"How did they die?" Zhu Xie said in surprise. His first reaction was not to think about Zu An, because he knew the other party's cultivation level.
Exhibiting combat power that exceeds the level of cultivation, but after all there is a limit. These three are all top masters of the seventh-level realm, and they have truly experienced the tempering of blood and fire in the battlefield, and their actual combat ability is absolutely
He is top-notch, not the kind of theoretical person who is easily challenged by others.
Zu An said without blushing, "I killed him."
Anyway, it was impossible to tell Yun Yuqing's existence, so he had to take the lead.
"Did you kill him?" Zhu Xie was really shocked and looked him up and down, "How did you do it?"
Zu An replied: "They chased me all the way. I used the terrain to disperse them, and then defeated them one by one..."
He remembered how the ancestor of the Blood Sword fought one against four and ended up killing four masters whose cultivation level was equal to his own, so he roughly revised it and told Zhu Xie Chixin.
Zhu Xie looked at him blankly. There were probably not many people in the world who had this kind of actual combat ability. This boy was by no means a creature in the pond.
In particular, he noticed the bloody holes on the corpses and thought that they must have been attacked like this by a powerful move indiscriminately. It seemed that Zu An had some secret tricks that he didn't know about.
He did not ask what the other party's specific skills were. After all, these were taboos for practitioners, and no one wanted to reveal their unique skills.
He laughed loudly: "You have done a great job this time. Come, follow me to find the emperor to report back!"
Zu An nodded. This case involved the Shi family, and it was indeed not something Zhu Xie could decide on his own.
Soon the two of them came to the Imperial Study Room. Zhu Xie was reporting the matter to the emperor respectfully, while Zu An took the opportunity to look at the emperor.
You must know that in Jia Sili's illusion, it was the first time he fought the emperor head-on and defeated him.
Although he was just the emperor in his subconscious mind, it still gave him immense confidence. Looking at the emperor's mentality now, he seems more and more calm.
"Hmph, the Shi family is so brave!" After hearing Zhu Xie's heartfelt reward, the emperor slapped the table in shock and anger.
When he was about to say something, he raised his head with emotion, as if he felt that Zu An was observing him, and felt a little unhappy in his heart. However, considering that the other party had just made a great contribution, he did not want to scold him too much, so he said patiently: "
Very good, Eleven, you have made a great contribution this time, tell me what reward you want."
Zu An kept slandering and said to himself, "I want a crown princess, will you give it to me?"
He smiled slightly and said naturally: "It is our duty to share your Majesty's worries, so we don't need any reward."
In the past, he was still a little resentful for being so conciliatory, but now the whole process was uneventful. Instead, he felt that he was wantonly affecting the emperor's emotions.
As expected, the emperor laughed loudly: "Yes, yes, Shi Yi is becoming more and more sensible."
After a few words of verbal effort, he said to Zhu Xie with all his heart: "Go and arrest Shi Tong, the commander of Shesheng School, and Shi Jun, the assistant minister of Huangmen. Grand Sima Shi Miao will not touch him for the time being. We will send people to investigate in addition."
In the case of Xuanwu Sect Sima Ouwu, we must find out the evil forces behind him. If I remember correctly, he was recommended by King Qi, so you should also check it out."
Zhu Xie's heart trembled, and he hurriedly saluted: "Yes!"
Zu An said at this time: "Your Majesty, this case is not that simple. There are still many doubts. There may be someone else who is the real culprit..."
Before he finished speaking, the emperor waved his hand: "Okay, you have completed the task satisfactorily. Leave this case to Zhu Xie Chixin, and you don't have to worry about it."
Zu An frowned slightly and was about to say something when Zhu Xie Chixin on the side gave him a secret wink and he closed his mouth upon seeing this.
The emperor closed his eyes and began to sit cross-legged on the futon again and meditate: "I am tired, please step aside."
Zu An secretly complained, this guy spent every moment practicing just to live a little longer, but what's the point of living like this?
After the two left the royal study, Zu An asked, "Why did the commander stop me from continuing?"
Zhu Xie looked around with all his heart, and when he saw no one was around, he lowered his voice and said, "What do you think is most important in investigating the case?"
"Of course the truth is the most important thing." Zu An replied subconsciously, and the BGM of Conan couldn't help but pop up in his mind.
Zhu Xie smiled sincerely: "Seeing you like this, I couldn't help but think of me when I first joined the Embroidered Clothes Messenger. It wasn't until many years later that I understood that it was not important to investigate the truth of the case. What was important was what the emperor wanted.
What kind of truth do you want?"
Zu An's heart moved, and he vaguely touched something.
Zhu Xie continued: "The emperor doesn't care about the truth. He considers more things, and what he cares more about is the purpose to be achieved through this case. Do you understand?"
"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief, for your advice." Zu An is not a fool. He just didn't think too much about it just because he had been wondering who the mysterious third party hidden in the dark was. Now that he reminded him, he naturally understood that this outcome would be most beneficial to the emperor.
It was beneficial. Not only did he get rid of the Shi family who might be harmful to the crown prince and concubine in the future, but he also took this opportunity to cleanse King Qi's power. How could he find out another truth?
As for who the real murderer is, either he already knows it, or he doesn't care at all. Anyway, he is the strongest person in the world, and the person hiding in the dark can't hurt him.
Zhu Xie laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder: "You're welcome. Let's get together and have a good chat when we have time. I'm going to arrest him first."
Zu An bowed his hands, and after saying goodbye to him, he returned to the embroidery building. First, he summoned the group of brothers who had been following him on the case and announced: "Everyone has worked hard during this time, and this case has been solved."
Everyone cheered, and even Xiao Jianren, who had always been calm, smiled. During this period of intensive investigation, everyone was exhausted physically and mentally.
Zu An smiled and said: "The case was solved this time thanks to your efforts. Mr. Xiao, you and Mr. Dai Qizheng took my gold medal to the warehouse to receive two thousand taels of silver, and we will reward you based on your merits."
As a gold medal envoy, he originally had certain authority, and the emperor had just said that he would be rewarded, so Zhu Xie would not embarrass him in this matter.
"Thank you, Mr. Eleven!" A group of people cheered even louder, almost lifting Zu An up and throwing him into the sky in excitement.
Seeing their happy expressions, Zu An smiled slightly. He had been a social animal in his previous life, so of course he understood what workers needed most. Although everyone had a certain sense of mission as embroiderers, they all had to support their families.
of.
Xiao Jianren on the side had a strange look on his face. The hierarchy within the Embroidered Clothes Messenger had always been very strict. The other gold medal masters had never thought about the people below them like the Eleventh Master. Even if they did occasionally, it was just a means to win over their subordinates.
But it can be seen that the Eleven people are really good for them, which is really rare.
A group of them happily went to collect the money. Zu An gathered all the files on this case and looked them up. Seeing that there was still no news about Ou Wu, he couldn't help but frown more and more.
After leaving the embroidery building, Zu An put on his original clothes and went directly to the East Palace.
On the way, he sighed endlessly. Having many identities also brings troubles. It would be better if he had the art of body separation.
Hey, if you have a separate body, does it count as cheating on yourself?
He was thinking about this philosophical question along the way, and came to the East Palace unknowingly.
"Haha, our Lord Zu still knows how to order some ham. What time of year is this? Didn't you take the Crown Prince and me seriously?" came the Crown Princess's sneer voice. She had something to discuss with Zu An today.
, after all, after what happened that time, I had to discuss many things with him, but as a result, I didn’t come even if I waited, and I was really angry.
It seems like this guy rarely arrives on time these days.
The anger value from Bi Linglong is +56+56+56...
Zu An covered his chest and said, "To report to the Crown Princess, I went out to the palace early this morning. Who knew I was ambushed and assassinated on the way?"
"What? You were assassinated!" Bi Linglong subconsciously stood up and wanted to check the injuries on his body, but she immediately noticed the strange eyes of the maids around her. She immediately coughed lightly to cover up her embarrassment and sat down again, "Are you injured?
Who assassinated you?"
"A little injury doesn't matter," Zu An smiled, and then gave an overview of what happened today.
At first, the Crown Princess saw him standing there without any abnormality and thought he was just a petty thief. However, when she heard that there were soldiers and siege crossbows being used over there, as well as three top seventh-grade military masters, she couldn't help but smile.
Losing color: "You said it wouldn't be a problem. How could you get only a minor injury in such a big battle?"
Zu An smiled: "I was hit by a siege crossbow. Fortunately, I was not seriously injured. I felt a little uncomfortable at the time, but it's nothing now."
"Ah?" The Crown Princess subconsciously wanted to check the wound he had received from the siege crossbow, but thinking that there were so many people watching in the East Palace, it was really inconvenient, so she had to say immediately, "Come here, please quickly diagnose and treat Mr. Zu with Dr. Xuan."
.”
Zu An waved his hand: "It's okay, I'll just go to the Tai Hospital later."
In the distance, Pu Duandiao, Jiao Sigu and other people in the East Palace were immediately shocked. The power of the siege crossbow was well known to everyone. He was shot by that thing and still seemed to be fine, except that his face was a little pale.
.
Hey, what a fierce and strong man.
The princess hurriedly said: "Since you were so seriously injured, why did you come here?"
Zu An replied: "The main reason is that I am worried about the Crown Princess misunderstanding, and I also want to tell you the latest progress of the case."
Seeing his burning eyes, the princess' heart skipped a beat. This man is usually quite smart, but why is he so stupid sometimes? Can't you just send someone to tell me?
However, feeling his affection, she couldn't help but soften her heart, and even her voice became a little gentler: "I'm giving you a day off today... Uh, no, you don't have to come here for the next few days, just stay at home."
Recuperate."
"Thank you, Princess!" Zu An is really busy at the moment, and it will be much easier to have a holiday.
The Crown Princess thought for a while and said to the maid on the side: "Xiao Mo, go and bring that Ganoderma lucidum to Master Zu."
Rong Mo suddenly became anxious: "That thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum is so precious, it will be used for the Crown Princess's breakthrough in the future."
The Crown Princess shook her head: "No matter how precious the elixir is, no one treasures it. Mr. Zu is the concubine of the East Palace. He was also injured because of my case. This medicine just helps him recover from his injuries. Why, do you still need me?"
Are you going to get it yourself?"
"I don't dare." Rong Mo pouted and reluctantly turned to the inner room.
"Tsk tsk tsk, this little girl is quite interesting to you." Mi Li's voice rang in her mind. Apparently she saw something interesting and came up with it again.
Zu An ignored her and saluted Bi Linglong: "Thank you, Crown Princess!"
Mi Li asked curiously: "You are really thick-skinned. You don't even know how to refuse such a precious thing before accepting it?"
Zu An secretly replied: "You don't understand this. In my hometown, there is a routine of borrowing books between men and women, because if you borrow something, you must return it. This will give you more reasons to meet next time, and the relationship between the two parties will be weakened.
It started to get hotter. This time, I only got a little face benefit from declining, but I didn’t get any benefits at all. On the contrary, I accepted her gift, and the goodwill between the two of us went up a level. Besides, this thing seems to be very important to him.
If I give it to her when she needs it in the future, wouldn't it be able to gain her favor again?"
Mi Li was dumbfounded after hearing this. After a while, she finally let out a breath: "Where in your hometown, the routines are so deep."
Zu An replied with a nostalgic look on his face: "It's a place where old drivers are everywhere, and Qiu Mingshan's car god is everywhere..."
At this moment, Kung Fu Rong Mo had already come out of the inner room, holding a brocade box with a red cloth in his hand and came to Zu An.
Although they were separated by a box, they could still feel the strong vitality. Zu An thanked the Crown Princess again.
There was a hint of tenderness in the eyes of the Crown Princess: "You should take a good rest these days, and leave the affairs of the Shi family to me."
Zu An knew that she was hinting to him that she would take the opportunity to put an end to what happened last time, and he also winked at her to show that he understood.
The princess's face turned red. She quickly glanced around and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one else had noticed. This guy was so bold. He actually teased her so openly. Huh, let him be spared today because of his injuries.
once.
When Zu An came out of the East Palace, the Crown Princess sent Pu Duandiao and Jiaosi Stick to take him to the Imperial Hospital.
On the way, the two people sighed: "In these years, I have never seen the Crown Princess treat anyone so kindly."
"Yes, even I have some suspicions that Brother Zu is having an affair with the Crown Princess."
Zu An: "..."
"You are looking for death, how dare you say such things?"
"We, the third brother, are joking in private. Besides, the fact that the Crown Princess still treats Brother Zu like this after the scandal happened doesn't just show that she has a clear conscience."
"That's true, but if it weren't for the fact that the Crown Princess's status is so sensitive, I would really rather she be with Brother Zu. It has been too difficult for the Crown Princess to be alone these years, and the Crown Prince cannot protect her from wind and rain, but needs her to protect her."
"I'm going to choke you. You still talk about me. What you say is even more like seeking death."
…
In the end, Zu An was really upset and sent the two of them away. His injuries have basically recovered now. Wouldn't it be exposed if he went to the Tai Hospital?
He was too lazy to leave the palace, but returned to the Baisha Courtyard to rest for an hour.
Soon I got the news that Shi Jun was captured.
Zu An immediately put on his gold medal eleven outfit and went to Xiulou. He had many questions that needed Shi Jun to answer.
Now he has a high prestige in the hearts of the Embroidered Clothes Messenger. Although this case is no longer under his control, no one will stop him out of curiosity. Anyway, Commander Zhu Xie is currently interrogating the more important Shi Tong about the siege crossbow and
Those things about military masters.
Shi Jun was sitting in the cell, his hair was messy, he was completely lost, and he no longer looked as high-spirited as before.
When he heard someone coming in, he said weakly: "Don't ask me, our family has a death-free medal, I won't say anything,"
Zu An laughed: "But you don't have the death-free medal with you now."
Hearing his voice, Shi Jun was startled. He turned around to look at that familiar figure, and his pupils shrank instantly. Thinking back on the tragic experience at his hands last time, he still had nightmares these days.
Zu An also stopped smiling: "I don't want to waste time, I'll ask you questions, otherwise don't blame me for letting you taste life worse than death again."
"Okay, okay, my lord, please excuse me." Shi Jun immediately smiled apologetically. A good man will not suffer the immediate loss. He will deal with this big devil first. Father will definitely have a way to save us.
"How did you and Xinrui meet?"
Shi Jun looked hesitant, but still replied: "As a minister of Huangmen these years, it is very convenient for me to enter and exit the palace. Once on the way, I accidentally bumped into a panicked palace maid at the corner. She kept looking like
I apologized, but when I saw her weak and frightened eyes, I couldn't bear to punish her. Later, she thanked me and specially sent me Baihua tea, and I found out that she was Xin Rui, the maid of Baihua Palace..."
Recalling the past events, Shi Jun's eyes flashed with tenderness. It was obvious that he was having a happy time with that charming palace maid.
Zu An asked hurriedly: "Did she hit you or did you hit her?"
Shi Jun frowned: "I am already responsible for supervising the behavior of all officials, so how could I be so reckless? But what does it matter if she bumps into me?"
"It's nothing," Zu An smiled, "You guys got better after that?"
Shi Jun nodded: "Originally she was a palace maid, and all the women in the palace belonged to the emperor. I didn't dare to touch her. But she told me that she had been in the palace since she was very young. Now that the deadline is coming, then she will
She is qualified to leave the palace. I originally had a good impression of her, and thought that I could marry her back to my family afterwards, so our relationship became better and better over time."
"Later I learned that she still had a mother and younger brother in her hometown, so I sent someone to bring them to the capital for resettlement. But for some reason, she had a quarrel with me over this matter." Shi Jun was a little confused, "But
Soon we reconciled again and started thinking about the future."
Zu An said sarcastically: "That sounds nice. You describe yourself as an affectionate man. Unfortunately, you may have other motives for contacting her. You just took a fancy to her status as a maid of Baihua Palace, thinking that sooner or later you would meet her."
It worked, and sure enough, she was later sent to frame the Crown Princess and Zu An, and as for bringing her mother and brother to the capital, they must have been used as hostages."
Shi Jun's expression changed: "I don't know what you are talking about!"
Zu An smiled: "You don't have to deny it. It's meaningless now. Your Shi family is doomed anyway."
Shi Jun knew that what he said was the truth. The assassination failed but everyone was caught. They were indeed in danger. The only thing they could hope for now was to see whether the death-free medal could save him.
He gritted his teeth and said, his eyes full of resentment: "It's all her brother's fault. If he hadn't sneaked out and been discovered by the Embroidered Clothes Messenger, how could we be so passive and forced to take risks?
.”
"In order to save Hua Yao, you had to sacrifice the gambling house owner. In fact, I should have thought that your Shi family is behind the gambling house. You must know that you secretly supported Mei Chaofeng to open the gambling house in Mingyue City." Zu An sighed.
One breath.
Shi Jun had a strange look on his face, and was shocked in his heart. The embroidered cloth messenger's intelligence was so powerful that he even knew about this.
Zu An said: "So you and King Wu joined forces to lure Zu An to Xinrui's home, intending to kill him there and put all the blame on him. Are you going to die without any evidence?"
"King Wu, what King Wu?" Shi Jun looked confused.
Seeing that he didn't look like he was pretending, Zu An couldn't help but change his expression.