Upon discovering that it was Qiu Yunfei leading the team, Sun Shaozong couldn't help but furrow his brow and then stopped his steps on the stairs.

At this moment, the peripheral Yamen guards and servants had also discovered him and hurriedly squeezed into the inner circle to report several Yamen officials.

"Second Brother? When did you come?!"

"Second Brother Sun!"

"Governor!"

At this moment, the center of gravity suddenly shifted to the front door.

Not only did Xue Pan and others came forward to pay their respects, but even Lady Yun'er seemed to have seen a life-saving straw and stumbled forward, pleading, "I hope that Lord Sun will preside over justice. Master Zhou has no strength to bind chickens, so how could he possibly be the culprit who injured Master Xue?"

Sun Shaozong ignored her and fixed his gaze firmly on Qiu Yunfei, sneering, "Is this how you strive for progress?"

At this critical moment, it was decided whether Qiu Yunfei could succeed as the judge, but he came to the brothel to stir up trouble and even allowed Xue Pan to publicly beat up a scholar with great achievements.

If no one targeted this matter, it was okay. If the Imperial Censor reported a copy, Captain Qiu's secret efforts would likely be in vain.

"Your Excellency."

Qiu Yunfei arched his hand in fear and sneered, "Someone reported to me saying that there are private prostitutes hidden in this Jinxiang Garden, so I brought someone to investigate."

As he spoke, he turned his head and pointed to the scholar tied to the pillar, saying, "Unexpectedly, this penniless scholar suddenly broke in and started acting recklessly without distinction. He also forcibly bestowed the title that Brother Xue had been a sugar daddy. We had no choice but to take him down and interrogate him."

After following him for half a year, he has really made progress!

Although this statement might not be considered a drop in the bucket, it could at least be considered as *'making trouble under a certain pretext.'*

As long as it was firmly confirmed afterward, the rumors about the detention of Yun'er outside were all unfounded rumors, and no one could make a big fuss about this matter.

However…

This guy still lacked three points of caution in his actions.

Sun Shaozong sternly rebuked, "Since we have captured the strong man who trespassed on the private residence and taken him back to the government office for trial, what are we doing here? Don't let anyone think that the officials of our Central Judicial Office like to abuse lynching outside."

This Jinxiang Garden was not considered a private residence, but since it was completely taken over by Xue Pan, it was not an exaggeration to call it a *'private residence.'*

Qiu Yunfei naturally didn’t dare to have any objections, but Xue Pan, beside him, stopped and shook his head, breathing heavily, "Brother, I finally managed to catch him. I haven't even taken it out yet..."

***Hiss~***

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp arrow suddenly passed over the heads of the crowd and then crossed the neck of the scholar surnamed Zhou!

The angry expression of the scholar surnamed Zhou suddenly stiffened, and before he could even snort, his body collapsed and softened.

This sudden change only shocked everyone present, especially Xue Pan. He shook his head and looked at the scholar, then at his finger, as if he was suspecting that the arrow had been shooted out by him.

Only Sun Shaozong reacted the fastest, taking a few steps to descend the steps and looking up at the roof of the entrance hall, only to see a masked person holding a bow, and a cat retreating behind the ridge.

Shen Lian was such a big coward!

How dare he shoot that scholar in front of him!

A wave of anger surged in Sun Shaozong's chest. Without hesitation, he took a step and rushed out of the Jinxiang Garden, intending to see the direction of Shen Lian's escape before finding a way to intercept him.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived outside the door, they saw two people standing side by side in front of the tied horse post. One was Lu Jianxing, who had been left outside the door by him, and the other was Shen Lian!

Shooting his rival in front of him and daring to stay outside in peace, this guy really didn't know the meaning of *’death!’*

Sun Shaozong's face became increasingly gloomy, holding two fists the size of vinegar bowls. He strode down the steps with a meteor, but suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at the roof.

Just now, when Sun Shaozong saw the scholar being shot with an arrow and the killer's sharp and skilled posture, he naturally believed that it was Shen Lian who saw the scholar and Yun’er having feelings for each other, and his jealousy and resentment were difficult to calm. Therefore, he was angry and attempted to kill his rival.

However, he was meticulous in his thinking, and even in his anger, he quickly discovered something suspicious.

If the archer were Shen Lian, wouldn't it be difficult for him to jump off the roof and meet Lu Jianxing with his skills?

But in such a short time, how should he deal with the hunting bow and face scarf?

If left nearby, wouldn't it just reveal the truth with a casual check?

Moreover, Lu Jianxing's face was filled with surprise and joy, and it didn't seem like the expression he should have had when he saw Shen Lian jump off the roof.

Although there was also a possibility of two people colluding in advance and covering each other up, how dare they take the initiative to bring Sun Shaozong over if they really want to do so?

Was it true that the word *'Divine Judgment'* was a fraud?!

After thinking of these doubts, Sun Shaozong quickly stopped and turned his head to look at the roof.

As expected, he saw the cat's nimble back, swiftly disappearing into the southeast corner of the roof, as if it had infiltrated the neighboring courtyard.

At this moment, Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian also welcomed Sun Shaozong. Seeing Sun Shaozong stop and look up, they followed suit and looked up at the roof. They also saw the sneaky figure. Lu Jianxing couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "My Lord, who is that?"

Sun Shaozong simulated the nearby terrain in his mind and confirmed that he couldn't catch up. He then shook his head and said, "I don't know who it is, but he just..."

"Master Zhou!!!"

At this moment, Yun’er's heart-wrenching cries suddenly came from the yard, and Shen Lian's face changed once again upon hearing them. He buried his head and wanted to rush inside.

However, at this moment, Xue Pan, Feng Ziying, Qiu Yunfei, Liu Xianglian, and others all followed suit and chased after him. A bunch of people stuffed the doorway tightly.

Shen Lian's footsteps paused, and Lu Jianxing had already caught up behind him. He pulled him and bowed to the crowd, saying, "Greetings to everyone."

Would Xue Pan pay attention to the two of them?

Feng Ziying frowned and said in surprise, "How could Hundred Household Lu and Hundred Household Shen be here?"

"This..."

"Return to your words."

Lu Jianxing hesitated and didn't know how to respond, but Shen Lian immediately bowed and said, "Our Brothers were just having fun in the Baihua Building. When someone mentioned that officials are here in the Yamen, we thought of coming over to greet."

Although he had been blinded by love before and acted recklessly, in terms of his ability to adapt to changing circumstances, Shen Lian was undoubtedly far superior to Lu Jianxing.

And these days, when he was promoted by the Divine Martial General Feng Tang, it was natural for him to come and visit Feng Ziying.

Therefore, Feng Ziying didn’t doubt anything but immediately asked, "Have you seen any suspicious people outside?"

"Just now, there was a person on the roof who sneaked into the next courtyard." Shen Lian pointed to the southeast corner of the roof and pretended to be curious, "What's going on inside? Why does it seem like a woman is crying?"

"Just now..."

"Alright, if you have anything to say, just wait until we enter first!"

Feng Ziying was about to explain, but Sun Shaozong had already separated the crowd and returned directly to the Jinxiang Garden.

Seeing Yun’er lying paralyzed on the ground, holding onto the legs of a scholar and wailing loudly, Sun Shaozong, without saying a word, approached and pulled her up. He then asked directly, "Do you want to find out who killed him?"

Yun’er was stunned for a while with tears in her eyes, then she fiercely folded her fair neck twice and said in a sorrowful voice, "Please make the decision, Lord Sun..."

"First, tell me, where does this scholar live?"

Sun Shaozong unquestionably interrupted her again. When Yun'er blurted out an address, he immediately turned around and shouted, "Inspector Qiu, take someone to check this scholar's house. Don't miss any clues!"

Qiu Yunfei was about to step forward and take orders, but Sun Shaozong turned to Lu Jianxing and solemnly entrusted him, "Brother Lu, could you please go and take a look too, so he will not lose his life in a confused manner?"

Lu Jianxing quickly arched his hand and said, "Don't worry, My Lord. I will do my best to protect the integrity of the yamen!"

In front of Feng Ziying and Xue Pan, Qiu Yunfei was still waiting to show off his heroism, but was already stared back by Sun Shaozong. He had to obediently take Lu Jianxing and a dozen Yamen guards out of the Jinxiang Garden.

As soon as they left, the Jinxiang Garden was filled with a vast expanse of time and space.

Sun Shaozong arranged for Liu Xianglian to restrain the corpse, and then led Yun'er into the room. Xue Pan brought a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, which Feng Ziying was responsible for transcribing and inquiring about the person's background and identity.

According to Yun’er, the deceased scholar's name was Zhou Xi, and he was a scholar in the fourth year of Guangde. Later, he failed two attempts in the autumn examination and often found himself in the fireworks and willow alleys.

Because Zhou Xi's poetry, lyrics, songs, music, chess, poetry, and paintings were all different, especially his piano skills, which were known as the best in the Capital, he was also called Little Master Zhou by some good people, and Yun’er met him because of a bloody scene where the music was wrong and Master Zhou was concerned.

That was in the autumn of the ninth year of Guangde

"There's no need to elaborate on the matters of wind, flowers, snow, and moon for now."

Listening to Yun Er's tearful eyes and relentlessly reminiscing about their acquaintance, Sun Shaozong could only speak up and remind her, "Tell me about his family background, what he has always done for a living, and what is unusual about him."

"Master Zhou's parents have long passed away, and it seems that Uncle Zhou had previously served as an official in the Ministry of Rites."

"He runs a rogue shop in his family, which may not be considered wealthy, but is also worry-free in terms of food and clothing."

"As for the unusual..."

Yun’er's delicate willow leaf eyebrows furrowed tightly in one place. After a while, she seemed to remember something, but when it reached her mouth, she hesitated and swallowed it back.

"It's okay to say what you recalled."

Sun Shaozong said solemnly, "Death is like a lamp out. What else should we avoid to find out the culprit?"

"It's not a taboo either."

Yun’er shook her head lightly and only shed two lines of tears before choking up, saying, "But even I don't know if that counts. After the Heavenly Hound Swallowed the Sun, he seems to have hidden many worries. Every time he sneaks over to me, his mind is absent-minded, and his eyebrows remain expressionless. It wasn't until a while ago that he gradually recovered."

After the Heavenly Hound Swallows the Sun, suddenly heavy-hearted?

At that time, although the court was full of ups and downs, for the common people, it was just a little more talk. How could they be worried all day?

Are you saying…

Was this guy related to the Crown Prince case?

Or was he one of the spies that the White Lotus Sect had set in the Capital?