80: Cheng Jushu was beheaded in the street!

Chapter 80: Cheng Jushu Beheaded in the Street! Patrol Division Captain, In Danger!

The person's speed was extremely fast, leaving behind several afterimages.

That person pushed Fan Xian, and an arrow shot into Fan Xian's arm, missing vital points.

Only when the afterimage stood still did Fan Xian see that the person was a middle-aged man with excellent lightness skill.

He had a pale, beardless face, a somewhat honest appearance, and held another arrow in his hand.

“Uh! Uh!”

The two women in white were suddenly knocked unconscious from behind by several men in green, then thrown directly from the second floor onto Niulan Street.

The leader of the men in green said, “The surrounding danger has been eliminated!

Wang Qinian, keep these two alive and hand them over to the Supervisory Council for interrogation.”

Wang Qinian cupped his hands to the men in green and said, “Your subordinate obeys!”

Afterward, the men in green flashed into the pavilion and disappeared.

Only then did Fan Xian realize that this person, so fast that he only left afterimages, was Commander Wang Qinian of the Shadow Guard.

“Thank you, Commander Wang…”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Wang Qinian sternly reprimanded him.

“Whose Young Master are you? Do you have any sense?”

“The danger hasn't even been eliminated, and you're running around everywhere. It's bad enough you're running, but you're also shouting randomly!”

“What are you shouting for? Are you shouting for assassins to kill you?!”

Fan Xian felt a wave of depression. He was just momentarily agitated; who would have thought he'd actually summon assassins?

Xing Yusen, hearing the commotion, also rushed out, “Lao Wang, this is Young Miss Ruo Ruo's elder brother, Fan Xian.”

Xing Yusen had seen Fan Xian at the poetry gathering, but Wang Qinian had not, so he didn't recognize him.

Wang Qinian glanced at Fan Xian, thinking to himself, so this is His Majesty's illegitimate imperial son.

Combining this with the series of commotions Fan Xian had stirred up since entering the capital, Wang Qinian basically believed this to be true.

“You just entered the city and were ambushed by several women, and now you're being assassinated. Why are you everywhere?”

Fan Xian's expression brightened as he said, “Commander Wang believes I was framed?”

Wang Qinian raised an eyebrow, “What a joke! In broad daylight, and with eight women!”

“No normal person would do such a thing; anyone with eyes can see it's a frame-up.”

“It's just that people only believe what they want to believe.”

Fan Xian couldn't help but sigh. These two subordinates of Prince Yong were both very capable. If not for them, he would have died twice today.

“Two commanders, the men in green who just knocked out the masked women, their cultivation seemed very high?”

Wang Qinian chuckled, “From the Inner Court. They were a bit closer than me, and able to arrive at the same time as me, so they have some skill.”

The Inner Court, that meant they were sent by the Emperor, no wonder Wang Qinian was so respectful.

As they were talking, another figure descended from the sky.

“Wang Qinian, have the assassins been caught? Who were they trying to assassinate?”

Wang Qinian cupped his hands to that person and said, “Division Commander Ye, I just arrived too. Let Lao Xing tell you.”

Xing Yusen said, “Division Commander Ye, it's the Northern Qi spy Cheng Jushu, attempting to assassinate Young Master Fan Xian of the Fan Manor.”

The Ninth Rank Upper Level expert glanced at Fan Xian, then showed an expression of disdain.

Wang Qinian said, “Division Commander Ye arrived so late. So you knew Fan Xian was being assassinated, and deliberately delayed a step, eh?”

Ye Zhong's daughter, Ye Ling'er, had her arm broken by Fan Xian, so Wang Qinian's joke was not funny at all.

However, the Capital Garrison Division relied heavily on the Shadow Guard, which was why Wang Qinian dared to joke around with him.

“Hmph! Wang Qinian, don't talk nonsense.”

Ye Zhong was also very annoyed. Fan Xian was someone Emperor Qing valued, so he couldn't really do anything to Fan Xian.

After Ye Zhong arrived, Zong Zhui also rushed over. Seeing that Fan Xian was unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If Fan Xian had died, Chen Pingping would beat him like a dog when he returned.

Soon after, Zhu Ge of the Supervisory Council also arrived with his men.

The various yamen performed their respective duties, and eventually Cheng Jushu and the two female assassins were all handed over to the Supervisory Council for trial.

After everything was settled, Zhu Ge said to Wang Qinian, “Commander Wang, I have a request.”

Wang Qinian smiled, “Oh, Master Zhu, what do you need our help with now?”

The Supervisory Council didn't have many top experts, and recently they had asked the Shadow Guard for help quite a bit.

Zhu Ge said somewhat awkwardly, “Commander Wang, Cheng Jushu is brutal and violent. I ask the two of you to help escort this person together.”

Wang Qinian readily agreed, “No problem, Lao Xing and I will accompany you on this trip.”

The convoy set off, and the prisoner cart, holding Cheng Jushu and the female assassins, slowly drove through the city.

At this moment, Zhu Ge understood why Wang Qinian was so eager to help without asking for extra silver notes.

Wang Qinian, riding his horse, leaned closer to Zong Zhui, “I've long heard that Master Zong is known as the Wing of the Supervisory Council, with the best lightness skill in the world!”

Zong Zhui quickly demurred, “Commander Wang is joking; you are the one with the best lightness skill in the world!”

Wang Qinian lowered his voice, “I have admired Master Zong for a long time, and your abilities have long been known to me!

I wonder how much silver your monthly salary is per year…”

“The Shadow Guard now receives imperial pay, but His Highness Prince Yong also provides additional stipends, allowing us to receive twenty months of salary a year!”

“If His Highness is not injured within a year, there's an additional bonus of ten months' salary…”

Upon hearing this, Zong Zhui's expression changed dramatically, and he nearly stood up on his horse!

“Such a thing exists! Thirty months of salary can be received in a year!”

Zhu Ge listened, his mouth twitching. As a commander of the Shadow Guard, he had no proper demeanor, openly poaching talent.

Fortunately, Zong Zhui was a close confidant of the Director, so he shouldn't be easily swayed.

The commotion in the city also alarmed the nearby common people. Wherever the prisoner cart passed, people gathered to watch.

“It's the Masters from the Supervisory Council, the experts from the Dragon Guard Manor, the soldiers from the Garrison Division…”

“What major event has happened to mobilize so many yamen?”

“It seems someone was assassinated in broad daylight on Niulan Street, and the assassin is that big man…”

Just as the prisoner cart passed through the most populated area, Cheng Jushu suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes glowed red, True Qi surged around his body, and his muscles instantly bulged!

With a loud bang, Cheng Jushu actually smashed open the prisoner cart!

Cheng Jushu, nine feet tall, was like a giant, covered in blood, as if a demon had descended!

“Go to hell, southern barbarians!”

In an instant, the onlookers fell into a panic, and the horses pulling the prisoner cart were startled!

“Run! The prisoner has escaped!”

“That prisoner is so terrifying!”

Allowing a hardened devil like Cheng Jushu to leap into the crowd could result in several common people being killed with a single punch!

Wang Qinian cursed, “Zhu Ge, what kind of shoddy prisoner cart is this?!”

Zhu Ge was also flustered, “It's just a normal prisoner cart!”

As he spoke, he instantly realized something was wrong. How could a normal prisoner cart be used to transport Cheng Jushu?

But when the prisoner cart was brought, no one knew they were going to capture Cheng Jushu!

As the two spoke, they saw that Xing Yusen had already leaped up, both arms filled with True Qi, and slashed at Cheng Jushu's back neck with a saber!

Zhu Ge hurriedly shouted, “Commander Xing, spare his life! We still need to interrogate him about the mastermind!”

Wang Qinian cursed, “Spare what? If he gets into the crowd, how many people will die?!”

As he spoke, Xing Yusen had already brought down his saber, and Cheng Jushu's huge head fell to the ground with a thud!

Cheng Jushu's blood flowed onto the street, his body separated from his head, a truly tragic sight.

The panicked common people finally steadied themselves, watching from afar in disarray.

Xing Yusen took the Northern Qi spy's token from Cheng Jushu's waist, then said to the surrounding common people, “This person is a Northern Qi spy!”

“A Northern Qi spy actually attempted assassination in broad daylight! How audacious!”

“After being captured, he still wanted to slaughter innocent common people! Truly heinous!”

Xing Yusen proudly shouted, “Please do not panic, the great evil Cheng Jushu has now been executed in the street!”

Hearing Xing Yusen's words, the common people's panic finally subsided.

“So the Qi dogs came! How hateful, killing people in the capital in broad daylight!”

“The Qi dogs are truly despicable! Northern Qi should have been exterminated long ago!”

“Assassinating officials is one thing, but why kill us ordinary common people? What have we ordinary people done to provoke you? Truly devoid of conscience!”

“Master, well killed! Kill all the Northern Qi dogs!”

Seeing Zhu Ge's bitter expression, Wang Qinian said, “Master Zhu, don't look so glum.”

“Lao Xing's approach is the most appropriate. If Cheng Jushu had killed ordinary common people, you would still have had to kill him.”

“Now that Lao Xing killed him on the spot, it can stabilize public morale. If you want to interrogate, aren't there still those two women?”

“I hear Master Zhu is best at interrogating female prisoners; you can grind something out of them eventually, hehehe…”

Zhu Ge's face was dark, but he couldn't say a word.

Ultimately, this incident was due to a flaw in the prisoner cart, and thus the Supervisory Council's responsibility.

Xing Yusen cupped his hands and bowed to the surrounding common people, like a great hero, “For the common people, everything for the common people!”

Wang Qinian excitedly said, “After the battle with Cheng Jushu, Lao Xing also broke through to Ninth Rank! You're impressive!”

From then on, the Shadow Guard officially had two Ninth Rank experts!

Xing Yusen chuckled and said, “I merely wish to improve and keep pace with Commander Wang.”

The group continued for a while. As they neared the Supervisory Council, the Supervisory Council clerk escorting the masked female swordswomen suddenly let out a cry of alarm.

“Oh no, these two women committed suicide!”

Zhu Ge cursed and then rushed over to check. The two female swordswomen had bitten through the poison pouches hidden in their mouths.

Li Yunrui's objectives were, firstly, to assassinate Fan Xian, and secondly, to create a pretext for her Emperor brother to attack Qi.

The two female swordswomen were famous Northern Qi assassins, originating from Yun Zhilan's sect in Eastern Yi City. As long as their identities could be confirmed, it would be enough to implicate Northern Qi and Eastern Yi City.

If they had entered the Supervisory Council alive, they might have implicated Lin Gong.

These two assassins were suicide warriors contacted by the Junshan Society; failure to complete the assassination mission meant certain death.

“Damn it! What's wrong with you all?!”

“What are you all good for, you can't even keep an eye on two women?!”

Zhu Ge cursed his subordinates, but it was just impotent rage.

Don't let Zhu Ge's twisted, angry face fool you; he was The Eldest Princess's person.

This matter had been communicated to him. His anger and cursing were just for show… After handing Cheng Jushu over to the Supervisory Council, Wang Qinian and Xing Yusen returned to Prince Yong's Residence to report.

The two happened to catch Li Chang'an finishing lunch, and then recounted the entire sequence of events.

After listening, Li Chang'an realized this was an enhanced version of the Niulan Street assassination.

Because of the existence of the Shadow Guard, Li Yunrui and Lin Gong had strengthened the assassination force, which could be considered a butterfly effect.

Li Chang'an had brought Wang Qinian under his command in advance, so Fan Xian's current subordinate had become Zong Zhui, who was also skilled in tracking.

Cheng Jushu was beheaded by Xing Yusen, so Fan Xian would still investigate the true mastermind, and Si Lili was about to escape.

Li Chang'an had already dispatched Jing Ni to rescue Si Lili at the appropriate time.

Si Lili was Li Chang'an's person and could not fall into the hands of the Supervisory Council.

“Lao Xing, congratulations on breaking through to Ninth Rank. From now on, you and Lao Wang will both receive five hundred taels of silver a month!”

In this world, there were only about fifty Ninth Rank experts!

Any Ninth Rank expert either held important positions in various national armies or was a regional hero in the Jianghu!

Because of Li Chang'an's arrival, this world would gain many more Ninth Rank experts.

Zhao Gao and Jing Ni, directly summoned, were the top combat forces of this world.

Xiren, Qingwen, and the other Four Sword Slaves who would eventually break through to Ninth Rank, if they hadn't been discovered by Li Chang'an's Clairvoyant Eyes, would only have been ordinary palace maids and eunuchs.

Xing Yusen, Wang Qinian, Teng Zijing, and other experts, without Li Chang'an's Secret Manual, would similarly be stuck at Seventh or Eighth Rank.

Although Xing Yusen and the others were loyal, money must never become an obstacle to their survival.

The treatment Li Chang'an provided to the Shadow Guard was enough to allow them to achieve financial freedom in this era.

Xing Yusen gratefully said, “If I hadn't pledged allegiance to Your Highness, I would never have touched the threshold of Ninth Rank in my life.”

“I, Xing, deeply know that arrogance is a great taboo! Only by always maintaining this humble and cautious innocent heart can one make perpetual progress!”

Xing Yusen spoke seriously, not like a joke, but Li Chang'an still wanted to laugh.

There was still a small oversight to handle. In the original plot, Fan Xian interrogated Si Lili and learned that Lin Gong was the mastermind behind the assassination.

If Si Lili was rescued by Jing Ni, Fan Xian would have no way of knowing that Lin Gong had planned the assassination.

There was another Breakthrough point for the assassination case, which was the Captain of the Patrol Division.

In the original plot, when Fan Xian investigated the captain, The Eldest Princess's forces got there first and had the captain's entire family hang themselves.

A Third Rank Captain was a significant figure in Qing Kingdom, but in The Eldest Princess's eyes, he was no different from an ant.

“Lao Xing, take a dozen brothers and guard near the Patrol Division Captain's residence.”

Hearing Li Chang'an's words, Xing Yusen was quite surprised, “Fang Daren, the Patrol Division Captain?”

As an old hand in Great Qing's public security circles, it was not surprising that Xing Yusen knew leaders of the armed police force.

“You know that captain?”

Xing Yusen replied, “When I was the Chief Constable of the Ministry of Justice, we helped each other out with many things. We're friends, you could say.”

Li Chang'an then asked, “For example, when General Fang lost military equipment, you also helped cover it up?”

Xing Yusen, of course, knew that Li Chang'an was referring to the siege crossbows and hard bows used to assassinate Fan Xian.

“Military equipment is a national treasure. If it's accidentally lost, the Ministry of Justice cannot cover it up, but the Supervisory Council can.”

“General Fang once said after drinking that the Supervisory Council has the responsibility to inspect all armies, and its power is immense.”

“He once bribed a Supervisory Council clerk to cover up the mistake of lost military equipment.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Qinian, who was nearby, was filled with righteous indignation, “The Supervisory Council is truly despicable!”

“Lost military equipment is a serious matter! If military equipment falls into the hands of villains, how many innocent lives will be harmed?!”

“The Supervisory Council receives deep imperial favor and inspects all armies, yet they are so corrupted by greed that they dare to cover up such a huge matter!”

Looking at Wang Qinian, whose eyes were wide and who was fuming with anger, Li Chang'an couldn't help but grin.

In the original plot, the clerk who covered up the lost military equipment was this Commander Wang, wasn't he!