The assassination of the magistrate was as serious as the incident where the suspected prince was killed, or perhaps even more serious. After all, the prince, Luo Zhenwu, was only rumored to be killed, and the court did not explicitly state it. But this magistrate was a true fourth-ranked official, and he held an important position in the transportation department, far surpassing other magistrates in remote areas.

This was a sign of rebellion, no need for further explanation.

Within ten miles of the incident site of the Zhenmo Division's martial law case, the entire city was in chaos. The city's defense forces were mobilized and all the city gates were blocked.

Tang Buqi took advantage of his status and secretly brought Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling into the incident site.

The chief official of the Zhenmo Division in Yangzhou was named Gong Chaoqun, the middle-aged man who had warned Zhao Changhe about the illusion technique. Although the result of that incident was like a farce, he was still a prestigious gold-ranked supervisor of the Zhenmo Division, at the ninth level of Xuan Guan. In terms of cultivation level, he was even higher than Yue Hongling.

There were many people at the ninth level of Xuan Guan on the Human Ranking, but those who reached this level of cultivation but did not make it onto the Human Ranking were usually praised as "close to the Human Ranking." In reality, the gap between the ninth level and the ninth level on the Human Ranking was quite significant, let alone the gap between the ninth level on the Human Ranking and the third level, which was probably even greater than the gap between Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang when they were both at the third level.

For example, it was widely known that half a year ago, a ninth-level cultivator was defeated by Yue Hongling who was at a lower cultivation level.

So the phrase "close to the Human Ranking" had no real reference value, similar to Lady Ru. Chilian said that he had killed many people close to the Human Ranking along the way, but there were not many of them who were truly formidable.

But Gong Chaoqun was an exception. He was truly close to the Human Ranking and was one of Tang Wanzhuang's trusted generals.

When Tang Buqi brought Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling in, Gong Chaoqun didn't say anything, but nodded slightly towards Zhao Changhe, almost imperceptibly. In his heart, he knew that they were undercover agents from the Zhenmo Division, and the chief had secretly instructed him about it. Tang Buqi was also the chief's nephew, and with the famous Yue Hongling, this lineup could definitely be relied upon for assistance in this matter.

Little did he know, if the magistrate had died half an hour later, these few people would have been the culprits.

Zhao Changhe held a knife and carried a bow, his face looking a bit gloomy. He was looking forward to sneaking into the magistrate's mansion with Yue Hongling at night and plotting an assassination together. Just thinking about it made him feel excited and romantic. But someone else had beaten him to it, and he couldn't even curse at them. After all, what they did was considered a great relief for the people.

"Uncle Gong, did you find anything?" Tang Buqi asked.

"The magistrate was killed by an arrow." Gong Chaoqun said, "He was about to enter the room of his concubine when he was shot in the back of the head by someone from the opposite rooftop. The arrow had great force and pierced through the back of his head. The assassin shot the arrow and disappeared before the guards could surround the area. It was a clean and precise operation."

Zhao Changhe secretly thought that if it were him, he would probably have died the same way.

Gong Chaoqun looked at the bow that Zhao Changhe was carrying and said, "The corridor from the magistrate's residence to the concubine's room is covered in vines, with poor visibility. The best opportunity to strike is when he stops at the entrance. The archer's control was excellent, even better than Young Hero Zhao's archery skills. They must be someone skilled in using bows and arrows."

Zhao Changhe didn't find it surprising that someone else had better archery skills than him. After all, he didn't use bows and arrows frequently, and he mainly practiced his knife skills. At this moment, what came to his mind was the arrow shot at him by the person in the blue mask... That arrow was truly powerful, and without the warning from Longque, there was a high chance that he would have fallen for it.

Could it be him?

Others didn't know who the person in the blue mask was, but Tang Buqi's first reaction was, "Skilled in using bows and arrows, could it be the Hu people?"

It seemed unlikely for the magistrate to support the Hu people, but Tang Buqi wanted to pin the blame on them. In fact, no one knew about the connection between the magistrate and the Hu people. If it was said that the Hu people killed him, both the people and the court would believe it.

If they wanted to quickly solve the case, this was a method. It might even have some benefits, making the court pay attention to the Hu people who were causing trouble in the Central Plains.

Gong Chaoqun's expression became playful as he asked Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling, "Young Hero Zhao and Miss Yue, you both had encounters with the Hu people today. What are your thoughts?"

"If I were to say that a few hours ago, near the Foreigner District, someone almost took my life with a bow and arrow, what would you all think?" Zhao Changhe said.

Yue Hongling's expression changed instantly. "Is it true?"

"It's true."

Gong Chaoqun also became somewhat moved and pondered, "If Young Hero Zhao had really encountered such a misfortune, we would naturally suspect the Hu people... And if another magistrate is assassinated in the same way tonight..."

Gong Chaoqun didn't continue speaking, but everyone understood what he meant. It was obvious that the other party had already planned to blame the Hu people for the assassination of the magistrate, starting from the arrow shot at Zhao Changhe. They didn't expect Zhao Changhe to escape.

As for why they chose Zhao Changhe, no one knew. Could it be that they knew Zhao Changhe was an undercover agent from the Zhenmo Division? Looking at it this way, the other party might not have targeted the magistrate because of his behavior at the banquet. Tang Buqi had initially suspected Wan Dongliu and Xuan Chong, but now it seemed unlikely.

Tang Buqi thought for a moment and whispered, "Uncle Gong, why don't we just go along with it and blame the Hu people? It's a good opportunity to get rid of all the Hu people here. After all, the one who killed the magistrate was also a righteous... um, anyway..."

In any case, they were also righteous people. There was no need to investigate seriously, right?

Zhao Changhe felt that his eldest nephew was quite capable. Although he was a bit of a playboy and not very skilled in combat, he had tried to fight him, pushed him into the fire, and even tried to provoke a conflict between him and Yue Hongling... Damn, this person was no good!

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Yue Hongling said, "If it were an ordinary situation, I would support Brother Tang's proposal, but this person is different."

"Hmm?" Tang Buqi asked.

Yue Hongling calmly said, "He tried to kill Changhe."

Tang Buqi:

Tears streamed down Zhao Changhe's face. Look, this is what it means to have allies and gaps!

Gong Chaoqun asked Zhao Changhe thoughtfully, "What do you think, Young Hero Zhao?"

Tang Buqi looked at Gong Chaoqun strangely. Why did you ask him twice? He's not really my uncle, why do you care about his opinion so much?

Zhao Changhe said, "I do support blaming the Hu people, as this matter is important. But since this person tried to kill me, I must secretly investigate and find out the true culprit, even if we publicly blame the Hu people."

Gong Chaoqun nodded.

Since both the young master of the Tang family and the undercover agent with the jade token said so, Gong Chaoqun made up his mind. Blaming the Hu people had many advantages.

But then Zhao Changhe said, "Did we miss something in this case?"

Gong Chaoqun, as an investigator, immediately understood Zhao Changhe's meaning. "Are you saying the concubine?"

"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, the magistrate had a Maitreya Sect celestial maiden by his side. Based on the Maitreya Sect's ability to seduce people, I feel that the magistrate would visit her every night. In other words, this concubine might be that celestial maiden."

Gong Chaoqun smiled slightly. "Indeed, we have already taken her into custody. It's quite unfortunate for her. The magistrate died at her doorstep, and she can't even run away. If she does, she will be suspected of assassinating the magistrate and fleeing. She can only stay there helplessly and wait for our interrogation. As a result, during the interrogation, we quickly discovered her identity as a Maitreya celestial maiden. It's truly an undeserved calamity."

"So, in fact, the magistrate died in the presence of the Maitreya celestial maiden. Can we also pin this incident on the Maitreya Sect?" Zhao Changhe muttered to himself, "The Maitreya Sect colluded with the Hu people, assassinated the magistrate together, and planned to rebel with internal and external cooperation. The true culprit has already prepared a complete story for the Zhenmo Division. Even the army has been mobilized in the city due to the magistrate's death, ready to suppress the bandits... And the Hu people are still unaware of their involvement, thinking that they have nothing to do with it."

Tang Buqi listened with some astonishment. "So they chose this moment to assassinate him, and it was all planned? They knew that the magistrate would come to the celestial maiden's room at this time!"

Hmm... Someone who knows the magistrate's daily routine well, someone who had already planned a well-thought-out strategy. Zhao Changhe looked at Gong Chaoqun and said, "Now the question is, should the Zhenmo Division cooperate and accept this great gift that the other party has delivered to our doorstep?"