The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion

Chapter 438: Remove the Roots Completely

An old fox was indeed cunning!

After coming out of the Military and Horse Division of the Five Cities, Sun Shaozong couldn't help but sigh in secret. Just then, taking advantage of the opportunity to negotiate official duties, he repeatedly spoke and tried to figure out what was causing Commander Qiu’s hair to turn white overnight.

Regardless of how Sun Shaozong provoked him, either Commander Qiu remained silent or talked to others, but in the end, he didn't even reveal a word.

But…

His cautious attitude further proved that the things hidden behind him were not insignificant.

What exactly was it?

Holding the documents and official credentials issued by the Military and Horse Division of the Five Cities, Sun Shaozong walked down the steps with a restless spirit, preparing to take a carriage to rush to the government office and hand over the transfer of troops.

Unexpectedly, the coachman Zhang Cheng hurriedly welcomed him and said in a trembling voice, "Second Master, something big has happened! I heard that last night, the Crown Prince's ”dragon root” was bitten off by someone.”

Someone bit off the Crown Prince's ”dragon root?”

It turned out that Zhang Cheng was thirsty just now, so he went to a nearby tea stall and asked for a large bowl of herbal tea.

Just as he was drinking, he heard someone talking about it next to him, vividly telling the story.

It was said that three years ago, when Prince Yizhong was imprisoned, his favorite Concubine, Li-Shi, claimed to have died unexpectedly. However, secretly, she was sent to the Crown Prince's Residence using the exchange strategy.

It turned out that the Crown Prince had heard of her beautiful name for a long time and wanted to take care of her by his side.

Who knew that although this woman came from a worldly background, she was a resolute person? She refused to obey any coercion or inducement and instead wanted to die several times.

In the end, the Crown Prince lost his patience and instead resorted to a domineering force, which lasted for more than two years. As Li-Shi refused to comply, he had to use some tools to assist during this period.

After the eclipse yesterday, the Crown Prince felt uneasy and couldn't help but go to find her for entertainment.

Who knew that when he was in high spirits, he used up the object in Li's mouth, which prevented her jaws from closing, but something went wrong. As a result, Li's two rows of silver teeth were ruthless, biting off the Crown Prince's dragon root!

(EN: OMG! XD That must have hurt alot.)

“Second Master.”

Speaking of this, Zhang Cheng said again, "After hearing these words, I originally intended to quietly call out to the people of the Five Cities Army and Horse Division to take that guy down. But after taking a few steps down, I had taken back. Because many people on the street were discussing this matter, and I didn't dare to act recklessly.”

Tch!

Unexpectedly, Commander Qiu's secretive and shocking secret had already been widely circulated among the people!

After hearing these words, Sun Shaozong already believed 80% of his trouble was this news. No matter how he listened to this news, it didn't seem like it could be fabricated in the market.

If this news were true, then the anxiety and unease of Prince Zhongshun and Commander Qiu could all be explained!

Unlike the Crown Prince, who gave birth to a large number of children, Emperor Guangde faced difficulties in inheriting his descendants. It was not until age 34 that Empress Zhao gave birth to a son, now the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was only nineteen years old and had no children. If he had lost his dragon root, wouldn't Emperor Guangde's lineage be extinct?

And if no one knew about this matter, it would still be fine. Now that there was news all around, how could a eunuch inherit the throne?

Therefore, the crisis of extinction was already imminent!

Although it was not uncommon for Emperors to have no heir, it was common to adopt a nephew from a close relative to inherit the throne.

Not to forget, Emperor Guangde still had a Crown Prince, and now it was a natural anomaly. It was probably not up to Emperor Guangde himself to decide who to choose as the heir!

If there was a disagreement between the Supreme Emperor and Emperor Guangde regarding the selection of the successor...

In addition, as soon as the solar eclipse occurred, the Crown Prince’s dragon root was bitten in the blink of an eye. Now the news was even more well-known, and if there was nothing fishy about it, Sun Shaozong was determined not to believe it!

But who was the person behind the scenes?

What was the purpose of wanting to sever the descendants of Emperor Guangde?

Along the way, Sun Shaozong's head was as big as a fist.

After arriving at the government office, he held the official documents and credentials and walked to the Criminal Department, only to realize that these things were to be handed over to Han Anbang.

Just as he was about to turn back, he heard someone in the hall exclaim joyfully, "Your Excellency, you have come.”

Upon hearing the sound, Sun Shaozong turned around and saw Yang Licai, the Hundred Households of the Northern Detective Department, rushing out of the hall like a flying bird. He bowed forward and said, "I was ordered to ask you back to the Northern Detective Department for deliberation.”

Going to the Northern Detective Department for deliberation?

Seeing that there was no one else around, Sun Shaozong immediately lowered his voice and asked, "Did you call me over to discuss this matter for the assassination of the Crown Prince?”

If the news of the Crown Prince's downfall were only spread at the level of Prince Zhongshun and Commander Qiu, Sun Shaozong, a mere fifth-grade official, would naturally not be eligible to participate.

But now that this news has been widely circulated, was there a more suitable candidate than Sun Shaozong to quickly uncover the clues?

As expected, Yang Licai lowered his voice and said, "I'm not sure if it's for the Crown Prince's case, but the Pacifer indeed asked you to go back to discuss the matter after receiving the order.”

He said that he was not sure, but after hearing it, there was no doubt.

So Sun Shaozong instructed Yang Licai to wait outside the government office first until he had completed the handover of his official duties and reported it clearly to Minister Han before returning with him to the Northern Detective Department for deliberation.

Sun Shaozong and Yang Licai split up while he pondered how to investigate the ”Dragon Root Case” while walking toward Minister Han.

On the surface, the biggest suspect in this case was naturally the remaining party of Prince Yizhong. After all, the perpetrator was Prince Yizhong's favorite Concubine.

But Sun Shaozong always felt that this matter was not that simple.

Since the person imprisoned by the Crown Prince was Prince Yizhong's beloved Concubine, and it was known that Prince Yizhong's remaining followers had been lurking in the Capital waiting for opportunities to cause chaos, how could he not prevent it?

Was the ”political review” of the Crown Prince's Residence fraudulent?!

While pondering the intricacies of this, suddenly someone in front of him raised his voice and said, "Inspector of the Thousand Household, please stay.”

Sun Shaozong looked up, and it was two small officials of the Dragon Guard, guarding the gate of the office courtyard like two generals.

“You are?”

“I am a lowly person who accompanies the nobles in the Palace to deliver orders.”

One of the small officials said this, turned around and looked furtively, then lowered his voice and said, "I'm afraid we need to change the owner of this courtyard.”

Tch!

Last night, the court ordered the Central Judicial Office to control public opinion, and in the blink of an eye, rumors began to spread, and it was indeed necessary for someone to come out and carry the blame.

It seemed that from today on, the era of Han Anbang has come to a complete end.