Chapter 692: Untitled
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
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Just now, Gu Jiao had been squatting there with her knees hugged, so her lapel was covered, and they hadn’t noticed the handprint right away.
This handprint was from when Nangong Li had grabbed her collar while leaving his last words before he died.
According to Gu Jiao's original plan, she intended to flee as soon as Nangong Li took his last breath. It didn't matter if her clothes got dirty; she was wearing an extra layer underneath.
But her legs had gone numb.
Plan A was declared dead, but fortunately, she quickly came up with Plan B in a moment of crisis.
Now, she was executing Plan B.
The young palace maid had already reported the situation to Li Sande. Li Sande knew that Mu Chuan and the other two had arrived later, and that only Xiao Liulang had been present at the crime scene at the time.
Li Sande confirmed the identities of the three eunuchs. The young eunuch’s surname was Hu, and everyone called him "Little Huzi." The other two eunuchs were named Tong Gong and Wei Xi.
These two eunuchs were not assigned to serve at the Zhonghe Hall; they came from the Office of Imperial Dining, one of the Twelve Supervisory Offices, responsible for managing imperial meals, food within the palace, and palace banquets.
Due to the special nature of the Twelve Supervisory Offices' functions, they were permitted to enter and exit the Three Great Halls. Today, these two eunuchs were there to inquire about the Emperor’s lunch arrangements.
But hadn’t they already asked and left? Why were they found murdered here?
Even stranger, there were sacks and ropes on the ground, with an unclear purpose. What was this all about?
"Are you sure they were murdered?" Li Sande asked several palace guards.
The three palace guards nodded; they were absolutely certain.
Gu Jiao watched Li Sande and his group. The deaths of the three eunuchs had nothing to do with her; they had been accidentally killed by Nangong Li’s internal force.
Li Sande then went to look at the man under the tree. Compared to the three eunuchs, his death was much more gruesome——he had been impaled through the chest by a sharpened tree branch, and the weapon wasn't even taken away by the perpetrator. It was left brazenly at the scene.
Li Sande sensed the seriousness of the situation. As the head eunuch in charge of Zhonghe Hall, a murder occurring right under his nose clearly indicated his dereliction of duty.
He couldn’t understand it——who in their right mind would dare cause trouble in the heavily guarded imperial palace?
"Didn’t you notice anyone suspicious?" He asked the accompanying palace guards.
The palace guards shook their heads.
Gu Jiao wasn’t surprised by this. While the imperial palace was indeed heavily guarded, it wouldn’t be too difficult for someone as skilled as Nangong Li to avoid detection.
Moreover, Nangong Li was likely very familiar with the palace guards’ shifts and patrols, which allowed him to exploit a gap in the defense.
This location for the attack must have been carefully chosen by Nangong Li, as it was a complete blind spot of Zhonghe Hall.
Li Sande finally came to Nangong Li’s body and this time, he carefully examined Nangong Li’s face. The more he looked, the more something seemed off.
He took out a handkerchief and wiped the bloodstains off Nangong Li’s face, and as soon as he did, he gasped and stood up in shock!
"Eunuch Li!"
The palace guards thought the man had come back to life and quickly rushed over to protect Li Sande.
But when they saw the face, now clear of bloodstains, they too showed the same shocked expression as Li Sande.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Li Sande immediately questioned Gu Jiao about what had happened.
Who was the murderer?
What exactly had transpired?
And what was the deal with the bloody handprint on her lapel?
"I don’t know."
"I didn’t see."
"When I arrived, those three were already dead. This one still had a bit of life in him, and since I know a little about medicine, I thought I could try to save him. He grabbed my lapel, as if he wanted to tell me who the murderer was, but unfortunately, he died before he could finish."
Gu Jiao spoke calmly, her expression completely composed, without the slightest hint of guilt.
Mu Chuan hurriedly added, "I can vouch for him! Xiao Liulang really does know medicine!"
Zhao Wei echoed, "Yes! We can all testify! On the day of our match with Pingyang Academy, the students from Zilin Academy and Songshan Academy got into a huge fight, which ended up collapsing the wall of the players’ pavilion. Xiao Liulang was there, providing first aid! Several deans were there too! If you don't believe us, you can send someone to ask!"
Yuan Xiao added, "And there's also Duke An! Xiao Liulang treated Duke An's illness!"
In fact, there wasn't necessarily a direct connection between Gu Jiao knowing medicine and her attempting to save Nangong Li. However, as long as her medical skills were proven genuine, her act of staying to save the wounded was justified.
If anyone wanted to refute this fact, they would need strong evidence.
Based on the bloody handprint on her clothes, her presence at the scene could only suggest two possibilities: either she was trying to save someone, or she was the murderer.
The motive for saving lives was clear: she was a physician, compassionate and skilled, unlikely to ignore someone in need.
On the other hand, finding a motive for murder was much more difficult.
Mu Chuan said, "Xiao Liulang isn't from the State of Yan; he's only been in Shengdu for a month. He doesn't know General Nangong or the three eunuchs. Why would he want to kill them?"
"Maybe he was acting under someone else's orders?" One palace guard speculated.
Mu Chuan chuckled and said, "Ordered to have General Nangong sneak into His Majesty's Zhonghe Hall? Or ordered those three eunuchs to line up here waiting to be killed?"
Indeed, the fact that all four people appeared here at the same time was a major mystery in the case. No matter how you looked at it, Xiao Liulang didn’t have the ability to bring them all together here.
Mu Chuan continued, "The most important thing is that General Nangong was highly skilled in martial arts, and Xiao Liulang hasn't been gone for long. Do you really think a student from Tianqiong Academy could, in such a short time, kill our Great Yan’s renowned General Nangong using just a tree branch?"
Mu Chuan's words resonated with everyone present.
Indeed, even without considering the motive or the timing, the idea that a student from a lower state could kill a famous general from an upper state was utterly absurd.
However, it wasn't enough for Li Sande to believe it; since it involved General Nangong, the Emperor needed to be convinced as well.
Li Sande personally waited outside the Jinluan Hall, and as soon as the Emperor finished court, he reported the incident at Zhonghe Hall.
The Emperor’s expression became grim.
Li Sande knelt on the ground, his back drenched in cold sweat from fear.
There were many suspicious points in this case, the first being why Nangong Li had secretly entered the imperial palace.
In fact, just this one offense was enough for the Emperor to have him executed, but being executed by the Emperor was one thing; being murdered was another story altogether.
"Zhang Dequan."
"Your Majesty."
"Summon the Imperial Court of Judicial Review’s Chief Justice and the Minister of Justice."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
This meant a thorough investigation was about to begin.
The Emperor continued, "Also, that student—take him to the Heavenly Prison and interrogate him severely."
The Heavenly Prison had forty-nine forms of torture, and there wasn’t a single person who hadn't confessed under its duress.
If the student was lying, the Heavenly Prison would force out the truth.
If he survived all the tortures, regardless of the truth, the Emperor would drop the matter.
The Emperor had once declared that anyone who could survive all the tortures of the Heavenly Prison would be released, even if guilty.
Unfortunately, no one had ever succeeded, and many had died midway through the brutal interrogation.
Zhang Dequan first sent men to the Ministry of Justice and Imperial Court of Judicial Review, then personally went to escort Gu Jiao.
Before long, he returned to the main hall of Zhonghe Hall, looking somewhat conflicted.
The Emperor sat behind his desk, casting him a cool glance, "What’s the matter?"
Zhang Dequan, in a difficult position, said, "The person... hasn’t been taken to the Heavenly Prison."
The Emperor closed his eyes to rest, "He committed suicide?"
Zhang Dequan replied, "No."
The Emperor calmly said, "Then he confessed?"
"Not that either." Zhang Dequan said awkwardly, "He was taken away by the Little County Princess. The Little County Princess said... that student is her teacher!"
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…