3 Days

Xu Xian actually knew the layout of the Inspection Department. The official residence of the chief clerk, Cao Zhengde, was located on the east side of the yamen, separated from the prison area by a small courtyard.

But having someone guide you and wandering around on your own are two different things. With someone guiding you, you can explain your situation to others; but wandering around on your own is like escaping from prison.

The short jailer led Xu Xian through the corridor with trepidation.

An old official on night duty was dozing off against a pillar in the corridor when he heard footsteps and opened one eye.

The short jailer quickly waved his hand: "It's alright, it's alright, Lao Liu, you can go back to sleep."

The old official muttered something and then closed his eyes again.

Upon reaching the door of Cao Zhengde's residence, the short jailer shrank back slightly, saying, "Lord Cao is inside. Shall I go now?"

Xu ignored him and raised his hand to knock on the door.

A tired middle-aged man's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

Xu Xian pushed open the door and entered.

Cao Zhengde was in his early forties, with a sallow complexion and graying temples. He was bent over his desk reviewing documents.

The desk was piled high with official documents, and the candlesticks were covered with a thick layer of wax dripping from the candles.

Cao Zhengde looked up, paused for a moment, then frowned deeply: "Xu Xian? Weren't you in jail? Who let you out?"

His hand moved silently toward the waist knife on the table.

This subconscious action did not escape Xu Xian's eyes.

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Cao Zhengde was vigilant, but not flustered.

A person with a guilty conscience wouldn't react like this; they would panic first, and then pretend to be calm.

Cao Zhengde's reaction sequence was reversed, indicating that he was not the one who instructed Wang Biao.

Mr. Xu didn't beat around the bush.

"My lord, I have just been released from prison. The jailer, Wang Biao, came to the prison to kill me, but I killed him in return. His body is still in the prison. You can send someone to check it immediately."

He paused, "If I were a spy, I wouldn't have had to wait three days. I would have already escaped from the canyon, been caught and imprisoned, and then someone came to silence me in the middle of the night. It's clear that someone wants me to be a scapegoat."

"I beg you, sir, to give me a chance to find out the truth about the mission. If I cannot find out, I am willing to die. If I can find out, please clear my name and thoroughly investigate the mastermind behind it."

Cao Zhengde stared at Xu Xian for a long time, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the young man's face.

He wasn't familiar with Xu Xian; he only knew that Xu Xian was a minor, unofficial official who was usually quiet and had little presence.

But the young man standing in front of him was unusually calm. How could a minor official who had just killed someone and escaped from prison be so calm?

Suppressing his doubts, Cao Zhengde summoned two trusted constables and ordered them to check the prison.

During the wait, Cao Zhengde did not offer Xu Xian a seat, and Xu Xian did not ask for a seat either. He just stood there, neither humble nor arrogant.

A moment later, the constable returned and reported: Wang Biao's body was in Xu Xian's cell, his sternum was broken, and fragments of a short knife were scattered all over the ground.

Cao Zhengde nodded and told them to collect the body and keep quiet for the time being.

After the constables left, he looked at Xu Xian and asked, "Why do you think... Wang Biao wanted to kill you?"

"Because the person behind him needs a dead man."

Xu Xian began, “The mission case is too big. The higher-ups will definitely investigate it. An investigation requires a result. If I die in prison and there is no way to verify the facts, someone can pin all the blame on me and close the case as ‘committing suicide out of fear of punishment’ or ‘being killed for resisting arrest’.”

"By then, the real mastermind will be able to rest easy, and you, Lord Cao, will be kept in the dark."

Cao Zhengde's expression changed slightly.

He hadn't thought of this before, not because he was stupid, but because he hadn't considered it from the perspective of someone who had been falsely accused.

He served as the head of the Iron Gate Pass for twelve years, and he managed the security of the area very well. He had never handled such a major case involving the diplomatic missions of two countries.

When the official document from the capital arrived, he was completely stunned. His mind was preoccupied with how to deal with his superiors, and he didn't have time to think about the intricacies of the case.

Cao Zhengde sighed and lowered his hand from the hilt of the knife.

He was actually more troubled than Xu Xian, since the mission case occurred in his jurisdiction, which was, by any measure, a dereliction of duty on the part of his investigation department.

Official documents have arrived from the capital, with stern wording, demanding that the case be solved within a specified time, or else he will be dismissed and investigated on the spot. He had worked hard at the Iron Gate Pass for twelve years, but now he couldn't bear to see his reputation ruined in his later years.

Xu Xian's appearance is both a risk and an opportunity for him. A "suspect" who can survive being silenced may actually be able to find things that he cannot find.

"Three days."

Cao Zhengde held up three fingers. "I'll give you three days. Within three days, you will investigate the case as a temporary officer of the Investigation Department. I will send someone to follow you. If you can't find anything after three days, I won't protect you."

"Thank you, sir, but those who follow me must obey my commands."

"Can."

Cao Zhengde nodded. "Also, I'll suppress Wang Biao's matter for now. Tell people he's on leave to go back to his hometown. Don't make this public while you're investigating the case."

Xu first cupped his hands in greeting.

"My lord, I need three things. First, the files of all members of the mission and the roster of the guard; second, the investigation records and map of the Black Wind Gorge attack site; and third, the bodies of all the fallen soldiers—I need to perform autopsies!"

Although he participated in the battle, he was knocked unconscious by a single blow at the very beginning and knew very little.

Autopsy?

Cao Zhengde's eyelids twitched; this minor official's demands were getting more and more outrageous.

Looking at case files is one thing, but to even examine a corpse—are you a coroner?

But since he had already agreed to give Xu the opportunity to investigate the case, he didn't hold him back on these details.

He instructed his men to move the relevant files to the side hall of the public housing, and also sent someone to the mortuary to arrange for an autopsy.

The side hall is smaller than the public housing, with a row of wooden shelves against the wall and a long table in the middle.

The yamen runners carried the stacks of files, half a person's height, onto the table, piling them up like a small mountain. Xu Xian sat down at the table and took a deep breath.

Unlike in my previous life when I was alone looking at case files on a computer, this time I had two people "monitoring" me.

Cao Zhengde's two trusted yamen runners, Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao, stood on his left and right sides behind him, ostensibly to assist him, but in reality to keep an eye on him.

Zhang Hu was a lean man who didn't like to talk. As soon as he entered the door, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Zhao Bao was a bit burly and straightforward. "Xu Xian, you're really bold. You managed to fight your way out of prison and even dare to bargain with Lord Cao."

"I have to live..."

Xu sighed and buried himself in the case files.

The delegation consisted of 120 people, led by Huyan Zhuo, a special envoy from the Di Kingdom and a high-ranking official of the second rank.

This journey brought a letter of credence and tribute to Jing, intending to discuss an alliance between the two countries to jointly resist the Great Yan Dynasty in the west.

There was also a secret envoy in the mission, whose identity was not recorded in the public archives, but only noted in small print at the end of the member roster:

"There is another secret envoy; his identity will be recorded separately."

Xu circled this point first.

Then I flipped through the guard team's dispatch records.

The mission's original route was to enter the pass directly along the official road, without going into Black Wind Gorge.

However, the day before entering the pass, the mission received a message that "there was a landslide on the official road ahead", so they changed their route to Black Wind Gorge.

The source of the news was not recorded, only the words "reportedly" were mentioned.

Xu Xian circled this one as well.

Who spread the fake news? If we can find the person who spread the news, we can follow the trail to the source.

Then he spread out the map.

The terrain outside Iron Gate Pass was clearly marked on the map—the mountains on both sides of Black Wind Gorge were steep, and the valley was extremely narrow, only wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. Perfect terrain for an ambush.

The assassins must have known in advance that the mission would change its route if they chose to strike at this location.

Someone tipped off the assassins.

Xu closed the file and stood up.

Zhang Hu opened his eyes. "Where to?"

"Morgue, autopsy."

...