"Sir, what should we do?"
After a brief silence, someone finally spoke, turning to look at Weng Quan.
They had not anticipated the severe consequences of this matter, but what happened now had already exceeded their expectations.
For someone like Scholar Xie, if evidence were found in his house proving he was a spy, even if he denied it, it would be a lot easier to deal with. However, when they rushed into his residence, Scholar Xie died right then and there. Moreover, it seemed like he was angered to death. Such a manner of death was truly troublesome.
Looking at the woman mourning over Scholar Xie, Weng Quan frowned and gritted his teeth, saying, "Continue searching!"
At this point, the situation had escalated to this extent, and it made no sense to abandon the mission halfway. With things reaching this point, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue.
The officials nodded and quickly resumed their search.
The grieving woman was too heartbroken to pay any attention to them, so she naturally said nothing. The two children were somewhat bewildered. They just looked at their grandfather, who had always doted on them, lying on the ground, his body gradually growing cold. So they started crying together with their mother.
The courtyard was filled with sobbing.
An elderly man stood in front of the narrow study, holding a wooden stick. He stared at the Left Guard officials, "If you want to enter, you'll have to step over my dead body!"
He was a household servant in Scholar Xie's residence, having served this Scholar for several decades. Their relationship was not just that of a master and servant; it was more akin to a friendship. The lead Left Guard official, having read the information, naturally understood. Now that Scholar Xie was dead, the old man naturally directed all his anger toward these Left Guard officials.
"You bunch of martial artists, you never read books, only knowing how to slander loyal subjects. Truly a group of animals!"
Tears shimmered in the old man's eyes. He simply did not believe that his master could be a so-called spy. He thought the Left Guard was seizing this opportunity to smear Scholar Xie!
The study was the place Scholar Xie cherished the most during his lifetime. Normally, even his own daughter could not enter it. Now that his master had passed away, the old man could not allow these people to enter and defile the study!
The two Left Guard officials exchanged a glance, their eyes showing little emotion. Now that Scholar Xie was already dead, if they could not find evidence that he was a spy, they knew the consequences. The more critical the situation, the less they could afford to hesitate. With a brief exchange of glances, the two propped up the old man and dragged him aside.
The Left Guard rushed into the study and began a meticulous search for evidence
However, after a short while, having thoroughly searched the study, they still did not find what they were looking for. The leader of the officials had an unnatural expression on his face.
"Ask the other brothers if they found anything!"
Soon, all the Left Guard officials returned to the courtyard. After seeing Scholar Xie's lifeless body, they stood quietly, exchanged glances with each other, and shook their heads.
The snow continued to fall in the courtyard. The people were all very quiet, which seemed somewhat strange. Only that ear-piercing crying was still lingering in their ears.
Weng Quan raised an eyebrow, somewhat unwilling, and asked, "Have you searched everywhere?"
"We've searched. This courtyard isn't large in the first place, and at this moment, there shouldn't be anything overlooked. Could it be that we..."
He did not finish his sentence. If Scholar Xie were still alive, such words might have been acceptable. Although there would be consequences, it would not be a problem that could not be resolved. However, now that Scholar Xie was dead, uttering such words would be a huge problem.
There was no proof and Scholar Xie still died.
Then, it would cause a mighty uproar in the entire court.
In other words, the entire Left Guard would be at the center of the storm. As the young man favored by the Lord Warden Commander, Chen Chao might still be spared, but what about them?
Some ordinary Left Guard officials would likely be the first to face fatal consequences.
Weng Quan shook his head and said, "Impossible. If the Commander says so, then it must be true!"
Though he said so, everyone could tell that he lacked confidence, somewhat giving off a sense of bravado.
Hence, even if he said so, the others maintained silence.
"Continue searching, whether it's the well in the courtyard or the blue tiles on the roof beams. If you can't find anything, dig three feet into the ground. You must understand, if we can't find evidence, what consequences we will face!"
Weng Quan was a bit frustrated but managed to maintain composure.
The Left Guard officials dispersed in silence to resume the search. However, one person did not leave. He just approached Weng Quan and whispered in his ear, "My lord, what if... we..."
"Absolutely not!"
Weng Quan looked at the official with disdain and scolded, "If you do that, how can the Left Guard hold its head high in the Divine Capital?!"
Although the official did not fully articulate the plan, how could someone like Weng Quan not understand? After firmly rejecting the suggestion, he glared at the official, "Stop thinking about such things. I'm warning you, resorting to these shady methods is unnecessary!"
In reality, Weng Quan had more considerations. At present, while faking evidence might be plausible in the short term, it might not be a good thing for the overall situation. Firstly, how did Scholar Xie secretly communicate with the foreign sects, this must be a very complicated story. Fabricating such a narrative would definitely have loopholes, and if someone later seized upon these loopholes to investigate the truth, it would be even worse for them once exposed.
So, at present, they should not engage in those actions. The only thing to do was to bring the entire matter to light, leaving no unclear aspects.
However, when the words "unclear" crossed his mind, Weng Quan's expression became somewhat ugly.
The inexplicable death of Scholar Xie right before their eyes did make the situation somewhat unclear.
"Has the coroner arrived?"
Weng Quan glanced at the Left Guard official who had spoken earlier and furrowed his brows, saying, "Come and take a look earlier. We need an explanation for the cause of death."
An old man like Scholar Xie would not have been a significant event regardless of the day of his death. Moreover, it was currently dead in the winter, with his frail health, dying at this time was reasonable. However, Scholar Xie could have died before they entered the courtyard, or after they left, but he could not have died precisely when they entered.
Weng Quan could not figure out the cause of Scholar Xie's death. If his conscience was clear, he might have been angered to death by them. But the problem was, if he had a clear conscience, they would have to pay a terrible price.
He refused to believe that Scholar Xie had a clear conscience.
But if Scholar Xie did not have a clear conscience, why would he be angered to death?
Looking at the situation, it did not seem like he had been frightened to death after his crimes were discovered.
Just as Weng Quan was lost in thought, the coroner from the Left Guard's office hastily arrived. Upon seeing the scene in the courtyard, he was momentarily stunned too.
Weng Quan spoke up, "Quickly, take a look and determine the cause of death."
Seeing this, several Left Guard officials quickly moved the mother and sons aside. At this moment, figuring out the cause of Scholar Xie's death was of utmost importance, and they had no time for anything else.
The coroner quickly crouched down, swiftly undoing Scholar Xie's robes and examining him thoroughly.
But no external injuries were found.
The coroner took out two silver needles and pierced Scholar Xie's crucial acupuncture points. After some time, the coroner stood up somewhat embarrassedly. "Reporting to Your Excellency, I can't find any issues."
The coroner said cautiously, "For someone of Scholar Xie's age, it's highly likely that he died of natural causes. Judging from the current signs, it appears Scholar Xie was likely somewhat agitated before his death, and a sudden oversurge of blood and vital energy is also possible."
Weng Quan looked at him with an ugly expression.
"Examine carefully, see if there are any external forces at play, such as poisoning, or any signs of foul play?" Weng Quan lowered his voice. He trusted this old coroner who had been in the Left Guard for over thirty years. He had dealt with many cultivators and had broad experience.
The coroner also lowered his voice, saying, "It's a possibility. However, Your Excellency, if you wish to know the specific reasons, I'm afraid it might be necessary to perform an autopsy"
He appeared somewhat troubled. Although he was a coroner and usually stuck to his job scope, he was aware of the implications of performing an autopsy on Scholar Xie. Moreover, he understood what it meant if the autopsy did not yield the desired results.
Weng Quan was silent for a moment.
He glanced at the mother and sons, furrowing his brows as he said. "Then open him up. If something goes wrong, the Commander will naturally take responsibility!"
Having received the order, the coroner nodded and had Scholar Xie's body carried under the eaves. He then took out his tools from a box, preparing for the autopsy.
Seeing this scene, the woman who had been crying for a long time, now lacking strength, suddenly screamed and bellowed, "What are you doing?!"
