After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

“I promised the young master that I would go to the peach blossom forest to bring out that money for him.”

The great wizard eventually compromised.

She is a powerful figure in the Northern Martial Ancestral Temple, and her purpose is to ensure the peace of the Northern Martial Kingdom. However, this matter has had a very negative impact, and if Chen Futu were to fuel the flames, the Northern Martial Kingdom would surely lose all face.

"Hehe, I, the young master, am right here. I wish the great wizard a resounding victory."

Chen Futu bowed and made a perfunctory gesture.

The great wizard snorted and vanished like a gust of cold wind.

After confirming that she had left, Chen Futu sat down heavily and took a few deep breaths. To be honest, that woman was terrifying.

She was, after all, a true grandmaster, whose intimidating power was something that ordinary people could not withstand. Fortunately, she was in the northern frontier, and she dared not do anything for fear of harming others, otherwise the outcome would have been unpredictable.

After resting for a while, Chen Futu was about to leave when suddenly a scream came from outside, "Dead! Someone's dead!"

"what's the situation?"

Chen Futu curiously lifted the gauze curtain and looked inside. He saw several female servants rushing in screaming, their faces pale, shouting that someone had died.

The noisy hall was filled with people who had all run out of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. In the alley behind the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, a naked female servant was found dead from a fall. Her death was extremely gruesome, her body twisted into a bizarre shape, like a ghost seeking revenge.

The people were so frightened they didn't dare breathe. When Boss Hua stepped forward and saw what had happened, he immediately burst into tears, wailing, "Ah Lian, you died so tragically—"

"Sir."

The fur trim was placed in the private room.

Chen Futu was displeased: "What exactly happened? How could someone die at this critical juncture?"

Mao Xiang smiled bitterly, "The Jinyiwei people were all in the hall before, and no one went upstairs. The girl who died was named Yue Lian. She was an employee of Baihua Pavilion. It is said that she came from the first group of people who migrated from Chuzhou. She had been sick these past few days and had not gone out. I don't know why she jumped off the building."

"Is it possible that the mission arranged for this to cover up Yemo's scandal?" Chen Futu asked.

"I don't know."

"With the grand ceremony approaching, such a tragedy has occurred and caused such a great uproar. How am I supposed to hold the ceremony? How can I explain this to the people?"

Chen Futu was furious. The Imperial Guards had all run downstairs to watch the spectacle. What were they good for?

Another possibility is that someone deliberately disrupted the ceremony and caused trouble at this critical juncture. If we allow them to fuel the situation or continue killing, how can Longcheng achieve long-term stability? This would be a stain on the royal court's reputation.

Mao Xiang lowered his head, at a loss, and could only say that he would find out the truth as soon as possible.

【Ding! 】

[A murder has been detected deliberately committed before the host's enthronement ceremony. The host is requested to apprehend the culprit as soon as possible and restore peace to Dragon City.]

"Hmph, they really came for me!"

Chen Futu was so angry that he laughed.

So the other side is indeed going to kill more than one person. If they kill many and can't find the murderer, what's the point of holding a grand ceremony?

How vicious!

[1. If you choose to let things escalate, what does it matter if a few commoners die? Anyway, once the ceremony is over, the other side won't kill anymore. You will be rewarded with the title "Wine Pool and Meat Forest". Wearing this title will grant you the ability to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.]

"What the hell is this 'wine pool and meat forest' nonsense? Do you think I'm Dong Zhuo?"

[2. Choose one of the four strategists to uncover the truth, and you will be rewarded with the opportunity to use someone else to do the dirty work.]

"This reward is barely acceptable."

[3. Choose to personally investigate the truth, and never hold the grand ceremony until the real culprit is found. Reward Di Renjie, and also give him 300 Thousand Bull Guards, command Li Yuanfang, and reach the early stage of the Innate Realm.]

[Li Yuanfang, also known as Yan Shuangying, I bet your gun is empty.]

"System, is this Li Yuanfang any decent guy? He wouldn't be carrying a gun, would he?"

Li Yuanfang's background is set during the Shenlong era, so he wouldn't possess firearms.

"Then what are you talking about? Just choose Di Renjie."

Without even thinking about it, both "A Thousand Cups Without Getting Drunk" and "Using a Knife to Kill" are good, but unfortunately, Di Renjie is still the better choice.

Di Renjie was not only an exceptional investigator, but also a prime minister trusted by Empress Wu Zetian. Now, Chen Futu can also say, "Dragon City is full of fierce generals and strategists."

[Di Renjie has arrived at the scene]

"So fast?"

Chen Futu subconsciously stretched his head out of the window and saw a kind-looking, pot-bellied old man in black and a young man wearing a round hat enter the crime scene to examine the body amidst the bustling crowd.

The shopkeeper, not recognizing the two men, stopped them, saying, "Shameless old men, what are you doing? Are you trying to harass a young woman? She's dead, and you still won't let her go!"

Li Yuanfang scolded, "How can you be so rude? How can you find the real culprit without examining the body?"

"Who are you? If you don't leave, I'll report you to the authorities." Boss Hua blocked them from seeing the body. After all, Yue Lian was already dead and not dressed. He couldn't let outsiders desecrate the body.

Di Renjie smiled and said, "I am Di Renjie, a strategist under the Crown Prince, and I have come here to investigate the case."

"Di Renjie? Never heard of him."

Mr. Hua shook his head like a rattle drum.

She only knew that the Crown Prince had four great strategists under his command: Zhang, Liu, Yu, and Zhu. Where did this Di Renjie come from?

Di Renjie was somewhat helpless. Chen Futu immediately called out from upstairs, "Boss Hua, this Mr. Di is indeed the prince's strategist. Let him investigate."

When everyone looked up, they saw Chen Futu and Mao Xiang.

Di Renjie's eyes lit up; he recognized the prince. "I thank this young master."

"No problem, you are in full charge of this case. You must find the real culprit as quickly as possible."

"I understand."

Once Chen Futu spoke up, Boss Hua stopped interfering and instead drove away the onlookers to prevent them from seeing the corpse.

Fortunately, the armored Imperial Guards arrived to help maintain order, so no one could get any closer, and even the people from the government office were kept outside.

With Di Renjie on board, Chen Futu was no longer worried about the case being unsolvable. However, the system said he had to investigate the case personally, so he had to stay and ask about the details. Otherwise, if the system took Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang away, he would be left with nothing.

The Dragon City garrison sealed off the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and drove away all guests except Chen Futu and Mao Xiang.

A short while later, Di Renjie arrived after examining the body.

He stepped forward to pay his respects, saying, "Your subject Di Renjie greets the Crown Prince."

"You've worked hard, Your Excellency." Chen Futu smiled and helped Di Renjie up, becoming more and more satisfied with him.

Li Yuanfang finally came to his senses and hurriedly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Chen Futu said with a smile, "Yuanfang, I heard that you are quite skilled in martial arts. You can go to the military camp and spar with the generals when you have time, so that we can improve together."

"The last general takes orders."

"From now on, you will be my Left Guard Commander, and Dian Wei will be the Right Guard Commander. Normally you can follow Elder Di and do not need to follow me."

After finishing their casual conversation, Chen Futu and Di Renjie went upstairs.

The place was now deserted, with gauze curtains fluttering along the corridor, creating a slightly eerie atmosphere.

The group arrived at Yue Lian's door and saw a glaring bloody handprint on the door.

Mao Xiang exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, is it haunted?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? We need to talk about science... cough, there are no ghosts or gods in this world."

Chen Futu originally wanted to talk about science, but since even grandmasters exist in this world, what's the point of talking about science?

So what exactly is this bloody handprint?

Was it someone deliberately spreading rumors to cause panic, or was it evidence left unintentionally?