Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 413 - 388: Search for One in the South

Chapter 413: Chapter 388: Search for One in the South

"Your Majesty Emperor Kaihuang, Zhang San has sent important intelligence!"

Not long after the court session had ended, Magistrate of Metropolitan prefecture Shen Erxian rushed into the Imperial Palace to see Emperor Kaihuang.

Emperor Kaihuang, having just changed out of his court attire, saw the hurried Shen Erxian and couldn’t help but ask, "What important intelligence?"

"It’s regarding crucial information about the Floating Corpse Case. He said it’s imperative that Your Majesty personally reviews it."

At this point, the Crown Prince and King Jin, having heard that Shen Erxian brought intelligence regarding Zhang San, also hurried over.

After Emperor Kaihuang had someone open the intelligence that Zhang San had sent, he carefully examined it and couldn’t help but be startled.

Emperor Kaihuang turned to Shen Erxian and asked, "You’ve seen this intelligence as well?"

Shen Erxian nodded and said, "I have seen it, Your Majesty, and have already dispatched men to search throughout the entire southern part of the city for that deceased person."

At this point, King Jin curiously said, "Magistrate of Metropolitan prefecture, what kind of intelligence has Zhang San actually sent back? Could you share some details so we can also help to strategize?"

Shen Erxian had a fairly positive impression of King Jin, so he said, "Zhang San, based on the locations and number of deaths of all the Floating Corpse cases, deduced that there must also be a corpse in the south, although it had not been discovered by us until now. Of course, it’s also possible that someone will die in the south in the near future."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince scoffed and said, "That Zhang San is the mastermind behind the Floating Corpse Case, he naturally knows where the crime will occur!"

King Jin couldn’t help but laugh and said, "The Crown Prince speaks the truth. Though Zhang San seems clever, in reality, he’s extremely foolish!"

"He is clearly the mastermind behind the Floating Corpse Case, yet he keeps providing us with clues about the case. He allows us to discover his arrangements."

"The eight bodies on Shouyang Mountain were discovered by Zhang San. The two bodies in the Mass Burial Mound outside the city to the northeast were also left for us to find by Zhang San showing traces deliberately."

"Even now, he still actively tells us that there’s a body in the south of the city."

"A murderer who repeatedly lets us know about the crimes he has committed and even actively delivers clues is surely the most foolish murderer I have ever seen under the heavens!"

The Crown Prince noticed that recently, King Jin was always going against him concerning matters related to Zhang San.

Yet, frustratingly, he could not refute King Jin’s words.

Because what King Jin said made sense, if Zhang San truly was the murderer, then why would he deliberately tell them these clues?

If Zhang San remained silent, they wouldn’t be able to investigate further, which would be more advantageous for Zhang San.

"Perhaps... Zhang San wants to take the opposite approach!"

Suddenly, the Crown Prince felt that the phrase ’taking the opposite approach’ was incredibly fitting!

At this moment, a Martial Artist entered, whispering a few words to Shen Erxian’s ear.

Shen Erxian immediately bowed to Emperor Kaihuang, who was still deep in thought, and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty Emperor Kaihuang, the person who died in the south has been found. Indeed, there was only one person. This person was crushed by a heavy object into a deep well, and someone had covered the well with a thick layer of dry leaves and branches, making it impossible for people drawing water to see the corpse inside."

"And because there were other wells nearby, that particular well remained unnoticed for a long time."

"Moreover, traces of the Rune Array have been found near the dry well, and after comparison, they were confirmed to be from the Floating Corpse Case’s formation. However, this time the formation showed no signs of Qi, as if it were an imitation."

"But since the well had issues for over half a month already, we cannot rule out the possibility that the Rune Array became ineffective because it was too old."

At this point, the Crown Prince curiously said, "Magistrate of Metropolitan prefecture, how did Zhang San get the clue and send it specifically to you? And how did your men know to look in the well? The southern area is not small! You mentioned before that your Government Office was short-staffed, but now you suddenly have enough manpower to meticulously search the entire south of the city?"

The initial Magistrate of Metropolitan Prefecture, Shen Wen, was a man of the Crown Prince, but unfortunately, he was killed.

If Shen Erxian were removed now and replaced with one of his own men, the Crown Prince would naturally be pleased.

Shen Erxian bowed to the Crown Prince and said, "That is because the Crown Prince does not know what clue Zhang San has brought."

Speaking, Shen Erxian glanced at Emperor Kaihuang and said softly, "Please, Emperor Kaihuang, allow this humble official to display the subsequent clues provided by Zhang San."

Emperor Kaihuang was stunned and asked, "There are more clues?"

Shen Erxian nodded and said, "Zhang San said that because he has always been misunderstood and wanted, there is much intelligence he doesn’t know. Now, these clues he has managed to obtain are from his long analysis. If indeed a corpse is found to the south of the city, related to water in the place of death, and surrounded by the Floating Corpse Case formation, then his next guess might well be true."

"Speak quickly!" Emperor Kaihuang was also curious about what exactly Zhang San had analyzed.

After all, this Floating Corpse Case had been affecting the Capital for almost a month now.

Moreover, it involved the Heavenly Punishment Sect and one of his own confidants.

This matter had to be investigated thoroughly!

Shen Erxian raised his hand and drew a huge tic-tac-toe grid in the air with Qi.

Then he began to write a number in each of the nine grid cells using Qi, and a character outside each number in the empty space.

"Our first discovery of the Floating Corpse Case at Ba River was in the east, seven dead, buried in marsh, belonging to Dui."

"Then came the Floating Corpse Case above Qu Pond Fang, located southeast, six dead, buried in the air, belonging to Qian."

"Later, we discovered it in the southeast at Shouyang Mountain, located southwest, eight dead, buried at the mountaintop, belonging to Gen."

"The northern palace caught fire, located due north, nine dead, buried in the blaze, belonging to Li."

"That night, the case Zhang San was accused of, located northwest, four dead, buried in the wind, belonging to Xun."

"Not long ago, the incident on the Demon-Execution Platform, killed by heavenly thunder, located due west, three dead, buried in thunder, belonging to Zhen."

"Therefore, Zhang San deduced there was an anomaly in the northeast, deliberately left a clue, and we were able to make a discovery at Mass Burial Mound. Located northeast, two dead, buried underground, belonging to Kun."

"Now, Zhang San has deduced that one person died in the south of the city, and hence we found the clue to the Floating Corpse Case. Located due south, one dead, buried in well water, belonging to Kan."

As Shen Erxian spoke and wrote, after he finished, each of the eight outer cells of the giant tic-tac-toe grid had a number, and both horizontally and vertically they added up to fifteen.

Furthermore, the burial sites of the dead corresponded to the Bagua, forming an Eight Trigrams Array.

Shen Erxian pointed to the center and said, "Emperor Kaihuang, you should be able to deduce what the missing number in the center is, right?"

At that moment, Emperor Kaihuang, based on the clues reported to him over this period, suddenly realized and then staggered back two steps. If it weren’t for the eunuch’s support, he would have fallen.

"Is it five?"

Recalling what Zhang San had previously told him, Shen Erxian said, "This five represents the Yuwen Imperial Clan’s Five Kings, and it also represents the five sons of Emperor Kaihuang."

"Moreover, Zhang San also said: ’The sum of three horizontal, three vertical, and even the diagonal lines is always fifteen.’ This fifteen must be the upcoming Mid-Autumn on the fifteenth."