After the incident at the teahouse, Meng Ruqiao and Su Xiaoning lost their appetite for shopping, so Jiang Lin escorted them home. Since the Prime Minister's residence was nearby, Meng Ruqiao left first, while Jiang Lin led Su Xiaoning towards the Ninth Prince's residence.
On the way, Su Xiaoning thanked Jiang Lin: "Thank you so much for getting us out of that predicament."
"You don't need to thank me, this is what I should do." Jiang Lin smiled, then a guilty expression suddenly appeared on his face. "Consider it my compensation. I'm sorry that I was assigned to handle some business outside the city while you were in jail and couldn't come to rescue you."
He always wanted to protect Su Xiaoning, but he left the capital when Su Xiaoning needed help the most. Who knows how heartbroken he was?
Upon hearing about Su Xiaoning's accident, he rushed back after finishing his business, only to find that the matter had already been resolved. He was disappointed to have missed her. Fortunately, he ran into Su Xiaoning today, and helping her out wasn't too bad.
Su Xiaoning didn't seem to care much. She shook her head and smiled at Jiang Lin, "It's nothing, you don't need to worry about it. Look, nothing happened to me."
"If something happens, I'm afraid I'll blame myself even more." Jiang Lin pursed his lips, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. "I've known all along that the Seventh Prince harbors ill intentions, and the people around him are no different. Don't worry, I will definitely find a way to deal with him and get justice for you!"
His thoughtfulness touched Su Xiaoning deeply: "I know you care about me, but your safety should always come first. Please don't do anything reckless."
Jiang Lin remained silent; his resolute expression revealed his attitude.
Seeing his preoccupied appearance, Su Xiaoning felt a little helpless and started telling Jiang Lin about what happened in prison. She told him about the beggar incident as an amusing story, hoping to cheer him up, but unexpectedly, Jiang Lin's expression suddenly turned serious.
Seeing his expression, Su Xiaoning sensed something was wrong and cautiously asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this beggar?"
"...Do you know how that beggar got in?" Jiang Lin sighed.
Su Xiaoning shook her head, and he began to speak slowly.
"Years ago, there was a village called Yunjiang Village in the northern suburbs of the capital. All the villagers died overnight, and their deaths were extremely gruesome. They all lost too much blood and ended up as mummies. The whole capital was in a state of panic."
“This matter is of great importance. My father personally investigated it back then, and all the evidence pointed to that beggar. My father led troops to arrest the beggar, but the man didn’t seem afraid at all. He was thrown into prison, but he neither confessed nor said he was innocent. My father felt that there was something fishy about this matter, so he withstood the pressure and never made a decision. That beggar is still in the Ministry of Justice prison.”
After hearing Jiang Lin's words, Su Xiaoning's eyes widened, and a chill ran down her spine.
An entire village of mummies—just thinking about it is like a living hell. But did a beggar really do this?
Su Xiaoning clenched her fists and asked in a low voice, "You think he's the murderer, right?"
"I don't know." Jiang Lin shook his head, quite frankly. "After all, it was my father who investigated this matter, not me. I only know this much. If my father hadn't thought there was something going on, that beggar would have been executed by now."
“No… I believe he’s not that kind of person…” Su Xiaoning said weakly, her face pale as she recalled what had happened in prison.
Although the beggar's temperament was unpredictable, he didn't seem like a vicious person at all. He would even find her food and fight against Su Qinghe for her sake... How could someone like that possibly harm an entire village?
Su Xiaoning pursed her lips and stopped in her tracks.
"Can I ask you for a favor? I want to go to Yunjiang Village."
She looked at Jiang Lin firmly, and it didn't seem like she was joking.
Jiang Lin frowned and decisively refused: "No, this case is too important. You'd better not get involved."
“But he’s my friend, and I want to help him,” Su Xiaoning said stubbornly.
Her eyes held a hint of pleading. Normally, Jiang Lin would have agreed long ago, but considering Su Xiaoning's safety, he shook his head.
"No, I can't let you get into any more danger. Let's think about this later."
Su Xiaoning immediately became anxious and tugged at Jiang Lin's sleeve, begging him to take her to Yunjiang Village. However, Jiang Lin was determined to refuse and remained unmoved.
After failing to get the answer she wanted despite her best efforts, Su Xiaoning angrily let go of Jiang Lin's hand and stormed off alone towards the Ninth Prince's residence without saying a word.
Jiang Lin gave a wry smile and continued to silently follow behind Su Xiaoning. Neither of them exchanged a single word until Su Xiaoning entered the Ninth Prince's residence.
...
At the same time, Su Qingcai was also investigating the beggars.
He always felt that there was something fishy about the beggar's identity. Although the beggar was unwilling to go out, he still searched through various case files, trying to overturn the beggar's case and get him out.
That's how he came into contact with the shocking tragedy that had gripped the city years ago.
Su Qingcai could hardly believe his eyes. He flipped through the case file several times before he had to admit that the beggar was indeed involved in the matter.
This is truly appalling, but the beggar doesn't seem like the type to do such a thing. Could there be something more to this?
After much deliberation, Su Qingcai finally couldn't resist and went to the emperor, stating that he wanted to investigate the case.
Upon hearing Su Qingcai's purpose, the emperor raised his eyelids in slight surprise: "You actually found out about this case? Very well, I trust you to investigate it. But remember to investigate secretly and don't let General Jiang find out."
"Wasn't it General Jiang who investigated this matter back then? Why can't he know about it now?"
"This...sigh, you don't know." The emperor rubbed his head, looking somewhat troubled.
"Back then, he had already investigated and found out the truth. All the evidence pointed to that beggar. I don't know what General Jiang was thinking at the time. He firmly believed that there was something fishy about the case and insisted on protecting that beggar despite all the opposition. And what happened? To this day, he still hasn't found out the truth, while that beggar has been living freely ever since."
"You just need to investigate secretly. I suspect that General Jiang may be hiding something. If he finds out, things will be difficult for you. Do you understand?"
Unexpectedly, the emperor had always harbored doubts about Jiang Fang's decision. Su Qingcai originally wanted to say that there might be hidden details in this case, but he couldn't say it now.
"Your Majesty understands. I will investigate the truth as soon as possible and will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty's expectations."
Su Qingcai nodded slightly, agreeing with a heavy heart.
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