Li Qingxian continued slowly, "Ever since Uncle Zhou passed away, I've been thinking about the strong devouring the weak, about good and evil. Why was Uncle Zhou, a kind and upright man, murdered?"
The Directors' Hall was silent, save for the faint crackling of candle flames.
Some exchanged glances, then all turned to Li Qingxian.
The Coward King's narrow slits of eyes seemed to open a little wider.
Li Qingxian said slowly, "For a very long time, I arrived at one reason, and one reason alone: the Devil Sect's Ministry of Justice was vicious and ruthless. Not until later did someone tell me about Chief Minister Zhao's youth. Back then, someone gave Chief Minister Zhao guidance, and his studies advanced by leaps and bounds. But the man who guided him was eventually murdered by a county magistrate's son. Afterward, Chief Minister Zhao endured in silence for decades, gathering evidence of their crimes before executing both the guilty father and son. Some say Chief Minister Zhao originally had no ambition to become an official, but that man's death changed him, inspiring him to uphold justice. Clearly, if Chief Minister Zhao had believed the sole cause was that magistrate's son, killing him would have resolved everything. Since he didn't do that, there must have been other reasons. After that, I used the Night Guard to collect every story about Chief Minister Zhao."
"I read them over and over, studying them again and again. I can even recite many of Chief Minister Zhao's stories from memory. Eventually, in other people's assessments and Chief Minister Zhao's scattered remarks, I discovered something unlike anything I had seen before."
"Who exactly murdered Uncle Zhou? The most direct and crucial culprit was, of course, the Devil Sect's Ministry of Justice. At the time, I only asked myself