There is a god in the sky

Chapter 277 The City God Temple Turmoil 4

Looking at the truckload of corpses, Xiao Ji was now in a terrible predicament.

Judge Xu asked with a mixture of envy and worry, "Lord Xiao, isn't it too hasty of His Highness the Crown Prince to entrust you with such a major case?"

Xiao Ji sighed and said worriedly, "Yes, I am also worried that my abilities are limited and I cannot solve the case. I would like to ask Lord Xu to talk to the Crown Prince and see if someone else can be assigned to investigate?"

Magistrate Xu's face twitched.

If he were capable enough to speak with the Crown Prince, he wouldn't have remained in this position for so many years.

Moreover, he dared not take on such a hot potato.

"Ah, I just remembered that I still have some witnesses to question, so I won't disturb Lord Xiao's investigation any longer."

Magistrate Xu left in a hurry.

Sui Feng sarcastically remarked, "Judge Xu has been investigating a case for months, and he still covets the position of the chief official."

"Silence." Xiao Ji glanced at him sideways.

He led his men outside and saw Constable Xing leading people to move the body. Shen Lan was already squatting on the ground, beginning to examine the body.

Zhang Xinghui stood to the side with his arms crossed, watching the group of people busy with a hint of curiosity.

He always said in private that the officials of the Criminal Investigation Department were a bunch of people who ate but did no work and could not solve many cases in a year.

As a result, Xiao Ji's return to the capital made the Ministry of Justice famous. Even the Emperor and the Crown Prince thought highly of him, and even the elders in his family always compared the two of them.

This made Zhang Xinghui very unhappy, which is why he deliberately made things difficult for them at the city gate that night.

"Sir, there are six corpses here, all male, aged between twenty and forty, dressed plainly, and with no special weapons. It is speculated that they are not from a professional assassin organization, let alone suicide squads."

Xiao Ji walked to Shen Lan's side and saw her tear off the clothes of a dead person.

The deceased was stabbed to death, the knife striking him squarely in the chest; it was an instant fatal blow.

The man was only in his early twenties, with an ordinary appearance, a square face, and dark skin, making him look more like a dockworker.

Zhang Xinghui's proud voice came from behind.

“I killed this man. He was mediocre in martial arts, but he was determined to die. It took me a long time to pull my knife out of his chest.”

Shen Lan and Xiao Ji both saw the wounds on the deceased's hands, which were indeed left when he was gripping the blade.

Xiao Ji pondered for a moment and asked, "Is there any discernible pattern to his martial arts style?"

"It's hard to tell; the moves are chaotic, more like the style of a street thug."

"How many assassins were there in total? How many escaped?"

Zhang Xing couldn't answer, and said with a shrug, "The streets were too chaotic at the time. Our people, along with the civilians running around, couldn't see how many assassins there were at all."

"Was Captain Zhang close to the Crown Prince at that time?"

“The Crown Prince is surrounded by Guard Zhou and guards from the Crown Prince’s residence, while our Jinwu Guard is stationed on the outer perimeter.”

That is to say, not close.

The assassin was definitely targeting the Crown Prince. The fact that he was stopped by the Imperial Guards shows that the assassin's martial arts skills were mediocre and he couldn't break into the inner perimeter.

Shen Lan could also glean some clues from the fatal wounds of the others.

The guards of the Crown Prince's residence also used knives, but they were different from the swords of the Imperial Guards. Their blades were thinner and sharper, and the blades were longer.

The other victims all had several wounds, which suggests that the fight was very intense.

From the time Shen Lan received the news of the Crown Prince's attack until the Crown Prince left, about half an hour had passed. The fact that he could hold out for so long under the siege of so many guards shows that these people were not weak in martial arts.

"First, draw their faces, then post a reward notice to see if we can find out their identities."

The Criminal Investigation Department has professional painters, but everyone is used to having Shen the coroner paint portraits, as no one paints them more realistically than her.

However, Shen Lan was neither free nor in the mood to draw a portrait at the moment.

She said to Xiao Ji, "My lord, we should probably go to the Crown Prince's residence to ask about what happened back then. Perhaps the Crown Prince will know who wanted to kill him."

Zhang Xinghui scoffed, "His Highness the Crown Prince has just been assassinated; how could he possibly have time to see you?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a young eunuch rushed in from outside, calling out in a soft voice, "Which one of you is Lord Xiao Ji?"

Xiao Ji stepped forward. "I am."

The young eunuch said breathlessly, "Lord Xiao, His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence."

Zhang Xinghui stomped his foot, turned his face away, and remained silent.

Xiao Ji selected Sui Feng and Shen Lan to follow him. Before leaving, he smiled and asked Zhang Xinghui, "Captain Zhang, are you also going to see His Highness?"

"Hmph, look how smug you are, who cares?" The last three words were squeezed out of his throat, and only Xiao Ji could hear them.

Xiao Ji laughed even more heartily.

Once outside, Shen Lan asked softly, "Did the master have a grudge against him before?"

"Not really, we were just about the same age. I often saw him when we went to banquets when we were kids. He wasn't good at studying, so we didn't get along."

"He comes from a military family, while you come from a scholarly family. You're in completely different circles. Isn't that normal?"

"Yes, but he once told me that he liked Zhao Xuan and felt that I was not good enough for Miss Zhao."

Shen Lan's eyes widened suddenly.

Xiao Ji was amused by her expression. "Are you surprised?"

"This isn't surprise, this is shock! He likes your fiancée? And he's not married yet?"

"No."

Shen Lan gave him a meaningful look, and even Sui Feng couldn't help but laugh, quietly telling her, "Don't worry, he has no chance of winning."

"I know that."

Whether in terms of appearance or future prospects, Xiao Ji is superior.

She just didn't expect Zhang Xinghui to be such a devoted lover.

"The reason he hasn't gotten married isn't because he still has feelings for Miss Zhao, but because the girl he was betrothed to passed away. Over the years, he's been very picky, so he hasn't settled down yet."

"Although Young Master Zhang is not married, he has many concubines and several illegitimate sons and daughters."

Shen Lan silently took back what she had just said. What a load of rubbish about being a devoted person!

Upon arriving at the Crown Prince's residence, Shen Lan saw that there were guards every three steps outside the residence. As soon as they approached, they were stopped by the guards, and they were only allowed to enter after their identities were verified.

The Crown Prince's Palace is magnificent and beautiful.

But none of the group was in the mood to enjoy the scenery; they followed the eunuch and underwent wave after wave of questioning.

When Shen Lan arrived at the inner courtyard, she felt as if half a century had passed.

She had just seen a royal physician carrying a medicine chest hurrying past; perhaps that was the direction Li Ye was in.

"Sir, shall I wait outside?" Shen Lan stopped and said.

Although Xiao Ji had rarely spent time with the Crown Prince, he did not have a good impression of him. After nodding, he instructed, "Don't run around."

"Ah."

Xiao Ji slipped a silver coin to the young eunuch who was leading the way and asked, "I wonder if there is a place outside where we can rest temporarily?"

After taking the money, the young eunuch pointed to the garden ahead and said, "There is a pavilion over there. Miss, you may sit there for a while, but please do not wander around and be careful not to offend any important people."

Shen Lan readily agreed, watched them enter through the moon gate, and then turned to chase after the direction the imperial physician had gone.