On the way to the Gao Residence.
Lu Zhenghai couldn't help but size up Zhou Hu and Zhao Black Pillar, his two staunchest allies.
As a Squad Leader, Lu Zhenghai commanded 10 Embroidered Uniform Guard officers, two of whom were Zhou Hu and Zhao Black Pillar.
The internal Rank structure of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was strict, with positions from highest to lowest being:
Commander, Deputy Commander, Chiliarch, Centurion, Banner Commander, Squad Leader, and Embroidered Uniform Guard Officer.
Zhou Hu was a bit clever and slightly greedy for money, and though not particularly brave, he was fiercely loyal, residing in the Acquired Second Layer.
Zhao Black Pillar was tall and muscular, a simple-minded fellow endowed with Divine Power. He was also in the Acquired Second Layer, but his actual combat strength crushed Zhou Hu's.
Logically speaking, Lu Zhenghai, this weakling in the Acquired Fourth Layer, was not qualified to serve as a Squad Leader.
The hundreds of Squad Leaders within the Imperial City Jinyiwei Garrison were almost all existences above the Acquired Fifth Layer and below the Xiantian Realm.
Therefore, the thousand taels of silver he spent were quite worth it.
Within the Great Yu Dynasty, silver was extremely valuable.
An ordinary family of four or five people couldn't spend 30 taels of silver in a whole year.
Take Gao Shihan, a Fifth Rank official; his salary alone was 120 taels of silver per year.
Cultivating as a Martial Artist was expensive; this was Lu Zhenghai's biggest realization after the Awakening of his past life memories.
To be honest, cultivating martial arts in the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty, money might even be more important than one's own Martial Dao Comprehension Ability.
Anything related to martial cultivation was damn near a luxury item.
The Lu family had declined, finding it extremely difficult just to produce the 1,000 taels to buy the official position, making it impossible to spend money on further cultivation resources.
If cultivation resources had been plentiful, even if Lu Zhenghai's Comprehension Ability was ordinary, he wouldn't still be in the Acquired Fourth Layer at age 20.
Poor! Poor!! Poor!!!
On the road, the three of them spent 12 copper coins and drank a few bowls of tofu pudding for breakfast.
One tael of silver was equivalent to 1,000 copper coins.
Upon arriving at the Gao Residence, white lanterns were already hung at the entrance, and the faint sounds of family members and Maidservants crying could be heard.
Many Embroidered Uniform Guard officers were standing guard at the entrance.
They walked into the study of the Gao Residence.
Seeing Centurion Song, Lu Zhenghai respectfully bowed: "Your subordinate Lu Zhenghai greets Centurion Sir!"
Since you are within the System and currently weak, you must adhere to all rules.
Forget just bowing in greeting; if you ever meet the Emperor Yu, you'd have to kneel. If you refuse to kneel? You would die!
Even if you are a Transmigration, don't act recklessly when your strength is insufficient.
Wait until your strength is sufficient; if you feel unhappy about having knelt before the Emperor Yu, you can just take revenge on his consorts later, right?
Centurion Song merely glanced at Lu Zhenghai and nodded.
Centurion Song's name was Underlying name for Song Baihu; he was a refined middle-aged man.
Don't underestimate this refined middle-aged man; at 50 years old, he was already in the Xiantian Eighth Layer, considered a minor expert in the vast Imperial City.
Fifty years old was not considered old.
The Great Yu Imperial Dynasty was a high-martial ancient era.
If one's Martial Dao strength was sufficient, their Lifespan could be continuously extended, and their appearance could be delayed or even permanently maintained.
The Innate Realm generally possessed a 120-year Lifespan, while a Grandmaster's Lifespan reached 180 years.
Following Centurion Song was a Banner Commander named Huang Xiu.
A Centurion commanded two Banner Commanders; the two Banner Commanders following Centurion Song were Huang Xiu and Fang Qian.
Fang Qian had not come, likely due to other important duties.
Lu Zhenghai's superior was precisely Chief Huang Huang Xiu, who appeared to be a difficult middle-aged man in his 40s, residing in the Xiantian Second Layer.
Before Lu Zhenghai could greet Chief Huang, Chief Huang spoke: "Squad Leader Lu, only two of your ten officers showed up?"
"The remaining eight have all taken leave."
Chief Huang snorted: "You can't even keep your own officers in line? You should learn more from Squad Leader Yao and Squad Leader Zhang."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Centurion Song suddenly said: "Although it is basically confirmed that Gao Shihan died by suicide, young people should still study more and gain experience. Since you are here, Squad Leader Lu, why don't you examine the body as well!"
Centurion Song's voice was relaxed.
Originally, he had been somewhat anxious after receiving the superior's order to solve the unnatural death of Gao Shihan within three days.
He hadn't expected the case to take a turn, revealing it was a suicide.
Lu Zhenghai was a little confused.
What does that mean? Died by suicide? The System already said Gao Shihan died by poisoning!
Lu Zhenghai first subtly glanced at Gao Shihan's corpse.
The body lay on the ground, its face pale with a hint of ferocity.
Clearly visible was a brush whose handle was made of metal, stabbed at least three inches into Gao Shihan's head near his temple.
Lu Zhenghai adopted a learning posture and asked: "Centurion Sir, how was it determined that the deceased died by suicide?"
Centurion Song slowly began:
"In the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty, Martial Dao is respected, and most court officials practice martial arts."
"Gao Shihan was in the Acquired Ninth Layer. With his Qi, holding a brush and violently stabbing it into his own head could be done easily."
"Two coroners have already performed a preliminary autopsy on Gao Shihan."
"Judging from the angle, direction, and other details of the wound, the injury belongs to the common exertion habit of suicide victims."
"During the preliminary autopsy, for the sake of caution, the coroners checked whether Gao Shihan had suffered any sudden illness; the results showed he had not."
"The coroners also used special silver needles to test the residual food, blood, and urine in Gao Shihan's stomach, finding no toxins. Furthermore, Gao Shihan's lividity did not match the typical pattern found in poisoning victims, thus eliminating the possibility of poisoning."
"Now, let's talk about this brush, which has a significant background."
"Four years ago, Gao Shihan performed a great service in the Ministry of War. His Majesty not only promoted him but also bestowed upon him this brush, crafted from Void Profound Purple Gold and valued at thousands of taels of silver."
"The four characters 'Pillar of the State' were inscribed on the brush handle by imperial decree."
"Just yesterday, Gao Shihan was severely reprimanded by His Majesty in court and nearly dismissed from office."
"This is likely why he chose the imperial gift brush as his suicide tool."
"Furthermore, two servants were keeping watch outside the study door last night."
"The two servants confirmed that apart from Gao Shihan's son, Gao Ren, who came to the study in the middle of the night to deliver a late-night snack, no third person had entered the study."
"Therefore, it is basically determined that Gao Shihan died by suicide."
... Lu Zhenghai couldn't help but ask: "It's not unheard of for a son to kill his father, so why can the possibility of Gao Ren being the killer be ruled out?"
Chief Huang took over the explanation:
"Before you arrived, we specifically investigated Gao Ren."
"Gao Ren is Gao Shihan's only son, 22 years old this year. The father and son had an excellent relationship, and Gao Ren had no motive for murder."
"Moreover, the two servants on watch can confirm that Gao Shihan was still alive when Gao Ren left the study after delivering the snack, meaning he had no time to commit the crime."
... After Centurion Song finished speaking, Lu Zhenghai squatted down and began to carefully examine Gao Shihan's corpse.
Time passed minute by minute. After a long while, Lu Zhenghai stood up: "Your subordinate has finished the examination."
"Do you have any thoughts? Speak."
Lu Zhenghai: "The cause of death was not suicide. Only by finding the true cause of death can we uncover the murderer!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked stunned. Chief Huang felt somewhat embarrassed, as Lu Zhenghai was his subordinate, so he quickly shouted: "Squad Leader Lu, have you had too much cheap liquor?"
"Reason?" Centurion Song frowned.
"Because the brush was stabbed into the deceased's head by another person after he had already died." Lu Zhenghai stated emphatically.
Centurion Song said indifferently: "As far as I know, after a person dies, the heart stops beating and cannot provide the power for blood flow. If the brush was stabbed into the head after death, there certainly wouldn't be the scene of bloodstains we see now..."
Before them, it was clearly visible that there was a large amount of blood around Gao Shihan's head, and spatter marks were present on the ground and his clothes. It looked exactly as if the brush had pierced an artery near the temple when it was stabbed into the head.
Centurion Song was somewhat disappointed. An Embroidered Uniform Guard Squad Leader who lacked even this basic common sense was useless... However, to everyone's immense surprise, Lu Zhenghai continued:
"The bloodstains can be faked."
"If I were the murderer."
"I could use animal blood to fake the scene."
"I could use the blood of a third party to fake the scene."
"I could use my own blood to fake the scene."
"I could draw blood from the deceased's body to fake the scene."
"There are too many methods."
Of course, Lu Zhenghai leaned toward the murderer having used a third party's blood to stage the scene.
There were three reasons:
First, animal blood could likely be distinguished by the coroners, so that could be ruled out.
Second, if the murderer had to use his own blood to fake the scene, he would definitely want to use as little blood as possible.
Therefore, when the murderer stabbed the brush into the deceased's head, he would intentionally avoid the arteries near the temple.
Yet, the murderer deliberately chose the area near the temple, which bleeds heavily.
This action, on one hand, indicated that the murderer wanted more blood at the scene so that people would subconsciously not consider a post-mortem injury.
On the other hand, he wasn't using his own blood, so he didn't care.
Third, it was even less likely that the murderer would draw blood from the deceased's body, as that would leave an unmistakably clear wound from the blood extraction on the corpse.
In ancient society, there was no DNA testing at all, so who could distinguish the difference between the deceased's blood and a third party's blood?
As Lu Zhenghai's forceful voice fell silent, the entire study was enveloped in quiet.
Centurion Song, Chief Huang, and everyone else present were completely stunned, widening their eyes in shock.
After a long moment of silence, Centurion Song spoke: "That makes some sense, but what you've said is only a possibility derived from inference or speculation, and it lacks sufficient persuasive power."
Lu Zhenghai was unhurried: "Sir, you said Gao Shihan was severely reprimanded by His Majesty, so he specifically used the imperial gift brush as his suicide tool?"
"That is correct."
Lu Zhenghai:
"By using the imperial gift brush as his suicide tool, was Gao Shihan expressing dissatisfaction with His Majesty?"
"Was he not afraid that His Majesty would be angered by this? He himself is dead, but he still has family and the entire Gao clan."
... The murderer probably wanted to provide a reason for Gao Shihan's suicide. Using the imperial gift brush as the suicide tool would make people immediately link it to the Emperor Yu's severe reprimand of Gao Shihan yesterday.
But in Lu Zhenghai's view, this was gilding the lily.
"Are there any other suspicious points? State them all." Centurion Song took a deep breath.
Lu Zhenghai pointed to a potted flower on the desk: "Centurion Sir, that is a Spirit Gathering Flower, isn't it?"
Centurion Song nodded: "Almost all officials in court have a Spirit Gathering Flower in their study; it helps people concentrate while working."
Lu Zhenghai slowly said:
"If I were Gao Shihan, I would absolutely not choose the study to commit suicide."
"Because even if the death process is fast when a brush is stabbed into the head, it still takes more than ten breaths."
"The fragrance of the Spirit Gathering Flower aids concentration, sharpens perception, and clarifies thought."
"Smelling the fragrance of the Spirit Gathering Flower would amplify the pain of the dying process."
... What, was Gao Shihan masochistic? Did he intentionally want a more painful death?
Speaking of which, peculiar and magical flowers like the Spirit Gathering Flower could only be found in a high-martial world.
Lu Zhenghai thought for a moment and continued:
"Committing suicide with a brush is indeed not unusual for a Martial Artist; it's quite normal."
"But choosing to stab the head rather than the chest is telling."
"As is well known, wounds on a living person exhibit signs of life reaction, whereas wounds inflicted after death show no life reaction."
"To put it simply, dead flesh does not rebound."
"I believe the reason the murderer dared not fake a suicide by stabbing the heart with the brush is this:"
"The reason is fear that the coroners might have a chance of noticing the lack of life reaction in the wound near the heart on the chest."
"Stabbing the head, however, is different. The skin and flesh on the head are thin, making the life reaction of the wound very difficult to distinguish."
After all, ancient society lacked precise observation instruments.
In modern society, whether it's the head or the heart, any wound inflicted post-mortem can be easily distinguished.
As Lu Zhenghai's voice trailed off, Centurion Song pondered for a long time before nodding with a serious expression, completely convinced: "It seems the previous preliminary autopsy was insufficient, perhaps even flawed. We need to find several top coroners to perform a new autopsy."
He, a superior whose Rank was much higher than Lu Zhenghai's, couldn't help but feel admiration for Lu Zhenghai.
This Squad Leader Lu has incredible insight, formidable judgment, and calm thinking—he is a great talent!
Although the superior had stipulated that the case must be solved within three days, concluding it as a suicide would have been beneficial for Centurion Song.
Now, Lu Zhenghai had single-handedly turned the suicide into a murder, seemingly putting Centurion Song in a difficult spot.
However, Centurion Song did not blame Lu Zhenghai; instead, he felt appreciation and gratitude.
Because if he couldn't solve it within three days, he would at most be reprimanded and receive a minor punishment.
But if he investigated the case incorrectly, he absolutely could not bear the consequences.
In cases involving the unnatural death of an official, after the truth is ascertained, the file must be submitted to the superior for review. If the investigation is wrong, there is a chance it will be discovered, so it must be treated with one thousand percent seriousness.
Lu Zhenghai cupped his hands: "Your subordinate suggests that Sir move Gao Shihan's body back to the Garrison. The Garrison has more professional autopsy facilities and tools."
A new autopsy was one aspect; the other was that Lu Zhenghai wanted to send Centurion Song, Chief Huang, and the others away.
His mind was currently preoccupied with the bookcase in the study.
Hidden inside the bookcase were 70,000 taels in silver notes and a letter.
He truly couldn't wait to get his hands on them.
"Squad Leader Lu, if it is truly discovered that Gao Shihan died from another cause, you will receive the primary merit!" Centurion Song said solemnly.
The way others looked at Lu Zhenghai also changed; Squad Leader Lu was about to achieve fame in one battle. Chief Huang, in particular, felt proud, as Lu Zhenghai was his subordinate.
"Your subordinate is immensely grateful!"
Hearing the words "primary merit," Lu Zhenghai felt pleased and immediately flattered his superior.
Centurion Song was efficient, walking directly out of the study: "Take Gao Shihan's body and return to the Garrison!"
He had already decided that upon returning to the Garrison, he would immediately invite the best coroners in the Imperial City.
Everyone followed Centurion Song out of the study.
Only Lu Zhenghai remained: "Centurion Sir, I won't return to the Garrison yet. I want to examine this study again; perhaps I can find some clues."
"Very well." Centurion Song agreed without hesitation.
After everyone else left, only Lu Zhenghai, Zhou Hu, and Zhao Black Pillar remained.
"The two of you stand guard at the door and do not allow anyone to enter," Lu Zhenghai ordered.
In the study, only Lu Zhenghai remained.
He stood in the center of the study, continuously scrutinizing the bookcase before him.
After a long time, he focused on one specific book among the hundreds placed on the shelf.
The reason was simple: this book looked ordinary, but upon careful observation, it was clear that it had been handled slightly more than the others.
Lu Zhenghai walked forward and picked up the book.
The book itself had nothing special about it.
But once the book was removed, the wooden inner surface of the shelf, which had been covered by the book, was exposed.
Lu Zhenghai ran his hand over the inner surface of the shelf and actually felt a wooden button.
It was an extremely concealed, very subtle wooden button; if one didn't meticulously feel around, it would be impossible to detect.
Lu Zhenghai pressed the button.
"Click..."
Following the sound, the thick cabinet door of the bookcase, which Lu Zhenghai had completely overlooked, actually popped out a small drawer.
Lu Zhenghai was dumbfounded.
This craftsmanship was impressive!
A hidden drawer built into the cabinet door? The workmanship was so exquisite that it was completely invisible to the naked eye.
To open the drawer, one also needed to press a mechanism button, tsk... The drawer indeed contained a stack of silver notes, totaling 70,000 taels.
There was also a letter.
After Lu Zhenghai closed the drawer, he immediately opened the envelope to read the letter.
Then, his eyes trembled violently; the content of the letter was actually...