27: The affair was exposed and condemned by thousands of people

“......”

Lu Zhao silently removed the mask from his face, revealing a disfigured, scarred face from a fire.

“Lu… Lu Qi… it’s you…”

When Zhang Yun saw that face, her expression turned to horror, and she let out a scream, instantly collapsing to the ground.

Lu Zhao stared at Zhang Yun with a sinister smile and said, “Bitch, you didn’t expect it was me, did you! When your father and you harmed me back then, did you ever think there would be a day like this?”

Xie Weilou calmly looked at Lu Zhao, waiting for him to continue.

Lu Zhao showed a desolate expression: “Back then, Zhang Zai was just a county magistrate in Baihe County, and I was a yamen runner. Zhang Yun and I were already at the point of discussing marriage. Unfortunately, something happened later. That bitch Zhang Yun, under the guise of cooking for me, drugged me and then set my house on fire, trying to burn me alive.”

He chuckled self-deprecatingly: “When I woke up, my face was completely disfigured. It took me more than half a year to recover. Later, I found out that Zhang Zai had been promoted, becoming the Ministry of Works Vice Minister in Tianqi City, and that bitch Zhang Yun had even married Xu Pan. I wished I could slice them all into a thousand pieces. I secretly infiltrated the Xu Residence, working for Xu Pan and gaining his trust. Half a month ago, I happened to discover Steward Ma and that bitch Zhang Yun having an affair. Naturally, I became even more furious. That bitch truly deserves to die!”

“Killing them isn’t enough to vent your anger, is it?”

Xie Weilou asked.

“Naturally! So I orchestrated everything, getting rid of that dog Zhang Zai, and then, using Steward Ma and that bitch Zhang Yun’s hands, getting rid of Xu Pan. This way, they go to prison, awaiting execution, their affair is exposed, and they will be condemned by thousands and scorned by all. Isn’t that much more satisfying for me?”

Lu Zhao’s face showed a twisted smile.

“You… you lunatic.”

Zhang Yun angrily pointed at Lu Zhao.

“A person who has already died once, how could he not be mad?”

Lu Zhao sneered.

Xie Weilou said, “You just mentioned something happened later, which seems to be related to what’s in the secret compartment.”

Lu Zhao took out an account book from his clothes: “You’ll know what happened when you read the account book yourselves.”

Lin Qinghuang reached out and took the account book, but she did not look at it; instead, she put it away directly.

“You used a strange poison to kill Zhang Zai and Xu Pan, didn’t you?”

Xie Weilou spoke.

This statement was actually a deliberate guide, as the substance Lu Zhao used to kill them should be inseparable from the half piece of tea cake he found in Xu Pan’s room.

However, he did not intend to let Lu Zhao say it publicly, as it might be useful later.

Lu Zhao did not refute, only saying, “It is indeed a strange poison. After being poisoned, one’s whole body will heat up, heart rate will accelerate, leading to irritability. At this point, if the temperature cannot be lowered, one can only wait for death by angina.”

“Lowering the temperature can suppress the toxin?”

The members of Tianquan Division stared at Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao sneered, “How could it be that simple? After being poisoned, the whole body heats up and craves cold places, but if one stays in a cold place for too long, the body will lose temperature, but the brain will not feel it, gradually leading to blurred consciousness and hallucinations.”

“......”

When everyone heard this, they instantly understood the key to Zhang Zai’s death.

After Zhang Zai was poisoned, his whole body heated up, and he walked out of the pavilion to brave the cold wind.

As he continued to brave the wind, his brain did not perceive it, his body gradually lost temperature, and in a state of blurred consciousness, he experienced hallucinations, falling headfirst into the pond, which explains the bump on his forehead.

Xie Weilou nodded slightly. Having investigated this far, both cases could be closed. He looked at Lin Qinghuang: “The cases have been clarified. I’m tired; I’m going back to sleep.”

“Go ahead!”

Lin Qinghuang waved her hand.

This guy Xie Weilou is indeed not simple.

His analytical ability and knack for setting traps for people alone surpass many in the Tianquan Division.

There are still some questionable points in this case that are worth pondering, but they are not major issues. The flaws do not overshadow the brilliance; it is already very good that Xie Weilou could investigate this far.

“......”

Xie Weilou yawned, put his hands in his sleeves, and turned to leave the pavilion.

Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, and others stared at Xie Weilou, a look of admiration in their eyes. Who said Xie Weilou was a useless fop?

His ability to solve cases made them feel ashamed!

However, earlier at Wansha House, Xie Weilou had said that he was a fop, but that didn't mean he was useless. Now, they deeply agreed with Xie Weilou's words.

A fop merely has the capital to eat, drink, gamble, and frequent brothels, allowing him to play every day, but it doesn't mean he's not smart.

— — — —

After leaving Xu Pan’s residence, Xie Weilou rushed to Seven Nights Snow.

Inside the private room.

“Greetings, Landlord.”

June and Qiyue bowed to Xie Weilou.

Xie Weilou gently waved his hand: “No need for formalities. How are the matters I asked you to investigate?”

June took out three letters and handed them to Xie Weilou, saying, “They have been clarified.”

“The speed of your work is quite fast.”

Xie Weilou thought to himself. He took the letters, opened the first one, and glanced at it.

“Qingyuan Taoist Temple.”

Xie Weilou’s eyes narrowed.

According to the content of the letter, after the Lin family was destroyed, Lu Yuan changed his identity and became a Taoist priest, now serving as a lamp attendant in Qingyuan Taoist Temple.

And this Qingyuan Taoist Temple is located on Qingyuan Mountain, twenty li north of Tianqi City.

June respectfully asked, “ Landlord, Qingyuan Taoist Temple seems a bit strange, as if it hides some secret. Should we go and capture that Lu Yuan?”

Xie Weilou shook his head: “I have my own plans for this matter.”

He continued to open the second and third letters.

Before the Lin family's destruction, they had dealings with the Second Prince.

When the Lin family was destroyed, a group of people from Wuya Pavilion indeed took action.

“......”

When Xie Weilou read this, his eyebrows slightly raised. Everything seemed to point to the Second Prince. Could the Second Prince truly be the one behind the Lin family’s destruction?

This matter is probably not that simple!

Some things, the more obvious they are, the more suspicious they become.

However, since he now knows Lu Yuan's whereabouts, as long as he finds him, he can obtain some crucial information, and then perhaps he can find out the real answer!

He put down the letters.

Xie Weilou took out the half piece of tea cake and handed it to June, asking, “Do you recognize this?”

June took the tea cake and sniffed it gently. Her pupils constricted: “This is tianqi gold tea. Ten years ago, it was very popular in Tianqi City. Because it was too rare and had to be exchanged for gold, it was deeply loved by some powerful nobles.”

Her tone paused, and she continued: “However, later, some people who drank this tea experienced sudden cardiac arrest and died. This tea then gradually faded from public view, but even now, some people still sell it secretly. This piece of tea cake seems to have had something else added to it. If consumed, it would be very difficult to survive.”

Xie Weilou asked, “Who is selling it?”

The actual cause of Zhang Zai and Xu Pan’s deaths should be this tea.

If Lu Zhao brought ordinary items to Zhang Zai, would Zhang Zai be willing to see him? Even if he was Xu Pan’s bodyguard, it wouldn’t work.

There is only one possibility: he brought this gold-like tea, and he used Xu Pan’s name, saying it was a gift from Xu Pan to his father-in-law.

Upon hearing about tianqi gold tea, Zhang Zai would certainly be very excited and immediately want to taste it, which led to his subsequent death.

However, how could a small figure like Lu Zhao get his hands on this golden tea?

As he had previously speculated, someone was orchestrating everything, prompting Lin Qinghuang to investigate certain things. That account book is crucial; it must contain extremely important information.

June nodded and said, “According to the information controlled by Seven Nights Snow, Zilan Teahouse is selling this tea. The power behind Zilan Teahouse is the Third Prince, but he hides very deeply and always stays behind the scenes, never appearing in person.”

“Zilan Teahouse? Third Prince? Interesting!”

Xie Weilou’s eyes narrowed. It seemed the account book was a setup.

This setup might be aimed at the Second Prince.

After all, the appearance of Tianya Sword earlier already pointed to the Second Prince as being involved in the Lin family’s destruction. Now, coincidentally, this case also falls on the Second Hall.

As the orchestrator, they would definitely want to press on, continuously setting up traps, so that things would become more coherent and achieve the desired effect.

As for this golden tea, it is another setup. Lin Qinghuang will certainly discover many clues when investigating the account book, and if she investigates the golden tea further, she will likely trace it back to the Third Prince.

Or, perhaps this golden tea was originally from the Third Prince, with the aim of causing trouble for the Second Prince? As for the golden tea left at the scene, was it because Lu Zhao hadn't had time to destroy it?

If so, leaving this piece of tea cake at the scene is too big a flaw.

Xie Weilou was more inclined to believe that someone wanted to target both the Second Prince and the Third Prince. If that were the case, the person behind this would have a certain level of capability.

“Later, help me do something…”

Xie Weilou instructed June on a few matters.

Since someone wanted to set up a scheme, he would muddy the waters and make these fish in the scheme dart around chaotically.

“Understood.”

June bowed.

Xie Weilou drank a cup of wine and then left Seven Nights Snow…