Xuanqing Guard

Zhang Liao knew his mind wasn’t as sharp as Wang Jian’s, but he had his strengths—meticulousness. He never overlooked any detail, no matter how trivial. For anything related to the case, he would clarify as much as possible.

"Left early? Did he say anything?"

"That day, Chen Youwen had arranged to drink with friends, but unlike usual, he didn’t stay till the end. Halfway through, he said something had come up and needed to leave, claiming it was a matter at the sugar mill. Everyone heard him and didn’t keep him, and when he left he seemed perfectly sober—not at all like someone drunk."

Drinking out of character, leaving early, acting normal—yet dead in the pond the next day.

How drunk must you be to fall into a pond without shouting or struggling? At least dead drunk, right? Someone in that state couldn’t even walk properly, let alone be described by friends as "didn’t seem drunk." The only explanation is that Chen Youwen’s "drunkenness" wasn’t while drinking with his friends.

"Go on, what else have you found?"

"Jin Fengyuan’s sugar mill does sometimes run overnight, but the work records there show no note of Chen Youwen coming in the day he died. That means he lied to his friends. He left the drinking party early not for the sugar mill, but to go somewhere else."

After finishing, Zhang Liao took out a hand-drawn sketch and placed it on Shen Hao’s desk. "Sir, this is a rough map of Chen Youwen’s movements that day." He pointed to a pond on the sketch. "This is where Chen Youwen’s corpse was found; it was already after midnight."

The pond lay not far from Chen Youwen’s house, less than half an incense stick’s walk. A fence was built along the pond, the path was not narrow, and crossing the fence to land in the pond wasn’t easy.

"According to the people who retrieved the body, part of the roadside fence was knocked down. They believe Chen Youwen likely did it himself when he fell in."

"Impossible. Someone so drunk they fell in a pond without struggling wouldn’t be able to walk, let alone knock down the fence. That’s a layman’s setup."

"Yes, sir. The fence is a clear flaw. We had it tested—the pondside fence is over half a person’s height, very sturdy. An ordinary person could climb over it, but to knock it down would take considerable effort."

"Do you think someone so drunk they drown themselves could knock down the fence and get into the water?"

"I believe not. Therefore, Chen Youwen wasn’t in the water by his own will, but was thrown in by someone else to make it look like an accidental fall due to drunkenness."

"Excellent. A good-natured man shouldn’t have such fatal conflicts with others. This suggests Chen Youwen isn’t as simple as he appears. Investigate his daily routines, silver coin transactions, family relations, every incident and encounter in the last ten years. I want you to know him better than his own wife."

"Understood." Zhang Liao had already been doing that. But since this was a covert investigation, he couldn’t directly access Chen Youwen’s files from the Government Office’s Document Library, progress was slow, and he couldn’t question the family outright. It would take a few more days to get a clear picture of Chen Youwen’s background.

Zhang Liao hurried off, knowing the sooner he completed the task, the greater the recognition he’d receive. Whether he could rise like Wang Jian depended on how well he handled this case.

After Zhang Liao left, Wang Yiming came in from outside, wearing a black gauze conical hat, his attire not the usual Xuanqing Guard black robe—he had disguised himself.

"Heh, not easy to get here, was it?"

"It’s alright. The Ministry of Justice’s governmental officials have been keeping a tight watch these days, one batch after another—like mosquitos, annoying as hell." Wang Yiming had snuck out by hitching a ride on a supplies wagon from the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office, changed clothes on the way, and took a roundabout route before arriving here.

"Now, with troubles brewing, let’s keep our distance. I’ll stay hidden until the chaos dies down, then show myself. If you don’t have urgent matters, don’t come looking. Just use Thousand-Mile Sound."

"Understood. I came because there’s something that Thousand-Mile Sound couldn’t convey clearly."

"What is it?"

"It’s about the third branch of the Qin Family. As per your instructions, the third branch is now ready for arrest and trial, but the Ministry of Justice Major Case Department’s officials preemptively guarded their door, refused us entry, didn’t claim to be protecting anyone, just said they were also investigating—that we should wait our turn. According to orders from above, the Xuanqing Guard is just ’assisting’ and has no direct authority, so their attitude was tough."

"Major Case Department? Protecting the Qin Family?" That surprised Shen Hao. The Qin Family was now a broken drum—why bother shielding them?

"Yes, sir. It was led by that female constable Li Qing, with a sizable force, no less than sixty."

Sixty—a full Little Banner Battalion, exactly. So it’s a direct confrontation?

Shen Hao pondered for a long time, then shook his head. "I can’t figure out what the Major Case Department is up to. Do they think shielding the Qin Family’s third branch can isolate Qin Xiuyuan’s case?"

Go knock at Lord Jiang’s residence, ask him for an arrest warrant—explicitly name Qin Xiangyu."

"Qin Xiangyu? Qin Xiuyuan’s daughter? The consort Prince Shou hasn’t yet married?"

"Precisely her. Everything began with her. Now, with Qin Xiuyuan dead, the third branch is first in the line of fire. If the residence is protected by the Ministry of Justice and hard to access, the Qin Family’s main branch should have no such protection. Take plenty of men; if not enough, call in Black Banner Battalion from the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office. Seize the person and return promptly."

"Also, come closer..."

Wang Yiming listened, his spirits lifted, bowed to receive the order, then jogged back.

An hour later, over a hundred Black Banner Battalion soldiers marched out from the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office—enough for a General Flag formation. More than thirty troops from Fengri City, Wang Yiming’s own unit, joined as well. The force surrounded the Qin Family’s main residence, that of Vice Minister Qin Wenhe.

"Bang!" Wang Yiming raised the Blade Gang and smashed open the front gate. The swarming soldiers poured in, one after another.

In an instant, chaos erupted through the entire Qin Family.

"What are you doing?! This is Lord Qin’s estate, how dare you trespass!" The old butler, terrified but dutiful, spread his arms to block the Black Banner Battalion soldiers, fierce as wolves and tigers. Before he even finished, a kick sent him flying; his head slammed into the wall, knocking him out cold.

Wang Yiming sheathed his long blade, gripped the hilt, and stood in the courtyard, shouting, "Search every corner, inside and out! Kill anyone who resists!"

The words "kill" sent a chill through the remaining staff of the Qin Family, their faces drained of color, realizing calamity had truly descended upon them.