Everything starts from Menghualu

Chapter 450 Zhang Zha's Discovery and Pull
"You will go to work as usual tomorrow. I will go to see my adoptive father. You will be fine by then. However, if the Ministry of Justice finds out, you will be on your own!" Cao Cheng said in a deep voice.
"Don't worry, my Lord. The Ministry of Justice will never find out. But do I really want it?" Zhou Yinzhi said

"What? You don't believe me? If so, you can leave now." Cao Cheng's face suddenly changed after hearing this.
"My Lord, please calm down. My Lord, please calm down. I have no such intention. I have no such intention." Zhou Yinzhi said

"Then get out of here quickly. Remember what I said. If the Ministry of Justice finds out, no one can save you!" Cao Cheng said impatiently.
After hearing this, Zhou Yinzhi naturally hurried away, and after he left, a strange smile appeared on Cao Cheng's face.

At the same time, Xue Yuan finally received the news of Shen Jie's death, and had someone track down Zhou Yinzhi's whereabouts.

"Master, something is not right. I wanted to get rid of Zhou Yinzhi as soon as possible, but I found out that he went to Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion, so I didn't dare to move." The confidant said
"Hmm? Did Zhou Yinzhi go to Cheng'er's place? Okay, don't worry about it. Remember, clean up all traces. We were not involved in this matter!" Xue Yuandao
After hearing this, the confidant naturally bowed and saluted, and then left. After he left, Xue Yuan said in a deep voice, "Cheng'er, Cheng'er, what are you planning?"

At this time, Shen Jie had already arrived at the Imperial Garden, where his body was lying, with the Minister of Justice and Zhang Zha standing beside him.

"What's going on? Have you found any useful clues? How did my second brother die?" Shen Jie asked directly as soon as he came over.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Linzi was killed by a dagger. The murderer's method was clean and neat, and he was killed with one blow. The Prince of Linzi was probably still asleep when he was killed." The Minister of Justice said
"Oh? You mean, this was done by an outsider? Not someone from the palace?" Shen Jie asked.
"Your Majesty, let's let Chief Zhang report this to you." The Minister of Justice said
After hearing this, Shen Jie waved his hand impatiently, and then Zhang Zha spoke.

"Your Majesty, the murderer acted decisively and killed the man with a single blow. It's obvious that he was a professionally trained person, far from being comparable to an ordinary martial artist."

"Although he disguised himself as a gangster, he still couldn't hide it from me. The murderer must be from the army, or, or someone from Xingwuwei." Zhang Zha said
"You mean, the person who did it was from the army or the Xingwu Guard?" Shen Jie said solemnly.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I am very sure of my judgment. The murderer must be from these two places without a doubt." Zhang Zha replied with a serious face.
"Okay, Zhang Zha, listen carefully. From now on, the case of my second brother will be handed over to you. Later, I will issue an order to let the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War cooperate with you."

"I'll give you one month, you must find out for me! I want to know how my brother died, and I want the murderer to pay the price!" Shen Jie said angrily.
After hearing this, Zhang Zha naturally bowed in a hurry, then followed the Minister of Justice and left the Imperial Garden. After they left, Shen Jie also returned to the Imperial Study.

At this moment, Shen Jie sat on the chair with a somewhat lonely look on his face. His mind was full of memories of the past. At that time, he had a very good relationship with his younger brother.

At that time, the two of them could talk about anything, but later, they gradually grew up and realized the embarrassment of their identities, so they deliberately distanced themselves from each other.

But in his heart, he still loves his younger brother very much. However, he doesn't know when everything changed, and this change makes him unable to control himself.

This change forced him to acquiesce to others killing his younger brother, and what was all this for? For power, for his own throne.

And the Xue family, yes, it was all because of the Xue family. If it weren't for him, today wouldn't have happened, and his brother wouldn't have died! Yes, it was all because of the Xue family!

Shen Jie quickly found an excuse for himself. After all, he only needed an excuse that would make him feel at ease, and the Xue family was that excuse.

When he thought of the Xue family, he inevitably thought of Cao Cheng. This man was the key to dealing with the Xue family. He naturally didn't have to worry about this before, but now, he has to worry about it.

After all, he was not worried before because his second brother had a grudge against him and he had no choice but himself. But now it is different, because his second brother is dead.

Now that his worries are gone, I will start to worry myself. After all, in many cases, family affection is still a very valuable thing.

At this moment, the person he was worried about was comforting his wife.

"Okay, Madam, don't be so sad. His Majesty has asked the Ministry of Justice to investigate this matter. I believe there will be a result soon." Cao Cheng comforted
"Husband, you don't need to comfort me. I actually know a lot of things, but I didn't show it before. I naively thought that I could get away with it by just pretending to be stupid."

"But I didn't expect that this time it won't work. I can't play dumb. I know very well that my second brother's death is definitely related to my brother. What should I do?" Shen Zhiyi said

"Madam, you don't have to worry about these things. You can just continue to play dumb and live the life you want. I'll take care of everything. I promise there will be no problem." Cao Cheng said
"Husband, am I, am I useless, me, me?" Shen Zhiyi said unwillingly.

"Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? How can you be useless? You are my wife, and my whole family still needs your help."

"Okay, silly girl, don't think about it. This will all pass. Trust me." Cao Cheng said
After hearing this, Shen Zhiyi went straight into her husband's arms and said slowly, "Husband, do you think my brother will not attack me?"

"Madam, didn't I tell you that I will take care of everything? After dawn, life will go on as usual. The wind and rain outside cannot enter our Dingyuan Marquis Mansion!" Cao Cheng said seriously.

"Well, I believe you, husband, you are so kind." Shen Zhiyi said with a smile

"Hey, your husband, I have something even better. Do you want to try it?" Cao Cheng said
After Shen Zhiyi heard this, she naturally knew what Cao Cheng was going to do, and she naturally opposed it. But how could Cao Cheng let her fly when the meat was at her fingertips? In the end, her opposition was naturally ineffective.

On the other hand, Jiang Xuehui was not so lucky. No one would comfort her tonight.

At this moment, she was very sad. To be honest, although she had some feelings for Shen Jie, she was not heartbroken.

Most of her current sadness was due to uncertainty about the future and unwillingness to accept her own fate. After all, the reason she became Cao Cheng's concubine was because Shen Jie fell in love with her.

If it weren't for Shen Jie, perhaps she wouldn't be in this situation now. From this point of view, Shen Jie might really be her enemy. But it was precisely because of Shen Jie that she could live in peace in this mansion. From her heart, she didn't really believe what Cao Cheng said before.

She felt that the reason why he could live in peace now was entirely because of Shen Jie, and her own marquis was just being cautious.

Now that Shen Jie is dead, her future is suddenly full of uncertainty, so she is sad and helpless at the same time. She dare not make any sound and can only cry silently.

Time quickly came to the next day. After the court was dismissed, Cao Cheng was taken directly to the imperial study by Wang Xinyi.

"My dear minister, you are here. No need to be polite. My dear minister, you should have heard the news about my second brother, right?" Shen Lang waved his hand.
"Your Majesty, I am deeply shocked and terrified by what happened to His Royal Highness Prince Linzi," Cao Cheng said.
"Okay, my dear, I called you here for no other reason, so you don't need to be nervous. I just want you to do something." Shen Lang said directly.
When Cao Cheng heard this, he naturally agreed quickly. Seeing this, Shen Lang nodded directly.

"My dear, although I believe in you, everyone in the court and the country knows about your feud with my second brother, so it is inevitable that some people will talk about it. There is nothing we can do about it."

"Although the innocent will be cleared, it will still cause inconvenience. Yesterday, I handed this case over to the Ministry of Justice, and the head of the Ministry of Justice, Zhang Zha, will be in charge of the investigation."

"He had deduced yesterday that the murderer must be a soldier, or from Xingwuwei. My dear, you also know that if the murderer really came from these two places."

"Then Mr. Zhang is not safe, so I want you to be responsible for protecting Mr. Zhang's safety. What do you think?" Shen Lang asked.

Cao Cheng was of course aware that although His Majesty was asking, this was obviously something he had to do, so he said directly, "I obey your order. I will do my best to protect Mr. Zhang's safety."

"Hahaha, good, I feel relieved with your words, my dear. Okay, my dear, if there is nothing else, you can go down first." Shen Lang said with a smile

After hearing this, Cao Cheng naturally bowed directly, then turned around and left the imperial study. Looking at his departing back, a smile appeared on Shen Lang's face.

But Cao Cheng was not in such a good mood at this time. Although his face remained calm, his heart was turbulent. After returning to his carriage, he began to think of countermeasures.

He knew very well that the purpose of His Majesty summoning him today was not that simple. On the surface, he wanted him to protect Zhang Zha and let him find out the truth to prove his innocence.

But in reality, he was asked to keep an eye on Zhang Zha and make sure that his investigation did not go astray and find out things that should not be found out. In other words, if necessary, he would kill him!

But once I do it, I won't be able to clear myself. The most important thing is the relationship between me and my adoptive father. This is the key today. Your Majesty is killing three birds with one stone today.

After figuring it out, he couldn't help but feel emotional. This Majesty was truly powerful. If he hadn't been frail and sickly since childhood, he would have dealt with them all one by one.

When the carriage stopped, Cao Cheng slowly walked into the mansion and went straight to the room.

"My dear, you are finally back. How is it? Did the emperor not make things difficult for you?" Shen Zhiyi said

"Haha, Madam, don't worry. Your husband is fine. Don't worry. His Majesty didn't say anything. He just said it was because of the conflict between me and my second brother."

"So they asked me to send someone to protect the officials in the Ministry of Justice to investigate the case, saying that they wanted the Ministry of Justice to find the real culprit as soon as possible to prove my innocence." Cao Cheng said
"Oh? So that's how it is. That's good, that's good. I feel relieved now. My husband, you don't know how worried I was when I learned that the emperor summoned you." Shen Zhiyi said

"Madam, my dear madam, you are so good to me. Come, let me, your husband, take good care of you." After saying this, Cao Cheng was about to start his action, but was stopped.

"Okay, husband, don't be like this for now. Now that my second brother is dead, don't you have to go and see Jiang Xuehui?" Shen Zhiyi said

"Hmm? Madam, you are wrong. Did she come to you?" Cao Cheng asked.
"Okay, husband, don't think too much. I just feel sorry for her. After all, if she hadn't intervened in this fight, she wouldn't have come to snatch you from me." Shen Zhiyi said

"Madam, you are really amazing. I will go to her place, but not now, because I have other things to do. I have to arrange to protect the Ministry of Justice first." Cao Cheng nodded.
After saying this, Cao Cheng let go of his wife, then turned around and left with a smile. Shen Zhiyi looked at her husband's departing back and a smile also appeared on her face.

After leaving his own mansion, Cao Cheng did not go to the army to arrange manpower, but went to the mansion of Duke Dingguo first. After all, if his adoptive father wanted to take action, no amount of protection would be of any use.

When Xue Yuan learned that Cao Cheng had arrived, he went straight to the study without any surprise.

"Cheng'er is here, please take a seat. I heard that His Majesty summoned you. I wonder what he said?" Xue Yuan said
"Foster father, His Majesty has given me a tough job. He asked me to protect Zhang Zhe from the Ministry of Justice to investigate a case. What do you think he is up to?" Cao Cheng said directly.
"Haha, Cheng'er, can't you guess what His Majesty is thinking? Compared to His Majesty, I am more concerned about what is the point of you keeping Zhou Yinzhi?" Xue Yuan said with a smile.

"Haha, I knew you would guess it. Father, it would be a pity to give up such a useful knife." Cao Cheng said
"Cheng'er, although this knife is easy to use, if you use it too much, it will inevitably cause problems." Xue Yuan said
"Foster father, many things are like this. There are risks in everything you do. It is safe to switch between knives, but if a knife doesn't work, it will delay things if you change it temporarily." Cao Cheng said
"Cheng'er, it's fine to keep the knife, but what are your plans for Zhang Zha?" Xue Yuan said
"Foster father, that cover is still capable. He has confirmed that the person who did it was either born in the military or is from the Xingwu Guards."

"The Xingwu Guards will naturally not do such a thing, so we can only ask the military camp to inconvenience them. Father-in-law, I believe you should be able to handle this matter, right?" Cao Cheng asked.

(End of this chapter)