The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 162 - 142, Split Up and Take Action

"Has the evidence been found?"

In the hall, Zhao Douan, who had been dozing in the Taishi Chair, suddenly sat up, his drowsiness dissipating.

Zhang Han shook his head and said, "To be precise, it’s the location of the evidence."

Beside him, Haitang turned back, pacing to the desk.

Only to see in the mountain-like stacks of aged volumes at the center, the lamp oil was nearly exhausted, leaving only tiny flames flickering.

"I and Zhang Han have searched through the night, and finally pinpointed the two pieces of evidence most likely to nail Zhou Cheng."

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Haitang handed him two yellowed papers:

"One is named Zhang Zhu, an assessor under Xue Lin back then. The proposal ratified by the late Emperor was proposed by him. He was also implicated back then and was later demoted and sent back home."

"The second one is a descendant of Pan Yushi, once slandered for deceiving the emperor within the Imperial Court of Supervision. These two, the former, should still be alive, a living witness of those events, and the latter, trying to overturn the verdict, once leveraged Pan Yushi’s connections, taking away many documents from back then."

Haitang spoke with excitement:

"Based on our reasoning, if we can obtain one of these two key pieces of evidence, coupled with other scattered evidence, it might be possible to reopen the old case for investigation. If we can secure both pieces of evidence, it would be enough to prove Zhou Cheng’s malfeasance."

Zhao Douan, not adept at the intricacies of investigation and law, but trusting in the professional integrity of his colleagues, smiled:

"Well done!"

One night.

Reaching a breakthrough in just one night—that was terrifyingly fast.

Of course, if Yuan Li hadn’t taken action, who knows how long it would have taken them on their own.

"However, the only regret is that these two key witnesses are not in the Capital."

Zhang Han frowned and said:

"Fortunately, it’s not too far. One is in Luan County to the west of the Capital. The other is north, near the border of Iron Pass Road. If we set off now, with everything going smoothly, the round trip would also take half a month."

Yet Haitang suddenly shook her head, the female Hall Master of the Water Fairy Hall stretching her long legs, walking to the table, taking out a map and quickly estimating:

"You speak of the normal journey. If one is a Cultivation Martial Artist, riding a fast military horse, traveling day and night, it could be reduced to at least seven days."

Seven days for a thousand miles?

Zhao Douan pondered briefly, saying:

"With so many volumes and relevant materials gathered, even being cautious, we cannot hide it. More than half a month is too long. Even with Mr. Yuan’s cover, with Zhou Cheng’s vigilance, it’s enough for him to react. Once he is prepared, it will be very difficult."

Haitang nodded, agreeing with this view:

"From this, it seems we don’t have much time left. In that case, in the Water Fairy Hall, there happens to be a case heading toward Luan County that I had assigned to a colonel. Given this... I’ll make a trip myself, using the excuse of official travel to go alone, which could greatly shorten the time."

So proactive? Zhao Douan looked at her in surprise.

He vaguely guessed that by now, Haitang was not just helping him accomplish the Empress’s task.

Perhaps, seeking justice for the Xue family and the wronged spirits from the orthodox era was her real motive.

Sitting in this position as a Master, still having such a strong sense of justice? Oh, right, she seemingly didn’t climb up from the lower ranks... Second-generation, unweathered by the harshness of the working world, always more likely to maintain their kindness...

Speaking of which, which family is behind Haitang? Seems like no one has ever mentioned it, appears quite mysterious...

Zhao Douan admired:

"That’s great, but for the route to Iron Pass Road, we still need someone trustworthy."

Having said that, the two exchanged looks in tacit agreement, staring straight at Zhang Han without saying a word.

"..." Zhang Han’s face twitched with resignation, and he sighed:

"Alright, I’ll fetch the other piece of evidence."

Perfect!

Zhao Douan clapped his hands and laughed:

"Zhao is aided by both ’Crouching Dragon’ and ’Phoenix Chick’ today, a significant achievement is within reach."

What reference is this? Zhang Han was confused.

Who are you calling ’chick’? Haitang’s eyebrows shot up.

The three then discussed the details further to save time, with "Crouching Dragon" and "Phoenix Chick" each departing to their respective halls.

Preparing to leave the city under the guise of being on official business.

Zhao Douan, alone, wearing his coat, picked up the extinguished candlestick, and walked out the door to the courtyard.

At this moment, the sky was turning pale, the horizon tinted with the light of dawn, and in the courtyard, the big pear tree bore fruit growing ripe.

Perhaps, in a few more days, it would provide a feast for everyone at the hall.

...

"Wake up, little sleepyhead."

Zhao Douan walked to the office next door and saw the new Jinyi girl lying asleep on the desk, calling out to her gently.

"Ah!"

Qian Kerou startled awake, scrambling to her feet, her collagen-filled round face half marked with a red imprint, with drool still gleaming at the corner of her mouth:

"Sir!"

Zhao Douan draped in his coat, embracing the black iron candlestick: "Go sleep in my room."

Qian Kerou had acted as the gatekeeper the previous night, endlessly opening the door for Yuan Mansion’s house servants, now her head drooping sleepily:

"Okay!"

"Wait," Zhao Douan recalled something:

"Did you send someone to find Qin Qiu, has he been brought here?"

Qian Kerou shook her head blankly, indicating no.

Zhao Douan frowned, a hint of unease, did that Qin Qiu fool spend last night out misbehaving, not returning home? Is that why he couldn’t be found?

At that moment, from outside the frosty Lihua Hall, footsteps approached, a tired-faced attendant under Qian Kerou came in, surprised:

"Sir? You’re here so early?"

I never left... Zhao Douan was expressionless.

Qian Kerou’s eyes lit up: "Where is the person I commanded you to bring? Master wants to see him."

The attendant approached with a troubled expression:

"Sir, I followed that address to the Qin family and learned that Qin Qiu wasn’t there. His family said they didn’t know where he was hanging out, and that he hadn’t returned home at all last night. They only told me a few places where he might be.

Thinking of what you instructed, sir, I dared not delay and promptly visited all the entertainment venues the Qin family mentioned.

Only then did I find out that Qin Qiu had spent the night at the Teaching Bureau the night before last, but he had left yesterday morning. As for where he went, the ladies at the Teaching Bureau didn’t know either...

Considering the vastness of Capital, it seemed like searching for a needle in the ocean, so I simply returned to the Qin family and waited, but I saw no sign of him until late at night and had to come back to report."

He’s missing?

Zhao Douan felt a sinking feeling in his heart, an unease quietly intensifying. He retrieved a silver ingot from his waist pouch and tossed it over:

"Thanks for your efforts, go rest."

The attendant, elated, thanked him and left.

"Sir, are you in a hurry to find him?" Qian Kerou noticed his furrowed brow and asked softly.

Zhao Douan waved his hand, offered no explanation, and tossed the candlestick to his secretary, retreating alone back to the hall filled with documents.

Given Qin Qiu’s character, mingling with many frivolous young masters, being untraceable for two days was not out of the ordinary.

But at this critical juncture, Zhao Douan wasn’t about to overlook any discrepancy.

He reached into his chest, took out the storage magic artifact, "Void Illusion Scroll", gave it a gentle shake, and a simple jade mirror fell out, unexpectedly it was the "Fengyue Treasure Mirror."

Zhao Douan pressed the mirror’s surface, silently recalling Qin Qiu’s appearance in his mind.

The light on the mirror’s surface shimmered and gradually, a scene emerged.

It was a dimly lit prison; under the glow of a fire, Qin Qiu appeared beaten and battered, his silk clothes stained with fresh blood, clinging to the railing, gently tapping.

"He’s in prison?"

Zhao Douan was startled, trying to widen the view, and eventually recognized by landmarks that this was indeed the Ministry of Justice’s prison!

Ministry of Justice... Qin Qiu...

As these critical words surfaced, Zhao Douan’s expression darkened rapidly, realizing trouble:

"Qin Qiu has always been cunning and well-connected. How could he silently end up in the Ministry of Justice, especially at this crucial time? Could it be..."

In Zhao Douan’s mind, numerous clues scrambled, giving rise to an ominous premonition.

He glanced down at the magic artifact’s copper mirror briefly, estimating that the internal mana might still support one more peeping.

He pondered shortly, forgoing prying into Zhou Cheng but instead strained to recall the face of "Wang Shan" that had appeared in his memory.

The scene within the mirror shattered, then slowly swelled anew, forming a new scene.

His aim in spying this time was not to confirm Wang Shan’s status but to stimulate the brain by "seeing" him, unlocking related sealed memories.

About ten breaths later, a new scene appeared within the mirror:

In a bedroom, on a silk-covered bed, a man and a woman were sound asleep.

The man, around forty to fifty years old, looked as if he had albinism, with few faint whiskers on his chin and a plump physique, his features ordinary.

At the moment, he lay sprawled, like a fat pig, his arms embracing a lustrous white flesh.

It was a pretty-looking concubine, her arms around the middle-aged man, sleeping soundly as if exhausted, her body covered in spots of wax and whip marks.

The messy bed spoke of last night’s madness.

Zhao Douan noticed a discarded small whip by the window, fixedly staring at the middle-aged man’s face, and felt a headache begin as memories slowly surfaced.

Wang Mansion...

Qin Qiu and himself...

Wang Shan...

A beautiful woman... bedroom...

Boom!

It was like glass shattering in his mind, a surge of memories flooding out, vivid and clear. Zhao Douan closed his eyes to "examine" them, his expression alternating between dark and light.

The image in the small mirror gradually shattered.

After a long time, Zhao Douan opened his eyes heavily, exhaled deeply, glanced towards the stack of documents on the table, and suddenly laughed softly, murmuring to himself:

"Playing this game, huh..."

After briefly contemplating, Zhao Douan sequentially eliminated several response plans that had surfaced in his mind.

Once again, he took out the silver-colored scroll, put the copper mirror back, and then fished out a stick of yellow incense.

It was, indeed, a communication magic tool left to him by Jin Jian.

"It’s not yet dawn, he should still be awake..."

Zhao Douan stood up, lit the yellow incense with a fire starter, and fixed it on the table.

The incense tip glowed bright red, as if burning a hole into the night, and thin blue smoke spiraled straight up, passing through the beams and roof...

Suddenly, a breeze arose, the smoke violently quivering.

The air twisted, and a young priestess wearing dark priest robes, her delicate face and slightly curled hair, her eyes vacant, slowly emerged.

She looked down, expressionless, seemingly wanting an explanation.

Zhao Douan looked up, gazing at the priestess floating above the mountain of documents, and smiled slightly.

...

As the sky gradually brightened, accompanied by the arrival of Jinyi "going to work," the Imperial Court also buzzed with activity.

"Didn’t you sleep last night?"

As Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan, and Zheng entered Lihua Hall and saw Qian Kerou holding the "time card book," they were startled.

"I was sleeping... Yawn..."

Qian Kerou’s eyelids drooped, about to answer, when suddenly, she heard the door to the back office being pushed open from the inside.

Zhao Douan, wearing an official robe and brimming with energy, walked out with his hands behind his back.

"Sir!" The four quickly bowed in respect.

Zhao Douan scanned his subordinates, his lips curling up in a dangerous smile:

"Have breakfast first, and once all the brothers are here, follow me."

Qian Kerou, confused: "To do what?"

Zhao Douan flashed his stark white teeth and uttered two words:

"Arrest someone!"