Every thread laid bare

"Will there be any problems with this old Daoist priest Li going to Palace of Peace and Happiness?"

Yi Shuo a day off and, unusually, returned to Old Tree Alley.

Having been assigned to the Empress Dowager's side, Yi Shuo worked diligently for the past six months before gaining her favor.

The atmosphere in the palace was rather serious. She hadn't had such a relaxed moment in a long time, especially the arguing and fighting with Rong Tianding, which made her feel refreshed.

But after feeling better, Yi Shuo returned to her previous state.

"You seem to care a lot about this Cui Yan?"

Yi Shuo entered the Zhang residence.

She could ask Rong Tianding for jokes and playful banter, but when it came to serious matters, she could only ask Zhang Xuezhou.

With Zheng Wukong absent, Zhang Xuezhou, who was only a few years older than her, acted as an elder, which made Yi Shuo feel very comfortable communicating with him.

"I've found a clue: my parents' life and death are related to an official surnamed Cui, and there aren't many officials with the surname Cui in the palace," Yi Shuo said. "I'm now re-investigating Cui Yan!"

"Did you find anything?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"No!"

Yi Shuo looked somewhat dejected when she answered.

She was skilled at practicing medicine and treating illnesses, but not at investigation and tracking. The clues that Yi Shuo followed came from flipping through bamboo slips that recorded palace secrets.

When she probed Cui Yan, his account sounded more like that of a third party.

The investigation reached its limit at this point.

"Repeat Cui Yan's entire statement regarding the red gourd!"

Yi Shuo recounted her predicament in a low voice, explaining it in detail to Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou, clearly hoping to get his help.

This made Zhang Xuezhou think twice, and then he asked Yi Shuo to repeat Cui Yan's words.

"In the past, there was a physician in the Imperial Medical Hall named Yili, who used a red gourd to make pills," Yi Shuo repeated.

"Not that sentence, you mean the next one," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head and said.

"Later, Yili reported that the gourd had been stolen, which angered the Empress Dowager and led to a reinvestigation. After that, it disappeared, and no one ever saw that gourd that could be used to refine elixirs again."

Yi Shuo thought for a moment and then completely repeated what Cui Yan had said when she asked him.

"Is there something wrong with that statement?" Yi Shuo asked curiously.

"Why was the Empress Dowager so furious when your father reported that the gourd had been stolen?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"You mean to say?" Yi Shuo asked, her face grim.

"Even Cui Yan knows about it, which proves that Palace of Peace and Happiness knows about this gourd and may have been involved in your father's alchemy. The loss of the gourd must have affected Palace of Peace and Happiness as well," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Could it be that the Empress Dowager killed my father?" Yi Shuo asked anxiously.

"There's only a partial connection," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head and said, "Your father worked for the imperial court, so the gourd must have been given to the royal family for alchemy and medicine making. Palace of Peace and Happiness wouldn't target your father, but those who aspire to replace him might not be so. This gourd was probably stolen by someone else while your father was making medicine, but your father managed to retrieve it."

"That's very likely!"

"Your father probably wanted to use the power of Palace of Peace and Happiness to target the thief, which is why he sent the gourd to the countryside so he could report the theft with peace of mind," Zhang Xuezhou said.

With just a few simple words, Zhang Xuezhou drew a conclusion far beyond Yi Shuo had imagined.

Yi Shuo felt that the truth was most likely as Zhang Xuezhou had said.

"And then?" Yi Shuo asked.

"Since your father chose to use the Palace of Peace and Happiness's resources to reopen the investigation and target this particular case, the thief will also choose to strike," Zhang Xuezhou said. "However, in this gourd theft case, the thief is not only the person your father is targeting. Your father's act of retrieving the gourd and then delivering it to the countryside is also related to the theft, which could very well cause problems during the interrogation!"

"So you mean?"

"Perhaps your father perished together with the enemy, or perhaps your father lost this fight and lost his life!"

As Zhang Xuezhou meticulously deduced the clues, Yi Shuo's eyes widened in astonishment. Her thorough investigation in the palace over the past six months had proven futile compared to Zhang Xuezhou's analysis in just a few words.

"And then what? What should I do now?" Yi Shuo pressed.

"As long as we find the records of the trial of the gourd case, see who the presiding official was, who was tried, and who was even released without charge, and who among them is surnamed Cui, the accurate answer will be revealed!"

The matter of Yi Shuo seeking revenge for her parents seems complicated, but once relevant clues are found, the difficulty in accurately verifying them is not too high.

However, reviewing past case records is not something that can be done simply by talking. It may require searching for relevant secret records from the Imperial Medical Hall, checking trial records at the Prefectural Magistrate's Office, or finding the officials who conducted the trials back then to inquire about their experiences.

Of course, there is also a very direct clue.

The Empress Dowager was furious about this matter and would certainly pay attention to the related interrogation. The other party was also likely aware of the people involved.

Zhang Xuezhou whispered a few words, Yi Shuo felt her thoughts quickly become clear, completely dispelling her previous sense of confusion.

"If you find out the answer, what will you do?" Zhang Xuezhou asked with great interest. "What if the real culprit is Cui Yan?"

"I will stake out the palace during my days off, and when I get close to him again, I will stab him to death with a needle," Yi Shuo replied bitterly.

"Then they fled to the ends of the earth, or were caught and executed before even leaving Chang'an City?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"That's about right... that's pretty much it!"

Yi Shuo thought for a moment, then nodded.

For Avengers, their basic path to revenge is to find their enemy and then kill them, without considering the consequences of killing them.

"Next time you encounter something like this, speak up sooner," Zhang Xuezhou said, tapping Yi Shuo on the head. "Sometimes, revenge doesn't have to be so complicated if you just ask for help!"

"Asking for help? Who to ask for?"

"Li Shaojun!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked in the direction of Palace of Peace and Happiness.

Li Shaojun had been traveling alone to the palace by carriage for two hours. If Li Shaojun could keep the Empress Dowager calm, their future interactions would become more equal.

Even if Li Shaojun Li Shaojun n't tried to subtly inquire, the Empress Dowager would most likely have revealed the relevant information directly.

If Li Shaojun could be more flexible, this might rekindle the Empress Dowager's old and new grudges, leading to a retrial of those involved in the case from back then.

With Yili already dead, Yi Shuo is now the target of her revenge.

"Then I'll wait for Master Li to return and ask him for help," Yi Shuo nodded repeatedly.

"He currently lacks the secret formulas and methods for refining Inner Core. You could start by exchanging these with him, or even become his alchemy apprentice in the future," Zhang Xuezhou suggested.

Even if Li Shaojun manages to deal with the Empress Dowager, if he wants to continue to make a living in Chang'an City, Li Shaojun will inevitably have to refine pills in the future. Even if it's not the Life-Creating Fortune Pill, he will still need to demonstrate his pill-refining skills.

Based on the other party's longing for the Eight-Step Ascension Pill, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Li Shaojun's chances of entering the Divine Ability Realm were almost entirely tied to Chang'an City, which involved the Eight-Step Ascension Pill that Li Shaojun needed to refine.

If even with the support of the imperial court in Chang'an City, Li Shaojun's desires remain unfulfilled, the possibility of him reaching a higher level of cultivation in this lifetime is extremely slim, let alone escaping the 'white' realm.

"Speaking of which, this guy must have received some kind of mission from 'Bai,' it's not simply about coming to Chang'an City to seek fortuitous opportunity and improve his cultivation level!"

Thinking of the 'White' suppressed in the Yellow Springs Fengxi Marsh, Zhang Xuezhou suddenly realized that Li Shaojun's tireless pursuit of managing Chang'an City might have ulterior motives.