Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 1385

As he ran his hand over Qian Jingguang's body to examine it, he muttered to himself:

"The body is not stiff enough, so it can be determined that the person has only been dead for a short time. There are obvious small holes in the neck where the body was pierced."

"There is black blood left in the wound. It's a very potent poison. It can kill a person in such a short time. The person who did this is no ordinary person."

"This shows that they had planned to silence him and get rid of Qian Jinguang as quickly as possible, which is why they prepared such a potent poison in advance."

At this point, Mao Xiang raised his head and looked at the Imperial Guard, asking:

When Qian Jingang's body was found, were there any other unusual circumstances?

"no!"

Upon hearing Mao Xiang's question, his trusted Imperial Guard immediately shook his head in response, and then continued:

“We searched the surrounding area thoroughly, but we didn’t see a single suspicious person, and Qian Jingguang’s room was locked.”

"However, we found a small hole in the window. The assassin must have attacked Qian Jinguang through this hole!"

"It's certain that this assassin is no ordinary person. His attacks are swift, accurate, and ruthless; he must be a specially trained assassin!"

After his trusted Imperial Guard finished speaking, Mao Xiang slowly nodded and then issued an order.

"Send men to thoroughly search Mai Zhide's house. The assassin should have already left, but he must have left some traces."

"Yes!"

The trusted Imperial Guard dared not hesitate, immediately bowed in response, and then turned and left the prison.

After his trusted Imperial Guards left, Mao Xiang stood up and turned to look at Mai Zhide.

"If it were just Qian Jingguang who was assassinated, you might still have a sliver of hope, but what if clues are also found in your home?"

"I think you should understand what this means even without my explanation. Are you sure you want to keep being stubborn?"

Upon hearing Mao Xiang's words, Mai Zhide remained silent, though he certainly understood what Mao Xiang meant.

He had no choice; if he revealed everything, he would likely still be sentenced to death for such a serious crime.

Whether he speaks or not, he's doomed, so much so that he doesn't know what to choose and can only respond with silence.

Seeing Mai Zhide's attitude, Mao Xiang narrowed his eyes and a cold smile appeared on his lips as he said:

“Very well, Michael, this is your own choice, so don’t blame me.”

Upon hearing Mao Xiang's words, Mai Zhide felt a tightness in his chest, and his body and limbs stiffened considerably.

In his view, Mao Xiang was preparing to torture him to extract a confession, and as a civil official, he was naturally terrified.

However, given the current situation, even if one is tortured, at least it is only painful and not to the point of death.

Unfortunately, this was just Mai Zhide's own guess. Just as he was thinking this, Mao Xiang also spoke up.

“Lord Mai, I admit that I, Mao Xiang, made a mistake this time. I arrested you and brought you to the prison for interrogation without any evidence.”

"This matter was the fault of our Embroidered Uniform Guard. I will personally go to the palace to apologize to His Majesty. Now, Lord Mai, you may go home!"

As he said this, Mao Xiang wore a faint smile, but to Mai Zhide, that smile seemed so cold.

Originally, Mai Zhide had already prepared himself to grit his teeth and endure the torture, even if it meant being severely tortured.

But he never expected that Mao Xiang would choose to let him leave at this time. The question is, can he leave?

Even if those people in the shadows wanted to kill him, they would never dare to break into the prison and do so.

Here, at most you'll be tortured and suffer physical pain, but at least you'll survive. But once you leave the prison, you'll be in danger.

I'm afraid I won't get very far before I'm killed by an assassin hiding somewhere, just like Qian Jingguang.

You can't leave, you absolutely can't leave, you absolutely cannot leave the imperial prison!

While holding this belief in his heart, Mai Zhide's mind was also racing, trying to think of a way to stay in the imperial prison.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Qian Jingguang's body lying carelessly on the ground.

It has to be said that this guy's mind works really fast; he came up with a reason in an instant.

“Commander Mao Xiang, as you just said, with Qian Jingguang dead, I am very likely to be the assassin’s next target.”

"Qian Jingguang was a third-rank official, yet he was brutally murdered in the capital, right under the emperor's nose. His Majesty will surely order a thorough investigation into such a heinous case."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard will definitely investigate with all their might, so I'll stay in the prison and cooperate with you!"

"No need!"

As soon as Mai Zhide finished speaking, Mao Xiang shook his head and refused, giving his reasons.

"That was just my guess. We arrested Lord Mai without His Majesty's permission and put him in the imperial prison. How can we leave you here any longer?"

"Don't worry, the assassin might not necessarily attack you. But if he does, don't worry, I will definitely catch him!"

Upon hearing Mao Xiang's response, Mai Zhide's eyebrows practically stood on end in anger, and his voice rose considerably.

"By the time you catch the murderer, I'll already be dead!"

No wonder Mai Zhide was so angry. Mao Xiang's words made a very clear meaning: say whatever you want, but don't even think about staying in the imperial prison.

That's why Mai Zhide was so angry—it was clearly a death wish, sending him out to his death!

However, Mao Xiang didn't care about Mai Zhide's feelings at all and continued to respond calmly.

"Kill them if you want. We are the Embroidered Uniform Guard, His Majesty's personal guard. Without His Majesty's decree, we have no obligation to protect anyone."

"If you're afraid, Lord Mai, then spend some money to hire some guards to protect yourself. I'm sure you have that kind of money!"

"Alright, that's enough for now. I need to go to the palace to apologize to His Majesty. Lord Mai, take care!"

When he said this, Mao Xiangzhen had an attitude of indifference to death. After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked away from the prison.

However, after walking out of the prison gate, Mao Xiang stopped and turned to say something to Mai Zhide.

“Lord Mai, apart from His Majesty’s order, only those arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard are allowed to enter the Imperial Prison. That’s the rule.”

"So you'd better leave now, or I'll have someone throw you out."

After saying that, Mao Xiang even reached out and fully opened the prison door, his meaning clear: he wanted Mai Zhide to get out of here immediately.