Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 145: Suspicious of Everything and Everyone

In the Prime Minister's Mansion, Li Si thought for a long time and said to Wuzhan, "Except for Master Xu, whom Your Majesty favors, I have never heard of anyone in the court keeping retainers with such high Taoist skills, and I have never heard of them having contacts with Taoist practitioners. It cannot be them."

Wuzhan said calmly, "Just because I haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Without the feudal system, the ministers in the court would have felt a little uneasy."

Li Si said: "Who do you suspect?"

"Without sufficient evidence, we cannot jump to conclusions. This incident has no real motive, and anyone can be suspected. If it is really the work of the undead, that would be the best."

"Does the Censor also believe in ghosts and gods?" Li Si asked Wuzhan.

"Not only do I believe it, but I have also seen it with my own eyes. Although I cannot practice Taoism, I still know some of its principles. The soul is originally a group of essence. When the essence gathers, life comes, and when the essence disperses, the person dies. If the person dies but the essence does not disperse, it is called a ghost. If the soul spontaneously leaves the body and the soul does not disperse and the body is not defeated, it is called 'out-of-body experience', which is the realm of scattered immortals that Taoists can reach. Therefore, this possibility cannot be completely ruled out."

Li Si said, "Then I would like to ask Your Majesty to ask Daoxuan to investigate this matter?"

"Why not invite Master Xu?"

"Master Xu is a mysterious person who can't be seen from head to tail. He won't show up for something like this."

Wuzhan's clear eyes moved slightly, and he asked, "Oh, then when will Master Xu show up?"

"When it's time to appear, it will appear naturally, and when it's not necessary, Daoxuan will be responsible."

"It hasn't come to that point yet, so let's not bother them."

……

As soon as Wuzhan walked out of the Prime Minister's Mansion, he received a message from Yao Jia of the Supreme Court, "Jiang Xin and Dong Chong, who were imprisoned in the Supreme Court prison, died unexpectedly." Wuzhan hurriedly rode a fast horse to the Supreme Court and entered the prison to check.

The dungeon of the Imperial Court was dark, with many checkpoints and traps, like a maze. All the prisoners were serious criminals of the Qin Dynasty. Although Jiang Xin and Dong Zhong were sentenced to death, they might not be executed. Therefore, after entering without any obstacles, they saw their bodies in the prison and eight words written in blood on the stone wall after walking a few steps: "Exorbitant taxes and heavy levies, people resent and heaven is angry."

The two men died in extremely horrible ways, with their backs against the stone wall, their heads tilted, their eyes wide open, and they were obviously in extreme fear before they died. The jailer opened the cell door and said, "They were fine when they were first locked up this afternoon, but unexpectedly, they died at night. When we found out, we immediately reported it to the court official and did not dare to enter the cell."

Wuzhan and Yao Jia entered the cell to check. Apart from Jiang Xin's broken finger, they did not find any injuries. Yao Jia asked, "Has anyone else been here?"

"Without the order of the Lord Tingwei, no one is allowed to enter here to visit the prison. We also discovered it when we were delivering food to them."

"In this case, no one in the team transporting the mercury survived. What is going on? Are they under a curse?" Yao Jia pondered.

Wuzhan pointed behind Jiang Xin's ear and said, "Both of them have needle holes behind their ears. Maybe that's what caused their deaths."

Yao Jia said, "Your Excellency is saying that they did not commit suicide, but were assassinated. Is there a spy in this prison?"

"It may not be in prison. There are many such killing methods in the cultivation world. For example, Xiao Jinghong of Tiansha Pavilion has the 'Invisible Needle', which can kill people without being seen. This needle hole is likely to have existed before entering this prison, but the poison did not take effect immediately." As he spoke, he took a silver needle from his hair bun and inserted it into the needle hole. A drop of dirty blood soon seeped out. After taking out the silver needle, the needle tip turned black. Wuzhan put the silver needle to the side of his nostril, sniffed it slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he continued: "This poison contains Drunken Immortal Peach and Kudzu Flower, which will anesthetize people's nerves and produce hallucinations. Combined with the way they died, biting off their fingers and leaving this bloody word, it should be correct."

"Did all those escorting soldiers die like this?" Yao Jia asked.

"I checked those soldiers, and there were no such pinholes. Although they were poisoned, the nature was different."

"Your Excellency is saying that the assassination was carried out secretly on the way back?"

"This is just a guess. They have carefully designed it, so there won't be any flaws." Wuzhan picked up a piece of porcelain on the ground and continued, "I am getting more and more confused about their purpose in doing this."

"Why is it this piece of porcelain again!" Yao Jia exclaimed.

Wuzhan straightened up and asked, "What results did you get from today's search?"

Yao Jia said: "There is no news from the Imperial Censorate, so there must be no result."

Wuzhan handed the porcelain piece to Yao Jia and said, "Since they left it to us intentionally, please send someone to check and see if there are any clues."

Yao Jia took the porcelain and asked, "I am a slow-witted old man. I just took office and encountered such a suspicious case. Your Excellency has a keen eye. May I ask how to deal with this case next?"

Wuzhan said: "I have just taken office. If I cannot solve the case, it will inevitably cause criticism. Your Excellency, don't you realize that this is directed at us?"

Yao Jia sighed and said, "I am old and cannot handle such an important position. If you come to me, that would be the best."

"Does your Excellency think that I am greedy for power and wealth? We are all the same. Aren't we all doing our best for the Qin?"

"Your Excellency is right. Although the Qin Dynasty has unified China, the remnants of the six kingdoms have not been eliminated. They are working behind the scenes, colluding with each other, bribing officials, developing secretly, and waiting for an opportunity to act. As your Excellency said, there are many crises."

Wuzhan said leisurely: "Tomorrow I want to go to Ba County to visit the chaste lady who is as rich as a country."

Yao Jia asked, "Does the Lord suspect it was her?"

"This case is complicated and confusing, and there is no place to check it right now. I want to go out for a walk and change my mind. I am just curious and visiting by the way. There is no other intention."

"Having lived in Xianyang for so long, it is inevitable that one's eyes will be blinded. It is time to go out and look back."...

The autumn wind blew, bringing a cool breeze. The moonlight shone through the dark clouds, bright as snow. Miaoxin and Wuzhan rode side by side on horses. Yingsheng asked, "Where are you going, sir?"

Wuzhan said, "The eldest prince asked me to go to Qingya Pavilion to drink tea and enjoy the piano. I think he has already arrived. If you don't want to go, you can go back to the mansion and rest."

"Jin Xingzi is not here, Miaoxin needs to ensure your safety. How can I leave if you don't go back?" Then she said, "Sir, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it or not."

"It's okay!"

“Miao Xin feels like they are all waiting for an adult to handle the case!”

"Oh, you have noticed it, but this is my duty. They have always been so cautious in their actions. You are a monk and don't understand the ways of the officialdom."

Miao Xin secretly glanced at Wuzhan in the moonlight and said with a smile: "I can't believe that you are so young and yet you have become an important official of the Qin Dynasty. All the old officials want to ask you for advice!"

"It's not like they're asking for advice. They're just asking questions even though they already know the answer. The higher your position, the more nonsense you talk."

"Where did you learn so much knowledge and Taoism, sir? It's amazing. If I could practice Taoism..." Miaoxin stopped talking halfway, feeling a sense of desolation in his heart.

“If you can practice, you can ascend to become an immortal?” Wuzhan continued with Miaoxin’s words.

"Miao Xin, it's just..."

"Miss Miao, a cultivator must be pure-hearted and free from desires, and practice with concentration to achieve immortality. Your master ordered you to go down the mountain, probably hoping that you can hone your mind and look down on the world. Miss, please do not be disturbed by the secular world, and waste your master's painstaking efforts."

"Miao Xin will follow your teachings, sir!" Miao Xin replied respectfully, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.

As they were talking, they had already arrived at Qingya Pavilion. As expected, Fusu had been waiting downstairs for a long time. When he saw Wuzhan coming in, he quickly motioned Wuzhan to come over.

After Wuzhan sat down next to him, he looked around and was immediately shocked to see Brother Zhang sitting at the tea table in the corner, with Yi Shuihan, Guo Zijing and six others beside him.

Zhang Liang bowed slightly, Guo Zijing glared at Wuzhan, Yi Shuihan had his back to Wuzhan and did not look back. Wuzhan didn't know why they were here, and immediately felt that the whole teahouse was filled with murderous intent, and only Fusu was still kept in the dark.

Fusu smiled and said, "Brother Zhan, why did you come just now? I have been waiting for you here for a long time."

Wuzhan replied: "Something happened in Lantian today. I just checked it out and came here."

"Then it's a good opportunity to drink some tea, listen to Miss Yu's beautiful music, and relieve your fatigue!" Fusu said.

Wuzhan glanced around and whispered, "Why did the eldest prince come to appreciate the zither at night, but only brought these few guards?"

"Am I afraid of disturbing Miss Yu? Besides, Xianyang City is very safe, so don't worry."

Wuzhan was anxious. If Brother Zhang chose to assassinate Fusu, whether he succeeded or not, it would be difficult for him to escape from here, and the Qin Dynasty would not be affected at all. Moreover, he came here with Fusu, and he would eventually be implicated. All his efforts would be in vain. He looked at Zhang Liang with his eyebrows raised, and seeing that Zhang Liang's face was calm, he felt relieved.

At this time, Guo Zijing was heard saying loudly to the people around him: "Last year I met a dying dog on the roadside. I felt sorry for it so I took it home and kept it as a guardhouse. But a few days later, after the dog recovered from its illness, it secretly ran away. What kind of dog is this?"

A man dressed as a young man beside him said, "Where in the world is there a dog like that? If you give a bone to any dog ​​on the street, it will wag its tail when it sees you again."

Guo Zijing continued, "Don't disbelieve me. I saw it once when I went up the mountain a few days ago. The dog followed the wolf pack. When it saw me, it not only didn't wag its tail, but it even barked at me. Don't you think it's infuriating?"

The man said, "I see, you didn't save a dog, but a wolf?"

Guo Zijing shouted: "Can't I tell the difference between a wolf and a dog? It's definitely a dog!"

Fusu couldn't bear to hear it, and said coldly: "How can such a reckless man like you be allowed to make noise here in such a noble place!"

Guo Zijing said angrily: "I also spent money to listen to music here, you can say whatever you want, what's it to you!"

"Swish, swish!" The four guards drew their swords at the same time, pointing them at Guo Zijing. As long as the order was given, they would kill him. Wuzhan immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"Interesting. Are you here to listen to music or to cause trouble? If you want to fight, go out and fight. Don't disturb my fun here!" Yang Yingjie sat in another corner of the teahouse at some point, waving a beautiful woman's painted fan, and said contemptuously.

Wuzhan saw that it was Yang Yingjie, so he stood up and bowed, saying, "Young Master Yang, long time no see!"

Yang Yingjie smiled and said, "It's you. I haven't seen you for a few days, and you've become a minister in the court!" He waved his fan, and with a "whoosh" his body flew to Wuzhan's side.

The guards quickly stood in front of Fusu, pointing their swords at Yang Yingjie, preventing him from getting close.

Yang Yingjie smiled and said, "Don't be so nervous. I'm here to see my brother and the beauty next to him."

(End of this chapter)