Chapter 637 - 355: Heaven Protects the Good
Chapter 637: Chapter 355: Heaven Protects the Good
Smiling Half-step Madness.
It was both a poison and a Gu.
It was a Poisonous Gu crafted by the Mountain Race.
Legend had it that anyone implanted with this Gu would have their internal organs devoured in an extremely short time.
Moreover, as the Gu Insects fed, their toxins paralyzed the victim’s five senses. The victims wouldn’t feel a thing; instead, they would experience an inexplicable sense of euphoria, leaving them with beaming smiles at the moment of death.
Chen Yunfan inspected the condition of the Ma family members one by one. He deliberately touched their corpses to confirm that their chest cavities were entirely hollow.
Standing up, he shook the rainwater off his hands, wiped them on his clothes, and said, "It’s highly unlikely that the Mountain Race would get involved in the affairs of the Imperial Court.
"We’ll likely need to take a more measured approach to this."
Fang Hongxiu glanced at him. She knew perfectly well that the presence of Smiling Half-step Madness alone wasn’t enough to pin the blame on the Mountain Race.
However, now that a clue had surfaced, she wouldn’t just drop it.
Han Ruixuan observed their expressions, frowning. "If this is what happened to Academic Administrator Ma’s household, then what about Xu Jitong..."
Chen Yunfan raised an eyebrow and turned to leave. "Lead the way."
Catching on just as quickly, Fang Hongxiu dashed out the door.
Seeing the two leave so decisively, Han Ruixuan shook his head helplessly. He turned to the Imprisonment Officers who had accompanied them and issued his orders.
"Meng Chuan, take two men and stay behind to stand guard. Don’t alarm the local civilians.
"Jingxuan, head back to South Street and notify the forensic doctor to come over for an autopsy..."
Before long.
Chen Yunfan, Fang Hongxiu, and Han Ruixuan arrived outside Xu Jitong’s residence.
After listening intently for a moment, the three exchanged glances and breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Assistant Imperial Censor Xu’s family is safe and sound. A silver lining in this tragedy."
The death of an Academic Administrator and his entire family was already enough to shock the Imperial Court and the public.
If the perpetrator’s family had also been dragged into this after his death, the implications of this case would become far too massive.
Even Chen Yunfan, who wasn’t privy to the internal workings of the Imprisonment Department, understood this clearly.
Let alone Fang Hongxiu and Han Ruixuan.
Listening to the sounds of two children playing and laughing inside the courtyard, a flicker of pity crossed Fang Hongxiu’s face.
But she quickly composed herself, straightened her clothes, stepped forward, and knocked gently on the door.
Han Ruixuan took a deep breath and followed her.
Chen Yunfan, however, simply leaned against the eaves. He watched the gloomy, rainy sky, looking somewhat melancholic.
"These people from the Imprisonment Department really have hearts of stone," he thought.
"Xu Jitong just died, and they’re already knocking on his door to investigate."
Chen Yunfan muttered something about how kind-hearted he himself was, but his mind was actually preoccupied with the matter concerning Ma Shuhan.
Yesterday, when he first heard about the policy question, he hadn’t thought much of it.
Today, however, Ma Shuhan was first investigated by the Inspectorate Office and then assassinated. It was hard for him not to connect the two events.
Yet, he was equally puzzled as to why Ma Shuhan had targeted Chen Yi at the examination hall earlier.
"Did Brother Yi offend him? Or was it because of Guiyun Academy?" he wondered.
"But Brother Yi must know something."
Memories of the moments before and after Ma Shuhan’s murder flashed through Chen Yunfan’s mind, freezing on the expression Chen Yi had when he heard the commotion outside the examination hall.
"Surprise?" he thought.
"It seems Brother Yi didn’t expect Ma Shuhan to die either, or... he didn’t expect him to die so suddenly."
While Chen Yunfan was deep in thought, he heard uncontrollable wailing coming from the courtyard behind him. He frowned slightly, but his expression quickly smoothed out.
He really couldn’t stand seeing good people cry.
A moment later.
Fang Hongxiu and Han Ruixuan emerged from the Xu Family residence, followed by a woman dressed in coarse linen clothes.
Her eyes were red, and she covered her mouth to muffle her sobs. "Please investigate this thoroughly, my lords. My husband... he was not a wicked man."
Fang Hongxiu turned to look at her, her expression perfectly calm. "Lord Xu committed murder in broad daylight. There is no possibility of overturning the case."
The woman’s crying grew louder. "But... but you just said that Ma Shuhan, Academic Administrator Ma, had already been apprehended by the Inspectorate Office! My husband might have..."
Before Fang Hongxiu could say another word, Han Ruixuan waved his hand and interjected, "The underlying reasons still need to be investigated. Madam Xu, please wait patiently at home for further news."
"Then..."
With a few brief words, Han Ruixuan dismissed the woman.
The courtyard doors were then pulled shut.
On the way back.
Seeing that the two were keeping silent, Chen Yunfan asked, "Well? Did Madam Xu know anything?"
Han Ruixuan shook his head. "She only mentioned that Xu Jitong had been erratic and gloomy recently.
"Other than that, nothing."
Chen Yunfan nodded thoughtfully. "It seems Xu Jitong had been plotting the assassination of Ma Shuhan for days."
Han Ruixuan grunted in agreement. "As for exactly how long, we’ll still need to check with the Inspectorate Office."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Hongxiu chimed in, "The Mountain Race needs to be investigated as well."
Looking somewhat helpless, Han Ruixuan turned his head toward her. "Thousand Households Fang, the Mountain Race is different from the rest. Without concrete evidence, it’s impossible for us to head to Wumeng Mountain."
"I know.
"We’ll start by investigating the Mountain Race members within Prefecture City."
Fang Hongxiu was naturally aware of the Mountain Race’s formidable reputation in Shu State. She said flatly, "If we don’t follow this lead regarding the Mountain Race, I’m afraid this case will end up unsolved."
Han Ruixuan shook his head. "I fear it will be exceedingly difficult.
"There are quite a few Mountain Race members in Prefecture City. Investigating them one by one will take a considerable amount of time. By then, the culprit will have long since fled back to Wumeng Mountain.
"Furthermore, the Mountain Race is extremely tight-knit. Even if they knew who did it, they wouldn’t cooperate with us."
"So, according to you, Thousand Households Han, we should just stop investigating?" Fang Hongxiu retorted.
"You..."
Seeing the two Thousand Households bickering, Chen Yunfan couldn’t help but chuckle. He raised a hand to stop them and said,
"I have a good idea."
Han Ruixuan bit back his words and cupped his hands. "Please go ahead, Assistant Governor Chen."
Chen Yunfan pointed toward the north and said, "The granddaughter of Granny Shan from the Mountain Race is currently staying at the Xiao Family’s residence.
"If she were to step forward, the Mountain Race members in Prefecture City would definitely fall in line."
To his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, the expressions on both Han Ruixuan’s and Fang Hongxiu’s faces shifted slightly.
"This... I’m afraid that would be inappropriate..."
Chen Yunfan looked at the two of them and raised an eyebrow. "If you want to investigate the Mountain Race, there’s no way around Pei Guanli. What’s so inappropriate about it?"