AUBTN -Chapter 327 Three Suspects

“Zhou Wenhai. He’s been at odds with Prince Zhennan politically for years. With Xiao Zhengnan returning to the capital, the person most afraid of him was Zhou Wenhai. He had more than enough motive to hire assassins and eliminate a future threat.”

But Yu Qing disagreed.

“If we’re talking about who benefits the most, then it has to be Prince Zhennan’s three sons! Think about it—Xiao Zhengnan commanded a massive army. Fathers and sons killing each other over military power is nothing new.”

Lu Yan smiled in praise.

“Not bad. Didn’t expect you to think that far ahead.”

“Of course!” Yu Qing lifted her chin proudly.

But Lu Yan also voiced his own thoughts.

“However, the people inside the Xiao Army are also highly suspicious. The missing tiger tally is the biggest clue. If this were simply revenge from an outside enemy, taking the prince’s head would’ve been enough. But they took the tiger tally as well, which means they wanted control of the Xiao Army. Most likely, there’s either a mutiny or a spy within the military.”

His reasoning was orderly and incisive.

Finally, Su Hewan summarized:

“So the person who killed the prince must have been someone he knew well—or someone close to him?”

Song Yu nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining.

“Princess Consort, that’s exactly it!”

“With this, our investigation finally has a direction!”

“Good.” Shen Jue turned and walked outside.

“Since we have leads now, we’ll split up. That old bastard Zhou Wenhai—I’ll deal with him personally.”

Lu Yan glanced at Yu Qing beside him and said in a deep voice:

“As for those three useless sons of the Xiao family, leave them to me.”

That night, autumn rain poured relentlessly.

The gates of the Zhou residence were smashed open violently as agents of the Eastern Depot stormed in with torches, instantly flooding the manor.

“Eastern Depot investigation! All unrelated persons stand aside!”

The shrieks of the women and the cries of the servants intertwined through the rainy night, sounding utterly miserable.

Holding a black oil-paper umbrella, Shen Jue stepped through the gates with leisurely calm. In his hand was a thick ledger—the irrefutable evidence they had gathered of Zhou Wenhai’s embezzlement.

Zhou Wenhai, disheveled and dragged to his knees in the mud, glared at Shen Jue with bloodshot eyes.

“Shen Jue! You eunuch lapdog! I am a court official! How dare you arrest me without authority?!”

“Without authority?” Shen Jue chuckled softly and slammed the ledger into Zhou Wenhai’s face.

“Embezzling military funds, selling official posts, even colluding with foreign enemies. Which one of these dozen crimes isn’t enough to exterminate your entire clan? Take him away!”

In a single night, the once-powerful Zhou family collapsed completely.

The lowest level of the imperial prison was dark and damp, thick with the stench of blood and mold.

Shen Jue sat in a grand chair, slowly wiping his fingers with a spotless white handkerchief.

Bound to the wooden stake before him, Zhou Wenhai had already been tortured beyond recognition. His hair hung in disarray, and he was barely clinging to consciousness.

Su Hewan stood behind Shen Jue, coldly observing everything.

“Zhou Wenhai, I’ll ask you one final time. Last night during the Yin hour, was it your men who attacked Prince Zhennan’s residence?”

“Pah!” Zhou Wenhai spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed bitterly.

“Shen Jue, don’t you dare frame me. I may hate Xiao Zhengnan to the bone, but I would never kill him!”

“Why not?” Shen Jue leaned forward slightly.

“I’m merely a civil official! I can barely truss a chicken! Where would I find experts capable of infiltrating the prince’s residence without leaving a trace and killing Xiao Zhengnan?”

Zhou Wenhai coughed violently, his eyes flickering with despair and a mad sort of clarity. “Besides… what benefit would killing Xiao Zhengnan bring me? Once Xiao Zhengnan dies, the military authority would fall into other hands—perhaps even yours!”

“It would only allow your influence to expand even faster! I may be greedy… but I’m not stupid! I would never do something as foolish as making wedding clothes for someone else!”

【He does have a point.】

Su Hewan silently agreed in her heart.

【Although the civil officials and military factions oppose each other, in front of imperial power they still need one another to maintain balance. Zhou Wenhai would much rather keep Xiao Zhengnan alive to restrain the eunuch faction than let him die and completely upset the balance of power.】

【From the perspective of political interests, his suspicion really can be temporarily ruled out. This old fox is truly corrupt, but not foolish enough to dig his own grave.】

Hearing the voice in his mind, Shen Jue’s smile deepened.

He stood up and casually tossed the cloth he had used to wipe his hands into the brazier. The flames instantly swallowed it whole.

“Minister Zhou sees things quite clearly. Unfortunately, the evidence of your corruption and abuse of power is still enough to cost you your life. Men, have him sign the confession.”

Shen Jue turned and walked out of the prison cell, instructing Zhao Zhou behind him, “Zhou Wenhai’s suspicion of murder has temporarily decreased. Go inform Lu Yan and tell him to move faster on his side.”

At that moment, in the side hall of the Zhennan Prince’s Manor—

The atmosphere was equally tense, yet carried a strangely ridiculous undertone.

Lu Yan sat upright in the seat of honor, his expression dark as water.

Yu Qing sat nearby holding a cup of hot tea, watching the three Xiao brothers lined up below with great interest.

The three brothers, who had been arrogant and domineering in front of the mourning hall during the day—looking ready to devour people alive—had now all turned spineless after seeing the illustrated booklet of brutal torture devices from the Imperial Guard prison.

“Speak! Where were all of you during the Yin hour last night?” Lu Yan slammed the table, making the teacups buzz loudly.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” Xiao Yunting was so frightened that he dropped to his knees immediately.

“Lord Lu, please see clearly! When Father died, I… I wasn’t even in the manor!”

“Not in the manor?” Lu Yan narrowed his eyes.

“Y-Yes! Last night was Mid-Autumn Festival, so I went to the Jinyu gambling house! I gambled until dawn this morning! I lost three thousand taels of silver and even pawned my jade pendant! Boss Qian from the casino, as well as Young Master Zhao and Young Master Li at the same table, can all testify for me! How would I have had time to come back and kill my father?!” Xiao Yunting wailed defensively.

Lu Yan gave a cold snort and looked toward the third brother, Xiao Yunfeng. “What about you?!”

Xiao Yunfeng had heavy dark circles under his eyes, and his entire body reeked of cheap perfume powder. He shrank his neck guiltily.

“R-Replying to Your Highness, I was at Spring Breeze Pavilion last night. I booked both courtesans, Cuihua and Hongxiu… I drank myself senseless and didn’t wake up until late morning when the manor servants came to fetch me. The madam of Spring Breeze Pavilion and those two girls can both testify. I… I never even got out of bed. How could I kill anyone?”

Yu Qing stared in stunned disbelief, nearly spitting out the mouthful of tea she had just drunk.

After swallowing with difficulty, she turned to look at the youngest brother standing at the very end—Xiao Yunhai, who was still clutching a small bamboo tube tightly in his hand.

“Don’t tell me you also have an alibi?” Yu Qing asked cautiously.

Xiao Yunhai’s eyes instantly reddened, and with a loud wail, he burst into tears.

His crying actually stunned even Lu Yan.

“Stop crying!” Lu Yan barked impatiently.

Sniffling, Xiao Yunhai sobbed,

“I… I was at the cricket-fighting arena in the western part of the city last night!” He raised the small bamboo tube in his hand and cried so hard his heart seemed about to shatter.

“My undefeated champion, Black Whirlwind, died in battle last night! I was devastated, so overnight I found it a feng shui treasure spot in the mass graveyard outside the city and buried it there! I dug a grave all night long! I still have blisters on my hands from digging! My father’s death does make me sad, but that cricket was a top-quality specimen! Waaaah…”