Chapter 105 Imprisonment
He glanced at Old Ma's incredulous face and said, "It was found in the well in Ma Qianhu's house."
Lin Changning looked at Commander Ma with some surprise, only to see Commander Ma instantly become anxious, his face flushed and his voice rough as he grabbed Wen Zhi by the collar: "What nonsense are you talking about, Wen Zhi? I would never betray my command! How could this thing be in my house! I can barely read a few words, how could I possibly be delivering messages for someone!"
Qi Rong's cold gaze swept over, and Commander Ma instantly released his grip, feeling an unbearable dryness in his throat: "Commander, it wasn't me, believe me."
Qi Rong tossed down the soaking wet letter, the writing smudged but the seal from the capital still clearly visible: "What do you mean by this?"
Commander Ma suddenly knelt on the ground and bowed his head, his dark red face full of dejection: "I don't know about the command, but I really have never betrayed our garrison, and I have not exchanged any messy letters with anyone."
Lin Changning looked at Commander Ma, whose expression seemed sincere and genuine. Then he looked at Commander Zhou, whose face was full of disbelief. Commander Shi glanced at Commander Ma, sighed, and turned his head away.
Qi Rong pondered for a moment: "Take the man away and imprison him. Before the matter is investigated, Commander Ma shall relinquish all his duties and let Commander Zhang act in his place. Upon hearing this, take the man away and lock him up in the Judicial Office."
Upon hearing this, Commander Ma gave Qi Rong a deep look, said nothing, and kowtowed before leaving.
Commander Shi and Commander Zhou also looked rather unwell, and they left after Commander Ma went down.
After the man left, Lin Changning finally spoke up: "Commander, do you really think it's Commander Ma?"
Qi Rong rubbed his temples and looked up at the tent: "Last month, Hada'er led his troops to attack, and Commander Ma accidentally fell into a pit. If you hadn't come back and found out, Hada'er would have escaped. Moreover, the seal was found in the well in his yard. This piece of paper has been soaking for at least ten days. We can't say that someone knew we were going to check in advance and threw it in his well beforehand. However, there are indeed suspicious points in this matter. Old Ma's handwriting is quite recognizable, and it's ugly in a unique way. But the handwriting on the seal has been stained by the well water and is difficult to identify. Let's lock him up first and then investigate."
Lin Changning also felt that there were many suspicious points in this matter, and the person she and the commander suspected was not Commander Ma at all, but the evidence found out irrefutably convicted Commander Ma.
The two fell silent. The Duke of Qi had fallen into the chevaux-de-frise pit, and the imperial army was about to assemble. There were so many troubles to deal with, and Lin Changning was already quite annoyed just thinking about it.
The tent outside the gate was lifted again, and Zhou Baihu stood there somewhat timidly, looking at Qi Rong with a hesitant gaze.
Qi Rong, reminded by Lin Changning, looked up at the doorway and said, "Come in."
After Zhou Qianhu entered, he scratched his head and said, "Commander."
"Are you here to plead for mercy?" Qi Rong stared intently at Commander Zhou, his gaze pausing as he swept over Commander Zhou's fingers.
Commander Zhou awkwardly tugged at his sleeve to cover his frostbitten, red, and swollen fingers: "I suppose so, Commander. I think there's something fishy about Old Ma's matter. He's been in the garrison for at least ten years, with his wife and children at the border, and both his sons are there too. Although he's a bit straightforward and impulsive, he doesn't seem like the type to be a spy. Besides, he has no reason to do it. If you say he's colluding with the enemy, he must have received some benefits, right? But he's still barely making ends meet. Four or five generations of his family have been in the border army, and almost all of his elders are buried in Daxing. I don't really believe that someone like that is a spy."
Qi Rong sighed: "I understand what you mean. We've only locked up Lao Ma temporarily, and he hasn't been convicted yet. I'll investigate this matter further."
Commander Zhou nodded, somewhat overjoyed, and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Commander, you are wise."
After everyone left, Qi Rong looked up at Lin Changning and said, "You should go back too. You don't need to come to work tomorrow. You've worked hard tonight."
Lin Changning thanked them and headed home. As soon as she stepped out of the tent, the cold air made her shiver. A rooster crowed in the distance, but the sky was still dark. Snowflakes began to fall as soon as she left the garrison.
Lin Changning reached out and caught a snowflake. The snowflake vanished the moment they touched. Lin Changning shook his head, sighed, tucked his hands under his arms, slumped his shoulders, and ran home. He was exhausted after a night of tossing and turning.
After arriving home, Lin Changning quickly heated up a bowl of thin porridge on the stove, drank it all, and went back to her room to rest. Shilang was still resting. She had told him yesterday that she would not be disturbed during the day, so he could sleep in peacefully. She was still growing and couldn't afford to be sleep-deprived.
"Shiro, please let me see Rokuro, please."
"Miss Ma, don't worry. Liu Lang just got back this morning and rested. If you need anything, I'll call her for you. Please don't barge into her room!"
Ma San Niang stamped her feet anxiously in the courtyard, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably: "Please, Shi Lang, call him Liu Lang."
Shilang sighed helplessly, then tidied his things and went inside to knock on Lin Changning's wooden door: "Sixth Brother, Miss Ma wants to see you. She seems to be in a hurry. Why don't you get up and ask her first?"
Shilang sighed, feeling a bit resentful towards Ma Sanniang. Sixth Brother had been busy all night and had only just rested this morning when he rushed over to his house without saying anything and barged into his room. Although he could understand that there was an emergency, it was still a bit rude.
Lin Changning was a light sleeper. She woke up as soon as Ma Sanniang barged into the courtyard. With a sigh, she put on her coat, let her hair down, and got out of bed: "Tenth Brother is here."
Lin Changning, wearing a dark red padded jacket, came out of the main room. Before he could even speak to Ma Sanniang, she knelt down in the courtyard: "Sixth Brother, please save my father. My father could not possibly be the traitor."
As she spoke, she kowtowed to the frozen, solid yellow earth, her voice trembling with sobs: "My father, my father really couldn't be a traitor, Sixth Brother, you have to believe me, my father would never do such a thing."
Lin Changning stepped forward and pulled her up, saying, "Third Sister, your father hasn't been convicted yet, and the matter is still under investigation. However, the letters treasonous were indeed found in your house. I can't do anything about this unless you can find evidence that the letters weren't sent by your father."
Ma San Niang wiped away her tears, her wet eyes looking at Lin Changning and shaking her head: "That letter, that letter really wasn't from my father."
Lin Changning pulled his coat tighter and led the people into the main room, where they sat down by the brazier: "Whether it's a conviction or an acquittal, there has to be evidence, right? You just say your father is innocent, but without evidence, no one will believe you."
Ma San Niang sat on the stool, shivering slightly, her face pale from the cold. Shi Lang couldn't bear to see the little girl in such a pitiful state, so he went to the stove and heated up a cup of brown sugar tea, handing it to her: "Miss Ma, drink this to warm yourself up."
Ma San Niang nodded and thanked him as she took the porcelain bowl: "Thank you, Shi Lang."
Lin Changning couldn't bear to see the little girl cry either. After thinking for a while, he said, "I did have my suspicions about this matter, but the evidence is in your house. The letters that were found have been soaking in water for more than ten days. The paper is fine, and although the ink has been blurred, the seal is still very clear. It doesn't dissolve in water. If it wasn't Uncle Ma, you can think about who came to your house in the past ten days. Who could have gotten away with throwing the letters into your well without your family's knowledge? The method of framing him isn't very clever, but you do lack evidence to prove Old Ma's innocence."
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