Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

Fang Zheng stood aside listening, his heart stirred slightly.

From the moment Fan Wensong led his men to take away Sun Xianrong with the imperial edict last night, he had no good impression of the investigation team or Lu Qingyun, the judicial officer from the prefecture.

But the fact that she publicly admitted her mistake, made a clear statement, and took responsibility at this moment at least shows that she is a person who takes responsibility.

Fang Zheng was born in Yongqing County. The officials he saw from childhood were either incompetent and lazy, or outwardly respectable but inwardly treacherous like Zhu Tianhua.

He naturally harbored some wariness towards officials from the prefecture.

But Lu Qingyun's words were crisp and decisive. Regardless of whether they were true or false, at least he made the right gesture.

As for whether the supervisory team could provide him with any substantial assistance in investigating the case, Fang Zheng did not expect it.

He would be quite satisfied as long as no obstacles were created for him, and he didn't have to deal with his own people while investigating a case.

Just then, Lü Zhengfeng turned around and glanced at Fang Zheng, then introduced him to Lu Qingyun with a smile: "Lord Lu, this is Fang Zheng, the ninth-rank patrol inspector of Yongqing County. He is virtuous and talented, and proficient in both literature and martial arts."

As the top student in the county, he first entered the underworld to serve as a ninth-rank official.

After I arrived in Yongqing County, I coordinated with the local government and was introduced to Yongqing County as a supervisor and inspector.

Fang Zheng, why haven't you come to pay your respects to Lord Lu yet?

Fang Zheng stepped forward, bowed, and said in a deep voice, "Your humble servant Fang Zheng greets Military Advisor Lu."

Lu Qingyun smiled slightly, looked Fang Zheng up and down, and then said, "I've heard Fan Wensong mention you. You're quite good; you're a promising young man."

She then looked at Lü Zhengfeng and said, "Lord Lü, I truly admire you. You are truly unconventional in recruiting talent."

Lu Zhengfeng stroked his beard and smiled, "I was under a lot of pressure when I promoted Fang Zheng to the ninth rank of officialdom. To be honest, I was also very nervous."

I'm afraid I've misjudged him, and even more afraid that Fang Zheng, at such a young age, won't be able to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

But now, it turns out that Founder has done much better than I imagined, and has not disappointed me.

The mere phrase "did not disappoint me" was enough to show how satisfied Lü Zhengfeng was with the other party at that moment.

How could I not be satisfied?

Within a day of taking office, Fang Zheng uncovered many crucial clues and evidence, and even brought key figure Sun Xianrong to justice.

Although Sun Xianrong was later kidnapped, the fault did not lie with Fang Zheng.

Both Lü Zhengfeng and Lu Qingyun were well aware of this.

Regardless of the final outcome of this major case, Fang Zheng has already made a great contribution.

Coupled with Fangzheng's age advantage, everyone knows that Fangzheng has a bright future ahead of it.

However, Fang Zheng simply smiled faintly in response to the praise, showing no arrogance whatsoever.

Lu Qingyun offered a few more words of praise, then changed the subject, asking, "Lord Lü, you arrived in Yongqing County a few days earlier than me. What are your thoughts on the case of Chu Tiankuo's murder?"

Lu Zhengfeng looked at Fang Zheng and said, "Fang Zheng has put a lot of effort into this case, so let's ask him to talk about it."

After Lu Qingyun nodded slightly, Fang Zheng stepped forward and said, "My lords, the matter in Yongqing County is far more complicated than what is described in the case file."

Besides the clues Sun Xianrong mentioned earlier, I still have some questions.

Fang Zheng then voiced his doubts.

For example, the gardens and foliage in the Chu residence may have been neglected for more than two months.

The lampstand in the dormitory is covered in dust, and the study is missing calligraphy and paintings.

Furthermore, among the bloodstains at the crime scene, there were some smudges that appeared to have been dampened by water.

Unfortunately, this period was the dead of winter, and not a drop of rain fell in Yongqing County.

Lu Qingyun and Lü Zhengfeng listened carefully until Fang Zheng finished speaking. Only then did Lu Qingyun say, "Since you have made a discovery, why don't you guess why?"

Judging from what you just said, your application of deduction methods is masterful; I imagine you must have already made some predictions.

Fang Zheng said solemnly, "This humble official does indeed have some guesses."

We now face two major unsolved cases: the murder of Chu Tiankuo and the massacre of the He family.

In fact, the two cases are related.

Three months ago, the entire family of He Tingtao, a resident of Xixinzhai, consisting of seven members, was murdered by thugs.

The case was later classified as a theft, but because the perpetrator was never caught, it became an unsolved case and was never resolved.

Then, a little over a month ago, Lord Chu was assassinated.

I have already been to the He family residence. After investigation and Sun Xianrong's confession, it can be confirmed that Zhu Hongcai colluded with evil practitioners to kill people for alchemy.

According to Sun Xianrong's confession, Zhu Hongcai was a womanizer and had a deficiency in his reproductive function, making him unable to have children.

The heretical cultivator claimed to have a secret method to refine precious medicines to make up for the deficit, but it required a blood sacrifice of someone born on a specific date.

He Tingtao's son's birth date was extremely similar, which is why he fell victim to Zhu Hongcai and that evil cultivator.

When the He family discovered that Zhu Hongcai had killed his son, he decided to go all the way and wiped out the entire He family.

Sun Xianrong has already explained all of this.

He was the one who forged the He family's files at the time, and he was very clear about the specific details.

Some of these were even told to Zhu Hongcai and Sun Xianrong themselves, so they are unlikely to be false.

Lu Qingyun looked serious because this was the first time she had heard of the kidnapping of Sun Xianrong, the witness.

Zhu Hongcai's association with evil cultivators was already a grave crime, but for his own selfish reasons, he actually slaughtered the entire family, which made him worse than an animal.

More importantly, how could Zhu Tianhua not know about this?

As the county magistrate and Zhu Hongcai's father, Zhu Tianhua couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

Even the people who later kidnapped Sun Xianrong may have been arranged by Zhu Tianhua.

But if that's the case, why would Zhu Tianhua kidnap his son and turn himself in?

This matter is probably not that simple.

Hearing this, Lu Qingyun frowned and asked, "Fang Zheng, according to you, the case of the He family's massacre has been solved."

What is the connection between Chu Tiankuo's murder and the He family's massacre?

Fang Zheng didn't rush to answer. He stretched out his left hand, palm up, and a wisp of red smoke seeped out from under his skin, then condensed above the candlelight.

Liu Qingyu, dressed in red with black hair, was slender and barefoot, dangling in mid-air. She gave a slight bow to Lu Qingyun.

"Liu Qingyu, a ninth-rank official patrolling the Gates of Hell, pays his respects to Military Advisor Lu!"

Lu Qingyun looked at Liu Qingyu with a somewhat surprised expression.

Fang Zheng introduced, "Lord Lu, this is Liu Qingyu."

Lord Chu Tiankuo's long-lost daughter, a top student in Yongqing County this year, was forced to commit suicide by jumping into a well by the evil young master of the Cao family, and turned into a vengeful ghost.

After being subdued by Li Yuanshan and myself, he has now regained his senses.

Liu Qingyu revealed her relationship with Chu Tiankuo in detail, and then slowly said, "Lord Lu, my father did not visit my mother and me again in the last half month before he passed away."

He used to come every three to five days without fail.

The last time we met, he told us he was investigating a very important and dangerous case, and that we shouldn't go looking for him.

Fang Zheng picked up the conversation: "Lord Chu told his wife and daughters directly about the 'danger,' which means he has found something that could silence them."

Based on this, I deduce that Lord Chu Tiankuo was murdered because he discovered evidence of wrongdoing by some officials in the county during his investigation.

Such a case is certainly not a petty theft.