Chapter 147: Chapter 147: His Majesty thinks, old geezer Xie’s son is too ruthless

Lou Zigui pointed at the blue and white porcelain bowl on the tea table while raising his voice just loud enough to catch the attention of those outside. “There’s poison in this ginseng chicken soup,” he told Grand Preceptor Xie.

Everyone’s eyes spun to rest on the tea table. Ning Xiaoyao subconsciously felt an urge to sit up straight, only to realize she was already sitting straight out of habit. Elder Li brought his men inside the rooms to stand in front of Grand Preceptor Xie. Their respective factions made a clear divide in the room.

Grand Preceptor Xie said, “Supreme Commander took this long to figure out the soup was poisoned?”

Lou Zigui replied coldly, “This subject isn’t a doctor, but chanced to spill a bit of the soup before finding out it was toxic.” As he finished, he did a demonstration for the crowd by pointing out the burnt-out section of the table.

Second Young Master Xie piped up from Grand Preceptor Xie’s side, “My grandmother’s body had a head injury. What does that have to do with this poison?”

“It’s very possible that the culprit failed to poison her and thus resorted to violence,” Lou Zigui answered as he stared at Grand Preceptor Xie. “Grand Preceptor, all the exits out of the estate have been sealed. The killer should still be amongst us.”

Grand Preceptor Xie replied, “Is Supreme Commander planning to search the estate?”

Elder Li spoke up. “What do you mean by those words, Grand Preceptor? Don’t you want to capture the killer? Or perhaps, do you know who it is already?”

Lou Zigui didn’t give Grand Preceptor Xie time to reply. “Someone come, start searching.”

Second Young Master Xie said, “Lou Zigui, who are you planning to search? Do you know who used the poison?”

Lou Zigui replied, “I don’t, but I’ll check them one by one until I find something.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Xie Anji said next. “Our Grand Preceptor’s estate has around 1,000 members. How long will it take to search them one by one?”

Lou Zigui simply laughed in ridicule. He looked at Grand Preceptor Xie and said mercilessly, “Does Second Young Master Xie have no brains at all?”

“You,” Xie Anji wanted to rage at those words.

“Cough, cough,” Ning Xiaoyao coughed as she waved a fist in Xie Anji’s direction. What kind of tone is that?

Xie Anji had experienced the fury of Ning Xiaoyao’s fists first hand, so the sight of them made him choke back his words.

“Your Majesty?” Grand Preceptor Xie turned his attention to Ning Xiaoyao. Lou Zigui took the chance to bump lightly against the tea table. Taking the hint, Ning Xiaoyao simply shook her head at Grand Preceptor Xie. Isn’t it just keeping my mouth shut? I can do that!

“Naturally, there’s no need to investigate members of the family,” Lou Zigui said. “This subject doesn’t believe that the Xie Clan would produce such scum. Neither do we need to look into people who’ve never made contact with Old Madame before, because those types wouldn’t have had to chance to poison her even if they wanted.”

“Someone come,” Grand Preceptor Xie said coldly. “Take all of Old Madame’s servants into custody and interrogate them!”

The scene outside the courtyard quickly devolved into a crying mess. All of the Old Madame’s servant girls and mama were dragged into the courtyard until all 30 were crying and pleading injustice. Ning Xiaoyao listened to the hubbub outside. All of these people were Old Madame’s servants. Most likely, some of them witnessed the little white flower have a falling out with Old Madame firsthand. Some of them should know the truth, right? But after listening for awhile, she didn’t hear anyone speak the truth. All of them were pleading and claiming innocence instead. Ning Xiaoyao glared at Grand Preceptor Xie and began to suspect whether the man had already killed off all his witnesses.

“Bring in those outsiders as well,” Lou Zigui told Grand Preceptor Xie. “We don’t know their origins, so it’s better to capture the innocent rather than let the culprit off.”

Grand Preceptor Xie nodded. You were waiting to say that line, weren’t you?

Elder Li said, “What are you waiting for? Hurry and investigate.”

Lou Zigui ordered Shadowgale, “This matter concerns His Majesty’s great-grandmother; you have to take care in your investigations.”

Shadowgale assented and brought his Dragon Guards away before Grand Preceptor Xie spoke a word. After they passed him, he told Xie Anji, “Have Xie Anshi do as I instructed.”

Xie Anji had no idea what his father had ordered, but assented as well before scurrying off. Ning Xiaoyao heard Grand Preceptor Xie’s words clearly, but she had no idea what kind of schemes he’d gotten up to with Xie Anshi. She patted Big Boss Black’s head and murmured, “Black Tubby, help me out with a favor, will you? How about you follow after that Xie Anji?”

Big Boss Black licked his whiskers before jumping off the tea table and silently tailing his target. While the results of the investigation were pending, the people in the room found themselves with nothing to talk about. Once again, the scene fell into silence. Ning Xiaoyao crunched a sugar bean as she began to stared at the various treasures scattered around the room. The more she looked, the more she was convinced that Grand Preceptor Xie was a covetous, corrupt official. Supreme Commander was a major official too, but he still had to ask her for money. Meanwhile, the Xie Clan’s rooms were filled with gold and silver. She had to find a way to kill off that old geezer. Ning Xiaoyao grit her teeth. Once he’s dead, I’ll have money!

Xie Anji found his younger brother in a small lateral court located at the north of the estate. He glanced at the seven other man with Xie Anshi in the rooms before telling his brother, “Father said for you to do as he instructed.”

Xie Anshi hastily asked, “That Cuckoo Lou’s started searching our estate?”

Xie Anji nodded. “Lou Zigui wants to investigate everyone close to the Old Madame, as well as any and all outsiders.”

Xie Anshi grew hateful. “Isn’t he an outsider himself?”

Xie Anji shook his head. “He only arrived with His Majesty after Old Madame Xie passed away. What’s the use of arguing with him over technicalities now? Just what did father tell you to do?”

Big Boss Black leaped onto a window ledge and peered into the room. His eyes narrowed at the sight, estimating that the men inside were the very ones Supreme Commander was hunting!

Third Young Master Xie looked at the seven military officers before cupping his hands and bowing. In an apologetic tone, he said, “Gentlemen, forgive me.”

The seven officers had no idea what Grand Preceptor Xie had planned, and only looked uncertainly at Xie Anshi. Meanwhile,Xie Anji grew alarmed. He was familiar with his father’s methods. Is the plan to silence them by killing them all?!

Xie Anshi shouted at the door, “Men, come!”

A dozen or so of the Grand Preceptor’s personal guards entered the room. Xie Anshi backed up a few steps until he was standing right in front of Big Boss Black’s window. The guards that came in raised their sabers without a word and hacked at the men instead. In response, the seven military officers instinctively made to avoid the blows.

Xie Anshi’s voice was cold. “If none of you get hurt, Lou Zigui will capture you all. Falling into his hands is a fate worse than death!”

The seven men froze with their fists and legs in the air.

“Leading troops into the capital without a permit is a capital offense,” Xie Anshi continued. “Father is doing this so you can preserve your lives. I ask that you gentlemen make allowances for the situation.”

“........” said the seven officers. It was Grand Preceptor Xie who summoned us to the capital, ah. Why does it sound like Third Young Master Xie’s blaming us for our own bad luck?

“What are you all spacing out for?” Xie Anshi urged the guards. “Hurry and attack them!”

A few slashes from the guards later, and the seven military officers were left on the floor in a bleeding pile. Xie Anji felt himself choke as he beat a hasty retreat until his back was pressed against the wall. The bloody scene before him made him want to throw up. Xie Anshi disliked blood as well, but he bore it much better than his brother. His expression betrayed nothing as he stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back.

Big Boss Black saw the tallest of the seven men left with his legs cut to the bone. He swished his tail before jumping off the window ledge and running back to Old Madame’s. Neither the Xie brothers nor the other humans inside the room ever noticed he was there. Even if they did, they wouldn’t have paid him much mind. The floor inside the room was quickly stained with blood. All of the seven men either sported broken legs or or twisted fingers. Luckily, their experience as military men gave them enough fortitude to maintain consciousness despite their heavy injuries.

Three doctors were soon ushered into the room, all of whom quailed internally at the sight. Xie Anshi told the doctors, “Treat their wounds.”

Xie Anji paced a circle in the room before he approached Xie Anshi in a small voice. “What does father mean by this?”

Xie Anshi replied equally quietly, “What he means? Lou Zigui wants to capture them. If we hadn’t broken their hands and legs just then, father wouldn’t have any way to deny that they weren’t Old Madame’s killers.”

Xie Anji processed the information before he finally understand. He sucked in a breath and paled as the implications hit him, then turned red with indignation. “That’s going too far!” he hissed.

Xie Anshi said, “Second brother, do you think His Majesty only came to pay condolences?”

Xie Anji stared at him blankly before he exclaimed, “Just what happened?!” Old Madame Xie had passed her days peacefully in the estate. How could she die just like that?

Xie Anshi shook his head. “I don’t know. Neither of us were home at the time. Father wasn’t here, either. If there’s anyone to ask, it’d have to be mother.”

“W-was it His Majesty?” Xie Anji guessed haphazardly.

Xie Anshi didn’t reply. It would have been impossible for mother to hide the culprit behind Old Madame’s death. Despite this, father was only concerned with arranging her funeral as soon as possible instead of investigating her head wound. None of them had even been allowed to see her body one last time. Could it be....could it be that the killer really was Ning Yu? Xie Anshi thought. Did Ning Yu send someone to kill Old Madame?

Currently, Ning Xiaoyao was sitting in Old Madame’s room, listening to Big Boss Black make his report.

“The room was full of blood, ah, miaow~” Big Boss Black murmured.

Ning Xiaoyao scratched her palms. That old geezer Xie’s son is too ruthless! How are we supposed to counter this?

Sensing Ning Xiaoyao’s agitation, Lou Zigui lowered his head to look at her. “What is it?” he asked in a low voice.

“Urk,” Ning Xiaoyao said. “Those seven men are in a room in the northern part of the estate.”

Lou Zigui didn’t bother asking Ning Xiaoyao how she knew, but simply replied, “Don’t worry, Shadowgale and the rest will search there as well.”

Ning Xiaoyao stuck up a finger. “There’s one more piece of bad news.”

“What is it?” Lou Zigui asked.

“The Grand Preceptor had his men break their legs and fingers,” Ning Xiaoyao said. “Now they’re practically paralyzed, so how are we supposed to accuse them of poisoning and beating the Old Madame to death?”

Lou Zigui knit his brow.

“It’s true, ah,” Ning Xiaoyao pointed at her eyes. “Supreme Commander, look at these honest eyes of mine.”

“You---" Lou Zigui said, “How did you find that out?”

“........” said Ning Xiaoyao. That’s not the point, is it? The point is that we can’t beat the Grand Preceptor now. We should just go home and take a nap!