Chapter 57: How did the other party know the whereabouts of Lin Zhiyi and others...
Chapter 57
This feeling is the first time in my life!
Jing Yue walked along, staring at Ye Changning silently.
Although this man was known by the name Ye Xiuluo, he was very capable in handling cases. He was also handsome and tall—even taller than himself when he was a man—and naturally came from a good family. He had a promising future, and among the children of the aristocratic families in the capital, he was almost at the top of the list in terms of reliability and stability.
Only Xie Junnuo can fight against him.
Moreover, Ye Changning has not yet married and has no one engaged.
Previously, Jing Yue thought he was obsessed with solving cases and had no interest in love. He even asked him this question when he met Ye Changning after he had just changed his body...
There was nothing wrong with what Ye Changning said at that time.
If it weren't for what happened today, Jing Yue might have continued to believe what he said that day.
But...what happened just now is hard to describe as a coincidence.
Jing Yue felt sour in her heart, jealous and helpless at the same time, so her thoughts involuntarily wandered off to other places.
He began to wonder when Ye Changning discovered that Lin Zhiyi was disguised as a man.
During the spring hunt?
Or on the way back from the hunting ground?
Or even earlier?
Anyway, when the carriage accidentally lost control, Ye Changning was the first one to rush over.
At that time, I didn't care much about Lin Zhiyi. I only regarded her as an ally to be won over in the future.
And last time, Ye Changning personally promised that he could take extraordinary measures against Cheng Lunian to make him pay the corresponding price.
——Although it was me who helped Lin Zhiyi vent his anger in the end, it was also Youyi and the others who took action.
At that time, Lin Zhiyi even teased herself, saying that Ye Changning had a crush on her, the "princess".
So love the house and love the dog.
Now that I think about it, Lin Zhiyi is that 'house'.
Just now, Ye Changning had hinted at her to look at herself in the water... and he had even been so considerate as to check the bathroom beforehand... and even lit some incense...
This corresponds almost one to one with the characteristics of the methodology that Lin Zhiyi taught him to examine Xie Junxing!
Considerate, caring for girls, respectful to girls in front of others, emotionally stable and reliable...
Ye Changning must have known!
Knowing that Lin Zhiyi is a girl!
But the world doesn't know that the princess is a boy!
Jing Yue speculated about Ye Changning's thoughts - would he feel regret? Or sympathy? Or perhaps heartache?
The only thing to be thankful for is that Ye Changning is a few years older than Lin Zhiyi, and the two were not classmates in the Imperial College.
Not even a year.
When Lin Zhiyi entered the Imperial College, Ye Changning had already taken up a position at the Dali Temple.
Even though Lin Zhiyi often goes out disguised as a man, the chances of her running into Ye Changning by chance should not be high.
After all, we are on different paths and there is no other possible occasion for us to meet.
Jing Yue breathed a sigh of relief - if they only had the chance to meet during the spring hunt, then based on his understanding of Lin Zhiyi, Lin Zhiyi would definitely not be interested in anyone other than the 'princess'.
Regardless of gender.
After the imperial decree was issued, Lin Zhiyi would no longer have any thoughts about anyone else except being loyal to the princess.
What's more...the two of them are now in a state of body exchange and have a new opportunity.
They have a perfect yin and yang match.
When Jing Yue thought about this, her fear of facing a formidable enemy gradually eased.
If Ye Changning was the only one who had the slightest intention, then he would have little chance.
What's more, he is about to marry Lin Zhiyi!
It didn't matter whether Ye Changning loved Lin Zhiyi or not. He couldn't let her go. And he couldn't expose Lin Zhiyi's identity as a woman and ruin the marriage bestowed upon him by his father...
Jing Yue's thoughts finally settled down, and her heart settled back into her stomach.
"Prince Consort... please." Ye Changning took him back to the front hall. The three of them washed their hands, sat down, and took the tea served by the servants.
After a short rest, Ye Changning started the second round of interrogation.
The person he brought up was the first man in black he had subdued. After taking off the mask, he revealed a full beard.
Judging from his appearance, he seems to have Hu ancestry.
Jing Yue and Ye Changning looked at each other, and they both thought of a possibility at the same time - could it be sent by the enemy on the Ding'an battlefield?
According to the file records after Yan Lin's first interrogation, this person called himself Haida and said he came to Dayan to do business.
"Heda? Is this your real name?" Ye Changning asked.
Haida: "That's right! Ye Changning, your interrogation is a waste of time. I said, I'm here to avenge my brother!"
"Revenge? Why don't you come after me for revenge? Why do you attack the Prince Consort and the two young ladies from the Duke's Mansion?"
"If you fail to protect them, the Emperor will hold you accountable! The Duke's Mansion will also hold you accountable. You will then be deserted by everyone and everyone around you! Only then will I feel better!"
Ye Changning dug out a case and a name from his memory: "Is Nu Jiaha your brother?"
Haida showed an indignant expression. "You finally remembered? Yes, he is my brother! Nu Jiaha is his alias. His name is Hailu."
The feud between Haida and Ye Changning dates back to two years ago - when an arson occurred in Beijing, causing heavy casualties. The most likely suspect was Haida's brother, Nu Jiaha, also known as Hailu in Haida's mouth.
The facts proved that Hailu was indeed involved. He had arrived in Dayan earlier than Haida and had come into contact with more people, more diverse people. The person behind the scenes used Hailu as a pawn in the arson.
At the beginning, Ye Changning handled the case flawlessly. No matter whether you were a pawn, a person behind the scenes, or just a watchdog to pass on information, you were all arrested and sentenced.
The mastermind behind the blaze was beheaded and displayed publicly. Hailu, the direct arsonist, was hanged.
Haida and Hailu actually have some status in the Western Regions. They are princes of a small vassal state.
However, because the country was too small, even a prince had no dignity, let alone a duke.
In order to survive better and make more money, Hailu borrowed some of his status as a prince and official power to build relationships, which enabled him to open up trade routes with Dayan and enjoy corresponding preferential policies.
Unfortunately, he didn't cherish it. After being easily deceived, he went to Dayan's territory and harmed the lives of the people of Dayan. He even tried to sow discord between the Dayan generals and His Majesty...
As Ye Changning recalled this, his eyes gradually became solemn.
If what Haida said was true, then it made sense for him to attack the people from the Lin Mansion today.
Lin Shuo was given the title of Duke Ding'an, and his status was elevated to a higher level.
The small vassal states outside may really think that Your Majesty conferred the title of Duke of Ding'an in preparation for expanding Dayan's territory next year.
Several small countries in the Western Regions can indeed be incorporated into Dayan's territory, it just depends on whether Your Majesty wants to or not.
Therefore, Haida wanted to take this opportunity to shake Lord Ding'an's mind.
No matter which of the Lin family's children was injured, Lord Ding'an would inevitably be worried and concerned.
By involving himself, he probably wanted to put another accusation on Lord Ding'an - that he was close to the prince?
Or... today's action is to test his relationship with Lord Ding'an first, and then arrange the subsequent frame-up?
"Who is behind this?"
"There's no one behind this. I planned it all myself!"
Ye Changning showed a sarcastic expression: "You don't have the brains for that."
"you!"
"Nu Jiaha was just like you, being used as a pawn without even realizing it. He ended up being hanged. Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom of everything. Then... maybe you'll be reunited with your brother down there." Ye Changning finished speaking and ordered the yamen runner, "Take him away."
Haida glared at him, and before being dragged away, she secretly glanced at Jingyue again.
Jingyue looked back sharply, startling Haida so much that she quickly looked away.
Jing Yue didn't know what cases Ye Changning had handled. After everyone else had left, he asked, "What was Nu Jiaha's case?"
"The Chunman Building arson case two years ago."
“…I see.” That gave me an impression.
The Chunmanlou arson case caused a sensation that year, and Jingyue also heard about it.
Jing Yue thought to herself: Could it really be a test in the name of 'revenge'?
The Duke's Mansion is a big tree that attracts the wind.
Or... are the royal brothers becoming even more restless?
"Bring the second person up." Ye Changning continued to order.
"yes."
The second person brought in was a thin man with a pointed chin and monkey cheeks, who looked like a local hooligans. Ye Changning had broken two of his ribs when he was arrested. Now he was being carried up, still screaming in pain.
"Zhao Dapeng, you are tired of living." Ye Changning has different attitudes towards different people.
Seeing that the man had a pointed chin and an ugly appearance, Jing Yue didn't even bother to look at him. She just lowered her eyes and sipped the tea carefully with the cup in hand - the rouge prepared by Lin Zhiyi was very easy to use, and there was no need to worry about leaving marks on the cup wall in the short term.
Hmm...but the tea at Dali Temple is just average.
Moreover, people who drink tea don’t care much about the taste. They just gulp it down to quench their thirst.
Come to think of it, they are out and about conducting investigations every day, so how can they have the time to sit down and leisurely enjoy a cup of tea?
Jing Yue then discovered another advantage of Ye Changning - frugality.
"Sir... I'm doing this purely for money... Really, I don't know anything else!" Zhao Dapeng's ribs ached when he saw Ye Changning, and he quickly explained.
"You get paid to do something... Tell me exactly how much money you were paid and what you were asked to do. If you lie, you'll be punished with a beating!"
"Five hundred taels. That Hu man asked me to provide weapons and lead the way. I only shot one arrow. The rest were all done by them!" Zhao Dapeng explained everything one by one. "I dare not lie. My lord, please understand!"
"Why did they come to you? Who was the one who took the lead? Was the five hundred taels a banknote or silver?"
"I'm in debt from gambling... It was Mr. Liu from Ruyi Casino who's responsible. Five hundred taels is silver..."
It turns out that it is not a silver note. It will be difficult to trace the source of the silver.
"Who suggested leading the way? Did they specify that we should take you to Wanmin Street?"
"Yes, it was that Hu man who suggested leading the way, and he pointed out that we should go to Wanmin Street."
This street is the only way for Ye Changning to go at noon.
But just having information about Ye Changning's whereabouts is not enough.
How did the other party know the whereabouts of Lin Zhiyi and others?
"Arrest the third person."
"yes."
The third man had a slight limp, but was tall and strong. He looked like a military officer. He was also older, probably in his early forties.
He is the calmest and most indifferent of the three.
The soldiers and generals...can be connected to Lord Ding'an.
"Your name is Zhou Ying?"
This is what is recorded in the file.
Jing Yue also put down the teacup and looked up.
The man surnamed Zhou was a martial artist and came from a military family. It was hard not to think of General Zhou's Mansion.
Could it be that he was once a member of Zhou's army?
Because of some reasons, he had a disagreement with the Zhou family, left the Zhou family army, and then waited for an opportunity to take revenge?
He was close to Zhou Mingyan at that time, so the arrow could be said to be aimed at Zhou Mingyan.
Of course, this is all superficial evidence.
Perhaps the other party was deliberately creating confusion, deliberately revealing their identity and origins so that they would think this way...
In this way, the person behind the scenes can be hidden.
"Yes." Zhou Ying replied nonchalantly.
"Were you once a member of the Zhou family army?"
"No. Not all people with the surname Zhou belong to the Zhou family army, sir."
"You said you had a grudge against me, what is that grudge?"
"It is not I who have a grudge against his Excellency, but Hedda who has a grudge against you. I am his hired help."
"You're not going to change your story?" Ye Changning was even more indifferent than Zhou Ying. "It's okay if you don't change it. I'll have someone investigate your identities and origins."
"I understand. The people in the Dali Temple will not tolerate us lying when investigating a case. They may even be able to find out what we ate in the morning three days ago." Zhou Ying accepted it calmly.
Ye Changning looked at him and asked, "What did you do for a living before Haida hired you?"
"I don't have much to do, I just run errands, scare people, take money, and help them get rid of disasters."
"Is killing people your job?" Ye Changning's eyes were sharp.
"As long as I don't get caught, it's not a bad idea." Zhou Ying smiled. "I won't lose anything in this kind of business."
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