Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

After Lü Zhengfeng finished speaking, Fang Zheng took the copper ring and the book and quickly thanked him.

This was an unexpected delight.

Needless to say, his self-defense treasures are invaluable. With the cultivation insights of Lü Zhengfeng, a seventh-grade Night Wanderer, his cultivation will surely progress by leaps and bounds.

After saying goodbye, Fang Zheng and Guan Tieyi officially began their investigation.

The first step is to go to the crime scene, Chu Tiankuo's mansion.

The mansion was deserted, with only a few armed constables guarding the gate.

Guan Tieyi wanted to reveal his identity and enter directly, but Fang Zheng raised his hand to stop him.

"Brother Guan, let's not alert them yet."

The two walked around the Chu residence and found an unguarded wall, which they then climbed over and entered.

Fang Zheng had seen the layout of the Chu residence in the files he had previously reviewed, so he led Guan Tieyi through a maze of turns and quickly arrived at a garden.

There is a small bedroom in the garden, which is where Chu Tiankuo was assassinated.

There were still bloodstains on the bedroom floor, a shocking sight.

Fang Zheng carefully observed the scene.

Judging from the direction of the bloodstains, it was indeed as stated in the case file that Chu Tiankuo was resting in his room when he was suddenly attacked from behind and beheaded with a single sword strike.

There were no signs of a struggle here, which means that Chu Tiankuo was killed instantly without even a chance to fight back.

Fang Zheng shook his head, feeling that something was amiss.

Thinking of this, he stepped forward and sat directly on the bench where Chu Tiankuo had been murdered.

After mentally reenacting the scene, Fang Zheng found nothing. He then activated his "Insightful Insight" ability and crouched down to examine the bloodstains on the ground closely.

More than a month has passed, and the bloodstains have dried. Fang Zheng looked down and examined them closely, all the way to the edge of the bedroom entrance.

Suddenly, he noticed that several bloodstains had been diluted and blurred.

"This is……"

Just then, several constables suddenly appeared. They spotted Fang Zheng and his companion, shouted at them, and drew their swords to surround them.

Guan Tieyi naturally stood in front of Fang Zheng. The two of them showed no panic and decisively showed their official seals and introduced themselves.

"I am Fang Zheng, the county inspector, here to investigate a case in Chu Prefecture on the orders of Lord Lü Zhengfeng, the chief of the county inspectorate. Do not obstruct me."

Fang Zheng had a very imposing presence, and without anyone noticing, he already exuded a hint of official authority.

The patrolling constables were intimidated by Fang Zheng and dared not approach. Some of them quietly retreated, presumably to report to their superiors.

Fang Zheng wasted no time. After examining the murder scene, he left the small bedroom, looked around at the flowers and trees in the garden, frowned, and made another discovery.

All the other flowers and trees were normal, except for one rare tree native to Youzhou, called Ling Shuang Flower, which had withered and died.

This frost-resistant flower blooms every December. It needs a warm spell followed by a cool spell to bloom properly; otherwise, it will wither and die completely.

If someone has a frost-resistant flower in their yard, they will take good care of it in the twelfth lunar month, tying cotton cloth around its roots to keep it warm.

However, the frost flowers in the Chu family courtyard were not cared for in this way, and as a result, they all withered and died.

Based on the timeline, this means that Chu Tiankuo had no time to care for these delicate Frostflowers before the incident.

Is it because he is too busy investigating the case?

Fang Zheng secretly noted this down and then went to see Chu Tiankuo's master bedroom and study.

All the rooms in the Chu residence were sealed, but Fang Zheng, acting impartially, simply removed the seals and entered the master bedroom.

Fang Zheng glanced around and, with his keen insight, immediately noticed several suspicious points.

There was a lot of dust around the bed; in fact, it shouldn't have been like this after just over a month.

The oil lamp on the table had long since burned out.

He noted down these suspicious points and then brought Guan Tieyi to the study.

The room seemed fine, but Fang Zheng frowned as his gaze swept over the walls.

There are some calligraphy and paintings displayed here, but there is a slight color difference on one part of the wall, about two feet long and three feet wide.

Fangzhou quickly searched his memory for painting techniques. Judging from the length and width of the colors and traces, what should have been hanging here was a painting of a lady that was popular in the local area at the time.

But at some point, it was taken down and replaced with other calligraphy and paintings to cover it up.

Was this done by Chu Tiankuo himself, or by someone after Chu Tiankuo was killed?

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside, and someone shouted angrily, "Who let you in?"

This place has been sealed off by the government; no one is allowed to enter.

As they were talking, an official walked in, surrounded by a group of constables.

The official was not tall, only reaching Fang Zheng's shoulder, but he was fat and bloated, as wide as two Fang Zhengs, and his white official robe was stretched taut.

At this moment, he was shaking his two mustaches and looking at Fang Zheng with an unfriendly expression.

"You claim to be a supervisory inspector?"

"Where is the official seal? Show it to me."

Fang Zheng showed his official seal, and the official recognized him at a glance, but he didn't care. Instead, he said aggressively, "I am Sun Xianrong, an eighth-rank clerk in charge of criminal and prison affairs in this county."

How dare you, a mere ninth-rank inspector, investigate a case without authorization?

Especially since this Chu residence is the crime scene, if any evidence is destroyed, can you bear the consequences?

At this moment, Constable Chen, who had accompanied the clerk in, hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over: "Lord Sun, these two gentlemen are Inspector Fang Zhengfang and Inspector Guan Tieyi from the County Supervisory Office."

I will reseal this place immediately; I will absolutely not destroy the evidence.

"snort!"

Sun Xianrong clearly had no intention of letting the matter rest. Upon hearing Fang Zheng's name, he became even more aggressive and sneered, "Fang Zheng?"

What can a mere young punk like him possibly find out?

"Sending you out to investigate a case is a joke! I think the Superintendent's office is out of options!"

"presumptuous!"

Guan Tieyi stepped forward, his long sword already slightly drawn from its sheath.

Sun Xianrong was startled and instinctively took a few steps back.

Fang Zheng reached out and patted Guan Tieyi on the shoulder, then looked up at Sun Xianrong.

His extraordinary ability to see through everything was quietly activated, allowing him to capture every subtle expression on Sun Xianrong's face.

Sun Xianrong intended to use his official authority as an eighth-rank official to intimidate Fang Zheng, but when he met those eyes, he suddenly felt as if he had been completely seen through, and he was somewhat frightened.

Unconsciously, he took a few steps back, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His originally arrogant demeanor collapsed in an instant.

This scene even stunned Guan Tieyi, who secretly thought that Fang Zheng was in awe.

Without even exchanging a few words, just standing there was enough to make Sun Xianrong cower.

At this moment, Fang Zheng's eyes shone brightly, and he said solemnly, "The supervisors have their own rules for handling cases."

Let alone a mere eighth-rank official like yourself, even a county lieutenant or assistant county magistrate would have no right to interfere.

If you keep talking nonsense, believe me or not I'll report you to Lord Lü for obstructing the supervisor's work.

"In the end, there's a very high chance you'll lose your position."

Sun Xianrong's lips trembled a few times, and he stammered as if he wanted to refute, but he couldn't find the right words.

He came today to give Fang Zheng a hard time, relying on his position as an eighth-rank official, thinking he could easily intimidate this young upstart with a few words.

The reason is simple: he and the county magistrate Zhu Tianhua were both students who passed the imperial examination in the same year and had been bound together since the beginning of their official careers. Naturally, he regarded Fang as a thorn in his side.

To his surprise, the young inspector was not buying it at all, and refused to back down an inch in his words, even bringing up the supervising officer to pressure him.

The supervisory officials were responsible for overseeing other officials and were always one rank higher than the officials they met.

If Fang Zheng were to complain to Lü Zhengfeng, he would really be in trouble.

Who doesn't know that the newly appointed seventh-rank supervisor is sharpening his knives?

I shouldn't have been the one to take the lead and be the first to go!