The First Lackey Under The Empress

Governor's Hall.

Zhao Du'an went straight from Pear Blossom Hall to this pivotal yamen. On the way, he faintly sensed a tense atmosphere in the air.

As he arrived outside the main hall, he ran into an acquaintance.

"Were you also summoned by Supervisor Ma?" they both asked in unison.

The female Investigator, tall with her black hair tied in a ponytail, a hidden weapon pouch strapped to her waist, and a tear mole adorning the corner of her eye, frowned:

"Do you know what happened?"

Zhao Du'an looked at Haitang and shook his head:

"I came as soon as I entered the yamen. I only heard that the rebels committed murder."

Haitang's expression was solemn: "I only know that much as well. Let's go see Supervisor Ma."

The two walked together into the Governor's Hall, just in time to see Ma Yan walking out.

This great eunuch, known as the "King of Hell," had a stern face, messy and agitated eyebrows, and large, knobby hands that inspired awe. He glanced over the two subordinates and nodded, saying:

"Your arrival is just in time. Let's go to the scene together."

So urgent?

Zhao Du'an and Haitang exchanged a glance, and without wasting words, immediately followed behind Ma Yan and walked out of the yamen together.

Outside, a group of Embroidered Uniform Guards were already waiting.

Due to the urgency of the matter, the three did not take a carriage but rode on horseback.

On the way, Zhao Du'an couldn't resist his curiosity and inquired about the specific situation.

Ma Yan glanced at him and only said:

"The Prefecture Yamen received the report, and because it involved rebels, they informed us. Haitang is good at solving cases, and you have a lot of bad ideas in your belly, experienced in dealing with rebels."

Hey… Old Ma, that's not fair. Why do you describe me as having a lot of bad ideas… Can't it be smart and brave? Does it have to be dark and cunning… Zhao Du'an was too weak to complain.

...

The murder occurred in Ox Lane, inside a residence.

When the group from the Imperial Prison arrived, the residence had already been sealed off by the constables of the Prefecture Yamen.

A green-robed official was waiting here, and upon seeing them, he cupped his hands in salute:

"This humble official greets Supervisor Ma."

He then looked at Zhao Du'an, and with a slightly complicated expression, said:

"Greetings, Investigator Zhao."

Haitang: "…"

So I'm the one being ignored?

Ma Yan had a decisive personality. With a wave of his hand, he ordered someone to lead the way while inquiring about the situation.

The green-robed official said:

"This residence belongs to a Centurion of the Feather Forest Guard. He died last night, and traces of rebels were left at the scene, which is why we troubled Supervisor Ma to come in person. The scene hasn't been disturbed much; it's right here."

As he spoke, the group arrived at a study, guarded by constables of the Prefecture Yamen at the door.

Ma Yan led the two across the threshold, and Zhao Du'an couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

The room seemed to have experienced a not-so-intense "resistance."

Roughly meaning:

The desks, chairs, bookshelves, and everything else were intact, but the weapons on the back shelf had been touched, leaving only a sword sheath.

Moreover, there were many subtle traces on the shelf and the wall behind it, and many things were in disarray, with porcelain bottles shattered.

On the ground, a middle-aged military officer lay on his back, a scarlet wound on his neck, his eyes wide with anger, and a trace of terror remaining in his gaze.

A string of congealed bloodstains was left on the wall and floor.

A blood-stained sword was also discarded nearby.

"Haitang."

Ma Yan stopped and said in a deep voice.

Haitang stepped forward and began to squat down with great skill, examining the deceased's wound.

While looking, she said calmly:

"Judging from the corpse's vital signs, the time of death was probably before midnight last night. There is only one fatal wound on the neck, which should have been a single, fatal blow. The deceased was a centurion with martial arts cultivation… This indicates that the enemy's strength far exceeded his."

She stood up again, walked around the desk, and came to the bookshelf, pondering for a moment.

She also picked up the sword on the ground, carefully compared it, and said:

"Judging from the traces, the deceased should have been working at his desk last night, then stood up and turned around to draw his sword to meet the enemy. However, it's unknown what method the enemy used to seize the sword and kill him with one blow. The aftershock of the sword's energy swept across the bookshelf behind him, causing the utensils to shatter… The bloodstains on the ground and the position of the corpse all match… Strange."

"What's strange?"

Zhao Du'an asked curiously.

He didn't understand crime-solving; he only felt that the female investigator was very professional.

Haitang frowned:

"There are no signs of the doors and windows being broken open, and the deceased faced the enemy head-on, indicating that the enemy was not hiding in the house in advance but entered from the front door. With the deceased's cultivation, he shouldn't have been completely unaware…"

Ma Yan said in a deep voice:

"Are you saying that it was a crime committed by an acquaintance? If a familiar person entered the door, he naturally wouldn't be vigilant until he sensed danger and hurriedly got up to draw his sword."

Haitang said:

"Possibly. By the way, did the deceased's family not hear the sound of fighting? Why didn't they report it immediately?"

At the door.

The green-robed official from the Prefecture Yamen explained:

"We interrogated them. The deceased's family didn't hear any sound. When he returned home last night, it was already very late, and the deceased's family only thought he was handling official business in the study and didn't disturb him.

Close to dawn, his wife woke up and realized he hadn't returned, so she went to the study to look for him and discovered the body."

The few people exchanged glances, realizing that the murderer had probably used some "sorcerer" methods to conceal the noise.

Ma Yan frowned:

"You said that traces of the rebels were left at the scene. Where are they?"

The green-robed official reached out and took a piece of paper from his sleeve, handing it over:

"It's here. After the deceased's family came in, they found this and took it to the Prefecture Yamen to report the crime."

Zhao Du'an stood aside, having no chance to express himself the whole time. Now, he curiously leaned over.

He found that the paper was actually filled with words written in blood.

Haitang suddenly realized:

"The murderer dipped it in the deceased's blood to write it. No wonder I found a pen in the pool of blood when I inspected the scene just now. I thought it had accidentally fallen."

Ma Yan raised his hand to take it and didn't avoid the two subordinates, looking at it together.

Immediately, the expressions of the three changed at the same time!

There were about dozens of words on the paper. The content was very simple, and it was the words left by the murderer.

The general meaning was:

Because Zhao the traitor wrongfully killed members of the Kuangfu Society, and because the false emperor issued "evil policies," the treacherous couple colluded, and the Kuangfu Society acted on behalf of Heaven, deciding to assassinate members of the "Royalist Party" who supported the new policies of the false emperor…

Demanding that the false emperor call a halt to the "evil policies" and eliminate the treacherous officials… otherwise, they would continue to kill until the stubborn Royalist Party officials woke up.

The signature name:

Thousand-Faced Divine Lord.

...

The room fell silent for a moment.

Zhao Du'an was stunned and finally understood why the green-robed official had looked at him with a strange gaze when he entered.

He almost cursed in his heart:

"Rebels assassinate if they want to assassinate, threaten with a blood letter if they want to threaten, why drag me into it?"

Besides the "false emperor" that the rebels always had on their lips, the blood letter particularly emphasized Zhao Du'an.

The meaning in the words seemed like the reason for killing was because Zhao Du'an had slaughtered the rebels, thereby seeking revenge.

Even, at the end of the demands, it was specifically written that he, this treacherous gigolo, should be eliminated.

Zhao Du'an even wanted to clap his hands and cheer, thinking:

I just killed a Frost Sword, dug out two internal spies including Tie Chi Guan, cracked down and arrested a group of Kuangfu Society members in the capital, incidentally broke the plan of the old thief Zhuang Xiaocheng, helped the female emperor clear away some enemies, stabilized the "false emperor's" regime, and drafted a new policy to help the "false emperor" strengthen the country…

"Is it just this little thing that made Zhuang Xiaocheng, this old bastard, hold a grudge against me? He even specifically listed me alongside the female emperor and wrote it in a blood letter…"

Zhao Du'an expressed his inability to understand.

"Thousand-Faced Divine Lord… is that the one from the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals of the Kuangfu Society?"

Haitang's focus was on the identity of the murderer in the signature, frowning and saying:

"When did this person enter the capital? Yes, if it's this person, it can be explained. This person cultivates both magic and martial arts. What he's famous for is his disguise magic.

It's not ordinary disguise, but being able to perfectly impersonate others…

Last night, if he disguised himself as a family member of the deceased and entered the study, and then revealed his murderous intent, it would make sense."

Ma Yan said in a deep voice:

"Thousand-Faced Divine Lord… a Divine Chapter realm cultivator. In this case, he was sent by the Kuangfu Society after Frost Sword's death, the new branch leader. This person is cunning and extremely good at disguise. No wonder we didn't notice it in advance."

Zhao Du'an frowned:

"Have the people of the Kuangfu Society become so mad that they've started assassinating?

As far as I know, their previous methods towards officials were to win them over and set traps, trying to get people to join them in every possible way. They rarely assassinated.

After all, the goal of the Kuangfu Society is not to collapse the court, let alone to make the officials fear and antagonize them… They still fantasize about overthrowing His Majesty and re-establishing a new emperor."

Ma Yan glanced at him, his eyes complicated, and said quietly:

"It seems that the new policy you've stirred up has indeed made the rebels anxious."

Or rather, it has made the Eight Kings anxious.

Zhao Du'an's heart stirred:

So, it was because the Eight Kings or the Kuangfu Society realized that if the "new policy" was successfully implemented, the female emperor's rule would become more stable.

That's why they were driven to desperation and had to use assassination.

However, they seemed to have left some leeway. At least the first person they killed was just a centurion.

More than anything, it was a warning to others.

"This Thousand-Faced Divine Lord left these words to make the court and the public, especially the 'Royalist Party' officials, panic. His heart is truly damnable."

Ma Yan lamented.

No… he's also provoking the hatred of the officials towards me… Zhao Du'an sighed.

The blood letter repeatedly mentioned his name, which would undoubtedly lead people to associate the assassination with him.

A typical method of shifting contradictions…

Is this a blood letter?

No, this is simply a decree to condemn Zhao Du'an.

The three felt heavy in their hearts, knowing that if the other party continued to kill, the situation that had just turned better in the court would be turbulent again.

With this in mind, they immediately prepared to leave, report to the female emperor, and make arrangements.

However, just as Zhao Du'an walked out of the study.

In the courtyard, an angry roar came straight at him.

"Zhao Du'an, return my brother's life!"

...

Will correct typos later.