There is a god in the sky

Chapter 364 Joint Trial by the Three Judicial Offices 5

There were only two people, and the place they were guarding was probably the exit.

Why put the guards in the secret passage? Why not just have them guard the outside?

Unless, of course, the outside world easily arouses the suspicion of others.

Shen Lan took out her medicine bag and played tricks on them for a while, then called out to the two men, "You two, come and help me get some things."

The two men were so startled by the sudden sound of Minister Tong's voice that they were wide awake.

The two ran a few steps in this direction and saw a figure standing in the darkness.

If you look closely, you can see that this person's build is different from that of Minister Tong.

At this time and in this place, the two of them had no suspicion that anyone else would come, so they walked directly toward Shen Lan.

When Shen Lan and the other two were about ten steps away from her, she suddenly threw a packet of medicine powder out.

Only then did the two realize they had been tricked; the person in front of them was actually a woman.

"Oh no, the powder is poisonous!"

Seeing the two guards collapse to the ground, Shen Lan covered her mouth and nose and walked forward. As she passed by them, she stabbed each of them.

She searched the two men for a while, taking not only their keys but also one of their coats and putting it on herself.

She walked towards the exit, which was a door that looked extremely ordinary.

Pushing open the door, she saw the faintly bright sky and the waning crescent moon still hanging in the sky.

A rooster crowed, breaking the silence, and then she saw a large rooster flapping its wings and walking over, stopping in front of Shen Lan.

Shen Lan looked around and saw a very ordinary farmhouse.

Why would you need to station guards in a place like this? Isn't that redundant?

Shen Lan walked out and looked back at the exit. If she didn't know that there was a secret passage behind it, she would only think it was an inconspicuous woodshed.

What's the Tong family up to?

She walked toward the house, wanting to see who lived there.

The house wasn't big, just three tiled rooms in the front and back, with mud walls and paper windows. Only the roof tiles were relatively neat.

She approached the main house, pressed her ear against the door, but heard no breathing.

She boldly pushed open the door and entered, and sure enough, no one was there; the two rooms next door were also empty.

Shen Lan walked out of the house. There were fields and land outside, and similar houses all around. She must have already left the city.

Perhaps the Tong family simply dug a secret passage leading out of the city.

She picked a bunch of mugwort and hung it outside the yard, and marked the entrance so that she wouldn't have trouble finding this ordinary house next time she came.

Returning to the courtyard, she intended to go into the secret passage to move the two corpses out, but then the first rays of morning sunlight shone down.

A golden light flashed before my eyes.

Shen Lan thought it was sunlight reflecting off glass or something similar, but this dilapidated house didn't seem like the kind of place that could afford to use glass.

She walked over there and found the spot of light in an inconspicuous corner.

A tiny golden speck, about the size of a mung bean, peeked out from under the mud wall. She rubbed it with her hand, and the gold became even more pronounced.

With a thought, Shen Lan took out a knife and scraped away the edge of the mud wall, revealing more and more gold.

She was stunned, a bold guess forming in her mind.

She grabbed a bundle of firewood to block the corner, then ran quickly towards the city.

Soon, she discovered that she was in a small village, and it was the Qianjia Village that she knew.

Sui Feng and Liao Wude waited outside the Tong residence until dawn, but Shen Lan did not appear.

The two were still worried, so Liao Wude secretly went inside to take a look around. He found that Shen Lan was not in the Tong residence either, so he had to leave.

The two returned to report to Xiao Ji.

"Oh no, could Miss Shen be trapped in the secret room?" Suiying said anxiously.

Xiao Ji had the same guess and asked Sui Ying, "Are you sure you saw her go in with your own eyes?"

Sui Ying nodded, "At that time, I trapped the assassins in that courtyard and saw Miss Shen go into the study. She didn't come out until I left."

Liao Wude asked for a map, "I'll go explore it again."

Xiao Ji shook his head, "It's broad daylight now, and the Tong residence is bustling with people. It's better for me to go than for you to go."

Xiao Ji could enter the Tong family's house openly and legitimately, and he could also demand to search the study with a clear conscience.

But when he arrived at the Tong family's house, he almost couldn't even get through the gate.

"Please wait a moment, Lord Xiao. Minister Dong is inside. Please let me know."

Xiao Ji was both annoyed and amused. "Why can't I enter if Minister Dong is inside? This is not the Dong residence."

Liao Wude stepped forward and subdued the guard. Xiao Ji went straight in, and when he arrived at Tong Xiuqing's study, he saw a huge fire.

His vision went black, but he rushed in aggressively and saw Dong Minghua in front of the fire.

"It's just in time that Lord Xiao has arrived. The study has caught fire for some reason." Dong Minghua said anxiously.

Xiao Ji didn't care about anything else and shouted for help to put out the fire.

But it was as if all the servants of the Tong family had disappeared; not a single one came. Only the people he brought rushed off to find water to put out the fire.

Xiao Ji poured a bucket of water over himself and rushed into it without thinking.

Sui Feng and the others dared not let him in and tried to stop him.

"My lord, let me go!" Sui Feng rushed forward swiftly.

But he was still stopped.

Dong Minghua asked, puzzled, "Lord Xiao, why are you doing this? The fire is so big, are you just sending people in to their deaths?"

Xiao Ji was soaking wet, and he looked at him with a sinister gaze.

He strode over, grabbed Dong Minghua's collar tightly, and asked, "Lord Dong, what did you burn?"

Dong Minghua felt inexplicably guilty.

He forced himself to remain calm and angrily rebuked, "Xiao Ji, how dare you!"

Xiao Ji raised his fist, about to strike, but was stopped by Liao Wude.

"Young Master, calm down!"

Dong Minghua hurriedly stepped back, and his guards stepped forward to block his way.

"Xiao Ji, what nonsense are you spouting? This place was already on fire when I arrived. What does it have to do with me? How dare you defy your superior!"

Xiao Ji sneered, "Is that so? Then Lord Dong's arrival is certainly timely!"

"Xiao Ji, you're just a junior, where's your basic manners and etiquette?"

"This humble official only knows to carry out orders. If anyone deliberately sabotages the operation, don't blame me for reporting it to the Emperor!"

"Hmph, trying to intimidate me with the Emperor? You don't even know your own limitations."

"The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices holds a higher rank than I do, but it's uncertain who the Emperor will listen to."

Dong Minghua was indeed aware that Xiao Ji was favored; otherwise, how could someone his age be in charge of the entire Criminal Investigation Department?

But now that things have come to this, it's too late for him to regret it.

He dusted off his sleeves and left, leaving behind the words, "Lord Xiao, hurry up and put out the fire, or you won't even have a single piece of wood left."

Xiao Ji looked at the burned-down house, his heart aching, his eyes filled with confusion and worry.

Is Shen Lan inside?

"She'll be alright, she'll definitely be alright!"

Liao Wude approached when the fire was a little smaller. Most of the things inside had been burned, so it was impossible to tell whether there was a secret room or not.

Assuming Shen Lan is trapped in the sealed room, with the outside burned like this, it's impossible for anyone to survive inside.

Neither the thick smoke nor the high temperature would kill her.