Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 7: Planning Revenge! [Please Read]

Half an hour later, Yin Cheng also received the news and rushed over to join the firefighting team.

But the fire was too big, and it was summer, the weather was dry, and the wooden beams caught fire easily in the night wind.

Despite timely rescue efforts, most of the furniture was still burned, and the blackened beams were also crumbling. It looked like the house was definitely uninhabitable.

Jiang Xuan stood in the yard, his face covered in dust, looking at the ruins in front of him, speechless for a moment.

At this time, Yin Cheng also came over, also disheveled and in a very miserable state.

Looking at Jiang Xuan's silent expression, he sighed, stepped forward and patted Jiang Xuan on the shoulder, comforting him: "My condolences, cousin, if the house is gone, we can just rebuild it. For the time being, please move to my house."

Jiang Xuan took a deep breath and nodded, "I'm fine, thank you, cousin."

After saying this, he walked over and clasped his fists towards the people who were fighting the fire, thanking them: "Thank you for your trouble tonight. I am very grateful. If you need anything in the future, Jiang will be happy to help you..."

"Brother Jiang, you are too kind!"

"It's just a small matter. Master Jiang, you are too polite..."

Yin Cheng stood there, looking at Jiang Xuan who was greeting everyone. Although he was calm and smiling, he felt a deep chill for some reason.

Turning his head to look at the ruined yard, a murderous look flashed in his eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Burn down my cousin's house, this matter will never end!"

……

The house was burned down and they had nowhere to live for the time being, but Jiang Xuan did not refuse Yin Cheng's proposal.

After sending away the people who were fighting the fire, he walked into the yard and picked up some usable things. He also dug out more than 70 taels of silver left to him by his father Jiang Songlin from the ruins and took it away. Then he followed his cousin Yin Cheng to his home.

Yin Cheng's family is also in the south of the city, and the two families are not far away from each other.

However, unlike Jiang Xuan, Yin Cheng has a mother at home, who is Jiang Xuan's aunt, and Yin Cheng has not yet married, so he can still barely accommodate others.

After hearing that Jiang Xuan's house was burned down, Yin's mother was angry and distressed. Without any hesitation, she hurried to clean up the empty room and arranged for Jiang Xuan to stay there.

Faced with his aunt's question, Jiang Xuan didn't want to make her worry, so he didn't say much and just lied that he accidentally leaked water.

Later, when his two aunts offered to lend him money to rebuild his house, Jiang Xuan claimed that the money his father left him was enough for the reconstruction and did not accept it.

The aunt was easy to deceive, but Yin Cheng knew that this matter was not simple. Seeing that Jiang Xuan had been depressed, he suggested taking Jiang Xuan out for a drink and planned to ask about the situation.

Jiang Xuan didn't really want to go, but seeing his aunt's worried expression, he went out with his cousin.

The two of them found a nearby restaurant and ordered two dishes at random.

Yin Cheng didn't bother to ask why, and said, "I've made an appointment with a friend who will be here soon. He works for the Southern Pacification Division, and holds a higher position than both of us. I'd like to introduce him to you tonight. If you have any unsolvable problems in the future, just talk to him. He'll definitely solve them. My buddy values ​​friendship above all else."

Nanzhen Fusi?

Jiang Xuan's eyes moved slightly, and he asked, "Cousin, what's the name of your friend?"

"His name is Pei Lun."

Yin Cheng smiled and said, "He used to work with me, but he's much more promising than me. Not only is his martial arts better than mine, but he's also more capable than me. He's already been promoted to a centurion, so his future is limitless!"

It’s Pei Lun indeed!
Jiang Xuan's eyes flickered. When it came to loyalty and righteousness, Pei Lun was indeed impeccable.

At this time, Yin Cheng pointed to the door and said, "Look, he's coming!"

Jiang Xuan looked back and saw a man about the same age as Yin Cheng striding in. He was wearing a black robe, had a tall and sturdy figure, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a broad and calm face, which looked a bit like a hero.

"Pei Lun!"

Yin Cheng stood up to greet him and called him by name: "Why are you here so late?"

Pei Lun sat down at the table familiarly, picked up the poured wine and took a sip before sighing, "Don't mention it. I've been so busy these past two days."

"By the way, who is this?" Pei Lun looked at Jiang Xuan with some curiosity. In the past, Yin Cheng never brought other people to parties.

Yin Cheng patted Jiang Xuan on the shoulder and said with a smile: "My cousin Jiang Xuan took over my uncle's job. He has only been working for half a year and the small flag was raised today."

Pei Lun was a little surprised: "You've only been here for half a year and you're already a small flag? You have a bright future ahead of you, brother!"

Jiang Xuan bowed and said, "Master Captain, you are joking. I am just lucky."

Pei Lun also patted Jiang Xuan on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Since he is Yin Cheng's cousin, he is one of us. There is no need to be so polite. We won't play those empty games."

Jiang Xuan also smiled when he heard this and nodded, "Brother Pei is right."

"That's right."

Pei Lun raised his glass with a smile: "Come on!"

Jiang Xuan raised his glass, clinked it with his, and drank it all in one gulp.

The atmosphere suddenly became much more lively.

Yin Cheng asked, "By the way, Pei Lun, you just said you were busy these past two days? What were you busy with?"

Pei Lun sighed and said, "It's still the case of Eunuch Guo Zhen from the East Factory. It was transferred from your Northern Division to our Southern Division, and I'm in charge of it. My future, brother, now depends on this case."

"What a coincidence?"

Yin Cheng was a little surprised, then shook his head and said, "This case is not easy to investigate. There is no trace of the murderer at the scene."

Pei Lun chuckled, "Don't tell me, I actually found something."

"Huh?" Yin Cheng and the other man looked at him in confusion.

Pei Lun looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. Then he approached the two of them and whispered, "Guo Zhen's case may be related to your Shangguan Shenlian."

"Shen Da...Shen Lian?"

Yin Cheng was puzzled. "Isn't he related to Hokusai's case and the fire in the archives? How did he get involved with Guo Zhen?"

"It's because of these two cases that I'm even more certain that he's involved!"

Pei Lun's eyes flickered. "Ever since I took over Guo Zhen's case, I've been investigating Guo Zhen's background, but I've had no clues. Until last night, when Shen Lian broke out of prison and your Northern Division's Chief Flagman Ling Yunkai was killed, the case was transferred to the Southern Division. I then investigated Shen Lian's background again. Guess what I found?"

"What did you find out?" Yin Cheng added at the right time.

Pei Lun's eyes were filled with excitement. "Eight years ago, during the Battle of Sarhu, Shen Lian and Guo Zhen were both in the Western Route Army. Although the Western Route Army was completely annihilated, Shen Lian and Guo Zhen both survived..."

"You mean..." Yin Cheng widened his eyes.

"That's right!" Pei Lun said firmly, "I'm sure these two people have known each other for eight years!"

"And Hokusai... I've looked into this woman. Monk Jinghai of Yong'an Temple said that Shen Lian also collected a lot of Hokusai's calligraphy and paintings. So Shen Lian and Hokusai must have known each other for a long time. So it's not surprising that he broke into the prison to save people."

"As for Guo Zhen, I found out that he went to Jinling Tower to keep an appointment. Someone set up a trap to kill him!"

Yin Cheng's expression changed slightly: "Shen Lian?!"

"No! It's Hokusai!"

Pei Lun took a deep breath and said, "I found a note in his house. It said, 'Jinling Tower in Mingshifang, waiting for you, eunuch.' The person who signed it was none other than Hokusai!"

"In this way, these three cases are linked together!"

"Shen Lian, Guo Zhen, and Hokusai, these three people have known each other for a long time!"

"Shen Lian first set up a trap in Jinling Tower to kill Guo Zhen, and then deliberately let Hokusai escape. However, he didn't expect Hokusai to be recaptured by Ling Yunkai."

"So, in order to rescue Hokusai, he set fire to the archives, causing chaos, and then took the opportunity to sneak into the imperial prison to rescue Hokusai. Unexpectedly, he was intercepted by Ling Yunkai, and he killed Ling Yunkai!"

"These cases are all related to him!"

"The only doubt now is his relationship with Guo Zhen and Hokusai, and why he wanted to kill Guo Zhen?"

Pei Lun stared at Yin Cheng and Jiang Xuan and said, "As long as we find Shen Lian, these cases will be solved. Brother Yin, Brother Jiang, don't blame me for not warning you. This is a great opportunity to gain merit and get promoted!"

"You use your people from the North Division, and I'll lead our people from the South Division. As long as we find Shen Lian before anyone else, all the credit will be ours, and promotion and wealth are just around the corner!"

Hearing this, Yin Cheng's breathing quickened and his eyes became fiery.

Jiang Xuan looked at Pei Lun and couldn't help but feel emotional.

It’s really awesome to be able to find this far!
Pei Lun's ability to solve cases is truly amazing. No wonder he was able to become a centurion at such a young age.

"Done!"

Yin Cheng's face flushed red, and he slammed his hammer on the table, saying, "However you want to investigate, it's all up to you. Anyway, we don't have a direct superior right now, so the governor can't keep an eye on us all the time. My team will always be under your command!"

Pei Lun nodded and looked at Jiang Xuan again: "What about you, Brother Jiang?"

Jiang Xuan didn't rush to express his opinion. He was silent for a moment and then asked, "Brother Pei, how do you plan to investigate?"

Pei Lun said in a deep voice, "These cases are too big, especially Guo Zhen's. I checked his background. He was the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department of the East Factory, a fourth-rank official. There must be a special reason for his death!" "So we can't take all the credit. If something else comes up later, we won't be able to handle it. We must find someone who can handle it to help. It's enough for us to follow behind and drink some soup."

"Then who are you going to look for?" Yin Cheng asked.

"The captain of your Northern Division, Lu Wenzhao!"

Pei Lun said in a deep voice, "He was Shen Lian's superior before, and he was also a captain of the fifth rank. He is just the right person for the job. His contributions are so great that it's more than enough for him to be promoted to the next rank. If we divide the remaining contributions equally, it will be enough for him to be promoted to the next rank."

"Especially you two, this time you can directly skip the general flag and even be promoted to centurions!"

Fortunately, you didn't go to find Lu Wenzhao, otherwise your kidney would be lost.

Jiang Xuan shook his head and said, "Brother Pei, your deduction is correct, but I think you may have overlooked a case."

"Which one?" Pei Lun asked puzzledly.

"Last month, the Emperor fell into the Taiye Pond."

Pei Lun and Yin Cheng both changed color.

Yin Cheng frowned and said, "Cousin, the emperor's fall into the water was just an accident. No case has been filed yet. Why are you bringing this up?"

"Yes, Brother Jiang, could this matter be related to these cases?" Pei Lun was also puzzled.

Jiang Xuan took a deep breath and said, "I was on duty at the Northern Division earlier. When I was sorting through the files, I was looking through some documents and came across a book called Treasure Ship Construction Records. It contained a list of the construction personnel for the Emperor's newly built treasure ship."

"Among them, the official in charge of supervising the construction of the treasure ship... was none other than Guo Zhen, the Internal Affairs Supervisor of the East Factory!"

"what?!"

Pei Lun's expression suddenly changed, and he stood up abruptly. He then quickly realized that his action would attract attention. After looking around, he sat back down again, but his eyes were still filled with shock. He stared at Jiang Xuan and said in a low voice:

"You mean, the Emperor's fall into the water wasn't an accident?!"

Yin Cheng was also shocked.

Jiang Xuan said calmly, "I don't know if it was an accident, but there must be a reason for Guo Zhen's murder. And the burning of the archives was too accidental."

"Everyone knows that burning the archives is a capital crime punishable by death for nine generations of an entire clan. If Shen Lian only wanted to save people, he wouldn't have taken such a big risk to burn the archives."

"This move, there is no guarantee that someone is trying to achieve some purpose, or..."

"Destroy the evidence!"

Pei Lun took over the topic, breathing rapidly: "Shen Lian, Guo Zhen, Beizhai, and the Emperor fell into the water... If it is true as you said, then Guo Zhen may have been silenced. This may be the biggest case of this dynasty. Someone is behind this to murder the Emperor!"

"You mean... Shen Lian?"

Yin Cheng swallowed and whispered, "How could he be so bold as to murder the emperor? Moreover, what's his motive? What's the point of him doing this?"

"No!"

Pei Lun's eyes flickered as he shook his head, "Shen Lian is definitely not the mastermind. Perhaps he's just a pawn. There's definitely someone else behind this!"

"There's someone else? Who is it?" Yin Cheng frowned.

Pei Lun took a deep breath and said, "The Emperor has no children. If he dies, who do you think will be the biggest beneficiary?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Yin Cheng's eyes widened and he said in disbelief, "Prince Xin?!"

"Not bad!"

Pei Lun said decisively, "According to the system of imperial succession, if there are no sons, the throne will be passed on to the younger brother. Once the emperor passes away, Prince Xin will definitely inherit the throne."

"So, if there is anyone in the capital who wishes something bad to happen to the emperor, it's none other than Prince Xin!"

"I just didn't expect Prince Xin to be so bold as to tamper with the Emperor's treasure ship..."

Pei Lun sighed with emotion: "That's his own brother. They say the royal family is ruthless, and it's true!"

Jiang Xuan spoke at the right moment: "It's not just Shen Lian and the other two. I also suspect that the thief I killed when I captured Beizhai the night before yesterday, and the two who ambushed me and burned my house tonight, are also in the same group. They are all Prince Xin's men."

"what?!"

Yin Cheng's expression changed slightly: "Cousin, are you sure?"

"Is there such a thing?" Pei Lun was also a little surprised: "Brother, your house was burned down?"

Jiang Xuan's eyes were slightly cold as he briefly recounted the capture of Hokusai and what happened tonight.

"So, my dear brother, you were retaliated against because of Hokusai's case?" Pei Lun narrowed his eyes slightly.

"good."

Jiang Xuan nodded: "Now as long as we find Hokusai, we can find the people behind this, and these cases can be solved."

"However, if my guess is correct, doing this means that we will become enemies with Prince Xin. Have you two brothers made up your minds?"

Jiang Xuan stared at the two of them calmly.

The two fell silent after hearing this.

Pei Lun's expression changed for a moment before he said in a deep voice, "Investigating cases is the duty of our Jinyiwei. What is there to be afraid of?"

"That's right!" Yin Cheng suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "When a person dies, the birds fly up to the sky. If he doesn't die, he will live forever! Let's give it a try!"

"If you succeed, you'll get promoted and rich, but if you lose, the worst that can happen is death!"

Jiang Xuan shook his head: "There's no need to be so pessimistic."

"What's your plan, brother?" Pei Lun didn't dare to underestimate Jiang Xuan anymore and listened carefully to his suggestions.

Jiang Xuan narrowed his eyes and said, "First, let's do as Brother Pei said and find someone who can take the responsibility. That way, even if we fail in the end, there will be someone to take the lead. We are just small fry, and the other party may not care about us."

"However, Lu Wenzhao is not qualified yet, and he may not be reliable. We need to find someone new."

"Brother, who do you think is suitable?" Pei Lun asked.

"Originally, the East Factory would be the most appropriate person to contact regarding this matter. The East Factory is now powerful and fears no one except the Emperor. If something were to go wrong, the East Factory would definitely be able to withstand the pressure."

"But I'm afraid that the few of us are still not enough to reach the East Factory. And even if we do, we won't get any credit if the task is accomplished."

"So, as a second best option, we should look for Xu Xianchun, the pacification envoy of the Northern Division."

"He is the East Factory's representative in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he is also Wei Zhongxian's adopted son. His status and position are just right."

"The most important thing is that this person isn't too selfish. If we tell him about our plan and it works out, he'll at least remember our kindness and not burn bridges."

Pei Lun nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say. I'll go find Xu Xianchun myself tomorrow."

Jiang Xuan nodded and continued, "Secondly, the fact that Guo Zhen was involved in the Emperor's drowning must be kept secret for the time being. No one else can tell this except the three of us."

"Why?" Yin Cheng asked puzzledly.

"Firstly, the archives have been burned, and the Treasure Ship Construction Supervision Record must have disappeared as well. If we just talk, others may not believe us."

"Secondly, if we keep this a secret, we can keep a close eye on Prince Xin's Mansion and find the murderer faster than anyone else, thus gaining the primary credit."

"Besides, if this fails, we don't have to offend Prince Xin to death directly."

"The best way is to investigate the case of Shen Lian and Bei Zhai normally. Even if Prince Xin is finally brought to our attention, we will investigate the case normally, within the scope of our duties, so as not to let others think that we were targeting Prince Xin from the beginning."

Hearing this, Pei Lun pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Brother, what you said makes sense. Let's do as you say. Tomorrow I'll find Xu Xianchun and only tell him that Shen Lian, Beizhai, and Guo Zhen's cases are related. I'll let him guess the rest."

Jiang Xuan nodded slightly, but there was a cold murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

From the very beginning, he didn't want to get involved in this turmoil and had been trying to find a way to get out of it, not wanting to be implicated in these cases.

He was not interested at all in Prince Xin's plot to assassinate the emperor, or the struggle between the eunuch party and the Donglin party.

He was just a small Jinyiwei and couldn't handle such a big thing.

He just wanted to practice martial arts in peace.

But I didn't expect that everything is determined by fate and we have no control over it.

The other party forced him into a desperate situation step by step.

First, Ding Chong attacked and killed people without explanation, then he followed Ding Baiying and his disciples to ambush and kill them, and even burned down his own house before leaving.

Moreover, Ding Baiying made some harsh remarks when he left, and it was obvious that this matter would not end there.

That’s right, maybe in their eyes, I am just a small character like an ant, who can be crushed to death with just one kick?
In that case, let me try and see if I, an ant, can bite off a piece of meat from these elephants!
Lu Wenzhao, Ding Baiying...

Are you ready to accept the revenge of a mere ant?
Jiang Xuan's face was icy cold. He picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

(End of this chapter)