Minglong

Chapter 103 Suicide out of fear of crime
Outside the city, Songhe Bay.

Songhe Bay is located on the bank of Luo River and is a summer resort for the city's dignitaries. There are thousands of villas in it. As the autumn deepens, there are not many people living there.

As the Dali Temple Secretary, Zhou Ming'an's official position was not very high. He only had a small courtyard with two entrances in a remote place in Songhe Bay, surrounded by bamboo forests, and the environment was quite elegant.

As the sun sets in the west, Zhou Mingan paces back and forth in the study room of the other courtyard, his hands behind his back, his expression inevitably filled with a bit of nervousness:

"Mr. Gongsun, please don't be careless. Although Xie Jinhuan is young, his strength should not be underestimated. He might even have a famous weapon or secret treasure..."

There were five people sitting in the small study, all of whom were sent by Li Gongpu.

Because they wanted to "capture the villain who assassinated the imperial official", the five people were not gangsters.

The leader, Gongsun Duan, is the instructor of the imperial guards. His strength has reached the second rank. He is accompanied by four elite imperial guards, who are equipped with Qi-breaking bows, immortal-binding ropes and other items.

In order to cope with the court's investigation, Gongsun Duan found a reason in advance - he was recuperating in Songhewan Villa, heard that there was something unusual happening in the Zhou family, came to inspect, and accidentally caught Xie Jinhuan, a traitor who assassinated court officials.

With such a configuration, it can be said that as long as Xie Jinhuan dares to come, he will never be able to walk out of Songhe Bay alive, and they are justified and will not cause any trouble.

However, the prerequisite for this matter is that Zhou Mingan's assassination attempt is successful, and only then can they jump out and arrest him.

Otherwise, even if Xie Jinhuan insisted that he was here to investigate the case, they would not be able to do anything to the Dan King behind him.

Seeing the 'bait' frightened, Gongsun Duan held up a teacup and said to him earnestly:
"With Xie Jinhuan's skills, he can't even step into the bamboo forest, let alone the study. Lord Zhou, please don't be too suspicious. I'm just worried that this boy won't come, and I'll wait in vain."

Zhou Ming'an sighed softly, "Xie Jinhuan has already obtained the file, and I have also given him the opportunity to attack. If this guy is determined to take revenge, he will definitely come in the next two days..."

"That's fine."

Gongsun Duan said nothing more, picked up his sword and shield and stood up:
"Master Zhou, please behave as usual. It's best to stay out in the courtyard more often to facilitate Xie Jinhuan's investigation. We will hide nearby and will come to your rescue as soon as we hear any movement."

When Zhou Mingan saw the five people preparing to go out and wait, to be honest, he felt a little worried.

But Xie Jinhuan was no ordinary person. If he had found five people squatting in the house, he would definitely not have come in. He didn't say much at the moment, pretending to recuperate, and wandered around the house...
-
into the night.

Lights dot the banks of the Luo River, and many villas are hidden among the gardens.

Xie Jinhuan wore a conical hat and pretended to be an ordinary wanderer. He walked silently in the dim forest and observed the riverside house hidden in the bamboo forest.

The two-entry house is not big, but it is surrounded by bamboo forests and has great privacy. Above the treetops, one can only vaguely see two servants brushing their horses on the side of the house. There are some lights inside the house, and on the terrace overlooking the river, there seems to be a figure looking out from behind the fence.

To prevent hidden guards, Xie Jinhuan first carefully surveyed the area surrounding the house. After scanning for a long time, he raised his hand and pointed to the slightly raised area on the withered bamboo leaves:

"Is there a person lying there?"

Ye Hongshang floated in front of him and nodded slightly:

"Good eyesight, but it's not just one person, it's five, all of them appear to be warriors, one of them might have reached the second rank."

"is it?"

Xie Jinhuan found that there were powerful enemies surrounding his house, and his brows naturally frowned.

He just got the files from the county government office in the morning and found out that Zhou Mingan might be suspicious. But in the evening, Zhou Mingan had already set up a trap to lure him into a trap!

This is obviously a plot against him...

Such a resolute person must be eliminated quickly...

Ye Hongshang squatted in front of him, and seeing Xie Jinhuan's frown, he asked in a low voice:
"Five people are scared?"

"How is that possible? If it's an assassination, there can't be a conflict. If a fight breaks out, it will be difficult to escape punishment."

While Xie Jinhuan was speaking, he carefully observed his surroundings, took out the Huanglin Seal, and used the light spots to observe the specific location of the ambushing person.

But when Ye Hongshang saw this scene, he felt that it was an insult to his good wife and started to make trouble on the spot.

Then an "illusion" appeared before Xie Jinhuan's eyes.

This time the illusion was different. The scene in front of him did not change much, but five little red men appeared in the depths of the dark bamboo forest.

Five people lay motionless on the ground. Although their faces and clothing could not be seen clearly, the outlines of their bodies could be seen...

Apia brand thermal imaging!

Xie Jinhuan blinked, put away the old and useless Huang Linyin, and after determining the ambush position and viewing angle of the five people, he blocked all vision, quietly circled to the side of the house, and climbed over the wall to enter...
-
The silver moon is in the sky.

Zhou Ming'an, dressed in his scholar's robe, looked out for a moment on the riverside terrace. Seeing nothing unusual, he returned to the study, stood in front of the calligraphy and painting on the wall, pretending to appreciate the scroll.

This action was to appear normal so as not to arouse suspicion from Xie Jinhuan, who might be observing from the dark.

But he knew that Xie Jinhuan was skilled in martial arts and was agile in his actions, but he did not know that Xie Jinhuan had dabbled in many aspects and was also good at calligraphy and painting.

Zhou Mingan had just observed for a few seconds when he heard a voice coming from beside him:
"The Riverside Moon at the Twin Saints Leaf Shrine is unfortunately a replica. Judging from the brushwork, it must have been copied by Mr. Fan Lifan from the Imperial College. The painting lacks some of the soaring sword energy."

The voice is like that of an old friend who has appraised a famous painting together.

Zhou Ming'an is a civil servant who is also fond of calligraphy and painting. If he heard such remarks in other places, he would definitely have a good chat with him.

But hearing these words in his own study at this moment was no less than hearing Xie Bian whispering in his ear.

"..."

Zhou Ming'an's body suddenly stiffened, and before he could open his lips, he felt something cold on his neck.

The room also fell silent.

Xie Jinhuan stood behind him, holding the Zhenglun Sword. After making sure the ambushers outside wouldn't notice anything unusual, he calmly asked, "Master Zhou, do you know who I am?"

Zhou Mingan's whole body was stiff, even his eyelashes were trembling. He was silent for a long time before he nodded vaguely:
"Know...know."

"Then, Lord Zhou, do you know the purpose of my visit?"

"What happened back then was not my will. It was Huangmen Lang Li Gongpu who forced me to do it. Li Gongpu's men are lying in ambush outside. Master Xie, please do not act impulsively, otherwise you will fall into Li Gongpu's trap..."

Li Gongpu...

Xie Jinhuan knew that Li Gongpu was not a good person, but he did not expect that he would be involved in the case three years ago.

This man is the emperor's pet dog. Even beating a dog requires considering its master. It's not easy to get rid of him immediately. He thought for a moment and asked:

"Who else accepted Han Jingchuan's favors and slandered my father?"

"There were also two constables from the county yamen who each received thirty taels of silver and accused your father of drinking. Because they were ostracized by the yamen, they have been transferred to other counties."

"My father was attacked by a monster in Sanchagang, Wisconsin. Does this have anything to do with you?"

Zhou Ming'an quickly shook his head: "Han Jingchuan just wants to avoid being held accountable. Once the case is closed, he will naturally not do anything unnecessary."

When Xie Jinhuan heard this, he couldn't help but frown.

Whether it was the attack on the Golden Tower or from Zhou Ming'an's confession, Li Gongpu and the Dark God Cult seemed to be two different groups of people.

The monster that attacked three years ago used the "Xuanming Huaya" of the Hades Cult, so it is very likely that it is a person or monster of the Hades Cult.

The file also said his father was missing for a quarter of an hour, but the witness gave false testimony, saying he hadn't been drinking, but his response was vague...

Therefore, in his opinion, his father's case may have the following process:
On the night of the fifth day of March, the Hades Cult caused trouble in the palace.

Han Jingchuan failed in his duty and asked Li Gongpu to let his father take the blame.

His father hadn't drunk any alcohol, but he couldn't explain where he had been for a quarter of an hour.

The Hades Cult was alert, fearing that his father would discover something that night and secretly kill the entire clan...

But as far as he could remember, his father hadn't told him anything about the haunted palace case...

But given the old man's personality, if he saw someone truly terrifying, he would likely keep his mouth shut for the sake of his own safety...

Xie Jinhuan was confused for the moment and asked Zhou Mingan a few more questions. Seeing that Zhou Mingan had no more information to reveal, he tilted his head slightly:

"Master Zhou, please write down the names of those who have accepted bribes in recent years. Please include the names, official positions, and purposes in detail."

"Uh……"

As Zhou Ming'an hesitated, his neck tightened. He didn't dare to say a word. He slowly walked to the desk, picked up the brush to write, and glanced out the window.

Xie Jinhuan reminded him, "They are wearing Imperial Guard armor. Even if they come in now, I am only investigating an old case with extraordinary means. As long as you are alive, if they dare to kill me on the spot, they will not be able to escape the punishment of the Dan King. If you are dead, they will have no legal recourse."

"..."

Zhou Mingan was no fool. When Xie Jinhuan appeared in the room, he knew what Li Gongpu meant. He wrote down every detail of the bribes he had received, involving more than 20 officials and dignitaries, and more than 30 cases.

"Since Master Xie knows this is a setup, please don't act rashly. You can investigate these officials. I can be a witness."

Xie Jinhuan was not stupid. If he took this list out, Zhou Mingan would be "assassinated" immediately. If he dared to show the list, he would be walking into a trap. He just said:
"You hold the power of justice, yet you abuse your power for personal gain and misjudge so many cases. Don't you feel guilty about the people and the emperor's grace?"

"Uh... I truly feel ashamed of the imperial court's cultivation and the teacher's teachings..."

"Write it down on paper."

Zhou Ming'an knew that Xie Jinhuan wanted to make the confession look more sincere, so he didn't say much. He wrote down various words of repentance, such as "I have no face to see my teacher, and I would rather die than refuse" and so on.

"Li Gongpu treated you like a pawn and forced you into a desperate situation. Don't you feel any resentment?"

"Have……"

"write down."

Xie Jinhuan waited until Zhou Mingan finished writing, and then felt that it was enough, so he put away his sword.
"Okay."

"..."

Zhou Ming'an was nervous and didn't dare to turn around to speak. He waited for a moment, and before he could figure out whether Xie Jinhuan had left or not, he found that his head was dizzy and he could hardly concentrate.

Then he fell into a dazed state, his eyes were dull and he stopped thinking.

Tread~
Xie Jinhuan stood behind and watched with a sword in his hand. He could see that Zhou Ming'an's eyes were empty. He slowly turned around and walked to the center of the study, then looked up at the beams.

Then he went to the inner room, picked up a piece of cloth, carried the bedside stool to the study, placed it under the beam, and tied the cloth on it.

After standing on the stool with both feet and putting his neck into it, Zhou Mingan kicked the stool over without hesitation, and the cloth belt immediately straightened.

Xie Jinhuan used his toes to prop up the stool to avoid making any noise.

Zhou Ming'an also woke up under the threat of death. Before he could show any doubt, his eyes turned into one of fear and confusion. He swung his legs in the air and looked at the man in the bamboo hat below.

Huhu~
Xie Jinhuan lifted his hat and looked at Zhou Ming'an until he stopped moving, then he glanced around the room.

Because he didn't have the landlady's guarantee this time, he checked it himself first, and then asked the ghost wife to check it again. After making sure there were no loopholes left, he quietly left the study...

……
-
The reading background is out, you can change it and take a look~
(End of this chapter)