Last night was peaceful in Chang'an

  The 15th year of Yuan Sheng in the Great Zhou Dynasty, spring.

  After the spring awakening, the weather in Chang'an City suddenly warmed up. A few clear bird calls awakened the branches, and the morning light depicted the majestic and beautiful imperial palace in the distance, with golden rays pouring down from the eaves to open up a straight road along the central Zhuque Avenue of Chang'an City.

  On this long and winding road, the small vendors carrying poles, the sedan chair bearers hurrying along, and the elegant young ladies lifting the curtains to look outside, all tell you that last night was another peaceful and safe one.

  But perhaps last night was not so peaceful after all.

  A sudden clatter of hooves came from afar, and the vendors hastily retreated. Against the morning light, they couldn't see the appearance of the approaching person for a moment, but in their hearts, they knew that those who dared to ride horses in Chang'an City were not people to be trifled with.

  Indeed, with a black base color, light brown flower patterns, and densely blooming chestnut-colored plum blossoms, this kind of official uniform represents the Dali Temple.

  "Bang!" A big fish was startled and jumped out of the vendor's bamboo basket, flapping anxiously on the ground. The vendor quickly picked it up, leaving a few scattered bloodstains behind.

  The young lady in the sedan chair across the street quickly lowered the curtain and suddenly remembered the almanac she had looked at before leaving the house - today all things are not auspicious.

  The sound of horseshoes quickly disappeared on Zhuque Avenue, turning into the northeast corner of Chang'an City. Because it is close to the imperial palace, over time it has become a gathering place for officials and nobles. The people who witnessed the commotion in front of the Dalisi Temple early in the morning also came to a conclusion - the case that the Dalisi Temple was going to deal with today must be unusual, otherwise, Guan Qing, the vice president of the Dalisi Temple, would not have taken it personally.

  He dismounted abruptly, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and strode into a commoner's residence with an air of dignity and composure that was characteristic of the Temple of Justice.

  Some personnel from the Dali Temple hurried out to greet them first.

  "Where's the body?" Guan Qing asked, his clean voice tinged with a hint of coldness.

  Still in Jing Tang, Wang Min guarded it and did not allow entry.

  "My family may not be a high-ranking one, but we have received the imperial edict of protection from the current emperor. I request that you all respect my late father's will. Today, no one can enter this place." In front of the quiet hall, a young man about 13 or 14 years old stood upright, his eyes slightly red, but he stood firmly at the door, with a sword at his waist, refusing to budge an inch.

  Dali Temple's Vice President Zhang Zhen stood at the foot of the stairs, quite annoyed with his attitude, but when the other party mentioned the imperial gift of a golden plaque, he didn't dare to take another step.

  "Wang Gongzi, it's also our duty to come here. Moreover, it was your family's servant who reported the case. Why don't you let us investigate?"

  "Let's investigate, let Yan Gongzi come."

  "Yan Sanbai is not here." Suddenly, a voice cut in, and Zhang Yan and Wang Min looked over at the same time.

  Zhang Yan was overjoyed as if he had seen a lifesaver, and hastily retreated a step back, letting him take the lead.

  Wang Min saw the approaching person slightly tense, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightened, "Lord Guan."

  "Wang Gongzi, Yan Sanbai just appeared in Yangzhou last month. Your father was murdered, and you didn't seek to solve the case as soon as possible. Why do you want to give up on the nearby clues and look for distant ones?" Guan Qing's sharp eyes stared at Wang Min intensely.

  Wang Min gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, but did not retreat. "Lord Guan, it's not that I don't want to crack the case as soon as possible, but my father instructed me a few days ago that if he were to meet with an accident, I must ask Yan Sanbai, the White Swallow Gentleman, to take over the case. I dare not disobey."

  Guan Qing's expression turned slightly solemn, "Does Lord believe that our Datong Temple is incapable of handling this case?"

  "No, it's not like that, Lord Guan. I've said it before, this is Father's intention." Although Wang Min was young, no matter how much he pretended to be an adult, he was still suppressed by the gaze of Guan Qing and retreated step by step. However, he still clung to this condition and refused to let go. With the golden plaque in hand, the Wang family was recognized as a meritorious founding family by the emperor, and even the Grand Justice Temple did not dare to break in forcibly.

  At this thought, Guan Ying's expression changed and he couldn't help but frown slightly, his pair of sword-like eyebrows resembling two cold blades that made people dare not look straight at him.

  He asked Zhang Yan: "Has Jinlv Chi been released?"

  "Replying to sir, it has already been released."

  Jīn lǚ chì is a type of Gu insect, named for its beautiful golden wings. There are two types of Jīn lǚ chì: the mother and child. The mother insect is on Yan Sanbai's body, while the child insect is placed in the Dalisi Temple. When needing to urgently summon Yan Sanbai, simply releasing the child insect will allow it to smoothly find its target.

  Guan Qing turned to Wang Min again, "If you insist on letting Yan Sanbai investigate the case, that's fine, but before that, I must go in and take a look myself."

  Wang Min hesitated for a moment, after all not wanting to make things too awkward with the Temple of Great Rites. His father had mentioned this Guan Qing before, and at such a young age he was already able to hold the position of Junior Minister of the Temple of Great Rites, so he couldn't afford to offend him easily. Moreover, he actually didn't know why his father would make such a request just a few days before his death.

  "But you can't move my father's body, and specific questions will have to wait until Young Master Yan arrives."

  "Okay."

  Guan Qing finally walked into the quiet hall, and as soon as he entered, a bloody smell rushed to his nose. Wang Min's father, the former leader of the Gui He faction, Wang Jingchuan, was kneeling in front of the incense case, with his head bowed down. A sharp sword had pierced through his heart, and the dark red blood stained the carpet beneath him. Additionally, a white silk rope hung from the beam above, tied around Wang Jingchuan's neck.

  One man, two death sentences, really can't think of what deep hatred the murderer has with him.

  Wang Min's face changed, his expression sorrowful and painful. He grasped the door frame tightly, hatred and anger causing him to lose the composure he had just shown in his confrontation with Guan Ying.

  "You found something wrong, when you broke in, did you confirm that the door was locked from the inside?" Guan Qingci asked Wang Min. Although Wang Min was immersed in grief over his father's death at this moment, Guan Qingci didn't have the kindness to sympathize with him.

  "Yes, and I've checked, all the windows are locked."

  Upon hearing this, Guan Qing raised his head and looked up, "Zhang Yan, go check the rooftop."

  A moment later, Zhang Yan transmitted back, "There are no signs of anyone entering or leaving on the rooftop!"

  In other words, this is a room where it's impossible for anyone to enter or exit.

  Guan Qing examined the scene carefully, and the room was very small with no secret passages. Wang Jingchuan was stabbed to death or strangled, not killed by poison arrows or poisonous smoke that could be operated remotely, so the murderer must have entered this place.

  But how can this be achieved?

  Wang Minqiang recovered from his grief, and his father's death made him mature overnight. He knew that his father had a special reason for asking Yan Sanbai to preside over the case, so he had to think of a way to deal with Guan Yingci.

  Unexpectedly, Guan Qing did not make things difficult for him again. After checking the house for a moment, he turned around and left, just as he had come, swift and decisive.

  Zhang Yan hastily followed up, "Sir, are we waiting for Yan Sanbai now?"

  In Zhang Yan's view, this case is a bit mysterious. With his brain, he can't crack the mystery of the sealed room. If it were that rumored man who could solve cases like a god, there would be something to look forward to.

  Who would have thought that Guan Qing's words suddenly stopped, and his cold gaze turned to him, "If everyone investigates cases relying on Yan Sanbai, what is the point of having a Supreme Court?"

  "Ah, yes, sir... We're on our way to..."

  "Check the case." Guan Qing bid farewell and left with a flick of his sleeve, went out the door, sprang onto his horse, turned its head and immediately rode off.

  Following a master who was too efficient, Zhang Yan was really suffering, and hastily ordered his subordinates to bring over his own horse.

  Just as he was about to mount his horse, he suddenly remembered something and turned around, only to see a little girl of five or six years old appear behind him, holding a black cat that stared at him without blinking, giving him quite a fright.

  The black cat was an ominous sign. Its piercing blue eyes stared at him, making his hair stand on end.

  At this time, little girl suddenly raised her head and looked at Zhang Yan with a faint gaze, just like the cat. "Uncle, my cat is bleeding."

  Zhang Yan only felt that because of this cat's relationship, he looked at the little girl with a gloomy face, and then sent her away: "Go, go find your family's adults."

  After finishing speaking, he mounted his horse and hurried away, lest he be tainted by some bad luck.

  At the same time, in a tea house north of the city, a storyteller from the south strummed a three-stringed instrument and was about to begin his performance.

  He wasn't a hired hand in the teahouse, but one of the tea guests from all over the country. An old customer mentioned the departure of the young master of Dalisi Temple this morning, and everyone was exchanging the latest gossip.

  "Didn't that young master turn green with rage this time?"

  "Hey, who told you to specifically look for 'Yan Sanbai'? This matter has fallen on Young Master Yan's head, and even the Grand Court can't do anything about it!"

  "Come to think of it, that Kaifeng case last time was such a tough one, but he cracked it. The rumors outside are so mysterious, I wonder if they're true?"

  The storyteller began to speak, looking quite young with a full face, a man of good fortune.

  "It's really true, absolutely true. I didn't see the strange case in Kaifeng, but I saw the one in Suzhou Prefecture with my own eyes, and that's where I'm from."

  The tea guests all came with interest, asking him to speak quickly. The storyteller cleared his throat and began to tell the story of Yan Sanbai in his obvious Wu dialect tone.

  Yan Sanbai was originally a Jianghu knight-errant, because he had helped some Jianghu friends solve some baffling cases, so he got the reputation of a chivalrous detective. This was just a casual nickname among his Jianghu friends, but in the 13th year of the Yuan Sheng era, Yan Sanbai suddenly went to the capital to take the imperial examination.

  Rushing to the exam was nothing, but Yan Sanbai, who was also from Wu, finally got a literary champion's flower crown. At that time, Chang'an City was really bustling, and everyone knew that a Jianghu knight had actually won the literary champion, which was extremely fresh.

  The emperor also found it extremely novel, but he was also in a dilemma. How should this newly promoted Wen Shu Yuan be arranged? It seemed that no position was suitable for him.

  The Minister of Rites in charge of the imperial examination then stepped forward and said, "Why not let Yan Sanbai be a free spirit between the temple and the rivers and lakes?"

  The emperor thought this was interesting and so issued an imperial decree: Go and investigate the case.

  At the same time, he bestowed upon Yan Sanbai a golden plaque, which could settle all cases under heaven; even the Grand Court of Revision was not allowed to interfere excessively.

  By imperial decree, the case of Yan San Bai was born from this.

  But Yan Sanbai is a wandering knight-errant, his whereabouts are unpredictable and elusive, it's really difficult to find him to investigate the case.

  It's just like he became a Wen Yuan after leaving Chang'an City and never came back again.

  At this time, on the second floor of Yunxianju across from the teahouse, a folding fan pushed open the crimson window.

  "What are they talking about over there, so lively?" The owner of the folding fan leaned against the windowsill, wearing a red dress embroidered with auspicious clouds, her long black hair tied up with a small golden crown, and a pair of slender phoenix eyes glancing out with a hint of elegance and flamboyance.

  "Your Highness, it's Young Master Yan Sanbai from across the way." The green-clad attendant behind him replied.

  "Oh?" The man turned back, seemingly interested in the name. With a swoosh, he put away his folding fan and recalled the rumors about Yan Sanbai on the Jianghu, "Yan Sanbai, the appearance of the Wild Goose Feather Knife means that all evils will surrender; the elegant young master, unmatched in white clothes... it's just that there hasn't been an opportunity to meet him yet..."

  "Achoo!"

  Outside the teahouse, a man in white clothes who was leading a donkey let out a sneeze. He stopped and rubbed his nose, a hint of a helpless smile appearing on his handsome face, as if thinking - Who's talking about him again?

  Passersby couldn't help but take a second glance at him, for people love beauty, and especially adore such a handsome young man with a charming smile. Especially those eyes, big and shining, blinking like the stars in the night sky, full of sincerity.

  Moreover, this young gentleman, although dressed as a knight-errant with flowing white clothes, had an air of refinement and elegance about him.

  The storyteller's witty remarks brought laughter from the tea house patrons.

  The owner of the tea house and the owner of Xianyun House across the street are sworn enemies, each trying to outdo the other in business.

  At a glance, there was a handsome young man standing in the middle of the road, immediately starting to solicit people, more enthusiastic than the old madam of Qinlou Chuguan.

  The handsome young man was in a difficult situation, he had no intention of staying to drink tea and eat, when suddenly a joyful laughter came from upstairs.

  "Tsk, tsk, you're welcoming guests in such a dull way. If I may say so, why not set up a stage and have a competition instead?"

  The young nobleman leans on the railing, holding a folding fan, pointing at the rivers and mountains.

  The two bosses were immediately attracted by his gaze.

  The teahouse owner nodded his head and said, "Young master, it's easy to put up a signboard, but how can your tea and food compare?"

  The boss of Xiānyúnjū also rarely expressed his agreement, "Yes, if we could compare, would we have wasted this good time?"

  "Since there's no comparison, what are you arguing about again?"

  "...". The two were speechless, and at this time, the handsome young man had already led the donkey to walk far away. When he was about to turn a corner, he bowed his hand to the red-clothed young master from afar - thank you.

  The young man in red shook his folding fan - no need for courtesy.

  The two bosses glared at each other, and I was caught in between.

  Poor loyal servant Ling Ding persuaded from behind, "Your Highness, let's go back to the palace first, Empress Dowager will be angry if she finds out you arrived in Chang'an early but didn't go to pay your respects."

  The king's phoenix eyes slightly raised, and he gently tapped the servant's head with his fan, "If I were to return to Chang'an once, I would have to stay in the palace. Then why did I come back early to roll around?"

  At this time, Guan Qing stood in the Qianwen Pavilion where various scrolls were stored. His handsome face was slightly furrowed, "You said Yan Sanbai has been here before?"

  The official in charge of guarding and sorting the files smiled and said: "Yes, Lord Guan, he just left not long ago, and you arrived."

  P.S.: Moreover, this actually utilized a segment of folklore from the Song Dynasty's popular Tianwang Liu Yong.

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