There is a god in the sky

Chapter 276 The City God Temple Turmoil 3

When Shen Lan went out, she saw a group of people running this way.

A woman holding a child was pushed from behind and fell in front of her.

The child started crying loudly, and the woman held him in her arms, shielding him with her body.

Shen Lan stepped forward and pushed away several pedestrians who were about to trample on the mother and son, pulling them to the side of the road.

"Thank you so much for saving me, young lady!" the woman cried, her face red with tears.

Shen Lan asked curiously, "What happened?"

"There are assassins trying to kill His Highness the Crown Prince ahead. The streets are in chaos. We can't run forward, so we have to run back. We were thinking of hiding in the City God Temple."

"The Crown Prince has been attacked?" Who dares to be so bold?

Xiao Huzi opened the door, called them inside, and then went out to inquire about the situation.

Shen Lan thought this matter would last a long time, and wanted to send the mother and son home first, since they lived nearby.

But soon, Little Tiger returned, beaming with joy.

"Sister, it's alright now, you can go. The road ahead is clear."

"How is the Crown Prince?" she asked.

"It's alright. His Highness the Crown Prince has so many bodyguards, and there are soldiers all over the streets. What kind of blind assassin would try to kill him on the street? Wouldn't that be courting death?"

Oh, by the way, I heard a monk took an arrow for the prince and was injured.

Shen Lan stood up abruptly, grabbed him, and asked, "Are you sure it was that little monk who was injured?"

Little Tiger scratched his head, "I didn't see it with my own eyes, I just heard it from others, it should be true."

Shen Lan was both worried and curious. Didn't this little tiger know that the monk was Li Ye?

Could it be that Li Ye wasn't very familiar with them either?

She couldn't figure it out, so she stopped thinking about it and left with Xuan'er and the mother and child.

She successfully escorted the mother and child home and received a basket of eggs as a gift from them.

Going against the flow of people, Shen Lan walked towards the section of road where the Crown Prince had been assassinated.

The Imperial Guards are searching every household in the surrounding area for assassins, as they have heard that one of the assassins has escaped.

Xuan'er fearfully clung to Shen Lan's arm and whispered, "Sister, shall we take a detour back?"

"Don't be afraid, we're not assassins, just ordinary pedestrians."

Shen Lan deliberately came here, hoping to find out some clues.

There were still bloodstains on the road. A carriage was parked by the roadside, guarded by a group of imperial guards who looked around warily.

The appearance of Shen Lan and Xuan'er caused all the Imperial Guards to draw their swords.

When someone came up to question her, Shen Lan explained her identity and what had happened, and was quickly released.

Although she was only an eighth-rank coroner, as long as she held an official position and was personally appointed by the emperor, she still had some influence in front of the Imperial Guards.

"Coroner Shen, please wait!" someone called out to her from behind.

Shen Lan turned around and saw Commander Zhao of the Imperial City Guard.

"Lord Zhao." Shen Lan pulled Xuan'er to bow.

"Since Coroner Shen is here, I'll trouble you to take the body in the carriage to the Criminal Investigation Department. Please also tell Lord Xiao that His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered him to solve this case."

Shen Lan's head was as big as an ox.

"Lord Zhao, His Highness the Crown Prince was assassinated. This case doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Judicial Commission, does it?"

"His Highness has spoken personally; how could the Ministry of Justice possibly refuse?"

That's really not possible.

Shen Lan observed three seconds of silence for Xiao Ji.

How easy is it to investigate an assassination like this? Xiao Ji was assassinated last time, and the killer still hasn't been found.

"Did one of the assassins escape?"

Commander Zhao summoned the Imperial Guards who had been defending the streets earlier. Coincidentally, they were old acquaintances of Shen Lan.

"Captain Zhang, tell Coroner Shen what happened back then."

Zhang Xinghui's armor was stained with blood, and there was a bloodstain on his face, making him look somewhat disheveled.

He stared at Shen Lan with wide eyes, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Oh, since when can a coroner investigate cases?"

Shen Lan cupped her hands and said politely, "Then please ask Captain Zhang to make a trip to the Criminal Investigation Department. It's the same as talking to our lord in person."

She turned and walked away, the carriage carrying the corpse following behind her.

When they reached the fork in the road, Shen Lan told Xuan'er to go back first, while she took the carriage to the Ministry of Justice.

Halfway there, Zhang Xing caught up with him, looking very unhappy.

"What a small world! Haven't you Xiao family done enough harm to me? Why is it that nothing good ever comes from running into you?"

Shen Lan turned to look at him and realized that his rank had been lowered. It seemed that he had been held accountable for making things difficult for them at the city gate last time.

It was only because he came from a prominent family that he was able to escape from Bianjing long ago; anyone else would have been expelled from the capital.

Shen Lan said speechlessly, "Has Captain Zhang ever doubted himself? Maybe you're just having too much bad luck?"

"Sharp-tongued, no wonder you, a woman, dared to enter the profession of coroner. You've got some nerve."

"Whether I'm brave or not, Captain Zhang should have already seen for himself last time."

Zhang Xing blushed. He was too embarrassed to admit that he couldn't beat a woman.

Moreover, after that incident, he was demoted and suspended for half a month. He had just been transferred here when the Crown Prince was assassinated.

I just fought with the assassin and almost killed him.

That's why he got angry when he saw Shen Lan; nothing good ever comes from running into her.

"Who would dare marry a woman like you?"

"Don't bother, I'm not going to marry you anyway."

Zhang Xinghui laughed, "Don't think that just because you're a coroner, you can marry me. Even if you're a lady from a respectable family, you'd have to see if I agree."

Shen Lan gave him a serious look.

To be honest, this kid is quite handsome, but he's a bit arrogant.

"Given the grudges between us, it's already magnanimous of me that we haven't become enemies. Captain Zhang, it's best if you stay away from me."

Shen Lan was too lazy to talk to such a pretentious teenager, so she quickened her pace and even used her light-footed skills.

Zhang Xinghui didn't care at first, but when he saw her walking faster and faster, his competitive spirit got the better of him, and he abandoned the group to chase after her.

After chasing for a while, he realized that he was getting further and further away from Shen Lan, so he simply stopped chasing her; it would be embarrassing.

When Shen Lan arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department, Xiao Ji had just received news of the Crown Prince's assassination attempt.

Magistrate Xu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"This is unbelievable! When did so many assassins appear in Bianjing? We haven't even learned about your assassination attempt last time, and now the Crown Prince has been attacked in the middle of the city! These assassins are incredibly audacious!"

“Who says otherwise?” Xiao Ji echoed, then sighed, “The Crown Prince’s safety is a matter of great importance to the court. If the hidden assassins are not brought to justice, Bianjing will not be at peace.”

Judge Xu was very troubled. "These cases, one after another, are all major cases. What's going on this year?"

He looked at Xiao Ji suspiciously, "Speaking of which, it seems that the number of cases suddenly increased after Lord Xiao came to the capital. Could it be that Lord Xiao has a special constitution?"

Xiao Ji retorted with a half-smile: "I dare not agree with what Judge Xu said. Perhaps there were many cases in the past, but few of them ended up in the Criminal Division."

The importance of a government office depends on its jurisdiction and authority.

Xiao Ji was renowned, and even if there were cases that were not under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Investigation Department, he had no choice but to take action if ordered by his superiors.