There were few pedestrians in this alley, so Ji Cheng immediately raised his Embroidered Spring Knife and prepared for battle.
"Who is it?"
Liao Lingxi was so frightened by the sudden sound that he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Sir, please spare my life."
Ji Cheng stared at him with a gaze as cold as ice, and asked in a cold tone, "Who are you?"
"My name...my name is Liao Lingxi. I'm a student at Bailu Academy and a current scholar."
Liao Lingxi prided himself on being a refined scholar, and like the other noble students at Bailu Academy, he always looked down upon the Jinyiwei, the snitch-like lackeys who curry favor with the powerful. However, when he actually faced the Jinyiwei, he was filled with fear and dread.
He remembered his mother's instructions, and cautiously reached into his sleeve and took out a warm jade pendant.
When he saw the jade pendant, Ji Cheng's eyes fluctuated slightly, and then he put away the Embroidered Spring Knife in his hand.
Only then did Liao Lingxi dare to let out a long breath.
But then, Ji Cheng asked in a cold voice, "Why is this jade pendant in your hand?"
According to his younger brother, the person who rescued his younger brother at the riverside of Xinghua Village and took care of him for several days was clearly a woman who made a living by selling embroidered purses.
The woman would often fill her unsold purse with steamed buns to feed her brother.
Unfortunately, his brother was blind and could not see the woman's face. However, his brother always remembered her life-saving grace, so he gave the woman the only jade pendant he had with him, which was engraved with his name, and left her purse as a souvenir.
The woman placed his brother in a dilapidated temple, and whenever she came back from selling purses, she would come to visit his brother.
Her brother told her that the woman who lived in poverty but had a kind heart must be a fairy in the mountains.
However, the fairy woman who promised to visit her brother every day never appeared again.
Her brother was very worried about her.
Later, when he found his brother, his brother gave him the purse and asked him to help find the savior, to help him find the fairy woman, to confirm her well-being, and to express his gratitude to her.
Liao Lingxi recalled Liao Qianqian's previous instructions to him. His eyes were slightly evasive, and with a hint of guilt, he slowly spoke, "This was handed to me by my younger sister herself. She told me that this jade pendant was given to her by a young nobleman in a critical moment. She felt that it was too precious and intended to return it."
"When I saw the name engraved on the jade pendant, I couldn't help but think that Master Ji seemed to have a younger brother. I secretly wondered if this jade pendant was lost by Master Ji's younger brother?"
The coldness in Ji Cheng's eyes gradually dissipated. He took the jade pendant, examined it carefully, and nodded, saying, "Indeed, this is the jade pendant my brother once gave me."
"Then I will return the treasure to its owner." Liao Lingxi said respectfully.
Ji Cheng returned the jade pendant to him, his tone still stern: "Since Lei'er has given this jade pendant to you, it has become yours. You have this jade pendant. If you need anything in the future, you can always ask me for help, even if it means committing murder or arson."
Liao Lingxi was very excited.
Just as my mother said!
Jiang Songyi seemed to have incredible good luck. Wandering in the mountains and forests all day, she happened to meet such a distinguished person!
Even though he was in Bailu Academy, a place where the children of powerful and wealthy gathered, he was unable to get to know any prominent person.
However, the mother's foresight should not be underestimated after all, as she actually preserved this treasure.
Liao Lingxi immediately knelt on the ground, "Sir, Lingxi has something to discuss with you right now!"
Ji Cheng turned his head slightly to examine him, "What's the matter?"
Liao Lingxi said firmly, "I heard that Your Excellency is currently investigating witchcraft with the Western Factory. I learned that the Marquis of Yongding, harboring ambitions to usurp the throne, has been practicing witchcraft in his mansion, intending to curse the Emperor! I hope Your Excellency can thoroughly investigate this matter!"
Yongding Marquis Mansion?
Ji Cheng frowned slightly.
As a trusted minister of the Emperor, he knew the Emperor's trust in the Yongding Marquisate. Normally, the Emperor almost forbade them to conduct private investigations into the Yongding Marquisate.
If the person who made the accusation at this time did not have Lei'er's jade pendant, he would have detained him in the imperial prison and subjected him to a strict interrogation based solely on his accusations against Marquis Yongding.
Ji Cheng's eyes were as cold as ice as he examined him coldly. "You are just a mere scholar. How can you possibly know the secrets of the Marquis' Mansion?"
Liao Lingxi had already prepared a set of words and responded with ease, "My lord, I am not talented, but my sister is the jewel of the Yongding Marquis's mansion. She was the one who revealed this news to me, but she was grateful for the mansion's upbringing and was caught in a dilemma between loyalty and filial piety, so she was unable to disclose the matter herself. As for me, since I receive a salary from the court, I must be loyal to my duties and do my best to offer my loyalty to the court."
Liao Lingxi's words were sonorous and powerful, and his brows were filled with awe-inspiring righteousness. Those who were not familiar with him might really mistakenly think that he was a loyal and righteous man who was not afraid of power and was brave enough to expose the truth.
However, Ji Cheng lived in the depths of the imperial prison and had experienced many vicissitudes of life. He was already accustomed to all kinds of people. He saw through Liao Lingxi's calculations at a glance, and it was not as pure and selfless as it seemed on the surface.
Most of those who came to the Jinyiwei to report and expose things were not good people, just like the Jinyiwei themselves.
This matter concerns the reputation of the Yongding Marquisate, so it must be treated with caution.
Ji Cheng hung the Embroidered Spring Sword at his waist and calmly tied the horse to the ancient willow tree beside his house.
He casually glanced at Liao Lingxi, his expression still as cold as ice, making it difficult to discern any emotion within him. "You claim it was your sister who told you the secret of the rebellious element hidden in the Yongding Marquisate?"
As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Ji Cheng was in charge of monitoring the movements of the entire capital.
However, since he took office, despite many negotiations with Yongding Hou, he had never detected any signs of disloyalty from him, and even the corruption that was common among officials had never appeared in him.
On the contrary, when the court delayed the payment of military pay, he actually paid out of his own pocket to fill the shortfall, just to ensure that the soldiers had enough food and clothing and could concentrate on training to deal with the threat of foreign enemies.
Although Liao Lingxi had never met him before, he had heard the rumors of the recent conflict between the Yongding Marquisate and the Huguogong Mansion in Beijing. As for this famous figure, it was rumored that he was the illegitimate son of the Huguogong Mansion and the widow Liao from Xinghua Village.
When mentioning the widow Liao from Xinghua Village, people will naturally think of the protagonist in the previous case of the real and fake daughter of the Yongding Marquis Mansion. It was she who played the role of the culprit.
Jiang Songyi, the eldest daughter of the Yongding Marquis's family, grew up with Liao Lingxi and they were like siblings.
The sister Liao Lingxi mentioned must be her.
After all, the fake daughter, who had been pampered in the Marquis's mansion, had not left the mansion since the case broke out, and clearly had no intention of reuniting with the Liao family. This seemingly indifferent approach was actually a wise choice.
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