Chapter 391: Investigating a Case (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It wasn’t noon yet, and the sun was not as intense as it was in midsummer. The streets in the west of the city were busy with traffic, and men and women were strolling around everywhere.
Daoist Xuanji opened the small umbrella and covered the empress dowager’s head. Because of their disguises, they looked very much like a scholarly lady accompanying a madam out to shop.
As for Ye Jingtang, who was following behind, although his clothes and aura were extraordinary, he was carrying boxes of various sizes in both hands and had a saber hanging on his waist. He was vividly displaying his identity as a personal guard.
The three of them set off from the Prince of Jing Estate and headed to the Imperial Boxing Dojo. Because the crime had happened several days ago, they weren’t in a hurry.
The empress dowager rarely left the palace. She only experienced this kind of unrestrained shopping a few times a year. Even if she tried her best to restrain herself and think about doing business first, her mind was still attracted by the dazzling array of items on the streets.
Moreover, Daoist Xuanji was very considerate of the empress dowager. Without the empress dowager asking, she went here and there to buy hairpins and boxes of rouges. In the end, they left everything in Ye Jingtang’s hands. Through his observation of the empress dowager, Ye Jingtang could confirm that these things would most likely be left in the palace to eat dust. It wouldn’t be easy to remember them, let alone use them.
But shopping was to experience the process of shopping. Ye Jingtang saw that the empress dowager was very happy, so he didn’t show any signs of urging her. Occasionally, he would help her take a look and give some suggestions. After walking for more than half a day like this, the three of them gradually arrived at the Imperial Boxing Dojo in the west of the city.
The Imperial Boxing Dojo was equivalent to the Imperial Academy for martial artists. The instructors inside were all experts who had retired from the Six Gates, Black Office, and military camps. There were also many famous Grandmasters specially hired. They didn’t teach boxing alone but also sabers, spears, swords, halberds, military strategy, intelligence, assassination, and so on. The students who could successfully graduate became at least military officials.
As the saying went, the poor studied civil arts while the rich practiced martial arts. Those who could learn here generally came from good families. Half of them were descendants of generals, and the other half were young people worthy of being nurtured vigorously in the military and government offices.
Studying civil arts only needed a table to read, but practicing martial arts required venues, equipment, and other facilities. Martial arts students who came to study couldn’t exert themselves in the dormitories arranged in the Imperial Boxing Dojo at all. For this reason, the streets around the Imperial Boxing Dojo were all rented courtyards. When people walked nearby, they could hear various sounds of hitting.
After arriving at their destination, Ye Jingtang walked in front. He first asked passersby about the location of the murder case. Then he took the two women and turned into an alley from the main street. As they walked, Ye Jingtang asked, “You don’t need to become a disciple to learn martial arts in the Imperial Boxing Dojo?”
Daoist Xuanji shook her head. “Learning here is the same as studying in the Imperial Academy. The students here are considered disciples of the emperor, and they must remember the emperor’s kindness of teaching them.
“Although there are many famous instructors in the Imperial Boxing Dojo, you don’t have to think about learning their martial arts. It’s more likely for you to teach them. They can’t teach you anything.”
Ye Jingtang smiled and said, “With so many instructors, there must be some I can learn from. Whether martial arts are good or bad depends on whose hand they’re in. The martial arts I don’t know are good martial arts. How can it be said that they can’t teach me?”
The empress dowager was walking at the side. Because she couldn’t say anything, she looked at the surrounding buildings with a noble bearing. After turning a corner, she found a simple shed in the middle of the alley. There were several constables standing around it. She said, “Is it there?”
“I think so.” Ye Jingtang brought the two of them to the middle of the alley and observed for a while. He could see that the location of the murder was in front of a courtyard. The walls, tiles, and door didn’t have any obvious damage. The corpses had been moved away, and there were only lines on the spot to mark the locations where the corpses had been found. After a cursory look, he didn’t find anything noteworthy.
The cloth shed had been set up in the alley to prevent the sudden rain from erasing the few remaining traces. The constables from the Six Gates and the Black Office were standing inside and whispering.
“There’s nothing missing in the house, and the two victims didn’t lose anything. I think someone hired a skilled assassin to take revenge…”
“The one who died was Instructor Zhang Lie from the Imperial Boxing Dojo. The other was a good seedling sent by the South Stabilizing Army. Both of them came from clean backgrounds, so it’s unlikely that they have enemies…”
Ye Jingtang listened to the conversation and observed the traces on the ground. Before he reached the front, the constables in the alley turned around. One of the constables said in surprise and joy, “Sir Yuwen, Sir Ye from the Black Office is here…”
The few constables gathered here naturally knew that the Saber Chief had appeared in the Black Office. When they heard this, they immediately revealed fear and trepidation and hurriedly went forward to greet him.
Ye Jingtang indicated that there was no need for such big fanfare. He turned to look at the courtyard beside him and saw Yuwen Chengde, whom he had met in Bamboo Street before, running out. Yuwen Chengde cupped his hands from afar and said, “Welcome, Sir Ye. 1 apologize for not coming out to welcome you…”
“There’s no need to be so polite. I heard that something happened here, so 1 came to take a look. What’s the exact situation?”
Yuwen Chengde had seen Ye Jingtang’s inhuman insight and deductive ability when he investigated the murder of the minor official from the Ministry of Works. At this moment, it was as if he had seen his savior, and he wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Sigh, it’s just a murder case. It’s not a big matter, but the consequences are quite serious. The murdered Instructor Zhang had taught staff techniques in the Imperial Boxing Dojo for nearly thirty years, and he had more or less instructed many military officials and generals serving in the capital. When this matter happened, it directly spread to the Hall of the Supreme Principle. I’m in charge of arresting thieves and murderers. With something like this happening, I might be sent to the Heavenly South…”
Ye Jingtang could tell that Yuwen Chengde was very anxious. He said calmly, “1 know the seriousness of the matter. Let’s talk about the case first..”
