Chapter 68: Seeking Evidence (2)

Unfolding the paper, several people crowded around. After reading the contents, they remained silent for a long while. Finally, Zhuo Qing carefully folded the paper and sighed, "Let's invite Dan Yulan to the mansion. It would be better if he handles this matter personally."

The main hall of the General's Mansion.

Dan Yulan stared at the thin sheet of paper in his hand. It contained a detailed account of everything Yang Lu knew regarding the Gold Case. The mastermind behind the scenes was actually the former Vice Minister of Justice, Ping Ran. He had long been in league with the rebels in the Northwest. The method of the crime was exactly as the Qing family young lady had guessed: first, knock Qu Ze unconscious, then transport sand and stones into the cave to cover the gold dumped into the underground river. Once the wind died down, the gold would be transported in batches to the Northwest rebels to be hidden.

However, after reporting the Gold Case to the Emperor yesterday, he had already reviewed the records of the several officials who could have been involved over the past three years, and none showed anything suspicious. Ping Ran was among them, but his integrity and incorruptibility were legendary. Could he really be such a person?

It was normal for Dan Yulan to be suspicious. Zhuo Qing suggested, "Yang Lu is dead. This evidence cannot serve as solid proof to convict Ping Ran, but it has helped us lock onto our target."

Finding evidence to prove whether he is guilty is certainly easier than searching blindly without a clue!

What she said was not without reason. Dan Yulan immediately frowned and said, "Ping Ran is now a third-rank official. Without concrete evidence, I need the Emperor's imperial approval to interrogate him. I will enter the palace to see the Emperor immediately."

Having taken only two steps, Dan Yulan hesitated and stopped. Su Ren, who had been sitting quietly to the side, smiled knowingly, "Official Dan, do not worry. I have already arranged for people to secretly guard the outside of the Ping Mansion. Ping Ran will have no chance to escape."

Dan Yulan was slightly stunned. He hadn't even spoken, yet Su Ren already knew his concerns. The Su family members were truly not simple.

"Report!"

A concise announcement came from outside the door.

Su Yu was sitting in the position closest to the door. Without telling the person to enter, he asked casually, "What is it?"

The soldier outside replied in a loud voice, "There is unusual activity within the Ping Mansion. According to investigation, Ping Ran has committed suicide by poison."

"Suicide?!"

Everyone in the room was shocked.

"How could this happen?!" Zhuo Qing muttered to herself. Why did this kind of thing happen every time they felt they had made some progress! Or perhaps Ping Ran didn't commit suicide at all, and he wasn't the mastermind, just a pawn!

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Gu Yun sighed, "Official Dan, go into the palace first to report the Gold Case to the Emperor. After all, a third-rank official has died. We will go to the Ping Mansion to examine Ping Ran's body."

"Hmm." That was all they could do for now.

Night.

The same main hall of the General's Mansion, but the difference was that this time Su Yu was glaring at the imperial decree before him, shouting, "Recover all the gold before the celebration?! There are only two months left until the celebration begins, and a round trip to Pei City in the Northwest takes twenty days. Does the Emperor mean for us to deal with the Northwest rebels within a month? That's not very likely, is it?!"

Dan Yulan had entered the palace to report the case, but upon returning, he had brought back an imperial decree for the General's Mansion. Since when did they have to do this kind of bandit suppression work?! Staring at the heavy bright yellow silk in his hand, Su Yu did not hide his dissatisfaction.

"This expedition is of great importance. If it weren't for this, the Emperor would not have mobilized the Su Family Army and appointed General Su Ling as the commander." Dan Yulan was also innocent. When he entered the palace today to report the case, the Emperor happened to be inquiring about the report submitted by Zhenxi General Lou Muhai regarding the Northwest rebels purchasing large amounts of military equipment over the past two years.

Upon learning that the national treasury's gold had actually been transported to the Northwest, and that they were using the treasury's gold to purchase military equipment to expand their power, the Emperor was furious and immediately issued a decree ordering the Su Family Army to go and suppress the bandits. He had no choice but to bring the decree here!

"By the way, where is Su Ling?" Zhuo Qing had been here for most of the day and hadn't seen a shadow of Su Ling!

Su Yu shook his head irritably and replied, "Big brother went out to drink. If there's nothing, he might not come back for three to five months." To think that even a small matter like suppressing bandits required dispatching big brother—who knows what the Emperor is thinking!

The imperial decree clearly stated the appointment of Su Ling as commander. If he didn't go, that would be defying the decree!

Dan Yulan was about to remind them, but Su Ren had already spoken first, "It doesn't matter. Tomorrow I will take thirty thousand elite troops and head to the Northwest first. At the same time, I will order people to ride at full speed to find big brother and have him go directly to the Northwest to meet up in Pei City. That shouldn't be considered defying the imperial decree."

Dan Yulan laughed and nodded; he really had been worrying unnecessarily.

"Is this case finished just like this?" This was what Zhuo Qing was more concerned about. She had examined the body today, and the deceased had indeed committed suicide. But why did he choose to commit suicide at this particular time? Had they alerted the enemy?

Dan Yulan's usually upright face also revealed helplessness, "Ping Ran is dead, and he left a suicide note that clearly states the ins and outs of the Gold Case and confesses to the crimes. The whereabouts of the gold have also been clarified. This case can only end here." The Emperor's current main concern was when the gold could be recovered and when the rebels could be wiped out.

Zhuo Qing looked at Gu Yun. She thought Gu Yun would be very persistent about this case, but to her surprise, she only replied indifferently, "All evidence and clues are broken, and the current evidence already forms a complete chain. For now, this case can only be like this." She had encountered countless cases that appeared perfect on the surface but were actually suspicious, and the results were always the same: they ended, because case-solving relies on evidence.

With many other cases still to investigate, Dan Yulan cupped his hands and said, "Farewell."

Stretching her back, Zhuo Qing also prepared to leave. She had been following Gu Yun to investigate the Gold Case for some time, and she was truly a bit tired. Just as she was about to tell Gu Yun she was leaving, Gu Yun suddenly looked at Su Ren and asked, "Are we leaving tomorrow?"

Su Ren paused and did not answer her immediately. Su Yu, hearing her question, said anxiously, "You aren't planning to go too, are you?!"

"Yes." Gu Yun nodded generously.

Su Yu immediately roared, "No!"

Gu Yun glanced at him coldly and smiled, "Do you think you can stop me?" She had long since mapped out the terrain and guard arrangements of the General's Mansion. When Su Ren was not in the mansion, who could stop her from coming or going?!

Although Su Yu was unwilling to admit it, he knew in his heart that he couldn't trap her. He casually found an excuse and said anxiously, "There can be no women in the army!"

Gu Yun shrugged and replied indifferently, "Then I won't enter the military camp." Her purpose in going to Pei City was, first, that the Gold Case was finished and she was bored in the General's Mansion; second, she wanted to take the opportunity to get closer to Su Ling and find out the location of the Bagua Disk.

"Marching to war is a very dangerous thing, it's not a game!" She was a woman who knew a little martial arts—why was she always joining in the fun!

"Did I say I was going just for fun?!" Fun was only one of her very important goals!

"You!" Su Yu was furious!

"Sister-in-law, if you must go, then depart with the army tomorrow. Acting alone is never good." With her personality, it was impossible not to let her go, so it was better to keep her within a controllable range for safety. Once they reached Pei City, she would be big brother's responsibility!

"Second brother!" Su Yu glared at him angrily.

"Fine." Gu Yun accepted readily.

The matter was settled. Su Yu hummed unconvinced, "Then I'm going too!"

Patting his shoulder lightly, Su Ren smiled, "The celebration is approaching. If you don't stay behind, wouldn't the General's Mansion be without a master!"

Since Su Ren had said so, he had no choice but to stay. Feeling very unhappy, Su Yu left in a huff.

A strange look flashed in Su Ren's eyes. It seemed he really couldn't let his third brother have any more contact with Qing Mo!

"Are you really going?" Suppressing bandits sounded much more dangerous than solving cases. Zhuo Qing was still worried.

Gu Yun nodded firmly. Her current physical fitness and coordination had basically reached her original level, and she had undergone professional special police training, anti-terrorism training, and had participated in countless actual combat drills. The attraction of bandit suppression to her was precisely its danger and novelty. To make Zhuo Qing relax a little, Gu Yun deliberately teased, "Don't worry, I will definitely make it back in time to drink at your wedding."

Zhuo Qing rolled her eyes at her. Forget it, Yun always had her own sense of proportion. "Suit yourself. I'm going back."

Looking at the sky, Gu Yun said, "I'll see you off."

"No need, it's not that late. You have a long journey tomorrow, get some sleep." She wasn't a three-year-old child.

"Someone." Su Ren said loudly to the soldiers outside the door, "Escort the Madam back to the Prime Minister's Mansion." If anything happened to this woman today, Lou Xiyan would absolutely not let it go.

"Yes." Two tall soldiers were already waiting outside.

Zhuo Qing smiled gently and didn't refuse again. She just patted Gu Yun's arm lightly and said casually, "Take care of yourself."

Gu Yun nodded, "Okay."

Without saying anything more, Zhuo Qing left the General's Mansion.

Su Ren had been observing their interactions. They didn't look like sisters at all, but rather like good friends who talked about everything and trusted each other.

The moon was cool like water, and the stars were like snow. The cold moonlight shone through the window paper into the magnificent boudoir. In the darkness that had lost the candlelight, it appeared so bright. The world outside the window was cold and quiet, but inside the room, it was a different scene. Intermittent, faint, and soft whispers brought a room full of charm.

On the beautiful bed, the man gently stroked the woman's delicate and beautiful face, and his low voice praised tenderly, "You are so beautiful."

The woman laughed coquettishly, and the man pinched the woman's chin and asked, "Do you love me?"

"Love." The woman replied without hesitation, and after speaking, she lowered her head with infinite shyness.

A slender, white hand gently stroked the position of the woman's left chest. The woman trembled slightly, but still leaned obediently in the man's arms, her shy face overflowing with happiness.

Gently biting the woman's beautiful earlobe, the man rubbed her cheek and asked in a low voice, "Are you willing to give your heart to me?" The slightly hoarse voice sounded even more bewitching because it was stained with desire. No woman could withstand such temptation. The woman nodded gently and replied softly, "I am willing. My heart has long been yours."

"Good girl." Laying the woman gently on the bed, the man kissed her forehead lightly, and his hand reached for the woman's clothing ties, gently pulling open the beautiful butterfly knot. The outer garment slowly loosened. The man's movements were extremely slow, as if he were treating a very precious toy. Finally, the man gently untied the bodice on the woman's chest. The beautiful scenery on her chest made the man's eyes darken, and the woman turned her head away shyly.

The skin-to-skin contact that should have happened did not happen. The woman only felt something cold wandering on her left chest, and she was so scared that she quickly turned her head to look—

A cold dagger was gently rubbing back and forth on her chest. The cold, white light made the woman want to scream loudly in fear, but she found that she couldn't make a sound at all. She wanted to struggle, but she couldn't move an inch.

The man's eyes were full of excitement. He smiled gently at the woman and said, "Don't be afraid, it will be quick."

The knife cut cleanly across her left chest. He was very fast and accurate. The woman only felt the coldness of the blade passing across her chest, and his hand had already slowly reached into her chest. The woman could feel her heart constricting violently, and a scorching warm current gushed out from her chest. Before long, what he held in his hand was a heart that was still beating thumping.

Handing the heart in his hand to the woman, the man smiled and said, "Baby, I have received your heart." Blood dripped along his fingers, and the crimson, scorching blood dripped onto the woman's face drop by drop.

Carefully wrapping the heart in his hand with a handkerchief, the man left with satisfaction. His back, shrouded in moonlight, was like a ghost.

The woman on the bed had her eyes widened to the limit, filled with the deepest terror, staring straight ahead. A moment ago, she could still feel the warmth of his fingers and the beating of his heart; at this moment, she felt only a bone-chilling cold. Blood trickled bit by bit from the large hole in her chest, dripping along the edge of the bed onto the floor. In the quiet night, the sound of every drop of blood hitting the ground was so clear. Listening to this eerie sound, the woman's gaze gradually became vacant.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 69 =====