Lieutenant Wang gave a wink to the soldier next to him, "Search!"
I didn't search yesterday because the test results weren't out yet, and we can't just take the law into our own hands based on their private relationship.
But soldiers were guarding outside all night, so Li Xingzhou had no chance to deal with the evidence.
Once we find out, we can put him in a permanent position!
Even if we can't find it, we still have Wang Zhizhi as a breakthrough point.
That woman can't endure hardship, so she won't have trouble getting answers out of her.
The soldiers split into two groups.
Some people carefully searched the house, opening all the chests and cages, checking the bedding layer by layer, and even searching the gaps in the corners of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Another group of people stepped forward and restrained Li Xingzhou and Wang Zhizhi, preparing to take them outside to avoid interfering with the investigation.
The commotion was quite large, alerting the families of soldiers in the surrounding area. Word spread, and more and more people gathered to watch the spectacle.
Wang Chunmei ran over, and when she saw it was about Li Xingzhou, she quickly went back to find Xu Xinghe, her face full of excitement at having found gossip. "Xinghe, your Commander Jiang has gone to arrest Li Xingzhou and Wang Zhizhi! Come quick!"
Xu Xinghe quickly put on her cotton-padded coat and followed after her in her cotton-padded shoes. Wang Chunmei thought she was walking too slowly and even reached out to pull her back a couple of times.
When the two squeezed to the outside of Li Xingzhou's small courtyard, it was already surrounded by layers of people.
Such an opportunity is rare in the military, occurring only once every few years, and no one wants to miss it.
"Make way, excuse me!" Wang Chunmei, relying on her seniority and popularity, insisted on pulling Xu Xinghe to the front.
Just then, Li Xingzhou and Wang Zhizhi were brought out.
It's more accurate to say they escorted them than to take them away.
The two men were being held by the arms of soldiers, their steps faltering. A cold wind blew, and their thin figures looked as if they could be blown over at any moment.
Jiang Linchuan seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around, his gaze landing precisely on Xu Xinghe's face.
The moment their eyes met, Xu Xinghe immediately broke into a bright smile.
She understood that he was seeking justice and venting his anger.
It feels really good to be protected like this.
Jiang Linchuan's gaze softened instantly.
Just then, a soldier ran up quickly, holding an oil paper package in his hand. "Commander Jiang, we found it! It was found in the lining of the bedding on the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove). It's a packet of medicine powder!"
"Okay." Jiang Linchuan nodded. "Go get two rabbits and feed them the medicine powder."
"yes!"
Li Xingzhou slowly closed his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a gray shadow beneath them.
Now that things have come to this, there's nothing he can do but let things unfold as they will, like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.
Wang Zhizhi lowered her head in panic, her lips, which were purple from the cold, trembling incessantly.
She still harbored a sliver of hope that perhaps the military would be lenient with her since she wasn't the mastermind, even if it was just to send them away...
There happened to be a family nearby who kept rabbits. When they heard that they needed to use them as evidence, they immediately brought over two male rabbits.
The military has never treated people unfairly, and there will definitely be compensation later.
The medicine powder was mixed into the dry food and fed to the patient.
Before long, the two male rabbits, who should have been fighting to the death, began to rub against each other affectionately, behaving as if they were mating.
The onlookers were stunned, and a buzz of discussion instantly erupted.
"My God, is this the legendary aphrodisiac?"
"That's terrifying! It's only been a short while, and both male rabbits are already like this..."
"Li Xingzhou is a real scoundrel! He actually tried to drug Comrade Xu with this kind of drug, thankfully he didn't succeed!"
Amid the murmurs, many people subconsciously looked at Xu Xinghe.
She smiled, pursing her lips, and said in a light tone, "Don't look at me like that, I just found out about this myself. I guess even God couldn't stand their evil deeds, so He didn't give them a chance to succeed."
"Yes! Even God couldn't stand it anymore!"
"I think Wang Zhizhi might have taken advantage of the situation herself." Some people also turned their criticism towards Wang Zhizhi, saying, "I told you long ago that the way she looked at Li Xingzhou was strange. What kind of cousins look like that? Her eyes were practically drooling!"
The topic was diverted, and Xu Xinghe continued to quietly watch the commotion.
Jiang Linchuan's gaze returned to Li Xingzhou. "The evidence is conclusive that you attempted to drug someone."
He paused, then turned his gaze to Wang Zhizhi, "Did you do this voluntarily?"
Wang Zhizhi was suddenly called out, and she trembled with fright. The cold weather and her panicked state made her mind go blank, and she blurted out instinctively, "I'm not..."
"Wang Zhizhi!" Li Xingzhou shouted sharply, "What nonsense are you spouting!"
Wang Zhizhi panicked when he yelled at her, forgetting what she had just said and only knowing to shrink her neck and tremble.
Jiang Linchuan nodded expressionlessly, "Wang Zhizhi said it herself, it wasn't voluntary."
Lieutenant Wang immediately jotted it down in his notebook and added in a deep voice, "In this way, Li Xingzhou's crime will be compounded."
"I didn't! I didn't!" Li Xingzhou was so anxious that the veins on his forehead bulged, and he wished he could strangle Wang Zhizhi on the spot!
He originally wanted to make an excuse, saying that the powder was for himself and Wang Zhizhi to enhance their mood, but her statement that it was not voluntary would put all the blame on him.
Drugging, raping... He dared not even think about what he would face if these charges were proven true!
At best, they'll be sent to a labor camp; at worst... they might even be shot!
He didn't want to die!
"Jiang Linchuan, don't make false accusations!" Li Xingzhou was completely desperate and didn't care about saving face anymore. "Wang Zhizhi and I have been lovers from the very beginning! If you don't believe me, you can go to Shanghai to investigate! Those powders were just for fun! Wang Zhizhi is clearly trying to shirk responsibility by saying this!"
Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Wang sneered. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears. "Oh? A romantic relationship? When you first arrived at the military headquarters, you kept saying you were cousins, trying to fool us?"
Discussions resumed.
"Good heavens! They've already lied to us since they arrived?"
"They're clearly lovers, but they insist on calling themselves siblings. They're probably just afraid of gossip, aren't they?"
“I knew something was off! The other day, Aunt Zhang wanted to introduce him to someone, but he didn’t say he had a girlfriend. He just said he’d think about it. Isn’t that like keeping an eye on things while looking for something better?”
Wang Chunmei nudged Xu Xinghe with her elbow, "Tsk, luckily you saw his true colors, otherwise you could easily have been fooled out of everything by that pretty boy!"
Xu Xinghe nodded emphatically, "That's absolutely right."
Jiang Linchuan stopped wasting words, "The guilt is established, the evidence is conclusive, take him away and let the political commissar make the final decision!"
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