Chapter 155

"I'm leaving, going back to sleep!" Chen Wuji said, feeling a bit headachy.

Qin Zhanhong put away the two letters, "Let's go together, I'm also heading back to Sanlipu."

"Are we just leaving this here?" Chen Wuji asked.

Qin Zhanhong casually said, "Someone will arrange it; the Imperial City Department is now exposed under the noses of Zhang Mingyuan and others, so we need to lie low for a while, awaiting the court's arrangements."

Chen Wuji nodded.

The Zhang family has become so arrogant they've already killed two groups of envoys sent by the court; this matter indeed requires extra caution.

"What we've obtained should at least be enough to take the lives of Zhang Mingyuan and this assistant magistrate, right? Don't tell me that all our painstaking effort to acquire these things amounts to nothing." Chen Wuji asked.

He now really hopes it will be effective.

Then he wouldn't have to personally think of ways to deal with the Zhang family.

His only enemy is the Zhang family, unrelated to others; there's no need to wade deep into these dragon‑nurturing waters.

"In principle it could work, but… the officials of Nan Jun have very strong backing in the court." Qin Zhanhong spoke pessimistically, softly saying, "Moreover, whether we can even get these things out is still unknown; for us, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."

"You, a high‑ranking official of the Imperial City Department, do you really need to be so pessimistic?" Chen Wuji frowned.

Qin Zhanhong gave a bitter smile, "The enemy's power is simply too great; I really can't view this matter too optimistically. You might think the Emperor's word alone decides anyone's life or death, but you don't realize that the Emperor's actions are also constrained by many factors."

"The court faces internal and external troubles, needing money everywhere; just this alone makes the Emperor rely on those above the Zhang family. In fact, the Emperor has wanted to kill them for a long time."

"Why is Zhang Mingyuan merely taking a temporary leave to return home for rest? This is actually the Emperor's helpless move after maneuvering with those people. My coming here isn't solely for Zhang Mingyuan; I intend to use him to find evidence against those behind him, so that the Emperor can strike decisively."

Chen Wuji: ……

He thought of the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming dynasty.

He possessed great talent and ambition, vowing to restore his ancestors' glory, but alas, all the court officials were his enemies.

What difference does it make that he is the emperor?

Orders don't leave the palace; he holds no authority or troops, and often can only compromise.

"Going back to sleep, I'm exhausted." Chen Wuji said, rubbing his cheeks hard.

"Mm."

Taking advantage of the just‑brightening sky, Chen Wuji and his companions left this seemingly ordinary little courtyard.

Little Fish returned to the Ciji Retreat, and Yang Tiejiang went back to the blacksmith shop to catch up on sleep.

Yesterday Chen Wuji and Qin Zhanhong entered the city together; today they also left the city together.

It looks as if they were merely a young woman and a hunter who sneaked into the city to get a room.

Although Chen Wuji is quite handsome, his very ordinary clothing lowers his bearing, making it hard to associate him with the alluring, aristocratic‑appearing Qin Zhanhong as a couple.

Walking back to Sanlipu, Chen Wuji unceremoniously barged into Qin Zhanhong's boudoir.

He went straight to sleep.

He was so exhausted his three souls were about to leap out; now the only important thing is sleep.

Qin Zhanhong closed the door, slipped off her red skirt, and slipped into Chen Wuji's bed like a swimming fish.

She wrapped herself around Chen Wuji's sturdy frame like an octopus, rubbing her face against his chest and whispering softly, "Thank you! From now on, however you want me to pose, I'll do it—I'll obey you completely!"

……

As the sun rose, Yunan City suddenly grew tense.

Large numbers of bailiffs and provincial troops appeared on the streets, searching house to house for suspicious persons.

The gate that had just been opened was shut again, and armored, sharp‑armed provincial troops replaced the original garrison, giving off an air of imminent battle.

Zhu Wei stood before the blast‑ruined gates of the Drunken Immortal Tavern, surrounded by many bailiffs, his face icy cold as if he had been dead for three or four months.

"Sir, the killer acted with extreme cruelty; aside from a few waiters, everyone else at the Drunken Immortal Tavern was killed. A caravan from the Shaodang Qiang tribe seemed to be their primary target; the assassin, using unknown means, slipped in silently and slaughtered the caravan while they slept." The chief clerk bowed before Zhu Wei and reported everything he had just seen.

"Was it for robbery?" Zhu Wei asked in a low voice.

Actually, upon hearing this news, he had already understood many things.

He also knew exactly what the other side was looking for.

But he still had to put on a show for these ignorant subordinates.

Upon learning that the Zhang family had also been blown up, this matter put him in a difficult spot.

Nevertheless, he still had to put up a front.

The chief clerk shook his head doubtfully, "It doesn't seem quite right; the caravan's goods and silver are all intact, only a few people are missing—could those missing persons be the perpetrators?"

Zhu Wei glanced sideways, "Where did you come to that conclusion?"

"It's not a conclusion; I'm merely guessing a bit." The chief clerk bowed and said, "So many died in the caravan, yet only a few people are missing—those few must be suspicious."

"When they acted, the tavern's waiter noticed them; to avoid exposure they killed the waiter, seized the tavern keeper as a hostage to facilitate coming and going through the city gate—my analysis is quite reasonable."

Zhu Wei's mouth twitched slightly.

"Reasonable? That's utter bullshit!"

"Sir, why not proceed with an investigation based on this?" the chief clerk asked.

Zhu Wei's face turned somewhat pallid from anger.

How could he have such stupid subordinates!

"Even if that analysis is somehow reasonable, why then was the Zhang family also attacked?" Zhu Wei asked in a low voice.

A flicker of joy crossed the chief clerk's expression as he said in a low voice, "Sir, this is exactly what I wanted to say. The Zhang family might very well be the source of this incident!"

Zhu Wei:?

"Sir, please hear my analysis." The chief clerk lowered his voice a bit, "The Zhang family betrayed their ancestors, with old and young alike personally slaughtering their mothers, wives, and children, then intermarrying with Han convicts. Such conduct must be despised by their own kin."

"Perhaps this was carried out by some members of the Shaodang Qiang tribe who hate traitors; they hid within the caravan, then robbed the Drunken Immortal Tavern keeper, attacked the Zhang family, and fled."

"Sir, in this case, besides investigating the perpetrator, we should pay more attention to the weapons used by the Shaodang Qiang people. This place was nearly flattened; if such powerful weapons fell into the hands of the satisfied, it would truly be a misfortune for Da Yu. You should memorialize the court and clarify this matter."

Zhu Wei was still angry over the chief clerk's first remark, having missed everything else he said; once the clerk fell silent, Zhu Wei immediately rebuked, "The wives taken by the Zhang censor father and son are all from respectable families, whereas ordinary clansmen merely marry convicts—don't make sweeping generalizations."

"Sir, this should be considered as taking the whole and applying it to a part." Chief Clerk Gengzhi said.

Zhu Wei choked angrily, "You've been talking a lot today? Since you already have a hypothesis, then hurry up and find the culprit, otherwise we'll both die."

"……."

Zhu Wei angrily flicked his sleeves and left; after returning to the government office, he secretly sent someone to deliver to Zhang Mingyuan an old hen that he had raised for two years, which had been fed refined rice since childhood.