Chapter 104: Guan Tianqian |
Hearing this, Gong Lishan looked toward Fu Yu and said, "But what if that Eighth Prince can't protect Constable Cang?"
Fu Yu waved his hand and said, "Regardless of whether that Eighth Prince can protect Cang Yinyue or not, I have ways to keep her safe. On the contrary, this matter can allow Cang Yinyue to see that Eighth Prince's true colors."
Speaking thus, Fu Yu slowly shook his head, his voice calm as he said, "Ever since Cang Yinyue brought back that Eighth Prince, she resolutely decided to break off our engagement. This matter is very likely connected to that Eighth Prince."
"I know she previously had many misunderstandings about me. Hindered by that Madam Zhu and the Cangyuan Marquis, I didn't dare do much before and never explained to her, but now these obstacles are gone, so I don't need to have too many concerns."
"I will let her know who truly treats her well. The backer she thinks she's found now will mercilessly abandon her when faced with real interests and choices, but I won't."
Hearing this, Gong Lishan and Ji Feiyun exchanged glances.
They knew that Fu Yu's previous engagement to Cang Yinyue was perhaps to curry favor with the Cangyuan Marquis's mansion, but now the Cangyuan Marquis's mansion had perished.
Yet he still wasn't giving up on Cang Yinyue. What exactly was the reason for this, to be honest, they weren't clear either.
But based on their trust in Fu Yu, they didn't say anything more.
...
Great Li Imperial Palace.
The Empress seated upon the gilded phoenix throne had an unpleasant expression at this moment. She swept her gaze over everyone present and asked, "Are you certain the murderer who killed Imperial Consort Ji was not someone from within the palace?"
Hearing this, Chief Eunuch Li Tianyi of the Ceremonial Directorate stepped forward in salute, bowing his head and saying, "In response to Your Majesty the Empress, after the Six Doors Divine Constable Guan Tianqian and Hidden Intelligence Bureau Commander Wu Gou jointly tracked and traced, as well as the palace guards' thorough overnight investigation of the imperial palace, indeed no trace of the murderer was found within the palace."
However, the Empress suddenly raised her hand and heavily slapped it on the white jade-carved table, her face full of anger as she said, "Then you explain to this palace, if there's no problem within this imperial palace, how did the news of Imperial Consort Ji's death spread out, causing such an uproar throughout the entire city?"
As soon as these words came out, Li Tianyi lowered his head, but could only respond with silence.
How exactly did this news spread out? He couldn't really say.
Perhaps it was from the Third Prince and the Right Minister's side, or perhaps from some consort or eunuch within the imperial palace.
The Great Li imperial palace before them seemed as impregnable as bronze walls and iron ramparts, but since someone could infiltrate it and kill an imperial consort, now merely transmitting a message to the outside didn't seem to be anything particularly surprising.
"All of you are useless!"
Seeing everyone remain silent, the Empress directly threw the teacup from the table violently onto the floor.
Then, her gaze turned to look at Guan Tianqian standing respectfully to the side, and she said in a deep voice, "Now you give this palace a deadline. How long will it take for your Six Doors to apprehend the murderer who killed Imperial Consort Ji?"
Hearing this, Guan Tianqian's expression changed as he immediately bowed in salute, "For the murderer to be able to infiltrate the palace, kill someone, and retreat unscathed, their martial Dao strength must be unfathomably deep. This subject dare not guarantee anything regarding this matter and can only do his best."
The Empress's expression darkened. She then looked toward the Hidden Intelligence Bureau Commander Wu Gou on the other side. Just as she was about to question him, she stopped and said coldly, "I suppose asking would be pointless anyway."
Then, she swept her gaze over everyone in the hall and said, "Whether it's Six Doors or the Hidden Intelligence Bureau, all of you go back and relay a message to your Divine Marquis and Director. If before His Majesty emerges from seclusion you still haven't captured the murderer, have them both kneel before Tianqian Palace to apologize."
Having said this, the Empress directly stood up and left with a flick of her sleeves.
After a while, Li Tianyi slowly raised his head. He turned to look at Guan Tianqian and Wu Gou, saying, "You both heard what Her Majesty the Empress said. This matter concerns the Great Li imperial family's reputation and must be personally handled by the Divine Marquis and the Director."
Hearing this, Guan Tianqian and Wu Gou exchanged glances, both their hearts stirring.
That Empress appeared to be furiously angry and flustered with rage, but in reality saw things very clearly.
She understood that Imperial Consort Ji's murder was not something the two of them could resolve, which was why she took the opportunity to indicate that the Divine Marquis of Six Doors and the Director of the Hidden Intelligence Bureau should personally intervene.
And this was indeed the case. At least in Guan Tianqian's heart, he had no desire to wade into these murky waters.
But the current situation was that the Divine Marquis of Six Doors was not currently in the capital. Even if Guan Tianqian wanted to relay the message, he simply couldn't do so in a short time.
After leaving the imperial palace, Guan Tianqian had a heavily preoccupied appearance.
Even when the Hidden Intelligence Bureau Commander Wu Gou actively initiated conversation wanting to discuss with him the matter of apprehending the murderer, he had little inclination to engage.
He simply got into the carriage prepared by the palace with the other two Gold Badge Constables and directly returned to Six Doors headquarters.
At this moment, his mind was only thinking about one other matter, which was the connection between that young man following Cang Yinyue and the matters concerning the Cangyuan Marquis's mansion as well as Imperial Consort Ji.
Without a doubt, he had already vaguely grasped the truth of the entire incident, but he was somewhat hesitant and undecided.
He understood the cost of provoking such a powerful expert. Unless, as Her Majesty the Empress said, he handed this matter over to the Divine Marquis to handle, otherwise with his own strength alone, even if he had already found the murderer, he was destined to be powerless against the other party.
Besides this, another matter Guan Tianqian was hesitating over was the information that person had left at the Cangyuan Marquis's mansion.
If what the other party said was true, then whether it was the Cangyuan Marquis and the others, or that imperial consort in the palace, they were undoubtedly people guilty of heinous crimes.
The other party taking action to kill them, in martial world terms, was called acting chivalrously for justice, punishing evil and promoting good.
Although the identities of those killed by the other party were all significant, one was a marquis whose ancestors had distinguished meritorious service, one was an imperial mandate lady appointed by the court, and one was even a beloved consort of the Great Li Emperor.
Any one of these, according to Great Li law, could warrant a death sentence for the other party.
But when the image of the Cangyuan Marquis's mansion's underground filled with densely packed young girls' white bones surfaced in Guan Tianqian's mind, a thought inexplicably emerged in his heart: what a good killing that was.
...
When Guan Tianqian was young, he had also traveled the martial world, aspiring to become a chivalrous warrior who acted righteously for justice.
It was just that the atmosphere throughout the martial world wasn't very good. Doing good deeds didn't necessarily bring good rewards, and helping people didn't necessarily mean saving them.
After suffering countless hardships, he finally understood the treachery of the martial world and gradually grew weary of it, subsequently joining Great Li's Six Doors.
Six Doors' duty was to pursue criminals and capture evildoers. Although there were many rules and regulations, it very much suited his temperament.
Guan Tianqian had worked at this for decades. During this time, he repeatedly solved strange cases and captured countless criminals, earning the illustrious reputation of "Iron-Blooded Divine Constable."
It was just that as the years increased, Guan Tianqian's youthful chivalrous spirit had long been worn smooth by officialdom. Weighing pros and cons had become his principle for conducting himself.
The wheels rolled forward. Inside the carriage, Guan Tianqian pondered uncertainly.
However, just at this moment, when his gaze inadvertently swept past the carriage window, he unexpectedly saw a figure.
"Cang Yinyue? Why is she here?"
Guan Tianqian raised his head to look, only to see that at this moment the carriage he was riding in happened to be passing in front of the Tianjin Guards headquarters.