I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Of course, the higher-ups also know that it is highly likely that some unknown person or group stole and deliberately left Tachibana's knife at the murder scene in order to divert the government's attention or directly frame Tachibana for the murder—but so what?"

"For those in power, whether the murderer is actually Ju or what the truth is, it doesn't matter at all."

Inugaya stretched out his hands, pointing one finger to the ceiling above his head and the other to the cushion under his buttocks.

"There are only two things they care about—the expression of those above them, and whether the cushion under their buttocks is still secure."

“If it were just commoners or Eta’s entire family being killed, then there would still be room for the case to be delayed indefinitely.”

"But a hatamoto... and a hatamoto of such high status and prestige whose entire family was murdered... For a case of this nature, the authorities cannot fail to catch the murderer as soon as possible!"

"Under pressure, the government will inevitably handle this case swiftly and severely."

"But everyone knows that catching a murderer is never that simple!"

"It is common for a case to take half a year or even a year or two to finally catch the perpetrator."

"Therefore, if the time drags on too long, no one can guarantee that those in higher positions won't just grab some scapegoats to take the blame in order to give an explanation to those above them as soon as possible."

"In fact, I have witnessed several such incidents during my tenure..."

"The Akabane family was the culprit who put Tachibana in prison, so Tachibana had a very good motive to kill him."

"There was Tachibana's sword at the murder scene... It's a stretch, but it's not entirely unacceptable as evidence!"

"The motive and physical evidence are both there, plus the fact that Ju's current whereabouts are unknown and there is a possibility that he is fleeing to avoid punishment... To be honest, the reasoning chain that suspects Ju is the murderer is quite complete."

"Therefore, if the people in charge are really driven to desperation by the pressure of reality... then Tachibana is the best scapegoat."

Pig Valley has finished speaking.

"how so……"

The commander muttered absentmindedly.

At this moment, Inugami sighed for the fourth time.

"Sigh... How have things been these past few days? Have you found any new clues about Ju's whereabouts?"

"No……"

Kondo shook his head.

"We have searched every place that Tachibana-kun frequents and might go... but to no avail."

Saito Hajime, who had served as Aoto's bodyguard for some time and thus had a general understanding of Aoto's daily routine, approached Aoto and said slowly:

"Mr. Tachibana rarely frequents teahouses, izakayas, or geisha districts. The places he frequents are nothing more than senjiya, jujuchi, and Kochiba dojo."

These days, the various members and forces of the "Support Tachibana Alliance," led by Shieikan, Senjiya, and the Chiba family, have gone to great lengths to find Aoto.

They searched every corner of Edo, wishing they could turn the entire city upside down.

In the end... nothing was gained.

"...Find the orange as soon as possible."

"Ibaraki said in a deep voice."

"Ju must stand up and prove her innocence, the sooner the better!"

"Otherwise, the longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous the situation will become for him!"

"At this stage, the government only considers Ju a 'major suspect.' If the real murderer is not caught soon and Ju remains missing... then when the higher-ups are really pushed to their limits by the pressure, Ju may no longer be a 'suspect,' but will be accused of being the 'real murderer'!"

"That would be troublesome..."

The commander and the others all wore solemn expressions...

……

……

The story goes that a fire broke out at the prison house in Machi, "Niou" Tachibana Aoto disappeared, and the entire Akabane family of Hatamoto was murdered...

At the very beginning of the second year of the Man'en era (1861), Edo was struck by a series of inexplicable and terrifying events that sent chills down the spine...

For a time, the air in the streets and alleys of Edo was filled with a tense atmosphere.

I'm afraid... no one could have imagined that—just the night after the entire Akabane family was slaughtered, a new horrific event would occur!

The captain of the Second Division of the Fire Thieves, Kanazawa Tadatsugu, and his sister Kanazawa Koto, were brutally murdered in the streets.

*******

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This is a long chapter of 8000 words that I haven't seen in a long time! It's not too much to ask for monthly votes, is it?

Please vote for me! Please recommend me! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

Chapter 367 Punishing Party Cadres with Law, Rakshasa, Set Out! [6600]

In the second year of Wanyan (1861), January 17, night——

Edo, Kanazawa family residence—

"Brother! Brother! Brother!"

"Ok?"

Kanazawa Tadashi, who was completely absorbed in the dossier in his hands, was awakened by his sister Kanazawa Koto's call.

"Xiaoqin, what's wrong?"

He turned around as if waking from a dream, looking at his sister standing behind him.

"You actually have the nerve to ask me what's wrong..."

Jin Zeqin put her hands on her hips and said with dissatisfaction:

"Look how long you've been sitting at your desk! At least an hour, right? Didn't you promise me that you'd get up and move around every half hour you sat at your desk? Be careful you don't end up like your father, developing back problems at such a young age!"

Jinze Zhongfu was taken aback, then turned to look at a candle lamp placed on the corner of the table. The original brand-new and complete candle body was now reduced to a small section the size of a thumb.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Kanazawa Tadashi scratched his head and gave his sister an apologetic, bitter smile.

"I was so focused on investigating the case that I got so engrossed that I forgot about the time..."

Investigating a case—upon hearing these words, Qin's eyes flickered slightly.

"Is there still no progress in the case?"

"Ah... um."

Zhongfu hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"After all, clues are scarce, and I don't only have this one case on my hands; I have other cases to handle as well."

"However, there has been some progress in the case—I now know which forces are secretly selling this drug."

"Oh?" Qin blinked curiously. "What kind of force is it?"

"I can't tell you that."

Zhongfu smiled.

"I can't just casually reveal the case's secrets to ordinary people who have nothing to do with it."

"What...?"

Although she was complaining, Qin was wise enough not to ask any more questions.

The "medicine" and "case" that Chusuke mentioned were the "strange reddish-purple pills" that he had been seriously investigating since the end of the "Kai Mountain Bandit Extermination Campaign".

At that time, when Yokokura Keinosuke, the leader of the Soma clan, was driven to the brink of despair by Aoto, he swallowed a strangely colored pill that was red and purple in color, and afterwards his whole body became abnormal.

Unfazed by pain, exhibiting bizarre emotions, and behaving almost like a madman. After suffering severe injuries that would knock an ordinary person unconscious even if they didn't die instantly, he could still continue wielding his sword as if nothing had happened…

This wasn't the first time Qing Deng had seen this strangely colored pill.

When he first transmigrated to this world, he arrested and murdered the woman he had secretly loved for decades.

During the fireworks festival, when Aoto killed Tada Kōemon, the mentally unstable man who was indiscriminately killing innocent people in the streets, he had seen this strange-looking pill.

If it were just one encounter, it would be fine, but encountering it three times in a row, and all the people I met who possessed this drug had one thing in common: their emotional state was like that of a madman with a broken brain.

Anyone with a normal IQ should be able to sense that this medicine is something fishy.

Adhering to the simple principle of "handling official business strictly," Aoto collected all the pills from Yokokura Keinosuke's body and then reported the existence of the drug to his superiors.

Quite coincidentally, Zhongfu also recognized this medicine.

One of his drinking buddies, with whom he had a fairly good relationship, purchased a special painkiller from an unknown source in order to suppress his pain.

According to this person, the painkiller is very effective.

Just one pill is all it takes to make your whole body feel comfortable and completely free of pain and discomfort.

And the shape of this painkiller... is exactly the same as the strange pills that Qing Deng submitted!

After Zhongfu's drinking buddies started taking the painkiller, they gradually became mentally confused and behaved strangely.

He was eventually hacked to death for picking a fight with a group of samurai on the street for no reason.

Chung-suke strongly suspects that it was this strange pill that caused his friend's mental problems!

Zhongfu is a well-known loyal and sentimental man.

He immediately decided: Investigate this drug thoroughly!

Find out exactly what this drug is, and who or what force is selling it!

Therefore, he took the initiative to apply to his superiors to take on the case.

Someone volunteered, and the superiors were naturally happy to make things easier. They readily approved Zhongfu's application.

For more than a month, Zhongfu has been wholeheartedly and tirelessly investigating this drug.

Many times, I'm so busy that I don't even have time to eat.

It is quite common for me to sit at my desk like this, flipping through files until I lose track of time.

"Brother, solving the case is certainly important..."