Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 40 The Truth
“Besides,” Luo Xian tilted her head, her messy hair obscuring her face, “I don’t trust him either.”

Chao Cuo felt that she was coaxing him, and said in a low voice, "I heard that you two have known each other for ten years and have a good relationship."

"As you said yourself, it all happened ten years ago."

Smoothing her hair, Luo Xian slowly got up from the couch, leaned back to find a comfortable position, and lay down again, just about to say something.

Another maid rushed in from outside the door: "Your Highness, Young Master Pei from the Prime Minister's residence requests an audience."

Luo Xian and Chao Cuo exchanged a glance.

"Look, here they come." The princess waved her hand. "Call me."

Chao Cuo shifted his feet and stood to the side, saying, "I think the most he could think of was poison."

"Chief Chao is a bit too shabby, we definitely need to go deeper."

Luo Xian sat up straight and tidied his appearance: "Maybe we can achieve it in one go."

Pei Xia has arrived.

He hunched his shoulders as soon as he entered, saying, "It's quite cold up in the mountains."

Luo Xian immediately reached out, took her own shawl from the couch, ran down barefoot, and personally draped it over Young Master Pei.

Her eyes crinkled with laughter, curving like crescent moons: "You haven't come to see me in a long time, I suppose you've made some progress on the case?"

Pei Xia remained silent, glancing at Chao Cuo beside her.

Chao Sizhu nodded to him.

“This is Lord Chao, the Left Chief of the Insect and Bird Division,” Luo Xian introduced. “There’s no need to avoid him; feel free to speak.”

Chief of the Insect and Bird Division, head of intelligence?

That's fine, it's a topic he should hear.

Pei Xia tightened her shawl around her waist: "Didn't we say before that the enemy was at Jiangchao Academy?"

"Yes, what did you find out?"

"We found out that someone fed my father a dose of medicine through Xu Shangxin."

After Pei Xia finished speaking, Lord Chao turned his head away silently.

Luo Xian, however, remained unperturbed and asked, "What medicine?"

"It's said to be a tonic, and Xu Shangxin even tried it herself."

"Oh~" Luo Xian nodded, then looked at him expectantly, "Prime Minister Pei has many old ailments and is too weak to take tonics, so he may not be able to use them."

"I think so too. Do you think it's possible that it was killed while being replenished?"

"..." Luo Xian's expression subtly relaxed, while he glanced at Chao Cuo beside him without leaving a trace. "Ah, this, I think, is that unlikely?"

Chao Sizhu must have sensed Luo Xian's gaze, and promptly raised his voice: "Well, the Prime Minister's residence has always had doctors, imperial physicians, so it shouldn't be like this."

"Not that much?"

"Not really."

Pei Xia took a deep breath: "Then, it can only be the Holy Palace."

Chao Cuo's face remained unchanged, but he lowered his gaze to the ground: "The Palace of the Holy Master is the Great Ling's national protector sect. Young Master Pei, you can't just say whatever you want. You have to... cough, be reasonable."

Chao Cuo was still somewhat reserved.

Luo Xian was already beaming with joy: "Tell me, what are your thoughts? Tell me."

"The reason why Xia'er suspected that it was the work of spies from the North was simply because of Pei Xi's frozen blood disease. This is a common method used in the North. It was also because of this that Your Highness found out about Jiangchao Academy."

“I did learn from Jiangchao Academy that someone sent a dose of medicine to Old Pei through Xu Shangxin, but if it was meant to be a poisonous kill, why use blood poison and expose oneself?”

"In other words, the fact that they killed people by freezing their blood proves that this was not the work of the northerners."

After Pei Xia finished speaking, she looked at Chao Cuo.

Chao Sizhu didn't react in any particular way, only offering a concise comment: "Not very rigorous."

Pei Xia nodded: "Indeed, after all, reasonable speculation is often less absurd than the facts."

"Hmm, hmm hmm hmm~" The eldest princess looked as if she understood. "So, the suspicion against the Northern Barbarians has faded, but the fact that they killed people with frozen blood is still true. That's why you suspect the Palace of the Holy Master, which also possesses the blood cultivation method?"

"Is it right?"

"Not quite right."

Luo Xian shook his head: "As you know, Pei Xi never came into contact with outsiders before he died. How can the Holy Palace possibly make a move?"

This is indeed a problem.

Pei Xia explained, "They did it after they died."

"After death?"

"Your Highness, do you remember when you first heard that Pei Xi had symptoms of frozen blood?" "When I heard the news of Prime Minister Pei's death, I rushed to the Prime Minister's residence and was informed by the imperial physician."

"Did you arrive first, or did the Palace Master arrive first?"

"Of course it's the Holy Palace. They are responsible for the safety of the powerful and noble in the inner city. If the prime minister dies, their cultivators will be there immediately."

Luo Xian seemed to suddenly understand: "You mean..."

Pei Xia nodded: "Yes, my father should still be alive when they arrived."

Since Pei Xi's death, his body has been guarded by the Zhang Sheng Palace. Later, in order to wait for Pei Xia, it was entrusted to E Kui to protect with the Zhang Sheng Palace's magical artifacts.

It would be too easy for them to tamper with the time of death.

In this way, the Palace of the Holy Lords can create the illusion that "Pei Xi did not have contact with outsiders before his death," thereby extricating themselves from suspicion.

If the Palace of the Holy Guard is unlikely to commit the crime, then the "Death of Frozen Blood" can be accurately attributed to the Northern Barbarians.

Ling and the Northern Barbarians have been sworn enemies for generations, so it was only natural that they would attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Pei.

Luanyun Palace fell silent for a moment.

After a moment of silence, Chao Cuo asked, "What's the motive?"

"I can only guess at the motives, after all, I don't know anything about the affairs of the court," Pei Xia looked at Luo Xian. "I heard that the Palace Master doesn't hold any official positions in the court, but he is in charge of the city's secrets and security, and he is expanding rapidly. Some of the white-robed officials even think they are above the law and even the imperial family. I wonder if it's true?"

Luo Xian didn't hide anything: "Yes."

"They are already in high positions of power. If they want to go further, it seems they can only go from the middle of the mountain to the top."

Pei Xia turned around and looked towards the misty northern end of the Luanyun Palace through its gates: "If they succeed this time and close the case by saying that the Northern Barbarians killed the Prime Minister, then the people within the Great Ling territory will inevitably be enraged. They might then incite a major war. And if the war goes badly, the country will be in turmoil, and the imperial family's prestige will be damaged. At that time..."

"Uh-huh!" Chao Cuo snorted loudly, interrupting Pei Xia.

Pei Xia also shut up at the right time and did not continue speaking.

If it is true that the Grand Master of the Palace murdered the Prime Minister, then this is a shocking case that will affect countless people.

Luo Xian's face also turned serious for once. After thinking for a moment, she asked Pei Xia in a deep voice, "Do you have any evidence?"

"Physical evidence is probably hard to come by. Your Highness could try to get some witnesses."

Pei Xia said, looking at Chao Cuo: "Master Chao should be an expert in this field."

Chao Cuo's face remained expressionless as he pondered, "Perhaps the imperial physician of the Prime Minister's residence is a breakthrough."

Luo Xian also breathed a sigh of relief.

She took Pei Xia's hand and gently patted the back of his hand: "You've worked hard. If the evidence is conclusive, you will have done a great service and will be rewarded accordingly. As for the Holy Palace... don't worry, I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation."

Pei Xia also felt as if a pent-up feeling of stagnation had been released from her chest.

In any case, Pei Xi is his father in a biological sense now, and being able to help him find the real culprit can be considered as resolving a knot in Pei Xia's heart.

Pei Xia clasped his hands in a fist salute, unusually serious: "Then I'll leave it to Your Highness."

Luo Xian watched with a solemn expression as Pei Xia's figure left Luanyun Palace.

Then, it became increasingly difficult for her to suppress the corners of her mouth.

And then she burst into a hearty laugh that was completely out of character for her.

She laughed so hard she almost fell over, pointed in the direction Pei Xia had left, and said to Chao Cuo, "What did I tell you? He's amazing!"

Even the strict Chao Cuo was satisfied with Pei Xia's performance.

He couldn't help but ask, "It's been ten years, and your assessment of his abilities is still quite accurate."

“I was specifically asked to go to that place.”

After laughing enough, the eldest princess wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "The one I sent to the Palace of the Holy Emperor before, that one who..."

"Who?"

"That Qin goods."

"Luo Xiaojin?"

"Yes, let's go with her. Go and summon her over. Tell her that her young lady has something to ask her... uh, to ask her for a favor."

Chao Cuo nodded.

The eldest princess is the best at asking for favors.

From motive to execution to how they concealed their suspicions and shifted the target elsewhere, the series of murders committed by the Palace Master were meticulously planned and executed.

The only regret is the lack of evidence.

Fortunately, for the eldest princess, this is something she can live without regret.

I need money, thank you.

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(End of this chapter)