kvmb Chapter 126: Your Highness's disregard for the law is no different from that murderer
Chapter 126: Your Highness's disregard for the law is no different from that murderer
"Master Pei, do you still remember that when I first received His Majesty's order to investigate Master Luo's case, I went to Master Luo's residence that night and verified some things?"
Pei Hao nodded. He certainly remembered it; it had only happened a few days earlier. That night, Qi Xiao had traced the suspect's escape route to Xuanzhengfang and Pingxiangfang.
"There aren't many experts in Yuanjing who are capable of sneaking into the residence of the Supreme Court official in the middle of the night, killing someone, and escaping unscathed. Aside from a few people who have been proven to be unlikely to have committed the crime, there are still eight. Three of them live in Xuanzhengfang and Pingxiangfang, making them the most suspicious. I'll use a little trick to test them."
"Chasing and hacking people in the street was a test? A trick?!" Pei Hao's voice rose. Yuanjing City was already bustling, not to mention the East Market. Swords and knives are blind, what if they accidentally hurt innocent people? Was Qi Xiao just testing me? He didn't even look like he was handling the case. What kind of underworld tactics were he using? How could a prince do such a thing?
"Master Pei, please don't be angry. I know this isn't the right way to proceed, but I'm running out of options. I've tried asking for help from Master Cao before, but was rebuffed. If I could get help from the Capital Protectorate, I wouldn't have to resort to this desperate measure. Since I know this is a bad idea, I'm afraid Master Pei wouldn't have agreed to help me if I hadn't acted first and asked for your help later, right?"
“…This…this is not an excuse!”
Qi Xiao knew Pei Hao's straightforward personality, and he must have been furious with him, otherwise he wouldn't have lectured him so harshly. He was halfway through his apple, and now it was too late to continue leisurely eating. He stood with his hands behind his back, head bowed, listening to the lecture. It wasn't because he had done anything wrong, but because he understood Pei Hao's integrity and admired his sense of justice.
This scene was rather like the time when Gu Shanmo was about to hit him with a ruler when he had gotten into trouble in the Hanchen Sect. Qi Xiao's eyes darkened, and the excessive feelings and reluctance in his heart gradually turned into pain.
"Your Highness... Your Highness's disregard for the law is no different from that thug!" Pei Hao knew he shouldn't say this, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't for anything else, but because he treated Qi Xiao differently. Qi Xiao was different from the other "meatless" princes, and Pei Hao had unconsciously developed different expectations of him. Now he was afraid he had misjudged him, misjudged him.
"Master Pei, I challenged them to a duel as a martial artist, and I did not violate any of our laws. If they had not been guilty and exposed their true intentions, Master Pei would have simply been having a drink with his colleagues."
"That... the other one, isn't that Chi Yue in disguise?"
"It's Chi Yue, for sure." Qi Xiao turned and walked out. "Master Pei, why don't you listen to me explain the whole story in detail?"
Pei Hao sighed deeply. Even if he wanted to accuse Qi Xiao, he had to give him a chance to defend himself.
"You just said three people, but there are only two people in the Dali Temple. And one swordsman seems to have escaped. I don't know if the Protectorate has captured him."
"The other one who escaped was Zong Sheng in disguise. The real one is called Li Sheng, and he has been taken away by the Tiance Camp."
"Tian Ce Camp?" Pei Hao was shocked. Although His Majesty had indeed allowed Qi Xiao to mobilize the Tian Ce Camp before, he was talking about letting the Tian Ce Camp protect him. What kind of people in the martial arts world needed to use the Tian Ce Camp to deal with?
"Let's not talk about Li Sheng for now. He has little to do with Lord Luo's case." Qi Xiao threw away half an apple and wiped his hands before sitting down to talk to Pei Hao. "I used Li Sheng's identity to challenge these two people, Wang Tangyi and Qian Chong. I originally just wanted to test their martial arts skills, but I didn't expect that they not only knew each other but were also very familiar with each other. As soon as Qian Chong received the invitation, he went to Wang Tangyi to inquire about Li Sheng and asked for his help."
Pei Hao didn't understand the rules of the martial arts world. The people from the martial arts world were all in Yuanjing City and knew each other. Some of their friendships even seemed to have nothing wrong. What exactly was the flaw that Qi Xiao was talking about?
"Master Pei, even the people of the Jianghu abide by the rules. Qian Chong and Wang Tangyi aren't from Yuanjing. Upon arriving in Yuanjing, the first thing they had to do was pay their respects to the host, explain their purpose, and promise not to cause trouble. Generally, upon receiving a challenge, they immediately inform the host to avoid misunderstandings, and they also choose an appropriate time and place." Seeing Pei Hao's confusion, Qi Xiao explained a few more words. "Yuanjing is a strategic location within the capital region. Even local gangs don't dare to act like local bosses. The host they need to pay their respects to in Yuanjing is ostensibly the Tianxia Escort Agency, but in reality, it's the Jingji Protectorate."
Pei Hao knew that Tianxia Escort was the largest escort agency in the Kingdom of Chen. Reputable businesses in Yuanjing relied on Tianxia Escort for their goods, including those for the imperial court. It was only natural that Tianxia Escort had a close relationship with the Jingji Protectorate.
"After receiving the invitation, Qian Chong and Wang Tangyi didn't go to the Tianxia Escort Agency. Instead, they decided to schedule the duel at 3 p.m. in the busy east city center. After seeing Qian Chong off, Wang Tangyi immediately went to the Longtaixing Bank, using the back door to meet the owner in person. Longtaixing is part of the Qin family's business, so Lord Pei should be aware of this, right?"
Pei Hao nodded slightly. He understood what Qi Xiao had said. If Qian Chong and Wang Tangyi were ordinary jianghu people, they would have simply challenged Li Sheng according to the rules. However, their actions in Yuanjing City were other than what they had done. To prevent any leaks, they had to disclose their actions to their "employer" first. Qi Xiao had intended to test the waters, but they had confessed without being asked.
"Is this Wang Tangyi in the dark cell?"
"Exactly."
"Since you suspect them, why bring them back for questioning?" Pei Hao knew that even if he brought them back, they would not speak without evidence, but fighting with swords in the street was really inappropriate.
"Now Qian Chong is convinced that Wang Tangyi and Li Sheng are colluding to kill him and silence him, so he might tell us the truth. And I asked Zong Sheng and Chi Yue to make such a big fuss, and even asked Lord Pei to be a witness in person, not only to get their confessions, but also to force Lord Cao."
Indeed, if he wanted to conduct a legitimate investigation, he would have to rely on the Jingji Duhufu. After all, Cao Weishan still had the final say on all matters, big or small, in the Yuan capital. Even if the person was currently detained at the Dali Temple, if Cao Weishan suddenly realized and came to demand the person, Pei Hao would not be able to hold him captive. Cao Weishan could then find a pretext to dispose of the person without offending the Qin family.
But now the incident happened in the East Market, in front of more than a dozen officials from the Dali Temple, it was impossible for Cao Weishan to make a big deal out of it.
"Your Highness, you've offended quite a few people all at once." Pei Hao was worried about Qi Xiao. There was no way the Qin family would be implicated by two guild masters. Even if there were testimony, they would be accused of fabricating accusations. Without concrete evidence proving that the Qin family was behind the assassination of an imperial official, they wouldn't be able to be harmed at all. Qi Xiao was probably being too reckless by alerting the enemy.
Qi Xiao laughed and said, "Master Pei, you don't have to worry about me. Let's try Qian Chong and Wang Tangyi first."
Qi Xiao couldn't touch the Qin family, but His Majesty wouldn't necessarily tolerate that. He dared to cause such trouble because he relied on Chi Yue's presence, and everything he did would reach His Majesty through Chi Yue. If His Majesty wanted to stop him, he would have sent Wang Tangyi to the Dali Temple this afternoon, and Your Majesty would have summoned him to the palace. Chi Yue would certainly not help him cause trouble. Since His Majesty had tacitly approved it, how could he not happily cause trouble?