In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 784 The Lotus Pavilion Massacre: Self-Deception

As night fell, the Lotus Pavilion, one of the largest brothels along the Qinhuai River, was bustling with activity.
Guests came and went in an endless stream, and the building was filled with dazzling displays of beauty, creating an atmosphere of allure throughout.
However, in a quiet room in the corner of the second floor,

But it was completely different from the bustling scene outside.

Qian Xinghuai slumped weakly against the wardrobe in the room.
His face was deathly pale; he clutched his neck tightly.

Even so, more and more blood continued to gush from between his fingers, his hands grew warmer and warmer, but his body grew colder and colder.

He scanned the house, and apart from the figure standing inside,
The woman on the bed had been stabbed through the neck with a dagger and pinned to the outer wall of the carved wooden bed. Her eyes were wide open, still filled with disbelief from her life.

Xu Ban'an lay prone in a pool of blood beside the bed, half his face already soaked with dark, bloody water.
The exposed eye revealed a hint of resentment, disbelief, and some confusion.
He could feel the blood rushing down his neck, and instead of warming him, it made him feel cold all over.

"Who are you?"

Qian Xinghuai pressed his palm hard into the wound to stop the bleeding for a moment.

He looked at the figure in the arena and asked weakly.

The tall, thin figure in the arena remained silent, the two daggers sliding out of his sleeves and then disappearing again, as nimbly as five fingers that could extend and retract.

He didn't speak, but just watched Qian Xinghuai die slowly, his expression gradually becoming blank.

Fifteen minutes later, the entire house fell completely quiet.
The figure then stepped to the windowsill, picked up two telescopes, and examined the object closely.
Finally, he put the telescope down and quietly left the house.
With a soft "thump," the door slammed shut, leaving only the stench of blood emanating from the various corpses inside.

After an unknown amount of time, the few remaining oil lamps went out, plunging the entire house into darkness.
Just then, the sound of hurried and heavy footsteps came from outside.

A slightly overweight, swaying figure slowly walked to the door.
He leaned against the door, catching his breath for a while, before finally standing up and gently knocking on the door.

"My lady, open the door! I've finished my drink."

There was no movement inside the house, so the person at the door gently knocked again.
"Open the door, beauty."

After knocking several more times, the person outside seemed to be getting impatient.

He then pushed hard, and his whole body tumbled in.
"Ouch. I almost threw out my back."

He struggled to sit up, looked around the dark room, and chuckled:
"Why aren't the lights on? Is there some surprise waiting for you, sir?"

The visitor walked towards the round table in the room, and through the light from outside, the oil lamp on the table could be seen.
But before he could get close, something tripped him up, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ouch. What is this? It's all sticky."

He sat drunk on the ground, shifting his body slightly.
Facing the light from outside, I looked at my palm.

The sight of pitch-black blood-red light instantly cleared his eyes, and the lingering effects of the alcohol gently subsided.
"Gudong."

His gaze was vacant; he slightly shifted his head, looking back at the path he had come from.
next moment!
A ghastly, blood-soaked face came into view.
"what"

"Someone come here!"

"Murder! Murder!!!"

Half an hour later, the entire Lotus Pavilion had become extremely quiet.
All the guests and women remained in front of the door, guarded by the yamen runners of Jiangning County, and no one was allowed to leave.

Meanwhile, in Jiangning County, a human wall had already been formed to block the way.
The constables looked around warily.

A middle-aged man paced back and forth in front of the door, his face extremely grim.

He was Lü Hao, the clerk of Jiangning County, in charge of public security, prisons, and arrests.
Although it was not a county of official rank, Jiangning County was located right under the emperor's nose and wielded immense power.
His responsibility was to oversee the entire Qinhuai River area, a lucrative and dangerous job.

In the past, he mostly dealt with fights and quarrels among the sons of powerful and wealthy families; he rarely even handled petty theft.

Someone actually died today.
Moreover, the person who died was extraordinary.
This made Lü Hao's face extremely ugly, and he felt that his lucrative job was over.
Just then, an elderly man carrying a toolbox walked out; he was the coroner from Jiangning County.

Upon seeing him, Lü Hao rushed forward, his face filled with anxiety:
"Old Dai, how's it going? Can you spot any clues?"

The coroner looked uneasy and pointed to the side.

After the two walked aside, he lowered his voice and spoke:
"This is terrible, sir!"

"Report this to Yingtian Prefecture immediately; we can't handle this kind of matter."

"Why?"

Lu Hao's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pressed for an answer.

"My lord, the dead were two men and one woman. The woman was the top courtesan of the Lotus Pavilion, but the two men were of unusual status."

Their tiger's mouth, palms, backs of hands, and inner thighs all had thick calluses.

They were clearly soldiers, and one of them was even wearing a high-quality silk lining.

These clothes alone cost over ten taels of silver; even ordinary soldiers couldn't afford them.

I reckon he's at least a centurion, and…

At this point, Lü Hao was utterly despondent, muttering "It's over" repeatedly. Hearing his lingering concerns, I quickly asked:

"And what?"

"Sir, there are two objects in the room."
The Drunken Immortal Pavilion on the opposite bank of the river is clearly visible right before my eyes.
Such novel items are something I've never seen before. I suspect they are top-secret military equipment.

"What? Are you sure?"

The coroner nodded:

"My lord, those two items also have serial numbers on them, which are the marks of the Leopard Wave Guard of the Twelfth Guard of the Upper Guard. These are His Majesty's personal guards."

Lu Hao's eyes were glazed over, his body swayed, and his breathing suddenly became rapid.
"How could someone like this die here?"

The coroner opened a box to the side and handed over the written record:

"My lord, the attackers were highly skilled in martial arts; all three were killed in an instant. A dagger was found on the woman, and I suspect she used it as a throwing dart to kill them."
I didn't dare move at the scene. Please report this quickly, sir.
If it's late
If the capital authorities can't find anything, we're in trouble.

"Yes, yes, report it, report it."

Lu Hao held the document in his hand, his face pale, and he muttered to himself.

Half an hour later, the Prefectural Magistrate of the Capital hurriedly left the city and arrived at the Lotus Tower. Upon seeing the scene, he immediately knew things were in trouble.

Especially those two telescopes neatly arranged on the table,
As a resident of the capital, he had heard of this item from a friend, but this was the first time he had ever seen it.
Before long, the coroner from the capital also looked grim.
It provided an answer that was very similar to that of the coroner in Jiangning, but more precise:

"Lord Kong, these two are members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"what?"

Kong Rui, who was hunched over and examining the telescope, suddenly looked up in shock upon hearing this.

The coroner from the capital city took a shoe insole, and Kong Rui's expression changed slightly upon seeing it; it was the insignia of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Without any hesitation, he immediately looked at the clerk waiting to the side and shouted:
"Go and inform the Ministry of Justice!"

The officials hurriedly ran away, leaving the crowd gathered in front of the gate looking at each other in bewilderment.

Seeing a group of adults coming and going, I had no idea what was going on.
Soon, something even more shocking happened to them.

A group of people arrived in haste, and the composition of the group was quite varied.

The Minister of Justice in his scarlet robe, the Imperial Guards in their flying fish robes, the city defense soldiers in black armor, and the Imperial Guards in silver armor.
As soon as the group arrived, more than a hundred people rushed forward.

Holding black cloth, they quickly surrounded the entire road leading to the Lotus Pavilion.

It made it impossible for anyone to see what was happening inside.

Mao Xiang, his face grim, stepped onto the second floor.
Upon arriving here, a strong stench of blood assaulted my senses.

The combination of the two, with their cloying, garish scent of rouge and powder, was nauseating.

Ling Han, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who was standing nearby, smelled the odor, frowned slightly, raised his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose, and followed Mao Xiang into the innermost room.

He spotted the bodies lying in three different locations at a glance.
A woman half-sitting on the bed, a young man lying in a pool of blood, and a middle-aged man leaning against a wardrobe with his head tilted to the side.

In an instant, he realized the difficulty of creating such a scene.
After examining the tables, chairs, and benches inside the house, there were no obvious signs of a struggle.
Ling Han frowned slightly; judging from the scene, the situation was undoubtedly extremely troublesome. Mao Xiang remained standing at the door, his face extremely gloomy, his eyes flashing with fierce anger, and his breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

He recognized Qian Xinghuai and Xu Ban'an at a glance.
This is the person he sent to keep watch.

The reason for using thousands or hundreds of households to keep watch was because the matter was of great importance and could not be known by too many people.
Mao Xiang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He glanced at the two telescopes on the bedside table and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thankfully, it's still there."

Immediately, Mao Xiang's expression turned serious.

The fact that such a precious telescope still exists already rules out many possibilities.

Foreign enemies spying on them, plotting to steal their wealth and causing them death, etc.
Taking a deep breath, Mao Xiang looked at Wei Hua beside him and said softly:
"You don't need to go back to Beiping. Take over Qian Xinghuai's position as commander of a thousand households and stay in Yingtian to investigate the case."

The sudden and overwhelming surprise left Wei Hua stunned on the spot.
Compared to the commanders of a thousand households in the capital, those appointed to command a thousand households outside the capital are insignificant.
They lived in constant fear, terrified that one day unknown assailants would come knocking on their door.
The people of the Beiping Regional Military Command are an example.
But soon, Wei Hua's joy subsided.
Looking at the three dead people in the room, it was also dangerous in the capital.
But he resolutely agreed:

"I humble my position and take orders."

Wei Hua quickly got into character, turned around to look at the group from the capital and Jiangning County, and waved:
"This is none of your business. Go outside and wait."
Carefully question the manager of Lotus Pavilion and the customers on the second floor to identify any suspicious individuals.

Kong Rui and Lü Hao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led their men out.

Once only the Ministry of Justice and the Embroidered Uniform Guard remained in the room,
Wei Hua immediately took out his gloves from his pocket and took off his shoes.

They began their investigation cautiously, moving around the area.
Seeing his swift action, Mao Xiang's anger subsided slightly, and he muttered to himself:
"We still need to bring in capable people from other places; we can no longer rely on the good-for-nothings in the capital."

At this moment, Ling Han, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, looked at Mao Xiang and asked with a solemn expression:
"Lord Mao, why are these two people here?"
Is he here for pleasure, or to perform official duties, and...

Ling Han looked at the two telescopes on the table and pointed to them:

"If I remember correctly, this item is a top secret of the national dynasty."

Only troops authorized by the Governor-General's Office could be equipped with these items; even the Embroidered Uniform Guard had them?

Mao Xiang took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down:
"These two telescopes were borrowed by me for the purpose of carrying out secret official business."

"Write it down."

Ling Han ignored his explanation, waved his hand, and the clerk behind him quickly made a record.
[The Embroidered Uniform Guard used a secret military telescope without permission]
Mao Xiang merely glanced at him, his face darkening, and he spoke with a resounding tone:
"Lord Ling, at this point, why are you still getting bogged down in these trivial details?"

Ling Han's expression turned slightly grave:

"This is no trivial matter; the advent of the telescope has complicated the situation."
It's possible that some foreign enemies came to steal secrets.

Surely Chairman Mao knew how difficult it was to manufacture a telescope, and how incredibly useful it was on the battlefield.

Mao Xiang, enraged, roared:

"Lord Ling, why be so pretentious? The telescope is right here; it's clearly not as you say."

"But that's also possible."

After saying this, Ling Han gestured for the clerk to continue recording.
"How many Imperial Guards have died these days? I have never seen Lord Mao lose his composure like this before."

Mao Xiang's expression changed slightly; the Embroidered Uniform Guard had gained a great deal from the Li Party affair.
However, the losses were enormous; many people died mysteriously, and the murderer has yet to be found.
He has always been indifferent to such losses.

"Oh no. He's figured it out."

Mao Xiang silently muttered to himself, forcing himself to remain calm, and said in a deep voice:
"Lord Ling, the storm has passed."
Moreover, one of the two men before me is a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the other is someone I transferred from another region who is about to be promoted to commander.

The previous losses are insignificant compared to this.

Ling Han chuckled lightly, looked at the clerk behind him, and said:
"I'll remember that Lord Mao said the previous losses of the Embroidered Uniform Guards were not worth mentioning."

"you!!!"

Mao Xiang glared angrily, gritting his teeth:
"Lord Ling, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is also a registered official of the imperial court."

An official was killed without cause, and you can still laugh?

Ling Han's expression turned cold. He stared at Mao Xiang without fear and said calmly:

What are they doing here?
What do you need a telescope for?
Who are on the other side of the river?

Mao Zedong should know exactly how they died.

My laughter is a laugh at Lord Mao's foolishness.
His Majesty promised us that we would not monitor officials of the fourth rank or above.
Such a large mobilization couldn't possibly be for just a fifth-rank official, could it?

Mao Xiang's face stiffened, feeling an unventable rage within him.

His biggest regret now is that he called upon the officials from the Ministry of Justice.

Not only are they not helpful, they're also undermining us!
Mao Xiang ignored Ling Han and instead looked at Wei Hua, who was standing to the side, and asked:
"So? Any clues?"

Wei Hua looked respectful:

"Reporting to your Excellency, my deduction is largely consistent with that of the coroner from the Jingzhao Prefecture: the deceased were all killed by throwing knives. Judging from their positions on the ground and their reactions..."
The woman didn't react, but Xu Ban'an reacted faster, quickly crouching down and dodging the fatal blow.
Lord Qian Xinghuai was not so lucky; the dagger severed a major vein in his neck, and he staggered to the ground.

"Who did it?"

"Reporting to your Excellency, it is not possible to make a conclusion at this time."

However, judging from the neatness of the door and the positions of the three people,

The visitor should be able to move freely and easily within the Lotus Pavilion.

This can be seen from the fact that they closed the door before leaving.

"Take everyone from Lotus Pavilion today to the Jiangning County Government Office, use the prison, and interrogate them one by one!"

Mao Xiang decisively gave the order, and a member of the Imperial Guard ran away at top speed.

Ling Han said from the side:
"Lord Mao, there was a gap between the time the three people died and the time their bodies were discovered."

If the murderer had any sense at all, he wouldn't have stayed at the Lotus Pavilion after committing the crime.

Interrogating the rest is useless.

Mao Xiang continued to give instructions:

"Ask all the prostitutes if any of them left and never returned."
If so, conduct a thorough investigation and question the person carefully to find them!

Ling Han added:
"Find the owner of Lotus Pavilion, get the list of all the prostitutes and their backgrounds from him. The perpetrator may also be a woman."

At this point, Mao Xiang's face turned extremely ugly, and he turned to look at Ling Han:
"Lord Ling, your information network is outdated."

This Lotus Pavilion was opened by Liu Heiying's mistress.

Now that they are both far away in Daming, how can I possibly go to see them?

"Liu Heiying?"

Ling Han was taken aback, a glint of light flashing in his eyes as he remembered this equally renowned young general.

He looked at Mao Xiang with a half-smile:

"Lord Mao has arranged for people to keep watch over Zuixianlou here, is it to find out Lord Lu's whereabouts?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room became heavy, and many officials paused slightly, their expressions becoming somewhat unnatural.

Mao Xiang was the same; he snorted coldly:
"So what?"

"That's simple. Just call Lord Lu over and ask him to see if he did it."

Ling Han spoke without restraint, a hint of sarcasm on his face as he sized up Mao Xiang:

"Stalking someone on their own turf,"
Mao did this
Isn't this a bit like burying one's head in the sand?

(End of this chapter)