Chapter 536: Scourging

It was another mystery!

After inspecting the scene of the arson and cremation case, Sun Shaozong led people to inquire about the situation of the Zhou family in his neighborhood, but the result could only be described as lackluster.

Just like what was inferred before, it could be basically determined that the person with a burnt face was the culprit who shot Zhou Xi before.

But he killed the servant of the Zhou family, poisoned himself in the study, and attempted to destroy his body. He was trying to conceal something, but he couldn't even trace it.

When Zhou Xi was young, he had been studying hard behind closed doors, and as an adult, he had very little interaction with his neighbors. He even entrusted his store to someone else to take care of, and every day he worked day and night, only wandering in brothels.

Therefore, the intelligence provided by neighbors was not as detailed and clear as Yun’er's confession.

The old neighbors still remember Scholar Zhou's parents, who passed away early.

It was said that when Zhou's father was young, he worked in the Education Department of the Ministry of Rites. Later, he was exposed by colleagues in the Education Department for accepting the daughter of a criminal as his wife, which resulted in him being demoted from his position for the benefit of the people. He even lost most of his family property.

So much so that for two or three years, to make a living, Zhou's father had to travel between brothels as a musician, suffering from the harshness of the world.

However, Zhou's father did not vent his anger on his wife, Zhao, but instead became increasingly affectionate towards her.

In the autumn of the eighth year of Guangde, Zhao was unfortunately infected with the epidemic. Zhou's father, who was dressed in clothes, waited in front of the bed for more than a month. In the end, both the husband and wife died of illness, creating a beautiful story of *’being born with the same blanket, and death leads to the same acupoint.’*

"I think Zhou Xiucai was also sad, which is why he spent his days outside getting drunk and even neglected his career in the Imperial Examination."

Thinking of the sighing expression of his neighbor next door, Sun Shaozong felt a moment of silence in his heart.

It seemed that no matter what, as long as it could be associated with the word *’good news,’* there could be no taboos. Even during mourning, entering and leaving romantic places has become a clear proof of missing both parents.

Seeing the sun setting in the west, Sun Shaozong called Qiu Yunfei over, stating that he still had court officials work tomorrow, so the next investigation could only be temporarily entrusted to him.

"I don't know what secrets are involved in this case. You must not take it lightly. Let's clean up the fire tomorrow and see if we can find any clues."

"Remember, once you discover anything, immediately send someone to the Northern Detective Department to notify me!"

Seeing what Sun Shaozong said solemnly, Qiu Yunfei didn’t dare to smile anymore and quickly straightened his fat belly, saying that even if he dug three feet into the ground here, he must find useful clues.

Sun Shaozong did not doubt his enthusiasm for investigating the case; after all, this young man had long been unwilling to be an unremarkable prosecutor. Currently, the position of the Judge for the Criminal Department was inevitable.

Now that he saw opportunities for meritorious service, how would he miss them in vain?

What should be of concern was his safety issue. Lu Jianxing also has a formal job and couldn’t be guarding him all day.

Fortunately, this guy has a father who was also a Grand Commandant. He should probably send someone to inform Captain Qiu and let him worry about it.

After entrusting the investigation to Qiu Yunfei, Sun Shaozong originally intended to ask Xue Pan and others to leave together. However, the foolish guy became stubborn again, saying that this was all because of him, and insisted on staying to share the joys and sorrows with Qiu Yunfei.

Feng Ziying and Liu Xianglian, although they didn't want to wade into this muddy pond, couldn't leave Xue Pan alone there, so they had to stay and accompany him to the end.

So in the end, only Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian left together with Sun Shaozong.

Sun Shaozong left the Zhou family first, without saying a word, and he rode straight out two streets, then turned his horse's head into a remote alley.

Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian also hurriedly urged their horses to follow in.

Seeing Sun Shaozong holding the reins in the alley, the two immediately rolled their saddles and dismounted, kneeling in front of Sun Shaozong's horse on one knee and the other on both knees.

Lu Jianxing, who knelt on one knee, said earnestly on his face, "Thank you very much, Lord Sun, for your kind protection!"

Shen Lian, who was kneeling on both knees, remained expressionless and said, "Please punish me, My Lord."

Sun Shaozong stood tall on a horse, not even looking at them. While combing the black horse's mane with a whip, he calmly asked, "Have Xue Pan ever offended you since I took you to the banquet that day?"

Shen Lian lowered his head and said, "Never."

***Slash!***

A whip fell on his shoulder in response, and under his precious blue brocade robe, fierce blood burst forth, clearly torn apart by the beating!

Shen Lian's body trembled slightly, but he said in his mouth, "I, Shen Lian, thank you for your reward."

"Don't rush to thank me yet; this matter isn’t done yet."

As Sun Shaozong spoke, he still asked lightly, "Did Yun’er have any personal affairs with you before being taken care of by Xue Pan?"

"Never."

Another bloody whip mark was imprinted on Shen Lian's shoulder.

"Have you ever revealed to Xue Pan that you like that Yun’er?"

"Never."

***Slash!***

"Have you ever advised Xue Pan not to mistreat Yun’er?"

"Never."

***Slash!***

With four consecutive whips, the resilient brocade robe was smashed into pieces. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he refused to let out a single groan from beginning to end.

Until Sun Shaozong stopped questioning, he knocked his head down again and said in a muffled voice, "I, Shen Lian, thank you for your reward."

"If you really want to thank me, thank your Brother."

Sun Shaozong sneered and said, "Of course, if you harbor resentment, you might as well try to retaliate against me."

"I dare not!"

Shen Lian said in a deep voice, "If it weren't for your recommendation, Big Brother and I would have..."

"It's precisely because I recommended you that I can't tolerate you taking action against Xue Pan!" Sun Shaozong's voice suddenly turned sharp, and he bent down and stared at Shen Lian with a sinister expression. "For the sake of your Big Brother's face, I'll spare you this time. If there's another time, you'll have the opportunity to review those skills you learned at the Northern Detective Department!"

After speaking, Sun Shaozong straightened his waist and headed straight for the horse.

Until the rumbling sound of horse hooves gradually faded away, Lu Jianxing stood up from the ground and pulled out a small porcelain vase from his waist.

***Pa Pa~***

Before Lu Jianxing could pull the cork off the bottle, Shen Lian waved his hand fiercely and swept the porcelain bottle away.

The porcelain bottle was also sturdy. It knocked against the wall covered in moss, but it didn't break. It rolled around on the ground a few times and then reached the foot of Lu Jianxing.

Lu Jianxing possessed himself, picked up the porcelain bottle, and pulled out the cork as if there were no people around. He carefully peeled open the torn cloth on Shen Lian's wound and poured the black and yellow medicinal powder onto it.

He didn’t know if it was pain or the attitude of Lu Jianxing, but Shen Lian's cold face finally came to life again. The skin and flesh on his face twisted a few times, and he spat out a muddy airway, "Big Brother, I... uh ah!"

It turned out that Lu Jianxing had poured half a bottle of medicinal powder and suddenly reached out to press it on. He vigorously kneaded the bloody wound, along with the medicinal powder on top.

This time, it was as if countless steel needles had been pierced into the flesh, and Shen Lian let out a painful sigh, sweating profusely on his forehead.

"Are you sober now?!"

Lu Jianxing gritted his teeth and asked, "Didn't you say that one day, you will sit upright at the top, allowing those officials and Young Masters to flatter you like dogs?"

"Is that how you fulfill your oath?!"

"For the sake of a despicable brothel woman, did you feed all your ambitions to the dog?"

Shen Lian stood up silently again, gritting his teeth until they creaked. After a while, he squeezed out another sentence from between his teeth, "Let's go, go back to camp and watch the night!"

Ignoring the injury on his shoulder, he grabbed the reins and climbed onto the horse's back.

Two flowers bloom, each representing one branch.

Not to mention how Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian return to the military camp outside the city.

Sun Shaozong pondered the case all the way and returned to his mansion. In front of the stable near the corner gate, he handed over his mounts to Zhang Cheng for maintenance. As he was about to rush to the backyard, he suddenly caught sight of two unfamiliar carriages parked inside.

He found out that Old Lady You had an urgent illness, so the Elder Lady of Ningguo Mansion came to visit her.

Upon hearing these words, Sun Shaozong felt a little surprised again.

Since her arrival at the Sun family, Old Lady You didn’t need to worry about clothing, food, housing, or transportation. She was always the top choice and has been living a comfortable life. How could she suddenly suffer from an emergency?

Looking at the sunset hanging on the horizon, Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment and headed west across the courtyard. Although it might not be considered a serious matter, since she was sick at his residence, he should go for a visit.

When he arrived at the West Cross Courtyard, he saw several maids and nannies guarding in front of the three main rooms where Old Lady You lived.

Seeing that Sun Shaozong had arrived, they quickly divided into two groups. One group greeted him and the other group lifted the curtain to enter, reporting the news to the You mother and daughter inside.

Not long after, the tall and plump figure of Second Sister You hurriedly came out from inside and walked forward to salute, saying, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'll thank you on behalf of my mother."

Sun Shaozong saw that the servants of the Ningguo Mansion had already retreated by more than two zhang, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Isn't your mother fine before? Why did she suddenly fall ill?"

Second Sister You covered her mouth and chuckled, glancing back at the servants in Ningguo Mansion. Then she lowered her voice and said, "Mother's illness was really for your sake, Second Master."

For him?

Sun Shaozong's heart was filled with excitement. At the age of Old Lady You's identity, could it not be that she had fallen in love with him?

Thinking about the promise made by Second Sister You back then, the answer was about to come out.

These mother and daughter werereally a good matchmaker!

"You must not act recklessly!"

Sun Shaozong immediately stiffened his face and scolded, "If you cause any trouble for our family. I can't spare you!"

Although Sun Shaozong occasionally thought of You-Shi's petite and delicate body when he was idle, it was far from the point where he wanted to take risks for her.

"Don't worry, Second Master."

Second Sister You saw that he took his words seriously, quickly restrained her laughter, and cautiously said, "If I’m going to match up you and my Sister, I wouldn't dare to cause trouble in our mansion. Today, I'm going to test my Sister's intentions first. If she agrees, we will discuss a safe way and ask for your approval."

He thought that with this scare, she should give up.

Who would have thought that she still persevered?

Was that how she wanted to fulfill him and You-Shi?

Or rather…

Lady You actually have another plan?

Doubtful in his heart, but now was not the time to discuss it in detail. Sun Shaozong thought about waiting for the evening, finding a chance to ask and it was too late.

Therefore, he loudly reminded Second Sister You that no matter what medicinal herbs were needed, they should be taken from the treasury, and then he went straight out of the West Cross Courtyard.

After seeing off Sun Shaozong, Second Sister You returned to the main room in the envious eyes of the maids and women.

In the hall, the door was locked, and through a roll of pearl curtains, she peered into the room. She saw her mother sitting on the bed, chatting with You-Shi about family matters.

However, You-Shi was absent-minded as she listened, her eyes staring straight out the window. Her feet were wrapped in embroidered shoes and twisted frequently for some reason, like a wet and wriggling caterpillar wrapped in her plain white stockings.

"Second Sister."

As Second Sister You were looking inside, Third Sister You suddenly came out of the corner. Her eyes tilted towards You-Shi, and she whispered disdainfully, "As soon as she heard that the Second Master had arrived, this hoof became restless. Don't worry about what she says, just settle the matter!"

She then couldn't help sneering and said, "When she borrowed us to fight for love, I was afraid she didn't expect this day, did she? When we pinched her shortcomings, let’s see what face she has in front of us!"

It turned out that the idea of matchmaking You-Shi and Sun Shaozong was the work of Third Sister You.

And she naturally did this to retaliate against the old hatred of being teased by Jia Zhen and his son when she was in Ningguo Mansion!

However, at this moment, Second Sister You hesitated and said, "Second Master just told me outside that we must not cause any trouble..."

"What are you afraid of?!"

Without a doubt, Third Sister You interrupted her and said, "As long as we choose the right time, with the help of our mother. Who can still catch them?"

Seeing that Second Sister You was still hesitating, she leaned forward and joked, "Sister, don't forget, we're going to hit her hard. Are you not attracted to the gold and silver in her makeup box at all?"

Hearing the words *’gold and silver,’* Second Sister You's eyes became brighter. Thinking about the help of her sisters and mother, there would be no risk in this matter, and her heart became firm again.

Upon seeing this, Second Sister You immediately took advantage of the heat and went into the room. She spoke a few words in front of Lady You, and then Lady You came out of the room and said strangely, "I heard from Third Sister that you have something important to discuss with me?"

Second Sister You nodded heavily and suddenly knelt in front of her, saying, "Please help me, Sister!"

You-Shi was startled and quickly reached out to help, but how could her petite body support Second Sister You?

She had to hurry up and say, "What is this for? If you have anything to say, just say it to me directly; do you need to perform such a great courtesy?"

"I don’t want to hide anything from you anymore, Sister."

Second Sister You had already typed her manuscript countless times before blurting out, "Recently, our Second Master often asks about our past in Ningguo Mansion, and his words are also very impatient with me. It seems that he has some resentment towards what happened back then..."

You-Shi naturally knew that this was exactly the matter when she sat down and watched their sisters being molested by Jia Zhen and his son, so she could not help feeling ashamed.

"Back then... It's okay not to mention what happened back then," she sneered, "but now you're asking me for help, but how do I know how to save you?"

"You naturally have a way!"

"As the saying goes, *'a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye.'* Besides, Second Master has mentioned you several times and said that you were born beautiful..."