It doesn't matter what the lord is.

The captain of the guard lowered his voice and asked:

"Do you want me to go..."

He made a click gesture.

Xiang Linglong shook his head:

"I have received the information from the higher-ups. The plan to kill Lid is not considered for the time being. In Nanchu, unless we invite Mr. Tingchao here, no one can take down the Yunyang Lord. But you know Tingchao's character. He holds his precious daughter tightly all day long and doesn't care about what's happening outside."

The head of the guard nodded, but a hint of doubt flashed across his eyes. After Qingyun and Garberd died one after another, Mr. Tingchao was the undisputed number one in the world. No one except Mr. Tingchao could beat Lid, which meant that Lid was the number one person under Mr. Tingchao? Then who was Lord Yunyang, and why had he never heard of him before?

Xiang Linglong thought until late at night, gave instructions for many things, and then returned to his room and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Xiang Linglong received a message from the housekeeper, saying that Li De had brought Xiang Zhehua to visit the city lord's mansion. After Xiang Linglong simply washed up, she went out to meet the two people waiting outside, and deliberately paid attention to Xiang Zhehua's current situation. Xiang Zhehua's face was a little abnormally flushed, her eyebrows were full of spring, and her clothes were wrinkled. She had dark circles around her eyes, and she was obviously in a bad mood. It seemed that she was a little dissatisfied with Li De taking her out early in the morning.

--has a problem!

After seeing Xiang Linglong, Xiang Zhehua bowed and said no more.

It was Linglong who opened the conversation first:

"Team Leader, did you gain anything from your private visit to Sai'an Village yesterday?"

Lid took a sip of tea and said slowly:

"Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to visit the City Lord's Mansion today, right?"

Xiang Linglong looked normal, but her hands were slightly clenched under the table. She asked in a gentle tone:

"Oh? Then please feel free to ask me, Team Leader. I will tell you everything I know."

Lid waved his hand and said:

"No hurry. I am also somewhat interested in Linglong City Lord. Are you here to try this case in person?"

He bowed to Linglong:

"it's me."

Lid turned to Origami and said:

"Write this down. Important information."

Xiang Linglong clenched his hands under the table a little tighter. He began to think about what purpose Reed had in asking this question and whether his answer was safe.

Without giving him much time to think, Reed continued:

"Well, I would like to hear what the city lord thinks about this case first."

Xiang Linglong took a breath and replied:

"I don't know what's behind the blood-stained shirt case. When I handle cases, I always stick to the facts! Yuanye's whole family was killed, and before he died, he left a big 'Jiang' in blood. The prostitute Feng Lingzi left a confession before committing suicide in prison, saying that Jiang Yuesheng found her privately and said he would avenge her. It has come to this point. If I let General Jiang Yuesheng go unpunished, I'm afraid all the officers in Nanchu will follow suit and kill people at will based on their own achievements! So I locked up the old general. Just a few days later, his son came to jailbreak, and I almost died in his hands. I still have scars from my wounds."

Xiang Linglong opened his robe, revealing a shocking scar on his chest.

Then he sighed and said to Lid:

"Team leader, if you can find out that the old general is innocent, I will willingly release him. I can even forgive the old general's son for trying to assassinate me! Even though Jiang Yuesheng has many controversies, he is still a meritorious official of Nan Chu. I don't want to see him die in prison."

Lid nodded, turned around and said again:

"Write it down. When you mention Jiang Yuesheng to Linglong, there is a look of sadness in your eyes. You feel deeply sorry for the old general's plight and you wish you could go to the prison and release him yourself."

Although Xiang Zhehua didn't understand, she wrote down what Lid said.

This time, Xiang Linglong did not lose her composure at all. On the contrary, she was very calm. Lid picked up a cup of tea from the table, blew it to cool it, and said to Xiang Linglong:

"In this case, why doesn't the city lord think about the injustice behind this case? Why not investigate who Yuanye and Feng Lingzi have been in contact with most recently? Why not hand Jiang Yuesheng over to Lord Nanchu for investigation? The whole case is inexplicable! Since Jiang Yuesheng had a conflict with someone in the street, why didn't he just draw his knife and kill him in anger, but waited until midnight to do it?"

Xiang Linglong didn't answer immediately. His hand tapped his thigh lightly under the table.

The pair of eyes stared at the tea on the table. After a moment, he raised the corners of his mouth to Linglong and replied:

"Just as the team leader said. But I believe that the team leader should know as much about officialdom as I do. Someone wants to harm Jiang Yuesheng. Who is that person? What is his background? I don't know, and I dare not check. A small character like me can only protect myself in such a storm. If the team leader thinks that I am not handling the case well, you can petition the Lord of Nanchu to dismiss me."

This is equivalent to the bachelor tactic.

He refused to admit that there was someone behind him. If asked, he would say that he was a small person and dared not investigate. If you want to investigate, go and investigate by yourself. However, as a person who has been operating in this city for a long time, Xiang Linglong, the local snake, has absolute control over Jinxiu City. It can be expected that if we investigate alone without him, it will become very difficult to collect information.

Lid didn't seem angry. He smiled and said to Xiang Linglong:

"Does the city lord know why I am the one investigating this case? I know nothing about your power, and there is no need to offend you. Thank you for being honest with me, the leader of the investigation team. I will also say a few words from my heart. I am not from Nanchu, so how Jiang Yuesheng handles it has no effect on me. Whether this case is solved or not is a big deal for you, but a small matter for me. Do you agree with this?"

He nodded to Linglong and replied:

"Indeed. Although the team leader is a big shot, he is a big shot in Yunyang. There is no need for him to take risks for Nan Chu's case... I wonder what plans the team leader has?"

Lid raised his index finger, tapped the table, and said to Xiang Linglong:

"What I need is not the truth, but an explanation. An answer that can be reported to the Prince of Nanchu. If the city lord can give me this, I can go home immediately. How do you think?"

Xiang Linglong took a sip of tea and stared at Lid with narrowed eyes.

36. A promise is worth a thousand gold

This time, Xiang Linglong's gaze lingered on Reed's smile for a long time.

He began to wonder how much sincerity there was in Reed's words.

Although the man in front of him was young, he was still the lord of Yunyang, and he had made great achievements in the west with his leadership team. Now he came to Nanchu, and was appointed as the leader of the investigation team by the lord of Nanchu. He encountered so many assassinations along the way. Doesn't he have any resentment? No matter who was in Lide's position, it was impossible for him to work for the lord of Nanchu wholeheartedly. This was beyond doubt.

Of course, this does not mean that Xiang Linglong believed Li De's words. Li De did not catch any handle on him now, and Xiang Linglong and the forces behind him were sitting on the Diaoyutai. At this time, no matter what Li De said, he just regarded it as a safe choice to listen to the opera in the theater.

Xiang Linglong drank the tea calmly and said to Lid:

"I wonder what kind of explanation you want, team leader?"

Lid also smiled and replied:

"The city lord is such a smart person, can't he think of it?"

Xiang Linglong laughed loudly, and after a moment pointed at the tea on the table and asked Lid:

"What do you think of this tea, Team Leader?"

Lid nodded and praised:

"good."

So Xiang Linglong waved his hand and asked the chief guard to pack two boxes for Lid. Lid was not polite. He took it, weighed it, and stuffed it directly into his arms. Xiang Linglong put his arm on the table, leaned forward, and said to Lid:

"The team leader is a smart man, and I like dealing with smart people! I know what the team leader is worried about. He thinks this case is quite suspicious. If he goes back like this, he will not be able to report to the prince. For this, I have a way to have the best of both worlds. I wonder if the team leader wants to hear it."

Lid rolled up his sleeves, leaned forward, and answered with interest:

"City Lord, please speak."

Xiang Linglong lowered his voice and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear:

“Fake…!”

Li De narrowed his eyes and dismissed Xiang Zhehua. Xiang Linglong also drove out the people around her. When Li De and Xiang Linglong were the only two people left in the room, Li De took a sip of tea and said:

"Tell me more about it."

"It's very simple. There are indeed many strange things in this case. At present, I can't report it to Lord Crown Prince. The team leader can't report it, and I, as the city lord, can't report it either. Team leader, think about it, things have come to this point, no matter how many strange things there are, there will be no evidence; but the Lord and the Crown Prince will definitely vent their anger on me, and then they will find other reasons to accuse me of a few crimes, and it will be my head that rolls on the ground in the vegetable market tomorrow! So on this point, the interests of the team leader and I are the same. We must find a way to make this case solid, and the situation will be beneficial to both of us."

"Indeed...please continue."

"Then in my opinion, the only way at the moment is to forge more evidence of Jiang Yuesheng's murder. Then the credit will be divided between the two of us 30% and 70%. I can keep my official hat, and the team leader can go back and report to the prince without worry. This matter is known to heaven and earth, you and me, so we can just keep it to ourselves. How do you think?"

Lid took a sip of tea and seemed to be a little moved, but he did not agree immediately. Instead, he stood up and said goodbye, saying:

"Let me think about it. The prince and I have a sworn brotherhood and we have a very good relationship. I feel a little uneasy about deceiving him like this. Let me go back and think about it. Let me think about it carefully."

Lid said, touching her breasts. Xiang Linglong stood up to see her off, saying:

"If you like to taste tea, you can come over anytime. Everyone in Jinxiu City welcomes you anytime!"

Li De said a polite word, then took Xiang Zhehua back home.

Xiang Linglong stared at his back for a long time, until he disappeared into the crowd holding Xiang Zhehua's hand, then she slowly exhaled and said with a smile:

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency... He really has the nerve to say that. It has ruined Xiang Zhehua's reputation. No matter how much he tries to explain, he can't get away from being associated with the peace faction. But it's okay this way, Lord Yunyang, if you can avoid killing him, then don't. If you can win him over, he'll be a useful chess piece."

The captain of the guards stood behind him and said nothing.

After Li De brought Xiang Zhehua back to the inn, he took out the two boxes of "tea" from his arms. After opening them, he dumped them on the table, and two bundles of silver bills fell out. Moreover, these were not silver bills from Nanchu, but silver bills issued by Yunhai Territory, the center of the Tianxia Chamber of Commerce. This meant that Li De could exchange them at Yunhai Territory after returning, without having to worry about Nanchu refusing to pay.

Lid counted the silver notes in front of Xiang Zhehua and found that the total amount of silver notes converted into gold coins was 100,000.

One hundred thousand pieces!

Even Xiang Zhehua, who grew up in a wealthy family, was slightly stunned. Lide held a thick stack of banknotes in his hand and slapped it on the table twice, and found that the sound was indeed particularly crisp. He stuffed the money back into the tea box, put it on the table casually, and said to Xiang Zhehua:

"It seems that my face is worth something, better than my home minister."

He frowned and said to Zhehua:

"Are you really going to compromise with them? Are you not going to investigate this case anymore?"

Reed asked back:

"Do you want me to check?"

Xiang Zhehua was speechless for a moment.

Lid sat on the chair, admiring Xiang Zhehua's embarrassed look, and said with a smile:

"In fact, whether you like it or not, we still have to investigate the case. Xiao Hei and I have a life-long friendship. Since I have accepted this job from him, there is no reason to give up halfway. I can take the money, but I still have to do what needs to be done. No matter what Lord Nanchu thinks, I have to give Xiao Hei an explanation."

In fact, when Lide received the appointment as the Lord of Nanchu, he was ready to go all out. Perhaps in the eyes of Xiang Linglong and others, Lide, as the Lord of Yunyang, had no reason to get involved in the chaos of Nanchu, but Lide himself did not think so. Back in the capital, Xiaohei promised Lide that he could ask him for help if he had any problems, which was a promise worth a thousand gold. Later, Xiaohei and Xiaobai helped him solve the problem of Liushi, and later helped him invite Merlin and Anna when Yuxi City resisted the invasion of the demons. Although Yuxi City also sent a large amount of high-quality steel to Nanchu as a return gift at that time, Lide always felt that this favor could not be repaid with some steel.

The reason is simple. Merlin's help to Yuxi City was life-saving, but the steel provided by Yuxi City was not that important to Nanchu. So this time, Lid agreed to the appointment of Nanchu Lord without hesitation, not to give face to Nanchu Lord, but to give face to his son.

"The other party has almost fallen into the trap. They want to use me to prove the blood-stained shirt case, and we also want to use them to find more clues. Everyone thinks they are chess players, so let's see who plays chess better."

37. I can do it, I’ll do it

There is a saying that goes, "One force can defeat ten skills."

For Lid, the current situation could hardly get any worse. After checking just a few places, he understood why the first seven investigation teams had failed. Conventional solutions were no longer effective for him, but fortunately, he didn't have to use conventional means to solve the problem.

Before he became the Lord of Yunyang, he would have chosen to give up in such an occasion. But now that he has a new identity, he is qualified to return to the gambling table. Yunyang had never had any formal interactions with Nanchu before, so for Lide, the various forces in Nanchu are still mainly trying to win him over.

Xiang Geling planned to marry his precious granddaughter to Li De when they first met, and Xiang Jiqing did not have any friction with Li De. Although Li De encountered many assassinations along the way, there were many tests and interference from third-party forces. After realizing that he was not easy to deal with, the attitude of the other side was obviously restrained.

Although Reed didn't know which faction the other party belonged to, he gradually figured out the other party's tactics.

The other party was not afraid of killing Lid, and was willing to bear the consequences of killing Lid. But unless it was absolutely necessary, the other party obviously did not want to do so. This showed that the interests involved in the blood-stained clothes case were so huge that they could be compared to a territory, and it also showed that if Lid chose to take a step back, the other party would most likely make corresponding concessions.

So Li De "slept" with Xiang Zhehua without hesitation, and then went to see Xiang Linglong. Unfortunately, Xiang Linglong was either not a peace advocate or a very hidden peace advocate. He did not easily believe Li De's "surrender", but took a more prudent approach: forging together with Li De to fool the case.

If Reed accepted their proposal, it would be tantamount to compromise and begging on his knees.

But think about it from another angle, how many people want to kneel but don't have the means to do so. The forces behind Xiang Linglong didn't have a good face for the first seven investigation teams, and directly killed them all, leaving only Lid because of his strong background, and the other party chose to temporarily reconcile.

Unfortunately, Reed has no intention of reconciliation.

The next day, someone from the City Lord's Mansion came and said that he wanted to discuss the follow-up matters with Li De. The other party handed some newly-obtained "evidence" to Li De and said that the carriage was ready and Li De could take these things back to report.

Lid smiled, opened the file in front of the other party, and found four or five strange places. For example, according to the file, Jiang Yuesheng killed 32 people in the other party's family, but according to previous records, Jiang Yuesheng didn't have such a good knife at home. An ordinary knife would bend after killing a few people, let alone 32 people.

"Does your master want me to take this document back to report? Does he think that Prince Nanchu's IQ is not high enough, or does he think that my IQ is not high enough?"

The other party had no choice but to go back and make a new piece of evidence. The "murder weapon" that killed 32 people naturally had to be purchased by the City Lord's Mansion. So for the second time, another batch of new "evidence" was discovered and handed over to Lid.

Lid smiled, and opened the file again in front of the other party, and found three or four more strange things. For example, according to the file, Jiang Yuesheng should have caused a great commotion on the day of the case, but the neighbors around him did not react at all, which was also unreasonable. If Jiang Yuesheng came to the door alone, the people around him would definitely not know that it was Jiang Yuesheng, nor who he wanted to kill. For their own safety, they would definitely shout for help, but at present, there is no relevant description.

"I'll say it again, I don't care what your master wants to do, but I hope he can do it well. If you can't even fool me, how can you expect to fool the prince?"

The other party had no choice but to go back and collect another piece of evidence. This time, the neighbors all spoke in unison, saying that Jiang Yuesheng had coerced them that day, and they had to shut up under Jiang Yuesheng's coercion.

So the people from the City Lord's Mansion came to find Li De with bated breath, thinking that you probably have no other options this time.

Reed smiled, took him to the crime scene, lit a fire in public, and started burning the ground.

After a while, irregular amounts of grease began to appear on the ground.

"The body was burned, and the fat seeped into the ground and solidified in the sand. When it was roasted by fire, the fat underground would float to the surface again and stick to the ash formed by the burning to form a specific shape. After killing and burning, the person is already dead and will not struggle. The shapes on the ground should be specific human outlines. Now most of the shapes on the ground are blurred, which means that the people experienced a painful struggle before they died. They were not killed, but burned to death. Do you understand?"

The visitor from the City Lord's Mansion was speechless and could only go back to report.

In the City Lord's Mansion, Xiang Linglong frowned and thought for a long time.