"Sister Yue'er, your analogy is brilliant—hahaha..."
Du Yutong could no longer hold back and laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.
Jiang Shuyue said in a serious tone: "Aunt Du is gentle and virtuous, dignified yet individualistic. Uncle Lin has had a difficult life and used to have poor eyesight. If he sees Aunt Du, I guarantee he will be rejuvenated."
Du Yutong took it as Jiang Shuyue teasing Dean Lin, and she laughed so hard that she covered her stomach and curled up like a cocoon on the soft couch.
When Qiuju brought Lin Miaoshou back, she saw the two of them laughing together, while Du Yutong's personal maid, Zhu'er, was shaking with laughter.
"Miss, Miss Du, what are you laughing at?"
Zhu'er, suppressing a laugh, said, "Miss Jiang said that the fire in the old house can't be put out."
Qiuju said, "It's alright. There are no old houses in our house or nearby, and everyone is very careful when using fire. It's safe."
Jiang Shuyue and Du Yutong finally managed to stop laughing.
Jiang Shuyue said, "The old house I'm talking about is Uncle Lin's."
Seeing Qiu Ju's bewildered expression, Jiang Shuyue laughed and said, "It's too early to tell you now. I'll tell you the story of an old house catching fire later."
Jiang Shuyue estimated that Ajin was at the Su residence at this time, and she looked at Du Yutong.
“Sister Yutong, Guard Gao has gone to get the agarwood, so there’s no one to deliver the melon seeds and incense. Could you please go to the Su residence for me? Gao Mu will be back soon, and I’ll have him deliver the agarwood to the Du residence.”
Du Yutong was more than happy to do this errand, and she readily agreed, "No problem, I'm just killing time anyway."
Du Yutong gestured for Zhu'er to pick up the incense on the coffee table. She took a step forward, then stopped and turned back. "Sister Yue'er, is there any progress on Uncle Su's matter?"
"Yes, Cangyun is investigating, and we should have a result soon."
...
At this moment, in a backyard located in the east of the city.
A gray-haired man squatted on the ground, vomiting violently.
The courtyard gate was closed, and a servant outside called out, "Master, are you alright?"
The man had just opened his mouth when he felt a chill on his neck. He called out tremblingly, "I'm fine. Nobody's coming in. I'm rinsing my mouth."
Cangyun was very satisfied with his performance. With a slight flick of his wrist, he sheathed his sword.
Cangyun glanced at the puddle of clear water on the ground.
He said coldly, "Even if you vomit your heart, liver, and lungs, it won't help. I'll give you a quarter of an hour. Lord Liu, you'd better write down everything that happened back then in detail, so as not to miss the time to take the antidote. Otherwise, even if a god came, it wouldn't help."
This person was Liu Yuantao, who had retired from his position as Minister of Rites in the previous dynasty.
Back when Su Huai-ren and he were colleagues, he was one of the six vice ministers in the Ministry of Rites.
Cangyun investigated several people, and they all said that Su Huai Ren was an upright person and did not seem like the kind of person who would embezzle.
Everyone felt that Su Huai-ren's case was very strange. Back then, the evidence was conclusive, and Su Huai-ren also cried out that he was wronged. His colleagues had all suspected it, but none of them could put their finger on what the problem was.
After several twists and turns, Cangyun discovered that among the six vice ministers of the Ministry of Rites, only Liu Yuantao eventually rose to the position of minister, and he was the only one who stood up for Su Huai Ren back then.
When a colleague is found to have embezzled, most colleagues, in order to protect themselves, dare not get involved.
Something unusual must be going on, and Cangyun focused his suspicions on him.
After much effort, I learned that he had retired gracefully and was enjoying his later years in the capital.
When Cangyun scaled the wall and entered, he was taking a nap with his beautiful concubine in his arms.
Cang Yun knocked out his beautiful concubine with a knife, then lifted him off the bed and flicked a pill into his throat.
The series of actions were so swift and fierce that Liu Yuantao was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground. After realizing what had happened, he began to vomit violently.
"Back then, what happened back then?"
Liu Yuantao looked at Cangyun with a face full of fear.
"Lord Liu committed too many sins back then, it's normal that you can't remember them. It's alright, let me remind you, it's a matter from the previous dynasty."
Cangyun lifted his robe and sat down in the nanmu armchair beside him.
Liu Yuantao calmed his fear and silently examined himself, finding nothing unusual about his body.
The man in front of him was highly skilled and exuded a menacing aura. He secretly wondered to himself, "Could this be someone sent by the Emperor to trick me?"
He no longer concerned himself with court affairs, and before he was even sixty, he was living the life that officials dreamed of.
Having more money than one could spend in several lifetimes, and having young and beautiful concubines to serve one's needs—life couldn't be better.
Even if the emperor suspected him, it was useless; he believed he had done it flawlessly.
Thinking of this, he suddenly became bolder.
Liu Yuantao trembled and kowtowed to Cang Yun, "My lord, spare my life! This old man truly does not know what you are talking about."
Cangyun snorted coldly, "With such a poor memory, how did you become the Minister in the first place?"
"Your Excellency investigated thoroughly, and I have been diligent and conscientious, always keeping to my duty, and have never done anything against my conscience."
"Hmph! Conscience! Do you even believe that yourself?" Cangyun snorted coldly and glanced into the room.
The furniture in the room was made of fine wood and was exquisitely crafted. It was understandable that someone who had held the highest official rank could afford such furniture.
To Cangyun's surprise, there was only a pair of unremarkable vases on the display shelf.
There were no extravagant items in the room that were beyond his status.
The information gathered was that Liu Yuantao's only hobby was lust.
After he left the court, he took three beautiful concubines in one go.
It's normal to have hobbies in life, but keeping a beautiful concubine costs money.
According to his colleagues, Liu Yuantao was a proper and honest man who was diligent and thrifty. His only shortcoming was that he had more concubines than his colleagues.
Therefore, everyone came to the conclusion that Liu Yuantao was lustful.
Greed for money and lust have always been inseparable. Cangyun is certain that Liu Yuantao was the one who framed Su Huai Ren back then.
Liu Yuantao remained silent for a moment and kowtowed again, "Your Excellency is wise, I truly do not understand your meaning."
Cang Yun raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do you still remember Su Huai-ren, the former Vice Minister of Rites?"
“I remember, I remember. This person is diligent and eager to learn, a rare talent. Unfortunately, he got involved in a strange case, was accused of embezzlement and was dismissed from his post. His Majesty, considering it was his first offense and the amount was not large, sent him back to his hometown.”
Liu Yuantao recounted the events with great detail, his account accurate to the last detail, and his words conveyed a sense of regret, expressing his indignation on behalf of his colleague.
Cangyun smirked, “Lord Liu, tell me about the situation of your other colleagues back then.”
Liu Yuantao looked up and paused, "Please forgive me, sir. There are too many colleagues, and my memory is not good. I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain them all."
"You have a bad memory, yet you only remember Su Huai-ren. This shows how much care Lord Liu has for Lord Su!"
Cangyun's words struck Liu Yuantao like a sharp sword, leaving him pale with fright.
"Lord Liu, the poison will take effect in a few breaths. Whether you confess or not doesn't matter. After all, it's all ancient history. Even if you tell the truth, His Majesty won't blame you."
Cang Yun gradually broke down the other party's psychological defenses. As Liu Yuantao's expression grew increasingly grim, he silently counted the number of times he had been attacked.
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