The jailer shouted a few more times, but Magistrate Zhao remained motionless.
Xu Qi An’s heart sank. He said, “Open the door.”
The jailer took out the key and opened the door, angrily reaching out to pull Magistrate Zhao: “Are you deaf?”
Zhao’s body turned over limply.
At this point, the jailer also realized something was wrong. He checked for breathing and his face changed dramatically: “He’s, he’s dead…”
We’re too late… Xu Qi An sighed inwardly.
The Taikang County Magistrate had been arrested and imprisoned overnight. Xu Qi An received the news this morning and came immediately, but he was still a step too late.
The killer must either be someone from within the prefectural office or someone who had been closely monitoring Magistrate Zhao’s movements. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to silence him so quickly… Xu Qi An lifted Zhao’s eyelids, pried open his lips to check his tongue, and then removed his prison clothes to examine the body.
“No signs of poisoning, no signs of struggle before death. Livor mortis has just formed, time of death not more than five hours ago. Cause of death currently unclear…” Xu Qi An made his assessment internally, then said, “Leave two people to watch the body, the rest come with me to see the Prefect.”
With a prisoner dying in the prefectural office, Prefect Chen Hanguang would have to take responsibility.
Xu Qi An went to the inner hall and learned that Prefect Chen was still asleep. After the yamen runner announced him, he waited outside for half an incense stick’s time before seeing the fully dressed Chen Hanguang.
Prefect Chen’s face was composed, showing no signs of having just woken up. He smiled and said, “What brings Your Excellency Xu to see me?”
The morning court session usually started at the beginning of the Mao hour, which meant that civil and military officials typically had to wait at the Wu Gate by the Yin hour, around four or five in the morning.
Therefore, returning to the office to catch up on sleep after the morning court was a common practice among Great Feng officials.
“I came to interrogate Magistrate Zhao of Taikang County, but found that he died in prison this morning,” Xu Qi An said, getting straight to the point.
“What?!” Prefect Chen was shocked.
The jailer Xu Qi An had brought along trembled as he said, “Sir, it’s true…”
Prefect Chen frowned but didn’t seem to think it was a big deal, after all, Magistrate Zhao was already a death row prisoner, set to be executed in the autumn of the coming year.
“How did he die?” Prefect Chen picked up his teacup.
“He was silenced,” Xu Qi An said.
Prefect Chen’s hand trembled, spilling hot tea. He paid no attention to it, his eyes widening: “Silenced?”
Old Chen hadn’t realized the severity of the situation… Xu Qi An explained, “How do you think the demon race discovered the saltpeter mine? Mount Dahuang is an unremarkable place, even the nearby laborers didn’t know about the saltpeter mine’s existence. How did the demon race discover it?”
Prefect Chen stood up in shock: “You mean…”
Xu Qi An nodded: “I suspect it’s related to the Taikang County Magistrate. I came to interrogate him today, but I was a step too late. He’s already been silenced.”
“The lead in this case has been cut off again. Sigh, His Majesty ordered me to uncover the truth within half a month. It’s really difficult for me. Oh, by the way, a young eunuch from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau came today, requesting that I report the case progress on time.”
Prefect Chen’s expression changed several times before he bowed and said, “Your Excellency Xu, the prefectural office is willing to assist you. All three departments and six divisions of the prefectural office are at your disposal.”
Xu Qi An smiled, “Prefect Chen is generous. Magistrate Zhao’s unexplained death in prison is an accident.”
No one cares about the death of a death row prisoner, but what if this death row prisoner was related to the Sangbo Lake case? Especially with the imperial inspection approaching.
Such a big handle, if made public, could likely result in Prefect Chen’s demotion. For Xu Qi An, since the person was already dead, pursuing Prefect Chen’s responsibility wouldn’t mean much. It was just a matter of whether to mention it or not.
So, Lü Qing, who had just been promoted to Chief Constable, was called in. Prefect Chen said sternly, “From today on, you will follow Your Excellency Xu and await his orders.”
Following Your Excellency Xu and awaiting orders… Didn’t the Prefect say a few days ago that this was an opportunity, and if we could solve the case, he could enter the inner cabinet… Is he wanting me to “infiltrate” Xu Qi An’s side as a spy?
Lü Qing thought with surprise.
“Don’t overthink it, just focus on assisting Your Excellency Xu,” Prefect Chen said gravely.
Could it be true? He, he made the Prefect yield?!
Lü Qing stared at Xu Qi An for a few moments before saying, “This lowly official obeys.”
…
Soon, the autopsy report for Magistrate Zhao came out: natural death.
The more flawless it seems, the more suspicious it is… First, we can rule out a martial artist silencing him… Xu Qi An frowned in thought.
The essence of a martial artist can be described in four words: violent, fierce, brutal, and savage.
Violence is synonymous with martial arts. Crushing Magistrate Zhao would be as simple as crushing an ant, but they absolutely couldn’t do it silently without leaving any traces.
The first thing Xu Qi An thought of was the Taoist Yin spirits because in ancient times, Taoist Yin spirits were also known as soul-catching envoys, capable of taking lives in dreams.
“First, we can rule out that old silver coin Daoist Jin Lian. If he has no connection to the Sangbo Lake case, then it’s only the Human Sect left…”
Xu Qi An irritably scratched his hair, feeling his hairline secretly receding.
How did the Human Sect get involved in this? Is the Human Sect something I can investigate? Not to mention that the Head of the Human Sect is the Imperial Preceptor, and the Head of the Earth Sect is of the second rank. The Head of the Human Sect can’t be far behind.
They could crush me between their legs!
“Hmm, it’s not necessarily the Taoist sect. I don’t know much about other systems, so I can’t jump to conclusions now… Ah, while I have this golden token, I should take the opportunity to look into more confidential insider information about the various major systems.”
Xu Qi An noticed Lü Qing secretly observing him. The female constable’s pretty face showed traces of fatigue.
“Constable Lü, you haven’t been resting well lately, have you?”
Lü Qing smiled, “Official duties are demanding.”
She now knew the reason for Prefect Chen’s compromise. Although Xu Qi An had stumbled upon this opportunity, it wasn’t an easy one to come by. If he hadn’t promptly realized there was an issue with the Taikang County Magistrate, this matter might have been suppressed by the Prefect.
“Constable Lü, you’re a woman who’s not inferior to men,” Xu Qi An complimented.
She was probably between 25 and 30 years old, yet already the head of the capital’s public security criminal investigation team. Her future was promising.
And she was still unmarried!
In his previous life, Xu Qi An had never had such promising female friends around him. All he had were leftover women worried about their boyfriends’ frequent “power outages.”
When Xu Qi An left the prefectural office, he had six quick-footed men from the office at his disposal. Their cultivation levels were not bad, with two at the Qi Practicing realm and four at the Muscle Refining realm.
Riding on horseback, he pondered what he should do next.
Half a month was neither long nor short. Solving a case required following clues step by step, it couldn’t be rushed.
Instead, it was Wei Yuan’s attitude that confused him. Wasn’t it too indifferent?
“Wei Yuan must know something. Emperor Yuanjing’s attitude is ambiguous, and the Supervisor is playing dead… It doesn’t make sense. Even if there’s some kind of game between the big shots, the First Supervisor’s escape is an undeniable fact. I can’t be reassured by their calmness because those in high positions might not care about the lives of ordinary people.”
“No, I must figure out the matter of the First Supervisor. Wei Yuan seems to not want me involved, worried that I might get implicated… But I can take an indirect approach. I can discreetly leak this information to the Princess Royal… No, not leak, but hint. Subtly hint, let her make her associations and discoveries.”
Thinking of this, Xu Qi An no longer hesitated. He said, “You all go to the yamen and wait for me. I’m going to the palace.”
Everyone looked at him puzzled.
Xu Qi An explained, “I’m going to see the Princess Royal.”
He can see the Princess Royal? Not only does Xu Ningyan have a good relationship with the sorcerers of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, but he also has connections with the Princess Royal… Lü Qing’s heart skipped a beat.
The others had various doubts and shocks, while Li Yuchun remained the calmest. He knew that Xu Qi An’s entry into the Night Watchmen’s office was all thanks to the Princess Royal’s recommendation.
Bidding farewell to everyone, Xu Qi An rode his horse toward the imperial city.
The Princess Royal was already an adult and had her mansion in the imperial city. When Xu Qi An arrived at Huaiqing Mansion and asked the guards, he learned that the Princess Royal usually lived in the palace city and rarely came back to stay.
So he rushed to the imperial city. The imperial city was like a miniature version of the inner city, with ancestral temples, government offices, inner court service institutions, warehouses, and defensive structures, as well as gardens and parks.
The outer city was where ordinary people lived, the inner city was home to officials and nobles, while the imperial city was where princes and high-ranking ministers resided.
Without the golden token, Xu Qi An wouldn’t even be able to enter.
As for the palace city, also known as the imperial palace, it was the emperor’s home, where concubines and imperial children lived. Of course, adult princes and princesses were supposed to move out of the palace city and live in the imperial city.
However, in recent years, Emperor Yuanjing had been focused on cultivating the Dao and paid little attention to his consorts, so the rules in this regard had become lax.
Now, many adult princes and princesses still lived in the palace city.
Xu Qi An couldn’t enter the palace city, even with the golden token bestowed by Emperor Yuanjing. Just as he was about to ask the guards to pass a message, he suddenly heard the sound of carriage wheels.
Looking inside, he saw a grand procession of carriages driving out.
The imperial family’s exclusive Nanmu wood, yellow silk canopies, inlaid with gold flakes and jade, were luxurious and grand.
A lineup of top-tier luxury cars… Xu Qi An thought to himself.
The guard who had taken his three silver coins saw this and smiled: “The second carriage belongs to the Princess Royal. You can see the character ‘Qing’ embroidered on the yellow silk of the carriage body. Looks like there’s no need for an announcement now.”
The guard returned the silver fragments to Xu Qi An.
“You’re too kind, too kind…” Xu Qi An pushed them back: “I might need to trouble you again in the future.”
He planned to establish a connection with the Princess Royal, cling to this powerful backer, and might need to come here from time to time to “maintain relations” in the future. It was very necessary to establish a good relationship with the guards in advance.
As the saying goes, cigarettes can pry open a man’s mouth, money can hook a man’s heart, and eating seafood together can make you and him become comrades.
The three elements of social interaction!
The guard appreciated Xu Qi An and advised him: “The first carriage is His Highness the Crown Prince, the third is the Second Prince, the fourth is the Second Princess… It seems they’re going somewhere for a banquet. If you can attend, remember to perform well. Rapid promotion wouldn’t be out of the question.”
“Princess Royal, this lowly official Xu Qi An seeks an audience on urgent business!” Xu Qi An called out loudly.