Chapter 727: Iron-Willed and Resolute

Zuan, accompanied by a group of Embroidered Uniform Envoys, rushed furiously to the city outskirts, heading to the address recorded by the Imperial Household Department to find Xinrui's mother and younger brother.

Unlike Zuan, who was new to the capital, these Embroidered Uniform Envoys were very familiar with its streets and alleys.

It didn't take long before they located a courtyard.

The Embroidered Uniform Envoys professionally divided into several teams. One team went around to guard the back gate of the courtyard, another secured high ground nearby to monitor the surroundings, and a third guarded all alley entrances. The remaining agents then knocked on the front door. Receiving no response after a few knocks, they kicked the door open, and a group of fierce-looking men stormed inside.

Zuan slowly walked in. As the search no longer required his personal involvement, he had more time to carefully observe his surroundings. Seeing the scene in the courtyard, he secretly sighed, realizing they were likely too late.

Sure enough, someone soon reported back: "Lord Eleven, the targets were not found. From the look of the place, it seems nobody has lived here for several days."

Zuan nodded. "Dig up the courtyard to see if there are any bodies. Also, question the neighbors for any clues."

The group quickly divided their tasks and began working. In the blink of an eye, the courtyard was dug up three feet deep; cultivators could clear ground much faster than ordinary people. Unfortunately, nothing was found.

Just then, someone brought an old woman back. "Lord Eleven, she was just lurking suspiciously nearby, looking over here."

The old woman quickly waved her hands. "It's a misunderstanding! I was just curious what crime the Hua family committed. I'm certainly not a bad person. That cursed Hua family woman, she truly is a troublemaker!"

"The Hua family?" Zuan remembered Xinrui's original surname was Hua before she entered the palace. Hearing the old woman's tirade, he asked, "Do you have a grudge against this family?"

The old woman's expression changed. "No grudge, no grudge! How could I possibly have a grudge against them?" With the current situation, she dared not get involved. What if this family had been harmed? If she admitted to a grudge, she might be made a scapegoat by these officials.

Zuan said coldly, "That's not the full truth. Take her back and interrogate her thoroughly."

The old woman was so scared her body went limp. She quickly said, "I'll talk, I'll talk! I genuinely don't have a deep grudge against their family. I just couldn't stand how idle they were, yet they lived better than us."

"Idle?" Zuan frowned.

"Yes," the old woman quickly confirmed, fearing he wouldn't believe her. "They moved here three years ago. Initially, it was just the elder Miss Hua and her son. Oh, that son of hers, he truly was idle all day long, never doing anything useful, just pestering his mother for money to gamble. I felt a bit sorry for Miss Hua, so I helped her get a job mending clothes for a wealthy family. They managed to get by, barely. But later, I found out her daughter worked in the palace, and even this house was bought by her daughter's savings. Oh, how I wish I had such a successful daughter! However, the elder Miss Hua always remained diligent, continuing to mend clothes to supplement their household income."

Hearing her rambling without getting to the point, Zuan impatiently interrupted, "From what you're saying, your relationship should have been quite good. Why were you so resentful just now?"

"Hmph, people change," the old woman grumbled. "One day, she suddenly stopped that work. I was curious how they would live, as her daughter worked in the palace, but as outsiders, they had almost exhausted their savings buying this courtyard, so they shouldn't have had much spare money. But instead of their lives becoming difficult, the elder Miss Hua started wearing gold and silver. Tsk, tsk, tsk, my husband and I worked our entire lives and couldn't afford such jewelry!" The old woman's tone was full of envy. "She claimed her daughter was favored by a noble in the palace, but I suspect she secretly stole things from the palace. See? Now she's in trouble."

Zuan frowned. "And for that, you're gloating?"

"Just that alone wouldn't make an old woman like me so angry," the old woman said, her eyes filled with resentment. "My son reached the age for marriage, right? I found a suitable bride for him, but we were short on the bride price. I thought about borrowing a little money from the Hua family, but that woman refused me without hesitation, saying her daughter had it tough. Bah! If I hadn't later found out she was also arranging a wife for her idle son, I might have actually believed her."

Zuan was speechless for a moment. "It's her own money. It's not unreasonable for her to want to save it for her son, is it?"

The old woman became agitated. "But they were so destitute when they first came to the capital! If not for my help, they probably would have starved to death long ago. Yet now, when I need help, she turns her back on me! And she wears gold and silver every day; pawning just one piece would have been enough to lend me what I needed."

Hearing her various complaints, it was clear she was a typical native of the capital whose mindset was imbalanced by seeing outsiders, who were originally beneath her, suddenly achieve great prosperity.

Zuan had no time for their neighborhood squabbles. "When was the last time you saw them?"

The old woman replied, "About half a month ago."

"Did they leave on their own, or were they taken away?" Zuan asked.

"That, I don't know," the old woman shook her head.

"Did anything unusual happen around here during that time?" Zuan pressed. He knew that unlike later eras with high population mobility, neighbors in this period rarely moved, and almost everyone knew each other. Any strangers would surely leave traces.

"It seemed like a carriage came by those days. Oh, we've never seen such a magnificent carriage in our area before," the old woman said with an envious expression.

Zuan frowned. "What kind of carriage? How magnificent was it, and were there any distinguishing features on it?"

The old woman looked confused. "Magnificent means magnificent! How am I supposed to describe it?"

Zuan instructed his subordinates nearby to find someone skilled in drawing who could communicate with the old woman and draw the carriage as accurately as possible, to see if any clues could be found. He then asked for some more daily information about the Hua mother and son, and then dismissed her.

"Wait," Zuan suddenly had an idea. "When did their family's fortunes begin to improve? When you said she started wearing gold and silver?"

The old woman stopped, thought for a moment, and replied, "About a year ago, perhaps. I don't remember the exact date, but certainly no longer than a year and a half ago."

Zuan fell into contemplation. It seemed Xinrui had been bribed by a mysterious person a year ago. This plan was indeed far-reaching.

"Where is Xinrui's hometown?" Zuan asked.

"Cao County, I think," the old woman replied.

Zuan nodded. It matched the Imperial Household Department's records. He immediately instructed his nearby subordinates to send people to Cao County to investigate whether they had recently returned there. He knew that in this world, people had a strong attachment to their homeland. If they had left voluntarily, they would instinctively choose to return to their hometown. Of course, it was highly probable that their freedom had already been restricted, or they might not even be alive anymore. Investigating this way was simply to not overlook any possibility.

Upon returning to the Embroidered Loft in the palace from Xinrui's home, Shi Jun was already there, waiting. As soon as he entered the prison cell, he heard Shi Jun's furious roars from within:

"You scoundrels! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is? My father is the Grand Sima of the current dynasty…"

"Stop your wailing and howling. Your father being Li Gang wouldn't help either," Zuan interrupted directly. This fellow had been the most eager in leading the search for the adulterers before; besides Xinrui, he was the most suspicious.

Seeing Zuan's attire, Shi Jun's pupils contracted. Having spent many years in the palace, he naturally knew what a Gold Medallion Embroidered Uniform Envoy signified. However, thinking of his father, his elder brothers, and the Shi family's influence in court, his heart calmed slightly. "May I ask what crime I have committed? What evidence do you have to bring me here for interrogation? I demand to see my father."

Zuan snorted. "Everyone who comes here claims they are innocent, but unfortunately, things rarely turn out that way. Tell me, why did you frame the Crown Princess?" He didn't even mention his own name. After all, from the perspective of various factions, Zuan was actually insignificant; this whole affair was primarily aimed at the Crown Princess.

Shi Jun bellowed, "Everything I said before was true! How have I ever wronged the Crown Princess?"

"Scoundrel! The Grand Master of Rituals has personally attested to the Crown Princess's innocence. Are you questioning the esteemed elder?" Zuan slammed the gavel.

Shi Jun's expression was somewhat bewildered. "I don't know why the Grand Master of Rituals would say that, but I truly saw her with Zuan that day."

Thinking of how he had been chased so miserably by this fellow that day, Zuan felt a surge of displeasure. "This person is not being truthful. Torture him!"

"Yes!" The Embroidered Uniform Envoys nearby had no qualms. They were always fearless, knowing that anyone, regardless of their position in court, would suffer here. A mere Palace Attendant was nothing.

Shi Jun panicked. "I'm innocent! Why are you hitting me? You're trying to extract a confession through torture!"

Zuan idly picked at his ear, looking impatient. Soon, the whistling of whips and Shi Jun's screams filled the air, and only then did Zuan's expression become somewhat pleased.

"This is torture to extract a confession! I'll report you! I'll make an imperial appeal! You're abusing your power! My father won't let you get away with this!"

Rage points from Shi Jun: +888, +888, +888...

Zuan said coldly, "It seems he hasn't been beaten enough." This scoundrel had deliberately made things difficult for him at the palace gate. If Zuan hadn't had so many trump cards, he might have been ruined by this fellow. Later, he even framed Zuan and the Crown Princess. If successful, it would have been a capital crime punishable by extermination of nine generations of his family. How could he be polite to this guy now?

At first, Shi Jun continued to curse angrily, but soon he ran out of strength and began to beg:

"Please, stop hitting me..."

"I'll talk, I'll talk, okay?"

Zuan said disdainfully, "I thought you were a man of strong backbone. Turns out you're just a coward."

A flicker of malice crossed Shi Jun's eyes. He thought, 'So what if you're a Gold Medallion Envoy? When I get out, I'll make sure my father kills you!'

Rage points from Shi Jun: +999, +999, +999...

Seeing the rage points in the background, Zuan secretly sneered but didn't expose him. He gestured for the others to leave first, then asked, "How do you know Xinrui?"

"Xinrui?" Shi Jun's pupils contracted, but he quickly regained his composure. "The chief palace maid of the Hundred Flowers Palace? I'm often in and out of the palace, so I have some impression of her, but we've had no real interaction, and I wouldn't say I know her."

"Oh," Zuan said. "Then continue hitting him." As he motioned for his subordinates to re-enter, he said, "Young Master Shi, the Embroidered Uniform Envoys have many kinds of tortures. We have plenty of time, so we can try them on you one by one." He had initially thought of using tortures he'd seen in TV shows or novels to scare the man, but after learning about the Embroidered Uniform Envoys' methods, he wisely decided not to make a fool of himself. Their methods were professional, capable of making one truly experience something worse than death.

"No!" Shi Jun's eyes were filled with terror. Having been in the palace for many years, how could he not know the Embroidered Uniform Envoys' methods? Let alone trying them one by one, even trying just one would completely break him.

"I'll tell you..." He had just started to speak when suddenly, with a bang, the door burst open.

Immediately afterward, a terrifying pressure spread out. "Who dares to harm my son!"

---

Today, queuing for the COVID-19 vaccine was an absolute sea of people. I waited for several hours, but fortunately, there were several pretty young ladies in the queue, so it wasn't too boring...

The pandemic abroad is getting more severe, and outbreaks are continually emerging in various places. In the future, the country's borders will surely reopen. Everyone who can get vaccinated should try to do so.

This is just one chapter for today; I'll make up for it tomorrow.