Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

Fang Zheng opened a file on the table. "I went to the county government office to retrieve the case files of murders in Yongqing County over the years and found that there were many suspicious points in the He family massacre case three months ago, and the case files were also burned by Sun Xianrong."

Therefore, I boldly speculate that Chu Tiankuo was investigating the He family massacre case before his death and discovered some crucial evidence.

Lu Qingyun then asked, "During the interrogation of Sun Xianrong, he didn't reveal anything about the Chu Tiankuo case?"

Fang Zheng shook his head and said, "Sun Xianrong probably really doesn't know the hidden details of the Chu case."

If he knew, there was no reason for him not to tell.

Now that County Magistrate Zhu has tied up his son and turned himself in, Zhu Hongcai is now under control.

However, without Sun Xianrong, a crucial witness, it may be difficult to convict Zhu Hongcai based solely on previous testimonies.

"That's right, so Zhu Tianhua played a very good game."

At this moment, Lü Zhengfeng slammed the teacup he was holding onto the table, splashing some tea.

It was clear that he was extremely angry.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Zhu Hongcai will at most admit to some minor, innocuous charges.

As for the heinous crime of murder, it is certainly impossible to convict him.

Since Sun Xianrong's whereabouts are unknown, his testimony alone is not enough.

Even Lü Zhengfeng couldn't produce his testimony during the court hearing, which was the most frustrating part for him.

Lu Qingyun remained silent, after all, this was the fault of Cao Chuang, one of her subordinates.

After a moment of silence, Lu Qingyun looked at Liu Qingyu and said, "If there are no other leads, perhaps we can use the case of Liu Qingyu's murder to arrest the Cao family and extract valuable clues from them."

Before Fang Zheng could even speak, Lü Zhengfeng had already shaken his head.

"I also thought about starting from here, but it was the evil young master of the Cao family who forced Qingyu to her death. This person was killed and his soul destroyed after Qingyu turned into a ghost, so it doesn't involve the other members of the Cao family."

Using this as a pretext would only alert the enemy.

Lu Qingyun nodded, glanced at the time, and then said, "I am aware of these circumstances."

"It's getting late, you two get ready. We'll be interrogating Zhu Hongcai now."

However, all three knew that the other party had come prepared and that they might not be able to get anything out of them.

But Fang Zheng did not want to be absent from this interrogation of Zhu Hongcai.

He wanted to deduce Zhu Hongcai's intentions and thoughts from his responses.

Sometimes tactical success cannot mask strategic failure.

Just like now, the mastermind kidnapped Sun Xianrong, and Zhu Hongcai immediately turned himself in.

It seemed that the other party had taken control of the whole situation, but this only strengthened Fang Zheng's conviction.

The other party may be able to cover it up for a while, but they can never cover it up forever; sooner or later they will be exposed.

Fang Zheng was filled with fighting spirit. He exchanged a glance with Lü Zhengfeng and prepared to get up and take his leave.

At this moment, Lu Qingyun raised his hand and called out to him, "Fang Zheng, please wait a moment."

She turned around, took a celadon tea canister from the wooden shelf behind her, and handed it to Fang Zheng.

"I see you've already made some progress in the visualization stage. Take this tea back and try it; it will be beneficial to your future cultivation."

Fang Zheng was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked up at Lü Zhengfeng.

Lu Zhengfeng stood to the side, a slight smile on his lips, and nodded to Fang Zheng without any politeness.

"I dare not refuse the gift from the elder."

This is a family heirloom tea from Lord Lu's residence; ordinary people can't even get their hands on it.

It is of great benefit to Taoist cultivation, as it can refine the spirit and accelerate the cultivation process.

Especially for someone like you who is in the foundational stage, drinking it regularly can solidify your foundation and improve your qualifications.

He glanced at Fang Zheng and said, "You're in luck, kid."

Fang Zheng already understood most of it.

Lu Qingyun's men lost the criminal he had finally managed to capture, so this can of tea was both compensation and a gesture of goodwill.

Fang Zheng did not refuse again. He put the tea canister into his sleeve and cupped his hands to Lu Qingyun, saying, "Thank you, Lord Lu."

Lu Qingyun nodded slightly: "Alright, go ahead and get busy."

........

When Zhu Hongcai was tried in court, the presiding judge was another ninth-rank prison officer under Lu Qingyun.

Just as Fang Zheng had predicted, Zhu Hongcai was clearly confident.

Even under the skillful manipulation of this seasoned prison warden, he only admitted to some minor offenses, such as forced buying and selling and accidentally harming ordinary people.

In the end, neither Lü Zhengfeng nor Fang Zheng, who were listening to the trial, mentioned Sun Xianrong's previous testimony.

Because it wouldn't be very meaningful to bring it up, and it would only reveal to the other side what information our side actually possesses.

As a result of the trial, Zhu Hongcai was imprisoned for three months and fined one hundred taels of silver.

Seeing the smugness in Zhu Hongcai's eyes, Fang Zheng knew that this would definitely not be Zhu Hongcai's fate.

This is just the beginning.

……

For the next period of time, Yongqing County was in complete chaos.

Under Lu Qingyun's direction, the investigation team of the State Prefectural Magistrate's Office visited many places that Chu Tiankuo frequented, and also interviewed former servants of the Chu family and subordinate supervisors.

They pressed on, hoping to find a breakthrough in the case of Chu Tiankuo's murder.

Of course, with Lu Qingyun's tacit approval, Fang Zheng also took advantage of the prestige of the state magistrate's office to participate in their investigation.

He originally wanted to capture the ringleader directly, arresting Zhu Hongcai on the grounds of being involved in the He family massacre, but his plan was ruined by his incompetent teammates.

At this point, we can only turn our attention back to the case of Chu Tiankuo's murder.

Fortunately, some of the clues gathered over the past two weeks have proven to be quite useful.

For example, Fang Zheng heard from a tea merchant who often set up a tea stall in front of the Chu residence that Chu Tiankuo often drank tea alone at his stall every evening.

But before the incident, Chu Tiankuo had not been seen for some time.

This caught Founder's attention.

He immediately went to the supervisory office to ask Guan Tieyi to review Chu Tiankuo's field records from before his death.

Guan Tieyi was Chu Tiankuo's former deputy, so he naturally knew Chu Tiankuo's whereabouts very well.

As he rummaged through the drawers, he casually remarked, "Lord Chu was always busy. Every few days he would go down to investigate, both openly and secretly, to see if those local tyrants and bullies had reined in themselves."

"Over the years I've been with him, we've traveled to most of the villages and towns in Yongqing County."

He placed a stack of old booklets on the table. "You can look them up if you want, but don't get your hopes up too high."

In the week or so before Lord Chu's accident, he didn't leave his residence at all.

This further confirms what the tea merchants said.

A bold guess arose in Fang Zheng's mind, but it still needed to be verified.

........

In the Yongqing County government office, Fang Zheng was rapidly browsing through a mountain of files.

He found a record of his entry and exit from the city gates last year.

This document could not possibly contain the murderer or any clues about Chu Tiankuo's murder, but it definitely contains all the records of officials entering and leaving Yongqing County.

This must include Chu Tiankuo.

Fang Zheng had always had one question: Chu Tiankuo's death was too aggrieved.

He is not only a high-ranking official of the eighth rank, but also possesses martial arts cultivation at the eighth rank of the Meridian Opening stage. His official skills and strength are definitely above his current level, and his perception is undoubtedly stronger.

Fangzheng has already had some clashes with the mastermind behind the scenes.

Although that seventh-rank evil cultivator was very powerful, it was unrealistic for him to kill Chu Tiankuo silently and without any signs of fighting.

Therefore, Chu Tiankuo's death without resistance must have had other causes.