Lady Ma let out a cold chuckle, glancing at Su Wu Ming.
With her meticulously applied U-shaped rouge, every frown and smile held a certain charm.
Compared to Lady Ma, overflowing with allure,
Ying Tao and Pei Xi Jun paled in comparison.
Lady Ma calmly recounted the events of that night:
“I was missing my husband and wasn't in the bedroom. I slept in the western prayer hall, focused on praying for my husband. I didn't know anything about that night... You can ask the maids in my manor about this.”
Su Wu Ming feigned understanding:
“No need, I believe you. Because Lu Ling Feng went to the Ma Manor early that morning, and you were home. There was a storm all night. He said you looked very well and calm, so you must have slept very well.”
Then, he turned to Lu Ling Feng and asked:
“You said that day when you were looking at the horses, some had their tails braided. Only horses about to be used have their tails braided. Lady Ma, can you show me the horses?”
Lady Ma replied, “Want to see, then go see.”
Everyone immediately rose from their seats.
They walked towards the stables.
Sure enough.
Besides the celestial steed, there were a few other fine horses with their tails braided.
Thus, the evidence was complete.
The deduction was valid.
Everything fell into place.
So far, there was only one remaining mystery.
Su Wu Ming asked again, “A year ago, who was the mysterious person who helped Lady Ma punish that ruffian Sun Wang? Surely General Ma wasn't back in Chang'an at that time?”
Hearing this, Wang Lin tapped his chin thoughtfully.
He thought to himself, Su Wu Ming is truly Su Wu Ming.
There were almost no blind spots before him.
Therefore, he no longer hid it and revealed his identity.
Wang Lin declared loudly, “It was me. To be honest, a year ago, I was just a minor official in the Imperial Stable. I had just been recognized by the princess and hadn't even changed my post yet. I was invited to the Ma Manor to tend to the horses, and Sun Wang came with me.”
Guo Zhuang exclaimed excitedly, “So it was Wang Shaoqing! Shaoqing Wang is a true gentleman, a champion of justice. You taught that Sun Wang a lesson, I say. Breaking his leg was too lenient! You did well!”
As soon as he said that, everyone looked at Guo Zhuang with strange expressions.
“Sun Wang, a man of the government office, how dare you say such things?,” Lu Ling Feng chided appropriately.
However, he then sneered with arrogance, “But, you said it well. You spoke my thoughts!”
Ying Tao also spoke up: “Yeah, I say, this Sun Wang deserves to die! He died a good death!”
Pei Xi Jun, however, focused on something else: “If that's the case, where is General Ma Xiong now? Why did he become a demon and kill people?”
Su Wu Ming replied, “A good question. That's the direction of our next investigation. Why would a general stationed on the frontier appear in Chang'an and become a demon? I have a feeling that great things are going to happen in Chang'an. It's not going to be good for Chang'an!”
Up to this point, the case was clear and logical.
The circle was closed.
The cause of Sun Wang's death was found.
The investigation was so efficient.
Guo Zhuang began to flatter him again, “Sir, you are truly a divine being!”
Su Wu Ming also said with admiration, “I didn't expect Brother Wang to have such talent in investigation. From now on, I will rely on you, Brother Wang!”
The trip to the Ma Manor.
All the truths were revealed.
Everyone had a new direction.
However, regarding these horses,
there were still some details and evidence to be processed and collected.
Therefore, Su Wu Ming stayed behind.
Lu Ling Feng led the others to pursue new leads. Wang Lin also left the Ma Manor at the right time.
Soon, only Su Wu Ming and Lady Ma were left at the stables.
Lady Ma pouted, “I'm tired, you can look on your own.”
With that, she turned and left.
Once she was back in her room, she slammed the door shut.
Then, she plopped onto the floor, gasping for breath, “Good thing I got away with it. Wang Lang is truly Wang Lang. These people from the Ministry of Justice are easy to fool. The key is that it's seamless! There's no flaw to be found!”
However, at that moment, someone tapped on the window beside her.
Lady Ma was startled.
She quickly got up.
But when she saw the shadow, she breathed a sigh of relief and quietly asked, “Wang Lang~ Why are you back?”
Wang Lin climbed in through the window.
He immediately pressed Lady Ma against the door and said, “Who else can you blame? Blame yourself for being so beautiful today.”
…
Su Wu Ming finished trimming the horsehair and made it into a simple specimen.
Looking back, he saw Lady Ma staring at him from the window in the distance.
Su Wu Ming was startled and felt guilty. “Lady, I just trimmed the horsehair as evidence to be sealed. No problem, right?”
Lady Ma smiled and waved her slender hand, “No… problem.”
“Alright, I'll be on my way then. Lady, you don't have to see me off.”
“Hm.”
As Su Wu Ming walked away, all the maids, under Lady Ma's instructions, moved away.
Lady Ma could no longer bear it.
She leaned weakly against the window sill…
Soon, the wind roared.
It was destined to be another stormy night.
…………
The next day.
Wang Lin arrived at the Ministry of Justice on time.
In fact, his time was still pressing.
As the saying goes, “An open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against.”
Temporarily resolving the crisis at the Ma Manor didn’t mean the crisis was truly over.
Those ‘hidden arrows’ in the shadows were even harder to defend against.
Lu Ling Feng was simply designed and eliminated by the ‘higher-ups’ because his position as the junior minister of the Ministry of Justice might hinder their plans.
His position was now similar to Lu Ling Feng’s.
It was even more dangerous than Lu Ling Feng’s.
Therefore, he had to
solve the case as soon as possible. The sooner he apprehended those so-called ‘higher-ups’ and demon soldiers, the better!
They wouldn't die.
Wang Lin would have no peace of mind!
However, at that moment, Wang Lin saw Lu Ling Feng wearing armor, going to the Cheng Fo Temple to destroy the murals.
In his words, if the other party used the demon escaping the wall and killing people to create chaos, then destroying the murals would definitely force the mastermind to reveal themselves!
Wang Lin nodded slightly.
He had to admit, this was indeed a good idea.
It was also the most direct method.
But Lu Ling Feng alone might not have the guts or the will to destroy the demon subduing murals in the Cheng Fo Temple.
Therefore, he asked Su Wu Ming, “Did Lu Ling Feng go to the Prince's Mansion last night?”
Su Wu Ming was in a panic, “Yes! He did go to the Prince's Mansion last night.”
Wang Lin nodded.
This demon subduing mural was created by the princess. It was ostensibly to pray for the Empress Dowager's peace of mind in the underworld, but in reality, it was to intimidate the Crown Prince.
Of course, the Crown Prince was unwilling to sit back and do nothing, so he instigated Lu Ling Feng.
Perhaps Lu Ling Feng didn't even realize that he was being used as a pawn.
At this moment, Lu Ling Feng’s son with the princess was not exposed to Prince Li Long Ji.
In other words, Li Long Ji was already so cunning that he could kill his pawns without hesitation.
Didn’t Li Long Ji know that destroying the demon subduing murals would offend someone?
Didn’t he know the consequences of offending the princess?
No!
He had been fighting with the princess for so many years.
He knew too well.