Pan Yun looked at this one, then at that one.
Very good—the case discussion and analysis meeting had successfully turned into a military strategy meeting.
The Former Emperor's cause of death was once again set aside.
Of course, Cao Nai, Xue Xuan, and the other organizers had not set it aside. They would not be going to the battlefield and scarcely participated in military affairs, so this case remained their priority.
The moment he stepped out of the main tent, Cao Nai hurried after Xue Xuan. "Lord Xue!"
Xue Xuan stopped and turned back to look at him.
Cao Nai asked gravely, "Lord Xue, setting aside the evidence, do you truly believe Ala Zhiyuan did this?"
Xue Xuan said, "I never discuss a case while setting aside the evidence."
"But the birdman has vanished without a trace. We do not know his origins. Even those we suspect, such as Yesen and Ala Zhiyuan, are in the enemy camp—we cannot interrogate them, and there is no way to verify the evidence. How are we supposed to investigate?" Cao Nai said in a low voice, "I know you are highly gifted in criminal cases. You must know something. I want a straight answer from you: was Ala Zhiyuan truly behind this case?"
Xue Xuan did not give him one. He simply left in silence.
Discussing a case while setting aside the evidence violated his principles.
He knew this case would very likely become a cold case, perhaps one that would have no answer even a hundred years later.
Unless the birdman who had killed the emperor personally stepped forward to confess and produced the relevant evidence.
When Xue Xuan returned to his room, the lamps inside were lit. Xue Shao was there, and the table and floor were piled with all manner