Wei Ming rode his horse back to Chang'an City.
He planned to visit the three government departments, one by one.
First, it would be convenient to retrieve the case files on missing people in Chang'an.
Wu Da Qi's drowning death in the County Lieutenant's residence had caused a considerable stir, drawing the close attention of the Censorate, the Ministry of Punishments, and the Dali Temple, the three departments.
All the files had been taken away.
As a result, Su Wu Ming didn't even know how many brides had gone missing.
Lu Ling Feng had previously copied a file, but he envied and resented Su Wu Ming's status as a disciple of Di Gong, so he was unwilling to share it with Su Wu Ming.
He went to investigate the case files to find the brides buried in the four directions.
Secondly, it would help increase the unlock level of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques.
With a slight movement of his thoughts.
A black health bar appeared: [Summoning Spirits Unlock Level: 2%!]
He had swallowed Wu Da Qi's soul and summoned Dou Cong's soul, but only achieved 2% unlock level.
What if he swallowed and summoned more souls?
Would it increase the unlock level?
While Summoning Spirits wasn't weak, it was already sufficient for solving cases, but the other seven extraordinary techniques were even more extraordinary, one after another.
Take All-Round Hands for example, it could add, delete, modify memories, alter appearances, and control people's souls.
It could also reshape severed limbs and revive the critically injured and dying, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it could bring the dead back to life.
With this extraordinary technique, he could completely eliminate his own life-threatening risks and have an extra layer of protection when traveling the world in the future.
"Su Wu Ming should be at the West Market Lieutenant Kang Yuan Li's place right now, investigating the source of the incense used in the Return Soul Incense, right?"
"Right, tonight there will be a good show, Lu Ling Feng will pretend to be a gambler and try to extract more information, then two human traffickers will show up, and later Song Chai will be shot dead by a Golden Guard soldier for violating the curfew!"
"But none of this has anything to do with me."
"Let them investigate, let them stir up trouble, let Emperor Li Dan, Princess Taiping, and Crown Prince Li Long Ji be implicated, and then the case can be closed!"
Although the Flying Goddess had unknown backers and forces behind her.
The so-called Chang'an Red Tea Case was just a bullet fired by Emperor Li Dan at Princess Taiping, which later affected Li Long Ji and caused widespread panic in Chang'an.
Li Long Ji had no choice but to join forces with Princess Taiping to restrain Emperor Li Dan.
Thus, the case was solved, but the three emperors had successfully detached themselves from it.
However, those with discerning eyes, such as Su Wu Ming, Pei Jian, and others, saw through it.
Only Lu Ling Feng, who was young and successful, was still blindly charging forward.
But this time, Lu Ling Feng will be betrayed by Crown Prince Li Long Ji!
He will also be stripped of his military authority!
"And my goal is simple, to use the Chang'an Red Tea Case to gain the dissatisfaction of the Emperor, and the attention and support of Princess Taiping and Li Long Ji, and then be sent out on a mission under the guise of protection!"
Being a double agent isn't bad, as long as Princess Taiping and Li Long Ji don't actively cause trouble for him, otherwise, he wouldn't mind changing the ruler of the Li Tang dynasty!
Lost in deep thought, he finally reached the Censorate.
As soon as he entered the Censorate, a large group of Imperial Censors and Assistant Censors surrounded him as if they had seen a stunning beauty.
Their eager gazes were filled with admiration.
"Brother Wei is back?"
"Brother Wei, you've been working hard!"
"Brother Wei is truly a hero of our Great Tang!"
"Brother Wei's talent is truly extraordinary, I daresay, it's no less than Cao Zi Jian!"
"Indeed, indeed, the world's talent is only a single bushel, and Brother Wei alone has nine and a half!"
Wei Ming was completely bewildered: "Fellow officials, I'm a little confused, what exactly happened?"
Xiao Song, who was also an Imperial Censor, stepped forward and said excitedly: "Painting! Calligraphy! Poetry!"
"Brother Wei's 'Lingbo Fairy' painting, the calligraphy in the 'Slender Gold' style, and that sensational masterpiece, 'Qing Ping Tune', have all been spread around."
"Now, Brother Wei's painting has been privately traded for three thousand gold by those who are eager to own it!"
Wei Ming suddenly realized, it was because of the poetry and painting he had done at the Pei Manor last night.
But how did it get leaked and spread throughout Chang'an?
"Clouds seem to be thinking of clothes, flowers seem to be thinking of faces, spring wind brushes against the railing, revealing dew like thick cream, tsk tsk tsk, even if we spend our entire lives, we could never compose such exquisite poetry, Brother Wei, you are truly a genius!"
"Please, Brother Wei, demonstrate the 'Slender Gold' style for us, Wang has always loved calligraphy, his life's goal is to create a new style of calligraphy, but my talent is shallow and my emotions are thin, I am unable to do so."
"Brother Wei, can you teach us about that fine brushwork and sketching, my ancestor was Yan Li Ben."
For a moment, the Censorate almost turned into a marketplace.
Finally, someone stepped forward and shouted, "Within the Censorate, we investigate the world, rectify the court, yet you commit offenses against the law yourselves, you should be punished even more severely!"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Censors in the hall fell silent, not daring to utter a word.
They also made way for a path.
Wei Ming looked up and saw an elderly man in his sixties, with a thin and lean appearance and a tall and straight posture.
Bi Gou, the current Left Censorate Minister.
The head of the Censorate.
No wonder no one dared to be boisterous.
Wherever Bi Gou's gaze landed, people would lower their heads.
"Alright, all of you go back to your duties."
With the pardon, the Censors scattered like a swarm of bees.
Then Bi Gou's cold face changed, and he smiled warmly: "Imperial Censor Wei, can you write an article for this old man, hmm, in the 'Slender Gold' style."
As he spoke, Bi Gou's old face flushed red: "This old man... loves calligraphy!"
Wei Ming was stunned for a few seconds, then nodded and gave a strange smile: "It's my honor that my calligraphy has caught the eye of Minister Bi."
Bi Gou waved his hand and took Wei Ming to his study.
Wei Ming wrote an article, and Bi Gou couldn't put it down.
"Good writing! Good calligraphy! The strokes are erratic and fast, the characters are thin and strong, thin but not lacking in flesh, the turns clearly show the hidden and exposed brushstrokes, wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
"This style of calligraphy has never appeared in the works of calligraphers before."
Wei Ming carefully explained: "I have combined the brilliance of past masters, modifying the strokes to be strong and sharp, the strokes are thin, sharp, yet with a full and elegant spirit, the horizontals are like crane bones, the hooks like heron beaks, the final strokes like orchid leaves, the slants like golden needles, thin, elegant, and strong, since it's a unique style, I have boldly named it 'Slender Gold'!"
"Originally, it was '筋' (muscle), but because the inherent structure is strong and beautiful, with an elegant charm, like bending iron and breaking gold, I changed '筋' to '金' (gold)!"
Bi Gou put down the writing paper and looked at Wei Ming, a handsome young man: "With this calligraphy, you can secure a place in the literary circles of Great Tang!"
"This old man doesn't like to take your writing for free, take this, as a payment for your work."
As he spoke, he tossed Wei Ming a token.
"This is?"
"The Censorate Seal, you can investigate anything in the world!"
Wei Ming left the Censorate with a pile of case files on missing brides.
The Censorate Seal?
He didn't believe that Bi Gou had given it to him, Bi Gou didn't have that authority.
So who could it be?
The Emperor? The Crown Prince? Or Princess Taiping?
"Whatever, with this seal, I'll be able to investigate anything I want with a smooth path!"
Then, Wei Ming went to the Meridian Gate, the Vegetable Market, and the Execution Ground, collecting a dozen souls, then he went to the Ministry of Punishments' prison and the Dali Temple's prison, collecting over a hundred souls.
After swallowing them, his mental power increased rapidly, and his five senses became more acute and sensitive.
He could see and hear clearly from two li away.
Even at night, with the enhancement of his night vision, it was no different from daytime.
Awesome!
Looking again at the Summoning Spirits unlock level, the black health bar had progressed to 10%.
With the increase in unlock level, a new ability was unlocked, Ghost Servant Binding and Ghost Slave Taming!
"Keep going, go to the three government departments and the execution platform at the execution ground every day."
"Try to raise the unlock level to sixty percent."
According to the system rules, once the unlock level reaches sixty percent, a new Eight Extraordinary Techniques will be unlocked.
Wei Ming didn't go back to his mansion, instead, he went to the Pei Manor.
As soon as he saw the entrance to the Pei Manor, he saw thousands of literati, scholars, and students gathered there, a sea of people, all clamoring to see the 'Lingbo Fairy' painting.
The Golden Guards couldn't drive them away, these scholars were frail and weak, a slight touch could cause them to fracture.
If it was ordinary people, it would be fine, but these scholars were all skilled with words, if you touched them, you might be verbally abused later!
Wei Ming was helpless, wow, paper is expensive in Chang'an!