Shocking! The killer traveled through time and space and became a female Shura, killing like crazy

Royal Palace

The emperor sat on the magnificent dragon throne, holding the letter sent by Leng Jian tightly in his hand, his face becoming increasingly gloomy.

The emperor loudly ordered: "Call Prince Mu to the palace!"

The voice echoed in the empty palace with unquestionable majesty.

Not long after, Shangguan Yunting hurried over, his steps quick but steady, his expression full of doubt and respect.

Upon entering the hall, he immediately knelt and saluted: "Your humble servant pays respect to the Emperor. May I know why the Emperor summoned me to the palace?"

"Laojiu, come here."

The emperor said nothing more, stepping down from the throne and handing the letter to Shangguan Yunting. Shangguan Yunting read it carefully. As he read, his expression gradually grew serious, and a flicker of surprise and thought flashed across his previously calm eyes.

The emperor said angrily, "The real Meng Xiang was assassinated on his way to take office. The fake Meng Xiang took over the position of prefect for six or seven years without anyone noticing. Isn't this ridiculous? Such an outrageous thing has happened to an official of our Great Qi. If you hadn't gone to Jia County to provide disaster relief and hadn't discovered it, wouldn't it have become a huge joke if the news got out? Everyone would have imitated you."

"Royal brother, please calm down. There are all kinds of birds in the forest. I'm curious if you can't tell the difference between the Meng couple and brothers and sisters?"

"Leng Jian, I've questioned his parents. They said they look exactly the same and it's impossible to tell the real from the fake. But they're certain they've never had twins."

Shangguan Yunting pondered, "Is it strange that there are really people in the world who look so similar? Can't they even tell their biological parents apart? Did the Meng couple get along with the fake Meng Xiang, or did they know about this and deliberately conceal it?"

"The couple took their entire family to Pingzhou, intending to seek refuge with Meng Xiang. However, Meng Xiang excused himself by saying he was too busy with official duties to accompany them. Not long after Meng Xiang took office, his wife and child passed away. He asked a fortune teller to read his fortune in front of the Meng family. The fortune teller said that his fate was too difficult to marry and have children, and that he couldn't stay with his family often, otherwise he would be killed one by one."

"The Mengs, thinking back to the deaths of Meng Xiang's grandparents and second uncle after his birth, were so frightening that they hurried back to their hometown with their entire family. However, they were given a lot of money, so they had no chance to interact with the fake Meng Xiang, and they had no idea that their biological son had already died."

"This is an excuse. The fake Meng Xiang is afraid that his identity will be exposed if he stays with the Meng family for too long. So he sends the Meng family away and gives them more money. As long as his identity is not exposed, nothing else matters."

"Leng Jian and his men re-interrogated the craftsmen and managers at the iron mine. They said that the mine had already been mined when they took over. There's no doubt that this must have been mined by the fake Meng Xiang. Otherwise, how could their people know so much about the secret passages in the mountains?"

"Later, he wanted to cling to the status of the eldest prince Shangguan Jue and hand over the iron mine to him, hoping to gain greater benefits."

"The 10,000 soldiers in Yunmen Mountain, Qingzhou, may not all be Shangguan Jue's. It's also possible that this fake Meng Xiang is using Shangguan Jue's name to recruit soldiers, and Shangguan Jue is just a pawn being used."

The emperor became angrier and angrier as he spoke, his face becoming terribly gloomy. Thinking of his good-for-nothing son, the rage in his heart suddenly rose.

Even if he and Concubine Rong had done something shameful, he had no intention of killing him. He would demote him to a commoner and send him to exile in Mobei.

The Emperor was furious at this and shouted, "How foolish! He is being used without even realizing it. How could I have given birth to such a fool?"

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the emotions surging in his heart. But when he thought of his own son being used like a puppet, unaware of it, and eventually becoming a scapegoat for others and dying at his own hands, he could not suppress the anger in his heart.

Shangguan Yunting opened his lips slightly, wanting to say something several times but stopping himself, not knowing where to start.

After all, not long ago, the emperor personally ordered the execution of his own son. He was his blood relative, and no matter how stupid he was, he would not let him die.

Now the truth has come to light: his son was being used to bear the charge of treason. The emperor, upon learning this cruel truth, is filled with regret and pain. This regret is like a surging tide that overwhelms him.

Shangguan Yunting knew that any words would be pale and powerless amidst the heavy regret. He sighed silently, hoping that time would heal the emperor's inner pain.

But he understood that the wound left by the wrongful killing of his own son would become a hidden pain that the emperor would find difficult to let go of for the rest of his life, gnawing at his heart at all times.

After a long time, the emperor calmed down, slowly opened his eyes with a murderous look, and said coldly: "Leng Ying..."

"My subordinate is here."

"Send another fifty shadow guards to assist Leng Jian in thoroughly investigating Meng Xiang's case. Report any progress immediately."

"I obey your orders."

Inside the palace, Chen Fu and Shangguan Yunting could both sense that the emperor was suppressing his anger, knowing that once the real culprit was caught, there would be a mass of corpses.

The emperor paced slowly: "Old Nine, do you have any good ideas?"

Shangguan Yunting lowered his head in thought for a long time before analyzing, "Royal brother, my Yan'er and Qing'er are twins. They look exactly the same, but their personalities are completely different. Furthermore, how could two people who aren't twins look exactly the same?"

"what for?"

"Do you still remember Xue Zhong's eldest son Xue Fan from eight years ago? He used a human skin mask to escape his crimes and was later discovered. You saw the human skin mask worn by the fake Xue Fan. Do you think it was indistinguishable from the real person?"

The emperor suddenly fell into deep thought and paused for a moment. "I and the other ministers did not realize that the person kneeling in the hall was a fake Xue Fan. After all, I and the other ministers are not familiar with Xue Fan. Even if he was a fake, I would not have known."

"My Royal Highness, think about this: if someone who has never held an official position suddenly impersonates a prefect, the prefecture is a fourth-rank official position, and it takes many years of experience to reach the position. The fake Meng Xiang has been in the prefecture for six or seven years, and he hasn't moved in four years, and no one has noticed. This is not easy."

"Back then, Xue Fan came in second in the imperial examinations. He worked as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy for four years and was promoted to a major thanks to Xue Zhong's connections. The position of a major allows him to come into contact with officials from all over the country regarding political issues."

"Furthermore, he follows his father, Xue Zhong, around every day, learning everything about the court. With his intelligence and talent, he handles matters within the prefect's jurisdiction with ease."

"And he's quite skilled in martial arts. Back then, he was surrounded by a thousand Imperial Guards in Shoushan. He took advantage of the complex mountain terrain to escape with a few hundred men, and has since disappeared without a trace."

"He has the foundation and rich experience of training in the mountains, and it is not difficult for him to use his power as the Pingzhou prefect to occupy Xiping Mountain and turn it into a training camp."

"Your Majesty, what do you think?"

The emperor listened to Shangguan Yunting's precise analysis, connecting various clues and details one by one. Suddenly, he had an epiphany and suddenly realized.

He slammed the armrest of the dragon throne angrily, his eyes piercing with determination as he shouted, "Old Nine, after hearing what you said, I think this was most likely done by Xue Fan! But right now, there's no evidence to prove it was him."

"He must be harboring resentment, brooding over the treatment of his entire family. Is he looking for an opportunity to seek revenge, or perhaps he has some bigger ambition?

"My royal brother is wise. Xue Fan has always been ruthless and vicious, otherwise he would not have abandoned the entire family and fled."

"It would be much easier if we knew who was behind this conspiracy."

The emperor showed a murderous look. He had caused him to kill his own son with his own hands, and he had an even greater conspiracy. He would not be able to get rid of the hatred in his heart unless he got rid of this man.

"I have ordered the Supreme Court Justice Song Yu and the Imperial Guard Commander He Lingfeng to come before me."

"Old slave obeys the order."

"Cold Eagle..."

"My subordinate is here."

"Send someone to secretly monitor the Fourth Prince's every move. Report anything amiss immediately."

"I obey your orders."

Song Yu and He Lingfeng hurried over and knelt down to pay their respects. "Your Majesty, may your Majesty be blessed with good health."

"Song Yu, I order you to immediately investigate the fugitive Xue Fan. Make sure to get to the bottom of his crimes. Once the evidence is solid, I will show no mercy!"

A hint of majesty and ruthlessness flashed in the emperor's eyes, as if he wanted to eliminate this potential threat in one fell swoop.

Song Yu and He Lingfeng were confused when they heard the emperor's words, but the emperor ordered them to obey.

"The minister obeys the order."

"He Lingfeng, you led a thousand guards back then and allowed Xue Fan to escape until now. I order you to assist Song Yu in thoroughly investigating Xue Fan's case. If he escapes from you again this time, I will not show any mercy."

"I humble my duty and obey the decree."

"Old Nine, tell them everything about Xue Fan."

"My brother obeys the order."