Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 526 Lin Dao: Yeah, I did it, so what?

"Master Qin~"

"This is a difficult matter."

"Nonsense!" Qin An, known as the chief constable of the Six Doors, waved his hand irritably. "We have to do it, even if it's difficult! We can't just flip the table, can we?"

Qin An was the most famous chief constable of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he repeatedly solved the mystery.

Although people in the martial arts world jokingly call him the chief constable of the Six Doors.

In reality, he was just the chief constable of Shuntian Prefecture.

He had just returned from Huai'an Prefecture when another major case occurred in Shuntian Prefecture.

Moreover, the matter involves nobles and dignitaries, making it extremely difficult to handle.

Jia Zhen, a third-rank general of great valor, was unfortunately murdered by bandits.

The emperor was furious and ordered the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate to assist the Imperial Clan Court in solving the case and bringing the criminals to justice.

After a discussion, the matter was passed on to the renowned constable Qin.

This matter is extremely difficult!
"This matter."

In front of his constables and officers, Qin An had no reason to hide anything.

He sighed repeatedly, "It's even harder than capturing Wei Xiaobao, the dragon of the Chaotic Lake."

The traitor Wei Xiaobao is the number one wanted criminal.

The entire Huaihe River region was almost turned upside down.

Not to mention mountain bandits and river pirates, even the hooligans and scoundrels in the market and the local bullies and scoundrels were all wiped out.

As for the canal gangs that were deeply involved, they were swept away by the Beijing garrison along the Grand Canal.

Even so, they still couldn't find any trace of Wei Xiaobao.

Qin An went to investigate Wei Xiaobao.

Such a wanted criminal could not possibly be replaced by a scapegoat.

Not even a corpse, let alone a living person.

Despite being anxious and busy, they still couldn't catch the person.

Having finally returned, they've encountered this thorny and major case.

Chief Constable Qin was truly speechless, gazing at the heavens in despair.

"Master Qin."

One of the constables suggested, "If we want to solve the case, we should focus on the women."

"The coroner said that when General Wei Lie was examined, his penis was still erect."

"They drank acacia wine~"

"Just ask the women!"

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Qin An roared, slamming his fist on the table. "Do you think I'm some common woman?!"

"How dare you speak ill of the wives and concubines of noble families?"

To become the chief constable, Qin An wasn't just all muscle; he also had a shrewd mind that understood human relationships.

Although the Jia family was vague when they reported the case, he had read the case file and roughly understood what had happened.

It's nothing more than the sordid affairs of noble families.

But such things must never be said aloud.

In particular, it cannot come from their mouths.

"There's no need to mention matters concerning women anymore."

Qin An waved his hand. "What did General Wei Lie's son say?"

"Still receiving treatment."

One of his men reported, "It's terrible."

"I heard that his penis was ruined; it was crushed underfoot."

"Ah~"

Qin An stood up and said, "Let's go take a look at the scene."

The Jia family originally did not want to report it to the authorities.

It's very simple, this is a scandal.

But there was nothing they could do; Jia Zhen was a descendant of the Ningguo family.

This is not a family matter, but a national matter.

The Imperial Clan Court sent people to check, but no one from the Three Judicial Offices came.

The Imperial Clan Court is in charge there, so they should come and take a look.

However, the three judicial officials were unwilling to get involved in such dirty business, and it wasn't until Qin An returned that they came to see the scene for the first time.

Tianxianglou has been shut down.

The former hustle and bustle is gone.

The entire Ningguo Duke's mansion was covered in white, and the sound of weeping filled the air.

As for how much of that crying was genuine and how much was just for show, you could actually tell by listening.

Qin An had no interest in distinguishing between these things.

He made his way to the crime scene.

The boudoir of the daughter-in-law of the Duke of Ningguo's mansion.

The first thing you see is the broken door.

The constables all gasped, "Was that caused by a battering ram?"

Qin An's expression was solemn.

"It was kicked open."

Having served as a constable for so many years and solved countless major cases, I still have a keen eye for detail.

"Impossible!" one of the constables exclaimed in disbelief. "Who could possess such strength?"

"I didn't believe it before either."

Stepping inside, Qin An shook his head. "I've seen a door like this in Jiangyuan, Yangzhou Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, the constables all gasped.

Could it be that...
No one dared to say it.

The room wasn't as messy as I'd imagined.

The only truly messy place was the canopy bed.

The bedding was in disarray, with large clumps of dark bloodstains covering almost half of the bed.

"General Wei Lie died here."

A constable who had visited before introduced Qin An and his colleagues.

"The assailant stabbed him with a dagger, which entered through his mouth and exited through his brain."

Qin An went forward to check, thought for a moment, looked around, and then left the room.

"General Wei Lie's son was kicked down right here."

As he said this, the constable's face was full of contempt. "He's squatting at the door, guarding the gate for General Wei Lie."

"Shut up!"

Qin An rebuked, "Don't say anything that's unrelated to the case."

As we walked to the end of the corridor, there were obvious impact marks on the walls.

"General Wei Lie's son was kicked unconscious on the spot."

"I only found out after I woke up that my penis had been crushed."

After carefully inspecting the area in the corridor, Qin An's expression grew increasingly grave.

He led the constables to find a coroner. After a few days, Jia Zhen's body had begun to decompose.

Qin An didn't pay attention and carefully examined the wound in his mouth.

After exchanging a few words with the coroner, he expressed his views to the constables.

"This is a serious matter!"

The constables were puzzled.

The killing of a nobleman was a major event in itself; how much more serious could it be?
"General Wei Lie," Qin An gestured to the lying Jia Zhen, "was not stabbed to death with a dagger."

"The dagger was thrown out directly, piercing his mouth!"

Upon hearing this, the constables all suddenly realized what was happening.

Holding a dagger, he stabbed himself through the mouth and into the back of his head.

This is very different from throwing a dagger and stabbing it directly into the back of the head.

A huge difference in strength.

"I kicked that thick door down."

"General Wei Lie's son was kicked more than ten steps away."

"And this, a dagger pierced through the head."

"Phew~" Qin An took a breath, his eyes filled with undisguised fear. "Such great strength reminds me of someone."

"Wei Xiaobao!"

The wanted criminal may have come to the capital and committed the heinous crime of murdering a nobleman.

When this news reached the Shuntian Prefecture, the upright official almost fell off his chair.

"You must not speak carelessly about such a life-or-death matter!"

Shuntian Prefecture was located right under the emperor's nose.

If rebels come here and commit crimes, the first one to suffer will inevitably be him, the prefect of Shuntian.

From questioning to urging the investigation, the blame will definitely fall on him first.

“My lord,” Qin An replied cautiously, “there is no conclusive evidence yet, but the indirect evidence is very close.”

"Whoo~"

He must not be a fool to become the prefect of Shuntian.

The master thought about it carefully for a while before whispering his instructions.

"This matter must never be publicized."

"You should investigate carefully in secret, and it would be best if you could catch the person!"

"No matter what the investigation, this government will provide full support!"

When it comes to his own life and fortune, the lord is willing to fight to the death.

"My lord," Qin An bowed again, "this humble servant wishes to inquire about the women of the Ningguo Mansion."

Women from noble families, without powerful figures to influence them, are vulnerable.

Despite his prestigious title of Chief Constable, you can't even catch a glimpse of his clothes!

"I will speak on your behalf regarding this matter."

"Remember, under no circumstances should this be revealed!"

After Qin An left, the master quickly tidied up.

Without even sending a formal invitation, he hurriedly boarded his carriage to seek out his patron.

This prefect of Shuntian can't continue in his position; he needs to be transferred immediately!
Qin An finally met the person in charge.

It was a bit of a stretch to say that we met; the daughter-in-law from the Ningguo Mansion was sitting behind a screen.

The only people you can actually see are the two maids.

Faced with Qin An's question, Qin Keqing only sobbed and remained silent.

As for the two maids...

Aside from the fact that there were two people who came, both completely covered by cloaks so their faces were not visible, there was no other useful information.

The questioning lasted only a short while before Qin An was quickly ushered out.

He was frustrated because he had clearly realized that the two maids were withholding important information.

But he had no choice; he couldn't just arrest people and torture them, so he had to find another way.

Qin An's intuition was correct; information had indeed been concealed.

It seems that one of the two people is a young woman.

And the fact that Lin Dao had once said something was kept secret.

This was Qin Keqing's instruction.

As for the reason, only Qin Keqing herself knows.

Lin Dao, who lived in the Rongguo Mansion next door, was naturally aware of all this.

There was no need for him to even ask; Jia Lian had already explained everything clearly while they were drinking.

Because of the trouble at Ningguo Mansion, people from Rongguo Mansion also went to help.

Jia Lian was also exhausted, and the time he spent going out to play was greatly reduced.

"Brother Zihou."

Half-drunk that day, Jia Lian quietly lowered his voice and asked a question.

"is that you?"

He had personally witnessed Lin Dao's skills.

That astonishing strength perfectly matched the scene of Jia Rong being kicked away by the broken door of Tianxiang Tower.

More importantly, Lin Dao lived in the Rongguo Mansion, making it very convenient for him to go to the Ningguo Mansion.

Moreover, that night, the servants on patrol noticed suspicious signs in Yi Garden.

Jia Lian wasn't stupid either.

Based on the information gathered, it was only natural to make a guess.

If it were someone else, their first reaction would undoubtedly be to deny it.

But Lindao is different.

In his view, Jia Zhen was nothing more than a fallen nobleman, a nobleman whose crimes deserved to be torn apart by five horses.

Getting rid of such scum is a trivial matter.

He made no attempt to hide anything and raised his glass.

"Yeah, I did it. So what?"

"Brother Jia, do you want to avenge your brother?"

"No, no, no~" Jia Lian hurriedly waved his hands, "He committed such a heinous crime, he deserves it!"

Although it wasn't publicized, everyone in the Rong and Ning mansions knew that Jia Zhen was killed when he tried to take advantage of his daughter-in-law.

Many people believe that Qin Keqing was the one who did it.

Some even believe that Jia Rong couldn't stand it anymore and took the opportunity to do it, then harmed himself to avoid trouble.

There are all sorts of speculations, but absolutely no one will speak up for Jia Zhen.

That's a complete scumbag!
"This matter must absolutely not be leaked."

"Well, you're right."

Lin Dao didn't care at all; in his mind, this world was nothing more than a construct of a book.

He swirled the wine glass in his hand.

"Let's drink together!"

(End of this chapter)