Zhao Xuance returned to Suzhou, thinking that Qi Zhen's actions had successfully affected the Suzhou government, so that he finally no longer had to bear the pressure of clearing out the Mulberry Snakes in Yuemeng Mountain.
Liao Xunli thought that Zhao Xuance came back because the Suzhou governor finally received instructions from the imperial envoy to arrive in Suzhou immediately.
However, both of their guesses were wrong.
But Zhao Xuance had already guessed it when he met Suzhou Prefecture Yin.
"Xuan Ce, mourn and obey the changes."
Liu Fang walked down the hall, took Zhao Xuance's hand, and said sadly.
"Sir, what are you doing..." Zhao Xuance knew that he needed to ask questions knowingly at this time.
Liu Fang naturally knew about the relationship between the shopkeeper of Xingyi Shop and Zhao Xuance.
Not only that, Liu Fang also knew that the shopkeeper of Xingyi Shop followed the path of his younger brother when he first collected Yuemeng silk.
Things went back to the day when people started queuing up to file complaints in front of the Suzhou Prefecture. The first case was not a case of stealing chickens.
Instead, red paint was splashed on the exterior wall in front of the mansion.
Naturally, the most powerful detective under his command was not the one who went to Yuanwai He's house to investigate the vandalism.
When it comes to the court's face, it is naturally the top priority.
Since it was a combined investigation, Yi Yuanzhai was naturally found.
Then it is natural to clarify the social relations of Yiyuanzhai.
So I found the clothing store.
Xingyifang and Yiyuanzhai are competitors in the Suzhou Embroidery Competition. This is known to everyone in the city, not to mention the government officials in Suzhou Prefecture.
Because the tribute from the first place winner in the Suzhou Embroidery Competition will be sent to the palace.
However, what everyone doesn’t know is that the second-place embroidery will be sent to the Governor’s Office.
What is the concept of Governor? A high-ranking official of the first rank, a high-ranking official in the border areas, and must be a close confidant of His Majesty.
The so-called county magistrate is not as good as the current person in charge. This is also an extremely honorable thing.
After discovering the clothing store, Mr. Liu Fang sensitively discovered that there was something unusual about it. He specifically asked his detectives not to come to the door as officials, but to investigate the situation through secret visits.
Who knew that there was no one in Xingyifang's house.
After asking around the neighbors, I learned that no one had come in or out of the shopkeeper's house.
After returning to the clothing store, I found that the clothing store had not opened for business the day before.
Under normal circumstances, the clothing store picks up the goods twice a month. It's not time to pick up the goods now, so where is the shopkeeper?
I went to the shopkeeper's son's private school. The shopkeeper's son's husband also thought he was ill, so he didn't take it too seriously.
The policeman was a man after all. Of course he felt something was wrong at this time, so he was about to break in. However, he discovered that the street door of the shopkeeper's house was not locked. He hurriedly led his men to break into the shopkeeper's house.
The result was no different from what Qi Zhen and the others saw, a family lying neatly together.
The police officer reported the matter to Liu Fang as quickly as possible. Liu Fang also felt that the matter was a bit difficult and immediately sent a man to conduct an autopsy.
Wu Zuo's conclusion was no different. The shopkeeper's family of four died of poisoning, and Liu Fang had a plan in mind.
Then someone called Zhao Xuance back at this time.
Zhao Xuance looked sad. Even though he had heard the news from Qi Zhen, he still couldn't help but feel sad when he heard it again.
Not all of them are actors.
"Master Zhao, this is..." Liao Xunli asked.
"The shopkeeper of that clothing store is my brother." Zhao Xuance said sadly.
"Hey, this is really..." Liao Xunli sighed.
"I wonder if your Excellency knows who did it?" Zhao Xuance asked knowingly.
"I'm afraid he's not a human being." Liao Xunli said at this time.
"Not necessarily. It would be too hasty to draw a conclusion now." Liu Fang said slowly at this time.
"Sir, those mulberry snakes have a long-standing hatred for humans. Since they died from poisoning, those beasts must have done this." Liao Xunli affirmed.
"But so far, we have not received any reports of mulberry snakes poisoning humans. How can we draw a hasty conclusion if it has not happened even once?" Liu Fang touched his beard.
"Then why not continue the investigation quickly?" Liao Xunli asked.
"Of course I checked, so I didn't find Xuance until now." Liu Fang said.
"Oh?" Zhao Xuance frowned.
"The yamen officer found a secret passage leading to the yamen of your city patrol department. How do you explain it?" Liu Fang asked.
The secret passage was concealed even from Liu Fang. Although he could understand Zhao Xuance's thoughts, it was difficult for him to accept this kind of deception.
Zhao Xuance knelt on one knee, holding his fists in his hands, without any explanation.
"My lord, please forgive me!"
"Forget it, he has passed away. Everyone knows your loyalty to the court, but don't do it again in the future." Liu Fang was very satisfied with Zhao Xuance's attitude and waved his hand.
"Master Zhao, you have never told your subordinates about this matter." Liao Xunli said at this time.
Zhao Xuance lowered his head, a stern look flashed in his eyes.
Seeing that he had no reaction, Liao Xunli turned to Liu Fang and said, "Sir, this matter may be related to the foreigner who suddenly appeared in Suzhou Mansion that day."
Liu Fang became interested and quickly asked Liao Xunli what was going on.
"You'd better ask Mr. Zhao, he has more contact with those outsiders." Liao Xunli looked at Zhao Xuance out of the corner of his eye and said.
Zhao Xuance did not hide anything and reported everything to Liu Fang in detail.
He just concealed the matter of Yuemeng Mountain.
"It seems that these thieves came to the shopkeeper's house of Xingyi Shop through a secret passage and killed a family of four." Seeing that Zhao Xuance had finished speaking, Liao Xunli added lightly, which was the last word.
Liu Fang was furious after hearing this, and immediately sent out a wanted order for the six Qi Zhens. Naturally, Li San, who had been away from the team before, was excluded.
Now that we have finished talking about the murder of the shopkeeper of the Xingyi Shop, the next thing is naturally the arrival of the imperial envoy and the current chaos in Suzhou City.
Since the imperial envoy is coming to Suzhou soon, the search for mountains and snakes must be accelerated, because within three days of the imperial envoy's arrival, a Suzhou embroidery conference must be held in Suzhou city.
However, due to the current chaos in Suzhou, it is difficult for the government to spare manpower to go into the mountains to catch snakes.
Therefore, the imperial envoy's arrival and the rebellion in Suzhou were actually one and the other.
Liao Xunli was very active in this matter, almost fanatical.
Both Liu Fang and Zhao Xuance knew why.
Liu Fang knew more. The imperial envoy was coming to Suzhou the next day.
There is definitely no time left, so we must first maintain the security of Suzhou Prefecture.
Then discuss again.
On the one hand, Liao Xunli was excited about the imperial envoy's arrival, because he knew who came to Suzhou City this time.
On the other hand, he was very upset that the current snake-catching work was progressing slowly. It was a pity that he was only an adjutant. If he could be a commander of the city patrol department, there would be no such trouble.
Then, an agenda must be negotiated.
When leaving Suzhou Mansion, Zhao Xuance had no expression on his face, while Liao Xunli had a faint look on his face.
Wine bag and rice bag! Why does the imperial court support officials like you? How can those untouchables be as important as the affairs of the court?
Liao Xunli cursed Liu Fang and Zhao Xuance in his heart.
The City Inspection Department intensified the intensity of city inspections and announced the incident at the door of every wealthy shop. An announcement was also posted at the door of the government office.
The general meaning is that someone stole paper and ink from the paper shop and spread rumors, and the spreaders of these rumors have been sent to prison in Suzhou.
Order in the city of Suzhou gradually restored, and the Suzhou government issued another arrest warrant to hunt down the six suspects Qi Zhen in major cases. Anyone who provides clues will be rewarded heavily.
Before sunset, Suzhou Prefecture issued another announcement. The imperial envoy arrived the next day and the whole city was under martial law...
In short, when Zhao Xuance raised his head from behind the desk of the City Patrol Office, it was already dark.
Relying on the manpower returned from Yuemeng Mountain, after a day of hard work, normal order in Suzhou City was basically restored.
However, the successive announcements caught the whole city off guard.
But luckily, I believe there won't be any problems when the imperial envoy arrives tomorrow.
When Zhao Xuance was thinking about these things, a voice suddenly sounded in Zhao Xuance's heart.
"Master Zhao, please dismiss the people around you and open the door so we can have a chat."
It was Qi Zhen’s voice.
Qi Zhen was in the room now, but the guards at the city patrol department were different from before. There were quite a lot of guards. Qi Zhen was not sure that they could see Zhao Xuance without alerting them, so she had to use this method.
But to be honest, Qi Zhen really likes this feeling of flying over the walls.
Zhao Xuance opened the door and walked outside, sent his subordinate soldiers away, and then returned to the house.
When Zhao Xuance returned to the house, Qi Zhen was already waiting for him inside.
The two looked at each other, and Zhao Xuance nodded towards Qi Zhen.
"I suspect a person." Qi Zhen said straight to the point.
"I know, I also doubt him." Zhao Xuance said.
"You can kill him." Qi Zhen knew what Zhao Xuance had guessed and expressed her opinion.
Zhao Xuance shook his head at this moment.
Qi Zhen was stunned: "Why?"
"I am an official of the imperial court, how can I take human life so lightly? Besides, I have no evidence." Zhao Xuance insisted.
"I'll do it." Qi Zhen said.
"Then I will definitely catch you." Zhao Xuance stared at Qi Zhen and said.
"But you have no evidence." Qi Zhen spread her hands and said nonchalantly.
"You are very anxious." Zhao Xuance said, with unquestionable certainty in his tone.
"When you suspected that the murderer was Sang She, you never saw Mr. Zhao being so indecisive." Qi Zhen did not answer Zhao Xuance's question directly, but said lightly.
"Of course, they are some monsters after all. Now the target is a court official, so how can it be like this?" Zhao Xuance said.
Qi Zhen nodded, he could understand Zhao Xuance's attitude at this time.
Zhao Xuance is an official of the imperial court. He has a sense of responsibility and justice that is different from ordinary officials. He is also brave, courageous, and aboveboard.
But no matter how extraordinary, in the final analysis he is still an ordinary person.
Ordinary people naturally hate monsters and pay attention to rules. Since they are people who have been immersed in the big dye vat of the imperial examination, they naturally respect the laws of the court, and their attitudes towards people and monsters are naturally not comparable.
"But Mr. Zhao, I want to ask you, even if you really find evidence that he is the culprit who killed your brother's family, what can you do?" Qi Zhen asked this question from a different angle at this time.
"Of course, the crime will be punished according to the law." Zhao Xuance replied decisively.
"But Mr. Zhao, who will punish this crime?" Qi Zhen said softly.
Zhao Xuance was silent.
Qi Zhen knew that the heat was almost there, and the difficulty of this matter should be imagined by Zhao Xuance's position.
"Let's do this, Mr. Zhao, I just want a chance." Qi Zhen continued his "follow-up approach".
"You haven't answered me yet, why are you in such a hurry?" Zhao Xuance asked.
"I'm afraid it's too late." Qi Zhen replied.
There was another moment of silence, and Zhao Xuance lowered his head, knowing that Qi Zhen was right. The imperial envoy was coming tomorrow, and tonight was even his last chance.
"Then what are you going to do?" Zhao Xuance raised his head and asked.
But where is the shadow of Qi Zhen in front of me?
