Murders had not never happened in Fukang Ward, but they were rare.
All the more so when it involved a court official. Such cases were rare throughout Dragon Abyss City. A sixth-rank official did not hold a low position; he had a place at court assemblies. That meant this case would certainly alarm the Emperor.
But Liang Yue's surprise was even more because of the deceased.
From the time the brothers left the Zhen residence, returned to Peaceful Lane to practice their punches, then came here, not even an hour had passed. A man who had been sitting there perfectly fine just moments ago had died just like that?
It was truly abrupt.
At this moment, the Imperial Capital Guard from Fukang Ward, summoned by the whistling arrow, had already surrounded the Zhen residence. Some were controlling the scene in the courtyard, but no one had entered the study where the body had been found.
"Why aren't you going in?" Liang Yue asked.
"We're waiting for the Ministry of Justice people to arrive," Chen Ju replied. "Brother Hu isn't here yet. Small fry like us had better not tamper with the scene."
"Doesn't the Imperial Capital Guard also have the authority to investigate cases?" Liang Yue asked.
This was his first time encountering a murder case. Besides, it involved someone he had just met, so he could not help feeling curious and wanting to investigate it at once.
"Though our Imperial Capital Guard also has the authority to arrest criminals and handle prisons, that's more for maintaining public order and stability. When it comes to suspicious cases or murder cases, they still have to be handed over to the Ministry of Justice. They're the ones who do this," Chen Ju explained. "If we rashly enter the scene, and the Ministry of Justice fails to solve the case, they might even bite us back and accuse us of trespassing onto the scene and destroying clues."
"The Imperial Capital Guard and the Ministry of Justice don't get along?" Liang Yue asked.
From Chen Ju's tone, this sort of buck-passing had clearly happened more than once, or he would not have been so wary.
As new Imperial Capital Guards, neither of them had much experience. But Chen Ju came from an aristocratic family and had seen more of the world. His family had likely instructed him on all sorts of matters before he came here, so he knew more.
"They should have gotten along well enough before. The Ministry of Justice lacked manpower, so they often needed the Imperial Capital Guard to help investigate and keep watch. They had plenty of favors to ask of us, so their attitude wasn't bad," Chen Ju said, looking rather displeased. "Ever since Liang Fuguo rose from Minister of Justice to the current Left Prime Minister, the Ministry of Justice's status has risen with the tide. Its right to speak has directly surpassed the other Three Law Divisions. Even independent offices like the Horse Drinking Bureau and the Evil Extermination Division have to show it some respect, let alone us Imperial Capital Guards at the bottom of the hierarchy. Now the Ministry of Justice people bark orders at the Imperial Capital Guard and use us like servants."
"Hiss..." Liang Yue grimaced as he listened.
By the sound of it, the Imperial Capital Guard was at the bottom of the food chain among all the government offices...
And he himself was now at the bottom of the Imperial Capital Guard office.
This was not something he could think too deeply about.
The status of a government office was closely tied to the status of the powerful minister at its peak. Now, Left Prime Minister Liang Fuguo controlled the three ministries of War, Justice, and Works, aside from the other three ministries. The Ministry of Justice was also the foundation from which he had risen and the one he relied upon most. It was only natural that its people swaggered about.
"Actually, if you trace our Imperial Capital Guard all the way up, our chief is the Hook Setting King, who commands the Dragon Abyss Three Guards! We don't necessarily have to fear the Left Prime Minister," Chen Ju continued. "But beneath the Hook Setting King, we're the neglected children of a stepmother, while the Ministry of Justice is the Left Prime Minister's very foundation. The degree of importance is completely incomparable."
The Imperial Guards, Imperial City Guard, and Imperial Capital Guard together made up the Dragon Abyss Three Guards. They respectively guarded the Divine Capital's palace city, imperial city, and outer city. These three guards were commanded by Dinggou King Jiang Zhenye, the man the Emperor trusted most, and their importance likewise descended in that order.
The elite troops were all in the imperial city. The Imperial Capital Guard received the least pay and did the most complicated work. Calling them the neglected children of a stepmother was no exaggeration.
"Anyway, just remember..." Chen Ju waved his hand after speaking. "When you run into the Ministry of Justice's lackeys, just stay far away. No need to get yourself covered in filth."
The two spoke at the Zhen residence's main gate without paying attention to their surroundings. As they talked, Chen Ju suddenly noticed that everyone nearby was looking behind him. An inexplicable chill crept up the back of his neck.
He whipped around and discovered that, at some unknown time, a woman in black had appeared behind him.
She stood half a head taller than Chen Ju. Her almond eyes gleamed sharply as she stared at him coldly.
Her skin was white as snow, and her black hair was tied behind her head. She looked exceedingly dashing and neat. She had bright eyes and pearly teeth, her heroic bearing carrying a touch of cold beauty. Her full breasts, slender waist, and long legs gave her a striking figure. She wore fitted clothes of black lined with red, and a long weapon wrapped in cloth was strapped to her back.
The instant Chen Ju saw her beauty, a besotted grin spread over his face. "Where did this young lady come from? Dragon Abyss Imperial Capital Guard is handling a case here. You mustn't enter without permission..."
"Stay away from me!" the woman barked.
Then she strode into the middle of the courtyard and raised a command plaque in her hand. "Ninth-rank constable of the Ministry of Justice, Ling Yuanbao. I have come to investigate a murder case. All unrelated persons, stand aside!"
Behind her, a squad of dark-clad, saber-wearing men followed close behind, carrying iron chains and leading vicious hounds. Brimming with menace, they filed in one after another!
In the inner chamber of that strangely arranged study, Zhen Changzhi's corpse hung from a ceiling beam, not yet taken down.
After Zhen Xiaohao had knelt in the courtyard for a full hour, he noticed that it was already growing dark but no lamps had been lit in the study, so he went in to check. The moment he entered, he discovered his father hanging dead there.
He had been struck as though by lightning. He ran to the doorway and called for the Zhen residence's only servant. The old gatekeeper then went out to find help, happened to encounter three Imperial Capital Guards patrolling the streets, and thus brought the men from the Fukang Ward station here.
Several Imperial Capital Guards stood guard at the entrance. Not even members of the Zhen family had been allowed inside again, so the corpse remained hanging there to this moment.
When Ministry of Justice constable Ling Yuanbao entered, this was the scene she saw.
After carefully inspecting the surroundings, Ling Yuanbao ordered her subordinates, "Take down the body. Have the coroner examine it. Let the Five Spirit Hounds search for any fluctuations of true qi."
"Awoo!" A subordinate constable immediately led the tall, vicious hound with glossy black fur around the inside and outside of the room, letting it sniff about.
Once the corpse was lowered onto the ground, a specialized coroner stepped forward to examine it. He quickly reached a conclusion. "Lord Zhen's throat bones were shattered by force. He did not die by hanging himself."
"So it really was murder," Ling Yuanbao murmured.
She walked to the window and carefully examined the latches on both window panels. They were both intact and bolted from the inside, without the slightest sign of damage.
"The Five Spirit Hounds have sniffed around. There are no fluctuations of true qi. No Qi Refiner was involved," another subordinate came to report.
The Ministry of Justice's Five Spirit Hounds were extremely sensitive to the auras of demons and monsters, as well as cultivators' spiritual power. If a cultivator used divine abilities to attack, it would be difficult to erase the lingering aura within a short time, and the Five Spirit Hounds would be able to smell it.
"No demon, monster, or Qi Refiner was involved. He was killed through brute force, so the murderer was a martial artist." Ling Yuanbao quickly reached her conclusion. "No matter how high a martial artist's cultivation, they have no means of passing through walls or turning invisible. The windows show no signs of damage, so they could only have entered through the door."
She turned around and asked, "Who entered this place today?"
The old gatekeeper recalled with difficulty, "After Master returned home, only Lord Liao from the Ministry of Justice, and the young master's classmate along with his elder brother, came by..."
"Liao Zhongchun?" Ling Yuanbao slightly raised her brows.
As far as she knew, there was only one Lord Liao in the Ministry of Justice, a managing official who was also her superior.
"It was Managing Official Liao Zhongchun of the Ministry of Justice, Lord Liao. He was an old friend of my master's, and they had known each other for many years," the old gatekeeper said. "But he came rather early."
"It was Liang Peng! It had to be him!" Zhen Xiaohao suddenly cried out, his eyes reddening.
"I was kneeling outside the entire time, directly facing the study door! After those brothers left, no one else entered or exited. Then when I went in to check, Father was dead!" He growled, "Those brothers had to be the killers!"
"Liang Peng is the name of your classmate?" Ling Yuanbao asked.
"Yes. He had a conflict with my young master at the academy, and my young master was punished by being made to kneel in the courtyard. Then his elder brother brought him here to apologize in person. Master received them in the study. It was indeed after those brothers left that Master never came out again, and no one else came..." the old gatekeeper slowly said.
"Was either of them a martial artist?" Ling Yuanbao asked again.
With all other possibilities ruled out, the pair of brothers were the greatest suspects. If they possessed martial cultivation, the murderer could practically be identified at once.
"I'm not sure about that. The younger one looked refined and frail, not like someone who practiced martial arts. The elder one, though, looked full of vigor and spirit," the old gatekeeper described very clearly.
Zhen Xiaohao turned and pointed at someone by the gate. "Liang Peng's elder brother looked rather similar to that person."
"Not similar—it was him!" The old gatekeeper also turned back for a glance, then immediately declared with certainty, "He was the one who came earlier, only he changed clothes."
Judging by his confident expression, it was as though he were saying that his eyes never forgot a face.
At the gate, Liang Yue, curious about the case, was peering inside. When he saw the old gatekeeper looking at him, he smiled faintly.
Well now.
Just a moment ago, it had been Yue-whatever-Peng. Now his memory was suddenly so sharp.
"My master said murderers always like to return to the scene of the crime." Ling Yuanbao's eyes lit up. She slammed her fist into her palm. "So it's true!"
Thanks to Cheche for becoming this book's seventh Premium Alliance Leader. Thank you, thank you.
I saw comments yesterday saying that the protagonist's righteous spirit conflicted with him shielding his younger brother and sister, so I should explain. I do not think being upright conflicts with fighting back when bullied or seeking revenge after suffering a loss. Seeking revenge through reasonable means does not make someone unjust, nor does the possibility that something may violate the law make it unjust in this matter. Specific problems require specific analysis. There may be some exaggeration for comedic effect, but overall, I do not think there is anything wrong with it.
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