Chapter 495

Chen Yan's previously calm expression instantly faded, his brows tightly locked, his fingertips stopped on the table, and his tone finally carried a hint of surprise: "What?"

"Actually so evil?"

Liu Bingzhong heard this, as if he had received confirmation, nodded heavily, the fear in his eyes almost overflowing: "Exactly! I'm afraid the next person in Jingzhao Prefecture to lose their life will be me!"

Saying this, he grabbed Chen Yan's sleeve again, his tone full of pleading, his voice carrying a sob: "Now, only you can save me!"

"You can't ignore me!"

Seeing this, Chen Yan covered Liu Bingzhong's trembling hand with his palm, patted it gently, the force steady yet carrying warmth.

He rubbed the other's cold skin with his fingertips, his tone slow yet resounding: "Old Liu, don't be impatient!"

He paused and comforted: "The friendship between us brothers over these years, I won't sit idly by!"

He raised his hand and patted Liu Bingzhong's shoulder, the force increased a bit, and solemnly made a promise: "Put your heart steadily in your stomach, with me here, I will definitely ensure your life is safe!"

Old Liu is not only sensible, but also stood in line early, and has helped Chen a lot, so how could he watch him lose his life?

Liu Bingzhong was shaken, the hand clutching the sleeve loosened by half, blood suddenly surged onto his previously pale face, and the despair in his eyes was replaced by unbelievable light.

He stared blankly at Chen Yan, his lips quivering, and after a long while he squeezed out a question with a trembling tone: "Re... really?!"

Chen Yan's mouth corners lifted, and when he nodded, his jawline was steady, his tone as firm as a rock: "That is natural!"

As these four words landed, Liu Bingzhong seemed to have unloaded a thousand-jin burden, and the cold sweat on his back was instantly dispelled by warmth.

He quickly withdrew his hand, cupped his hands high above his head, bent his waist deeply, his voice still carrying a trace of lingering sobbing, but every word was resounding: "I believe you!"

At that moment, the panic in his eyes faded a lot...

Based on the trust established by past interactions, Liu Bingzhong knew very well the ability of the gentleman in front of him, and knew even better that he was not a person who would break his word!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to seek help at the first moment in a panic...

Chen Yan leaned back, his back straight, his expression returned to solemnity.

His gaze fell on the unfinished chessboard on the table, the black and white pieces were scattered in an orderly manner. He pinched a white piece with his fingertips, then put it down slowly, and then tapped the edge of the chessboard with his knuckles.

"Clack, clack, clack," the crisp sound echoed in the quiet hall, every sound carrying deep thought.

The faint light of the charcoal fire reflected in Chen's eyes, passing a few calculations.

After pondering for a moment, he looked up at Liu Bingzhong, opened his mouth calmly, his tone carrying a hint of profound meaning: "Old Liu, how about this..."

He paused, his fingertips stopped in the center of the chessboard, and said word by word: "I will immediately dispatch Embroidered Attire Envoys to protect you closely for twelve hours, never leaving your side."

Seeing the surprise in his eyes, he added: "And rotate a batch of new people every four hours to ensure they are energetic and leave no opportunity for anyone to take advantage of!"

Liu Bingzhong paused, a brilliant light erupted in his eyes, and the last trace of panic that remained previously vanished.

At this moment, as if supported by an invisible force, he stood up quickly with a "whoosh."

"This couldn't be better!" he blurted out, his voice full of uncontrollable excitement, even his tone raised a bit, and the previous sobbing had long since disappeared.

That is the Embroidered Attire Envoy of the Bright Mirror Bureau!

With them guarding closely, it is like adding a copper wall and iron fortress to himself.

He can sleep soundly!

Liu Bingzhong tidied his official robe, cupped his hands again, bent his waist deeply, and bowed respectfully to Chen Yan: "My Lord, I will never forget your great kindness!"

His voice was resounding, carrying incomparable sincerity and gratitude.

At that moment, this Jingzhao Prefect was incomparably glad that he had been good at recognizing people and had formed a good bond...

Chen Yan pressed his palm lightly, his tone carrying a hint of ease, smiled indifferently, and urged: "Sit down, sit down quickly!"

Saying this, he picked up the blue porcelain tea bowl on the table, took a shallow sip of warm tea soup, rubbed his fingertips on the bowl rim, his expression switched back to the caution when investigating the case, "I still have to ask you some related situations first..."

Liu Bingzhong didn't dare to delay for half a moment. Almost the moment Chen Yan's voice fell, he quickly sat back in his original seat, his waist straight, and his hands placed on his knees in a disciplined manner.

His eyes were burning, his face full of earnestness to cooperate actively, and he responded immediately: "You ask!"

He paused and added immediately: "Whatever you want to know, I will definitely tell you everything I know! Even if it's a small detail, as long as I know it, I will never hide anything!"

Old Liu knows very well that the more detailed he lets this gentleman in front of him know, the faster the problem can be solved...

The days of living in fear are torture even for one more day!

Chen Yan placed the tea bowl gently on the table, his eyelids drooped slightly, his long eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the warmth remaining on the bowl rim, as if sorting out the messy clues.

After a moment, he blinked, a trace of pondering flashed in his eyes, then he looked at Liu Bingzhong, his tone carrying a hint of profound meaning: "Old Liu, how much do you know about the family background of these three?"

Liu Bingzhong was startled, the earnestness on his face paused, and he unconsciously muttered and repeated: "Family background?"

His brows furrowed slightly, a hint of incomprehension emerged in his eyes, and the settled mood that had just been settled because of having protection was stirred up by this sudden question, causing a trace of doubt.

He opened his mouth after deliberation, his tone carrying a hint of probing: "My Lord, what aspect are you asking about?"

In his view, the bizarre nature of the murder case lies entirely in the modus operandi and the traces at the scene.

Although family background is also a common item in investigating cases, it shouldn't be the focus that should be asked first at this moment, so it is inevitable that he can't figure out the intention of this gentleman.

Chen Yan raised his brows slightly, raised his hands to his chest, crossed his fingers, and rested his elbows on the edge of the table, his posture leisurely.

"Just origin, past experience," he said slowly, his speed neither fast nor slow, every word clearly entering his ears, "and then family financial power, etc..."

When he said this, he waved his hand, his tone became more casual: "It doesn't need to be too detailed, just talk about it simply!"

Liu Bingzhong lowered his eyes and recalled slightly, his fingertips unconsciously tapping his knees, his mind sorting out the past of the two military advisors quickly.

After a moment, he looked up at Chen Yan, his expression had cleared, and he opened his mouth slowly in a steady tone: "Military Advisor Han and Military Advisor Zhang are both locals of Chang'an. Although their family backgrounds are not prominent, they are both from clean families."

He paused, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and continued: "Military Advisor Han was not a civil servant in his early years, but a provincial soldier, guarding the border for many years."

"He fought bravely, repeatedly charging to the front, relying on real military exploits accumulated, step by step promoted from an ordinary provincial soldier, and finally transferred back to Jingzhao Prefecture, serving as the Sili Military Advisor, in charge of documents and checking records, always rigorous and meticulous in his work."

Mentioning Military Advisor Zhang, Liu Bingzhong's tone carried a hint of praise: "Military Advisor Zhang was just an ordinary guard at the Chang'an County Office in his early years..."

"But he was quick-witted, had extremely strong observation skills, and what's more rare is that he was upright and not afraid of power."

"When he followed the County Magistrate to handle cases back then, he repeatedly solved tricky major cases based on subtle clues, and always enforced the law impartially, never practicing favoritism or fraud. I appreciated his toughness and righteousness very much back then."

He leaned forward slightly and added: "Later, I was transferred to Jingzhao Prefect, so I specifically promoted him to the office, and he was promoted all the way to Legal Officer Military Advisor, specializing in criminal litigation."

"The cases he handled never had any unjust, false, or wrong cases..."

Chen Yan listened, his brows suddenly furrowed slightly, his fingertips stopped on the table, his gaze became distant, as if a clear face was emerging before his eyes.

He looked at Liu Bingzhong, his tone carrying a hint of uncertain verification: "This Military Advisor Zhang wouldn't be Zhang Yinxian who often follows you, right?"

Liu Bingzhong heard this, nodded heavily, his eyes full of regret: "Exactly him!"

"Hmm."

Chen Yan responded, his brows relaxed slightly, then the topic changed, his gaze refocused on Liu Bingzhong, and he asked: "Then what about Junior Prefect Li? What is his family background and past?"

Liu Bingzhong heard this, his body straightened slightly, his expression became more solemn than when mentioning the previous two military advisors, and he opened his mouth slowly: "Junior Prefect Li is from the Longxi Li clan, a descendant of a famous family. Speaking of which, he is also a clan brother of Supervisor Li Tan..."

Chen Yan picked up the tea bowl on the table, the tea lid gently pushed away the floating leaves, took a shallow sip, the warm tea soup slid down his throat, after a moment of pondering, as if thinking of something, he asked with a hint of verification: "He should be a branch of the Longxi Li clan, right?"

Liu Bingzhong nodded heavily: "Exactly!"

As soon as the words fell, he shook his head slowly, the regret in his eyes becoming more intense, as if covered by a layer of haze that could not be dissolved.

He looked down at his knees, his tone full of sighs and emotions, carrying a hint of melancholy: "Junior Prefect Li has been in office for these years. Although he bears the name of the Longxi Li clan, he hasn't received much substantial help from the clan."

"The core lineage of the clan has always valued interests and power, and his branch has fallen, so how could those clansmen sincerely promote him?"

"He was able to sit in the position of Junior Prefect from a fallen branch disciple, relying on his own talent and diligence, all relying on his own real ability..."

Speaking of this, his voice lowered a bit, full of regret, "It's a pity, heaven is jealous of talent, such a capable and steady person, but suffered this disaster."

Finally, Liu Bingzhong seemed unable to suppress the melancholy in his heart anymore, and sighed heavily: "Sigh!"

Chen Yan listened quietly, the tapping of his fingertips on the table gradually stopped, he nodded slowly, a flash of clarity in his eyes, and said: "I have a rough idea!"

Immediately, he propped himself up on the table and stood up, his posture straight like a pine, the previous pondering expression had faded, replaced by decisiveness.

He looked at Liu Bingzhong, who was still immersed in regret, his tone carrying a hint of sympathy: "Old Liu, you have suffered such a shock, your mind must be uneasy. For now, take a good rest in this Wannian County Office..."

After a slight pause, the topic changed, his gaze sharp as a sword, and he said loudly: "I will set off for Jingzhao Prefecture immediately to investigate the case and arrest the murderer for you, how about it?"

Liu Bingzhong heard this, and immediately stood up, his eyes firm, the previous panic and decadence had long since vanished, leaving only a heart of sincerity and determination, and said loudly: "I will go with you!"

With this gentleman here, there is a backbone and confidence. As a Prefect, how can he stay out of it?

Even if he can't charge to the front, he is willing to assist this gentleman on the side and do his meager part!

Seeing Liu Bingzhong's firm attitude, Chen Yan nodded and responded: "That's good!"

He turned to look at Sun Xiangbai standing to the side and ordered: "First send someone to rush to the Bright Mirror Bureau and invite a coroner over!"

Sun Xiangbai heard this, immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands and bowed: "Obey! I will go and arrange it!"

Immediately, Chen Yan's gaze turned to Liu Muzi and Gao Jiong standing behind, "Muzi, A-Jiong, you two also go with me!"

"The rest stay in the county office, A-Xiang, you take charge!"