Chapter 503
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 503
Chapter 503. The Critic Murder Case (2)
Where is the Namgung Clan?
It is a renowned martial arts clan that produced the current leader of the Martial Alliance.
Furthermore, it is a clan with a long history, so the Namgung Clan has a very high status in the martial arts world.
And now the son of the Namgung Clan Head is a suspect.
Master Jin took a piece of paper out of his pocket and showed it to me.
“This poem was written on the wall.”
The poem was clearly criticizing the late poet Na Jeong-soo for condemning the poems of others.
It also said that he would pay for his actions with his life and be torn to pieces.
“And the victim was leaning against the wall with his wrists cut off and his body torn apart, with the poem written on the wall.”
“....”
The method was so cruel that I frowned without realizing it.
“Some of those who discovered this fainted.”
“I can imagine.”
“Furthermore... the bigger problem is that he was killed in Wutong Street in Beijing.”
Wutong Street is famous in Beijing for being a complex area, as it connects five different streets.
It is also called Wutong Miro (Five Crossroads) because it is easy to get lost there.
“What? In Wutong Street?”
The reason I was surprised was because it was inside the inner city.
Beijing has an inner city and an outer city.
The inner city is where the imperial palace is located, so security is very tight.
With such a terrible incident occurring in such a place, it cannot be ignored.
“His Majesty has ordered a thorough investigation into this matter. We must catch the culprit at all costs.”
Although the deceased was known for his harsh criticism, he had not committed any serious crimes, nor was he a martial artist.
The problem is that he came to Beijing to participate in a poetry contest held in the name of the imperial family and was murdered within the inner city.
As emperor, I cannot ignore this.
“But why is the son of the Namgung Clan a prime suspect?”
“The biggest reason is that the marks left on the victim are consistent with the martial arts of the Namgung Clan. In addition, he was also the target of literary criticism, and there was testimony that he had said he would kill the victim someday.”
Master Jin continued.
“Furthermore, his whereabouts last night are unclear. He is not giving a clear answer as to where he was.”
That is certainly enough to identify him as the culprit.
“However, he insists that he did not kill the victim.”
Master Jin-yeong sighed and shook his head.
“This is really troubling. He is the most likely suspect, but if we punish him and the real culprit is revealed later, what will the Namgung Clan say?”
“Ah... This is really troubling.”
In my opinion, the emperor seemed to be using this incident as an excuse to suppress the Namgung Clan and the Martial Alliance Leader.
However, if things went wrong, the emperor could suffer great losses.
In that situation, would Master Jin be able to remain safe?
It was a pointless question.
“So, can you help me?”
“Isn't there someone more suitable for this task?”
“Are you referring to the Minister of Justice?”
“Yes.”
Isn't the specialty of Bang Hyo-myeong, the Minister of Justice, who is known as the “carnivorous official,” finding criminals?
“Of course, I went to see him first. But...”
“...?”
“He said he was busy with other matters and asked me to ask you.”
“What?”
“He said you would be able to handle it.”
“...”
Mr. Hoo... Why did you do that?
I'm very busy, and I don't want to get involved in anything related to the Namgung Clan.
Yes, that's how you feel.
In my previous life, Namgung Gang, the captain of the Trading Company, and the leader of the Martial Alliance were both members of the Namgung Clan.
That's why I didn't want to get involved in anything related to the Namgung Clan.
“I beg you.”
However, I couldn't ignore Master Jin, who was desperately clinging to me.
There were moral issues, but it would also be a huge loss to destroy the trust I had worked so hard to build over the years.
“I'll do it.”
“I understand.”
I nodded.
“I will do my best to help.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Then let me ask you first. Why did the Namgung Clan's son come to Beijing?”
The Namgung Clan is in Anhui Province. There's no reason for someone from the Namgung Clan to come to Beijing.
“Well... he said it was to participate in a poetry contest.”
Someone from the Namgung Clan is participating in a poetry contest?
It is not common for a member of the military to participate in a literary contest, but it is not unheard of.
The Clan Head of the Jegal Clan also loves literature.
He was invited to be a judge for this contest, so he gladly accepted.
“In that case, I will first investigate the scene, examine the victim's body, and then meet with the Namgung Clan's son.”
This was to prevent my judgment from wavering while talking with the Namgung Clan's young master.
In cases like this, one must view the situation objectively.
I continued.
“However, as you know, the poetry contest is in a few days, so I cannot take all of my time off.”
In response to my words, Master Jin-yeong said.
“Oh, don't worry about that. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already asked Mister In-gyeong of the Seobin Trading Company to explain the situation.”
“....”
How thorough.
A short time later.
After getting ready to go out, I followed Master Jin-yeong and soon arrived at O-tong Street.
The street was cordoned off, and imperial guards were standing guard.
The pungent smell of blood still lingered in the air, indicating that there had been considerable bleeding.
The fact that imperial guards, not ordinary soldiers, were guarding the place showed how serious the emperor was about this matter.
“Ugh. It's quite horrible.”
Pal-gap's words were true.
Blood splattered on the wall, and the ground in front of it was still covered with fresh bloodstains.
The female warrior behind me said,
“From the looks of it, it seems that they didn't kill him quickly, but tortured him to death.”
“I think so too.”
They must have cut the victim's wrists first, letting them bleed to death in agony.
This means that the perpetrator had a strong grudge.
I looked up and saw the words written on the wall.
As I examined the words, I found something in the dried ink.
“This is... a piece of wood.”
“A piece of tree trunk?”
“Yes. They chopped up a tree trunk and used it as a brush to write this poem.”
“Why did they use a tree trunk?”
“To hide the handwriting.”
It's difficult to write neatly with a tree trunk, so the handwriting isn't clear.
“See how the letters are broken up?”
“I see.”
However, the poem on this wall is important evidence.
This is because poems usually contain some kind of hidden mark.
That is why the audience found it strange when Choo Il-gong stole Song Rok's poem the year before last.
However, the person who wrote the poem does not know about the mark.
Even if the person who wrote this poem did not kill him, the person who wrote this poem is undoubtedly the culprit.
And he will definitely participate in this poetry contest.
I searched the area thoroughly with my bodyguards. Then I said to Master Jin.
“Let's go see the body.”
“This way.”
Master Jinyeong led me to the county office in Beijing. As we headed toward the annex building there, I could smell the pungent scent of blood.
However, it was mixed with a strange fragrance.
“The fragrance is quite strong.”
“It slows down the decomposition of the body. And we mix in samju root to remove the foul odor.”
I turned around at the voice behind me and saw a man standing there.
Master Jin introduced me to him.
“This is Captain Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company. I brought him with me to ask for your help.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Ojak, a member of the county office.”
Ojak are people who specialize in handling corpses, and they also collect corpses and determine the cause of death.
“Show me Nae-joong's body.”
“Yes.”
He nodded and asked me, looking at me.
“It's a bit gruesome, but are you sure you want to see it?”
It must be because I look fragile.
“It's okay.”
“Please come this way.”
He led us into a room.
There was a corpse lying on a long table.
Wow...
They really did it just like it said on the wall.
“Can I touch it?”
Cheon Ojakin flinched at my question. He probably didn't expect me to say that.
“Yes.”
Unlike ordinary people, it is not unusual for martial artists to touch dead bodies.
I am a merchant, but I am also a martial artist.
“Hmm... This is definitely the martial arts of the Namgung Clan.”
I can say with confidence that I know the martial arts of the Namgung Clan very well.
Why?
Because I was killed by a member of the Namgung Clan.
The martial arts of the Namgung Clan are the martial arts of Yanggang. And the martial arts of the Namgung Clan can be described as thunder.
The martial arts of the Namgung Clan combine the speed and destructive power of lightning striking from the sky with a touch of glamour.
The martial arts of the Namgung Clan are a combination of two types of swords, the heavy sword and the light sword.
Therefore, those who fall victim to the martial arts of the Namgung Clan tend to bleed profusely.
At the same time, it is difficult to treat.
It is a bit cruel for orthodox martial arts.
I turned my head away from the wound and looked at his face.
His contorted expression clearly showed how painful his death must have been.
Cheon Ojak-in said.
"This man must have been chased for about an hour before he died. When a person runs, their heart beats faster. In that state, bleeding increases as well.“
”You mean he did that on purpose?“
”Yes.“
Cheon Ojak-in continued.
”And as you can see, it appears that his hands were cut off before his body was slashed. I don't know the reason, but I think it was to cause him pain.“
”Why?"
“When people are injured, don't they instinctively cover the wound with their hands?”
“Ah...”
“Unless there is a deep grudge, no one would do such a thing.”
I thought so too.
But could the Namgung Clan have such a grudge against him?
I had to meet him myself.
A moment later.
I headed for the interrogation room attached to the county office.
“Ah! Really! I didn't kill him!”
“The investigation will reveal everything.”
“Investigate! Please! Investigate first, then ask me questions!”
Hearing his voice, Master Jin explained.
“It seems he is being interrogated. Please wait a moment.”
Master Jin-yeong went inside and soon came out and beckoned me.
“You can come in.”
“Yes. Excuse me, but can I go in alone?”
“Go ahead.”
Master Jin-yeong readily accepted my request, and I went inside alone.
I went in alone to lower their guard.
This was the time to use my face.
The interrogation room was exactly as I had imagined.
There was a hard chair and a desk.
In front of it, a suspect was tied to a chair.
When I entered, he saw me and immediately brightened up.
“Hey! I know who you are. You're Master Sun, right?”
“That's what I'm called. But I don't know who you are. What is your name?”
I already knew, but introducing oneself is important when forming a relationship.
“My name is Namgung Yang.”
“Then may I call you Mister Namgung?”
“Yes.”
“First, may I check your inner arts?”
“Your inner arts?”
He looked perplexed and hesitated.
That was understandable, as one would not allow someone they did not trust to check their internal energy.
In such a situation, they could suddenly attack or discover one's true abilities.
“Why are you hesitating?”
“Well...”
“You may be able to clear your name. And I'm ashamed to say this myself, but I am known as Seonhaengmi... I would never do anything bad with that name.”
He sighed and nodded at my words.
“Let's do that.”
I approached him, took his wrist, and checked his inner arts.
Huh...
Is what I'm sensing correct?
I let go of his wrist and asked him.
“How old are you, Mister?”
“Nineteen.”
Nineteen years old and already at his peak?
No matter how many martial artists at the peak of their powers there are in the Namgung Clan, there can't be many who reached their peak at nineteen.
- Are you really at the peak of your powers?
He flinched at my telepathy, but quickly replied with telepathy as well.
- Yes.
- That's amazing.
- I can tell you're surprised, which means that the Royal Guards didn't recognize you yesterday.
Well, Master Jin-yeong did reach the peak, but it hasn't been long.
Measuring inner arts like this requires a relatively high level of attainment to be accurate.
His telepathy continued.
“Um... Could you keep it a secret that I've reached my peak?
”Why?
“I don't want the Clan to know that I've reached my peak.
”Then I'll keep it a secret if you tell me what you did last night.
“That's...”
He just bowed his head in response to my question.
What on earth did he do that he can't tell me?
At that moment, Master Jin-yeong entered the room.
“Ah, is the interrogation going well? I didn't hear any noise, so I came to check.”
“I apologize. We were in the middle of psychological warfare.”
“Oh! I'm sorry.”
“It's okay. I have a favor to ask of you, Master.”
“What is it?”
“I need a list of the people who criticized the deceased.”
I returned to the Beijing branch.
After meeting him, I was certain. Mister Namgung Yang is not the culprit.
At his level of skill, he couldn't have caused such injuries.
The culprit must be someone with lesser skills.
I don't know why he asked me not to reveal his level of skill, but in order to clear him of suspicion, I had to find out what he did last night.
That was the only way to find the real culprit.
I'll have to call the information team.