popped up: [? ] What's up? Are there any free melons to eat?
Jia Yi, Qing Zhu and others cast curious glances at him.
Cai Gang was happy about Chu Huan's concern, but speechless about the gossip of Jia Yi and others. He had to say it - to prevent the system from being curious and checking what the Shuntian Prefecture Governor was doing before Chu Huan's letter was delivered.
"The Shuntian Prefecture Governor asked his subordinates to help speak well of her in front of the young lady, so that she would choose to go to Shuntian Prefecture instead of the Ministry of Justice to help investigate the case."
Chu Hua nodded to indicate that she had received the message: "Then?"
Cai Gang closed his eyes and said helplessly, "The Shuntian prefect is even more nagging than my grandma."
System: [Poof——]
The system's laughter seemed to have turned on a switch, and laughter, some suppressed and some obvious, could be heard all around.
"Ahem." Chu Huan covered her lips with one hand to hide the smile on her face. "Thank you for your hard work. Next time, try wearing Jia Yi."
Cai Gang instantly became happy: "Thank you, Miss."
Jia Yi's smile slowly disappeared, and he secretly made up his mind: If there is a next time, he will run away after delivering the letter, and will never give the Shuntian prefect a chance to nag him!
The content of the reply from the Shuntian prefect was nothing more than thanking Chu Huan for providing clues, praising her excellent ability to solve cases, and inviting her to visit Shuntian Prefecture sometime.
Chu Huan put it aside after reading it. What was bothering her now was what reason to use to promote the cooperation between Dasheng and Nanman.
This is also what troubled the emperor and his officials.
"If the Nanman can replace their eyes, they can replace their arms and legs. This technology must be promoted to the army!" The generals were so excited that their eyes turned red.
They all rose to rank based on their military merits in killing one man after another on the battlefield. No one knows the cruelty of the battlefield better than them, and they know that behind every battle there are countless people who left the army because of missing limbs.
Even if the replaced arms and legs are not as useful as before and he cannot continue to stay on the battlefield, at least he can return to his hometown to farm and work without affecting his daily life, instead of feeling that he is a burden to his family because of his disability and feeling depressed for the rest of his life.
The civil officials understood the importance of this technology and did not deny the opinions of the military generals.
"According to it, this technology still has significant limitations and is far from being able to be widely used."
“No matter how big the restrictions are, you have to do it again and again. Only by knowing what’s wrong can you make progress.”
"Yes, we must never give up just because of the restrictions!"
"Can the Imperial Hospital give it a try first?"
All the officials silently looked at the Imperial Physician hiding in the crowd: Don’t think that we can’t see you just because you hide in the corner!
The emperor himself had no need for this operation, but he saw the huge benefits behind it and was tempted.
"Has the Imperial Hospital conducted any research in this area?"
The Imperial Hospital Envoy had to step out and said, "Your Majesty, no."
In principle, imperial physicians only treat members of the royal family, but are sometimes sent by the emperor to treat officials.
Due to the patient's identity and status, imperial physicians usually play it safe when treating patients, and say they are 70% sure when they are 90% sure, just to leave themselves room for maneuver.
With such stability, why would they engage in research that could easily lead to fatalities? If they were reported by colleagues who disliked them, their positions and heads would be gone.
Although they understood it, the emperor and his officials were still a little disappointed. Why was it okay in the Southern Barbarians but not in the Great Sheng?
The whole nation is not as martial as the Northern Di, not as treacherous and cunning as the Western Rong, and not as good as the Southern Barbarians in curing illnesses and saving lives. Is this how the Great Sheng Dynasty was?
The Imperial Hospital Director, still remembering Chu Huan's kindness to the hospital, immediately suggested, "To us, an eye transplant seems like a fantasy, but Lord Chu makes a very clear case. Why not let Lord Chu come?"
The officials hesitated.
The military generals felt that this matter was more important than women attending court. Moreover, the court already had female generals and female military officers, so having more female civil servants would not be a problem - that was the civil servants' headache.
The civil officials wanted to refuse, but the military generals were watching closely and were determined to promote this technology. They did not dare to offend the public - these warriors hit people painfully and had no martial ethics!
The emperor was amused. He had thought Chu Huan would have to wait for a few more years to study, but he didn't expect her progress to be so fast.
At this rate, his second princess would soon be able to wear armor and return to the capital with the honor of a mighty female general.
The old Grand Tutor stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Chu Huan is not talented or knowledgeable enough to handle the important task of maintaining diplomatic relations and cooperation between our two countries."
The old tutor also didn't think the timing was right: "Your Majesty, Chu Huan is still young and hasn't completed her studies. She's not suitable for the imperial examination or recommendation, and shouldn't enter the court."
If I really take office, should I go to the Honglu Temple or the Imperial Hospital?
Instead of holding a small official position and running errands, it is better to give some instructions behind the scenes and let others do it. At least you won’t waste your precious time on the road.
General Xuanwei took a step forward and was about to say something, but when he received a look from Prince Furui, he retreated.
The Imperial Hospital envoy, seeing the consistent attitude of the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor, realized that the timing was wrong and quickly made amends: "It is my fault for not considering it carefully. Master Chu is weak and cannot withstand the miasma and poisonous insects of the southern barbarians."
General Xuanwei: “…”
No one knew better than him, the martial arts master, whether Chu Huan was weak or not, but at this moment he could not and would not say anything.
The emperor walked down the stairs and said, "You reminded me that her health has not yet fully recovered. In that case, I will leave this matter to the Second Prince and the Imperial Hospital."
The Second Prince: "Your son obeys your order."
The Imperial Hospital Director said, "Your humble servant obeys my order."
Five days later, Shuntian Prefecture announced that the headless corpse case had been solved, and posted details of the crimes of Su Shou, Wang Lin, and Yang Si for public disclosure.
The next day, the envoy from the Imperial Hospital rushed to the Chu family early in the morning, just in time to see the Chu family seeing Chu Qin off from Beijing.
After Chu Huan sent Chu Qin back to Qianhua Residence, the Imperial Hospital Envoy hurriedly asked, "Master Chu, do you know anything about the Nanman Gu?"
Here we come!
Chu Huan's heart tightened, but her expression remained calm: "I don't know much."
The Imperial Hospital official briefly explained how Xu San was implicated in the serial murders: "According to Xu San, when he was a medicine boy, he did raise many strange and bizarre Gu, many of which could cure people, including those suffering from constipation and poisoning."
"I believe Lord Chu has some knowledge of cowpox, penicillin, malaria, etc. Perhaps he also has some insights into eye replacement?"
Chu Hua spoke frankly, "I really can't help you with this matter, Your Excellency. I only know that replacing eyes or other organs requires checking blood type, compatibility, nerve connections, and anti-rejection procedures, but I don't know how to do it specifically."
Every bit of information counted, and the two discussed what Chu Huan knew. The Imperial Medical Bureau envoy left with the records in satisfaction.
Half a month later, the second prince, along with some officials from the Honglu Temple and the Imperial Hospital, went to Nanman to discuss cooperation between the two countries.
That night, the Shuntian prefect rushed to the merchant's house, sweating profusely. He stopped Chu Huan before she boarded the carriage to go home: "Miss Chu, you must help me!"
Chu Huan had one foot on the ground and the other on the pedal. Upon hearing this, she silently withdrew her foot.
"Why do you say that, Lord Prefect?"
The Shuntian prefect was almost crying: "The eye-gouging devil has appeared again."
Chu Hua: ???
Chu Huan:!!!
The system was shocked: [What's going on? Do all of you humans love digging out other people's eyes?]
Everyone: "..." Humans are not to blame for this.
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