The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion

| Sun Mansion Hall. |

Hong Jiu sat precariously on the last chair, his legs particularly tight, tightly gripping his crotch.

The delicate little maid who was originally responsible for making tea would come up every half a quarter of an hour to remove the leftover tea and brew fresh hot tea. At first, Hong Jiu felt that if he couldn't drink it cleanly, he seemed sorry for the busy work of others. So he drank several cups in a row and had already filled his two kidneys.

The first time he came to this prestigious official family, the one in charge of serving was a young girl. Hong Jiu was already a bit timid, so he was too embarrassed to ask where the restroom was.

However, more than half an hour has passed, Sun Shaozong's shadow has not yet been seen, and Hong Jiu has almost endured it to the limit.

Thinking that the little maid was about to come in and change tea again, he stood up with his legs, barely squeezing out a smile on his face. As soon as the footsteps approached, he couldn't wait to ask, "Excuse me, may I ask the wash…”

At the end of the sentence, a majestic figure walked into the hall.

Putong!

Hong Jiu immediately suppressed his urination and the rest of his words and quickly knelt on both knees, knocking his head heavily on the ground. He respectfully said, "I, Hong Jiu, I've seen the Heavenly Master.”

Sun Shaozong listened to half of the conversation and thought he was waiting anxiously, wanting to know when he would be back. Therefore, he didn't pay much attention, so he sat down on the throne. Only then did he lift his hand and order, "Get up and speak.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Hong Jiu turned around with both hands and feet, then kowtowed his head to Sun Shaozong. Only then did he carefully climb up and stand in the center of the living room with his head down and ears down.

Hong Jiu, who held this position, couldn’t afford a seat in front of the Fourth Grade in the hall. Sun Shaozong also didn’t want to speak too much nonsense, so he only waited for him to stand firm and asked directly, "I heard you have something urgent to report to me in person.”

“Report back to the Master.”

When it came to business, Hong Jiu regained some shrewdness and quickly bowed down, saying, "I have something urgent to attend to. I must report it to you in person.”

“Recently, there have been many outsiders in the Capital, some of whom dress up as beggars and wander around in private. Since I have taken on the job of security, I naturally dare not let them break the rules. Therefore, I sent people to invite them over to inform the situation in our Capital."

“Who knew those people were all good at martial arts? They beat up the people I sent and then disappeared completely.”

“I vaguely felt that something was wrong, so I contacted several other securities and rediscovered these people. I also secretly monitored and investigated them, hoping to find out their details so that I could inform the government in advance.”

“Who would have thought that the investigation turned out to be a big secret.”

“A big secret?”

Sun Shaozong looked at him as he spoke, both excited and frightened. He couldn't help but also develop some interest. He leaned forward slightly and raised his chin, saying, "What is the big secret?”

Hong Jiu looked furtively outside the door a few times before turning back and lowering his voice. "Those people are actually the remnants of the White Lotus Sect.”

The remaining members of the White Lotus Sect?!

Sun Shaozong couldn't help but be surprised. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there was great chaos in the world, and the White Lotus Sect was also one of the forces. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty ultimately ruled the country, because the White Lotus Sect was the political power of ***** and could most demagogue people, there were still many loyal and remaining factions lurking in the dark and ready to stir up trouble.

Seventeen years ago, that was the year when Sun Shaozong's father bravely crossed the Yalu River and was allowed to commit suicide due to his defeat. Taking advantage of the army being annihilated and the country disgraced during the Great Zhou Dynasty, the White Lotus Sect raised a banner against him in Shaanxi, Gansu, and other places, plundering counties and causing chaos and enslaving countless people.

In just two months, the tens of thousands of rebels held hostage by the White Lotus Sect were annihilated by the surrounding army guarding against the Mongolian Iron Cavalry, and the sect leader and saint were also sent to the Capital, resulting in execution.

For more than ten years, the remaining members of the White Lotus Sect still appeared from time to time, making the court feel like a formidable enemy.

But…

The White Lotus Sect generally operated in Shaanxi and Gansu, occasionally entering the boundaries of Henan and Shanxi, and appearing in the Imperial City at the feet of the Emperor; it was still the first time in history.

Were these guys trying to take advantage of the unstable political situation and get a big deal in the Capital?

Tch!

In the southwest, there were the Qianxiang Kingdom and Zhenwa Kingdom ready to make a move; in the southeast, there were pirates at risk, and in the north, Black Water was blatantly cutting off the trade routes between North Korea and the Zhou Dynasty.

At present, another White Lotus Sect has emerged in the Capital, this situation was really…

Sun Shaozong, while worrying about the Cabinet, pursued, "How did you confirm that they are remnants of the White Lotus Sect? Besides being remnants of the White Lotus Sect, have you heard any other news?”

“Report back to the Master.”

He then heard Hong Jiu saying, "I was not sure at first, so I quietly kept a close eye on them for a few days and finally got another big news.”

The big news was even in wholesale form.

Sun Shaozong was busy inquiring, but heard Hong Jiu continue, "According to the results of my investigation, they came to the Capital this time to find the reincarnation of their Virgin Mary.”

The reincarnation of their Virgin Mary?

This White Lotus Sect was usually led by the leader, and there was also a Virgin Mary as the spiritual pillar. It was said that every leader must receive the blessing of the Virgin Mary to officially take office.

However, when the previous generation of Virgin Mary died, they were only seventeen or eighteen years old, and there was not enough time to cultivate the next generation of Virgin Mary. Therefore, for more than a decade, the White Lotus Sect has been in a state of being leaderless.

It was said that when the Virgin Mary was crucified, she shouted several times, saying that she would inevitably be reborn from the ashes in eighteen years and establish some kind of earthly divine kingdom.

It has been almost eighteen years since then, and coincidentally, there was a vision of a solar eclipse. Therefore, the people of the White Lotus Sect believe that their Virgin Mary was about to awaken, and her Dharma body was in the Capital.

What kind of rebirth from the ashes—wasn't it a replica of ”eighteen years later, I'll be a hero again?” These people from the White Lotus Sect actually took it seriously!

As Sun Shaozong was muttering, he heard Hong Jiu continue, "I also discovered that the remaining members of the White Lotus Sect had even arranged internal correspondence in the government.”

“Internal correspondence?”

Sun Shaozong was busy inquiring about the truth, and it turned out that during the day Hong Jiu had been secretly monitoring, he had discovered that more than one servant from the county government had secretly contacted the remaining members of the White Lotus Sect.

That was why Hong Jiu didn't dare to report to Zhao Wuwei but instead bravely went straight to Sun Shaozong.

The situation seemed to be getting worse now!

Although there were only a few servants, who could guarantee that there would be no court officials left behind, who would be deceived by the people of the White Lotus Sect?

It seemed that this matter couldn’t be solved by relying on the power of the Central Judicial Office and could only be investigated by the Dragon Forbidden Guard.

Sun Shaozong pondered for a while and then questioned Hong Jiu whether those servants used secret codes or knew each other well when they met with the remaining members of the White Lotus Sect.

Unfortunately, these details were not thoroughly explored by Hong Jiu.

It seemed that...

It was necessary to further carry out covert surveillance on these people. At least they must be thoroughly identified within the Capital city before they could be eradicated.

With such thoughts in mind, Sun Shaozong pointed to the chair on the right and said, "You did a good job of this. Sit down and have a cup of tea to moisten your throat, and then tell me in detail about the foothold and personnel composition of the remaining members of the White Lotus Sect.”

As he spoke, he raised his voice and greeted, "Someone, serve tea.”

This naturally elevated Hong Jiu. However, upon hearing the word ”serving tea,” Hong Jiu's face suddenly turned bitter gourd-like, and he sandwiched his legs and said, “Master, can I go... First, for a convenience?”

Seeing his appearance, Sun Shaozong finally understood what he meant by the first half of his words. He couldn't help but smile and wave his hand, gesturing to the little maid who was serving tea to lead Hong Jiu down for convenience.

After Hong Jiu was pardoned and left the hall, Sun Shaozong continued to ponder the matter of remaining members of the White Lotus Sect.

Although internal sources must be dug out to prevent future harm, they were not the key. The most important thing at present was the reincarnated Virgin Mary.

If he could grab the reincarnated Virgin Mary in his hands before the White Lotus Sect, it would not only greatly undermine the morale of the White Lotus Sect but also seize the opportunity to lure a group of crazy believers of the White Lotus Sect.

If the matter went well, it was an opportunity to completely remove the White Lotus Sect!Nôv(el)B\\jnn

At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps coming from far to near outside.

Sun Shaozong only thought that Hong Jiu had returned, so he didn't get up to greet him. Unexpectedly, the sound of footsteps outside the door suddenly turned into a hearty laugh. "Second brother, I was afraid you wouldn't be at home when I came, but I didn't think that it was such a coincidence that you happened to be back from the Crown Prince's Residence.”

He saw a man outside who was as rich and charming as jade, but who else could it be if it weren't Liu Xianglian?

Sun Shaozong quickly got up to greet him, but then he saw him pull out a gold post from his sleeve and offer it with both hands, saying, "Second brother, I will get married next month, 13th. At that time, you can't break the promise as Xue Big Head did.”

“I've been thinking about it for a long time.”

Sun Shaozong accepted the post with a smile and bent his fingers to flick his hand, saying, "Besides, I helped set this day. Not only will I be there, but even my Elder Brother will be there. I will then assign you a generous gift.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Xianglian was about to bow and thank him, but Sun Shaozong added, "I'll give it along with the portion that hired you as a Private Advisor.”

Liu Xianglian suddenly lowered his face and said in a casual tone, "Second Brother, I'm really annoyed with this case…”

“What annoyance is there?”

Sun Shaozong was willing to give him a chance to refute, waving his hand and saying unquestionably, “This matter has been settled. After the big marriage, I will give you three more days to prepare. On the morning of September 17th, if I don’t see your figure in the Criminal Department, I will send a sign to the Yamen to bring you back!”

Liu Xianglian sighed for a while, but after all, he didn’t dare to say more. After a while, he took the initiative to open the topic and invited Sun Shaozong to visit Xue Pan on Zijin Street with him.

“Visiting Xue Pan?”

Sun Shaozong doubted and said, "Why do you want to visit him? Did he have some emergency?”

Liu Xianglian gloated and said, "Not an emergency, but someone beat him up.”

It turned out that two days ago, Xue Pan was giving a banquet in the Baihua Building. He left the banquet and went to the bathroom midway, but he didn't come back for a long time. A fellow diner found the thatched cottage and saw him writhing in feces and urine.

Afterward, according to Xue Pan, as soon as he arrived in the restroom to prepare for convenience, he was caught in the head with a urinal, and his limbs had their joints removed, so he couldn't struggle out of the restroom.

“That guy felt embarrassed and hid at home, refusing to see anyone. It was only yesterday when I heard someone talk about it that I realized there was such a thing.”

Listening to Liu Xianglian's tone, he was afraid visiting was just an excuse. He wanted to see Xue Pan's excitement.

However, while Sun Shaozong was amused, he developed some vigilance in his heart. He frowned and muttered, “Although the Xue family brothers have poor martial arts skills, they can still rely on their strong physical strength to maintain their strength. Even if three or five people are against them, the opponent may not be able to do anything about them. However, the other party easily removed the joints of his limbs, which is probably not something that ordinary people can do.”

As he spoke, he nodded and said, "Indeed, it's time to visit this kid to avoid any further trouble.”

The person took off Xue Pan's limbs and abandoned him in the restroom, only to humiliate him without actually intending to hurt Xue Pan.

Could Xue Pan's temperament be the one willing to suffer losses?

He guessed he was already holding back to retaliate!

If he didn't have any clues, it was fine. If he stumbled upon some clues and forced the other party to panic, they might not even be lenient.

Therefore, Sun Shaozong felt it necessary to come and help him so as not to lose his life in confusion.

Moreover, Sun Shaozong had another matter to ask for the help of Minster Wang to go to Jinmen Mansion through Xue Pan. Sun Shaozong conducted an on-site investigation and found that he had made great progress.

Xiang Yi needless to say, Sun Shaozong showed a slight hint of meaning, and without hesitation, he took over everything.

And the political envoy, Su Mingchong, was even more affectionate towards him. Before Sun Shaozong could express himself, he rushed to express his desire to contact more in the future and even entrusted several relatives and friends in the Capital to take care of them.

Obviously, it wasn't just Sun Shaozong who wanted to use Su Mingchong's power to cultivate a foundation in the Jinmen Mansion, but Su Mingchong also liked Sun Shaozong, a potential stock. Therefore, the two of them could be said to hit it off at once.

After all, Sun Shaozong couldn’t stay in Jinmen, so he must find a suitable person to represent his interests in Jinmen.

However, this candidate was not very easy to find; after all, the Sun family has always been working in the military, and there were not many serious civil servants around. Yu Qian and Sun Chengtao have just been appointed to official positions, so it was not possible to be transferred to Jinmen for the time being.

Lin Delu could barely count as one, but his chin was looking forward to further development in the Capital, and he was afraid he didn't have the heart to go to Jinmen Mansion to develop again.

After much thought, Sun Shaozong had no choice but to set his mind on his students. Of course, it wasn't the garbage from Jia Mansion's martial arts school, but rather a few successful candidates who recognized Sun Shaozong as Master last autumn.

Most of these people fell behind in the Spring Festival and naturally would continue to take the Imperial Examination in the future. However, one of them, Xiong Guang, was in the third tier of the same subject as Yu Qian and has not been able to fill the gap yet due to a lack of knowledge.

Although there was not much communication between Xiong Guang and Sun Shaozong, there was a layer of distinction between teachers and students, which would make it much easier to balance in the future.

Therefore, after Sun Shaozong returned to the Capital, he took the time to inspect Xiong Guang and prepared to recommend him to the Zhili Inspector's Office through the channels of Minister Wang.