Chapter 003: Twists and turns
A group of twenty-two riders, watched by hundreds of Qianxiang country's officers and soldiers, rushed across the street intersection in high spirits and continued to run forward for most of the street. Only then did Sun Shaozong manage to pull the reins.
"Master Duwei!"
Feng Xin approached Sun Shaozong with high spirits, raised his thumb high, and praised him: "I am convinced today. Your courage is probably not inferior to that of General Chen, the Duke of Qi!"
Duke of Qi Chen Yi was a famous general in the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty and was one of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes. His most outstanding achievement in his life was leading his troops to capture the Kingdom of Qianxiang.
It is said that he only used 30,000 soldiers and horses to defeat the 160,000-strong army of Qianxiang Kingdom - therefore, even to this day, mentioning Chen Yi's name in Qianxiang Kingdom can still make children stop crying.
"Stop kissing up to me!"
Sun Shaozong glanced at him angrily and said, "If it weren't for the example of Duke Qi, do you think we could have gotten out smoothly?"
To be honest, Sun Shaozong was actually quite nervous just now. If the other party insisted on not giving way, he would have no choice but to retreat back to the embassy in disgrace.
Fortunately, he won the bet in the end!
"Sir, although Duke Qi is a great man, you are not any worse..."
"Shut up!"
Interrupting Feng Xin's flattery, Sun Shaozong ordered in a deep voice: "Feng Xin, you take half of the men to check on Ruan Wenhao's house, and I will take the rest of the brothers to Ruan Liangshun's house first."
"ah?!"
Feng Xin was stunned and asked in confusion: "Sir, that was the spy who poisoned you, don't you want to take revenge yourself?"
"Why are you talking so much nonsense? Just do it!"
Sun Shaozong shouted impatiently, and then, according to his memory, he took half of his men and headed straight for Ruan Liangshun's residence.
It had been more than half a day since Nguyen Van Hao left the embassy. If he was not an idiot, he would definitely not stay at home obediently. Sun Shaozong had mentioned Nguyen Van Hao in the embassy before just to boost morale.
The focus right now is actually on Ruan Liangshun.
Not to mention that as the first scene, there are likely to be many clues hidden here. Just based on Ruan Liangshun's identity as the prefect, it is worth it for Sun Shaozong to visit in person.
Don't forget that the embassy guards are all from the Great Zhou. They are not familiar with the situation in Qianxiang Country and Qinglin Prefecture. If you want to get to the bottom of this case as soon as possible, the easiest way is to seek cooperation with local forces.
And Ruan Liangshun, the prefect of Qinglin Prefecture, is undoubtedly the best choice at the moment.
First of all, this case occurred at his remarriage's wedding banquet, which not only ruined the happy event, but also implicated himself. He can be said to be the biggest victim besides Niu Yongxin, so he should not be a big suspect.
Secondly, as the prefect of Qinglin Prefecture, he was a local tyrant and had a large number of constables and runners under his command, who could assist in the search for the assassin.
That's why Sun Shaozong wanted to visit Ruan's house first.
--Dividing line--
However, there is a saying that goes 'Plans cannot keep up with changes'. Although Sun Shaozong's analysis was very reasonable, when he really arrived at Ruan's house, he encountered an unexpected accident - Ruan Liangshun had actually been taken to the Dali Temple to await trial!
He is the mayor of the capital after all, why should he be arrested so hastily? !
"Butler Ruan!"
Sun Shaozong still asked, "Where are our Lord Niu and the bodies of those assassins?"
"They've all been taken away."
The old butler seemed to have a bitter melon in his mouth, and sighed indistinctly: "The bodies of Ambassador Niu and his guards were transported to the Ministry of Rites for burial; the bodies of the assassins were sent to the Ministry of Justice."
Damn~
Does this count as dismemberment?
Sun Shaozong cursed inwardly, but he pleaded unyieldingly: "Can we go to the scene and take a look? If possible, we can ask the people who were there at the time a few questions."
"Take it away, take it all away."
The bitter melon in the old housekeeper's mouth seemed to have grown a lot bigger. He was so vague that people were afraid that he would accidentally bite his tongue: "Except for the ladies in the backyard, there are not many people left in this mansion. Even my two sons who are in charge have been taken to the lobby of the Ministry of Justice."
As he spoke, he began to show signs of tears.
It turns out that the old butler had already retired and was enjoying his retirement at home, but now there was no one in charge of the mansion, so he had to come out of retirement.
Sun Shaozong was so depressed that he could only ask his old butler to lead the way to the scene where Niu Yongxin was assassinated to investigate. However, the scene was first trampled by the guests, and then was watched by the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Rites in turn, and had already been destroyed beyond recognition.
In addition, everything related to the case had been taken back to the Ministry of Justice, so Sun Shaozong investigated carefully for a long time but could not find any clues.
By the time he left Ruan's house full of disappointment, Feng Xin had already hurried over, but as expected, he also came back empty-handed.
So Sun Shaozong stood in front of the gate of Ruan Mansion and looked around in confusion, not knowing where to go for a moment.
"grown ups."
Although Feng Xin's attack was in vain, he still had some courage in his heart. He came forward and said fiercely, gritting his teeth: "How about we try to break into the hall of the Ministry of Justice again? I don't believe that a few yamen runners can have such courage when the soldiers don't dare to stop us!"
"That's easy for you to say."
Sun Shaozong sighed and said helplessly: " What's the point of breaking in? Once you get in, do you know where to look for clues? Do you know where the body is? Do you know where the witnesses are? By then, they can just make a few excuses and we will return empty-handed."
Feng Xin was also dumbfounded when he heard this. Twenty or so people stood in the street staring at each other, without saying a word for a long time.
Plop~
At this moment, a muffled sound was heard not far away. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a 'servant' in green clothes and a small hat climbing over the wall of the Ruan Mansion - the reason why the word 'servant' is put in quotation marks is because anyone with eyes can see that this person is actually a pretty girl!
The girl climbed over the wall and immediately ran to the crowd excitedly. Her big watery eyes swept around and locked onto Sun Shaozong. She opened her mouth and asked, "You are the Sun Duwei of the Great Zhou Embassy, right?"
It was actually directed at me!
Sun Shaozong raised his eyebrows and nodded, "Yes, I am Sun Shaozong. I wonder if you have any advice for me?"
"It's not the case that I can give you advice."
The girl seemed to be unaware that she had exposed herself. She said in a hoarse voice, "My name is Ruan Gu. My father is Ruan Liangshun, the prefect of Qinglin. He is currently detained in the Dali Temple. I just heard from the old housekeeper that you seem to be investigating the assassination case as well. How about we join forces? You take revenge, and I will help my father clear his name!"
Before Sun Shaozong could speak, Feng Xin on the side had already sneered, glanced at Ruan Gu carelessly, and said, "Come on! We men have no idea, and you, a little girl, dare to speak so arrogantly here."
"What's wrong with you girl? How do you know I can't help you?!"
Ruan Gu yelled indignantly, and his voice, no longer pretentious , immediately became clear and pleasant.
Feng Xin was about to make a few more sarcastic remarks, but was casually pushed aside by Sun Shaozong.
"Don't pay attention to this guy, girl."
Sun Shaozong bowed deeply to Ruan Gushen again and asked solemnly, "Excuse me, young lady, how are you going to help us find out the truth?"
“Well… well…”
Being treated so seriously by Sun Shaozong, Ruan Gu became a little flustered. He hesitated for a few words before finally saying what he wanted to say: "Li Jiuming, the chief constable of the Ministry of Justice, was promoted by my father. He is also one of the persons in charge of this case. I can take you to him for help!"
When they heard that Ruan Gu could help introduce him to the Chief Constable of the Ministry of Justice, the guards including Feng Xin were all delighted and had long forgotten their previous contempt for him.
But Sun Shaozong frowned and questioned: "Since the person investigating the case has a close relationship with your father, why do you need to cooperate with us? Just wait for the Ministry of Justice to find out the truth."
Ruan Gu pouted and said angrily, "Although Uncle Li is a good man, Huang Shilang of the Ministry of Justice is my father's mortal enemy! If we don't find out the truth as soon as possible, what if that guy interferes?!"
This reason...
That makes sense.
"Okay, then I wish us a happy cooperation!"