When Xue Gui came to the Commander’s Office, his face under the mask looked absolutely terrible; the frustration showing in his eyes was already obvious enough.
Not long ago, the Qin Family affair had left the Major Case Department badly burned by the hands of the Xuanqing Guard; now, having to come here and seek help in turn, who knows what curses Xue Gui was suppressing in his heart.
But upon seeing Pang Ban, Xue Gui still had to behave properly, knowing that no matter how displeased he felt, he could not afford to cross this man, who had a fearsome reputation throughout the Dynasty.
"Your subordinate Xue Gui greets Lord Commander!"
"No need for formalities. Lord Xue, please sit."
Pang Ban’s reputation preceded him, said to be the most unapproachable man in the Jingjiu Dynasty, yet that disarmingly amiable smile of his could easily fool people. Even someone as seasoned as Xue Gui—had he not known Pang Ban’s ruthless deeds—would be deceived by that smile.
After taking his seat, Xue Gui stated his purpose: this time, he had come because of the case of Prince Qian’s murder, seeking the assistance of the Xuanqing Guard, and made it plain that this was by imperial order after reporting to His Majesty.
"Lord Xue, even if you hadn’t come, I would have visited Minister Ma myself. His Majesty has already issued an order to the Xuanqing Guard, instructing us to assist you fully in the investigation, and to ensure that the murderer who conspired against Prince Qian is brought to justice!"
Those four words—"brought to justice"—made Xue Gui’s heart leap in his chest. He was no fool. Prince Qian’s death was surely connected to one of the Princes; if they truly "brought to justice," would the Major Case Department’s hands be stained with a Prince’s blood? Did Pang Ban not know that in past royal "major examinations," when Princes met with misfortune, the investigation was always "just for show"—looked into briefly, and then the matter dropped?
Xue Gui’s thinking was just that: "looked into briefly." That way, he would avoid entangling himself in the Princes’ disputes, offending no one; and still uncover a few clues, demonstrating that his department had both ability and resolve, so as not to be dismissed as idlers. It was for this reason that he’d gone to Fenghong Manor, hoping for help, only to be handed straight to the Xuanqing Guard instead.
But here, just after meeting Pang Ban and speaking but a sentence, he was confronted with "brought to justice"—which made Xue Gui feel he could hardly keep his composure.
But before Xue Gui could speak, Pang Ban simply waved his hand and kept smiling, "No need to rush, Lord Xue. Considering the current situation, I believe you will understand upon reflection. If His Majesty had wanted to play things down, he would never have sent the Xuanqing Guard. If we truly needed experts from the Cultivation Realm, the Dynasty has the authority—your Ministry of Justice could send invitations, and the Major Sects would certainly help, wouldn’t they?
Everyone keeps talking about the ’major examination’—but if it were just an unrestricted, unrestrained contest, would that still be called a ’major examination’?
Turning through the records, every generation’s ’major examination’ has its share of unsatisfactory matters. Now, His Majesty has set the Xuanqing Guard in motion—I’m afraid it’s meant to make all the Princes more cautious, more vigilant. If they can’t even get through this, the ’major examination’ is incomplete in itself.
Given that, Lord Xue, you understand my meaning, do you not?"
In fact, Pang Ban’s words were only half complete, then abruptly cut off. But that didn’t prevent Xue Gui from grasping the implication. He understood Pang Ban was saying the Emperor had raised the difficulty of the "major examination," and indirectly stated the case of Prince Qian’s murder had to be thoroughly investigated.
With things uttered to this point, what more could Xue Gui say? Though still not wholly convinced inside, he believed it about seventy or eighty percent—for such matters aren’t hard to guess; following Pang Ban’s logic, one arrives at the same conclusion easily enough.
This is troublesome indeed!
"For this case, I’ll assign someone to investigate with you. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to say it—we’ll handle every assistance needed this time."
By the time Xue Gui left the Xuanqing Guard Commander’s Office, it was already late for lower emissaries. Returning to the Ministry of Justice, he did not rest either, but waited in the Public Office for the Xuanqing Guard experts to arrive.
But over the following days, Xue Gui realized he’d still thought the matter much too simple.
The experts from the Xuanqing Guard did arrive, in fact came in three successive groups, each wave with higher cultivation, until even the rarely-seen Captains appeared—yet still, no information on the murderer who ambushed Prince Qian was uncovered.
"There can’t possibly be a completely traceless murderous method. Nor is it possible for any concealment to entirely slip by us... Could there be a flaw in our reasoning?"
It wasn’t just Xue Gui whose face was full of frustration and unease—the Captain urgently seconded to the case looked equally grim.
Captains are the main fighting force within the Xuanqing Guard; ordinarily, they never surface. Normally, they’re immersed in seclusion within the Commander’s Office, some of the more senior ones with even higher cultivation than Pang Ban—their status out of the ordinary. For them to come assist in a case was a great honor, yet they still turned up nothing; this was a loss of face.
Xue Gui was at an impasse. His only option was to report to Ma Xuanlin, hoping Ma would urge the Emperor once more; he kept believing it was the Xuanqing Guard’s lack of ability, and that if a Golden Sword Cultivator could be brought in, the situation would surely change.
Yet how could Ma Xuanlin get a private audience with the Emperor? Lately, all his memorials had vanished without a trace—save for catching a glimpse at the Great Court Assembly, every other time he’d been refused entry. Even at the Assembly, any request was waved off with a "let us discuss this further."
Nor was it just Ma Xuanlin; even the Left Minister, Ye Lansheng, stood no chance of a private audience. Now, the whole court of civil and military officials watched Ye’s side with seemingly feigned indifference. The Emperor, it appeared, was deliberately distancing Ye Lansheng and Ma Xuanlin—never a good sign.
If the Emperor dislikes a man, is any good end possible? The answer has been confirmed by countless bloody facts. So those in the military watch as though at a play; among the civil servants, rumors are already circulating.
Besides, in this Prince Qian case, the Ministry of Justice still hasn’t produced any findings; rumor has it the Xuanqing Guard has even sent out Captains, yet there is no progress. Could it be the Emperor is venting his anger on the Ministry, and, by extension, the Left Minister?
If others suspect as much, how much more so would Ma Xuanlin and Ye Lansheng themselves? Thus, Ma is now only concerned with seeking an audience with the Emperor. As for the Ministry’s case? What of it?
So Xue Gui can forget getting his superior’s backing, and his standing is not enough to deal directly with Fenghong Manor—no wonder the case has stalled all these days, leaving him so badly frustrated.
In the end, Xue Gui had to admit that his only hope lay in the very Xuanqing Guard he’d always looked down on. At least, the Captain assigned to this case took it very seriously, not only combing through every detail repeatedly, but also reporting progress to Pang Ban several times and even proposing a conclusion.
"Our reasoning has gone astray."
PS: Another Chapter to come this afternoon.