Chapter 692 (First Update)
"Liulang! Liulang, where have you gone? Liulang!"
It was Mu Chuan's voice.
Gu Jiao had been gone for too long, and Mu Chuan waited for her in vain. So he went out to look for her with Zhao Wei, Yuan Xiao and others. A young palace maid from Zhonghe Palace also came with them.
This is the small courtyard of the Hall of Central Harmony, where generally no one comes. Apart from a small wooden hut for storing cleaning tools, there is a high wall and several large trees.
At this moment, Gu Jiao was squatting under a big tree near the high wall. In front of her was a man lying in a pool of blood, and near the small wooden house behind her were three unconscious eunuchs.
"What... what's going on?" Yuan Xiao asked, dumbfounded.
"Sixth Brother!" Mu Chuan strode over.
Yuan Xiao and Zhao Wei quickly followed.
As they passed the cabin, they all glanced at the three eunuchs lying haphazardly.
Yuan Xiaochong and the other man shook their heads.
He could tell that the three of them were already dead.
Zhao Wei looked worriedly at the small figure squatting on the ground, seemingly drawing circles or doing something else: "Is Liu Lang alright? Is he injured or scared out of his wits?"
This looks like a horrific murder scene!
What normal person would squat there? Even if they weren't scared away, they should at least run far away to distance themselves from the situation, right?
The three quickly approached Xiao Liulang's side, with Mu Chuan on the left and Yuan Xiao and Zhao Wei on the right. Zhao Wei, feeling that he was too far from Xiao Liulang, simply walked around the man on the ground and came to the opposite side of Gu Jiao.
Meanwhile, the young palace maid who had come with them had already gone to fetch someone.
"Liu Lang, are you alright?"
The three of them asked in unison.
As they played polo together for a long time, their teamwork and understanding gradually improved.
Gu Jiao said "Oh" and then added, "It's nothing."
Of the three, only Mu Chuan had seen Nangong Li before. Unfortunately, Nangong Li's face was covered in blood, making his appearance unrecognizable. In addition, Mu Chuan was preoccupied with worrying about Xiao Liulang, so he did not recognize him.
Mu Chuan frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
Gu Jiao said honestly, "He was killed."
Mu Chuan looked at Gu Jiao in confusion: "Then why are you squatting here? Are you waiting to be arrested as a murderer?"
I am the murderer.
Gu Jiao said, "My legs are numb."
It's really numb, the kind of numbness that makes it impossible to get up.
Mu Chuan: "..."
Yuan Xiao: "..."
Zhao Wei: "..."
Mu Chuan and Yuan Xiao each extended one hand and lifted Gu Jiao up.
On the other side, a young palace maid brought over the head eunuch of the Zhonghe Hall, who was none other than Li Sande. Behind Li Sande were several palace guards.
It wasn't the Imperial Guard. Only the emperor had the authority to command the Imperial Guard. Right now, the emperor was holding court in the Golden Palace, and Li Sande hadn't reported it yet.
Li Sande spotted several students from Tianqiong Academy at a glance, his gaze landing on Gu Jiao's collar.
When Mu Chuan and the other two followed his gaze, their minds immediately went blank.
Good heavens!
Why is there a bloody handprint on Liu Lang's clothes?
Gu Jiao was squatting there, hugging her knees, her clothes covering her, so they didn't notice the bloody handprint immediately.
This was put there when Nangong Li grabbed her clothes and left his last words before he died.
According to Gu Jiao's original plan, she would flee as soon as Nangong Li breathed his last. It didn't matter if her clothes got dirty, as she was wearing an extra layer underneath.
But her legs went numb.
Plan A was declared a failure, but luckily she came up with Plan B in a moment of inspiration.
Next, execute Plan B.
The palace maid had already reported the situation to Li Sande. Li Sande knew that Mu Chuan and the other two arrived later, and that Xiao Liulang was the only person at the scene of the crime at the time.
Li Sande confirmed the identities of the three eunuchs. The youngest eunuch was surnamed Hu, and everyone called him Little Mustache. The other two eunuchs were named Tong Gong and Wei Xi.
Neither of them were eunuchs serving in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Instead, they came from the Imperial Kitchen, one of the twelve kitchens, which was in charge of imperial meals, palace food, and banquets.
Due to their special functions, the Twelve Directors have the right to enter and exit the three main halls. The two men have come today to inquire about the King's lunch arrangements.
But didn't they already ask their questions and leave? Why were they killed here?
Even more bizarrely, there were sacks and ropes on the ground, their purpose unknown. What were they for?
"Are you sure it was murder?" Li Sande asked several palace guards.
The three nodded, completely certain.
Gu Jiao looked at Li Sande and his group. The deaths of these three eunuchs had nothing to do with her; they were accidentally killed by Nangong Li's internal energy.
Li Sande went to look at the man under the tree again. Compared to the three eunuchs, this man's death was much more gruesome. He had been pierced through the chest with a sharpened branch. The murderer hadn't even taken the weapon; he had just arrogantly left it at the scene.
Li Sande sensed the seriousness of the matter. He was the head eunuch of the Zhonghe Hall, and a murder had occurred right under his nose. No matter how you looked at it, it was his dereliction of duty.
He just couldn't understand it. The palace was heavily guarded. Who would have the audacity to cause trouble in the palace?
"Didn't you find anyone suspicious?" he asked the accompanying guards.
The guard shook his head.
Gu Jiao was not surprised by this. It was true that the palace was heavily guarded, but for a master like Nangong Li, it was not too difficult to avoid being seen.
In addition, Nangong Li was likely very familiar with the shift changes and patrols of the palace guards, which allowed him to exploit the loopholes in the defenses.
The location of the kill must have been carefully chosen by Nangong Li, as it was a blind spot in the Zhonghe Hall.
Li Sande finally arrived in front of Nangong Li. This time, he looked at Nangong Li's face carefully and felt that something was wrong the more he looked.
He took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off Nangong Li's face. Then he exclaimed in surprise and stood up!
"Eunuch Li!"
The guards thought the man had come back to life and rushed over to protect Li Sande.
But when they saw the face that had been wiped clean of blood, they showed the same shocked expression as Li Sande.
Given the gravity of the matter, Li Sande immediately inquired about Gu Jiao's specific situation.
Who is the murderer?
What happened?
What about the bloody handprints on the lapel?
"I don't know."
"I didn't see it."
“When I arrived, the other three had already passed away. This one was still breathing. I know a little about traditional Chinese medicine, so I thought I would try to save him. He grabbed my clothes, as if he wanted to tell me who the murderer was, but unfortunately, he died before he could finish speaking.”
Gu Jiao spoke calmly and confidently, without a trace of guilt.
Mu Chuan quickly said, "I can testify! Xiao Liulang really does know medicine!"
Zhao Wei chimed in, “That’s right! We can all testify! On the day we clashed with Pingyang Academy, students from Zizhu Academy and Songshan Academy got into a fight, which resulted in the collapse of the pavilion’s wall. Xiao Liulang was there to help! Several deans were also present! If you don’t believe me, you can send someone to ask!”
Yuan Xiao added, "And the Duke of Anguo! Xiao Liulang treated the Duke of Anguo's illness!"
In fact, there is no necessary causal relationship between Gu Jiao's medical skills and her ability to save Nangong Li. However, as long as it is proven that her medical skills are genuine, her decision to stay and save the injured is valid.
To overturn this fact, sufficiently strong evidence must be found.
Judging from the bloody handprints on her body, there are only two possibilities for her being here: either to save someone or to kill someone.
The motive for saving her was already there: she was a doctor, skilled and compassionate, and wouldn't stand by and watch someone die.
The motive for the murder is hard to say.
Mu Chuan said, "Xiao Liulang is not from Yan. He has only been in Shengdu for a month. He does not know General Nangong or those three eunuchs. Why would he kill them?"
"Perhaps he was acting on someone's orders?" one of the guards speculated.
Mu Chuan chuckled and said, "Did you instruct General Nangong to sneak into His Majesty's Zhonghe Hall? Or did you instruct those three eunuchs to obediently come here and line up to be killed?"
Indeed, the fact that all four of them appeared here together is a major point of suspicion in the case. No matter how you look at it, Xiao Liulang doesn't seem to have the ability to bring all four of them here at once.
Mu Chuan continued, "Most importantly, General Nangong is highly skilled in martial arts, and Xiao Liulang hasn't been gone for long. Do you really think that a student from Tianqiong Academy could kill the renowned General Nangong of our Great Yan Kingdom with a tree branch in such a short time?"
Mu Chuan's words struck a chord with the group.
Yes, putting aside the motive and the timing of the crime, it is simply absurd that a student from a lower country could kill a famous general from a higher country.
However, it wasn't enough for Li Sande to believe it; since it concerned General Nangong, the emperor also needed to believe it.
Li Sande personally went to wait outside the Golden Palace, and as soon as the king finished his court session, he reported the matter of the Zhonghe Hall to the king.
The king's face turned very ugly.
Li Sande knelt on the ground, his back soaked in cold sweat from fear.
There are many suspicious points in this matter, the most important of which is why Nangong Li sneaked into the palace without permission.
In fact, this one crime alone was enough for the king to execute him, but being executed by the king is one thing, being killed by someone else is another story.
"Zhang Dequan".
"Your servant is here."
"Go and summon the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Minister of Justice."
"yes."
This case needs to be thoroughly investigated.
The king continued, "Furthermore, that student should be taken to the imperial prison and severely tortured."
The Heavenly Prison used forty-nine kinds of cruel torture, yet they still couldn't extract any information from him.
If that student lies, the prison will find out the truth.
If he endures all the punishments, the king will not pursue the matter further, regardless of the truth.
Because the king had declared that as long as someone could endure all the tortures in the imperial prison, he would be released on the spot, even if he was guilty.
Unfortunately, no one has succeeded so far; many have died halfway through the torture.
Zhang Dequan first sent people to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, and then he personally escorted Gu Jiao away.
A short while later, he returned to the main hall of Zhonghe Hall, his expression somewhat complicated.
The king sat behind his desk and glanced at him indifferently: "What is it?"
Zhang Dequan said, caught in a dilemma, "The person...the person hasn't been taken to the prison."
The king closed his eyes to rest: "He committed suicide?"
Zhang Dequan said, "No."
The king said calmly, "So he confessed?"
"No, not exactly," Zhang Dequan said sheepishly. "The young princess pulled him away. She said... that student was her teacher!"
(End of this chapter)
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