Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

Not long after Shi Qian left, the yamen runners from Kaifeng Prefecture arrived, banging on Sun Yuan's door and shouting, "Sun Yuan, come out and come with us!"

The commotion immediately alerted the neighbors, who came out to watch and whisper among themselves.

Gao Zhao was thoroughly fed up with these common people of the Song Dynasty. They were clearly afraid of these officials, yet they still loved to watch the spectacle. What was it to him? So he kicked Li Si.

"Gentlemen, what business do you have with Sun Yuan? He's not home; he just went out!"

"Where did they go?" The head constable immediately turned around and asked.

"He went that way!" Li Si pointed and explained, "I saw he was in a hurry; he didn't even answer when I called him!"

The constable's face changed, and he immediately shouted, "Leave two men here to guard this place, the rest of you follow me!"

With a wave of his hand, a group of people rushed off in the direction Li Si pointed.

They hadn't run far when they came to a fork in the road. Just as the captain was wondering whether to split up the troops, a ruffian came out from one of the roads, cursing, "That son of a bitch Sun Yuan tripped me up and didn't even apologize! When I get the chance, I'll sleep with your wife!"

"Chase!" The captain was overjoyed and waved his hand, continuing the pursuit.

Before long they arrived at the main road, but they didn't know where Sun Yuan had run off to. Just then, a few people were chatting nearby, and they all stepped forward to ask, "Have you seen a thin person running away from here...?"

Before they could finish speaking, the men pointed in the direction and patted their chests to assure them that they had seen it clearly and were absolutely right! So the group of constables chased after them again!

They encountered several forks in the road, and each time passersby pointed them in the right direction. The group felt that they had never handled a case so efficiently before!

If every case went this smoothly, I'd dare to shout, "There are no more thieves in the world!"

However, the constable's expression was very cold and stern. Today's events were clearly strange, and it was obvious that someone was deliberately guiding them!

Although I don't know what these people's intentions are, it's probably just a way to use someone else to do their dirty work, but that has nothing to do with me!

Once Sun Yuan is apprehended, the rest will be none of my concern!

Following their directions, the group arrived at an abandoned mill on the banks of the Bian River.

The constable surveyed the desolate surroundings, then stepped forward, his hand on his sword, and shouted, "Sun Yuan, I know you're in there! Come out and come with us!"

After he shouted, there was complete silence inside.

The head constable frowned slightly, snorted coldly, and waved his hand. The constables then dispersed and surrounded the mill.

Then two more constables quickly stepped forward and cautiously peered into the mill. The head constable followed behind them and slowly entered. But as soon as he entered the mill, his expression suddenly changed. He smelled a bloody stench!

"Wait, someone come here!" he shouted, and several more constables rushed in from outside. They carefully moved forward and, upon reaching the center of the mill, were shocked to see a corpse lying on the ground—it was Sun Yuan.

The group rushed forward to check on him, but Sun Yuan was already dead!

The constable strode forward and saw a short dart stuck in Sun Yuan's neck; judging by the force, it was definitely the work of a master of concealed weapons.

"Captain, we've found something else!" A constable pried open Sun Yuan's hand, revealing a slip of paper. Unfolding it, it read: "Same place as always, the silver tael is behind the fourth brick!"

The constable suddenly turned around and saw that a brick had fallen to the ground on the wall opposite Guo Jian, revealing a hole.

"Investigate!" Several constables stepped forward and dismantled the device, finding a mechanism for launching hidden weapons.

The constable looked around and his heart sank. He thought to himself, "Oh no, this case is probably going to become a cold case!"

He failed to capture a living person and instead killed him. Won't that affect his career?

"You two, leave the body record and take the body back to the yamen!" The head constable gestured to the two men, then stood up and ordered, "The rest of you, come with me to get the men who gave us directions; they're definitely involved in this!"

"Yes, sir!" The crowd obeyed and stood up.

……

"What? Someone's dead!" Gao Zhao was shocked. He hadn't expected the judge to be so ruthless. He must have killed her to silence her after learning that Feng Sanniang had turned herself in and fearing exposure. He quickly asked, "Has the murderer been caught?"

"There's no killer!" Shi Qian shook his head and said, "I saw him enter the mill, and I was just looking for a place to sneak in when I heard him scream inside. I followed him in, and he was already dead. The hole in the wall had a small trap that could shoot poisoned arrows!"

"So, he didn't even show his face?"

"Young master, the murderer clearly intended to kill you long ago and had been planning this for a long time; he hasn't even shown himself!"

Gao Zhao slapped his thigh in frustration. He had sent Zhang San to tell Sun Yuan that Feng San Niang had surrendered herself to the authorities, just to scare him into going to the judge. Then he would lure the people from Kaifeng Prefecture there and capture them all at once!

Unexpectedly, this led to Sun Yuan's death!

Why are these bad guys so cunning?! Why don't you just obediently let them get caught? You have to struggle, which has cut off all the leads, leaving this young master helpless!

Doesn't this affect the young master's image of being wise and mighty?

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have added anything unnecessary. I should have just let Kaifeng Prefecture arrest Sun Yuan. Although it would be difficult to convict the judge based on his confession alone, it would still have taught him a lesson!

Seeing him sighing, Shi Qian comforted him, "Young master, don't worry. Although Sun Yuan was killed, it also confirms Feng Sanniang's testimony. They falsely accused Lin Chong because someone was instigating them. This proves that Instructor Lin is innocent!"

Gao Zhao glanced at him but didn't say anything. Saving Lin Chong was just a side thing; his real goal was to deal with that judge!

Now that Sun Yuan is dead, the chain of evidence has been broken, so how can we pin this on the judge?

He waved his hand listlessly and said, "I've been away from the Imperial Academy for too long, and my studies have been neglected. I'll head back now. Keep an eye on the developments in Kaifeng Prefecture. If there are any new developments, or if Lin Chong is about to be released, let me know!"

"Yes, sir!" Shi Qian bowed and accepted the order. After hesitating for a moment, seeing Gao Zhao about to leave, he hurriedly asked, "What about Feng Sanniang? I'm afraid she'll be released in a few days!"

Gao Zhao frowned. This Feng San Niang was a problem. When Sun Yuan was alive, she had a husband. She was clean and hygienic, and everyone was willing to spend some money so that everyone could have fun together.

But now that Sun Yuan is dead, if we continue to pursue this matter, we'll only be making things worse for ourselves!

How can that be allowed?

He, Gao Yanei, is also a man with aspirations. How could he possibly want a woman who betrays her husband like this?

Gao Zhao casually took out a pawn ticket and handed it over, saying indifferently, "Give her some money later and let her make a living on her own!"

Upon seeing the amount, Shi Qian laughed and said, "Young Master, you are truly benevolent!"

Gao Zhao waved his hand and walked south of the city. Suddenly, he remembered the old man in Biyong. Although he had failed to capture the judge, he had completed the task perfectly and put his knowledge to good use!

I can go see him tomorrow!