Chapter 730: Iron Backbone

Zu An and a contingent of Embroidered Uniform Guards swiftly made their way to the city outskirts, heading to the address recorded by the Imperial Household Department to search for Xin Rui's mother and younger brother. Unlike Zu An, who was new to the capital, these guards were intimately familiar with its every street and alley.

It wasn't long before they located a courtyard house. The Embroidered Uniform Guards professionally split into several teams: one secured the back gate, another occupied elevated positions to survey the surroundings, and a third blocked off the various alley entrances. Only then did the remaining guards approach the front door. After knocking several times without a response, they kicked the door open, and a group of fierce-looking men stormed inside.

Zu An slowly entered. Since he didn't need to personally conduct the search, he had more time to carefully observe his surroundings. Seeing the scene inside the courtyard, he silently sighed, realizing they had likely arrived too late.

As expected, someone soon reported back: "Lord Eleven, the targets were not found. From the state of the interior, it appears no one has lived here for several days."

Zu An nodded. "Dig up the courtyard and see if there are any bodies. Also, question the neighbors to see if they have any clues."

The group quickly dispersed, acting on their orders. In the blink of an eye, the courtyard was thoroughly dug up by the cultivators, who were much faster than ordinary people. Unfortunately, they found nothing.

Just then, someone brought an elderly woman back. "Lord Eleven," he reported, "she was just now lurking suspiciously nearby, looking over here."

The old woman quickly waved her hands. "It's a misunderstanding! I was just curious what trouble the Hua family got into. I'm certainly not a bad person! That hateful Hua woman, she really is a troublemaker!"

"The Hua family?" Zu An recalled that Xin Rui's original surname, before entering the palace, was Hua. Hearing the old woman's tirade, he asked, "Do you have a grudge against this family?"

The old woman's expression changed. "No grudge, no grudge! How could I have a grudge against them?" She dared not get involved in this situation now. What if the family had been harmed? If she admitted to a grudge, she might be made a scapegoat by these officials.

Zu An said coldly, "You're not being entirely truthful. Take her back for severe interrogation."

The old woman went limp with fear and quickly stammered, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you! I really don't have any enmity with their family. It's just that I couldn't stand how idle they were, yet they lived better than us."

"Idle?" Zu An frowned.

"Yes," the old woman quickly said, fearing he wouldn't believe her. "This family moved here three years ago. Initially, it was just the elder Miss Hua and her son. And that son of hers, oh dear, he spent all day loafing around, doing nothing productive, just asking his mother for money to gamble. I felt sorry for Miss Hua, so I helped her find work mending clothes for a wealthy family, and they managed to get by."

"But later I found out her daughter worked in the palace, and even this house was bought with money her daughter saved. Oh, how I wish I had such a successful daughter!"

"However, the elder Miss Hua always dutifully continued mending clothes to supplement their income."

Hearing her endless rambling, Zu An impatiently interrupted, "From what you're saying, your relationship should have been quite good. Why were you so resentful just now?"

"Hmph, people change," the old woman said sourly. "One day, she suddenly stopped working. I was curious how they would live then. Her daughter worked in the palace, but these outsiders had almost exhausted their savings to buy this courtyard, so they shouldn't have had much spare money."

"But not only did their lives not become difficult, the elder Miss Hua actually started wearing gold and silver! Tsk tsk tsk, my husband and I have worked hard our whole lives and could never afford such jewelry." The old woman's tone was full of envy. "She claimed her daughter was appreciated by a noble in the palace, but I suspect she secretly stole things from the palace. And now, haven't they finally gotten caught?"

Zu An frowned. "And that's why you're gloating?"

"Just that alone wouldn't make an old woman like me so angry," the old woman said, her eyes filled with resentment. "My son is of marrying age, isn't he? I picked out a wife for him, but we were a bit short on the bride price. I thought about borrowing some money from the Hua family, but that woman refused me without hesitation! She even said her daughter had it hard. Bah! If I hadn't later found out she was also arranging a wife for her idle son, I might have actually believed her."

Zu An was speechless. "It's their own money. It's perfectly reasonable for them to want to save it for their son."

The old woman grew agitated. "But they were so destitute when they first came to the capital! If I hadn't helped them, they probably would have starved to death long ago. Now that I need help, she turns her back on me! You know, any one of those gold and silver ornaments she wears daily would be enough if she pawned it to lend me the money."

Hearing her complaints, it was clear she was a typical native of the capital whose mentality was unbalanced because a family of outsiders, previously less fortunate than her, had suddenly become wealthy.

Zu An had no time for their petty neighborhood squabbles. "When was the last time you saw them?"

The old woman replied, "About half a month ago."

"Did they leave on their own, or were they taken away?" Zu An asked.

"That, I don't know," the old woman shook her head.

"Were there any unusual occurrences in your area during that time?" Zu An pressed, knowing that in this era, unlike later generations, population mobility wasn't high. Neighbors knew each other well, so if strangers came, there would surely be traces.

"There seemed to be a carriage here those few days. Oh, we've never seen such a grand carriage in this area before!" the old woman said, her face full of admiration.

Zu An frowned. "What kind of carriage? How grand was it, and were there any distinguishing features on it?"

The old woman looked bewildered. "Grand means grand, how am I supposed to describe it?"

Zu An instructed a nearby subordinate to find someone skilled in portraiture to communicate with the old woman and try to draw the carriage as accurately as possible, hoping to find a clue. He then asked a few more questions about the Hua mother and son's daily lives before dismissing her.

"Wait," Zu An suddenly thought, "When did their family's fortunes begin to improve? When you said she started wearing gold and silver?"

The old woman stopped, thought for a moment, and replied, "About a year ago. I can't remember the exact date, but certainly no more than a year and a half ago."

Zu An fell into deep thought. It seemed Xin Rui had been bribed by a mysterious person a year ago. This was truly a long-term scheme.

"Where is Xin Rui's hometown?" Zu An asked.

"I think it's Cao County," the old woman replied.

Zu An nodded. This matched the Imperial Household Department's records. He immediately instructed his subordinates to send people to Cao County to investigate whether they had returned there recently. In this world, people generally had a strong attachment to their hometowns. If they left voluntarily, they would instinctively choose to return to their native place. Of course, there was a high probability that their freedom had already been restricted, and they might not even be alive anymore. This investigation was merely to not overlook any possibility.

From the Hua family's house, Zu An returned to the Embroidered Tower within the palace, where Shi Jun was already being held, awaiting him. As Zu An entered the cell, he heard Shi Jun's furious roar from within:

"You scoundrels, do you know who I am?"

"Do you know who my father is? My father is the Grand Marshal of the current dynasty..."

"Stop your wailing. It wouldn't matter if your father were Li Gang," Zu An interrupted directly. This man had been the most eager to catch the "adulterers" previously, making him the most suspicious person besides Xin Rui.

Seeing Zu An's attire, Shi Jun's pupils constricted. Having spent years in the palace, he naturally knew what a Gold Medal Embroidered Uniform Guard signified. However, thinking of his father, his elder brothers, and the Shi clan's influence at court, his heart calmed slightly. "May I ask what crime I have committed? What evidence do you have to arrest and interrogate me here? I demand to see my father."

Zu An snorted. "Everyone who comes here claims innocence, but unfortunately, things rarely turn out that way. Tell me, why did you frame the Crown Princess Consort?" He didn't even mention his own name, as in the eyes of various factions, Zu An was largely insignificant; the focus of this matter was primarily the Crown Princess Consort.

Shi Jun bellowed, "Everything I said before was true! When did I ever frame the Crown Princess Consort?"

"Nonsense! Grand Preceptor has personally proven the Crown Princess Consort's innocence. Are you perhaps questioning His Eminence?" Zu An slammed the gavel.

Shi Jun's expression was somewhat bewildered. "I don't know why Grand Preceptor would say that, but that day I truly saw her with Zu An."

Recalling how embarrassingly he had been pursued by this fellow that day, Zu An felt a surge of displeasure. "This man isn't being honest. Apply the torture!"

"Yes, sir!" The Embroidered Uniform Guards beside him had no qualms. They were fearless by nature, and anyone in the imperial court, regardless of rank, would be severely dealt with here. What was a mere Imperial Household Aide?

Shi Jun panicked. "I'm innocent! Why are you beating me? You're trying to extract a confession through torture!"

Zu An picked at his ear, looking impatient. Soon, the whistling of whips and Shi Jun's screams filled the air, and Zu An's expression became more content.

"You're torturing me into a confession! I will report you!"

"I will file an imperial complaint! You are abusing your authority!"

"My father will not let you get away with this!"

Rage points from Shi Jun: 888888888...

Zu An said coldly, "It seems he hasn't been beaten enough." This scoundrel had deliberately made things difficult for him at the palace gate. If Zu An hadn't had many tricks up his sleeve, he might have been ruined by this man. Later, he even framed him and the Crown Princess Consort, which, if successful, would have been a crime punishable by the extermination of his entire clan. How could Zu An be courteous to this fellow now?

At first, Shi Jun continued to curse, but soon he ran out of strength and began to beg:

"Please, stop beating me..."

"I'll tell you! Just tell me what you want to know!"

Zu An said disdainfully, "I thought you were so unyielding. Turns out you're just a coward."

A hint of malice flashed in Shi Jun's eyes. *So what if he's a Gold Medal Guard? When I get out of here, I'll make sure my father kills you!*

Rage points from Shi Jun: [value]

Seeing the rage points in the system backend, Zu An secretly sneered but didn't expose him. He motioned for the others to leave first, then asked, "How do you know Xin Rui?"

"Xin Rui?" Shi Jun's pupils constricted, but he quickly regained his composure. "The Head Palace Maid of the Hundred Flowers Palace? I've been in and out of the palace for years, so I have some impression of her, but we've had no interactions, so I wouldn't say I know her."

Zu An said, "Oh." Then, "Then let's continue the beating."

As he signaled his subordinates to come in, he said, "Young Master Shi, the Embroidered Uniform Guards have many, many forms of torture. We have plenty of time, so we can try them out on you one by one." Originally, he had thought about using torture methods he'd seen on TV to scare the man, but after learning about the Embroidered Uniform Guards' actual methods, he wisely decided not to show off. *These are the real professionals,* he thought, *they can truly teach you what it means to wish for death.*

"No!" Shi Jun's eyes were filled with terror. Having been in the palace for years, how could he not know these methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guards? Forget trying them one by one; even trying just one would break him completely.

"I'll tell you..." He had just opened his mouth when suddenly, with a bang, the door was burst open. Immediately, a terrifying pressure spread out. "Who dares harm my son!"

---*Author's Note:*

Today, queuing for the COVID-19 vaccine was absolutely packed. I waited for several hours, but thankfully, there were several pretty young ladies in the queue, so it wasn't too boring...

The pandemic abroad is getting more and more serious, and outbreaks are continually emerging in various places. In the future, the country will definitely open its borders. Everyone who can get vaccinated should try their best to do so.

This is the only chapter for today; I will make up for it tomorrow.