The man behind the Iron Judge's unjust case is revealed
Meanwhile, trapped in the cage, Shen Shaobai and Feng Liunian hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a long time, their strength, vision, and consciousness gradually becoming blurred. In the deep tunnel, only the sounds of each other's breathing and heartbeats could be heard.
Boundless darkness enveloped the two, reflecting their inner fragility and fear. "Is this the end? There are still many important things left to do. But vaguely gazing at the figure before me, this final destination is not so bad; it can be considered a wish fulfilled." Feng Liunian thought, moving his heavy body to embrace the unconscious Shen Shaobai. He slept soundly, like a flower bud about to bloom in March, holy and beautiful, until he fainted a moment later. In his drowsiness, Shen Shaobai felt himself enveloped by warmth, as if he were cast into the mist of a starry sky. Greedy for the warmth, he quickly burrowed towards it. The dripping water in his cave merged into a sea, enveloping the two of them...
As the sky gradually brightened, Gu Yanzhou and Pei Linyan arrived at Cui's house. This time they did not knock on the door, but climbed over the wall and entered. When they arrived at the backyard, they saw dragging marks on the ground. They observed all the way to the woodshed and saw a man tied up through the crack in the door. When they looked closely, it was Shen San or someone else.
The two entered the woodshed, Gu Yanzhou was on guard, Pei Linyan untied the rope and said, "Chen San, why are you so embarrassed?"
"Master Pei, the young master and I went to the Cui Mansion last night and found the man. We wanted to arrest him, but he was cunning and escaped before we even got through. Master Pei and Master Feng followed him through the secret passage. I was going to inform you and the others, but before I could even leave, the Cui Mansion's housekeeper knocked me unconscious and brought me here. Master Pei, do you think my young master is in any danger?"
"Shaobai and Brother Feng have not yet sent back any news, so that's good news." Gu Yanzhou said.
Pei Linyan and Gu Yanzhou followed Shen Er's instructions and went to the secret passage room. Shen Er returned to the barracks, informed General Fu of the incident, and sent troops to surround and search the Cui Mansion.
The two of them came to the room and opened the secret passage. Pei Linyan said, "I'll go ahead, you follow me. Be careful."
"Okay." Gu Yanzhou said
It was pitch black in the secret passage, and one could not see one's hand in front of one's face, but one could feel the beating of his pulse in his palm. His hand was thicker and rougher than before, like rocks on a volcano, hot and warm. The distance between them was getting closer, and Gu Yanzhou pressed against Pei Linyan, their hands rubbing against each other. Gu Yanzhou's hands became hot and sweat oozed out. Water flowed from his palm to his fingertips like a winding stream, the dripping sound synthesizing the rhythm of his heartbeat, as if the whole secret passage was a cheerful movement.
The light in the distance was like a sharp sword splitting the entire sky, and it penetrated the air and froze time. Looking inside, rusty spots of light appeared and disappeared in the cave. Looking closely, I saw two people in the cage leaning against each other, like vines entwined around rocks. It turned out to be the trapped Shen Shaobai and Feng Liunian.
"Shaobai, Shaobai, are you okay?" Pei Linyan asked anxiously.
"Lin Yan, you're here. I thought we were going to die here. By the way, where is Brother Feng?" Shen Shaobai said in a confused manner.
Feng Liunian, embracing Shen Shaobai, was still unconscious, apparently unconscious from prolonged hypothermia and dehydration. Pei Linyan approached the cage's entrance and saw it was forged from icy black iron, unbreakable except by divine weapons. Furthermore, the cage was connected to tunnels at various points. If breached, the tunnels would collapse without support, burying everyone. However, he lacked a key to open it.
At a loss of what to do, Gu Yanzhou walked to the lock and took out a small white porcelain bottle. When he opened it, he smelled a pungent smell, as if his nose was pricked by a needle. "Hurry up and cover your mouth and nose. This is bone-dissolving water that can corrode everything. The gas in it is poisonous if inhaled." Gu Yanzhou said
The bone-dissolving water quickly eroded and dissipated the lock upon contact, and soon the entire lock was completely corroded. A pick of the lock fell, and the two rescued Shen Shaobai and Feng Liunian. The four of them supported each other and walked towards the front of the tunnel, only to find a stone gate at the end. The four of them couldn't push it open, and everyone rested, panting.
"What a great Chief Cui! He appears to be honest and upright, but secretly harbors all kinds of filth. I'll make him suffer when I get out." Shen Shaobai said angrily, feeling the strain of this tunnel. He paced back and forth as he spoke, and when he slipped and was about to fall, Feng Liunian was quick to catch him and hold him in his arms.
Shen Shaobai's face turned red as he pushed it away and said guiltily, "What is that thing that tripped Master Shen?" Then he lowered his head to look for it.
I saw a gourd half-cracked, lying quietly on the ground. "You broken gourd, you come to bring bad luck to me, go away." Shen Shaobai said angrily while kicking the gourd with his foot. A white piece of paper fell out of the gourd as it rolled.
Feng Liunian picked up the note and took a look at it, then said expressionlessly, "It's just a piece of paper."
Chen Shaobai reached out to pull Feng Liunian's hand away, opened the note, and saw that it said "There is a beautiful woman at the foot of the mountain, and a talented man beside the forest. What a nonsense poem." As he said this, he put the note into his sleeve.
Pei Linyan and Gu Yanzhou were still looking for the mechanism when they heard Pei Linyan say, "The mechanism is here, come quickly." Pei Linyan reached his right hand into the small hole and pulled it outwards, and the stone door creaked open.
A breath of fresh air blew in their faces. The four of them walked outside, only to see everyone coming into the house. There were only broken walls and ruins, and the whole house was dead silent, like the aftermath of a fire. When they calmed down, they seemed to hear a cry for help, "Help, help, someone come and save me." The four of them signaled to each other and went to look separately.
Soon they heard Feng Liunian say, "Everyone come quickly, there is a child here." The others gathered here and saw a child about eight years old with his hands and feet tied up, lying in the ruins, with a pitiful look that aroused pity.
Feng Liunian untied him, and Shen Shaobai asked, "Who tied you up here?"
The child replied, "I don't know either. I was here when I opened my eyes this morning."
Before he could finish his words, blood started flowing from his nose, and the faint smell of rust mingled with his mouth. Everyone searched their bodies but found no one with a handkerchief. Chen Shaobai fished a piece of paper from his sleeve and was about to go forward to wipe the child's blood. Gu Yanzhou looked closely and saw words on the paper. He snatched it away and saw that it read "There is a beautiful woman at the foot of the mountain, and a talented man by the edge of the forest." Gu Yanzhou was suddenly puzzled and asked, "Where did this piece of paper come from?"
"This note was obtained from the gourd in the tunnel's secret room. It's unknown who left it there." Shen Shaobai replied.
"Isn't this poem referring to Cui Cai? Isn't this the name of Cui Changshi?" Pei Linyan replied.
At this time, drizzle began to fall from the sky, as dense as sesame seeds flying all over the sky. A man ran out like a madman, shouting, "Help, help, there's a fire, there's a fire, Dad, Mom, come out quickly, Shitou'er won't eat the candied haws anymore, come out quickly, help, help." Shitou'er burst into tears, beat his chest and stamped his feet, then laughed out loud.
The incessant rain ripped through everyone like a sharp blade, raindrops falling on faces, sliding down like drops of blood. This man, Shitou'er, was the Cui family's servant and the serial killer.
The rain came in torrents, like a surging tide pouring into every organ. The rain blurred my eyes, making it difficult to see the thoughts in my heart; the raindrops on my nose made me hold my breath, making it difficult to smell the surroundings; the raindrops on my mouth dyed my red lips, making it impossible to taste the temperature of my body, and they melted away.
Pei Linyan handcuffed Shitou and everyone went to Cui's house.
The army surrounded Cui's mansion in three layers. Only General Fu and Chief Historian Cui were seated in the front hall. From bottom to top, on the left were Gu Yanzhou, Pei Linyan, and Shitou'er; on the right were Shen Shaobai, Liu Nanxing, and Feng Liunian.
"General Fu and Special Envoy Gu, why did you mobilize such a large force and actually confine my mansion? It's so unreasonable." Cui Cai said
"The whole story is about soldiers suffering from food poisoning. It was later discovered that the problem was with the water source. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the poisoner was someone from your residence." Fu Guangdao
"Since the person who poisoned us has been found, why not arrest him and put him in jail? Why do you still want to imprison him in my house?" Cui Cai said
"Master Cui, we originally thought it was just a simple case of food poisoning, but after a careful investigation we discovered that the incident actually led to the murder of a whole family twenty years ago." Gu Yanzhou said
"This is a strange thing. Wuwei County is under our rule. Not only is everything going smoothly, but the people are also living and working in peace and contentment. I would like to hear more about this matter." Cui Cai said
"Twenty years ago, there was a family of three surnamed Shi who made a living by selling candied haws. Unexpectedly, the owner accidentally discovered someone trading salt and iron with the Huns in a tunnel, and was brutally murdered. The murderer then set fire to cover up the truth. Unfortunately, only an eighteen-year-old child escaped the disaster because he was greedy for candied haws. However, the child was too traumatized. Whenever it rained, his personality changed drastically. He became extremely crazy and looked like a madman. In order to control him, the murderer behind the scenes brainwashed him and turned him into a sharp blade. Every year, he killed the eight-year-old child to cause panic among the people. Then he teamed up with a lame Taoist to spread rumors. Then you came as a god, pretending to help everyone get rid of the disaster. In the end, the people worshipped you as a deity, which made it easier for you to smuggle salt and iron." Gu Yanzhou said
"Special Envoy Gu, your story is quite interesting, but how does it relate to me? Do you have any evidence?" Cui Cai said.
"Okay, there are three clues. First, this is the note that Pei Junhou and I found in the tunnel. 'There is a beautiful woman at the foot of the mountain, and a talented man beside the forest.' Together, it means Cui Cai. What is the deep hatred between the landlord and Cui Changshi that he couldn't forget it until his death? Second, why is Shitou, the male servant of the Cui family, the same age as the child involved in the massacre, and still calls them father and mother? Third, why is the housekeeper of the Cui family also lame?" Gu Yanzhou asked
"First, someone might have deliberately framed us and others. Second, I took Shitou in out of pity for him, but I never thought it would become a crime. Third, my housekeeper is lame because he was injured by a tiger when he was young." Cui Cai argued cunningly.
"So that's how it is. Then we are wrongly accusing Cui Changshi." Gu Yanzhou said
I saw Pei San and Shen Er bring the housekeeper, and then Shen Er said to Pei Linyan: "Master Pei, there are many secret rooms in the Cui Mansion tunnels, and they lead to various places in Weiwu, and can directly reach the Xiongnu."
After hearing this, Pei Linyan and Gu Yanzhou looked at each other. Pei Linyan nodded, and Gu Yanzhou received the signal and asked again, "Then how does Chief Secretary Cui explain why the secret passage in the palace leads to the entire city, even to the Xiongnu territory?"
"I remember that you built the Cui Mansion by yourself without anyone else's participation. How do you explain this, Cui Changshi?" Fu Guangdao
"Explain? What explanation is there? All of this was done by me alone. The lowly people here are as filthy as ants. It's a blessing for them to be used by me and make contributions. Who told them to be born lowly and destined to be playthings?" Cui Cai laughed madly towards the sky.
Suddenly, Shitou regained consciousness and slashed at Cui Cai's throat. Blood splattered everywhere, and before anyone could react, Shitou committed suicide. Everyone was shocked. Liu Nanxing quickly stepped forward, felt their pulses, and shook his head, saying, "They both bled to death."
"Butler Cui, do you know where the correspondence between Cui Cai and the Xiongnu regarding the private sale of salt and iron is?" Pei Linyan asked.
"The correspondence is hidden in the study. I'll take you there." said the housekeeper.
Everyone came to the study, only to see the housekeeper looking everywhere, "But he hasn't found it yet." Shen Shaobai asked
"The master has a lot of things, it will take some time to find them." said the butler, deliberately spilling the kerosene while searching.
"Don't you smell anything?" Shen Shaobai asked
"Oh no, it's kerosene, get out quickly." Feng Liunian said
Butler Cui took out a tinderbox and lit it. The whole house was engulfed in bright red light, which reflected on everyone's face, which was filled with various emotions.
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