Detective Conan: Birth of the Demon Child

Zhu Youming and his five sons were arrested, and the homes of the other listed candidates and preliminary investigators were searched.

In May of the second year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Qing government issued its final judgment.

Those from the Zhuang and Zhu families, as well as those who participated in the compilation, whose fathers, brothers, sons, and nephews were over fifteen years old, were beheaded; and whose wives, concubines, daughters, grandchildren, sons, and nephews under fifteen years old were exiled as slaves.

The Ming History Case implicated over a thousand people, with several hundred exiled to Ningguta. At the cost of over a thousand lives and the complete destruction of the Ming History Compilation, the case was declared closed, thus ushering in the era of literary inquisitions in the Qing Dynasty.

However, Wu Zhirong, the mastermind behind the crime, made a comeback by reporting Zhu Youming's crimes, obtained the confiscated property, and rose to the rank of Right Vice Minister.

On the way to Ningguta, Zhuang Jiayishuang was rescued by He Tishou (He Tieshou) and settled in the deep mountains of Hebei (Zhili), living in seclusion in a large house (Zhuang Jia Dawu).

To prevent others from discovering their true identities and thus attracting the Qing army's siege, Zhuang Jiayishuang resorted to ghostly tricks to scare away travelers who stumbled upon the place, turning it into a notorious haunted house.

Suzuki Seimei took the candle and went into the backyard, randomly choosing a room to enter.

With the help of the dim candlelight, Suzuki Seimei was able to see the room clearly.

Judging from the decor, this room should be a woman's room, as the bedding and pillows on the bed are predominantly red and pink.

In addition, the room was very clean, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that someone must have lived here for a long time.

"Not bad, not bad, this bed looks quite comfortable. Looks like I won't have to sleep on the floor tonight."

After finishing his sentence, Suzuki Seimei placed the candle on the table, then leaped onto the bed and rolled around on it a few times.

The clandestine members of the Zhuang family, who were hiding in the shadows, couldn't help but chuckle when they saw Suzuki Seimei rolling around on the bed, thinking to themselves, "This kid is really bold."

Ordinary children would probably be terrified and crying long ago if they entered such an empty haunted house. How could they be as carefree as Suzuki Haruaki?

Suzuki Seimei rolled around on the bed for a while, then suddenly sat up, tilted his head and pondered for a moment. He then picked up a candle from the table and began exploring the backyard.

"Bang bang bang..."

Seeing Suzuki Seimei holding a candle and exploring each room in the backyard, the remnants of the Zhuang family, who were hiding in the shadows, also became restless.

Putting aside the fact that some people still keep their gold and silver jewelry in their rooms, the mourning halls where memorial tablets are placed are places where outsiders cannot be allowed to enter.

If Suzuki Seimei were to break into the mourning hall and discover Zhuang Yuncheng and the others' memorial tablets, it would be a huge problem.

Even if Suzuki Seimei, being just a child, doesn't understand anything, if he goes back and tells the adults in his family, arousing their suspicion, then the descendants of the Zhuang family will be in danger.

"Waaaaah..."

Just as Suzuki Seimei was about to enter the mourning hall in the backyard, several cries of a woman suddenly came from the east room. The sound was very mournful and seemed particularly eerie in the silent night.

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Chapter 364 The Widow of the Zhuang Family (Second Update, Please Vote)

"They've finally taken the bait!"

Upon hearing the sounds that resembled the weeping of female ghosts, a glint of light flashed in Suzuki Seimei's eyes, but on the surface he put on a panicked expression and shouted, "Who's playing tricks on me? If you've got the guts, come out here!"

I'm not afraid of you. My uncle is the 'Invincible Gun God' Aizen. He even killed Ao Bai and the dog emperor!

"If you dare to bully me, my uncle will definitely not let you get away with it. He lives in a nearby town, and he could come looking for you at any time."

"..."

As soon as Suzuki Seimei finished speaking, the woman's crying stopped instantly, followed by a clear, melodious voice from the darkness: "Little brother, is your uncle really the 'Invincible Gun God' Master Lan?"

"Of course!"

Suzuki Haruaki nodded and said, "If you don't believe me, just send someone to take me back to town. My uncle is staying at the Laifu Inn in town now, and he will definitely thank you properly."

"Shuang'er, you have excellent lightness skills, so I'll trouble you to make a trip to Laifu Inn and invite Master Lan over!"

Upon hearing this, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family, who was hidden in the darkness, pondered for a moment and said, "Hero Lan killed that treacherous minister Ao Bai, so we should personally express our gratitude."

"Yes!"

Shuang'er nodded obediently and rushed to Laifu Inn that very night.

"Little brother, since you are the nephew of Master Lan, we will certainly treat you well. You must be hungry, why don't you have some zongzi and snacks to fill your stomach first!"

Of course, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family would not believe Suzuki Seimei's one-sided story, so she did not let Shuang'er take Suzuki Seimei back to town, but instead asked Shuang'er to invite Aizen over.

If Suzuki Seimei really is Aizen's nephew, then considering that Aizen killed Ao Bai and the dog emperor to avenge the Zhuang family, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family would naturally not mind giving him a proper welcome.

If Suzuki Seimei lies, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family will punish him severely and scare him into not revealing what happened tonight to anyone else.

At the command of the third young mistress of the Zhuang family, the maids quickly brought over the cooked zongzi and snacks.

While helping Suzuki Seimei peel the zongzi, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family tentatively inquired about Aizen.

Faced with the probing of the third young mistress of the Zhuang family, Suzuki Seimei remained calm and recounted in detail the events surrounding Aizen's assassination attempts on Ao Bai and Kang Mazi.

Seeing that Suzuki Seimei could recount in detail the assassination of Ao Bai and Kang Mazi by Aizen, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family began to believe in his identity.

After all, only three or four days had passed since Ao Bai and Kang Mazi were killed. The Zhuang family's remaining members had only heard the news of their assassination by Aizen, but did not know the specific details of what happened.

Since Suzuki Seimei was able to recount the details of Aizen's assassination attempt, even if he and Aizen weren't uncle and nephew, they must have had an extraordinary relationship.

After confirming Suzuki Seimei's identity, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family became even more gentle and kind towards him.

Meanwhile, Shuang'er rushed to Laifu Inn at top speed and successfully met Aizen.

Although it was Shuang'er's first time meeting Aizen, she had a feeling that the person in front of her must be the great hero Aizen.

Besides Master Lan, who else could possess such a majestic and extraordinary aura, especially with his rebellious short hair?

Since the Qing government issued the "Hair-Shaving Edict," all men who dared not shave their rat-tail braids were beheaded.

Even Chen Jinnan, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, had no choice but to shave his head into a pigtail under such oppressive policies.

Nowadays, there are probably very few men in the entire world who dare to keep their hair short like Aizen.

Upon seeing Shuang'er, Aizen smiled gently and said, "Miss, what brings you here?"

Previously, at the Zhuang family mansion, Suzuki Seimei was unable to see Shuang'er clearly because she was hidden in the darkness, so this was the first time Aizen had seen Shuang'er's appearance.

Shuang'er had a snow-white face, arched eyebrows, a small mouth, and a beautiful appearance; she was about fifteen years old.

Judging solely from appearance, Shuang'er is naturally no match for A'ke, but she is a very cute little maid, which suits Suzuki Seimei's taste quite well.

"Shuang'er greets Hero Lan. Your nephew has gotten lost in the mountains and has wandered into our residence. He is currently a guest here."

Shuang'er bowed to Lan Ran and said, "The Third Young Mistress said that you have done a great favor for our family, so she specially sent me here to invite you to her residence."

"My nephew? Looks like that kid's been naughty again tomorrow!"

Aizen sighed helplessly and turned to Shuang'er, saying, "Then I'll trouble you to lead the way, Miss."

Since Ake and the others were already asleep from exhaustion, Suzuki Seimei didn't intend to disturb them and directly sent Aizen and Shuang'er to the Zhuang family mansion.

Led by Shuang'er, the two quickly arrived at the Zhuang family's mansion.

"Fifth Uncle, you're here!"

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Suzuki Seimei, upon seeing Aizen arrive, immediately put on a surprised expression and rushed over with open arms.

"You're being naughty again! Why did you come to the mountains so late at night? Aren't you afraid of being carried off by wolves?"

Aizen ruffled Suzuki Seimei's hair and threatened in a vicious tone, "Be careful, or I'll go back and tell your father to whip your bottom with a rattan cane."

"No! Fifth Uncle, I really didn't mean it this time, I know I was wrong!"

Faced with Aizen's blatant threat, Suzuki Seimei hurriedly begged for mercy, trying his best to explain, "If it weren't for the noise of you and Ako fighting last night, keeping me awake, I wouldn't have come out to relax in the middle of the night!"

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As someone with experience, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family immediately understood the meaning behind Suzuki Seimei's words, and her pretty face couldn't help but blush slightly.

"You're being cheeky! So you're blaming me for that?"

Aizen tapped Suzuki Seimei's forehead in an annoyed tone, then bowed to the third young mistress of the Zhuang family and said, "Thank you for saving me, Madam. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble my mischievous nephew would have caused?"

"You're too kind, Master Lan!"

Upon hearing this, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family hurriedly bowed and returned the greeting, saying, "It should be on behalf of my deceased husband and all the unjustly killed members of the Zhuang family that I thank Master Lan for killing the scoundrel Ao Bai and that dog emperor."

"The bookmaker?"

Aizen feigned surprise and asked, "Could you be the remnants of the Zhuang family from the Ming Dynasty historical case?"

"Master Lan has keen insight; we are indeed the remnants of the Zhuang family."

Suddenly, an old voice rang out from outside the door. An elderly woman with white hair appeared in the courtyard, accompanied by dozens of women dressed in white.

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Chapter 365 Little Maid Shuang'er (Third Update, Please Vote)

"Hero Lan, you killed the treacherous Ao Bai and the dog emperor, avenging our families' blood feud. We are deeply grateful and know how to repay your kindness. Please accept our bow!"

As soon as the white-haired old woman finished speaking, dozens of women in white behind her knelt down in unison and kowtowed to Aizen.

"There's no need for that, everyone!"

Seeing this, Aizen quickly raised his hand to help them up, saying, "The treacherous Ao Bai has harmed the loyal and good, and the dog emperor is incompetent and tyrannical. Everyone has the right to kill him. This is what I should do. Please rise!"

"Alright, get up, everyone!"

Upon hearing Aizen's words, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family stood up and waved to the women in white, signaling them all to stand up as well.

However, many women in white could not control their emotions. Because they had avenged their great enemy and missed their loved ones, they began to sob softly.

“Madam Zhuang, your whole family is living in seclusion here without any stable income. Life must be very difficult.”

After staring at the women dressed entirely in white for a while, a hint of pity flashed in Suzuki Seimei's eyes. He then manipulated Aizen and said, "I happen to have the property deeds and land deeds for several shops here, located in Hebei Province. This should be able to solve your living difficulties."

As soon as Lan Ran finished speaking, he took out a stack of property deeds from his pocket, found several shop deeds and land deeds in Hebei Province, and handed them to the third young mistress of the Zhuang family.

"How can this be?!"

Upon hearing this, the third young mistress of the Zhuang family shook her head without hesitation and refused, saying, "We have already given so much to repay our benefactor, how can we possibly accept these property deeds?"

To be honest, the lives of the surviving members of the Zhuang family are indeed very difficult.

All of the Zhuang family's widows were wanted criminals, and to avoid being discovered by the Qing government, they dared not show their faces in public.