Boom— Dark clouds gathered, the wind howled, and thunder roared as though the heavens were enraged.
Chu Zhuo stood among the crowd, clutching his blood-soaked lower back as he glared viciously at Chen Mo.
He had been wounded by a single slash, yet still had enough strength to kill two purple-robed guards. He was not yet twenty, but already possessed such power. He could become a major threat in the future!
Hearing Chen Mo admit to the killing with his own mouth, Chu Zhuo was overcome with joy.
This brat was unbelievably brazen!
Now there were witnesses and physical evidence. As long as Young Master Zhou pursued the matter to the end, even the Chen Family wouldn't be able to protect him!
Zhou Jing'an stared at the golden token and felt as if it were burning hot in his hands.
With his experience, he could naturally tell it was genuine. The Flying Phoenix Token came in three grades: Singing Phoenix Facing the Sun, Phoenix Perching on Wutong, and the highest grade, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.
The one Chen Mo had tossed to him was none other than a genuine Singing Phoenix Facing the Sun token!
Though it granted few special privileges, it represented the Eastern Palace's stance!
"Isn't Chen Mo Imperial Concubine Yu's lackey? How could he have the Imperial Empress's token?"
"What on earth is going on?"
Zhou Jing'an's mind was in a whirl.
Chen Mo fixed him with dark eyes and said quietly, "To see the Flying Phoenix Token is to see the Holy Empress. Zhou Jing'an, will you kneel or not?"
Rumble—
Thunder rolled across the horizon. Zhou Jing'an shuddered, then remained silent for a long while before slowly bending his knees and bowing down to kneel.
"Your humble servant Zhou Jing'an pays his respects to Her Majesty the Imperial Empress!"
Clatter—
Seeing this, the surrounding guards dropped their weapons and knelt in a sea of bowed heads.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Imperial Empress!"
?!
Chu Zhuo's smile froze on his face. Still bewildered and unsure what had happened, he was pulled down to his knees by Chu Chen.
"Father, I think we've gotten ourselves into serious trouble this time..."
"..."
The palm-sized token now weighed a thousand catties, pressing down on everyone until they could barely straighten their backs.
So this was the taste of power?
Chen Mo sat in his chair and said coolly, "If you have anything to say, say it on your knees."
Zhou Jing'an lifted his head and stared at him with bloodshot eyes. His voice seemed to scrape its way out between his teeth. "Chen Mo, you're merely enjoying a moment's triumph. You've gravely wounded imperial soldiers and killed someone in broad daylight. Either offense is punishable by beheading! You think you can get away with it just because you have that token?"
Faced with this blatant threat, Chen Mo remained composed as he said:
"I am acting on the Holy Empress's orders, overseeing the Demon Race murder case."
"While discussing the case with two investigators, we were attacked by criminals and threatened by guards from Zhou Mansion."
"I have reason to suspect that Imperial Cabinet Reader Zhou Jing'an and Heavenly Qilin Guard Centurion Chu Zhuo deliberately obstructed the investigation and may have ties to the Demon Race. They should be taken into custody and questioned so the truth can be established..."
He paused, then turned to ask, "Chief Lin, Brother Shangguan, do you think this would work in the report?"
Lin Jingzhu nodded. "It's well-reasoned and convincing."
Shangguan Yunfei stroked his chin thoughtfully. "My father can polish it up later. We'll present it to the Holy Empress in court. Her Majesty is wise and discerning; she'll surely get to the bottom of this."
?
Zhou Jing'an furrowed his brows.
He had been focused on Chen Mo just now and hadn't paid attention to the other two. Looking more closely, he saw that the woman's hair was disheveled and her white clothes were torn in several places. Yet her features seemed familiar, as though he had seen her somewhere before...
Her surname was Lin?
Could she be...
Zhou Jing'an shuddered in alarm!
As for the other man, there was no need to ask. There was only one Shangguan Family in Heaven Capital City!
Its head was Chief of Transmission Shangguan Jin, a third-rank official responsible for reviewing memorials from within and without the court and taking part in major state affairs!
"How is this possible?!"
"The Shangguan Family has always stayed neutral and never taken part in factional struggles. The Lin Family is a noble imperial in-law household, and has always kept a low profile. How could they be involved with Chen Mo, that rebel?"
Zhou Jing'an couldn't make heads or tails of it. How had Chen Mo managed to have it both ways?
Chu Zhuo sprang to his feet and pointed at Chen Mo, berating him. "You're slandering us! You were the ones who attacked first, and I only—"
"Shut up!"
Zhou Jing'an glared at him.
If that useless fool hadn't caused this mess, how would he have ended up in such a predicament?
Ties to the Demon Race... He knew Chen Mo was making a false accusation, but he absolutely could not get dragged into it. This had to end here!
"We were rash and disturbed the three officials."
"Since you have important duties, we'll take our leave. I hope Chief Chen can solve the case quickly and restore peace and order to Heaven Capital City."
Zhou Jing'an lowered his head and offered the golden token with both hands.
Chen Mo silently watched him for a long while. Only when Zhou Jing'an began to tremble slightly did he reach out to take back the token.
"Remember to have the restaurant repaired."
"Of course."
Zhou Jing'an didn't want to linger another moment. He was about to lead his men away when Lin Jingzhu spoke up. "Wait. You, the one surnamed Chu, still owe me eighty strokes."
"..."
Chu Chen's face went pale, and his lips trembled. "Father, save me..."
Chu Zhuo looked at Zhou Jing'an. "Young Master Zhou, this..."
Zhou Jing'an's expression was blank as he said coldly, "If he's guilty, he should accept his punishment. Better for him to take his beating here than to make another trip to the yamen."
With that, he flicked his sleeve and left without looking back.
"Don't worry. I know my limits. He won't die."
Lin Jingzhu twirled her baton with a grin.
Chu Zhuo's face turned red, then white, but there was nothing he could do.
Chu Chen was a seventh-rank martial artist, but even he couldn't withstand this kind of beating... After eighty strokes, he probably wouldn't get out of bed for months!
Thump!
"Eighty..."
"Ah!"
A miserable wail echoed over the ruins.
Just then, Chen Mo stood up and said, "We've had about enough wine. I'll be going ahead. We can talk another day."
"Chief Chen, what about the case..."
Before Shangguan Yunfei could finish, Chen Mo vanished in a flash.
"..."
Shangguan Yunfei turned to Lin Jingzhu.
"Chief Lin, about the case..."
"Seventy, sixty-nine... Don't interrupt, I lost count again... Seventy-nine..."
"..."
Shangguan Yunfei rubbed his temples, feeling a splitting headache.
"Why does it feel like I'm the only one worrying about this? What is this supposed to be..."
The caning ended after the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
Chu Chen had passed out, his whole body embedded in the floorboards. Chu Zhuo finally managed to pry him out. He didn't dare say a word and carried him out of the restaurant in a hurry, heading straight for the clinic.
Lin Jingzhu rolled her shoulders. "Ah, that feels good!"
Shangguan Yunfei frowned. "If you'd revealed your identity earlier, none of this would've happened. How would a sixth-rank centurion have dared lay a hand on you?"
Lin Jingzhu put on a righteous look. "While on duty, my identity is an investigator of the Six Gates. Does that mean people without powerful connections deserve to be bullied?"
Shangguan Yunfei curled his lip and grumbled to himself:
If you had no connections, the Six Gates would have kicked you out long ago!
You clearly just wanted a fight, yet you're putting on such a righteous act...
"Still, we didn't come away empty-handed today. At least now we know how to investigate the case." Lin Jingzhu flashed a smile.
At the mention of the case, Shangguan Yunfei perked up. "What, do you have a lead?"
"Don't you think there's something strange about Zhou Jing'an?"
"I've only seen him from afar at the Longevity Banquet, so I don't know him well. But he's the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue, and he's advancing through the Imperial Cabinet. Why would he have ties to the Heavenly Qilin Guard?"
"Besides, Chen Mo's claim just now that he 'has ties to the Demon Race' sounds frightening at first, but it's baseless slander that wouldn't hold up under scrutiny. Yet Young Master Zhou seemed so wary..."
Shangguan Yunfei mused, "Maybe he recognized us and didn't want to offend us?"
Lin Jingzhu shook her head. "Your father's status means he has to remain neutral, or he'll lose the Holy Empress's favor. And although the Lin Family are imperial in-laws, they have no real power and aren't worth worrying about."
"Factional struggles are raging now, and the Three Offices and Six Ministries are all caught up in them. The Ministry of Revenue embezzlement case just wrapped up, making this the perfect chance to strike back. There was even a chance to drag the Chen Family into it, yet Zhou Jing'an gave up so easily."
Shangguan Yunfei's brows knitted tighter. "You mean..."
Lin Jingzhu narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing through them. "This Young Master Zhou seems to be very afraid of being linked to the Demon Race."
Dusk fell.
Night spread across the sky like a vast sheet of black silk, pressing heavily over the capital.
The rain showed no sign of letting up. Raindrops the size of beans pelted the gray tiles with a dense patter.
Chen Mo crouched atop Singing Emerald Pavilion, almost blending into the night as he silently watched the black sedan in the alley.
After a long while, Zhou Jing'an stepped down from his carriage in blue brocade robes. A guard held an umbrella over him as he headed toward Zhou Mansion.
"I didn't come looking for you, yet you delivered yourself right to my door..."
Chen Mo's lips curled, his eyes deep and unreadable.
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