Chapter 165 I Know Nothing (Two Chapters in One)
Because of that scumbag Zhu Yu, Zhao Shiqing has no good feelings towards all the noble children in the capital, but Yan Xia is an exception.
Which girl who has been practicing martial arts since childhood doesn’t have a dream of becoming a martial artist? What’s more, she has a master who is the best martial artist in the world.
Yan Xia, as his name suggests, is upright and righteous, completely different from the villain Zhu Yu. Therefore, Zhao Shiqing looks at Yan Xia differently. Moreover, Xiao Zhen tells her that in his dream, Zhu Yu died at the hands of Yan Xia.
So when Zhao Shiqing learned that Zhu Yu died in the Ministry of Justice, even though Sister Aping said that it was probably done by someone from Baoqing Marquis' Mansion, Zhao Shiqing still suspected that Zhu Yu was killed by Yan Xia.
But when Yan Xia talked about this matter just now, his eyes were bright, and that kind of frankness could not be faked.
Although this was different from what Zhao Shiqing had guessed, Zhao Shiqing still breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Yu, that beast-like being, is not worthy of dirtying Hero Yan's hands. He was born in a toilet and died in a toilet. The toilet is his final resting place.
Zhao Shiqing figured it out and felt better. Today was a really good day because he met Hero Yan.
In Xiao Zhen's dream, Zhu Yu killed his sister. At that time, there was no one in the Prince Liang's Mansion who could redress his sister's grievances. Yan Xia killed Zhu Yu. No matter for what reason, Yan Xia was a disguised way of avenging his sister in the netherworld. Yan Xia was his sister's benefactor, the benefactor of the Prince Liang's Mansion, and also her, Zhao Shiqing's, benefactor.
Although she wasn't in that dream...
Just when Zhao Shiqing was thinking about this and that, Yan Xia finally remembered that he had met Zhao Shiqing!
This was the little granddaughter of the grandfather and granddaughter who had sold him the carriage.
He actually has a very good memory. As long as he has met someone, he will remember them even if it has been a long time.
Unfortunately, there are differences between men and women. He did not look closely at the little girl's face that day. He just looked away for a moment. Besides, Zhao Shiqing had actually disguised herself that day. Although her disguise skills were limited, at least she would not be recognized at a glance.
Recognizing Zhao Shiqing, Yan Xia stood up. This time, he bowed respectfully to Zhao Shiqing: "I thank you on behalf of those who died. Thank you for giving them their final dignity."
Zhao Shiqing pursed her lips and said, "You already thanked me that day. Besides, you gave me some money."
Yan Xia smiled bitterly: "That little bit of silver is not enough."
Zhao Shiqing laughed heartily: "Brother Yan, please don't say anything more, otherwise I will be really embarrassed."
After sending Yan Xia away, Zhao Shiqing looked at Xiao Zhen. Xiao Zhen felt uncomfortable being looked at by her. Just as he was about to say something, Zhao Shiqing suddenly put her index finger to her lips and shushed: "Don't say anything, I don't know anything."
She deeply suspected that the box was related to Xiao Zhen!
But Xiao Zhen shook his head: "It's not me, at least this time, it's really not me!"
This was done too roughly. If it were him, he would do it more carefully.
......
Leaving Su's Teahouse, Yan Xia's heart surged with emotion. Although he didn't say much, he knew in his heart that from now on, he had two more friends, Zhao Shiqing was definitely one of them. As for the mysterious Master Zhen, although Yan Xia didn't know him well, he had a hunch that anyone who could be Zhao Shiqing's uncle wouldn't be a bad person. However, this man was now doing business with the Fifth Prince...
The Yan family members never interacted with the princes.
Yan Xia did not return home. He went directly to the Ministry of Justice, took a few people with him, and hurried out of the city to Tong'an.
When they arrived in Tong'an, the city gate was closed. They asked for the gate to be opened and went straight to the county government office.
When the magistrate learned that the people from the Ministry of Justice had come again, he hurried over from the back court, his clothes were disheveled and his official hat was crooked.
Yan Xia's face was gloomy: "Call all the people who went to Dong Xian Temple that day!"
Tong'an is a small place. Both Captain Li and the yamen runners lived not far away. In less than half an hour, all the people who participated in digging the corpse that day stood in front of Yan Xia.
These people were interrogated for a whole night. When it was almost dawn, two of the yamen runners finally revealed their true colors. Xiao Zhang gave away Lao Liu, saying that Lao Liu had a younger sister who was in love with Xiao Zhang. Lao Liu took the opportunity to drag Xiao Zhang into the marriage, otherwise he would not agree to the marriage.
At that time, Dong Xiucai's body had been dug out. Later, Captain Li ordered people to fill the soil back into the pit. The people in charge of filling the soil were Lao Liu and Xiao Zhang. The two of them filled the soil together. Lao Liu shoveled the soil that had been dug out before, while Xiao Zhang shoveled towards the place designated by Lao Liu. Moreover, the box was not buried very deep, and Xiao Zhang had already dug the box out before Lao Liu finished filling the soil.
Xiao Zhang confessed everything, but Lao Liu bit off his tongue!
Upon learning that their own runners were involved in the incident, the magistrate and Constable Li almost died on the spot. However, they wanted to exonerate themselves, but it was already impossible.
They all knew in their hearts that even if it was finally found out that they had no knowledge of the incident, they would still have to take responsibility.
The term of office of the county magistrate will end next year. He has exhausted all the channels he could have taken. He was about to be promoted to a higher rank next year, but now he can forget about it.
Yan Xia asked Captain Li to investigate Lao Liu. In less than half a day, Captain Li found out that Lao Liu's sister was not his biological sister at all, but his adopted sister. Although they had the same surname, they were not related by blood. More importantly, the two were lovers. In other words, the couple set up a trap together to deceive the silly boy Xiao Zhang.
But when Captain Li went there, the Liu family had already left and Sister Liu was nowhere to be found.
Old Liu had been working in the yamen for six years and had always been honest and reliable. Captain Li never dreamed that it was this recognized honest man who ruined his career path to the Ministry of Justice.
Captain Li immediately patted his chest and promised to find Sister Liu.
Fortunately, Captain Li did not brag this time. A few days later, Sister Liu was arrested. According to her account, she and Old Liu had a son, who had been raised by relatives. However, the child was lost not long ago. When the two were extremely anxious, someone found them and asked them to go to a place outside the city and dig out the box.
Lao Liu was a yamen runner, and all the yamen runners at the city gate knew him. Lao Liu put the big box on a mule cart, covered it with oilcloth, and lied that it was something he had brought from his hometown. The yamen runners at the city gate saw that it was him and did not check it at all. He successfully transported the box of weapons into the city and kept it hidden in his home.
Old Liu was very scared, worried that someone would find out about this, but his son was in someone else's hands, so he could only obey orders.
So he discussed it with Sister Liu and decided to find a scapegoat first. If the crime was discovered in the future, they would put the blame on this person.
This person is Xiao Zhang. For the sake of her son, Sister Liu took the initiative to seduce Xiao Zhang. The reason they chose Xiao Zhang was because he was an orphan and a simple and honest person.
Later, the opportunity came. The Dong family was arrested and brought back to the yamen. Captain Li interrogated them all night. Old Liu was next to them, and he knew the place where the Dong family buried the body at the first time.
When Captain Li saw that the case had made progress, he put the Dong family in jail, and he and the bailiffs all went home to sleep, waiting to go to Dongxian Temple to dig up the body early the next morning.
However, Lao Liu and Xiao Zhang did not go home to sleep. Instead, they buried the box under the yellow poplar tree overnight. When they were burying the box, they also dug up Dong Xiucai's body. They hurriedly filled the soil back and continued digging the hole in another place.
In this way, they buried the box next to Mr. Dong before Captain Li ordered his men to dig out the body.
The scene had been tampered with, so there must have been traces left, but Captain Li found nothing, so it was not unfair for him to be implicated.
Xiao Zhang didn't just dig out the box, he also participated in burying the box.
Based on Sister Liu's confession, Yan Xia ordered someone to draw a portrait of that person. He felt that this person was somewhat familiar. After careful identification, he found that this person was somewhat similar to Eunuch Jin in the Third Prince's Mansion.
Eunuch Jin is the chief steward of the Third Prince's Mansion. When he was young, he served Concubine Qiao and was the most trusted person by Concubine Qiao. Later, when the Third Prince established his own mansion, Concubine Qiao sent him there.
The case was traced back to Eunuch Jin, so Yan Xia returned to the capital and reported the matter to Emperor Yongjia.
He also brought back Old Liu, who had become mute, as well as Liu's sister and Xiao Zhang, to the capital.
Emperor Yongjia was so angry after hearing this that he laughed. He said bitterly, "The evidence points to the third brother? The third brother framed the prince? Let Jin Shun go to the Ministry of Justice and let him identify the criminal!"
Since it was the order from Emperor Yongjia, Eunuch Jin did not dare to disobey and stood with the others to let Sister Liu identify him.
Sister Liu recognized him in the crowd at a glance.
Eunuch Jin was furious and kept crying out that he was innocent.
The third prince was shocked when he heard the news.
"This is a frame-up! What is Tong'an? This prince has never been there, and neither has Eunuch Jin. He hasn't left the capital since he was castrated! Prepare your horses, this prince is going to the Ministry of Justice!"
The Third Prince's Consort Feng Jiahe was getting anxious when she saw she couldn't persuade him. Just then, a eunuch came trotting in, "Third Master, Yang Zhuangyuan is here!"
Feng Jiahe was overjoyed. Yang Shengqiu, the top scholar, was now her father's disciple. He came here at this time, so it must be her father who asked him to come.
The third prince was stunned. He could choose not to see Yang Shengqiu, but he had to give face to his father-in-law.
Although he is a prince, the one he can rely on is his father-in-law Feng Ke!
He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Please let him in."
Feng Jiahe breathed a sigh of relief and quickly retreated behind the screen.
Yang Shengqiu was dressed in plain cloth, but through the gap in the screen, Feng Jiahe recognized the wooden hairpin on Yang Shengqiu's head at a glance!
This wooden hairpin is intricately carved and finely crafted. Just yesterday, she had seen an identical one stuck in Princess Huiming's hair bun. This hairpin was made by Princess Huiming.
Yesterday, she went to the palace to pay her respects to Concubine Qiao. When she heard Concubine Qiao talking about the hibiscus in the imperial garden, she went to the imperial garden and wanted to pick some hibiscus for Concubine Qiao, but unexpectedly met Princesses Huixin and Huiming.
Huiming had a similar wooden hairpin on her head.
Feng Jiahe's face turned pale. Yang Shengqiu was her father's favorite student and the ideal candidate chosen by her father for her husband.
Such a person will become her husband's right-hand man in the future, and her in-laws must be a family that can help her husband.
As for Huiming, she only has the title of princess, but in reality she has nothing!
She is not worthy of Yang Shengqiu at all!
At this time, Yang Shengqiu was listing the pros and cons of this theory one by one. The third prince, who had just been angrily scolded, finally calmed down.
After all, he is just a twenty-year-old boy. He can be impulsive occasionally, but more often he is cold and calm, which is inconsistent with his actual age.
The Third Prince sighed and said to Yang Shengqiu, "Does my father-in-law also think that this was caused by my good brother?"
The good brother that the third prince mentioned was, of course, not the second prince who only knew how to study, but the crown prince who was the target of this case.
It seemed to be a case against the crown prince, but after much trial, the case turned out to be Eunuch Jin, and finally ended up in the Third Prince's mansion.
Before coming, Yang Shengqiu went to see Feng Ke. Like the third prince, Feng Ke also suspected the prince.
"But now the witness has firmly stated that it was Old Jin who ordered them to do this, and that the case was handled by Yan Xia. Every case he's handled is a proven case. Even if I don't go to the Ministry of Justice, I can't sit idly by, or I'll still be blamed."
The third prince clenched his fists in anger. His good elder brother finally couldn't wait any longer and showed his claws!
Yang Shengqiu said, "If Your Highness is at ease, please leave this matter to me. I would like to meet this hero Yan."
The Third Prince laughed: "Zijian, you don't have to regard Yan Xia as your opponent. You are fine porcelain, and he is just a rammed earth brick."
Yang Shengqiu smiled: "But the emperor believes in him."
The smile on the third prince's face gradually disappeared. Yes, his father trusted the Weiguo Mansion and Yan Xia.
Even though the Yan family was a bunch of rough guys, and even though Yan Xia had been in the Hall of Justice for five or six years and still couldn't graduate, the emperor trusted them. This alone made him surpass all the civil and military officials in the court.
"It's a pity that the Yan family never takes sides. Even when this prince got married, Yan Xia didn't come to the wedding."
On the day of the wedding, the Duke of Wei and his wife did come, but unfortunately the Duke of Wei started drinking with others, drinking the fine wine as if it were cold water. He passed out in a short while and was finally carried out of the prince's palace early.
Yang Shengqiu said: "The Yan family wants to be a lone minister, but they also need to be able to stay out of trouble."
The Third Prince naturally wanted to win over the Yan family, especially Yan Xia. Upon hearing Yang Shengqiu's words, the Third Prince's eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked, "Does Zijian have any ideas?"
Yang Shengqiu said, "I am willing to give it a try for Your Highness."
The third prince laughed heartily. He really liked Yang Shengqiu's attitude. He was calm and composed, yet had the confidence to control the overall situation.
Yang Shengqiu had clearly come prepared. He told the Third Prince, "I've discovered something. Although Eunuch Jin is an orphan, he does have a brother. Unfortunately, his family was poor when he was young, and his brother was sold at birth."
The third prince was stunned. He didn't know about this.
Eunuch Jin entered the palace at the age of seven. He had only one older sister, who died of illness a few years ago. His two nephews had received many benefits from Eunuch Jin, but those benefits were insignificant in the eyes of the Third Prince. Moreover, the two nephews were now working for the Prince's Mansion, right under his nose.
"He has a brother?" Unfortunately, Eunuch Jin went to the Ministry of Justice and never came back. Now he is imprisoned in prison. The Third Prince cannot ask him in person.
Yang Shengqiu nodded. "When Eunuch Jin first entered the palace, he mentioned this incident to the eunuchs who entered the palace with him. His brother looked about 70% similar to him. Although it was a long time ago, the eunuchs who entered the palace with him are still alive. They must still remember this incident."
The Third Prince suddenly realized what was going on and said to the outside, "Someone come!"
A eunuch in his thirties walked in, and the Third Prince said coldly, "Go check how many of those who entered the palace with Eunuch Jin are still alive."
......
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