Chapter 1211: The Big Case

From his waist hung the green plaque, long and distinguished. North Yamen was now, in a sense, Jiang Wang's "mother's home."

When he first sought out Shen Yue to join the ranks, fueled by ambition, it was for the sake of this very green plaque. Now, the harvest was in sight.

The world's first Inner Mansion cultivator, also a man of the green plaque. This fact alone had ignited countless young souls across Qi, stirring a fervent longing for its ranks!

Other yamen no longer dared to boast of their talent reserves before North Yamen. Any talent, no matter how prodigious, paled in comparison to the chief of the Yellow River Meet.

If the Capital's Patrol Inspection Manor were to possess a list of noteworthy figures, Green Sheep Child Jiang Wang would undoubtedly grace it, his name proclaimed with honor.

In the crucible of reality, Jiang Wang could clearly discern the embrace of the entire green plaque system towards him.

Due to his perpetual "hanging" position and lack of concrete duties, most green plaques held little impression of him, some even harboring unfavorable views. They felt he had secured his place through backdoor means, a fourth-rank waist plaque unfair to those who toiled diligently in apprehending criminals.

However, after he secured Qi's coveted spot in the Yellow River Meet, this perception began to shift.

Seizing the championship of the Yellow River Meet overnight, Jiang Wang instantly became the pride of the green plaque.

Many capture heads now spoke his name with relish.

"Do you know Jiang Wang? The world's first Inner Mansion. He's one of ours, you know!"

This single sentence brought about no small measure of pride and satisfaction.

The group of green plaque capture heads who had come to summon Jiang Wang obeyed the order without arrogance, displaying great courtesy and consideration. Upon entering North Yamen, they were all smiles, radiating goodwill.

Yet, this relaxed and cheerful atmosphere vanished without a trace upon entering the Charter Hall.

"Charter" was another name for Bi An.

Bi An, the seventh son of the Dragon Emperor. He was said to have a lifelong affinity for litigation, upholding justice and righteousness. Legend had it that he managed all legal matters for the water race.

Of course, with the dragon race's expulsion from the Azure Sea, the scattered water race remaining in the world no longer worshipped Bi An. The human race, however, harbored no such taboos.

From the name itself, one could glean the weight this Charter Hall carried within North Yamen.

And the presence of the three individuals seated within further underscored the gravity of the matter at hand.

Jiang Wang only recognized two: the North Yamen Commander, Zheng Shi, seated in the center, and the Patrol Inspection Vice Envoy, Yang Wei Tong, seated to his right.

These two alone spoke volumes about the significance of the occasion.

Moreover, seated to Zheng Shi's left was a man of scholarly temperament.

By appearance, he seemed only middle-aged, even younger than Zheng Shi. His attire was refined, and he possessed a natural dignity. Although seated to Zheng Shi's left, the demeanor of both Zheng Shi and Yang Wei Tong hinted at his status subtly surpassing that of the Commander!

The North Yamen Commander held a position of low rank but immense power. In terms of official rank, he was still lower than Jiang Wang's third-rank Golden Melon Warrior. However, when discussing real power, there were not many individuals in the entirety of Linzi whose status could firmly surpass Zheng Shi's.

The three distinguished adults were seated properly, facing the hall entrance, behind them a Bi An statue shaped like a tiger. The scene felt reminiscent of a three-hall trial, instilling an inexplicable tension.

"Capture Head Jiang!" The moment Jiang Wang entered, Zheng Shi spoke, "This official, along with Doctor Xie and Patrol Inspection Envoy Yang, have been waiting for you!"

This served as a reminder to Jiang Wang of the scholarly man's identity.

A status higher than Zheng Shi's and the surname Xie…

Court Discussant Doctor Xie Huai An!

Having just bullied someone's nephew, Jiang Wang felt a considerable pang of guilt.

"Greetings to the esteemed adults," he cupped his hands and said, "Jiang Wang is late. Please forgive my transgression."

Xie Huai An remained silent.

Yang Wei Tong, although seated alongside the other two, did not actually possess much qualification to speak.

Beside him sat his direct superior. Beside that, someone on the same level as his teacher. His presence here was solely to oversee the fairness of the case; he was not truly on equal footing with either.

Zheng Shi waved his hand. "You didn't know you would be summoned beforehand."

Casually dismissing the matter, he then cut straight to the chase, asking, "When you returned to Qi last month, do you recall anything that occurred in Yang Di?"

Jiang Wang was momentarily stunned. "Yang Di? Nothing happened, did it?"

In that brief moment of surprise, his mind raced.

When the returning delegation passed through Yang Di, there had been some minor unpleasantness in Hengyang County. Cao Jie had reprimanded Huang Yi Xing a few times, but it had been a trifling matter, especially considering Cao Jie's identity.

They hadn't passed through Chi Wei County. In Rizhao County, he had only exchanged a few words with Tian An Tai, who was waiting by the roadside.

Other than that, what else could there be?

Zheng Shi said, "Think carefully again."

Jiang Wang puzzled, "This subordinate doesn't understand what the Commander is asking."

Xie Huai An watched him silently, still offering no opinion. Yang Wei Tong's face was expressionless, betraying no hint of emotion.

"This official doesn't mind being direct," Zheng Shi said, "What transpired between Cao Jie and Huang Yi Xing that day? You were present, do you remember?"

"I do remember."

Jiang Wang then recounted the events of that day entirely and without omission, from how Huang Yi Xing organized the welcome to how Cao Jie had reprimanded him... He spoke without bias, without embellishment, adding no personal subjective opinions.

He even repeated the dialogue verbatim, not adding or subtracting a single word.

There were quite a few people present that day. What he had seen and heard was no secret, and there was no need for concealment.

Furthermore, he didn't feel that Cao Jie had done anything wrong.

Yet, the North Yamen Commander was now asking this…

Perhaps something else had happened between Cao Jie and Huang Yi Xing?

Had he guessed wrong the first time? Was he summoned to North Yamen today not to be assigned a task, but as a witness in a case?

As Jiang Wang recounted, his mind couldn't help but speculate.

It was at this moment that Xie Huai An spoke. "Are you certain General Cao said that sentence at the time—'You old Yang officials, your habits need to change a bit'?"

Jiang Wang thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, he did say that. However, at the time, it was also…"

Xie Huai An raised his hand, cutting him off. He then said, "Huang Yi Xing is dead."

As he uttered this sentence, he looked directly into Jiang Wang's eyes.

His appearance was scholarly, his temperament gentle, but when he stared at Jiang Wang, his gaze was so stern it was difficult to meet.

Jiang Wang met his gaze and exclaimed, "How could that be?!"

Huang Yi Xing, no matter what, was a Pacification Envoy of Great Qi, a status comparable to a County Governor.

For such a high-ranking frontier official to meet such a fate was absolutely no small matter!

Xie Huai An slowly said, "Someone saw Huang Yi Xing with disheveled hair and a scattered Dao Yuan, fallen dead before the city gate."

This manner of death was truly too strange.

Scattered Dao Yuan… did that mean suicide?

But how could a person like Huang Yi Xing commit suicide?

Jiang Wang immediately realized that something he could figure out, these high-ranking officials in the court surely would have considered.

He felt his throat dry and couldn't help but ask, "Then General Cao, he is currently…"

Xie Huai An said, "He has already been confined to his residence."

Cao Jie was suspected of being involved in Huang Yi Xing's death!

No wonder the North Yamen Commander personally oversaw the matter, no wonder a Court Discussant Doctor was present!

The death of a County Governor, involving the Spring Butterfly Army Commander Cao Jie… this was already a matter of grave importance.

In the entirety of Qi, only a select few were qualified to participate.

The Military Affairs Hall was naturally not convenient to involve, so the Political Affairs Hall sent someone!