Three punches shattered the demonic soul, young hero, I'm an honest man!

Chapter 77: The person disappeared right after we found a clue?

The intelligence network of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is like an invisible spider web that covers the capital city; once activated, it is incredibly efficient.

Within half a day, Zhang Quan discovered that "Li Junqingzhu" should be a personal name.

Therefore, detailed information about "Li Qingzhu" was sent to Pei Yun.

Incidentally, it seems the Shence Prefecture has something important to discuss with Lord Pei.

At this moment, Pei Yun had no time to care about the people from the Shence Mansion.

He casually agreed and then began to look up information about "Li Qingzhu".

Li Qingzhu was a graduate of Canghuai Academy.

He and Su Wenruo were classmates and close friends.

This person is upright and quite talented.

However, having seen through the infighting in officialdom early on, he refused to compromise his principles and never entered officialdom in his lifetime.

He lived a life of poverty, making a living by teaching and educating people, and he was quite content with that.

He had some old friendship with Zhou Wancai, the head of the Zhou family, a wealthy merchant family in Beijing.

Therefore, in recent years he has been serving as a tutor at the Zhou residence, teaching the eldest son of the Zhou family.

Pei Yun handed the intelligence in his hand to Li Xuanping, who was standing next to him.

Li Xuanping took it, quickly glanced through it, and seemed to be deep in thought.

"The guests and teachers of the Zhou family—"

"It seems that this Mr. Li Qingzhu is the one Su Wenruo left on the stone slab years ago, the one with the 'entrustment of a young scholar'."

Pei Yun tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "By not entering officialdom, I've avoided a lot of troubles."

"Whether he knew the secrets of that year, or whether he possessed any of Mr. Su's belongings, remains unknown."

Pei Yun stood up and straightened the hem of his flying fish robe.

"Time waits for no one. We'll find out how things are going by asking at the Zhou residence."

""

Li Xuanping nodded, having no objection.

The Zhou residence was located in the southern part of the capital city.

Although not as grand as the mansions of princes and nobles, it is still a magnificent residence with blue bricks, gray tiles, and vermilion gates.

It demonstrates the owner's considerable wealth.

However, today, the mansion was filled with a somber and oppressive atmosphere.

As soon as Pei Yun and his companion arrived at the gate of the mansion, they saw several servants of the Zhou family hurrying in and out.

Their faces all bore an undisguised look of sorrow, and white banners were even hung above the gate of the mansion.

A middle-aged man who looked like a butler was standing at the door giving instructions.

Upon seeing Pei Yun, dressed in the brocade-clad guard's flying fish uniform, and Li Xuanping, dressed in a blue Taoist robe, they dared not be negligent and hurriedly came forward to greet them.

"And who are our two distinguished guests?"

The steward's gaze swept over the Embroidered Uniform Guard badge on Pei Yun's waist, his tone respectful.

Pei Yun showed his waist tag.

"Pei Yun, the commander of the Northern Garrison, has important business to discuss with your esteemed tutor, Mr. Li Qingzhu."

The butler felt a chill and led the two into a side hall to serve tea.

After leading the two into a side hall and serving them tea, before Pei Yun could ask any further questions, the steward sighed deeply, his eyes reddening.

"Esteemed guests—have you come to pay your respects to Mr. Li?"

Condolences?

Pei Yun paused slightly in her teacup and exchanged a glance with Li Xuanping.

They both saw undisguised astonishment in each other's eyes.

They had just found a lead on Li Qingzhu when she disappeared?

This is just too suspicious!

Pei Yun's mind raced, but his face remained impassive.

"We have indeed come for Mr. Li Qingzhu, but we do not know—"

Before Pei Yun could finish speaking, a series of slightly heavy footsteps came from outside the side hall.

Zhou Wancai, the head of the Zhou family, walked in.

He was around fifty years old and slightly overweight.

His face, bearing the shrewdness typical of a businessman, was now filled with unconcealed sorrow and exhaustion.

"I met with these two distinguished guests at Zhou Wancai's residence."

Zhou Wancai cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his voice hoarse.

The Imperial Guards came to his door in person; whatever the reason, he was bound to show up.

"No need for such formalities, Master Zhou."

Pei Yun gestured for him to sit down.

"We have come here today to inquire about some old matters from Mr. Li Qingzhu, but we do not know—"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wancai's sorrow deepened, and he sighed heavily.

"Oh dear, you two distinguished guests are a step too late."

"Mr. Qingzhu—he passed away late last night."

"Passed away on a crane?" Li Xuanping frowned.

"Exactly," Zhou Wancai sighed.

"He was fine last night. He had a few drinks with me and then went back to his room to rest."

"This morning, when the servants went to deliver breakfast, they found that the master had passed away peacefully in his sleep."

Zhou Wancai's words were filled with respect and regret for Li Qingzhu.

"Although Mr. Qingzhu is a guest teacher of my Zhou family, I have always treated him as an elder in my family."

"He was very learned and devoted himself to teaching children, but unexpectedly—"

"The gentleman is quite old and has a heavy drinking habit."

"Sigh, perhaps I drank too much; my body can't take it anymore—"

Pei Yun gently stroked the rim of the teacup with her fingers.

"My condolences, Mr. Zhou."

"However, it is the duty of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so please tell me the truth about these matters, Master Zhou."

"I wonder if Mr. Li exhibited any unusual behavior in the last few days of his life? Or did he see any unusual people?"

Zhou Wancai thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook his head.

"No abnormalities found."

"The gentleman has been in relatively good spirits lately, but he occasionally drinks alone and stares blankly at the moon."

"As for outside guests—the gentleman is aloof by nature and rarely interacts with outsiders except for those in his household."

Li Xuanping also inquired about the details of when Li Qingzhu's death was discovered, such as whether the doors and windows in the room were intact, and whether there were any signs of a struggle.

Zhou Wancai answered each question in detail, and his answers seemed to have no obvious flaws.

"By the way, Mr. Zhou."

Pei Yun changed the subject and looked around.

"Where is Zhou Yusheng, the eldest young master of the manor?"

"Mr. Li was, after all, his mentor. Now that he has passed away, shouldn't we come to offer our condolences?"

According to intelligence gathered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Li Qingzhu had stayed at the Zhou residence many years ago, all because Master Zhou invited him to tutor the eldest son of the Zhou family.

But now, Pei Yun glanced around and saw that all the Zhou family members mentioned in the intelligence report were there.

But the eldest son of the Zhou family was missing.

Mentioning Zhou Yusheng, Zhou Wancai's originally sorrowful face immediately showed a layer of anger and disappointment.

"Oh! Don't even mention that unfilial son!"

"Mr. Li treated him like his own grandson and taught him with great care."

"Mr. Li's body is barely cold, and he still has the mind to go out and fool around! What a disgrace to the family!"

Upon hearing this, several servants outside the side hall couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"The young master is too cold-hearted, Mr. Li dotes on him so much—"

"Yes, they disappeared early this morning and didn't care about Mr. Li's funeral at all."

Although the sound was soft, it clearly reached Pei Yun and Li Xuanping's ears.

Pei Yun and Li Xuanping exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.

"Mr. Zhou, may we two pay our respects to Mr. Li's remains?"

Pei Yun made a request.

"That's possible."

Although Zhou Wancai was somewhat surprised, he dared not refuse the request from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Li Qingzhu's mourning hall was set up in a quiet courtyard in the backyard of the Zhou family mansion, and was decorated simply and elegantly.

The coffin was not yet sealed, and Li Qingzhu's face was calm and peaceful.

There was even a faint smile on his lips, as if he had just fallen into a deep sleep.

Pei Yun carefully observed Li Qingzhu's face, skin tone, lip color, and even the color of her nails.

Li Xuanping stood to the side, a faint light flickering in his eyes, clearly using some kind of esoteric technique to investigate.

A moment later, the two looked away almost simultaneously and exchanged another silent glance.

A hint of seriousness and barely perceptible surprise appeared in their eyes.

Something's wrong!

An extremely subtle anomaly!

Li Qingzhu's life was cut off too "cleanly".

It is neither the natural decay of dying of old age, nor the manifestation of organ dysfunction in sudden death from drunkenness.

It was as if all vitality had been instantly drained away by some external force, leaving no trace.

Such methods are by no means ordinary.

Afterwards, Pei Yun and the other person examined Li Qingzhu's belongings.

Zhou Wancai readily agreed and ordered his steward to bring all of Li Qingzhu's belongings from her lifetime.

It was nothing more than some ordinary books, writing brushes, ink, paper, and a few old clothes that had been starched until they were faded.

Frugal and simple.

Pei Yun and Li Xuanping carefully examined the items.

Hopefully, we can find some clues related to Su Wenruo or the wrongful conviction case from eighteen years ago.

However, nothing was found.

There are no clues related to Su Wenruo or to the wrongful conviction that was deliberately erased back then.

All the clues seemed to have been cut off again with Li Qingzhu's death.

Moreover, the cause of death was truly bizarre.

"It seems we're not the only two investigating these old stories."

Li Xuanping transmitted his voice secretly, his voice low and deep.

Pei Yun nodded slightly, his eyes carrying a hint of coldness.

"Their actions were faster and more ruthless than we anticipated."

Li Qingzhu's death was so mysterious, and the timing was so coincidental.

It's hard not to suspect that someone beat them to it and erased this hard-won clue.

"Master Zhou."

Pei Yun turned to Zhou Wancai.

"We also feel regret over Mr. Li's passing."

"There may be something fishy about this matter. The Embroidered Uniform Guard needs to intervene and investigate. We hope that Master Zhou will cooperate."

Zhou Wancai was taken aback upon hearing this, and then looked surprised and suspicious.

"Lord Centurion, do you mean—Mr. Qingzhu did not die of old age?"

Pei Yun's expression remained unchanged: "There is no conclusion yet, but it is my duty to investigate."

"Please keep this matter a secret for now, Master Zhou, and do not make it public."

Although Zhou Wancai was puzzled, seeing Pei Yun's serious expression, he knew that the Embroidered Uniform Guard's investigations were no small matter, so he quickly nodded in agreement.

"Of course, of course! I will obey Commander Pei's orders."

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