It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"I hope so. But if we find out that the blood-stained clothes case was manipulated by the Prince's Mansion and the Lord's Mansion behind the scenes, and they want to sow discord between the pro-war and pro-peace factions, don't blame me for asking for an explanation in person."

Luo Ye said nothing more. Among the four forces in the investigation team, Xiang Zhehua is currently the most isolated and helpless, because behind her is the most suspected peace faction. But Luo Ye and Xiang Meng's relationship is also superficially harmonious. When Xiang Zhehua is not around, the two will indeed be wary of each other, because their goals and positions are actually different: the Prince's Mansion wants the whole case to be revealed, while the war faction just wants to save the life of General Jiang Yuesheng at all costs.

"It's evening already."

After a long time, Luo Ye calmly started a conversation that had nothing to do with his position:

"The team leader and Xiang Zhehua still haven't come. Could it be that over there..."

Xiang Meng was also anxiously waiting, but Li De had clearly instructed them to wait outside Danqing City tonight, and if they acted without authorization, they would be treated as traitors, so they had no way to leave. Although they were anxious about Li De's situation and the entire situation, they still could not act rashly at this moment.

In Danqing City, a group of people were also negotiating secretly in the candlelight.

"Do you think Lord Yunyang will come to Danqing City?"

"I think it's best not to come... If a lord really dies here, there will be a huge revenge. By then, let alone rewarding us, I'm afraid none of us will be able to escape..."

"I think Lord Yunyang will come."

"Why?"

"When a young man succeeds, it's easy for him to get anxious and irritable. He acted very upright from the beginning, walking on the main road and coming here openly. It's obvious that he wants to kill people to establish his authority. How can a young man like this just stop? In the end, he will definitely not be able to swallow this anger, and he will still come."

"That makes sense. So what do we do, or kill him?"

"Kill him... The bloody clothes case involves a great feat. Those people above all have family businesses that have been around for hundreds of years. They are all rich enough to rival a country. How could they care about a new lord who is still wet behind the ears? Even if he has a mortal enemy with Yunyang, does Yunyang really have the guts to attack us?"

"Besides, Lord Yunyang is still young and has no children. If he dies, Yunyang will be in chaos and will be unable to retaliate against us. The royal family is a problem, but as long as we control it carefully, it will not be a big problem. At least, it is not as tempting as what the bloody clothes case can bring."

"Okay. This ticket is done!"

The people present discussed intensively again and began to set up a series of killing strategies. They would wait for Lid to enter Danqing City and then kill him by surprise!

In the middle of the night, Luo Ye and Xiang Meng, who had been lurking outside the city, were discovered and began a new round of escape. This also strengthened the judgment of all parties that Li De would come to Danqing City, and a large number of troops were transferred here.

But in fact, at this moment, Lid was wearing a coarse cloth short coat and chatting happily with a hunter who came out of the mountains:

"Is the deserted cave in the mountain really that dangerous?"

"Oh my... little brother, you don't know, it's more than just dangerous! I was climbing the mountain alone at that time. It was already late and I had nowhere to stay. I was about to climb a tree to sleep when I suddenly found a natural stone cave. I raised the torch and walked inside. It became narrower and narrower... Suddenly, a pair of green eyes lit up. It was a blind black cat sleeping there with its eyes wide open!"

"Fuck! Then brother, you..."

"It happened so fast that I immediately lay on the ground pretending to be dead. The black bear didn't like to eat dead things. It lay in front of me and sniffed, then showed an unhappy look on its face and was about to turn around and leave. I pounced on it from behind and strangled its neck with a naked stranglehold. I held on for two hours in one breath and strangled the black bear to death in the cave!"

Lid immediately clapped his hands and exclaimed in a boastful manner:

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

The hunter waved his hand:

"Hey, what's the big deal! Let alone a black bear, even if I encounter a big insect, I will kill it without hesitation!"

After saying that, the hunter glanced at Xiang Zhehua who was sitting next to Lid, and his intention was self-evident.

Xiang Zhehua still had a cold expression, even though she changed into casual clothes, she still had a cold and arrogant aura. On the contrary, Lide had a stronger sense of the common people. In the eyes of the hunters, it was most likely that a poor young lady from a poor family married a commoner. This kind of marriage was naturally unhappy and there was an opportunity to take advantage of it.

The hunters were willing to give Li De and Xiang Zhehua a ride mainly because of Xiang Zhehua's beauty. At first, the hunters were a little suspicious of their identities, but Li De was a very friendly person and soon integrated Xiang Zhehua into the team, which made many interested people stationed along the way misjudge them.

The only regret is that the woman Xiang Zhehua is not very cooperative.

At first, she looked at the hunter's boasting as if he was an idiot, but later she just looked into the distance the whole time, acting like a wooden woman who didn't listen or say anything.

31. Splendid City Lord

Li De and Xiang Zhehua hid their identities all the way and headed south.

Relying on Lid's makeup skills, the two changed their appearances many times and left quite a lot of misleading information in various places. However, because Xiang Zhehua's realm cultivation was easy to see at a glance, her identity was exposed several times. Thanks to Lid's fast running, he was able to take her away.

The reason why Lid wanted to take her with him was mainly because Xiang Zhehua's identity was quite special. She was quite familiar with the upper class nobles of Nanchu. No matter who was responsible for the bloody clothes case in the future, she could provide a lot of information in the first place, which would be of great help in solving the case.

When the two men traveled all the way to the vicinity of Sai'an Village, they finally could no longer hide their identities.

"The road ahead is completely blocked... Tsk, it looks like the only way to get through Jinxiu City is to show your identity when entering the city. This is the downside of being in Nanchu. If I were in Yunyang, I would get myself a fake ID and go wherever I want."

Lid turned around and said to Zhehua:

"Let's find a river to wash off the powder on our faces. Now that we are here, let's make the best of it. Raise the flag and we will enter Jinxiu City!"

At this time, Li De and Xiang Zhehua dressed up as a pair of old people, walking slowly on the side of the road with crutches. There were many pedestrians passing by, but no one paid attention to the two old people who were slow in their movements and out of tune with this world.

After hearing what Lide said, Xiang Zhehua straightened up, broke the cane that contained the sword, threw the hollow wooden shell into the bushes, and then strode to the river, scooped up water and splashed it on his face. The pedestrians on the road were startled by this strange scene, and then Lide stood up and washed off the foundation on his face.

The two people's clothes are relatively retro, but their faces have returned to their original appearance.

Xiang Zhehua's mood finally improved. After all, she was still a young girl, and playing the role of an old lady did make her feel a little uncomfortable. Now that she saw herself in the water and her original appearance had returned, Xiang Zhehua immediately felt much happier.

"How do we raise the flag?"

She rarely asked Zhehua if there was anything Reed needed her to do.

Lid shook his head, then walked to the main road and shouted towards the direction of Jinxiu City:

"Everyone stand aside! The head of the Blood-stained Shirt Case Investigation Team has arrived!!"

He once again showed a look of contempt towards Zhehua.

Lid laughed, stretched out his hand to pull her back to the road, and continued:

"Let's go in first. It won't be long before the news of our arrival in Jinxiu City spreads thousands of miles away. If Luo Ye and Xiang Meng are fine, they will soon join us. The most urgent task is to get to the government office, get the original files, and then go to Sai'an Village to find out the cause and effect of the bloody clothes case. We may be in danger if we go down to the lobby. You must obey my orders and kill people if I tell you to."

Xiang Zhehua hung the sword back on his waist and said calmly:

"To establish your authority, huh? I understand."

Although Xiang Zhehua was only at the sixth level of perfection, he learned the orthodox sword art, and his sword was of the [Fortunate to See] level, just like Alayya. This shows that in Nanchu, the weapons equipped by noble families are generally very good, and even the weapons and armor worn by Nanchu's private army are not ordinary items. This is one of the reasons why Nanchu has always been strong in combat.

Li De's howl had a significant effect. Although the pedestrians on the road did not believe him at first, they made way for him when they saw him walking towards Jinxiu City. It was not known whether it was because there were so many people here, but Li De and Xiang Zhehua, who had revealed their identities, did not suffer any assassination.

The two men showed their identification and successfully entered Jinxiu City.

If nothing unexpected happened, the protagonist of the Bloody Shirt Case, General Jiang Yuesheng, would be imprisoned in the prison under this city. The first crime scene of the Bloody Shirt Case was in Sai'an Village, but the case was tried in Jinxiu City. Li De and Xiang Zhehua did not stay on the street for too long and went directly to the government office in Jinxiu City.

"I don't know if you are sorry for not welcoming me when the team leader comes to visit today. I am sorry for not welcoming you!"

There were two rows of soldiers standing at the entrance of the government office. Apparently, someone had reported the news to the government office since Li De revealed his identity, and some emergency preparations were made here. The middle-aged man who walked out of the government office lobby had a short beard, a handsome face, and an elegant temperament. It was obvious at first glance that he was a difficult guy. He walked up to Li De and Xiang Zhehua and said with a smile:

"I am Xiang Linglong, the mayor of Jinxiu City. I wonder what the team leader wants to investigate? Everyone in Jinxiu City will cooperate."

As Xiang Linglong spoke, she secretly looked at Li De and Xiang Zhehua.

Lid was also looking at him. As the Lord of Jinxiu City, Xiang Linglong must have an inseparable connection with this case, but he still looked calm and composed, as if this matter had nothing to do with him. Judging from his aura, Xiang Linglong was obviously a veteran in the officialdom. This kind of person was smart and resourceful, and was not easy to deal with.

The two sides looked at each other for a while, and Lid replied calmly:

"First, I want to see the files of the Bloody Shirt Case; second, I want to meet Jiang Yuesheng."

He raised his hand to Linglong, made a "please" gesture, and said with a smile:

"Please help yourself, Team Leader. The file is on my desk. You can take it as you please."

Without saying anything, Lide led Xiang Zhehua to the other side. When he was about to cross the threshold, the guards on both sides suddenly swung their giant axes at the same time, blocking Lide's way. If Lide hadn't stopped in time, the giant axe would have been like a guillotine, almost chopping off his head!

One of the guards smiled and said:

"Let the team leader know! As the Lord of Yunyang, you should try not to get involved in Nan Chu's case. It's easy to go there and never come back."

Lid nodded, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile:

"Got it, thank you."

Then he turned to Origami and said:

"Kill these two men."

Xiang Zhehua drew his sword and stepped forward. The two people at the door did not resist at all. Their heads fell to the ground immediately, and blood splattered all over Lid.

Lid, however, walked into the lobby as if nothing had happened, stepping over the pool of blood, leaving a trail of bloody footprints on the floor. There were various files on the table in the lobby, and Lid estimated the time when the bloody clothes case occurred, took out the corresponding one, and then returned the same way.

In just the time it took to go back and forth, the bodies and blood at the door had been cleared. Xiang Linglong bowed to Lid, with no trace of worldly airs on his face, but full of calm confidence:

"Take care, team leader. If you need anything, you can always come to me."

Lid also laughed, tapped Linglong's shoulder with the file in his hand, and said:

"it is good."

32. In an emergency, take the necessary measures and keep everything simple

After Li De and Xiang Zhehua left, one of the guards walked up to Xiang Linglong and said softly:

"My Lord, is everything alright?"

Xiang Linglong was still smiling, and she placed one hand on the shoulder that Lid had hit with the file, and responded:

"As expected of the new Lord of Yunyang, he is not easy to deal with."

The captain of the guard whispered:

"But we almost killed him just now, and he only dared to kill two servants to establish his authority..."

Xiang Linglong shook his head and took his hand off his shoulder. His palm was filled with shocking blood.

The head guard was shocked. He wiped the cold sweat off Linglong's face with his bloodless arm and said slowly:

"The shoulder blade is all broken... Go, find someone to help set the bones."

He did not say another word and left quietly under the escort of the guards.

Lide took Xiang Zhehua to a quiet place and began to look through the files in his hand. Lide sat on the ground without any hesitation, but Xiang Zhehua, who had learned aristocratic etiquette since childhood, did not sit when she could stand in such an outdoor environment, and stood beside Lide like a door god.

"Twenty-three days ago, Jiang Yuesheng encountered a gangster who was trying to rob a woman. He angrily rebuked him, but the gangster not only did not stop, but became even more violent. He even took the servants and beat Jiang Yuesheng up..."

"Afterwards, Jiang Yuesheng held a grudge and used his identity to find out the other party's address. That night, he disguised himself as a thief and killed him. The concubine of the person found out that something was wrong and shouted for help, but Jiang Yuesheng didn't stop and killed the other party's entire family of 32 people..."

"After investigation, we learned that the woman was originally a prostitute. She took the money but did not want to receive customers. She pretended to be a good woman and shouted for help, but she did not want to bring disaster to her patron. She felt extremely guilty in prison, wrote a confession, and then hit her head against the wall and committed suicide..."

Xiang Zhehua listened silently. After Lid finished reading, he put the file aside.

The file was not detailed and was somewhat different from the usual trial. If you want to know the specific details, you can either ask the person involved or ask the Lord of Jinxiu City, Xiang Linglong, for the person involved's confession. However, Xiang Linglong was very cunning and might not hand over the things honestly. Even if she did, the confession without evidence would not be very meaningful.

Lid let out a breath and asked Zhehua:

"What do you think?"

He said coldly to Zhehua:

"The whole family of the man who molested the woman was killed, and the prostitute who pretended to be a woman committed suicide in prison, which means that all the clues were cut off. They said they wanted us to investigate this case, but we had no starting point from the beginning."

Xiang Zhehua stared at the file next to Li De and said in a bad tone:

"More than 20 days... It's been long enough for them to deal with all the clues. Including the dead prostitute. The body has been rotten. I guess they can't even find out whether it was suicide or homicide."

Lid did not comment and said calmly:

"I think there is still room for investigation."

I asked Zhehua:

"what?"

Lid closed his eyes, thought carefully, and replied:

"I don't know for now. But if Jinxiu City and Sai'an Village are really clean, they don't have to assassinate our investigation team. The guy named Xiang Linglong is currently very wary of us. It's difficult to make a breakthrough from him. I plan to go to Sai'an Village first and check Jiang Yuesheng's past."

Xiang Zhehua nodded. It was hard to say whether Jiang Yuesheng could kill an entire family in a rage. This old man had been retired for twenty years. No one knew what kind of person he was twenty years ago and what he had experienced in the past twenty years. From the moment he stepped down as a general, he faded out of everyone's sight. Even the descendants of nobles like Xiang Zhehua didn't know much about his current situation, let alone outsiders like Li De.

On the way to Sai'an Village, Li De asked Xiang Zhehua about Xiang Linglong's background.

Because her surname was Xiang, Lid guessed that Xiang Linglong should also be a noble of Nanchu.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Zhehua hesitated for a moment and replied:

"If I remember correctly, he should be my uncle. But I have hardly seen him since I was a child, only occasionally during the Chinese New Year. I remember when I was a child, he touched my head and said that I would be successful when I grow up. But that was many years ago, and we hardly had any contact since then."

Lid asked casually:

"So they are the people of the peace party?"

Xiang Zhehua hesitated for a moment. She knew that this answer might bring disadvantage to her grandfather. Once it was confirmed that the Lord of Jinxiu City was a peace advocate, the situation of the peace advocate would become difficult. However, after hesitating for a moment, Xiang Zhehua still answered:

"I'm not sure... my uncle rarely interacts with us. I have hardly ever heard my father and mother talk about him. My father has many brothers and sisters, and my mother also has many brothers and sisters. Xiang Linglong is just one of my uncles, and I don't know much about him. But there is a possibility that he is a peace advocate, because I have the impression that he has a good relationship with my grandfather."

Lid nodded and said: