The prince is more stable

Chapter 250 The only clue
The national hero and the Bian Jing dandy seem to be in conflict, but in fact they are not inconsistent.

Because Zhao Xiaoqian is a combination of the two.

He fought tirelessly for his country and was not afraid of sacrifice, but when he returned to Bianjing City, he suddenly transformed himself into the prince of Chu and became unreasonable, looking for trouble and acting tyrannically.

The prince, despite the criticism from all the civil and military officials in the court, finally went out for a trip and just wanted to enjoy a meal of soup dumplings. Is that too much?

Not too much at all.

A moment later, the shop owner was dragged out by the royal guards. The shopkeeper walked dejectedly in front, followed by the vicious guards. If the shopkeeper walked slowly, he would be kicked.

At the door of the shop on the first floor, Zhao Xiaoqian glared at him with an angry look on his face. The shopkeeper bowed and smiled apologetically, with bitterness in his eyes.

Opening a shop and being the boss, is that considered a freelance job?
But why do I always feel like I'm still working? I can't even slack off because the customers will really hit me.

Zhao Xiaoqian completely ignored the shopkeeper's suffering.

I've been a slave for two lifetimes, why is it so comfortable for you to be a boss?

With a kick, the shopkeeper was hit hard on the butt.

"As a businessman, you still need customers to urge you to open the door. Do you think you can make a fortune in this life?" Zhao Xiaoqian glared at him.

"Please forgive me, sir. Please forgive me! I will open the door right away." The shopkeeper had a sad face and hurriedly opened the door.

Zhao Xiaoqian walked in with a swagger, found a seat that suited his taste and sat down. He snapped his fingers at Chen Shou and pointed at the manager in the kitchen.

Chen Shou understood and immediately followed the shopkeeper into the kitchen, his eyes wide as bells and his ears erect as antennas...

In short, just keep an eye on the shopkeeper to prevent him from secretly spitting in the stuffing.

Zhao Xiaoqian was not a noble person to begin with. He was particularly familiar with the thoughts and behavior of villains. If he were the shopkeeper, and had to make buns for others after being kicked out, he would definitely spit in the stuffing.

It is important to put yourself in his shoes and let Chen Shou keep an eye on his every move.

It is reasonable to judge others by one's own standards.

Not long after, the hot soup dumplings were served. Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes lit up and he gently picked up a dumpling with his chopsticks.

Carefully place it in a bowl and let it cool, then touch the dough with your mouth, as if gently kissing your lover's red lips. After gently biting the skin, suck the soup inside while it is still hot. After sucking up the soup, eat the bun in one bite.

Zhao Xiaoqian knows how to eat. The practice of catching the soup from the soup dumplings with a spoon and drinking it in one gulp is very unprofessional. The soup is still soup, but the lips do not directly touch the dough, so the food has lost its soul.

After eating two baskets of soup dumplings, Zhao Xiaoqian was finally satisfied and a smile gradually appeared on his face.

This is what life is all about!
When I was wandering around in Western Xia and sleeping in the open air, this was the thing I longed for the most.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhao Xiaoqian stayed in the store with his legs crossed and refused to leave.

The shopkeeper looked at him with a sad face, turned his back from time to time and sighed quietly.

Zhao Xiaoqian twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Well, I won't leave. I'll stay for a while and severely intimidate the shopkeeper. He is not proactive in running the store and has problems with his thinking."

There were footsteps outside the store and Wei Jie hurried in.

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned: "You come to eat buns too?"

Wei Jie smiled bitterly and said, "What buns are you eating? I came here specifically to see the Duke."

"Is something wrong?"

Wei Jie nodded, leaned over and whispered in his ear, "We have a clue."

Zhao Xiaoqian narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew what Wei Jie meant by having a clue. The soldiers paid the price of hundreds of lives in the attack on the canyon. The Imperial City Division had been investigating for the past few days and finally had a clue.

Standing up and brushing off the hem of his robe, Zhao Xiaoqian said loudly, "Boss, I won't know when I'll come next time, but your store must be open, otherwise... hehe!"

The shopkeeper's old face wrinkled into a ball. Well, freelancers have completely become slaves who punch the clock in and out at work.

After leaving the first building with Wei Jie, we headed straight for the Imperial City Office.

Half an hour later, Zhao Xiaoqian was sitting in the signing room of the government office. "Have the five thieves confessed?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

Wei Jie shook his head. "Those five men haven't uttered a single word. They're hanging on to their last breath, yet they refuse to confess. The county lord is right. These five men might be assassins hired by some powerful family. There's little hope of breaking through them."

"What clue are you talking about?"

"According to the order of the County Lord, the Imperial City Administration sent an officer and two escorts to the Military Equipment Bureau to review the records of the Divine Arm Bow's inflow and outflow over the past ten years. After five full days of investigation, they finally discovered something amiss."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised his eyebrows: "The number of in and out movements of the Divine Arm Bow is wrong?"

"Yes, in August of the sixth year of Yuanyou, the Military Equipment Bureau transferred 85 divine arm bows to the Sun-Bonding Camp of the Upper Four Armies for use in military formation training. They were supposed to be returned to the Military Equipment Bureau in half a month, but they weren't returned until a full month later..."

"and then?"

"Eighty-five were dispatched, but only seventy were returned. Jin Xilai, the commander of the Sun-Bearing Camp, reported that the remaining fifteen were damaged during military drills."

Zhao Xiaoqian pondered for a moment and said, "Is it normal to destroy fifteen divine arm bows in one exercise?"

Wei Jie nodded. "That's normal. There are documented cases of more damage than this. During the reign of Emperor Shenzong, there was a drill that damaged nearly a hundred Shenbi bows. It's not surprising."

"But what's different is that the remains of nearly a hundred damaged Shenbi bows during the reign of Emperor Shenzong were all returned intact to the Military Equipment Bureau. Officials there inspected and sealed the remains, and every single component can be counted."

Zhao Xiaoqian finally realized something was amiss: "During the drill in the sixth year of Yuanyou, the damaged Shenbi bow wasn't handed over with any wreckage?"

Wei Jie nodded. "No, but strangely, the Military Equipment Supervisor accepted this result. While the fifteen damaged Divine Arm Bows had no wreckage or parts left, the Military Equipment Supervisor didn't pursue the matter. Instead, they issued a written order reprimanding the then-Commander-in-Chief, Jin Xilai, and the matter was dropped."

"This incident was later discovered by Han Zhen, the Imperial Censor. Han Zhen even submitted a memorial to impeach the Military Equipment Supervisor and the Sun-Praise Camp. However, for some reason, the matter remained unresolved and has never been mentioned again."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded, then began to analyze by counting on his fingers.

"Whether it's good or evil, as long as something happens, there must be a cause and effect, and there must be a connection between the beginning and the end. The whereabouts of the fifteen divine arm bows remain a mystery. If this is a conspiracy, it cannot be accomplished by one person in front of so many people."

"So, Jin Xilai, the commander of the Sun-Bonding Camp, is one of the suspects. Then there must be someone in the Armoury Department who is cooperating with him, otherwise the Armoury Department would not let this matter go. Who is the official in the Armoury Department who handled this matter?"

"Liu Yao, the Supervisor. It was he who approved the letter and personally reported the damage to the fifteen Divine Arm Bows and filed it. Censor Han Zhen impeached Jin Xilai and Liu Yao."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "So, what about these two people? Are they still serving in Bianjing?"

Wei Jie smiled bitterly and said, "Something is even more wrong. Two years ago, Jin Xilai came home on sick leave and died on the way back."

"How did you die?"

"The family said he died suddenly of a brain stroke and didn't even leave a last word."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled with interest. "What a twist! It's so thrilling! Could it really be such a coincidence? The only two people involved in the case died instantly?"

"Where's Liu Yao, the Military Inspector? Isn't it just a coincidence that he's also dead?"

Wei Jie laughed: "This is another thing that's wrong. Liu Yao also resigned due to illness, and it was only a month after Jin Xilai resigned due to illness. It's as if the two of them had made an appointment in advance."

Zhao Xiaoqian's face darkened: "And then?"

Wei Jie said, "After receiving the report, I dispatched officers from the Imperial City Division this morning to Liu Yao's hometown, Yingtian Prefecture. If he's still alive, we'll capture him first. Liu Yao is now our only lead."

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a while, then slowly said, "Continue investigating at the Military Equipment Bureau, and search back ten years to see if you can find more clues."

"Not only must we give an explanation to the emperor, but we must also give an explanation to the hundreds of soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion who died in vain."

Zhao Xiaoqian added, "Tell Liu Dan not to try the five thieves imprisoned in Bingjingwu for now. Ask the doctors to heal their wounds and provide them with good food and drink until they are well again."

Wei Jie smiled faintly: "The order from the county lord came just in time. If Liu Shan is allowed to continue the trial, the thief won't confess, and Liu Shan will go crazy first. I have noticed that his demeanor has become a little abnormal these past few days. He has been talking nonsense, and I am really worried that something bad will happen to him."

"It's said that Liu Dan has begun to doubt the power of the torture instruments in Bingjingwu. Last night, he took an iron stick and inserted it into the crack of his fingernail, causing him to scream in pain..."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "Give him a few days off, what a sin!"

(End of this chapter)