There is a god in the sky

Chapter 121 The Strange Case of Fuchunju 19

"This case should be over now, right?" Shen Lan guessed.

Even if there is a real culprit behind the scenes, it would be unwise for them to continue killing at this point.

It was obvious that both Aunt Mu and Constable Ma were protecting that person.

Xiao Ji said it was hard to say, "If he were a madman, he might not think like a normal person."

Moreover, this case cannot be closed yet; it needs to be investigated further.

So it's hard to say whether the other party can remain calm and not commit a crime.

In the afternoon, Shen Lan went back to catch up on her sleep.

Xuan'er cleaned the house spotlessly, and she even made some snacks herself, saying she would save them for Shen Lan to eat while she worked at night.

That couldn't be more thoughtful.

Shen Lan would teach her to recognize and write characters as soon as she woke up from her nap.

As night fell, she changed back into her previous men's clothing and prepared to go to the brothel to find out more.

When Xiao Ji saw her come out dressed in men's clothing, he asked, "Do you want me to come with you?"

Aside from going to the Wan Hua Lou (a brothel), he couldn't think of any other place that required such attire.

Shen Lan put on her hat, bowed to him with her hands clasped, and said politely, "No need to trouble you, sir. I'll be right back."

"Okay, stay safe."

Shen Lan took a few steps and then turned back. "My lord, I'm going to Wan Hua Lou to confirm whether that Miao Niangzi is someone I knew from my childhood."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ji stopped her and said, "If you go like this, you probably won't be able to see anyone."

The Wan Hua Lou was packed with people inside and out, so it wouldn't be easy to sneak in and find someone.

He thought for a moment and said, "Since that is King Zheng's property, why don't we just have King Zheng arrange for us to meet?"

It seems that the King of Zheng would be willing to give him this face.

If he can't do it, let Fu Qingyan take over.

Shen Lan thought this was better, so that she wouldn't be seen as a lecherous woman for peeping at the Wan Hua Lou.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir."

Xiao Ji pointed to the seat opposite him and said, "Miss Shen, would you be willing to tell me about your childhood?"

Although he already knew that Shen Lan was from Guli Town, Xiao Ji never asked about the details of what happened back then.

Shen Lan took off her hat and sat down. "What does Your Excellency want to know?"

Xiao Ji smiled and said, "You don't need to be so defensive. Say what you can say, and don't force me to say what you can't."

"When I was little... I had very good parents, a loving older brother, an uncle and aunt, and older cousins. Our two families lived together and had a harmonious relationship."

My grandfather owned a pharmacy, and business was good. My father followed in his footsteps and became a respected doctor in town.

"No wonder you are so skilled in medicine; it turns out you come from a family with a long tradition of medical knowledge."

"It's not that good. If I had been able to grow up safely at home, my achievements would have surpassed my father's. That's what they all said."

Back then, my family often joked that the Shen family was going to produce a goddess doctor.

Xiao Ji dared not mention her family any further.

It's unimaginable how she's managed all these years without such loving family members.

“Your childhood friend… if you need my help in finding him, I can write to some friends and ask them to keep an eye out.”

Shen Lan shook her head and said, "They're hard to find. There's no portrait or name. The world is so big, I don't even know if they're alive or dead."

"Everyone has their own destiny in life. If you can grow up safely, they certainly can too."

"I hope so."

"We don't have enough evidence yet regarding Lord Liu's matter. We can investigate slowly in Bianjing. Don't act rashly."

This girl is highly skilled and daring; he was genuinely afraid that Shen Lan would go straight to the Liu residence after arriving in the capital.

Shen Lan was already extremely grateful for his willingness to help, so naturally she wouldn't go against his wishes.

Besides, her life is precious; she can't act impulsively, she has to proceed cautiously.

"Rest assured, my lord, a gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years. What I want is a fair and just trial, not just his life."

Killing someone is easy, but bringing the truth of what happened back then to light and letting the world know about the injustice suffered by Guli Town is the hardest thing to do.

Xiao Ji felt a resonance in his heart.

He is in charge of major criminal cases and respects the law the most. Shen Lan's views are in perfect harmony with his, and it is a very pleasant thing to work with her to solve cases.

"I will thoroughly investigate this matter, both for public and private reasons. However, given the passage of time, it may be difficult to collect evidence."

"Yes, let's take it one step at a time."

Shen Lan mentioned the names of several officials who had served in Qingmu County back then.

"At first, I thought that the chief constable of the county government was the one who led the troops to blockade the town. After he committed suicide, he left a suicide note, in which he expressed a lot of regret."

But after traveling to so many places, I began to have doubts.

Xiao Ji understood what she meant.

"To seal off a small town, you need at least a team of a thousand men. The county constables alone do not have that kind of ability or rank."

"So who exactly was the commander of the Jianzhou Prefecture troops back then? And what about those officers and soldiers who participated in the killings? Could they really take the secret to their graves?"

Shen Lan covered her face and said, "I thought there must be records in the archives of the prefectural government, but the archives of Qingmu County have been altered, and the same is true for Jianzhou Prefecture."

Xiao Ji also investigated privately and found that it was indeed as Shen Lan had said.

It seems that someone had already erased the truth, and it just so happens that Liu Engui had worked in both the county and prefectural governments.

I wouldn't consider anyone else but him.

No wonder Shen Lan was convinced that he was the one who made the mistake; he was indeed suspicious.

"Sir, I want to know who Liu Engui's mentor is, and who his powerful backer is."

"Don't worry, this is easy to check, and we'll have news soon."

His letter back should have been delivered to the mansion by now.

The head of the Xiao family is still Xiao Ji's father, who now holds the official rank of Third-Rank Privy Councilor.

Upon receiving his son's letter, he was given two instructions: one was to build momentum for Fu Qingyan, and the other was to investigate Vice Minister Liu's background.

He couldn't show his face in the former case, lest it exacerbate the conflict between Marquis Pingyang and his wife; the latter, however, was no secret, as everyone in the court knew about it.

“Master, the eldest young master has returned to the capital. He will eventually need to know about these things. Why not hand over the connections in the court to the eldest young master in advance?”

"What's the rush? How old is that kid? He's just arrived in the capital; he has a lot to learn."

He had thought things through quite thoroughly regarding Fu Qingyan's matter. "Hmph, that old scoundrel, the Marquis of Pingyang, favors his concubine over his wife. Tomorrow I'll definitely impeach him before the Emperor."

Xiao's father wrote a reply, stating that the Emperor would not easily agree to the change of heir in the Pingyang Marquis's mansion, out of consideration for Consort Li.

But first we need to get Fu Qingyan back.

As for Liu Engui, his mentor was the Empress's father, the headmaster of Yishan Academy.

Although Tong Shanzhang doesn't care about court affairs, his eldest son is the Minister of Revenue, his daughter is the Empress, and his grandson is the Crown Prince. The Tong family is powerful, and who wouldn't want to curry favor with them?

Now Liu Engui is Minister Tong's right-hand man, and few dare to offend him.

In his letter, Xiao's father instructed him not to act rashly if he had any grudges against Vice Minister Liu.

He wouldn't let his son suffer, but he also couldn't let him run into trouble.

The situation in the imperial court is constantly changing, and there will always be an opportunity to punish someone.

"By the way, Wangchuan will be back soon. Tell Madam to hurry up with his marriage. He's not young anymore, and the sooner he gets married, the sooner he can have children."

The butler nodded repeatedly from the side.

"Don't worry about that. Madam takes Miss Zhao with her wherever she goes these days. They're practically family now."

Mr. Xiao smiled and said, "She has been looking forward to this daughter-in-law for several years, so it's normal for her to be happy."