Humans in All Heavens: Starting with Detective Dee

At the inn, the Imperial Guards helped buy a new set of clothes, and Di Chun took a bath in a room inside the inn.

Killing is physically demanding, especially when it comes to killing the elite of the Serpent Spirits.

After all that work, Di Chun still needed to replenish his energy.

Just as he was enjoying a meal in the inn's lobby, he heard footsteps outside.

Di Chun looked up and saw Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang walk in with serious expressions.

"Di Chun?" Di Renjie first saw Di Chun in the main hall. After carefully examining him, he breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that he was unharmed.

The Imperial Guard went to the Di residence to report that Di Chun had encountered some trouble, had been attacked by villains, and was covered in blood. They asked the two guards to come over. The guards had thought Di Chun was seriously injured, but it seemed that he was alright.

"My lord?" Upon seeing Di Renjie arrive, Di Chun quickly put down his chopsticks.

"Di Chun, what happened? The Imperial Guards said you encountered some villains and were covered in blood."

"Oh, sir, I did encounter some villains, but it was all enemy blood." Di Chun recounted his experience in detail.

"What? Xiao Qingfang, the Grand Commander of the Inner Guard, is a descendant of Consort Xiao, and has even secretly formed an organization to rebel?"

Di Renjie was utterly shocked.

The Imperial Guards were the people the emperor trusted most, and the position of Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards was not one that just anyone could hold; it was a position of great power and influence.

This kind of person is actually a traitor within the imperial court?

What a joke.

Once this news gets out, it will be enough to shock the court and the public, no wonder Di Renjie was so horrified.

Di Chun nodded: "My lord, that is indeed the case. She was the one who supported Youzhou a few years ago."

The reason they arrested me is to plant someone by your side and make plans for what they'll do next.

She simply underestimated my martial arts skills, and that's why she failed.

Di Renjie snapped out of his shock and hurriedly said, "Quickly take me to Xiao Qingfang's residence."

"Yes, sir."

Di Chun bowed and turned to lead Di Renjie out of the inn.

In a short while, he led everyone to the mansion.

Inside the courtyard, Di Renjie's feet were stained with blood.

"Ugh, ugh..."

Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang were alright, but the other Jinwu Guards who had followed were unable to accept the bloody scene before them.

This is the first time I've ever seen such a bloody scene.

The courtyard was in a mess, with dark red blood meandering along the cracks in the stones, forming puddles of red water in the low-lying areas.

The bodies of the assassins lay scattered everywhere, some with neat neck wounds, others with deep stab wounds to the chest that exposed bone, their clothes soaked in blood, spreading out in large patches.

Broken blades, shattered weapons, crushed grass mixed with blood, the wind blowing, the smell of blood on the weapons, combined with the current scene, made people feel depressed and suffocated.

What's even more shocking is the sight of severed arms and legs, various internal organs spilling out of the assassins, and some even having their brains split in two by Di Chun.

The deathly silence and the stench of blood intertwined, and this disgusting and terrifying scene directly stimulated the nerves of the Imperial Guard soldiers.

"Ugh, ugh..." After just a couple of glances, the group's pupils constricted, and they ran out of the courtyard, vomiting violently.

Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang frowned, but this scene did not have much of an impact on them.

There are far more brutal scenes on the battlefield than this.

Di Renjie walked past the corpses of several assassins, constantly observing various details in the courtyard, not letting any tiny detail slip by.

After observing the surroundings, Di Renjie looked at Li Yuanfang and asked, "Yuanfang, what do you think?"

Li Yuanfang's expression was solemn: "My lord, it is clear that Brother Di must have gone through a fierce battle to kill these assassins."

Judging from the scene, the victims were all skilled in martial arts, especially that person…”

Li Yuanfang pointed at the shadow's corpse: "That person's martial arts skills were already considered top-notch in the martial arts world."

Di Renjie sighed, "I never imagined that Xiao Qingfang, the Grand Commander of the Inner Guard, would be a traitor. I can already imagine how furious the Emperor will be when he finds out."

"My lord, should we send someone over to the Inner Guard Bureau first?" Li Yuanfang asked.

Di Renjie shook his head: "This Xiao Qingfang has been hiding in the court for so many years, and she is definitely not an ordinary person. Her scheming is undeniable."

I think she must have already led her people, whom she had placed in the Inner Guard, to evacuate from the capital by now.

"We can't catch her now even if we go to the Imperial Guard."

"What you say is true, sir." Di Chun stepped forward.

Li Yuanfang looked on with suspicion: "She has managed to hide in the Inner Guard for so many years, is she really willing to leave the capital like this?"

Only she herself has been exposed; perhaps those she planted in the Imperial Guard haven't been taken away yet?

Di Chun chuckled lightly: "Brother Yuanfang, you still don't understand the emperor. The emperor would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free."

What happened to the Blood Eagle incident more than half a year ago?

Did those palace ladies and strongmen all participate in Wang Zhiyuan's schemes?

But weren't they all executed by her?

The situation is the same now. Xiao Qingfang is untrustworthy and is a traitor, so in the emperor's mind, all of her subordinates must also be untrustworthy.

She would no longer trust Xiao Qingfang's subordinates.

Having served the emperor for so many years, Xiao Qingfang must understand this. To preserve her own power, she would inevitably take all her subordinates with her.

Di Renjie nodded in agreement: "Di Chun is right. If Xiao Qingfang is a smart person, she will definitely take her men with her, otherwise she will most likely be executed by the emperor."

Li Yuanfang shook his head, somewhat unable to accept it. Although he liked to dismember people when he killed, he was essentially a person of utmost righteousness.

He found it hard to accept that the emperor would execute everyone in order to eliminate a group of people.

Di Renjie then said, "Let's go. We can go to the palace now and report this matter to the emperor."

Inside the Guanfeng Hall of Shangyang Palace, Di Renjie, accompanied by Di Chun and Li Yuanfang, reported the matter to Wu Zetian privately.

Wu Zetian sat upright on the dragon throne. The palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and the air seemed to be frozen.

After hearing Di Renjie's report, Wu Zetian's face darkened, and she remained silent for a long time, her eyes seemingly filled with endless anger.

Her fingertips gripped the handrail tightly, turning white.

She never imagined that Xiao Qingfang was actually the leader of the Snake Spirit Rebel Party.

The thought of how much he had trusted her fueled his anger, and a sense of shame welled up within him. It was the feeling of shame and anger that a man of imperial status would feel when he had been completely manipulated.

She suddenly slammed her hand on the imperial desk in front of her.

"Someone come here..."

"His Majesty."

A guard walked in from outside the door.