Chapter 1226: The Prodigy Case

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Within Linzi City, one terrifying piece of news after another spread throughout the city at a frightening speed.

Street corners, alleys, taverns, teahouses, the whispers were everywhere.

"Have you heard? The assassins from Hell's Gate, the ones who tried to assassinate Zhao Xuan, the Minister of Rites, at Xiao Lian Bridge, were smuggled into the city by Qingyangzi! And he helped them escape afterward!"

"Ah? No way?"

"No way? Su She, the head of the Ju Bao Merchant Guild, happened to stumble upon their plot outside the city and was killed on the spot! The ones who did it were King Qin Guang and King Wu Guan of Hell's Gate, and the carriage driver from the Bao family's stable was also silenced!"

"That's not right. Wasn't it Su She who, in desperation, bought information from the Bao family's stable and directly ambushed Qingyangzi on the official road, only to be jointly killed by Jiang Wang, Chong Xuan Sheng, and Chong Xuan Sheng's personal guard?"

"You believe that? At that time, Jiang Wang hadn't even formed his Inner Mansion, let alone Chong Xuan Sheng! What would they use to kill Su She?"

"Didn't they say Fierce Butcher secretly suppressed the scene?"

"When Chong Xuan Sheng and Fierce Butcher left the city, Su She was already completely dead!"

"Then the Chong Xuan family..."

"Heh. Cannot say, cannot say..."

"Do you know that our nation's prodigy is actually a hidden agent of the State of Equality? He won the Emperor's trust by playing a double act with Cui Zhu at the Grand Master's Ceremony. How many years has he been in Qi? How is he qualified to represent Qi in the competition?"

"Don't talk nonsense, he's the Champion of the Yellow River, the pride of our Qi people!"

"What kind of pride? You deserve to be sold and still help count the money! Do you know about the Crying Shrine Case?"

"What are you talking about! This is taboo!"

"Hmph hmph, when the Crying Shrine Case occurred, the only people present besides Zhang Yong were Jiang Wang. Tell me, how is it that every time the State of Equality does something, Jiang Wang is there?"

"Maybe it's just a coincidence..."

"Ha! Coincidence! Then his covering for the remnants of the Yang Kingdom's royal family this time, killing the entire family of the Zhao Heng City constable, that's not a coincidence, is it? He stood up for the remnants of the Yang Kingdom's royal family, incited General Cao Jie to teach Huang Yixing a lesson, and stirred up this conflict between the New Qi people and Old Qi people, is that also a coincidence?"

"Isn't this case still being investigated?"

"Let me tell you a secret, don't tell anyone else. My brother-in-law works at the Capital Inspectorate, and the evidence in this case is conclusive, there's actually nothing to investigate! It's just that considering Jiang Wang just became the Champion of the Yellow River and received a heavy reward from the Emperor, for the sake of the court's reputation, they've temporarily suppressed this matter. Just wait a few years until the buzz dies down, and then you'll see?"

"I still don't believe it. Jiang Wang is the world's number one Inner Mansion, with boundless prospects. Why would he act as a hidden agent for the State of Equality? What good would it do him?"

"What they want is an ideal, not prospects! It's just that their ideals are very extreme. Let me tell you, Jiang Wang has already fled abroad. Let's see if he can still come back?"

Such rumors, in a very short period of time, have created a storm throughout the city!

After all, just a while ago, he was a hero celebrated throughout the country. It can be said that no one in Qi did not know Jiang Qingyang. The discussions about him have also spread particularly fiercely.

In a luxurious carriage slowly passing by a teahouse, Li Fengyao's frost eyebrows slightly arched as she heard the fragments of conversation carried on the wind. "I was just saying I'd come back to see his glory. Why has it suddenly turned out like this?"

Li Longchuan, sitting opposite her, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I don't know either, it's too sudden. We were drinking together a few days ago, and everything was normal then. He just went to Zhao Heng City to investigate a case this time. I didn't expect that while investigating, he disappeared. In the blink of an eye, a bunch of cases landed on his head!"

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know, I still can't contact him. There's no news from Chong Xuan Sheng either."

"Leaving Qi at this juncture is not a wise choice," Li Fengyao said.

"Who says it is?" Li Longchuan's sword-like eyebrows furrowed.

Li Fengyao thought for a moment and said, "Jiang Wang is not a fool. The only explanation for making a foolish choice is that his departure from Qi was not voluntary."

"He was carrying out an arrest mission at the time..." Li Longchuan stopped there and changed the subject, "You mean the two constables who were with him had problems? The third-rank Green Plate Li Youjiu, and Constable God Yue Leng, they are both well-known Divine Presence constables who have fought in the Green Plate system for most of their lives."

"I was just assuming. If they had problems, I imagine the Capital Inspectorate wouldn't let them go." Li Fengyao glanced at her younger brother. "You seem to have something on your mind?"

Li Longchuan pursed his lips and finally said, "Putting other things aside. But the matter of Jiang Wang bringing Hell's Gate into the city... seems to be true."

Li Fengyao's chin was slightly raised, her long neck shining brightly with a cold and arrogant arc.

"How so?" she asked.

"The matter of King Qin Guang and King Wu Guan killing Su She jointly matches the time and place, and the details are very consistent. Also, when the Inspectorate was investigating the Xiao Lian Bridge assassination case, it just so happened that one of Chong Xuan Zun's subordinates was implicated, although he was finally proven innocent. But you know, that was when Chong Xuan Sheng and Wang Yiwu were fiercely competing."

Li Longchuan said slowly, "Furthermore, Jiang Wang and Yin Guan... did indeed know each other before coming to Qi, which can be verified by investigating in the State of You."

"If this is true, then I would like to ask." Li Fengyao said, "At that time, the only people present were King Qin Guang, King Wu Guan, Jiang Wang, and Su She. Since the first three were in collusion, and Su She is already dead, then who spread this matter?"

"Thus... there are still doubts about this matter."

"What is the family doing?" Li Fengyao asked.

"Father personally went to the Inspectorate to exert pressure, demanding a fair handling of the case. Uncle is in the Donghua Pavilion and also has some influence." Li Longchuan said, "In any case, we were friends, and I won't let anyone wrong him."

Li Fengyao lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the bright sunny sky, only saying, "It's going to rain!"

In the Capital Inspectorate.

In a secret room.

Court Counselor Xie Huaian sat at the head, looking at the person opposite him. "Constable Yue, do you have anything to say?"

Yue Leng held his knees with both hands, sitting upright, and said seriously, "Li Youjiu has a problem!"

Almost at the same time, in another secret room, almost the same words were heard.

However, the speaker was different, it was Li Youjiu, and the questioner was Zheng Shi, the North Imperial Army Deputy.

"Yue Leng has a problem!"

Li Youjiu faced Zheng Shi, his voice agitated. "If he didn't have a problem, why would he suddenly want to join our pursuit? We Green Plates have regulations for handling cases. Although his status is special and he can be somewhat flexible, he shouldn't be so reckless! A seemingly certain pursuit was ultimately discovered by the other party in advance, who used a diversion, causing Constable Jiang to also go missing! Only he knew the information, he directed the operation, and now something has happened. If you say he doesn't have a problem, how can that be? explained?"

Zheng Shi looked at him and said unhurriedly, "Can I understand it this way, Constable Li, that you don't think Jiang Wang has a problem?"

"I believe the rumors outside are completely unfounded!" Li Youjiu said, "Although I haven't had much contact with Constable Jiang, I know he has an excellent character. More importantly, he has boundless prospects in our Great Qi. Going anywhere else would not offer him better development. He'd have to be crazy to do those things!"

"But the family that was annihilated in Zhao Heng City..." Zheng Shi said, "The swordsmanship at the scene was indeed Jiang Wang's."

Li Youjiu said decisively, "That's too easy to imitate, it's not enough evidence! If Yue Leng, under the guise of Constable God, deliberately set up the scene, who could see through it?"

"What do you think?" Zheng Shi asked, "What is Yue Leng's motive?"

"I don't know that." Li Youjiu's eyes flashed with brilliance. "Perhaps it's for resources for the True Clarity Realm, perhaps for some other reason. Perhaps... the State of Equality? If possible, I suggest directly soul-searching!"

Zheng Shi lowered his head and flipped through the scrolls, not speaking.

This suggestion was naturally completely impossible. Given Yue Leng's identity and status, let alone the fact that there was currently no concrete evidence, even if he had been convicted, to soul-search Yue Leng would require the Emperor's personal approval.

For cultivators, being soul-searched is the greatest humiliation. All their life's secrets are revealed to others, and they have no dignity to speak of. Those who are soul-searched, in nine cases out of ten, will have their dao heart collapse.

Furthermore, during the process of soul-searching, a slight mishap can result in the destruction of the soul.

Rashly soul-searching Yue Leng would surely cause everyone in the court and the public to feel insecure. For the same reason, the North Imperial Army could not use such means against Li Youjiu.

Zheng Shi simply did not expect that Li Youjiu and Yue Leng had such deep-seated animosity. Since when did it start?

"What problems does Li Youjiu have?" In the other room, Xie Huaian asked.

Yue Leng said, "First, although the intelligence about the Yang family remnants entered the secret mansion through proper channels, and Li Youjiu was indeed on duty that day, his actions were too decisive! There are so many pieces of intelligence in the secret mansion every day, and so many things in the Inspectorate, yet he didn't delay for a moment and rushed to Hengyang Prefecture immediately! I have every reason to suspect that he was already prepared and was just waiting for such a procedure."

"Secondly, as soon as he went to Hengyang Prefecture, he demanded to close the case and actively took Jiang Wang out of the country. After I chased after him, under his reckless command, we split into two groups to pursue, which led to Jiang Wang's disappearance! Only he knew the information, he directed the action, and now something has gone wrong. If you say he has no problem, how can it be explained?"

Xie Huaian thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think Jiang Wang fled in fear of punishment, or did something happen to him?"

"I can't say for sure."

Yue Leng thought for a moment and shook his head. "Looking back now, there are indeed many suspicious points about this Jiang Wang... But if Jiang Wang has a problem, Li Youjiu must be an accomplice.

We all know that with Jiang Wang's current reputation, the adult who is guarding the Protective Array of the Nation will surely pay attention to his safety. Only by leaving the country under the guise of a Green Plate mission, with a Divine Presence cultivator like him accompanying, would he not be subject to scrutiny.

For the same reason, if Jiang Wang has no problem, Li Youjiu must have a problem, because he knows that only by luring Jiang Wang out of the Qi territory is it possible to harm him!"

"In short." Xie Huaian's expression was calm. "No matter what, Li Youjiu has a problem?"

Yue Leng said emphatically, "Exactly!"