Chapter 141: Don't you worry about it

Don't you worry about it.

Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang's words made a lot of sense. Although it was a secret to outsiders that Nie Jinxuan could perform autopsies, it was already common knowledge among the imperial clan.

After all, back then, when Lady Tong's corpse had been destroyed to such a state that the imperial physicians didn't even dare to look at it, Nie Jinxuan had stepped forward and performed the examination with clean, swift movements. With a flick of her wrist and a cut of her blade, she had explained the cause of death in perfect order. One could only imagine how many people had been shocked by the situation at that time!

Therefore, since the murderer was able to kill Lady Tong at Zuixiashanzhuang, it was highly likely that they also knew about Nie Jinxuan's autopsy skills. From there, it was not difficult to deduce her importance in the current case!

Thus, as soon as Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang finished speaking, the room fell into an immediate silence. But then, Zuo Wei couldn't help but frown, and then, looking somewhat conflicted, he whispered:

"Uh... c-could it be that the murderer is a member of the imperial clan?"

Zuo Wei said this with a hint of nervousness. As soon as he spoke, he immediately drew the gaze of everyone in the room. Being stared at by everyone, Zuo Wei hurriedly shook his head.

"Uh... haha, don't look at me. I was just following what His Highness Prince Rui said earlier to make that inference..."

Zuo Wei explained repeatedly, but the others couldn't help but frown. At this moment, Nie Jinxuan, who had been silent until now, said:

"His Highness Prince Rui's words just now were reasonable, so Magistrate Zuo's inference is also not a problem! After all, back at Zuixiashanzhuang, there were indeed only members of the imperial clan present, and since Lady Tong was a consort of the inner palace, whoever dared to lay a hand on her would certainly not be an ordinary person... It's just that these are currently only speculations. To determine the truth, we still need decisive evidence!"

As she analyzed the situation before them in an orderly manner, the people present nodded one after another. But just then, Yin Fengzhan suddenly said in a deep voice:

"There is definitely an inside mole!"

……

Yin Fengzhan's words were very sudden, so sudden that the few people present were all startled at once. Immediately, Zuo Wei, who was sitting to the side, couldn't help but roll his small eyes and cast a quiet glance at Yin Fengzhan, but he didn't speak. Mo Yujue frowned, and even Yin Fengxiang was left speechless at this moment!

For a time, the room fell into an eerie silence once again. But amidst the silence of the group, Nie Jinxuan moved the corner of her eye slightly, then raised her gaze to look at Yin Fengzhan.

"Is there any evidence?"

Nie Jinxuan asked the question that was on everyone's mind. So, as soon as Nie Jinxuan finished speaking, everyone instantly turned their gazes back to Yin Fengzhan.

"No evidence!"

"If there is no evidence, why are you so certain?"

"Because those masked men were lying in ambush on the road, not following us from the Ministry of Punishments!"

Yin Fengzhan gave a reason that left people feeling puzzled, and upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but feel a bit dazed. But at this moment, Mo Yujue's eyes flashed.

"His Highness Prince Chen is right!"

As he spoke, Mo Yujue raised his eyes to look at Nie Jinxuan.

"It is likely no longer a secret that the Third Miss is currently in charge of investigating the case. And the fact that the masked men were able to intercept the Third Miss at a designated location last night clearly shows it was premeditated. So, just imagine, if they didn't know the Third Miss would be returning at night, how could they have set up an ambush there beforehand?!"

"In other words, those masked men knew the Third Miss would return after dark last night, which is why they made such arrangements. And this information was naturally told to them by the true culprit! But how did the true culprit know? Then, there can only be one possibility... that the true culprit planted an inside mole at the Ministry of Punishments and reported our situation at any time. That is why the true culprit knew the Third Miss hadn't returned earlier, and thus set an ambush on the only path she could take! The only thing the true culprit miscalculated was that His Highness Prince Rui would be escorting the Third Miss home that night!"

Mo Yujue explained in a low voice, and after finishing, he turned his head to look at Yin Fengzhan.

"And it is precisely because of this that His Highness Prince Chen is so certain there is an inside mole at the Ministry of Punishments, right! After all, if those masked men had been following us all the way from the entrance of the Ministry of Punishments, then given His Highness Prince Chen's cultivation, it would be impossible for him not to know!"

No one knew how deep Yin Fengzhan's cultivation was. But relying on the intuition of a martial artist, Mo Yujue believed that Yin Fengzhan was definitely a master among masters! At this moment, hearing Mo Yujue say this, everyone suddenly realized the truth. Yin Fengzhan, however, remained expressionless, his deep and cold eyes revealing not a hint of joy or anger.

The room fell into silence, and at this time, after looking up at Yin Fengzhan, Nie Jinxuan then said:

"So, according to Young Master Mo, the murderer has planted an inside mole within the Ministry of Punishments... In that case, wouldn't the Ministry of Punishments also be very unsafe? After all, the murderer could send people to attack me, and could also take the opportunity to harm everyone else!"

Nie Jinxuan was somewhat worried. Upon hearing this, Mo Yujue nodded slightly.

"It seems we must change locations! But exactly where..."

"Come here!"

Mo Yujue was hesitating about where to move the location to. But before he could finish, he was instantly interrupted by Yin Fengzhan. As soon as those words fell, the few people present were stunned, and then Nie Jinxuan was the first to stand up and object.

"No! This place is also not safe!"

Others might not know, but Nie Jinxuan did. Chen Wang Fu appeared peaceful, but beneath this peaceful facade, no one knew how many secrets were hidden. After all, Nie Jinxuan had not forgotten the scene where she heard Aunt Wu secretly passing messages to someone, and when someone like Aunt Wu, who had been in Chen Wang Fu for so many years, was like this, how could Nie Jinxuan believe that this place was safe?!

Besides, the true culprit who killed Wang Fu and Xiao Ru had not been found yet, so under such circumstances, wouldn't Chen Wang Fu be even more terrifying than a dragon's pool or a tiger's den?!

Nie Jinxuan knew these things in her heart, but she couldn't say them. So, after these words fell, Nie Jinxuan immediately looked at Yin Fengzhan opposite her... But at this moment, upon meeting Nie Jinxuan's eyes, Yin Fengzhan's gaze darkened, and he said coldly:

"Otherwise, where do you want to go? Do you think your Nie residence would be better than here?"

"Even if the Nie residence isn't an option, other places should be fine!"

As she spoke, Nie Jinxuan turned her head to look at Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang, Mo Yujue, and Zuo Wei beside her. Upon hearing Nie Jinxuan say this, Yin Fengxiang nodded without a second thought.

"My place is fine."

"My home is fine."

Yin Fengxiang and Mo Yujue spoke almost simultaneously. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan curled her lips into a smile, but before she could speak, she heard Zuo Wei, who was sitting to the side, wrinkle his nose slightly.

"But Third Miss... Prince Rui's place is indeed nice, but it's a bit far from the Ministry of Punishments. Plus, His Highness Prince Rui has lived in seclusion for these years, and the security at the residence..."

Zuo Wei said this in a very low voice, and as he spoke, he cast a cautious glance at Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang, then turned his head to look at Mo Yujue.

"As for the General's residence... Guard Mo, are you sure your home is alright? Old General Mo hasn't been in very good health lately, and there's your eldest brother and sister-in-law... If we go over, won't we be disturbing them..."

With one sentence after another, Zuo Wei spoke in an extremely low voice, his mung-bean-sized eyes blinking rapidly. When Zuo Wei finished speaking, Yin Fengxiang couldn't help but wrinkle his beautiful brows, while Mo Yujue simply closed his mouth and said nothing.

Seeing this situation, Nie Jinxuan also began to hesitate, but then she looked at Zuo Wei and said:

"Then what about Magistrate Zuo's residence?"

"Me? Uh... is the Third Miss sure she wants to go to my place?"

"Uh... is there a problem?"

"There's no problem, it's just that my home is truly simple, not even having a single guard... uh, haha, so it's really not very suitable..."

Zuo Wei responded with a smile, and at this moment, after confirming that the other places wouldn't work, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but cast her gaze on Yin Fengzhan. Before Nie Jinxuan could speak, she heard Yin Fengzhan say coldly:

"It's settled!"

Yin Fengzhan's way of speaking never left room for others to refute. At this moment, seeing that there was no room for turning back, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but frown in slight annoyance, and then she didn't say anything more, but her eyes kept looking at Yin Fengzhan from time to time, and she pursed her lips in silence.

For a time, the room fell into a brief silence. But after a while, the group's topic returned to the case, and then Mo Yujue said in a low voice:

"Last night, I personally searched the city, but there is still no news of Wang Fang."

Nowadays, Wang Fang's whereabouts were the focus of everyone's concern. Upon hearing this, the people present tightened their brows almost simultaneously. Then Zuo Wei spoke in a low voice:

"Could it be that Wang Fang has already..."

Zuo Wei didn't finish the rest of his sentence, but the meaning was already very clear. At this moment, Nie Jinxuan pondered for a moment and then said directly:

"This cannot be confirmed yet..."

As she spoke, Nie Jinxuan stood up, and while pondering, she said as if to herself:

"I feel this case is becoming increasingly bizarre... Furthermore, based on the murderer's tracks and methods, it is clearly becoming more and more bloody. Among them, in the first four cases, although the murderer showed abnormal cruelty, in the case of the fifth victim, Huang Hu, I already feel something slightly different!"

"First, Huang Hu's body was the most severely damaged, and judging by the rope marks on his hands, it is clear he was tortured by the murderer for many days before finally bleeding to death! Second, like the second victim, Chen Xin, Huang Hu was also subjected to whipping after death, and even more severely than Chen Xin; Third, the murderer cut off Huang Hu's head..."

"Therefore, based on these three points, I feel the murderer has an unusual hatred for Huang Hu. And it is this kind of hatred that has made the murderer become nearly insane and bloody. This means that Huang Hu must have committed some unforgivable crime in the past, which is why he was retaliated against by the murderer in such a way!"

With her eyes narrowed slightly, Nie Jinxuan stated her insights in a low voice. Listening to her words, the people present nodded in agreement, but then Yin Fengxiang interjected slowly:

"I don't know much about Huang Hu, but yesterday when I went back, I privately asked Lan Ping to inquire about Huang Hu's character outside. I only heard that Huang Hu was a talented official's son who usually liked to associate with the city's literati and other familiar official's sons. I didn't hear that he had done anything out of line... So, I feel that rather than the murderer having a feud with Huang Hu, could it actually be that the murderer has a feud with Huang Hu's father, Huang Baiqi, and is thus retaliating against Huang Hu?"

"After all, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Huang Baiqi has been an official in the court for many years. Who knows if he might have formed a feud with someone at some point! And if the murderer knows that Huang Baiqi and the Huang family have pinned all their hopes on Huang Hu, then wouldn't harming Huang Hu be an indirect way of taking revenge on Huang Baiqi?"

True revenge does not necessarily mean putting the other party to death, but making them wish they were dead. And now that the Huang family has lost Huang Hu, it is equivalent to completely wiping out all the Huang family's hopes. Furthermore, if Huang Hu's eldest brother, who is disabled, has no offspring, then it is equivalent to leaving the entire Huang family without descendants!

This is a more brutal revenge than death. But at this moment, hearing Yin Fengxiang's words, Nie Jinxuan shook her head without even thinking.

"I don't think so! Otherwise, Your Highness Prince Rui, think about it: if the murderer really had a feud with Huang Baiqi and captured Huang Hu to retaliate, then in order to achieve the goal of making Huang Baiqi suffer, the murderer would inevitably tell Huang Baiqi. But now, Huang Baiqi and the Huang family are still in the dark, so wouldn't that mean the goal hasn't been achieved?!"

"Besides, the murderer left a note when Huang Hu left. And it is precisely because the Huang family saw that note that they haven't worried about Huang Hu's whereabouts and tracks until now! So, just from these two points, the murderer is not trying to retaliate against Huang Baiqi, but from the very beginning, the murderer's target was Huang Hu!"

Having firmly refuted Yin Fengxiang's inference, Nie Jinxuan paused slightly, and after pondering for a moment, she spoke again:

"Furthermore, there is one thing I don't understand now, and that is why the murderer had to cut off Huang Hu's head... To hide Huang Hu's identity?! It doesn't feel like it... But if it wasn't to hide Huang Hu's identity, why did the murderer specifically cut off Huang Hu's head?! Could it be that this has some special meaning to the murderer?!"

In the modern era, Nie Jinxuan encountered many murder and dismemberment cases. But in those cases, the murderer would dismember the victim to hide the victim's identity or erase some clues, thereby increasing the difficulty for the police to investigate the case!

But in this case, after cutting off Huang Hu's head, the murderer threw him openly into the moat. So it is clear that the murderer does not care whether Huang Hu's identity will be discovered. Then, besides this reason, what other reason would make the murderer do this?

Nie Jinxuan was completely baffled. At this moment, hearing Nie Jinxuan say this, Yin Fengzhan, who had been silent, suddenly had his eyes flash.

"Sacrifice!"

Yin Fengzhan suddenly said in a deep voice. As soon as he said this, everyone present was startled! Then Mo Yujue also suddenly realized.

"So that's it! His Highness Prince Chen's words are very true!"

As he spoke, Mo Yujue turned his head to look at Nie Jinxuan and explained:

"Cutting off a head is an extraordinary thing. Generally speaking, in the Ministry of Punishments or local government offices, if there is a heinous bandit or a serious criminal who commits crimes, and the government cannot capture them, a bounty notice will be issued! In this way, bounty hunters in the pugilistic world will take the task to capture the person."

"And those who can be issued a bounty notice by the government are certainly those who would be sentenced to beheading even if captured. So, in this situation, many bounty notices will note 'regardless of life or death'! That is to say, as long as the bounty hunter has the ability to capture the criminal, whether they are captured alive or killed, they will receive the corresponding bounty! Therefore, sometimes when a criminal is killed, but the body is relatively difficult to bring to the government, the bounty hunter will cut off the criminal's head and send it to the government, and they will also receive the bounty!"

"But Huang Hu was an official's son, so this point can certainly be ruled out. And besides bounty hunters needing a criminal's head, there is only one possibility, and that is sacrifice... That is to say, the murderer has a blood feud with Huang Hu. That is why they killed him, and after killing Huang Hu, cut off his head, and then the murderer took Huang Hu's head to sacrifice to deceased relatives, friends, or others..."

"In short, this person should have an extremely close relationship with the murderer, otherwise they wouldn't do this! And this also explains why the murderer's methods were so cruel, and even after death, they had to whip Huang Hu's body!"

……

Mo Yujue replaced Yin Fengzhan in stating the only possibility. When his voice fell, the large room suddenly became deathly silent.

No one spoke, and an indescribable tension faintly permeated the air. Finally, after a long while, Nie Jinxuan paced back to her previous position and sat down.

"It makes sense. If that's the case, then indeed all things can be solved... Then if the murderer's actions are all absolutely purposeful, then could the previous second victim, Chen Xin, also be the same logic?! It's just that Chen Xin was not the direct cause, so he wasn't beheaded by the murderer, but was cut for flesh..."

Nie Jinxuan said in a low voice, and as she spoke, she narrowed her eyes slightly, then raised her head directly.

"Since that's the case, then let's start from Huang Hu and Chen Xin! Thoroughly investigate their pasts completely and see if we can find clues from them!"

"In addition, if these cases are really as Young Master Mo said just now, then it is clear that the murderer came prepared! That is to say, the previous four victims might also be related to Huang Hu! So, their pasts must also be investigated clearly."

"At the same time, I have always suspected that the murderer started making arrangements and deployments two years ago, and even went so far as to let the fake Bi Yao enter the palace. That is to say, the murderer learned some kind of truth two years ago and then started deploying, and now has finally found the opportunity to take action and start a killing spree... Therefore, something must have happened two years ago, even leading to someone's death!"

Speaking of this, Nie Jinxuan paused slightly, then turned her head to look at Zuo Wei.

"So, could I trouble Magistrate Zuo to find all the cases involving loss of life that have occurred in the capital and the prefectures and counties near the capital starting from two years ago, up to ten years ago—oh, and also include missing persons cases—so that we can investigate whether there are any homicides related to this case!"

A key breakthrough had finally been found in the confusing case. Immediately, the few people in the room discussed some arrangements regarding the case, and then Zuo Wei left first with Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang to the Ministry of Punishments.

Subsequently, after the two of them left, Mo Yujue also went out to look for Wang Fang again. So, in the blink of an eye, only Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan were left in the large room.

At this moment, the room was quiet. Nie Jinxuan was thinking about the case with her brows tightly locked, but then, the moment Nie Jinxuan seemed to remember something and looked up, she instantly met the deep and cold eyes of Yin Fengzhan sitting opposite her!

So, he had been watching her all along! Seeing this situation, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips reflexively, and then said in a somewhat unkind tone:

"What are you looking at?"

"……"

"Speak!"

"……"

Yin Fengzhan was acting up with his old habit. Seeing him not speak for a long time, Nie Jinxuan was too lazy to question him further. Immediately, she rolled her eyes at him, and then said in a low voice:

"Alright, you don't have to stay silent anymore. Yin Fengzhan, don't run around today, just stay in the residence and recover from your injuries. You really are something; your leg has been injured for so long, if it weren't for you always being disobedient, wouldn't it have healed long ago? Why do you have to keep tossing and turning until now? I..."

Nie Jinxuan was not a nagging person, but for some reason, every time there was no one else around, she would nag Yin Fengzhan a couple of times without realizing it. But at this moment, before Nie Jinxuan could finish her sentence, she was instantly interrupted by Yin Fengzhan.

"Don't you worry about it!"

"You..."

Yin Fengzhan's one sentence was like a basin of cold water, drenching Nie Jinxuan from head to toe! Instantly, Nie Jinxuan felt her anger rising, but then she forcibly suppressed it, and then gritted her teeth and said:

"Right, His Highness Prince Chen is right! It was Jinxuan who overstepped!"

As she spoke, Nie Jinxuan stood up directly from her seat, and then, with a calm and waveless expression that also revealed a deliberate sense of detachment, she lowered her eyes and said:

"For the matter last night, I am grateful to His Highness Prince Chen for the rescue. And now, if His Highness Prince Chen has nothing else, then Jinxuan will head out first!"

After speaking, Nie Jinxuan bowed slightly to Yin Fengzhan, and then really turned and walked out... But the moment Nie Jinxuan turned around, she heard Yin Fengzhan's expression darken instantly, and he questioned:

"Where are you going?"

"Sorry, His Highness Prince Chen, this is Jinxuan's own business, so... don't you worry about it!"

She returned the exact same words to him. Nie Jinxuan raised her eyebrows and glared at Yin Fengzhan in front of her. Then she stepped forward to walk out... But at this moment, she saw Yin Fengzhan, who had been sitting in his seat, stand up instantly, take a few large strides forward, and then grab Nie Jinxuan's arm.

"Yin Fengzhan, what are you doing? Let go of me!"

"Let go of you? You are not allowed to go anywhere today!"

Looking down at the woman in front of him, Yin Fengzhan pulled Nie Jinxuan to the seat beside him and forced her to sit down. At this moment, seeing him act like this, Nie Jinxuan, who had just been angered, was instantly furious, and without thinking, she raised her voice and shouted:

"Why am I not allowed to go out? Let me tell you, Yin Fengzhan, when we weren't divorced, you couldn't control me, and now that we are divorced, you can control me even less!"

"Then just try it and see!"

"You..."

Nie Jinxuan was so angry she couldn't speak, and her breath was stuck in her throat. Subsequently, Nie Jinxuan didn't waste any more words with him, stood up forcefully, and made a move to push Yin Fengzhan away and leave... But how could Yin Fengzhan be a pushover?! Seeing her like this, he immediately reached out with his large hand and pulled her back again!

For a time, the two went from a verbal argument to a physical one. But just as the two were entangled, a message came from outside the room:

"Reporting to the Prince, Senior Minister Nie has arrived!" ===== CHAPTER 142 =====