kingnovel Chapter 121 The Gecko with a Broken Tail
Chapter 121 The Gecko with a Broken Tail
The Great Ning Dynasty had a strict set of rules and regulations.
All officials of the fifth rank or above were required to attend the morning court assembly at the palace every day to discuss national affairs with other ministers.
As for Chu Ci, her position happened to be below the fifth rank. Although she was not required to attend court, she was required to report to the military camp every day and participate in handling various military affairs.
Today was her first day on duty, and Shi An was particularly excited. She got up early and carefully dressed up Chu Ci.
He skillfully combed Chu Ci's waterfall-like long hair neatly, coiled it into an exquisite bun, and then carefully dressed her in official robes, meticulously tying the belt around her waist.
After a makeover, a heroic and imposing female general appeared before Shi An.
It must be said that military uniforms have a unique charm, and coupled with Chu Ci's tall and slender figure, she is a natural clothes hanger.
The impressive military uniform fit her perfectly, as if it were tailor-made, making it impossible to look away once one's gaze fell upon her.
Even Shi An himself was captivated, gazing intently at the woman before him.
Chu Ci lowered his head and straightened his sleeves, then pinched Shi An's cheek and asked, "What are you planning to eat for breakfast?"
After being pinched, Shi An snapped back to her senses and quickly replied, "Oh... I specially baked your favorite meat patties today and also cooked a pot of delicious mutton soup. I'm sure you'll like them!"
As he finished speaking, a blush involuntarily rose on his cheeks because of Chu Ci's closeness.
Seeing this, Chu Ci felt a little strange. She raised her hand and gently placed it on Shi An's forehead, asking with concern, "What's wrong? Are you sick? Why is your face so red?"
"No no."
Shi An, somewhat shyly, pushed Chu Ci toward the kitchen, muttering, "My lady, please hurry and have your meal. Today is your first day on duty, so please don't be late."
Chu Ci smiled and replied, "Okay, I'll do as my husband says."
After saying that, he quickly walked to the dining table.
After breakfast, Chu Ci rode into the military camp and quickly adapted to various military affairs without much effort.
However, she did not show much enthusiasm or passion for the position itself.
After all, she had only one purpose in traveling all the way to the capital—to clear the Shi family's name and exonerate them.
Fortunately, the daily affairs in the military camp are not complicated, and as long as they are handled properly in accordance with the established rules and regulations, they can be managed with ease.
When training new recruits, Chu Ci generously imparted the exquisite boxing techniques he had mastered to the valiant female soldiers.
The training ground was filled with laughter and joy as everyone diligently learned the boxing techniques and exchanged skills with each other, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
At noon, lunch was served in the military camp.
After tasting the food, Chu Ci found it quite delicious. Although it was slightly inferior to the delicacies Shi An had prepared himself, it was still quite good overall.
After the meal, Chu Ci returned to his tent for a short rest, sleeping for an hour before getting up.
After she had recovered enough, she strolled over to the next tent to find her friend Zhao Yi.
At that moment, Zhao Yi was sitting at the table, engrossed in reading a military book.
Seeing this, Chu Ci also picked up a book from the bookshelf with great interest and began to browse through it.
Before long, she was surprised to find that the blank spaces on the pages of the book were filled with Zhao Yi's unique insights and reflections.
Upon seeing this, Chu Ci couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. "I didn't realize you were so diligent."
Zhao Yi slightly raised his head, his gaze quickly sweeping over the woman standing in front of him. Although his lips did not move and he did not make any sound, Chu Ci seemed to be able to see through Zhao Yi's thoughts through that brief exchange of glances.
His eyes clearly revealed a hint of doubt, as if silently asking, "What are you doing here?"
Chu Ci gently placed the book in her hand aside, then gracefully sat down opposite Zhao Yi.
She smiled and explained, "In this vast military camp, you are my only close friend, so I came here specifically to visit you. Is that not allowed?"
However, in the face of Chu Ci's words, Zhao Yi simply kept his head down and continued to peruse the book in his hands without even lifting his eyelids.
Seeing Zhao Yi's indifferent reaction, Chu Ci shrugged, reached out to support her chin, leaned forward slightly, and moved closer to Zhao Yi.
"Why don't you like to talk? I'm not that good at it, I can't always guess what you're thinking."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi finally stopped turning the pages, slowly shifting his gaze from the book to quietly stare at Chu Ci.
The two stared at each other for a while before Zhao Yi finally parted her lips and uttered a single word: "Tired."
This simple answer left Chu Ci speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.
After a long pause, he finally said, "Okay."
Time flew by and it was already afternoon. After training the troops, she mounted her horse and galloped straight toward the Dali Temple.
Upon reaching the gate, Chu Ci nimbly dismounted, reached into his waistband and pulled out an exquisite waist token, showing it to the guards and revealing his identity. He then walked unimpeded into the Dali Temple and arrived at Zhang Ping's study.
At this moment, Zhang Ping was engrossed in reviewing the case file in her hands, her expression unusually serious, as if the whole world had shrunk to just the dense text and intricate case clues before her.
Chu Ci knocked on the door. "This humble official, Chu Ci, Military Advisor of Bixiu, greets the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
Upon hearing the voice, Zhang Ping slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on the tall, beautiful woman in front of her.
With just one glance, she recognized Chu Ci as the victim of the martial arts examination cheating case.
"So it's you... May I ask what brings you here today?" Zhang Ping's tone was unhurried as she continued reading the case file.
Chu Ci sat down in front of her without any ceremony and stated his purpose directly without any beating around the bush.
"My husband's surname is Shi. Three years ago, our family suffered a devastating raid. You must have heard about this case, right?"
Zhang Ping nodded slightly. At the time, she was working at the Dali Temple and had naturally heard about the case.
I never expected that someone would bring it up again after so many years.
Zhang Ping understood immediately and looked at Chu Ci, asking, "Did you come here today to review the case files from back then?"
Chu Ci nodded readily, a hint of expectation in her eyes: "That's right. Back then, the Shi family was accused of embezzlement and their property was confiscated. All the women in the family were beheaded, and all the men were sold into slavery. But my husband firmly believes there must be some injustice involved and is determined to overturn the Shi family's case. Therefore, I humbly request that you allow me to review the relevant files to help us find out the truth."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, she slowly put down the file she had been holding tightly and sat up straighter.
"Overturning a verdict is not an easy thing."
Chu Ci sighed, "That's why I came here specifically to ask for your help."
Zhang Ping did not respond immediately, but lowered her head and pondered for a moment.
After a while, she raised her head and looked at Chu Ci with a firm gaze, saying, "I can lend you a hand, but... you have to do me a favor in return."
Chu Ci readily agreed, "No problem, what do you want me to do?"
Zhang Ping leaned closer and lowered her voice, saying, "Recently, a murder case occurred in Kyoto, and the news has not yet been released to the public. I've heard that you are exceptionally skilled in martial arts and possess extraordinary abilities. I really need someone like you right now."
Upon hearing this, Chu Ci became interested: "What kind of murder case was it? Tell me about it."
"Will you help me?"
"of course."
Having received the promise, Zhang Ping recounted what she knew in detail.
"Not long ago, a stone bridge located on the outskirts of Beijing was washed away by a flood. Unexpectedly, three male corpses were exposed at the point where the bridge broke. These men were all young, around seventeen or eighteen years old, and were all orphans, living in poverty. Even if they had unfortunately gone missing, it was unlikely that anyone would have reported it to the authorities. After the coroner's examination, it was discovered that the three men had all been poisoned to death, and the poison used was extremely valuable, with only a few ounces of it being available."
After hearing this, Chu Ci frowned: "This... is really strange. Since the murderer's targets were all orphaned men with no relatives or loved ones, why would he use such an expensive and rare poison?"
Hearing this, Zhang Ping's tense expression relaxed slightly, and her eyes showed some praise: "Not bad, you are indeed meticulous and observant, and you immediately noticed the key point."
"Thank you for the compliment. May I ask what you would like me to do?"
Zhang Ping took out a map and handed it to Chu Ci. The map detailed the topography of the entire capital and its suburbs, and on it were eye-catching red dots carefully marked by Zhang Ping.
After taking the map, Chu Ci began to examine it carefully. "What are these red dots...?"
Upon hearing Chu Ci's question, Zhang Ping calmly replied, "The places marked with red dots are all burial grounds for corpses."
Her tone was unusually calm, yet her words sent a chill down one's spine, as if countless untold secrets and terrifying stories were hidden behind those red dots.
Chu Ci stared at the map in his hand and noticed that there were eight red dots on it.
After some observation and thought, she realized something: "If you connect these red dots, it looks like a diagram of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams."
Zhang Ping nodded slightly, agreeing with Chu Ci's opinion. Her sharp eyes were fixed on the map, as if she could see through the paper and understand everything.
Chu Ci stroked the map, her curiosity piqued, and continued to press, "How were you able to accurately deduce the locations of the other burial sites based solely on those three corpses?"
Zhang Ping sighed softly and slowly explained, "Actually, the reason is not complicated. It's just that all three corpses have the same tattoo pattern on their lower backs."
What kind of tattoo design?
Zhang Ping frowned. "It's a... tailless gecko."